wunderbug

Slow cooker pulled pork on garlic toast

2011-11-06T14:28:00.000-05:00

I made pulled pork in my slow cooker on Friday and it was the best thing I've cooked in my kitchen in a long while.

As per usual, I MacGuyvered a favourite recipe from my sister. I was feeling particularly saucy, so I figured I'd like to play around with what she's got to see what else I could do with it.

(But then again, it's pulled pork. You don't want to mess with a good thing too much.)

Spoiler alert: when I do this with my cooking, I don't measure things. I measure in pinches and shakes. Consider yourself forewarned.

You'll need:

Half of a spanish onion
2 tbsp butter
2 pork tenderloin (You can also substitute with pork shoulder)
4 strips of bacon
Your favourite smokey BBQ sauce (I used a mix of 3 parts Diana's Gourmet Western Smokehouse and 1 part Canadian Club Hickory Bold)
1 can of root beer
5 drops of liquid hickory smoke
A few shakes of smoked paprika
A few pinches of freshly ground black pepper
A few shakes of sea salt
Approximately 2 teaspoons brown sugar
A pinch of cayenne pepper
Your favourite buns (I used whole wheat kaisers)
Freshly chopped garlic
Mushrooms (if you like them)
Your favourite cheese (I used Havarti but an old, strong cheddar would also be awesome)

Sautée chopped onions with butter; slice the bacon into small pieces and add it into the pan. Once it's started to brown, scrape the contents into the slow cooker; set it to medium.
Add the pork tenderloin, ensuring that it's surrounded with onions and bacon.
Add the BBQ sauce, root beer, hickory smoke, paprika, black pepper, salt, brown sugar, cayenne pepper into the slow cooker. Ensure that the pork is entirely covered (if it's not, add more BBQ sauce).
Let it cook for 4 hours on medium. You'll know it's done when the pork pulls apart easily with a fork.
Once you can pull the pork apart, drain almost all of the root beer from the cooker; add more BBQ sauce, salt, or pepper to taste.

Once the pork is ready:

Sautée mushrooms.
Mix chopped garlic with butter and spread it on the buns; put them in the oven with the broiler on until golden brown.
Pile on pulled pork.
Stack with cheese, sautéed mushrooms, and enjoy.

Bon appetit!

oh hi! monday is almost done!

2011-10-17T21:37:00.000-04:00

Wonderful, wonderful weekend.

Kicked off with some strategizing around what exactly to do in lieu of our annual cranberry festival weekend, which was voted off of the island due to crappy weather. Instead, we hit up the oldie-but-goodie St Jacobs market for The Best Hummus and Baba Ghanouj Ever (so claims the dude selling it), and then Kirk and I celebrated the rest of Saturday with some Scrabble and wine.

We like to live on the edge.

All I've been able to focus on since then has been board games. We went thrifting the following day, with board games as the target of my mission and cassettes to play in The Last Car Ever With A Tape Deck as Kirk's. TLCEWATD currently has Harry Belafonte on high rotation. (Further proof of liking to live on the edge.)

Conclusions:

I'm shocked and appalled at the number of people who have seen fit to rid themselves of their old Real 2 Real and Color Me Badd tapes. Don't they count as classic yet?
The Best Hummus and Baba Ghanouj Ever is pretty good, but the title still belongs to that which is served at The Sultan's Tent. Flavour notes, I tell you. Flavour. Notes.
I have a hankering to visit Snakes & Lattes or a similarly board-gamish themed place.
OR HOST A BOARD GAME PARTY.

Sweet merciful crap, I think I just found my calling in life.

A little meditation

2011-10-12T13:29:00.000-04:00

Today is a day to just breathe, be still, and be deeply rooted.

I had four days off last weekend tocelebrate Thanksgiving, most of which was spend frenetically driving from onedestination to the next, my mind calculating drive times and making lists andanticipating What’s Next On The Itinerary. While I’m thankful for having a life full ofpeople who I love deeply, it most certainly didn’t check off that “rest +rejuvenate” item on my checklist.

By mid-day today, I re-watched this video because I love it; it’s soothing and beautiful and the factthat I’d found it online reminds me of so many of the things that Ilove about the internet.

My mind slowed and I was reminded of thegoals that first started my journey to rearrange my life to fit my vision ofwhere I pictured myself. After over a year and a half, a different job, a bettermindspace, clearer direction, new neighbourhood, it’s nice to gauge how far you’vecome and then to return to those motivations that got you started in the firstplace.

I’m attempting to keep this post distinctfrom my ever-listmaking mindset. So with that, today is a day for serenity.

I’m closing my Facebook page so that I’mnot constantly checking for updates and notifications; I’m closing Twitter forthe same reasons. I’m revisiting theinspirations that helped me make those steps to who I am today. Some of them have undergone metamorphosis while I wasn't looking, some of them have chosen other paths, some of them continue to inspire me on a daily basis.

Why are you doing the things that you'redoing? Where did the passion begin; where has it brought you?

growing is forever

2011-10-04T17:26:00.000-04:00

hello world.

this video helps me to take a deep breath in the midst of a busy day. i want to write down the words, fold them up and put them under my pillow, keep them in my wallet, revisit them throughout the day. i want them on the wall in my office, just to the left of my computer, to remind me.

beautiful.

Growing is Forever from Jesse Rosten on Vimeo.

a sense of hunger for life - sabrina ward harrison

2011-05-09T11:30:00.002-04:00

my continuing obsession with pinterest brought me across a new favourite artist today; sabrina ward harrison. her work is the love child of a bunch of my favourite things; mixed-media art, words, texture and photography, all thrown into one (or rather, several), awesome pieces. they're inspiring and whimsical, and i just can't stop looking at them.

big love.

2011-05-05T23:06:00.000-04:00

and so tonight, as i'm walking home after an evening of thrifting adventures, coffee and a good few hours of walking in a spring evening, it occurs to me.

things are good.

even though my jeans fit tighter in the middle than i'd like them to; even though my hair doesn't look the way i wish it would; even though my apartment isn't set up the way i want it to be [and set up that way right now]; it's a process. not always a happy process, and life isn't the way i imagined it to be at this time last year, but it's good.

and tonight? i'm ok with that. big love to you, world.

painting by liz tran

beautiful, ugly, bookmarked, discovered

2011-03-11T14:19:00.000-05:00

kal has been blogging lately about beautiful ugly truths. and i love them all. the bare-naked honesty of them.
i've been wading through blogs and images and photos and falling in love with all that is the interwebs all over again. thanks, interwebs. you're kind of great sometimes.
pinterest has been key with finding loads of awesomeness, and i'm always looking for more awesome stuff to bookmark and ogle. what is pinterest, you ask? marta wrote a better explanation than i could, so check it out (and all of her lovely boards, too, while you're at it!)

the wintery + the wonderful

2011-01-31T13:13:00.000-05:00

much love + inspiration goes on in the bloggy world today while i continue my quest to get my act together.

some of my favourite new things:

kal continues to be an ever-flowing fountain of awesome baby names, and the one for her most recent lil one is no exception.
i came across jennifer's photo blog via simple lovely, who is always a reliable source for pretty things
this industrial loft via two ellie
speaking of industrial, i want pretty much everything in this salvaged loft (via apartment therapy)

much love today. xo

(images from my iPhone; ice skating at harbourfront centre, toronto; morning sunshine last week on campus)

i'm gonna post this before i get sidetracked. again.

2011-01-28T14:51:00.000-05:00

this is me

in an attempt to kick start my (almost creaky) creative bones. it's been way too long and i need to get back in the game.
i started a completely new job at the beginning of the month that requires me to get my artsy on.
this is an awesome, awesome thing.
but it means that i've been effectively lurking blogs and handmade shops and slowly gathering my mental inspiration board together again.

it looks something like this.

i need

to make a game plan
and a list
both a grocery list, and a to-do list

project kick-off date: tonight.
excitement level: super high.

big love to the interwebs. thank you for being so chock-full of information.

xo

je me souviens

2010-11-11T09:31:00.000-05:00

a month in four photos

2010-10-01T09:53:00.000-04:00

it rained, the leaves changed, i went to see the eels in concert, and the sun set.

goodbye, september. it's been a slice.

tuna and nook

2010-09-20T13:36:00.001-04:00

I finally fixed my issues with blogpress, which means I can now post from my phone. Suh-weet.

This is gonna be good; I can tell right now, from my quiet nook on campus. It's so busy now that classes are back in session but I know that chances are good that this bench will be free, and that it'll be super quiet and has a great view to accompany me, my thoughts, and my tuna sammich.

I love tuna sammiches. Almost a much as I love my nook. Le heart.

Find a moment of peace today.

goosey goosey gander

2010-08-19T13:11:00.003-04:00

1) the geese and gulls in the commons paddle through the pond - maybe they're looking for fish that aren't there. a gull flaps his wings, rises up, and bobs down into the shallow water, trying to get something. a bug?

2) a child and her mother walk by, the little girl squeals and claps her chubby hands in glee at the birds so close by. she toddles down the steep incline - almost too steep for her little legs - hands outstretched, grabbing. the geese move away from her reach slowly, waddling along to safer terrain.

3) the groundskeeper is filling water in buckets at the far end of the pond; he pours powder solvents into them, and then pours them out splashing around the pond. i like the sound; it startles the geese. they line up on the other side of the pond, as though in a face-off, and stare down the groundskeeper as he wheels his cart and buckets away. territory successfully defended.

check out the original three beautiful things blog.

wait a minute, mister postman

2010-08-18T11:14:00.002-04:00

these are just too sweet for words. i need them. in my mailbox, and in my mouth.

yesterday was an awesome day for getting myself back into the right headspace (that is, the one for productivity); and then it got put to great use with cleaning and filing and a general all-round organizing catchup... and then a good unwind with a glass of wine and balcony chats with Kelly. mm.

today: momentum continues. i'm not sure how, but i've got a few new projects on the brain that i want to get started. it's gonna be good. stay tuned for details, once i figure them out.

image via slash food

just what the doctor ordered.

2010-08-17T10:48:00.000-04:00

take this moment.

stop. turn off your music, if you have it on.
straighten your back.
close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you, whatever they may be.
take a deep breath in. keep going until your lungs fill with air.
hold it there for a second; feel them stretched to capacity.
let it out slowly, and then open your eyes.

chances are that this day may not be the best day of your life; it may not be the worst either. it's likely to be somewhere in that vast expanse of the in-between. either way, this day is your life. not tomorrow, not yesterday.

live it the best way you know how. you're more than worth it.

xo

for sale

2010-08-13T14:37:00.001-04:00

so one of the things i've been talking quite a bit about recently is being more authentic 'round these parts. most seem to agree that it's altogether too easy to throw up posts about pretty furniture and decor, or just not post that day because you didn't quite feel like putting on a happy face. or delay in putting up pictures of your pretty new apartment because it's not quite the way you want it to look yet, or because you don't have the energy or inclination to get it presentable. (who, me? i've definitely never done that. ever. pssshhh.)

but sometimes people need to see a bit of that. the clutter. you know? it makes the blogworld seem a whole lot more human, but it also (i suspect) makes us feel a bit less inclined to be perfectionists ourselves. life isn't about perfection and constantly looking to the future for what's to come. it's about living it in the moment. about being mindful about the state of the present day, and what's more - being okay with it, even if your windows are dirty and you feel messy inside.

or maybe it's just me.

either way, this week has been a week of more changes in my life.. ones that i don't have control over. (blech - my favourite!) after 24 years in the same space, my mom put her place on the market on monday. and then my dad did the same thing with his place, our family's cottage. that's a whole lotta memories going up for sale all at once. and it sucks, and it's sad. saying goodbye to both when they've been such a big part of my past is going to be tough. it's not as if it's a total surprise given the circumstances, but something really drives it home when you see it listed on the real estate website, the bits and pieces of your former life broken down into things like square footage and a two-car garage.

i know that those memories obviously will stay with me, and i know that both places have changed since i was little and are much, much more different than what i remember them to be for very different reasons. i know that there's awesome things laying in wait for us, in the future. but for now, i'm gonna take a little bit of time to look over my shoulder at the places i've come from.

hello, i'm new here.

