Manic Mondays - How to Avoid

One of my good friends always plays the best 80's station when we come to visit.  Last night while hanging out I heard the familiar opening bars of that classic Bangles hit, Manic Monday. With it stuck in my head today, the irony was not lost that when I first heard this song I really had no idea just how manic a Monday morning could be.  At the time I'm sure I thought it sheer torture to have to get up and go to school; years later I long for the luxury of having a closest of clothes that someone else bought and laundered for me, a tasty, balanced lunch handed to me, and a personal life coach / manager to make sure all the items on my to-do list were crossed off , thus preventing embarrassment in front of management, er, the teacher.  Thank you, Mom.

Our transition from gnarly students who think we have it rough to first-time workers learning the ropes of life, to our current occupations as all-grown-ups, Monday is an omnipresent factor in the daily grind.  I like to take the "It's a brand new week!" approach as opposed to "I don't like Mondays;" after all, if Monday morning never comes, neither can Friday afternoon.  But I will admit, a bad start on Monday can set you back, if not for the week than at least for the day.

I'm a gal who needs to be organized about my weekly prep.  I can feel the ominous rising of a bad week ahead if on Sunday night my week's clothes aren't laundered, my lunch isn't prepped, and my butt isn't in bed by 11:30 at the latest. For me, a manic Monday begins at 12:01 AM. And so, I make sure I have my ducks in a row on Sunday night.  No Sunday flu for me; I'm blessed with a job I love and so as long as I'm tucked in with my book, blogs or magazine and a cup of tea at a decent hour, it's all good for the week. And since I am an organized sort, I rarely head to bed without being properly prepared.

Of course, there's more to the week than Sunday night. With two whole days, it's easy to start the week on top of your game, but somewhere around Wednesday things go off the rails. Along the way I've discovered a few tricks to make my work week prep a bit more streamlined.  I may not use all of these every night / day (respectively), but even utilizing a few can make all the difference.  Have you considered...

• Smart snacks - I do my very best to be green, but I have to balance that with not wasting food and making sure we eat healthy. In another post I'm going to address packaging waste and how to fight it, but for the sake of this post I'm just going to stick to topic.  With two adults working full time on opposite shifts, sometimes single serve just makes sense.  Yogurt and cheese are two products that I've started purchasing in single serve form.  The simple truth is that we're both more likely to grab these healthy snacks if it's easy and convenient.  Fruit, juice, and granola bars are other examples of good-for-you grab and go snacks.
• Easy meals - I love a big, delicious sandwich, but in truth, how many sandwiches make it to lunch time looking and tasting nearly as good as they did when first assembled?  Enter the wrap.  There's lots of awesome combos that can be made in advance and still taste fresh, and in my experience wraps don't seem to get as soggy as bread. For wraps and more, I look forward to Real Simple's bag lunch idea every month for fresh lunch options; in fact I'm planning to start posting about out these, and other lunch recipes in the near future. I also find Everyday With Rachel Ray a good source of lunch ideas, especially when they point to options for using dinner time leftovers for the next day's lunch.  I also often lean on a big pot of soup, chili, or goulash to get us through a week of meals.  And although nothing is as good as fresh and homemade, having a few pre-made frozen options tucked into the freezer is never a bad idea. Finally, when you find yourself down to the end of a pot of soup or stew (or you get tired of it before it runs out) don't throw it away!  Invest in a few freezer and microwave friendly bowl sized containers and freeze your leftovers - you've just made you own single serve frozen meals!
• Type A Appliances - You know that friend who gets everything done well, quickly, and in style?  Make your appliances be that for you.  On Friday you heard all about my new morning saver, the Tassimo single serve coffee maker. If single serve isn't your thing, consider a coffee maker with a timer; you can set it for 15 minutes before you wake up, saving you having to fumble around with filters and grounds first thing in the morning, not to mention the aroma alone will get you out of bed!  Speaking of getting out of bed, if that's an issue, put your alarm clock across the room from your bed so that you actually have to get up to turn it off; I find I'm less likely to hit "snooze" when I do this.  Dish washers also have timers, and a friend was telling me about her new Roomba vacuum that can be set to go whenever you want.  After all, what would be better after a Manic Monday than clean dishes and floors?  Bread machines and slow-cookers can make mealtimes much easier, so much so that you may be tempted to toss your takeout menus. And make your downtime work for you; I once pointed out to a friend that while I was sipping wine on the patio on Saturday night I was also washing dishes, doing laundry, cooking a roast and baking bread!
• Can-do Clothes - When wardrobe planning, keep care instructions in mind.  Yes, we all want quality, but a few career wear items that can go in the washer and dryer and don't require ironing can be a life-saver. Anyone who's realized they have an entire work wardrobe of hand wash only clothes knows what I mean. Many new washing machines have a hand-wash feature, something I'm loving right now for my dress pants and delicate tops.
• PM Beauty Prep - As much as I love my morning shower, sometimes it's worth it to get it out of the way the night before.  The challenge I faced with this was my hair, which definitely looks better when it's freshly blow-dried.  A little research  revealed night before coif ideas that transition well for a sleep loving modern career gal.  I'm loving sleep-friendly foam rollers, for example.  With very little effort in the morning I have bouncy waves that last all day.  Of course, there's always the ponytail, but a sad old elastic holding back limp, lifeless hair doesn't spell success.  Look for pony tail clips with teeth that separate your hair for added bounce.  Even a bar clip will make your pony look more professional. A touch of make up and you'll look like you put in way more effort than you did!  All without sacrificing...
• Sweet, sweet sleep - Elusive, isn't it?  Yet it's so essential.  Identify how much you need (everyone is different) and do everything in your power to achieve it.  Plan, plan, plan so that you can work at gearing down to a relaxed state before bed-time.  I totally understand that life, children, pets, shift work, and not enough hours in a day make this goal difficult to achieve, but if there is one area you can focus on to improve that will make a huge difference in your health and work performance, this is it.

