Vanity Poll Results

The first ever poll on this blog ended last night. I don't mean to gloat (well.... maybe just a little) but the great bathroom vanity debate has been decided (by a 60% majority) in my favour. In all honesty, Jeff is totally fine with a simple, clean-lined white vanity, especially as it will fit in with all of the other white cupboards (kitchen and guest bath) in our house. He is however, wanting something a little fancier than the completely plain vanity I prefer, so we're going to compromise. Our plan is to go with a something along these lines:

photo from DecorPad

Cabinet by Vector East Cabinetry

Jeff is also mad for these glass knobs... and I think he might be able to convince me. They are pretty, aren't they?!  I love the clean lines of this bathroom (and the beautiful watery blue glass tile) but alas... it's a little too modern for Jeff.

Bathroom by Munger Interiors;  photo from Cote de Texas blog

Now we just have to come up with a tile plan. We're leaning toward a mosaiac marble hexagon floor with white subway tile in the shower (along with small band of marble accent), similar to the above photo. I was worried it was too stark, but I think a fabric shower curtain (and coloured towels) and non-white paint on the walls would soften and brighten it up. What do you think?

This is the Day

A year ago today, I was awake all night. When Jeff came into our family room at 6:00 AM to find me still glued to the TV and ask, "Well, so how was it?!" I could not stop telling him about the music. The music from last year's royal wedding was everything we expect from a royal wedding- grand and impressive. But it was also poignant, meaningful, worshipful and personal. And that's why I loved it so very much. The music, along with the the sermon, and the dedication prayer were the absolute highlights for me. Yes- even ahead of the dress and the hats. 

So, in celebration of Kate and Wills' first anniversary today, here are three glorious pieces of music from their wedding. The first is the processional, Hubert Parry's "I was Glad" sung by the Westminster Abbey and Queen's Guard choirs, and the second is the opening hymn, "Guide Me O, Thou Great Redeemer". The third piece was my favourite, and one I posted back in January. John Rutter was commissioned to write a piece for this occassion, and his setting of Psalm 118:24 was so beautiful that I have posted it here for a second time. If you've heard it before, enjoy it again!

You can watch the entire ceremony here.

The best medicine

Last weekend, Jeff and I shared the first weekend in two years when one of us was not studying (or feeling guilty for not studying). The lightness of heart we both described is a pretty amazing feeling. We went outside. We ate good food. We laughed a lot. And we realized how serious life has been for the past two years. We have much more laughing to catch up on.

We wish you a lightened heart as you move into this weekend.

One of my favourite Calvin and Hobbes cartoons, by Bill Watterson

Jeff's favourite Far Side cartoon, by Gary Larson

Dryer Song

Last year at about this time, I was frantically finishing a term paper when our dryer blew up. No joke. There was a loud bang, a series of sparks, a little smoke, and a dead dryer. Since spring is not the time on the West Coast to reliably hang laundry out to dry (and the old dryer was beyond repair), Jeff set off to find a replacement. Because my head was burried deep in a paper, I could only think of one requirement- the colour. In all honesty, I rely on Jeff to make all technical decisions in our life, so sending him off to buy an appliance on his own really isn't a big thing for us.

In the end, Jeff chose the dryer that happened to be on sale that weekend, and we ended up with a few extra features that otherwise, we would have passed over. And those extras, I'm sad to admit, are wonderful. Having an extra large drum came in so handy when washing our nephew's damp camping gear (8 blankets) a few weeks back, and I love that the moisture sensor shuts the dryer off when its contents are dry, instead of cooking them to a crisp. But most of all, I LOVE that it plays a happy song when it is finished a cycle. 

Since crawling out from under my MA rock a few weeks back, I've noticed a whole number of things in our house that I was oblivious to for the past year (or two). You know- dirt in corners, messy drawers, layers of dust- that sort of thing. And I really noticed our dryer song. I was puttering in the laundry room this week when the dryer song went off, and I caught myself absently playing along an accompaniment on the laundry counter. I actually had to look down at what I was tapping out to realize song I was playing. I can't believe it took me a year to realize that my dryer sings Schubert's "Die Forelle".

Now... the oddest thing is that "Die Forelle" is actually a song about a trout. I can't imagine what a fish has to do with my dryer. Hopefully, NOTHING! Here is the original piece, complete with the piano accompaniment that is, apparently, stuck somewhere between my subconscious and my fingers.