2010-08-09T07:03:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm sitting outside and have just finished reading the tail end of The Other Boleyn Girl, enjoying the summer breeze and the warm sun on my back. It's days like these that you want to remember in the middle of winter when it's minus forty degrees with a windchill factor of minus stupid and snow up to your shoulders.

Let me take this opportunity to introduce myself. I'm an avid fan of wunderbug. I love to drop in and see what’s shaking ... but as we all know, very little actually has been. Shaking, that is. Hence, I came along to shake things up a bit. I'm Courtney’s youngest sister, Arianne. I like dinners by candlelight, long walks on the beach, fruit salad, and llamas.

It's days like today that you wish you could hold on to - those days where you take a minute, breathe, listen to the wind in the trees, the waves calm and lapping at the shore; to close your eyes and just be.

triple heart.

2010-08-06T07:09:00.000-04:00

i'm loving:
these pictures
this blog
these brownies

also:
a lovely little guest blogger will be doing a few posts here very, very soon.
stay tuned.

image via abby.

just blank.

2010-08-05T11:50:00.000-04:00

how many times do we create a vacation that we need to take a vacation from? i think i forgot to leave a day of nothingness at the tail end of my vacation; instead, i cleaned my apartment and balcony from top to bottom. and then was even more dead tired afterwards. oops.

i need an intentionally blank page. i used to do the same thing when i was journalling all the time. it's a good idea. a moment to be quiet and reflect and just ... do nothing.

image courtesy of zutaten

oh, hello.

2010-07-22T18:07:00.002-04:00

so i'm just gonna put it out there, because i know you're thinking it anyhow.

i recognize that it's been a ridiculously long time. oh, hello again.

big changes here. so many big ones i don't even know where to begin. i'll just have to get to them as i get to them. that seems to be my motto lately ... one step at a time. baby steps, even.

some things i didn't realize before i began this whole whacked-out process..

that i really had no clue what i was in for
that's sometimes the challenge about making big sweeping changes to everything
that life without cable is an entirely different animal when you're living by yourself
that being said, i really love coming home from work and making a big ole plate of sweet potato fries with a side of chipotle aioli and watching glee. i'll have sour jujubes for dessert too.
while taking (completely unintentional) time away from the blogworld to work on getting myself grounded again has been pretty ok, i miss it.
at times, blogging helped me keep mindful
at others, i felt so, so terribly inauthentic.
i'm not going to be inauthentic anymore
that's not to say this is going to become a tell-all blog, so y'all can breathe easy
i'm re-reading my post from the beginning of the year and i feel like a totally different person
no, seriously, i do. that's a good thing.
particularly that whole 'what we give our attention to is what we become' shebang. how wise is that gwen bell?!
sometimes i get so wrapped up in the anxiety of the moment that i forget to be mindful. and why i'm doing and sometimes i panic and forget to breathe
and sometimes i just need to remind myself, this will all be ok someday
i said today that i wish it was three months from now.
i take that back
i'm glad i have today. today is where i learn. today is who i am. today is what i make of it.
and that's when i put one foot in front of the other, and take another baby step forward.

just remember

2010-05-18T15:51:00.000-04:00

we're all in this together.

photo by nancy paiva

chalk philosophy

2010-05-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

oh, hello.

i'm dipping my toes back in as an effort to create some sort of routine around here again. it's been a while.

i'm going to make today into a sidewalk chalk kind of day: bright, whimsical, and temporary. it's important for me to remember right now that the way things are right now isn't the way they're gonna be forever; they'll wash away with the rain and i can always start again to make a new masterpiece.

day one

2010-04-03T18:06:00.004-04:00

and we're off! I hate feeling as disorganized as I have throughout this process so far, but after a morning of shopping and some incredible decision-making skills (quick decisions aren't one of my strong points!), I've successfully purchased a new bed and decided to hold off on all other furniture (specifically, a lil futon-couch) until I get the bed in first.

but as you can see I've got my one shelf, one chair, big mirror ... And some new patio furniture I bought for my balcony from ikea. (hey! priorities. I'm going to need something to relax on with a glass of wine when this is all done. Call it incentive!)

More pics to come - although I don't know where the Easter bunny is planning on hiding the eggs!

it only took me forever to make it happen

2010-03-30T09:50:00.002-04:00

so it's official.

i've got the apartment i wanted - and the move-in date is this thursday.

i suppose i've got some work ahead of me. but first, i need to hit up arianne for some boxes from the grocery store she works at. and maybe a good search on craigslist for some kitchenware.

and curtains. i need something to cover those windows. and a couch.

holy hannah, this is strange. and nerve-wracking. and exciting.

hello, new chapter in my life. i'm so pleased to meet you.

ps fantastic new blog find as of this morning - a fellow toronto blogger, sandy b. check her out, really.

the best reason to stare at the ceiling all day

2010-03-29T12:56:00.002-04:00

i've seen these capiz shell chandeliers around have decided i need one. i'm actually pretty okay with having no furniture, so long as i have this.

or no tv.

who needs tv when you have a kick-ass chandelier?

if given the choice, what piece of decor would you have at the expense of all others (or am i just crazy?)

images via west elm and fuse lighting

vintage kitchen gems and natural pantry staples, ahoy!

2010-03-24T13:00:00.000-04:00

i'm getting much closer to finding a new place - will hopefully have some good news by next week or so!

in the meanwhile, i've been doing some research on the kitchen stuff i need to buy ... and have been trying to find the best ways to stay within my budget.

so i went vintage shopping yesterday, and found a stunning cake tray as well as an antique yogurt maker from about 1972, and finally a two-tiered devilled egg tray.

screw functional kitchen stuff - i'm going to have the best. kitchen. EVER. dinner will be eaten off of the cake tray. along with the antique yogurt. and 84 deviled eggs for dessert.

take that, martha stewart.

(in the meanwhile, i went to canada blooms last friday and found some fantastic ideas for my soon-to-be balcony and soon-to-be container garden, along with a billion other ideas for the backyard patio that i don't have. but will. eventually.

and i bought a fire pot. it's going to sit on my balcony, on the little patio set that i want to buy.)

it's gonna be awesome. i'm loving this article on natural pantry staples.

what recommendations do you have for someone who's trying to buy kitchen and pantry stuff on a budget? what should i prioritize? what can wait?

images by me, from my iphone, at canada blooms.

i think i might be manic in this one

2010-03-17T07:02:00.000-04:00

it's been insanely nice outside for the past few days here in toronto. like, insaaaanely.

like, i-went-outside-for-lunch-and-sat-on-a-concrete-step-while-eating-my-turkey-sammich-and-my-butt-didn't-even-get-cold kind of weather. in march. unheard of!

so whether it's been the weather or the fact that i'm looking to move in a few months, i've been feeling quite peckish for some spring cleaning.

...it also doesn't help that, in my inbox every morning, martha stewart and her gang of decor/organizey magazine thugs show up - baseball bats in hand - ready to rumble.

(admittedly, i invited them all to my inbox by clicking on that 'subscribe' button ... so i suppose you could say that i asked for it. but still.) either way, they're there, and they're taunting me with the billions of helpful ways to be a happier, better, cleaner, more organized, productive, efficient, clothes ironing and money-saving monster.

and here are some of my favourite topics so far.

on making my wardrobe last
on giving my old clothes new life
on spring cleaning the living crap out of everything
not that i have tubes of dried-up crazy glue lying around, but a good mental and literal de-clutter never hurt anyone. i'm so down with purging.

in terms of trying to find some new digs, any of you who live in a big city can surely attest to the pithy square-footage to monthly rent ratio that selling an arm and a leg will get you. i was getting a bit bummed about the whole thing until i came across tiny ass apartment, a blog that describes itself as:

Wish you had a five-bedroom mansion in the hills and enough money to decorate it with stuff from Anthropologie that's NOT on sale? Face it -- you live in a tiny-ass apartment with only enough cash to buy... nothing. Here's how to still be fabulous.

(and i can interact with fellow TAA dwellers for tips and stuff on facebook too? sweet!)

... but in all seriousness now, anyone with any knowledge of awesomely lit and spacious hidden gems in uptown toronto for a good price, let me know.

images via TAA via apartment therapy

not to throw a tantrum, but

2010-03-16T07:32:00.002-04:00

given my penchant for going MIA for the last forever, i find it highly ironic (and almost funny) that, when i'm waiting for some of my favourite blogs to update (i'm not going to point any fingers), i get really impatient.

it's like the blog version of waiting by the phone for someone to call. you know, when you pick it up every so often to make sure that you can still hear the dial tone.

yep, it's still connected.

it's not you, it's me. i just miss the updates.

(until then, i'm sure your site statistics are going to score a high number of hits from a certain somebody who uses firefox and is located in toronto, but for some weird reason sitemeter keeps listing it as ajax, ontario. strange. insult to east-enders everywhere? should i consider that commentary on my east-ender status?)

much love (seriously),
courtney

ps seriously, please post soon. i've read the whole internet.

step away from the cash register, miss

2010-03-15T06:38:00.000-04:00

i'm still really working on getting back into my groove, but since it's been so long that i've been grooveless, maybe i should just get on creating a new one.

i went to the bookstore yesterday and did some wandering - one of my favourite things to do. i managed to drum up some willpower and abstain from making a beeline for all of my usual haunts (ie cultural studies), and instead checked out various books in the biography section.

long way gone : memoirs of a boy soldier by ishmael beah
one of the keynote speakers at the conference i ran last year was a former child soldier - his story was so tragic and so inspiring at the same time, i'm drawn to more and more of these recounts.

look me in the eye by john elder robinson
i've been devouring augusten burroughs' book, magical thinking lately; this is a memoir written by his brother john, recounting his life with Aspergers syndrome. from the first bit that i leafed through in the store, i've come to the conclusion that this family truly has the writing gene. envy ensues.

(ps i'm going to go ahead and highly recommend augusten's writing while i'm at it. i'm loving it like i haven't loved a book in a long, long while.)

and just as i was about to pick up both of these books and make a beeline for the cash, i ran straight into it. the cultural studies section.

dun dun dunnnnnn.

there it was, front-faced at eye level, on the first shelf i could see. the story of stuff by annie leonard (based on the internet project). right near by was the paradox of choice by barry schwartz.

it was like high noon in the wild west. the universe was telling me to step away from the compulsive buying spree and get focused on reading the books i already have.

okaaaayyyyuh. i guess.

so i put both books down (after adding them to my wish list) and found a comfy seat in starbucks and settled in to an afternoon of reading and people watching. one day, my pretties. i'll get you.

what's on your reading list?

not to use my blog like twitter, but..