None of this is rocket science, of course, but sometime we get into work-a-day ruts and reading how someone else organizes their time can give us a new idea that can save precious morning minutes.  To that end, what do YOU do to avoid the dreaded Manic Monday?


And so, darling readers, it's time to take my own advice and hop to my Sunday night prep.  After all, 12:01 AM and a Manic Monday are only 6 hours away! Nighty night!

Update + An Old Favourite!

Hello, Lovely People!

Just popping in to say "hello" and let you all know that we are settled into our new house!  I still have lots and lots of boxes to unpack, but we're home and it feels like home!

Suffice to say I probably won't be posting much this week, but I did want to leave you something more to read than a "hello."  Throughout the move, it was noted several times (by the good, good friends who helped us) that we have some very unusual, old, heavy furniture.  In particular, my antique oak dining table got a lot of comments.  It reminded me of one of my first posts, one that most of you haven't read.  It was actually posted under my original blog name, Simply Bee.  This post has a little bit of everything going on; crafts, wine, Sex and the City, and an epic disaster.  It's also actually quite funny, if I do say so myself.  Without further ado, I give you Mental Note!

Getting Organized - Simple Ways to Calm Problem Areas

Do you have any guilty secrets in your home?

No, not skeletons in your closets, silly!  I'm referring to those areas so terrifically terrible that you fear someone will discover them.  Or those places that, despite you best efforts, you never seem to be able to tame.  Or maybe it's simply a place once blissfully organized that, over time, has disintrigated into a messy, confusing place that you just can't stand to be.

We all have them, at least once in a while.  I find that the winter months are particuliarly hard times to keep my house neat.  I blame it on the extra layers we have to wear that never seem to find their way into the closet, on the snow that comes in on our dogs, and on the lack of sunlight to give me the motivation and energy to clean clean clean!  I also find there's a bit of a let down between the holiday season and spring cleaning; there's really nothing to prepare for in January and February so it's easy to let things slide a bit.  Indeed, I remarked to my husband the other day that the house seemed easier to keep tidy two months ago when every inch of it was "be-decked" and there were two Christmas trees taking up space!

In my home there are a few places in particuliar that drive me nuts, and this week I concocted a plan to tackle them.  After all, Nesty is about leading a better life through simplified living; nothing derails simplified living faster than disorder and mess.  I'll be sharing my progress with you. Some are my own ideas, while others are inspired by magazines and blog posts.  With so many great resources out there, there's really no excuse for not getting it all together!

My first project was the kitchen "junk drawer".  I'd been inspired by the latest issue of Real Simple magazine, which included an article called "Streamline Your Supplies."  The article detailed what essentials you need in order to organize your medicine cabinet, utensil drawer, tool kit, desk drawer, and cleaning cabinet.  I decided to tackle the desk drawer; with my kitchen "junk drawer" standing in a for desk drawer.  I realized that, scattered throughout the house, I had all the items I needed for a neat and tidy startionery center except mechanical pencils and stamps (which are on my to-buy list). 