It somehow seem so fitting that Jeff and I have a dryer that plays Schubert.

And that's probably the most random and weird sentence I have written in all my life.

Here are two more arrangements of this very sweet tune, for solo piano and for piano quintet. I can't imagine that doing laundry here will ever quite be the same!

My view Wednesday

On Saturday, Jeff declared war against the dandelions and driveway weeds around our yard. Nanaimo is a pesticide-free city, so he commandeered my soup pot. After pouring about 160 litres of boiling water on the enemy, he retreated. On Sunday afternoon, Jeff went out to inspect his work. He was quite pleased to report that his victims were not doing well, thanks to his earth-friendly attack.  Then, you could just see the lightbulb *ping* on in his head. "I was wondering," he asked, "If a good way to kill weeds would be a directional microwave gun that you could just..."

That, in a nutshell, is life with a mechanical engineer.

Here are photos I took yesterday of our later blooming magnolias, in full glory.

Celebrating Jubilee: Queen of Canada

If Queen Elizabeth is the most traveled monarch in history, one wonders where her favourite places on earth might be. If repeat visits are any indication, Canada ranks high on her list. She has visited here more times than any other (24, to be exact) and usually lets us know how warmly she regards us Canadians and our beautiful country in her heart. Here are some highlights of her many visits.

Photos are courtesy of The Daily Mail, London Telegraph, Getty Images, Corbis, Zimbio and Press Association.




1957

Opening the 23rd session of Canadian Parliament

Reading the speech from the throne, in her Coronation gown

1959

Welcomed back for a two and a half month tour by Prime Minister Diefenbaker

At a formal dinner at 24 Sussex Drive, hosted by Prime Minister and Mrs. Diefenbaker

Opening the St. Lawrence Seaway with US President Eisenhower

1967

Riding the mini-rail at Expo '67 in Montreal

Enjoying Expo 67 with Princess Anne and Prince Philip

Meeting a new friend in Kingston (a friend not willing to leave her side!)

1970

Reviewing a boy scout troop in the Northwest Territories

Sporting some SNAZZZZZY go-go boots in The Pas, Manitoba

1971

Sailing from Vancouver to Victoria, again with Princess Anne and Prince Philip

1973

Open top (with another interesting hat) in Thunder Bay

1976

Opening the 1976 Montreal Olympics

1977 (Silver Jubilee Tour)

Leaving Prime Minister Trudeau out in the rain

Delivering the speech from the throne at the opening of Parliament

1982

Signing the repatriation of the Canadian Constitution, 1982

1984

1994

Opening the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver

1997

Sharing a giggly state dinner with Prime Minister Cretien

2010

Visiting a wigwam  in Halifax

Inspecting the troops on Canada Day at Parliament Hill

Facing a wolverine at the Canadian Museum of History

Sporting Maple Leaves on a night out in Nova Scotia

Compromise...

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Jeff and I are starting to brainstorm for a main bathroom renovation. On Saturday night, we spent the evening searching for inspiration, measuring and creating the start of a plan. As in most renovations, Jeff and I had no trouble agreeing to the big questions. Does the molded tub surround go? YES! The floor? YES! The vanity? Hmmmm... after an hour of looking, measuring and concluding we can't easily tweak the existing vanity to gain much needed drawer space, we agreed it has to go, too.  So, while the footprint of the bathroom is going to stay the same, everything will be updated except the toilet.

The vanity is the most complicated element, as there is a narrower-than-usual space it needs to fit (60 inches wide but only 19.5 inches deep). To figure out the rest of the plan for the bathroom, it seems we first have to figure out the new vanity... and move from the big questions to decisions about details. And that's where Jeff's and my opinions go off in completely different directions.

Jeff's pick for a vanity:

By Cantera Furniture

Stef's pick for a vanity:

Bathroom by Canadian designer Peter Fallico. Photo from DecorPad

Jeff and I had a rather colourful (and laughter-filled) conversation Saturday as we shared our thoughts on the other's pick (doesn't his look like an old liquor cabinet?!) and tried to sell each other on our own preferred vanity style. Jeff realized he was fighting a loosing battle so pulled out his trump card. "Well", he huffed (with a mischievous grin), "Mine is timeless!"

I could only just shake my head.

So, dear friends and family members, we are putting this to a week-long vote. Which one do you prefer?!