2010-03-09T23:13:00.002-05:00

this is an awesome article. i feel like i need to pick it apart more and digest it, piece by piece.

interweb: fail

2010-03-04T09:08:00.003-05:00

so here i am, again, with a router that's going through it's latest case of PMS. i'm not gonna lie; it's more than a bit maddening. i spent most of last night trying to troubleshoot; resetting both the router and the modem, tweaking network settings, and the only thing that seems to work is to eliminate the router from the network entirely and go back to the olden days of only having one hard-wired internet connection in the house.

my poor, poor laptop.

seriously though, if anyone has any suggestions i'd be more than happy to hear them. i googled til i could google no more. i'm pretty much toast on the matter. my next step is crossing my fingers and praying that the technology fairies will fix it overnight. or with a restart of the computer.

anyone have any fairy dust?

what i've been doing while i haven't been doing much of anything in the meanwhile

2010-03-03T06:02:00.001-05:00

holy freakin canoli.

how deliquent am i?

in my absence, here's a random sampling of the blogs i look to for inspiration and advice. or a laugh. (or all three!). without further adieu, and in no particular order, here we have 'em.

tiffany. oh tiffany. i so enjoy your obsession with all things Amish, your angsty winter poetry contests, your random thoughts and of course, the wild world of zhuzhing.

gwen man, i hope that in the years to come, my lil blog rocks as hard and with as much heart as yours does. (ps you and joel are so frickin awesome. i love your posts about the two of you.)

elsie. you've got so much style it hurts. you somehow make really random things look cool. i admire that. (i tried wearing a headband like that around my head and looked like a total dope. i seem to be lacking the unique style genetics that you have. and i totally listened to miss angie in high school too!)

kal. you're the first blog that i read every day. your bulletproof positive approach to life is solid, and your talent inspires me. you've got an awesome sense of style and an even awesomer philosophy, plus you've got the most adorable girl tribe and canine unit that i've ever seen. i could bookmark pages and pages of things you've written. keep on keepin' on, miss.

oh yeah. and i've got some new ideas and projects brewing in the background of my mind. up there, that's one of them. so stay tuned. a few new directions from me, but it's all good.

spring will be here soon. i'm excited to see where my new road leads. what fresh plans and ideas do you have for your life?

in the dark

2010-02-22T17:24:00.001-05:00

found over at vol25. i love this quote. happy monday, all.

alphabet

2010-02-16T10:53:00.000-05:00

fitting the letters together, wondering what they'll spell out in the end.

photo found here

itchy scratchy

2010-02-12T06:57:00.001-05:00

arianne's going to cuba tomorrow, and i wish i was going. she's been buying a few new summery things and it's giving me that itch to shop. or that itch to spring clean. or that itch to make things better. or that itch to just be warm, for goodness' sake.

my game plan to get out of this rut is to get back into my pre-christmas routine, whether or not i feel like it. back to yoga, painting, creating ... just generally being productive.

it's tough, you know, in the winter. i'm much more of a warm weather person; i do garage sales and flea markets and farmers markets and it really gets me out of the house and keeps me fresh.

i'm going to make a concerted effort to find out things that are going on around the city and in my area; there's quite a few shows that are coming up that i want to see ( the artist project toronto, the toronto one of a kind spring show, and canada blooms), so march is gonna rock .. what does a girl do between now and then?

what kinds of creative things do you get up to in order to relieve cabin fever in the wintertime?

another notch in the ol' belt

2010-02-10T18:42:00.003-05:00

ok, enough with the monkey business. seriously now.

2010, so far you've been a bit of a bust. (bust no more, my friends, bust no more!)

i've been full on ideas, but low on motivation and inclination. during the course of my time off in december, i spent some time exploring other blogs to try to explore options & new directions for this blog - and i certainly wasn't lacking in inspiration - and i think i have a pretty good idea of where i want to go, but in the meanwhile, i got bloggy stage fright.

silly, huh?

there've been all these things floating around in this lil ole head of mine, that i couldn't even begin to think about what to post. so i didn't. and the more i thought about it, the more it bothered me. and the less i could write.

so, no more. here we go. sometimes you've just gotta post something. jump in with both feet. so i'm a-jumping.

happy two year blogiversary - here's to new adventures!

make time.

2010-01-25T06:58:00.002-05:00

oh hello monday! almost didn't see you coming, there.

(no seriously, watch it next time, will you?)

so i've been attempting to practice mindfulness this month and let me tell you - i've been failing miserably at it so far. am going to have to re-dedicate myself to the process.

maybe even get myself back to yoga, too. it's been about six months and both my brain and my body are sorely feeling it's absence. it's time to step it up a notch. the sun's burning a hole in the roof. what we give our attention to is what we become. so let's get a move on.

how do you keep yourself mindful in your daily life? what benefit do you think it'd offer to increase it in yours?

the best time to practice mindfulness is right now. take a deep breath.

check out the mindfulness blog for daily prompts.

quiet post

2010-01-20T09:08:00.002-05:00

photo by me

three for three

2010-01-04T11:39:00.000-05:00

one: gwen bell is such a smart lady. without a doubt, she's my newest blog crush. her prompts for 2010 encourage mindfulness, focusing on the notion that what we give our attention to is what we become. that being said, i've been marinating in some goals for 2010 for the past few weeks. things that i really need to get moving on. things that will make me a better me. things that will make this a better blog.

and dont get me wrong, this isn't a new years thing per se. it just happens to be something that's been brewing deep in my soul for the past while, and that i only had the time to really think about while i had the time away from work. a re-prioritizing. a shift. it's well needed, and most welcome.

check out her mindfulness prompts here.

two: on a very similar note, i love kal barteski's concept of choosing a word to signify where you want 2010 to go. rebuild, soothe, and (of course), go. rock on, kal. i'm going to think on some words for me, too. i suspect they're going to be very similar in theme.

three: in the spirit of rebuilding, re-prioritizing and becoming better, i've decided that i'm going to invest in myself and take an online class with mondo beyondo. i need to be less busy and pay better attention to where i'm headed. i need to start dreaming for myself for a change, and then making some bold moves and big plans.

what are your plans for 2010?

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back-- Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth that ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now. - Goethe (sort of, gwen says)

recommendation + update

2009-12-15T15:38:00.003-05:00

let me tell you, i came across gwen bell and her fantastic blog by creeping through jennifer jeffrey's twitter list, and let me tell you - she's lovely. absolutely lovely. she's most definitely up there amongst my best blog finds of 2009.

anyhow, since having come across her blog, i've found a new and interesting blogger every day. (what a well-connected chick!) lovelove. if you haven't come across her yet, check her out. you won't regret it.

what else has been up:
i'm sick. i've been sick for just over a week now, and that's balls because i hate being sick during my vacation time, especially during the time that i'm supposed to be hanging out with jess and ava. i had huge plans to get painting and creating, but that's been cancelled due to coughing. yuck.

i have a few digital projects up my sleeve, though, and i'm almost done all of my christmas shopping. that's good enough for now.

to the edge - best challenge '09

2009-12-09T11:07:00.006-05:00

as is the case with most workplaces this year, there's been quite a bit of transition in mine; combine that with the fact that the university was in the midst of recovering from a strike in the 2009 winter semester, and you've got a recipe for some backlogged programming.

now - in case you haven't noticed, i'm a details person. i like to run events and i like to run them well, and i like to track all of the details during their development. i prefer not to do things last-minute, and rushing a deadline makes me feel like i'm going a little bit crazy. but sometimes you do what you have to do, particularly when things get backed up.

this conference was my first national conference. i was antsy because the planning wasn't going as i'd envisioned it (what with the management turnover in the office and all) and i knew that others were a bit nervous about it too. however, as the conference date moved closer and closer, the student team that i was working with pulled together marvellously in order to get it all done (and then some!).

the conference was a hit.

the success was as a result of a combination of the right people, a sense of ownership from the student coordinators and fabulous support from the rest of the office that provided assistance where and when we needed it. most definitely, it's a great example and reminder that we're not meant to do everything ourselves; no one person has the skills, connections and stamina to give 150% of their energy 100% of the time.

moral of the story: understanding your weaknesses + asking for help = a stronger you in the end.

image: myself, my boss and the student conference coordinators along with a few of the delegates after the closing brunch.

moment of peace

2009-12-08T10:21:00.003-05:00

it was early summer and the weather was just on the brink of heating up. i got up early - before any of the students or my coworkers at the retreat - and went for a walk down by the water.

there was nobody but a few groundspeople already awake (and a few mosquitoes). the early morning sunshine was sparkling golden off of the lake; i walked down to the dock and dangled my bare feet in the water while i watched the minnows skittering about the rocks on the bottom.

if i could've, i would have laid down on the dock and gone to sleep.

sigh.

(more photos from my moment here)

one of a kind show '09, toronto style

2009-12-07T13:34:00.001-05:00

oh good morning world!

as per our yearly tradition, mike and i made a day of wandering the aisles of toronto's one of a kind show this weekend, absorbing all of the talent and unique ideas that had to be offered.

a few of my top three personal favourites:
gorgeous text and graphic art by blair chivers
precious metal and wood jewelry by jenny greco
reclaimed wood jewelery and accessories by billy would

can't wait for the spring show.

(still to come: i'll be playing catch-up for my best of 2009 entries later today, after jess, ava, arianne and i run some errands.)

new favourite + best of '09

2009-12-04T22:45:00.000-05:00

oh hello there.

baby ava is awesome. she rocks so hard for a little person (she also rocks pretty hard for any person - she's likely my most favourite person in the world!) big love to this little newbie. we've been kickin it this week and watching boxed sets of friends in between feedings (which i don't really have much to do with) and burpings (which apparently i have a talent for extracting) until all hours of the night. for all of the fuss that everyone said she'd make, she seems to be a pretty laid-back lil chica.

what's better than a month off of work (thank you lieu time from all of the overtime i've accrued over the past year) to hang out with my first ever niece? not too friggin much.

more on sweet baby ava later.

anyhow, i came across gwen bell (blog and twitter) and she's got a blog challenge that features the best of 2009. i'll be participating so feel free to join in!

today's challenge:

my fave 2009 book is, without a doubt, is michael pollan's in defense of food. i read it as a follow up to the omnivore's dilemma (which i was totally gonna put as my fave 2009 book but i have a sneaky suspicion that i finished it in 2008). it was a much shorter and significantly less dense read than it's predecessor, so i found that a lot of the facts were easier to digest (excuse the pun!) because i already had a foundation of knowledge from the prior book.

pollan's basic recommendations: eat food. not too much. mostly plants.

“My aim in this book is to help us reclaim our health and happiness as eaters. To do this requires an exercise that might at first blush seem unnecessary, if not absurd: to offer a defense of food and the eating thereof… But I contend that most of what we’re consuming today is no longer, strictly speaking, food at all, and how we’re consuming it — in the car, in front of the TV, and, increasingly, alone– is not really eating, at least not in the sense that civilization has long understood the term.”

check out gwen's blog for the upcoming challenge themes, which will go all the way up until the end of december. join in, and send me links so that we can all share in the best-of-2009 love. oh, and sign up at the bottom of her blog too so that she can check it out.

tomorrow: mike and i are making our annual pilgrimage to the toronto one of a kind show. am going to miss ava, but she's visiting her daddy's family tomorrow. so it's ok. will tweet updates as i go, and i may try to sneak an iPhone photo or two.

Coming soon..