Sometimes when you get an idea from a blog or magazine, it's easy to think that you don't have all the nifty stuff they're suggesting.  What you have to remember is that they're just that, suggestions.  Around your home you probably have equivalents to what they're suggesting.  Here's what Real Simple's experts suggested, along with my two cents or substitutions:

• Forever Stamps (In Canada I believe we call them fixed rate stamps; but basically they are stamps that don't lose their value even if rates change)
• Personal Stationery (I don't have personalized stationary, so I used a set of notes and envelopes my mom sent in a care package.  You can find adorable note card sets at stationery and office supply shops, as well as department and dollar stores).
• Permanent markers in black and silver for regular and dark papers (check and check!) plus a highlighter (I like pink)
• Correction Tape
• Sticky notes, large and small (I only had large so small go on the list; they're great for leaving notes in cookbooks!)
• Mechanical Pencils
• Titanium Scissors (I have a lot of non-titanium scissors so a pair of those went in the drawer.  FYI, apparently titianium scissors stay sharp a really long time)
• Paper clips
• A weighted tape dispenser (a real time saver when wrapping gifts, but you could use a roll of tape if that's what you have.  Weighted dispensers are surprisingly economical, however)
• A classic stapler
• A box of your favorite pens (I often buy pens by the box but I have so many pens right now that I really couldn't justify purchasing another box.  I do have my own favorite, a Papermate retractable, medium tip, blue ink, rubberized barrel, in pink because for some reason pink pens don't seem to wander off.  I wonder why?)

I added a Moleskine accordion file notebook to hold reciepts and important stuff, as well as a box of self-adhesive security envelopes. 

Here is a picture of my lovely new stationery drawer.  Thanks, Real Simple!!

I realised as I was editing this picture that my paperclips and tape dispenser are making a run for it.  In the interest of proving that I can keep it real, I did not re-take the photo! 

Now of course all the "stuff" that was in the junk drawer had to go somewhere!  I'll be detailing my progress over the next few weeks.  Next week I'll be sharing how I tamed a really bad problem area in my home - my cosmetics drawer.  Oh, the horror!!!!

I'll see you on Friday for the Christmas Calmdown!

Housewife Confidential - My Official Soundtrack

I did promise a post on housekeeping, and I hate to break my promises.  But then I realized that it's Friday, and really, who wants to think about housekeeping on a Friday?  And then I realized, well, I am going to be doing a lot of housework on Friday (insert frown-y face here), and I bet a lot of my blogland friends will be, too.  How, I wondered, could I make this better for all of us?

I pondered.......



.....I thought.....


.....I scratched my head, and discovered that doesn't help.....



.....I pondered some more.


Just when I was starting to despair that there was really no way to make the Friday chores fun, it came to me...every housewife needs a great soundtrack!  Why not share mine?


I never clean without music.  Sometimes I like to listen to a whole album or tune into an internet radio station, but usually I pick and choose singles from my iTunes library.  This can be a bit time consuming as I hop from playlist to playlist, so I decided to create a housework playlist that I can update from time to time.


My playlist is rather eclectic, with samples from many eras and genres.  I'm not a music snob, I like what I like and I listen to it without apology.  There is, however, a science to my playlist.  


I start with some really high energy, catchy modern hits, like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. This is to get me up and moving.  I'll follow these with a few more up-tempo songs to keep the energy up.  Here's where you'll find Metric, Sam Roberts, and Gnarls Barkley.

After these, it's time for the 80's!!!  Eighties tunes take up a good chunk of my playlist; I like them because they are great songs to sing and dance along to.  I accomplish a lot during the eighties!  My current playlist includes The Pet Shop Boys, Roxette, and REM.


At this point my playlist takes on a retro feel, despite the fact that some of the songs are fairly modern.  I do, however, have Elvis in there...it's fun to dance with your mop to The King!  Keeping company with Elvis are Duffy, Goldfrapp, and Sally Seltmann.


The next few songs are rock and alternative and create the perfect energy to keep pushing through to the end.  I've included songs by Stars, Hugh Dillon, The White Stripes and Queen.  

The last few tunes slow things down while I put away cleaning supplies, light candles, and make a cup of tea.  My list finishes with Foreigner's power ballad "I Want to Know What Love Is," and Feist's "1, 2, 3, 4."


Here's the whole playlist.  It's 26 songs, and plays for 1.6 hours:

1. Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
2. Poker Face - Lady Gaga
3. Gimme Sympathy - Metric
4.  Brother Down - Sam Roberts
5.  Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
6.  How You Like Me Now? - The Heavy
7.  It's The End of the World As We Know It - REM
8.  Electric Avenue - Eddy Grant
9.  The Look - Roxette
10. Always On My Mind - The Pet Shop Boys
11. Heaven Is A Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle
12. Eye of the Tiger - Survivor
13. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
14. Rocket - Goldfrapp
15. Harmony to My Heartbeat - Sally Seltmann
16. Mercy - Duffy
17. Suspicious Minds - Elvis Presley
18. Suddenly I See - KT Tunstall
19. Fixed - Stars
20. Reel to Reel - Hugh Dillon
21. You're My Heart - Lioness
22. Prickly Thorn, But Sweetly Worn - The White Stripes
23. Crazy (James Michael Mix) - Alanis Morisette
24. I Want to Break Free - Queen
25. I Want to Know What Love Is - Foreigner
26. 1, 2, 3, 4 - Feist


Do you listen to music while you clean?  Is so, what are some of your favorites?


