Experiment gone right

Usually, I add diced apple to my cinnamon buns for variety and to lighten the stickiness. Today, I added orange zest and coconut to the usual brown sugar. I know- it's not always a good idea to mess with a classic but somehow, this worked out really well. Although... I could be happy with the infusion of citrus into just about anything.

More creativity and colour

Thanks for the comments yesterday offering design suggestions- it was great to hear ideas and get some advice from an actual designer! I'm going to take your advice to heart  and play around with pillow fabrics to see what works. Thankfully, fabric is pretty cheap and pillow covers are easily replaced.

After a year and a half with my nose stuffed in a book or up against my laptop screen writing papers, I have been feeling a void of creativity and begun looking for some projects . Yesterday, I helped a friend make 12 informal centerpieces for her mom's big birthday party tonight. Our budget was $0 and we came in right on the dot!  I scavenged the greens from my in-laws' garden (which I'm really hoping is OK since they will read this while away enjoying their vacation!), the hydrangeas from my garden and the dahlias from a friend's garden. Considering the budget, I think we did really well.

Craving colour

After living with a bright chintz sofa for more than a decade in my last home, I have swung to the opposite end of the furniture spectrum. During our married life, Jeff and I have purchased a new living room sofa and loveseat (both beige) and a used sofa for our family room (also beige). I have to admit- the need for bland neutrality has been all my influence and I'm feeling the need for some colour.

Our basement family room is bright (thanks to 3 windows and 9 foot ceilings) and my plan to revive the space with colour needs to incorporate our existing furniture, artwork, and rug. All of the design blogs I read encourage bold use of fabrics to inject life into a space and while this approach is completely outside my comfort zone, the idea is growing on me more and more. 

What do you think? Comments? Ideas for a coffee table?

You say tomato...

After getting our fill of blackberries, we are now seeing red (and yellow, and orange, and purple!) Tomato season is in full swing- this finds us eating them for breakfast, lunch and dinner these days. We really don't mind the repetition because they are SO GOOD.  I actually cringe at the thought of going back to tasteless imported grocery store tomatoes this winter. One of our new favourites is a very simple salad that is seriously delicious and also really pretty. 

 

ingredients to serve 4:

2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced

1 cup (or 1 can) black olives, drained and pitted

1-2 Tbsp. pine nuts (whatever looks about right!)

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tsp. white sugar

1 Tbsp. fresh oregano (or 1/2 tsp. dried oregano)

salt and pepper to taste

1-2 sliced green onions (optional)

Mix everything together and let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Blackberry season

This year, I've made a blackberry cream jelly roll, blackberry fizz, savory blackberry plum sauce... but the best of the best is still the blackberry apple pie.  This was my third pie of this year's blackberry season (don't worry- the other two were shared at potlucks!) and while it wasn't the prettiest, Jeff and I were both caught nipping a slice for breakfast!

Saying thanks

In the last update on my dad's health following his surgery, I mentioned how my parents gave permission to use my dad's medical case for training in the First Responder program; this ultimately resulted in their town receiving the donation of another AED (Automated External Defibrillator).

For those of you who know my parents, you won't be surprised at all to hear that they helped turn the donation of this AED into a community-wide recognition of the volunteer First Responder program (in addition to the individuals that responded to my mom's 911 call).  The event not only made the provincial news (click here and forward to the 5:40 mark) but more importantly, recruited 11 new volunteers (at last count) to the First Responder program in Waldheim where my parents live. The Saskatoon Health Authority released a 25 minute video of the evening's presentation- this includes a synopsis of the emergency response (2:15), remarks by my parents (12:12), words from the  First Responders who attended my dad (6:15) and a presentation of the new AED (19:50).   As you can imagine, this brings an amazing finale to the story of my dad's heart attack. For our family, it really is an unexpected and incredible gift.

Fall sunset

Harvest

As we enjoy the patio tomatoes that are finally starting to yield, I'm turning again to some wonderful Okanagan tomatoes to fill my pantry. This year, my canning is limited to tomatoes, nectarines and peaches. I seem to get much more easily overwhelmed these days and figure that with a combined 70 pounds of fruit, I am tackling the maximum of what I can rationally handle. The Okanagan peaches are absolutely fantastic this year... and hopefully there will be enough to fill some jars after we finish stuffing our faces.

While Jeff was barbequeing our dinner last night, I looked up with shock to see that the maple tree off our back deck is in the midst of changing colour. It continues to be so hot here (+34 today) that I had forgotten autumn is about to appear.

Bit of Lipstick

A year ago, Jeff and I set out to add some much needed curb appeal to our house. The main part of this project involved tearing out the old entrance steps last fall and building a replacement that was both functional and attractive (see a quick slideshow here). This summer, Jeff has done a great job installing brick terraces at the front gate and the foot of the new stairs (photos to come soon) and with these construction phases complete, we're moving ahead to the last phase of straight beautification.

Jeff and I debated back and forth on the pros and cons of shutters, finally deciding that our house could do with a few shots of pure cosmetic help. The change isn't that dramatic... but I think this little bit of lipstick does make a positive difference.

one window with shutters... and one without 

Except for when this photo was taken, I really WAS holding the ladder!

To compare- the BEFORE

and AFTER (including trim to the unruly cedar tower)

Catching up

It's been a busy few weeks here.  Jeff was away for over a week trying to fix a very sick robot while I have been trying to get caught up on school work.  After a wonderful visit with 5 friends from Ontario, ongoing brick work in the yard and lots of overtime hours for Jeff at work, we enjoyed an overnight visit this weekend to a friend's condo overlooking Rathtrevor Beach. It was actually our third trip to Rathtrevor this month, but we're not complaining as it is still one of my favourite places on this island. We usually enjoy the view by walking on the beach itself, and it was a fun change to enjoy it from a higher vantage point- especially with morning coffee on the deck. This is MY kind of camping!

looking at high tide and sunset from our balcony

same view in the morning, with the tide going out

the view as it was seen directly from my pillow