2009-12-01T17:50:00.001-05:00

Best of '09. Shh. Don't ask questions. You'll find out soon ... And will want to join in!

welcome to the world, lil Ava!

2009-12-01T11:54:00.003-05:00

Ava Alejandra Alarcon, born Nov 30th at 10:02pm. 6lbs 15oz. such a sweet face.

check out mike's blog for more info!

today's the day!

2009-11-30T12:59:00.003-05:00

they're inducing jess today; stay tuned to my twitter feed for updates!

prayers sent her way for a safe & speedy delivery for both jess and the new lil peanut are most appreciated.

xo

la silence

2009-11-27T10:12:00.002-05:00

i'm excited that today will be a day to get things done.

this weekend: i'm not sure what my plans are exactly, but with any luck they include jess going into labour before her get-induced deadline of monday, and then hanging out with the new lil peanut.

if not, i'll be cleaning out my car while toronto's still enjoying the warm(ish) weather, and will get rolling on that side table that i bought at a garage sale back at the beginning of the summer. i'm thinking it'll be a pretty black laquer. mm. before and after pics to come.

things have been pretty quiet on the interwebs for the past few days while everyone in the states enjoys their thanksgiving turkey - what are you planning on doing for the rest of the weekend?

so. pretty.

2009-11-26T06:39:00.000-05:00

i quite enjoy wandering through other people's flickr favourites - here are my most recent "discoveries".

how do you find the prettiness that you do - do you have any strategies?

1. errant æsthete, 2. bench Monday! 4, 3. off duty, 4. W H I T N E Y & D A N, 5. Plums in blue bowl, 6. carefree, 7. pdx_6070, 8. pdx_6073, 9. pdx_6079, 10. Orange & Grapefruit Slices, 11. Sasha Pivovarova, 12. "Do you believe in fairies?...., 13. Up close, 14. ribbon storage, 15. colors...., 16. Stuff, 17. many kinds of oranges., 18. a blurry self portrait..., 19. Purchase #3 - $12, 20. hello orange., 21. today's pickins, 22. squam peeps, 23. Hope rises, 24. Untitled, 25. Untitled, 26. Delancey, Ballard, Seattle, 27. found objects - keys, 28. Child's world., 29. Teatime, 30. orange + gray, 31. beets, 32. give me, 33. istanbul diaries XII, 34. tirana diaries XI, 35. "Photography is just another way of keeping a diary!", 36. busy

java, moleskine and a little bit of quiet time

2009-11-25T06:09:00.001-05:00

how is it only wednesday?

yesterday: awesome. it's funny how little things like changing your routine justalittlebit can help to shake things up just enough. after work, i met up with my mom to buy a christmas gift for my brother, but had half an hour prior to meeting her to kill some time. instead of wandering the shops aimlessly, i resolved to buy a hazelnut coffee and a slice of triple chocolate loaf and sit down to watch the world go by.

i have a tiny moleskine journal that i carry around with me so i did a little bit of writing and coffee sipping, nibbling on my cake and watching a small lineup of kids coming to have their santa picture taken. just a few more evenings like this - just me, myself and i, snuggled up with some me-time and a cup of coffee - and i'll be back to feeling like my old self again.

i also registered for a two-night course at my church, which i'm excited to check out; finally decided on a graduate diploma program i'm going to apply for, and no - jess hasn't had her baby yet.

she was due yesterday, but the doctor said it'd likely be another week or so. if she doesn't have it by next monday, they're going to have to induce, and apparently you don't want that. fingers crossed, please, that this lil peanut decides to make an appearance before then?

ps - one month til christmas!

funk-free zone

2009-11-24T08:23:00.000-05:00

oh, wow. what a day.

not one to wallow for long, after getting a few things done at work yesterday, i helped mike finish up the last of his first big christmas card order and then we watched downloaded episodes of last week's fringe and flash forward.

today: things are going to be better. i don't know what exactly i'm going to do yet, but it's going to be better.

images via jennifer jeffrey (times two!) and finally, tanja tiziana

slowing slowing down

2009-11-23T09:10:00.001-05:00

when i started out reading blogs three years ago and writing my own almost two years ago, one of the biggest things that struck me - and likely one of the biggest reasons that i enjoyed it - was the amount of thought that my favourite bloggers put into their creations and their blogs.

those blogs that i most connect with are the ones that have posts that highlight a mixture of different areas of their life, their projects, their job, their kids, their plans. they're the ones that are real and genuine; the ones that make me feel like they're blogging for the sheer enjoyment of it instead of just pumping out posts.

{that is, of course, not to say that those of you who post frequently or quickly are being thoughtless about it - quite the opposite. some of the most memorable posts i've read have been uber concise and therefore all the more poignant}

i feel like, in the past few months, i've somehow lost that. with all of the craziness at work in august and then most recently, i've been reflecting on how much i let my day job take over my entire life. when things are busy, i don't make plans with any of my friends. i don't draw. i don't cook. i don't paint or write or do much else, really, than think about what's next on my to-do list. which is ok, really if that busy-ness lasts only for a week or so, but when it starts stretching into a four-month span of having my blinders on to everything but my day job, it starts to affect things. like life.

which, needless to say, makes a girl end up feeling as though her list is running her life rather than the other way around. it's a feeling that i don't like to get.

i need to take some time to rejuvenate. whether it be stepping away and finding something new to work on, or just getting rolling with the laundry list of ideas that i have floating around - some partially started, others not so much - i'm not sure what i want that to look like yet. but i'm feeling a bit lacklustre lately and am looking for ways to spice things up.

i need to slow down. i keep forgetting to do that.

what do you do to get yourself back on the wagon?

xo

ps i got my wireless network up and running again. hopefully no more router problems for me for at least another four years.

photo found here

dear blog spammers (and a peek into what i've been up to lately)

2009-11-16T15:57:00.004-05:00

please stop spamming my blog. i can't read japanese or russian, and nor do i require viagra. i still refuse to re-enable word verification for people leaving comments, but man is this comment moderation thing is getting to be a bit of a pain in the butt. three spams a day? come on dude. you need to get out more. learn to cook or something, hey?

thank you.

all the best,
courtney

ps - however, the conference went very well, thanks. i'll be posting photos up later this week, but i've taken an additional two days off work in order to unwind after weeks of eating, sleeping and breathing conference planning. it was a ton of fun, so i'm sad to see it go. today, mike and i went on a driving adventure. tomorrow: christmas shopping with a very pregnant jess. it's gonna be interesting, i tell you!

images: top - the york u student conference coordinators along with staff advisors ross and i pose with the ryerson u delegates. bottom - the student and staff delegation of the 4th annual Canadian Conference on Student Leadership. woot!

whirlwind + peanut butter cup brownies

2009-11-08T18:00:00.004-05:00

four more days til the conference, then i'll be back to a regular blogging schedule after that. promise.

until then, i came across this recipe for peanut butter cup brownies and think it sounds absolutely fantastic. it might be the first thing i do after the conference is finished on the 15th.

or maybe it'll be the second thing, after having a big long nap.

Ingredients

2 sticks unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 large eggs
3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
kosher salt
8 large peanut butter cups, cut into pieces

Directions

Heat oven to 400° F.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a pan over low heat.
Using a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until pale yellow and fluffy. Lower speed and pour in the melted chocolate and vanilla. Mix in the flour and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fold in the peanut butter cups.
Scrape into a buttered 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Bake until the tip of a knife comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

enjoy. and please, if it's before sunday, eat an extra one for me.

ps - i managed to do a little 25-minute belly photoshoot with jess this weekend. it felt a little bit rushed, so i'm going to see how they look after a bit of photoshopping. will keep you posted.

recipe and image from here

sneaky peeky

2009-11-05T12:24:00.003-05:00

here's a preview of what no internet connection and no cable can get accomplished. (taken from my iPhone, so please excuse the darkness and the pixellation.)

bonus: i think i figured out what the issue was. only problem is, if i'm right, it's gonna cost me a new router. crapola.

hello, operator?

2009-11-04T17:39:00.000-05:00

so my wireless router is down. again. we had a power-out a few days ago and it hasn't been working since. I've reset both the router and the modem but to no avail - I'm officially disconnected and am left to blog from my phone. does anyone else have this problem?

tonight, am going to work on my Christmas cards since, for all intents and purposes, I'm Amish. maybe I'll start a quilt or raise a barn with all of the spare time I now have.

any recommendations on ways to either fix my router or spend my evenings?

in the meanwhile, I'll be tweeting up a storm. not quite Amish, I know, but it provides a little entertainment on the bus ride home at least.

for all those who had to bundle up..

2009-10-31T09:41:00.000-04:00

i think everyone had to deal with the characteristic snowsuit-under-halloween costume deal, unless you lived somewhere warm. this, however, is one of the best accounts of a first halloween that i've seen in a long time.

"... I knew what costumes were. I loved costumes. They wore costumes in the Wizard of Oz. Glenda the Good Witch - now that broad had a costume! I was a reasonable, rational child, mind you. I didn't get my hopes up that high. I knew four year olds were supporting cast, not feature players. I would be satisfied with pretty much anything the chorus girls wore in any of the musicals my mother used to watch on Sunday afternoons. That's along the lines of what I figured a novice Halloweener would be outfitted in. Surely you didn't get feature dancer quality costumes until you were at least five. Fine with me. Anything would be an improvement on the big, brown, uncomfortable snow suit I usually had to wear when we went out ..."

to read more, check out tattytiara's blog.

wading in possibility

2009-10-30T09:51:00.000-04:00

'nuff said.

have an awesome weekend, all. xo

image via i can read, which i found on perfect sentiment.

simply sublime

2009-10-29T06:02:00.000-04:00

all yesterday, i was thinking about what i should post up next, and the overwhelming feeling was that i needed to get something pretty up there, given the fact that the majority of my blog's main page right now is likely taken up by screen shots of my blogger dashboard.

(and yes, as exciting as that may be, i'm well aware of the need for a change.)

what perfect timing, then, was it when i came home from work & running errands today and decided to read a few blog posts that i came across this one by miss blair at delight by design that had been inspired by the shoes that paula from two ellie had shot for a wedding.

a job well done, ladies - thanks for the inspiration! xo

today: i've got a few things on the go, including the ever-present paintings that i need to finish up, as well as figuring what the heck i want to do with my recipe book, looking up ideas & inspirations for the pregnancy photos i'm going to take of jess next week, making some thank-you cards for her shower last weekend, and then getting started on some christmas cards as well.

alright thursday. i'm gonna take you down.

(via two ellie by kellen jacob photography, blumarine, jose villa, jose villa, design lovely via dolci odille and tec petaja)

how-to number three: blog prettification (part 2)

2009-10-28T06:01:00.000-04:00

one of the biggest pet peeves i have about not being fluent in html is the fact that i know what i want out of my blog - i know exactly what i want it to look like, and have very strong opinions about what looks good and what looks ridiculous, and not quite knowing exactly what to do with it (or what the proper terminology is to google in order to find the solution).

and so, one of those nagging little features that bothered me was that, whenever i tried to upload a photo with a link to anything in my sidebar, it would never align the way i wanted it to. that is, it'd be all higglety-pigglety.

and if there's one thing i hate most, it's higglety-piggletyness. i like my images to line up nicely, one after the other.

and so, ladies and jellybeans, i bring you part two in my blog prettification series:

de-higglety-piggletying your sidebar (or more commonly known as adjusting the sidebar justification).

as per usual, go under template > edit html, and scroll to any part of the segment. copy the following code and past it into the template.