Have a great weekend!  See you next week!


 

And Now, The Weather! - Understanding Winter Weather Warnings

I always love writing my Nesty posts, and I rarely struggle to find subject matter.  Sometimes, however, my subject matter literally falls from the sky...

It was a wild and wonderful weekend in the Pacific Northwest as a multi-day snowstorm descended on our area.  Almost 7 feet fell over approximately 3 days, and this snowfall coupled with low temperatures and high winds made for quite the aftermath.  I knew this was no normal storm when I came home Saturday night, in the middle of the storm, and had to dig my way into my house.

Ten minutes later I was inside, furnace blaring and the kettle whistling, pondering this weather system.  Snow is not a rarity in Northern British Columbia.  Indeed, Kitimat means "People of the Snow," and we'd heard the stories of snowfalls so deep people had to shovel their roofs before their steps.  That being said, even the locals agreed there was something extra wild and wooly about this storm.

Curious, I conducted a few Google searches and discovered that our current storm was the result of an Arctic Outflow.  What's that, you say?  Well, it was new to me, too, so I searched a little further, and on Wikipedia, I found the following definition:

An Arctic Outflow Warning is based on a combination of wind speed and temperatures which produce wind chills of at least -20 for at least six hours during the winter when very cold Arctic air breaks from the interior mainland of British Columbia and spills out through mountain gaps and fjords.

-Wikipedia

 

Ah.  Mountain gaps and fjords.  Well, that pretty much describes Kitimat!

 

 

This mystery solved, I got to thinking about regional weather warnings and how they vary across North America (and indeed the world).  I often hear from my readers how interesting they find life in Northern British Columbia and Canada in general, so I decided today to share with you some of the winter weather warnings we hear and experience throughout the colder months.  I'm going to insert actual passages from Environment Canada, and then add my two cents.  

Heavy Snowfall - What do most people think of when they think of Canada?  Snow!  And while, contrary to popular belief, we don't have it year round, most parts of Canada do receive a fair amount of snow.  

 

 

Heavy Snow can greatly reduce visibility, create hazardous road conditions, and knock down trees and power lines.

- Environment Canada

 

Nesty Notes - Prior to the cold weather setting in, make sure your home and car are ready for the worst.  Remember to check your 72 Hour Emergency Kit and stock your car with food, water, blankets and a winter emergency kit.  Keep your shovel where you can get to it; ours was inside our porch, a good thing it was considering our sheds were buried under the snow.  And speaking of shoveling, keep an eye on your driveway; sometimes it's easier to stay on top of it throughout the snowfall than to try and remove seven feet of snow all at once.  If this happens, try to befriend someone with a snow blower.  Cookies help.

Winter Storm - This is what we experienced this past weekend and, while it's pretty to look at, it's not all curling up by the fire and sipping hot cocoa...

Winter storms are large-scale weather systems, hundreds of kilometres across, that are called extratropical cyclones because they form and develop outside of the Tropics. These storms gather their energy from the temperature and moisture differences across the boundary where different air masses meet or collide. The larger the differences in the temperature and moisture  levels across this boundary, called a front, the more energy there is available for the storms to develop. This is why some are stronger, or more intense, than others.

Winter storms tend to move from west to east and can produce strong winds, heavy snowfall, freezing rain and bitterly cold temperatures as they impact any given area.

-Environment Canada

Nesty Notes - In addition to ensuring your emergency supplies are in place well in advance of the cold weather season, when a winter storm in in effect, please listen to the road reports and do what the police are advising you to do!!  I will never understand why people feel the need to go careening around in their cars in the middle of storms. Stay out of the way of snow removal crews (a popular commercial in Nova Scotia notes "This isn't a feather duster I'm driving!") Also, remember your pets!  They should NEVER be left outside during the cold or inclement weather of any kind.  End of story!!!

Wind Chill - If you've ever found yourself walking into the wind on a cold winter's day, you've experienced wind chill:

Wind chill is when the wind makes cold temperatures feel even colder. Environment Canada’s wind chill index will tell you the combined cooling effect of these factors on the human body. It uses temperature-like units to liken the current conditions to how cold your skin would feel on a calm day.

Days with an extreme wind chill value can cause exposed skin to freeze very rapidly, leading to frostbite. Wind chill can also play a major role in hypothermia, because it speeds up the rate at which your body loses heat. Protect yourself by taking appropriate steps to stay warm when you are outdoors.

-Environment Canada

Nesty Notes - In my experience, when there is a wind chill warning in effect, unless you absolutely have go out, these are days to stay inside.  If you must go out, make sure you bundle up; thermal underwear, hats, mittens, and a warm coat and boots are a must.  Essentially, cover all skin and cover it well.  Now is not the time to worry about fashion.  If you don't have a car and need to go somewhere, take a cab or the bus; it's worth it.  Keep kids inside.  And again, bring your pets in.