Creation music

In choosing music for Earth Day today, I had to include John Rutter's beautiful arrangements of "All Things Bright and Beautiful" and "For The Beauty of the Earth". They might be a little dated but I still love them and can't think of anything that captures the joy and wonder of creation better than these pieces do. Both pieces are sung by the incomparable Cambridge Singers, and conducted by the composer himself. 

Lemon Buns

After making pavlova for Easter, I was left with three egg yolks. I'm sure most people just scramble up leftover egg parts, but eggs are not my favourite things to eat. I have wanted to try Lemon Buns for a while and with Jeff tucked away in this office last weekend studying for a professional exam, it seemed like a good opportunity to try them out and use my egg yolks up in the process.

The verdict? The buns were really lovely but the lemon curd was really tart. REALLY tart. I'm talking pucker-up-and-nearly-sneeze-its-so tart! I have made lemon curd a few times using this recipe, which I think I prefer and will probably use next time. I think I'll also save these for special occasions, as they are a bit labour intensive, although very much worth the effort.

adapted from Mennonite Girls Can Cook
yield: just over 2 dozen buns

1 tablespoons instant yeast
5-6 cups flour
1 cups milk, scalded
1/2 cup lard, cubed
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs, beaten
1 cups warm water

In a large bowl (I used the bowl of my KitchenAid stand mixer) stir together dry instant yeast and 2 cups flour. Scald milk (I used my microwave) and add lard. Stir until lard is completely melted. Stir sugar and salt into hot milk mixture. In a separate bowl, beat eggs well and add the warm water. Add in several tablespoons of the hot milk mixture, mix well, then pour the egg mixture into the hot milk mixture. Stir well.

Add all the liquid to the yeast and flour mixture. Stir well. Incorporate at least 4 cups of flour to make a soft sticky dough. Using the remaining several cups of flour, continue adding as you knead until your dough is smooth, but still very soft (I used the dough hook on my mixer). Take care not over knead this dough- it will remain sticky (see photo). Cover and place in a warm draft free area to rise until double in bulk, approximately 45 minutes. While dough is rising, make lemon curd (either the original recipe here, or my recommendation here).

Assembly: After its first rising, punch down the bun dough. Pinch off small pieces of dough (about the size of an egg) and form a flat circle about the circumference of a hocky puck. Poke a hole in the middle of the circle and gently stretch the dough outward so that it expands to the size of a tea saucer and is an even thickness all the way around (stretching the hole as well so you create a large doughnut). Twist the dough in the middle to form a figure 8 and place down on a nonstick pan or baking sheet. Repeat! While this sounds like a lot of work, it actually goes quite quickly. Make sure to leave enough room between the buns for for them to rise, and leave them to rise for another 45 minutes.

After the second rising, preheat oven to 375º. Place a small spoon full of lemon curd on each side of the figure 8 (as in photo above). If the indentations have risen too high, use the handle end of a wooden spoon to gently poke them down again. Bake for 12-15  minutes until lightly browned. Once completely cooled, drizzle with an icing sugar glaze. At this point they freeze very well... if you don't eat them all first!

Lemon buns (with unusually vibrant coloured lemon curd thanks to fresh free-range eggs)

Celebrating Jubilee: The Touring Queen

Queen Elizabeth is arguably the most well-traveled monarch in history. Following her coronation, she wasted no time setting off on a tour of the Commonwealth and, looking back at her schedule of tours, it seems that she has never stopped. Looking at the list of visits to Commonwealth Countries and list of her state visits to other countries, it's amazing to think about all of the places she's visited, the sights she's seen, and the people she's met. Not to mention the air miles. Here are a few highlights of some of these (non-Canadian) tours.  

Photos are courtesy of The Daily Mail, London Telegraph, Life Magazine, Getty Images, Corbis, Zimbio, View Images and Press Association.

1953 Australia

1956 Nigeria

1961 India: Meeting with the first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru

1966 St. Lucia

1970 Darwin, Australia

1970 Fiji

1971 Istanbul, Turkey

1972 Malaysia

1980 Italy: Meeting with Pope John Paul II

1981 New Zealand: Wearing a Maori cloak

1982 Solomon Islands 

1982 Tuvalu

1983 India: Awarding the Medal of Merit to Mother Theresa

1986 China

1991 USA

1992 Malta

1995 South Africa: Attending a service for Human Rights with
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and President Nelson Mandela

1997 India

2007 Uganda 

2008 Turkey

2008 Slovakia

2011 Ireland


2011 Australia: Opening Royal Children's Hospital


2011 Australia