/* Sidebar Boxes */

.sidebar img {
margin-left:25px;
border:5px solid #e8baba;
}

the portion in blue adjusts the position of the image - you can change it to margin-right too, if you'd like. The attribute text-align:center; is tricky since it's not supported in some browsers, so i stayed away from it given the difficulties i had with browser compatibility when i first started blogging. (it sucks to find out that all of the poor firefox users weren't seeing things the way i was while using IE.. i promptly switched over and try to fix any overly problematic old posts as i need to)

while i didn't do this particular part of the coding for my blog, the text in red is the styling that you can do as an additional option - for example, you can use this if you want the sidebar pictures to be different from the blog post pictures, with a different coloured border.

you can play around with border thickness and colour, if it's what floats your boat - just be sure to do with with the 'preview' button in the template tab rather than by saving the changes and then having to go back and manually revert them one by one if you don't like it.

special thanks goes out to this site for the step-by-step instructions on how to get my sidebars rockin' again.

my next step is to create a navigation bar in blogger - that'll have to be my next research project, and don't you worry - i'll be sure to simplify and share my discoveries here with you too!

how-to number two: blog prettification (part 1)

2009-10-27T13:51:00.000-04:00

holla! so this post took me a lot longer than i'd expected it to , but better late than never, right?

my blog has gone through a series of design changes and steps since i started it a year and a half ago, and will continue to be in flux while i figure out everything i need to know about design, html coding and typography in order to make it look just the way i like it. i'll document it all here - but for now, here's how to add or change a background in blogger. (woot!)

step one to this whole process is by far the easiest one ... find an image that you'd like to use. if you know how to use photoshop or illustrator, i just looked up some swatches and patterns that i liked and then did them as a small sample image using the paint bucket, then saved it to my desktop.

however, if you don't know how to use either of these programs, you can always google 'tileable background images/textures/patterns' and find something that suits your fancy. save the image to your computer so that you have your own copy of it, and let's get this show on the road.

for step two, you need to upload your image to the interweb. you can do this using photobucket or flickr, but if you don't have an account with either, you can start a new post in blogger, upload the image as a photo in that draft post, and save it - don't publish it.

while you're still in edit mode, preview your draft post. you should see your image displayed in the preview page. right click this image and view the properties, then click on 'copy image location' in order to copy the photo's url to the clipboard. you'll need this url to paste into the HTML template in the next step. alternatively, if you've uploaded the image with flickr or photobucket, take the same steps with right-clicking and saving the image location.

now you can safely delete this draft. Choose not to delete the image when prompted, otherwise you will be unable to use this url for referencing your background image.

step three is adding the background image to your template code.

to do this, we'll need to edit a small part of your template's html code to add this image to the background. before you do this, go to layout > edit html in your blogger dashboard, and download a copy of your current template for safekeeping.

once your original template is safe and sound on your computer, look for the following lines in the code:

body {
background:$bgcolor;

you'll find it near the top, just below the 'variable definitions' section of code.

in order to get the image to show as the background image, we need to paste the url from step two (since it's still copied to the clipboard, right?) into the code, using the following format:

url(the_url_of_your_image)

In my demonstration template, the additional code appears like this:

of course, your own url will be different from mine listed up there. just be sure to follow the same format, and make triple sure that the semi-colon (;) appears at the end of the statement. (this is an important step - i forgot it the first few times round and couldn't figure out why the changes weren't reflected in the preview).

now, preview your blog to see the changes. do you like what you see?

sometimes adding a texture or patterned background to your blog makes it tough to read the text - which is pretty counterproductive to redecorating, right? you've uploaded a kick-ass image for your background but nobody can read what you're trying to say. how unfortunate!

the solution to this is to customize the background colour of the main body.

to work with this part of your blog, find this line in your template's HTML code:

#outer-wrapper {

(in some templates, this may be "#outer-wrap" instead). directly below this line, add the following line of code:

background: #ffffff;

this adds a white background to the main content of your blog (which includes both the blog posts and the sidebar). you can easily use a different color if you prefer by changing the hex value for white (#ffffff) to a different hex value instead. you'll need to know the code that corresponds with each colour, but a nifty little firefox add-on that i came across that you can use is colorzilla - it lets you use an eyedropper tool on any website to pull the corresponding colour code. once you have that specific code, you can use it in your template.

i opted to use a plain white background, so the code i used was #fffff, but if you wanted to use a different colour (like light blue), your complete code would look a little something like this:

#outer-wrapper {
background: #E3F2FB;
width: 660px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:10px;
text-align:$startSide;
font: $bodyfont;
}

furthermore, if you want to make the foreground stand out even more from the background image, you can add a border to the left and right hand sides of the outer wrapper by adding the line (highlighted in red) to the same section we've been working with, which would make it look like this when you're done:

#outer-wrapper {
background: #E3F2FB;
border-left: 2px solid #cccccc;
border-right: 2px solid #cccccc;
width: 660px;
margin:0 auto;
padding:10px;
text-align:$startSide;
font: $bodyfont;
}

and that, my darlings, is what took me forever to figure out on saturday night at three in the morning. special thanks to this site for the oh-so-helpful information, which i've based this post on.

(am i a computer programmer yet?)

three so beautiful things

2009-10-26T09:45:00.001-04:00

1) so very thankful for everyone who attended jess' baby shower yesterday - for their support and encouragement, and of course, for the oh-so-generous gifts. she and jose are truly blessed. xo

2) my time on saturday was spent just the way i like it - getting a few errands done and then settling into doing something creative. my original plans were to paint, but i wasn't quite feeling it. besides, it was high time to do some redecorating 'round these here parts, and i'd been meaning to learn some basics of Illustrator. after spending a bit of time googling the HTML needed to make some changes and downloading various Illustrator swatches and Photoshop patterns, i managed to pull it all together and finally get it looking more like how i'd been wanting it to look. for all of you restless kindred spirits out there - i'll be posting a tutorial up tomorrow - it's much, much easier than you'd think!

3) am enjoying some delicious coffee that i bought on the weekend from timothy's - caramel vanilla nut. it's love at first taste. yum.

image by me

new, bright & shiny

2009-10-23T09:36:00.000-04:00

i came across these images via blueprint bliss this morning - they were posted on a blog that i've never been to before (but i can tell already that it's gonna become addictive), wanderings of a wannabe.

i can't decide what i like more about this house - the fact that it's a small space but is still bright & airy, or the goooorrrrgeous palette that they've used. want it. need it.

this weekend: at the tail end of the longest week in history, i'm looking forward to kicking back and relaxing. i've entertained the thought of talking mike into going on a driving adventure with me, maybe taking a visit to the mug & truffle cafe and doing some reading or drawing, or maybe catching up on some of the tv shows i've missed since i started my no-cable kick.

what about you?

images via wanderings of a wannabe

resolution, find, thought

2009-10-22T10:05:00.000-04:00

resolution: i was telling mike the other day that i'm going to stop saying how busy i am all the time - it's become a standard response, i think, for so many people, and it loses it's meaning after a while.

(plus, everyone's busy. what makes me think that my busy-ness warrants more attention than anyone else's?)

great find: i've been listening to accuradio at work to keep things relatively mellow - it's an internet radio station i came across a few years ago that doesn't play as many commercials as regular radio, and lets me choose what genre of music i want to listen to. (sidenote: now, i know that people in the states have access to pandora, but we canadians are restricted from it because of our copyright laws (says the message that pops on on pandora.com when you visit it from a canadian IP address). awesome.

a thought: i've been thinking it's been a while since i did an artist or blog feature ... are you interested? email me!

image by simply hue

bonne fete a moi!

2009-10-19T16:24:00.000-04:00

while i'd never really & truly admit it, i like it when people make fusses over birthdays. i think people should be made to feel special every day of their lives ... but particularly so on their birthday.

which is why today is an especially lovely day. birthday well-wishes all over facebook, birthday texts and msn messages, and then surprise cupcakes from the resident cupcake guru, genevieve . how yummy!

tonight: dinner with the fam, followed up by some quality time with my all-time favourite peeps in the world (yep - still my fam).

thanks to everyone who's made my day more special in their little individual ways!

xo

consider it cran-tastic

2009-10-18T22:09:00.000-04:00

and i'm back from our bala weekend away with debbie, cassandra, jess, arianne and my mom; couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend. i think it was the first time there was no rain or clouds throughout the entire weekend. we stayed in the marriott residence inn in gravenhurst - i'd highly recommend it to anyone looking for someone to stay up in muskoka. the suites were gorgeous, the view breathtaking, and the complimentary breakfast in the morning had waffles, french toast, fresh fruit and eggs. need i say more?

we checked out the pig race, the fire eater, the craft show where i bought some of my favourite craft-show snack, christy's milk chocolate crunch, and a new necklace by jewelery artisan christophe poly. (he doesn't have a website, but you can check out a few of his pieces here.)

the colours were gorgeous, and the view from the suite's balcony was to die for.

my yearly deep-fried mars bar. calories don't count when you're at the cranberry festival.

i love love love these rings, found at saturday afternoons in orillia. i cant decide which one i prefer - the double-stacked thicker band, or the thinner multi-stacked version. (my favourite thing about these is that they only look like stacker rings - but they're not. that way, i won't lose them piece by piece)

am starting to believe that the only way to solve this dilemma is to get them both.

had a wonderful, lovely weekend. can't wait til next year.

i see famous people!

2009-10-16T16:39:00.010-04:00

woody harrelson's coming to campus tonight for a pre-screening of his new movie, defendor ... and i've got tickets to check it out! he's gonna be receiving an honorary degree from us as well, which i think is pretty cool.

tomorrow: going to bala for the cranberry festival. gonna take a bunch of pictures, possibly buy some stuff from the craft show, eat a deep-fried mars bar, and laugh my face off with the girls. it's gonna rock. stay tuned.

gorgeous, darling!

2009-10-15T11:34:00.000-04:00

today: i don't want to speak too soon, but i think i'm actually going to leave work on time and not stay late. that's awesome.

yesterday: there was frost on my windshield, which is less awesome ... although strangely enough, i'm getting into a christmas mood just a little bit early this year. must be all the christmas baking recipes i've been pulling out of my magazines lately. i've got a little side project going on right now; am making a recipe book instead of having shelves upon shelves of magazines filled with ads and other unnecessary stuff mixed in with the recipes. consolidating. creating room. and not to mention, making it pretty.

this weekend: although it's a bit early to be posting about the weekend, i can't help it. i'm going up north to the 25th annual Bala Cranberry Festival. we've gone every year for the past five - excluding last, because jess had to go ahead and graduate that day (the nerve!) so this year we're making a triumphant return. more on that later.

for now, let's just enjoy the airy brightness of this house, featured on desire to inspire.

le sigh.

ally-oop!

2009-10-13T08:28:00.001-04:00

my mom, arianne and i went for a walk in the rouge valley yesterday.

turned out it's a great way to work off our turkey dinner from sunday, and to simultaneously work up an appetite for my mom's birthday dinner of chinese take-out. mm.

gobbledy gobble!