There are other winter weather conditions, like blizzards, blowing snow, and snowsqualls, but for today I'm focusing on the ones that particularly effect my area.  This link will take you to Environment Canada's web page of Winter Hazards which is where I got the excerpts listed above.

Stay safe and warm!  I'll be back on Friday with a vegetarian family favorite, Spiced Bean Tagine.  See you then!!!

The Thrifting Continues...And Filing, Too!

The weather has been cool and crisp the last few days, and it feels like "Back to School."  Of course, I haven't gone "Back to School" in years.  Despite that, I still feel like going shopping for school supplies.  As an adult, I fulfill that urge by purchasing office supplies.

Oh, office supplies, how I love you!  One of the highlights of my professional career was that, in many of my positions, I was responsible for office supplies.  Pens, sticky notes, correction fluid, notebooks, folders and files.  Oh the files and folders were the best!  I adore filing systems!  

Yes, it is safe to say that I truly love office supplies and filing systems.  Yet strangely, I have never successfully implemented a filing system at home.  We've tried a couple options, and we can always find what we need, but when compared to the meticulously organized systems I've maintained in the workplace, my own system was sadly lacking.  Many times we agreed to do something about it, but we never seemed to get around to it.  

Until now.

We recently purchased a filing cabinet at our local thrift store.  It is missing its lock, but that's OK, and it has a sticker on the front, but other than that it's in pretty good shape!  I am toying around with the idea of getting some spray paint and painting it a funky colour, but for now it is going to be put into use "as is".  In this spirit, we picked up some folders and files on our recent trip to town.  I was getting excited; I was getting to indulge in two loves - filing and shopping for office supplies!

Tonight, I took my new supplies and sat down with some Sharpie markers and labeled the folders and files.  I made a few categories, like "Utilites," "Accounts," and "Household," and then spent a happy hour neatly printing "Hydro," "Gas," and lots of other prosaic stuff on manila folders.  And I loved it!

Tomorrow I'm going to get out the not-so-system we are using right now and refile everything into the new cabinet. I can always take the files out if I decide to spruce it up a bit.  The cabinet is going to live in my husband's study so I will have to take this into consideration if I'm going to paint it.  If I do pretty it up, I'll be sure to document it for a future post. For now, I've included a picture of with my pretty kitty, Junior Mint, lounging in front of it.  We put it on one of her favorite blankets so it wouldn't scratch the floor while I'm doing my filing, thus the rare picture of our elusive white cat.

Normally I would not share a picture featuring a velour blanket on the floor, but so rarely do we get a photo op with Mint that I couldn't not share.  She literally walked (okay, rolled) in front of the camera.  So enjoy!

Sigh.  Some people get excited about racing, sailing, or sports. I get passionate about office supplies and filing.  It takes all kinds!  Is there anything "nerdy" that you secretly enjoy?

Have a great weekend!  I'll see you on Monday!

Hidden Treasure

One of the (many) great things about reading blogs is that I get inspired.  I have found so many amazing ideas, projects, and recipes that I want to try that I don't think I will ever get to all of it!  But recently, I decided to try my hand at one of the activities I'd read about that seemed particularly intriguing: thrifting.

As far as I can gather, "thrifting" refers to the process of shopping at a thrift shop, that is, a second hand store.  Not necessarily an "antique" store, but a store who's function is to sell second hand items, no matter what their vintage.  Back home in Cape Breton, I'd loved going "thrifting" with my mother; she is one of those people who is always making amazing discoveries at second hand and antique stores.  Indeed, I owe many of my better "finds" to her shrewd eye.  However, it took me a while to get back into thrifting in Kitimat.

We started going to the local thrift store more frequently and we began to find some real treasures.  Once, it was a pair of marble rook bookends which found a home in my book and chess loving husband's study.  Another day we found a metal mortar and pestle which I will use to grind oilier, more fragrant spices so that my marble one will not get discoloured.  And then finally, one day, we struck gold!

Now, don't get all excited. We've all heard of people buying "costume" jewelery at a thrift shop only to discover that they'd acquired an expensive bauble for mere pennies.  No, what we found was gold in colour alone.  

We found brass. In pairs.

First, we found the ducks.  There they were, sitting atop an old shelf, gleaming in the afternoon sun.  I couldn't decide if they were wonderful or hideous, but I was leaning toward wonderful.  I like ducks, and these were lovely shiny ducks.  We also love literature, and our home is full of books that, well, sometimes need something to hold them up.  And so, I decided to point them out to my husband, who was perusing, you guessed it, more books.  Well, as luck would have it, he loved them too, and so the shiny fellows came home with us. (They are nowhere near as smudgy as my photo would imply, I'm going to blame this picture on my camera.)  We haven't decided yet exactly where they will end up, but for now they are hanging out on our end tables, keeping company with our next shiny find...


Lamps!

Brass lamps!  I know, I know, if someone had suggested brass lamps to me I would have told them they were crazy (well no, I'm too nice to have actually verbalized that, but I would have thought it).  But, one day while browsing I noticed them and decided to take a closer look.  However, upon approaching the display I noticed that they had both the glass hurricane and wick key of oil lamps, and disregarded them as such.  I was later informed that they were indeed electric lamps, and I hastened in to purchase them.  My husband and I had a bit of a laugh over all our shiny purchases, but we realized that surprisingly, the brass items complemented many of the items we had in our living room. On our mantel we display a small pile of favorite books as well as a few nautical tools, both of which have gold coloured accents.  The hardware on our doors is brass.  And so our new items, which seemed so "not us," actually fit into our home quite well!

We love our living room now!  It's really coming together nicely.  It still needs a few things but our "thrifted" items really brought the room together and have given us focus as to how to decorate the room.  We purchased a few brass frames to contrast with the black ones we were already using and I have to say, all in all the golden touches have really warmed up the space. 


Have you found a treasure in a thrift store?  If so, I'd love to hear about it!  Have a great week and I'll see you on Wednesday!

A Wonderful Weekend

Well, folks, this weekend I learned that the weather has a funny sense of humour, and it likes to prove you wrong, especially if you blog about it!

Remember Friday's post, the one where I detailed all the wonderful recipes I'd wanted to make before the temperature got so, so hot?  The one where I also explained the changes I'd made to my menu plan because of said heat?  Well, Friday morning we woke up to, you guessed it,  rain.

It wasn't awful rain, but it was wet, and it certainly wasn't going to be good weather for barbecues, camp fire cookouts, and leisurely cocktails on the patio.  But it was still muggy and a little hot.  I had visions of the house slowly becoming a sauna.

By the time the first group of guests arrived, the weather had met us halfway.  It was still raining intermittently, but the temperature had dropped to a more comfortable level.  After a quick discussion, my husband and I decided to proceed with the outdoor cooking plans for the most part, with a few other items thrown in for breakfasts and desserts.  So, for night one's supper, I fired up my new Brinkmann Charcoal Grill and Smoker and made souvlaki marinated pork chops with grilled kebabs of zuchini, eggplant, onion, and bread tossed in a herby vinaigrette. This was only my second time using the charcoal grill, and I was a little nervous about how it would turn out.  The meal was a great success, and we finished off our supper with bowls of homemade strawberry mousse with thin lemon cookies.  After a few drinks and lots of laughter and story telling, we all retired for the evening.  

The next morning we woke to rain again, but by the time we finished our pancakes (big breakfasts were back on the table, so to speak) the sun was coming out.  We lingered over our coffees while we made plans for the day. Our other guest wouldn't arrive until early evening, so we decided to do some sightseeing.  By the time we were ready to head out, it was so lovely and warm that I headed back into the house to change out of my jeans and blouse and into a sundress.  It turned into a perfect summer day; warm enough to be out and enjoying the outdoors but not so hot that it was uncomfortable.  We took our guests for a drive along the beaches and back-roads of the Kitimat River, where they were able to see how many people crowd the shore with RV's and tents in order to take advantage of the world famous salmon fishing.  We scouted out a good spot for the evening's campfire, and then proceeded to drive to another Kitimat landmark, the Giant Spruce.  The Giant Spruce is a 500 year old Sitka Spruce (fans of the Twilight books will recognize this evergreen).  It is the largest living organism in the Kitimat Valley as well as the largest living spruce tree in British Columbia. 

We grabbed lunch at Subway and ate at a picnic table in the City Center green-space. Kitimat was designed to be a "family friendly garden city" and has over 45 km of walking trails and lots of green-spaces.  After another quick drive around town, we headed for home to wait for our last guest.  While we were waiting, our neighbors dropped by with a real treat; half a salmon, filleted and ready to go on the grill!  What great neighbors!  We decided right away to serve that for supper the next night, and we were thrilled that our visitors would get to try this BC specialty.  

Once our final guest arrived, we had a quick reunion and then packed up the Jeep and headed back to the river for a campfire.  A good sized group of people showed up, and hot dogs, smokies, marshmallows, and other treats were passed around the fire to be shared and enjoyed.  It was a beautiful evening, and the trout were jumping and putting on a good show.  The bears stayed away, as did the rain.


The next morning we had a late brunch of bacon and eggs.  Once again, we hung out drinking coffee and catching up for quite some time.  We decided to take our visitors to Kitimaat Village, and to the marina. The day started out sunny and hot, and I put on another sun dress.  We had a nice drive to the Village, and we stopped at a lookout point along the way where we got out to enjoy the view of the Douglas Channel.  We snacked on some sun-warmed berries before heading back to the Giant Spruce, so our newly arrived guest could check out this amazing tree.  Then, it was back home to fire up the barbecue.