2009-10-12T20:00:00.006-04:00

four-day weekend. awesome. loved the time off and the change of pace, and the shoe tree pit stop on the way up to ian's century-barn-turned-antique-shop. road trips rock.

paige, jess, my mom and i took saturday to drive up to the teensy town of coulson, ontario and the goodies that i always find inside.

this sideboard was an incredible deal - i didn't buy it at the time (mostly because i don't have anywhere to put it since i don't have a house or apartment of my own), but am now strongly reconsidering calling ian back to see if it sold ... and if he could put it aside for me. it's too gorgeous not to, don't you think? i'll find a space - where there's a will, there's a way.

i did, however, buy these chairs ... $69 for the pair! i'm going to get different pillows to use with them - i'm thinking something solid, but am not sure about the colour yet. black? white? mustard yellow? what about a tone-on-tone stripe?

LOVE these suitcases. love. and if you look real close, you can see the reflection of yours truly in the mirror.

a distance shot of my mom, a very pregnant jess and paige in front of the old farmhouse. the building is 130 years old - surrounded in huge trees and fall colours. with their homemade fudge and chocolate macaroons, it was most definitely worth the trip.

mighty + mini

2009-10-08T08:14:00.000-04:00

it seems as though a lil baking is just what the doctor ordered.

after i left work yesterday, i was super wound up and just couldn't shake it ... so i decided to bake some lil treats to bring into the office today for our weekly snack in the back. (ok, and to snack on last night while i watched a lot like love for the eighty-fifth time. i love that movie.). in honour of thanksgiving this weekend, i baked some mini apple pies and pumpkin pies and brought them into work today with some french vanilla ice cream - to pair with the apple pies - and some whipped cream for the pumpkin.

aside from awesome snacks at work, i'm taking the day off tomorrow to unwind and feel a bit more like myself, so you can expect a post a bit later in the day instead of my usual early-bird post .. you know, after i sleep in, go out for breakfast with jess, and get a massage.

hello four-day weekend filled with awesome plans, tons of food and relaxing; i'm ready to take you on.

shyeah - it's gonna be a good day, i can feel it.

hup, two

2009-10-07T08:12:00.000-04:00

it's been way too long since i've had time to go through my blogroll and catch up - but i sure got a chance to last night, over a cup of earl grey vanilla tea and a few arrowroot cookies.

highlights include:

need less, via concrete and honey.
elise's super-helpful tutorial here. ever wonder how she accomplishes some of the awesomeness that she accomplishes? check it out. honestly.
are you a chicago-area artist? check out 1154 lill studio's holiday market on saturday nov 14th, either as a vendor or a shopper. i'd go but a) i don't live anywhere near chicago and b) i'm running a national conference that weekend. someone go and have some extra fun for me?
such accessible luxury via down and out chic. (and i like accessible!)

photos via delight by design

more where that came from

2009-10-06T08:13:00.002-04:00

how lovely. here are some more photos by the photographer who's beets i featured yesterday - i think i'm in love.

yesterday: hectic. ohhh dear, how hectic. but i got some essential stuff done (even though i had to work late to get it done) and now we're rolling forward faster now. awesome. not to mention, i got another commission for a painting from my cousin kerri, who just recently moved into her new house and outted herself as a "stalker of my blog". (hi kerri!)

today: continuing to roll along. i had a genius thought that i'm going to try to take one picture per day. of something. anything. i used to think that, if i carried my lil camera with me everywhere, something beautiful and strange and unexpected would come out of the woodwork and whack me in the face so that i'd capture it on camera.

nothing's jumped out yet, and i've been carrying my camera in my bag now for at least a month. so now i'm going to settle on simple things. it's a start.

(and then i wonder if i'm really just crazy and trying to pile too many things onto my plate when what i should be doing is scooping it off).

know what's great, though, for today? i have some delisch low-fat cream of cauliflower soup for lunch. with cheddar cheese to sprinkle on top, just enough so it gets melty. mm. recipe to follow. it makes me happy.

let's challenge my photo-taking skills now, in attempting to get a decent shot of it in my office-sans-fenêtres (that's my fancy way of saying my cubicle is entirely artificially lit by flourescent bulbs. how industrial-chic).

images from here

pumpkins and porridge

2009-10-05T08:18:00.000-04:00

hi lovies - how was your weekend? i realized yesterday it's been a while since i did a 3 beautiful things post.

and so, without further ado, my three for this weekend are:

1. wind and clouds and grey sky all day today. i stepped outside to pick the rest of my tiny tomatoes and, to my surprise, the sun had come out and cast a golden glow over the early october evening. the freshly-planted marigolds rejoiced.

2. pumpkins are at the farmers market. piles upon piles on wagons and bales of hay.

3. homemade porridge for breakfast; just a sprinkle of cinnamon and brown sugar along with a cup of earl grey vanilla gets my day off on the right foot.

how about you?

images from here, here and here

get what you give (tasty edition)

2009-10-01T08:45:00.004-04:00

i wanted to have some great fantastic first-day give of the 29-day challenge ready to share with you all today, but i didn't.

yesterday's gift: i came across some contraption today after work that my mom had been looking for, and bought it for her as a little gift ... i know she'd been looking for it and hadn't been able to find it elsewhere, and (as far as i knew) had given up on it.

future gives: i'm trying to focus my gives, though, on things that aren't purchased. it makes it seem too easy ... almost thoughtless, in a way. (and, not to mention, more expensive!) so, from here on in, my gives are going to be of a non-monetary kind. or, if they do require money, i'm going to make sure to put some thought behind it. something a lil more like the super-sweet surprise that arianne's friend sarah dropped off last night, in honour of her (belated) birthday. it was every bit as delicious as it looks - i need to find me some friends of my own who are in the cake-decorating industry!

today: totally busy, but i'm up for it. i'm contemplating attempting to find more hours in the day. does anyone have any suggestions?

bring it, thursday!

photo by me, cake by sarah

give like you've never given before

2009-09-30T08:24:00.005-04:00

so i've been on a podcast listening kick lately. it started out as a little side-project for work and has turned into a full-blown addiction.

a few that i've subscribed to through itunes are the big vision podcast, idealist.org, carruthers creek community church, and social innovation conversations, which are put offered by the stanford graduate school of business' centre for social innovation.

(if any of you guys happen to have others to recommend, then please let me know - i'll gratefully appreciate any additions to my repertoire. i don't have cable, so remember - a girl's gotta listen to something while she's living a productive tv-free life!)

anyhow - i came across this one by big vision about the 29-day giving challenge. i'd never heard of it before but am drawn to programs that support the link between well-being and being a good person.

cami walker, founder of the challenge, says:

The first day of my personal 29-Day Giving Challenge was preceded by a sleepless night. I was awake all night feeling angry and sorry for myself during a difficult flare up of my Multiple Sclerosis. When insomnia hits, I often go through old journals and read them. I found a note that I'd made during a phone session with one of my spiritual teachers, Mbali Creazzo, two months before. The note said, "Give something away each day for 29 days." It was 3 a.m. and I decided in that moment to take the suggestion.

And so my 29-Day Giving Challenge began that morning as I gave my first gift -- a simple supportive phone call to another friend living with MS. I woke up the next day and the next day after that feeling excited about what I might give away. And I began to notice that the more I gave away, the more abundance I was experiencing for myself.

i'm gonna try doing my own lil challenge over the next 29 days .. i'll post about it here (i'll make it brief so that you all don't get bored, but it'll be my little way of staying accountable) and you're more than welcome to join me, if you're interested. leave a link in the comments, and i'll be sure to link to you.

even if it doesn't radically change my life, doing something nice for someone else can only serve to put out positivity into the world .. and it needs a bit more positivity, i think. don't you?

you can read more about the challenge here or listen to cami's podcast here.
image from here

a lil glimpse

2009-09-29T08:31:00.001-04:00

i have a confession to make.

for the first year and a bit of wunderbug's lifespan, i was pretty shy about being public about it.

scratch that - i was downright closeted.

i'd read about adventures and stories of supportive friends and family of other bloggers (you know the ones - where, in the middle of a dinner or joke, they'd ask "are you going to put this on your blog"?) and think that i'd likely never quite get to that point with my family. they still thought it was ridiculous to take pictures of food for my posts, and that the amount of time i spent on my computer is excessive. coming home from work to publish thoughts about my life seemed a silly and pointless thing to do ... even if i did come across some pretty awesome sites and resources via my network of daily-reads.

curiousity killed the cat, though, when i started putting links to my updated blog posts on facebook. my sitemeter would show quite a few clickthroughs tentatively popping over to say hi; most of them lurking for a few minutes and then clicking away, rarely - if ever - leaving comments.

that is, until liz mentioned it one night as she was visiting over tea. it was just before we went to quebec and i'd posted about our new life sans cable. as it turns out, she was one of my more regular anonymous visitors, and loved to read my posts about my mini-adventures to the ribfest this summer, and about the various recipes i experiment with. which was, needless to say, massively encouraging to someone who loved to blog but wasn't quite comfortable to go public with it.

over the course of the summer, i gained confidence with being open about my love of blogging, which was fed by the fact that my mom and liz went to see julie & julia and came home saying that amy adams' character reminded them of me.

ha. cute. i was pretty flattered.

anyhow, since then, i've been more open with my bloggy life (even though i haven't been able to post as often as i'd like over the summer because work's been busy), and most people have been pretty interested in it. maybe it's the celebrity factor - who doesn't like to see their name mentioned in a blog? it's up there with getting comments on a post?

and then - i reached that point with them that i'd read about for so long - for a while during the summer, they were impatiently asking when i was going to bust out my camera so that i could take pictures for my blog. (as a matter of fact, for the last photo in this post i was called away from getting dressed that morning to capture the moment for the blog). they still have yet to get over the eye-rolls over me taking pictures after i've tried a new recipe, but i figure that'll come in time.

anyhow, in the spirit of supporting the ever-growing network of awesome bloggers, check out some of the new + relatively new + somewhat new bloggy peeps that i know. everyone needs a lil support and encouragement - and these talented ladies most definitely deserve it!

julia at pink mixers & broken egg yolk s: this girl's got so many cool ideas for her foodie blog, it'd make your head spin. or at least make you think that she's been at the bloggin' game for a few years.
genevieve at rubber pants: holy hannah, this girl's got some cupcakey talent. saving the world one cupcake at a time, indeed!
aleks at brand new socks: preparing for her brand new teaching job in england. i love her writing style; her matter-of-fact photo captions never fail to crack me up.

what new-ish bloggers are you loving lately? leave them some linky love in the comments and let's give 'em a round of applause!

photo from here

no slump here

2009-09-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

so.

i'm not exactly sure what did it yesterday, but i got out of my funk a little bit and am feeling more me.

my desk was messy; i tidied up the worst of it.
my calendar was unkempt; i kempted it. (yep. kempted.)
i had 152 "unread" emails on my work email address (most of which i'd already previewed in order to prioritize responding, but i'd never gotten around to marking them as read), so i got that done yesterday. there's something lovely about not having that little bold number shouting at you every time you open your email, seas of red-unread emails screaming at you. it's unpleasant. am considering changing my inbox settings to show unread emails in blue text. blue's so much more soothing than red.
i had a surprise drop-in office visit with an old friend from high school who's going here now for his second BA, and while we were leaving the coffee shop after a delicious caramelo coffee, ran into another friend who i'd not seen since grade 8 who's here for her PhD. (smartie-pants!)

most importantly, i asked for help and got it. not in the way i expected, but more in the realization that if something's not within my power to fix or change, there's no sense in worrying about it all day (and then checking my work email again at night to worry some more). i let go and chilled out, and remembered that i need to not take myself as seriously as i have been lately for a little while. i love my job; i just need to disconnect from it in order to be able to think about things unrelated to work, and to be able to blog better, create better, and live better.

so that's the plan, stan.

tonight: i'm going on a date with mike. we see each other every day, but it's been a while since we went on an honest-to-goodness date. he asked me on tuesday, and it's been something i've been looking forward to all week. we're gonna go out for dinner and then see that new bruce willis movie.

this weekend, i'd like to do more me-stuff. make beets. buy jar labels for my growing stock of pickles and jam. do some painting. go on a driving adventure and look at the autumn leaves. maybe do some picture-taking. whatever. it's gonna be good.

photos from here and here

shh.