Now, this is the point where the weather really started to play with me.  We were enjoying a drink on the patio while the coals heated up, when somebody commented that it was starting to cool down.  And cool down it did!  Frosty Pina Coladas were traded for less icy drinks, and sundresses and shorts were traded for jeans, socks, and sweaters.  Bundled up, we sat around and waited for the grill to reach ideal temperature.

My plan was to grill some chicken legs and then pop them in the oven to stay warm while I cooked the salmon (since fish doesn't take very long to cook.)  We had to decided to try using some apple wood chips as well, since they would compliment both chicken and salmon.  All we needed was a nice, hot grill.  I was feeling confident after my pork chop success of two night earlier, and so I waited.  And waited, and waited, and waited.  It just wouldn't move out of "warm."

I tried to be patient, since I knew opening the grill would lose heat.  However, after almost an hour, I gave in and took a peek.  I could see grey ash, but the top grill just wasn't getting hot.  We added some more coals, as well as some dry wood and newspaper, and at first, things really seemed to be heating up!  Someone observed that the cold wind was probably making it difficult for the grill to heat up, so we moved it to a more sheltered space.  Nothing.  Eventually, we decided to bake the chicken in the oven, and concentrate our grilling efforts on the fish.  I won't bore you with the exact details, but suffice to say it did take a while, and some experimenting, to get our salmon cooked.  But when it did cook, it was so worth the wait!  We feasted on tequila habernero glazed chicken, grilled apple wood smoked salmon, mashed potatoes, and sauteed spinach.  For dessert, we had Strawberry Festival Cake.  By the time dessert was being served, lots of guests had stopped in to meet our visitors, so they all got cake, too!  Drinks were poured, stories were told, and, as I said in Monday's post, we laughed 'till we cried.


By 8:30 the next morning, everyone was gone.  My husband was back to work, one visitor had headed home and the others had continued on their vacation.  The house seemed too quiet, and that peculiar combination of homesickness and loneliness that sometimes comes over me since we moved here hit me hard.  As I cleared away the crumbs from our bagels and cream cheese, I felt a lump in my throat and a funny prickling behind my eyes.  And so, I did the only logical thing I could think of to make myself feel better; I cleaned the house. I stripped beds, gathered towels, did many loads of laundry and ran the dishwasher.  I swept and dusted, mopped and put things away, and by noon, the house was back in order, my spirits had lifted and I was left with the wonderful memories of a great weekend.  Everyone had vowed to return, and I can't wait until they do!


Have a wonderful week!  If you are having visitors this weekend, I hope their visit is as wonderful as ours was!  See you on Friday!

A Fun Bit of Canadiana!

Hello again!  I hope that all my Canadian readers had a wonderful Canada Day, and that my American friends are having a great time getting ready for the big Fourth of July holiday weekend!  I had a very nice Canada Day.  We attended the local parade and later in the evening watched the fireworks display with some friends.  In between the events, however, we spent a nice amount of time just relaxing on the patio with good books and cups of coffee.  It was pleasant to take a few hours to relax and do nothing, since we have been working on a project that has been keeping us busy and, for the most part, indoors.

We have been purging.


Our belongings, that is.  This isn't the first time we've done this; I did a major purge before we moved out West over a year ago.  But this time, we're being really, really ruthless.  We've tossed stuff we swore we'd never get rid of!  We have several boxes ready to go to the thrift store, in addition to a large box of garbage and a bankers box of papers to destroy.  In addition to discarding items, we are also re-organizing and properly storing items that we are keeping, but won't be using on a regular basis.  I'll post more on that later.

One of the really fun things about purging your stuff is that it's a bit like treasure hunting.  We've recovered a lot of items that we thought were gone forever, as well as lots of stuff we are scratching our heads about.  Do you ever stop to wonder why some of the stuff in your house ever got in in the first place?  We discovered a collection of Pez dispensers.  Pez dispensers!  We're placing a lot of blame on Christmas stockings, those beloved dispensaries of "stuff".


Another discovery has actually made us $5.00 richer.  That may not seem like a lot, but those familiar with what we found will appreciate that it could take quite a while to get $5.00 worth of it.

 Canadian Tire Money is a cash bonus rewards program run by the Canadian Tire company.  Every time you make a purchase at a Canadian Tire store, gas bar, or online store, you earn Canadian Tire money.  You can read more about it here.


I enjoyed reading the facts listed in the article posted above.  I could definitely relate to the point that, since it feels like real money (the coupons are produced using the same materials and processes as legal tender) customers don't throw it away.  This is exactly how I came to be in possession of $5.00 worth.