2009-09-24T08:21:00.002-04:00

know what i need today?

a quiet cafe, a good book, and some earl grey vanilla tea with milk. and maybe - just maybe - a peanut butter cookie or two.

what rejuvenates you when you're feeling frazzled?

images by gabrielle kai

be still. then begin.

2009-09-23T08:26:00.000-04:00

oy. what a day.

i feel kind of like a walking drought. i need a little rejuvenation. i'm re-posting this post from a while ago, just because i came across it today and it's reminder hit me like a ton of bricks.

i frequently need to re-remind myself of these things. how about you?

****

i've been in an incredibly introspective mood lately. poking through my brain and reflecting on myself; why i do the things i do and why i think the things i think. how i've made it this far in my life. things i like about myself. things i dont like about myself. how to go about implementing positive change in my life, and how to go about implementing positive change in my world, starting with touching others around me. (subsequently, how also not to drive others crazy while trying to identify these changes).

i'm not hinting at anything in particular that i'd like to see changed - i'm a pretty positive person overall - a logical balance between realist and optimist (if ever such a thing could ever exist). as usual, there's just so many things that i've got on my to-do list that i find myself needing to slow down and just be.

then (and only then), can i just choose something and move forward with it. which brings me to this quote; i came across it during my internet travels today, and it slowed my mind. and i stopped. i love the simplicity of it. begin anywhere.

just pick and go. 'cause there are so many places and times in this life that we all get tangled up in ourselves, in our jobs, in our partners, and Who We Want To Be that we start to trip up. slip up. we forget and get overwhelmed.

dont get overwhelmed. just be, and then begin. anywhere.

(awesome.)

glowy + great

2009-09-22T12:32:00.000-04:00

SLAM! not much time for a full post today, but i came across these yesterday while browsing through the home decor section on etsy. love love LOVE the colours and the product pics.

nothing makes me happier than a gorgeous product with equally gorgeous pics, don't you think?

pinwheel nesting bowls by catherine reese
in the light by amelia kay photography
light blue platter mantou by atelier BB
corks by vacco

just peachy

2009-09-21T08:36:00.002-04:00

oh hello tout le monde!

getting back into regular routine has proven to be a more difficult task than i'd anticipated ... even more difficult than last year. nonetheless, i'm a determined lil person and it gonna happen. this week.

updates:

i've dyed my hair brown. loving it. loving it. new pics are en route.
amidst the orders for custom houses and my budding at-home colorist side gig, i've committed to doing my first-ever big big painting. 46 by 32 inches of bare canvas is currently sitting in my hallway, anxiously awaiting it's fate. any tips for an amateur painter embarking on her first big big painting are most welcome.
my affinity for thank-you cards has gone haywire - i've recently purchased three more packages because i just love the designs on them. i'm gonna have to get a-thanking, that's for sure. (mostly because while looking for cards to feature for this post, i browsed through 22 pages on etsy of new listings and it was oh-so-hard to choose just four). and i've decided not to allow myself to buy more of something until i've completely used up what i had of it originally ... thank-you cards included. oy.

it's lookin like gratitude is gonna be the new attitude for the next little while around here.

which isn't such a bad thing anyhow, you know.

vintage lace letterpress note set by pistachio press
t is for thank you by hijirik
you're a peach by letterary press
gratitude by green fingerprint

full spectrum

2009-09-08T21:45:00.003-04:00

i came across these images on for me, for you and they've caused me to reflect in the most peculiar way. for some reason, whenever i think of the past, i don't generally picture it in full colour. i imagine the 70's to be lived in highly-saturated technicolour, and most things prior to that (particularly those in the early 1900's), in black and white.

for the most part, i attribute this to the fact that all of the media from that time is in black and white - except these.

check out kate's original post for the whole story, but these are revolutionary colour (yes, colour!) photos taken in russia in the early 1900's. fascinating, no?

she lives!

2009-08-30T20:46:00.004-04:00

oh! wow!

i finally have time to blog and i really don't know where to start.

today: we finished the first two-day training session for the frosh leaders. 438 down this weekend, 304 to go next thursday and friday, along with another (unrelated but bigger) orientation event next saturday.

i've been tweeting up a storm because that's about all i have time for. what can i say? i never really thought the twitter thing was all that addictive but now that i barely have enough time to sit still let alone string together a thought or two, it's really convenient!

things are going to keep being busy for the next week - after that, i'm going to the CNE for some r&r.

hel-lo, craft building and food building! sweet.

the good aunt checklist

2009-08-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

jess was organizing her stack and stacks (and stacks!) of baby clothes last night and cooing over the piles of little golf shirts and onesies got me into a mood for shopping for my new lil niece or nephew.

here's a few of the picks that i've been feeling lately:

an apple toque - how cute is that?
i love love LOVE that elephant print, as well - that lil trunk spray makes my day.
both pairs of lil baby slippers are so so sweet - if i wasn't positive that i'd look absolutely ridiculous wearing them, i'd order a pair for myself.
who says that baby toys can't be works of art? check out that lil wooden elephant - it's like a sculptural masterpiece. (ok, maybe masterpiece is a hyperbole. but hey - it's cute nonetheless).
that that lil white flapper beanie is adorable - i'm so gonna buy that if it's a girl ... and the photograph itself is beautiful to boot.

the moop bag, well, every mom needs a chic diaper bag, and so must every good aunt. it's technically an unwritten requirement in the auntie job description, along with being a constant supply of fun spontaneous road trips, sleepovers and letting them do things that their parents would never let them do. yeah, i pretty much need to get one. maybe i'll get one for jess, too.

... or maybe it's just a good excuse to drop some money on a bag i've been eyeing for a year now.

either way, i'm looking forward to this baby thing.

ladybug moks by scandeez
letter e by jenn ski
grasping and teething toy by little sapling toys
felted baby slippers by coffee lady
apple toque by mymarketstall
the letter bag by moop
white beanie by pdx beanies

swimmy like a fish

2009-08-17T22:51:00.000-04:00

oh well hello my dearies!

it's been too long. come, sit down. would you like some tea?

let me explain a little bit about why my life gets so busy every august.

in a word: work. more specifically, orientation for new incoming students. we're in the middle of a well-needed overhaul of orientation training and things are going well, but the unfortunate casualty of that is my poor blog. which is why for the next few weeks my posting will be a bit erratic ... i'll aim for three days a week. maybe four, depending on how close to september 5th it is. (september 5th is move-in as well as parent orientation day, and is thus the crux of most of our planning)

in the meanwhile, a few updates:

for some reason, i've been feeling the whole nautical theme lately - hence the collection above.
summer seems to have finally arrived here in toronto, and i couldn't be happier. while everyone else is blasting their a/c and has retreated to the coolness of their homes, i'm savouring every moment of it. i remember the minus-25 degree weather. no complaints here. just ice cream.
last saturday, i went on a re-stocking quest for a few local foods to continue my pickling/preserving mission, and bought ten pounds of beets, which are my next conquest. will update soon. (in the meanwhile - if there's ever a world beet shortage, i'm in a fantastic position to make a killer profit. or share. i guess.)
it seems that saturday was a particularly productive day - this 26 year old had her first interaction with a butcher. i generally buy my meat from the packaged meat area (instead of ordering it at the meat counter) but i seem to have had a bit more gumption that day and after him asking me three times if he could help me with anything, i explained what i wanted to cook and asked him for a recommendation. not only did he tell me the tastiest steaks to buy for my budget, but how to cook them as well. i'm considering asking him to be my new best friend.

finally, i know i've been plugging the crap out of my twitter feed, but seriously - i discovered today two people that i thought i was following that i wasn't. come and find me there - i have more free time spent on the bus travelling back and forth to work than on my computer, so tweets are easier. it's the best i can do 'til i can figure out why i can't make blogger-to-go (or whatever it's called) work on my iPhone. has anyone had this problem? any guesses how to solve it?

BIG LOVE, all! talk soon. xx

images, clockwise from top left:
urchin
octopus
life preserver
shipwreck

oh hello, there

2009-08-14T15:39:00.004-04:00

hello, lovelies.

am just finishing up the tail end of an insane week. big changes + busy times at work.

i've missed you this week.

stay tuned for an update post this weekend.

xx

ps - follow me on twitter for mini-updates if you'd like.

so many paths

2009-08-07T09:26:00.000-04:00

last night, arianne and i met up with my cousin paige for some coffee and key lime pie. we had a great time staying up way too late and talking about life and choices and the way people sometimes let their lives live them rather than the other way around.

one of the biggest things that i left with - and often forget much too easily - is that no matter what your situation, you always have options ... often times it's just a matter of broadening your perception of what's possible. to paraphrase ani difranco - if it's beyond your peripheral vision, you might want to turn your head.

here's wishing you a fantastic weekend, everyone.

xo

pickles + jam

2009-08-06T09:23:00.000-04:00

since having visited the farmers market a few days ago (i finally went berry picking!) i picked up some pickling cucumbers and now have six jars of my first-ever homemade dill pickles. they look delicious, all sitting there on the counter all ready to be eaten.

now i just have to wait six weeks.

yep - sunday was a productive day. i made tons of raspberry jam in little gift-sized containers, froze the remainder of the berries, and learned how to make pickles. i would have made pickled beets, too, if they had been ready to be harvested.

soon, my pets - soon. i'll go back in another week or two and will get a huge bag. i've got a pickling date with my mom and liz, our neighbour.

i'll have beet juice all over my apron and it'll apparently take all day but heck - it'll be delicious. and then i'll be able to say that i'm officially an experienced pickler. sort of.

i just need to get some of the timing down around when the sanitized jars & lids are ready to go on, and i'll be ready to rock. for my pickling expedition last weekend, i ran my jars through the dishwasher and left them in there after the heat-dry cycle had completed, taking them out one by one as i needed them. i kept the lids in a boiling pot of water next to my "filling station", taking them out one at a time when i was ready to seal up each jar, using tongs. it seemed to work pretty well - i just had to time it properly so that everything was ready around the time the dishwasher was finished. i'd messed it up when i was making my jam - the dishwasher was still running and the pectin, sugar and berries were all ready to go into the jars, which caused for a moment or two of momentary panic - but it all worked out well in the end.

as it turns out, jam doesn't set very quickly. phew.

to make some deliciously easy dill pickles of your own, clean off the cucumbers with a rough brush and leave them in ice water overnight. in the morning, slice them into halves or quarters, depending on the size of the jar then just combine:

6 cups of water
6 cups of white vinegar
1/2 cup coarse salt

in a pot, and bring to a boil until the salt dissolves. after that, drop a sprig of fresh dill into each freshly-sanitized hot jar along with half a clove of garlic. pack the container with cucumber spears and ladle the still-boiling vinegar mixture into the jar. put another sprig of dill in, if you'd like, then - being careful not to touch the sanitized lid by placing it on the jar opening with some tongs, close up the jar and set aside for 4-6 weeks.

now the only tricky part is airing out the kitchen so it doesn't smell like dilly vinegar for a day afterwards.

all present and accounted for

2009-08-04T08:15:00.000-04:00

six travel bags, one bottle of hairspray, one flatiron
three sisters and a mom ready for adventure
1 gps named gertrude
1 iPhone with maps loaded for cross-referencing
24 bottles of water (!)
5 rest stops before we even hit the quebec border
0 french-english dictionaries

twelve pairs of shoes, countless outfits
one fantastic weather forecast
1 eight-hour day of walking, streets navigated by yours truly
2 new watercolour prints, purchased from an artist named colombe on the rue de trésor.

two waterfalls, one taller than niagara falls and the other an unexpected discovery
one late lunch with a bottle of wine on a patio in lower town

one 3-hour drive to baie-ste-catherine for whale watching
several whales, porpoises and seals surfacing for air and a photo op
1 breaching humpback
30 minutes cruising through the awe-inspiring saguenay fjords

eight hours home again, plus a stop for a quick family visit
inspiration for the next morning's al fresco backyard breakfast, "à paris"

quelques photos

2009-07-31T09:47:00.000-04:00

very quickly, voici le vieux-quebec.. today we're going whale watching and there's a little bit of a drive beforehand (as in, three hours worth!) so we've gotta get rolling.

don't forget to email me your mailing address so you can get a postcard!

as the french say...

2009-07-30T20:08:00.002-04:00

oui, allo?

i'm in quebec and couldn't get my internet connection to work properly in the hotel - which is a-ok cause i've been out and about, trekking all over old quebec city. it's surprising how much i remember from my tour guide days - seven years and i still haven't gotten us lost yet!

i'll try to post some pics before we get back to toronto on saturday, but check my twitter feed for updates in the meanwhile.

xo,
court

ps - alternatively, email me your mailing address and i'll send you a postcard!

sweetness + rain

2009-07-27T08:39:00.000-04:00

oh - hello monday!

t-minus two days until i take off for a few days for a girls getaway in quebec city - and it couldn't be more perfectly timed! i haven't been back there since i worked there as a tour guide seven years ago (seven! i can hardly believe it!) and i miss it like you wouldn't believe.

i've never been to europe, so quebec city is my little taste of the trips to come (sooner or later, i'll make it over there - mark my words).

this weekend: seemed to whiz by in a flash. i went for my first-ever professional massage, which was absolutely lovely. i tried my best to relax but i find some days i have too many things that i can't block out of my head, but it was great nonetheless. i'll definitely be going back and next time, i'm just gonna be sure to enjoy it. no work-related thoughts of any kind. true story. the upside is, is that later on that afternoon i got some artwork done, which i find pretty relaxing - sketches of paige's house that i'll hopefully have painted within the week. sweet.

liam and i hung out for a lil bit and watched some of the incredibles (that is, i watched it and liam was up and down and up and down and up again to pat the dog, visit his mom, look out the window, play with a few toys, and back again. he's the best three-year-old multitasker that i know.

i also tried out martha's recipe for vanilla-roasted peaches with raspberries and vanilla ice cream. it was pretty good, although i couldn't quite shake the feeling that there needed to be some sort of crumble or crust with it. also, some spices - maybe some cinnamon or nutmeg or something. i'm gonna give it another whirl for sure with a few alterations.

crumble or no crumble, it was still a sweet little change-up from our traditional dessert fare of fudgee-o's or brownie sundaes, so i'd recommend it to anyone who's got a craving for something sweet but who isn't looking for chocolate.

this week: aside from our quebec trip, one of these days, it'll stop raining and i'll actually be able to go berry picking. then i'm gonna make some jam. does anyone have a great recipe for raspberry jam or jelly?

ok, maybe just one sitcom.

2009-07-23T09:11:00.000-04:00

i'm really surprised at the responses to my post about my cable-free existence.

specifically, i didn't realize how many people didn't have cable to start with (either as a conscious choice or a money-saving option). maybe it's because - as far as i know - the rates for cable charged differently than they are in canada. is it an american thing, or have i just been living under a rock my whole life - or maybe - i've just been too busy watching tv?

my friend duncan is the one person i know who who didn't have cable growing up - and funnily enough, even now he's a super creative & interesting person who's always up to something new.

true story - one time i called him to ask what he was up to, and he said, very matter-of-factly, "i'm returning a trombone".

a what? why?

"well," he said, "i've always wanted to learn how to play. so i rented one, and now i'm returning it."

the funny thing was, it made perfect sense. i'd just never known any other 22-year old guys who would up and rent a trombone for the hell of it.

he also cooks up a storm, bakes a mean pie from scratch, is an awesome artist who taught himself how to airbrush (i believe that was after the trombone affair), listens to music from the 20's and has a wicked sense of humor.

and yes, ladies, he's taken.

anyhow - the point is, this no-cable thing has always been a bit of an enigma to me. and now i'm a no-cable person. sweet.

for the record:

most of the shows that i love so dearly are available through various tv streaming sites, as well bits and bites through the various network websites. my brother uses this quite often, but i can't remember what the site is called. the quality varies a bit, which can be a bit of a downer if you're watching it on a larger screen.
mike downloads a ton of shows for me from a bunch of sites including eztv (which looks like it's currently down but promises to be back up soon) and pirate bay. it definitely helps scratch the itch when it gets itchy. plus - you can burn it to dvd and watch it on your tv if your player is DIVX compatible (it'll likely have the DIVX logo on the top, if you're not sure.) for more of the techy work-arounds for non-cable peeps, check out his blog - he posts his resources there quite often.

not another sitcom

2009-07-21T09:29:00.000-04:00

about two months ago, we cancelled our cable in order to save a little bit of money.

i have to admit - even though i don't consider myself a big tv watcher - i was originally strongly opposed to the idea of not having cable. what was i going to do when i came home from work and just wanted to zone out for a little while?

you'd think that since i'm a big bookworm, and have more than enough crafty projects on the go to keep me busy for a month of sundays, i wouldn't think it a big deal about cutting off cable. we didn't grow up in front of the tv - we've always eaten dinner at the dinner table with the tv off, would play outside on a regular basis, and friday or saturday nights are still often spent hanging out with one of my siblings doing things unrelated to the television.

no - it's not like i needed cable to survive; it just was my convenient little safety net for boredom. i rarely watched it, but when i did it sucked up hours of my time - particularly back in the days when we had HGTV and the food network. jamie oliver, giada de laurentiis, ina garten, and bobby flay were my constant companions – i’d often cheer on their newest culinary inventions from the comfort of my couch. i could also consider myself a professional house-flipper (from my armchair, of course), and sarah richardson’s best network friend. not to mention restaurant makeover, which was the perfect storm of two of my favourite things, cooking and interior design.

i’d often say that there were only a few channels that i really needed anyhow – HGTV, the food network, the weather network and maybe the news channel. and oh – the history or discovery channel as well, in case i felt the need to dork out for a few hours.

ever since we made the cut, though, i’ve barely missed it. surprise! my world hasn’t spun off of it’s axis nor have i found myself wandering the streets in the evenings with nothing to do. the biggest change i’ve noticed, actually, is that we’re more conscious of any time spent in front of the television – when a movie is finished, we get up and do something else instead of staring like zombies at the continual prime-time programming (even though it’s not really all that good in the first place).

yeah, this no-cable thing is actually pretty alright.

cartoon by dave walker

how lovely.

2009-07-20T14:34:00.003-04:00

i don't know where i came up with this quote, but it's one of my favourites. i'm not even sure if it's attributed to anyone else - it just popped into my head and i've been meditating on it since.

be still.
this moment is yours.
live it.
breathe it.

(apologies for the small text - the original image is saved on my now-corrupt hard drive from my old laptop. click on the image to see it larger, if you'd like.)

oh yeah, uh huh

2009-07-17T15:06:00.001-04:00

a big ole apology goes out to all of you guys who ended up snacking on a cupcake or three because of yesterday's cupcake post. one benefit from it, though, is that genevieve mentioned in the comments that she'll be baking some tiramisu cupcakes very soon. maybe if i'm nice, she'll let me do an exclusive cupcake review.

what do you say, gen? yum.

this weekend: heading up to my dad's place for some much-needed r+r. gonna lay in the hammock and read, unless it rains. if it rains, i'm going to get some painting done. finally!

what've you got lined up this weekend?

photo by michelle cordes

a little cake love

2009-07-16T14:40:00.001-04:00

thanks to one of the super-talented students that i know and her delicious blog, i've been feeling the itch more and more to flex my baking muscles lately.

i still haven't cracked open the little cakes from the whimsical bakehouse cookbook that my sister got me a little while ago (i'm not even going to get into how long i've had it - it's appalling actually), so i'm going to have to get on that right quick.

these oh-so-gorgeous masterpieces are by martha stewart - the edible flowers kind of fascinate me in a strange way. and tiramisu cupcakes? yes please!

edible flower cupcakes, boston cream pie cupcakes, chrysanthemum cupcakes,
tiramisu cupcakes, huckleberry cupcakes with sweet cream,

the cure for a bad day

2009-07-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

yesterday as i was driving home from work, there were some little kids at a roadside stand (aka fisher price table) selling freshly picked raspberries. being a veteran proprietor of a number of roadside stands myself, i can never say turn one down.

i pulled over my car and bought two little "trays" of them, made from paper bags. too cute. they'll be going deliciously with some vanilla yogurt and granola.

yesterday: was just one of those days. you know? a few things got under my skin in a hardcore kind of way and so today will be spent sorting them out; my reward for getting it done today is to go to unionville for a little walk and then perhaps a single scoop of moose tracks ice cream in a cone.

yeah. that should do it.

memory lane

2009-07-14T10:20:00.000-04:00

i was driving down the backroads last night on the way home from work, and champagne supernova came on the radio. instinctively, i cranked up the volume and rolled my windows down the rest of the way, singing at the top of my voice.

"how many special people change / how many lives are livin' strange / where were you while we were getting hiiiiiiigh"

that song is the summer of '97 when i was going into grade ten; an angsty awkward teenager who hated everything about high school, couldn't figure out where exactly i fit in and my summers lasted forever. i'd spent part of the summer at my cottage because my parents didn't like my friends; i hated missing out on the scene but looking back, those weeks i spent with my family alone helped me to understand and get along better with them. i was only pretending to be rebellious anyways - i wouldn't have really run away. i would have missed them too much.

when i was finally back in the city and could get out of the house with my friends, we'd spend our afternoons loitering on queen street west, hanging out by muchmusic hoping we'd run into our favourite bands, watching people at speakers corner, visiting used cd stores and raiding vintage clothing shops for kids soccer jerseys sponsored by local garages or men's mechanic shirts with the name badge still on them.

mine was huge and blue, and belonged to a guy named phil.

we wore original airwalks (before nike bought them out and started selling them at payless), and baggy raver jeans; visited the eatons centre and goofed around all summer, taking the long subway ride back to the suburbs at the end of the day.

someday you will find me / caught beneath the landsliiiiiide / in a champagne supernova, a champagne supernova in the skyyyy

what songs are inextricably bound to a specific memory for you?

images:

city bike, 10:15 am on saturday morning, dry summer night,