Our collection began simply enough. Since moving to Northwestern BC, we shop at Canadian Tire a lot more than we did at home, so our cache of "money" built up fairly quickly.  As we began to purge our belongings, we discovered more and more of the coupons.  It got to be kind of funny; we would open an old wallet, or a book, or an envelope and there it would be.  We even discovered a more unusual fifty cent coupon, which was a bit of a thrill.  Apparently there are $1.00 and $2.00 coupons as well, but we haven't received one of those yet.

Watching our little pile of "money" grow made me happy and brought back other Canadian Tire money memories.  I can remember that as a little girl with her first bright purple Cabbage Patch Kids purse, a note or two of Canadian Tire money made me feel very grown up indeed!  Even as I got older, there was something about those brightly coloured, yet somewhat official looking bills that kept me from tossing them.  Perhaps it was that "legal tender" feel, or maybe it was Sandy McTire's smiling eyes and jaunty tam-o-shanter, but something kept me stashing the notes away, only to be discovered many years later.


We're keeping our cash, at least for the time being.  Right now we're making a game out of it; earlier today my husband noted that we were five cents short of $5.00.  A few hours later, I triumphantly held up a ten cent note.  We are going to build our pile for now, and then put the collected coupons toward a purchase.  


Canadian Tire money is one of those uniquely Canadian things that warms my heart.  And since yesterday was Canada Day, it seemed like the perfect time to share one of the quirkier pieces of Canadiana with you!


Today I am linking to New Friend Friday, which is co-hosted by The Girl Creative and Trendy Treehouse.

I am also participating in the Canada Day Blog Party which is hosted by Canadian Mom Blogger.


 
Have a wonderful weekend!  And a very happy Fourth of July to my American readers!

Lemon Fresh and Oh So Cute!!!

I have a confession to make.  I'm a fool for packaging.


It's true!  I try to control it, and most of the time I do quite well.  However, every so often, a product makes its way into our home solely on the merit of its packaging.  Which is how a bag of lemons made its way home from the wholesale warehouse with us a few weeks ago.  One look at the adorable Mr. Lemon on the label, and I was sold.  So to the Bee Sweet lemon company, a hearty BRAVO!  Put a little lemon puppy on them next and I'll be buying them by the caseload:

Who could resist?  Luckily, I had plenty of recipes that called for lemons, so I made the following:

• Lemon Coffee Cake
• Lemon Salad Dressing
• Lemon Pepper Roast Chicken
• Lemon Basil Roast Chicken
• Gimlet Au Naturel Cocktails (a tasty little cross between a gimlet and a G&T that we came up with)

And while they were waiting to be consumed, the lemons looked quite pretty hanging out in a lovely blue and white china bowl. 


As I was unwrapping the lemons, I set aside the wrapper.  The scrapbooker in me said "save it, it's fabulous" while the woman who's been purging her belongings snapped "throw it out!"  This time, the emotional scrapper won, although I did neatly trim one incidence of the repeating pattern from the label and threw the rest away.  I put the scrap in my junk drawer (dangerous, I know).  Several times over the next few days, I would see it and think that I should just toss it, but one look at those big lemony eyes and back in the drawer he'd go.  I just knew he had a purpose!  And one day, while cleaning the kitchen counters with my homemade lemon cleanser, inspiration struck!

Here's how my lemon cleanser looked before inspiration struck:

Nothing wrong with it, but other than the "L" scribbled in Sharpie on the bottom, there's really no way to differentiate between the lemon, the cinnamon, or teatree scents.  But now...

This should barely qualify as a craft, it's so simple.  All I did was position the scrap of label on the bottle (hold it in place with some double sided tape if you need to) and then I neatly placed strips of clear packing tape over it until it was completely covered.  That's it!  I have no idea how long it will last, but the bottle cost a dollar and the label was free (since I used the lemons, it doesn't count as a useless impulse buy.  My blog, my rules!)  So if it wears off in a few months, oh well!  The label is plastic-y, so it will probably last longer than if it were paper.  Plus, it's a great bit of free advertising for the Sweet Bee company!  Anyone who makes labels this cute deserves a plug!  Now I'm on the lookout for labels for my other scents!


This may have been the quickest turn-around of any bit of ephemera I've saved in the name of scrap-booking.  If you don't think this is a big deal, ask any scrapper about their "stash" and you'll quickly understand!


Today I'm linking to Trendy Treehouse's Creative Share!


Have a wonderful week!  See you on Friday!

Give Me the Simple Life Part III - A Few of My Favorite Things + Fabulous Nest Friday!

A cottage small is all I'm after,

Not one that's spacious and wide.

A house that rings with joy and laughter,

And the ones you love inside.

                                         (Harry Ruby/Rube Bloom, Give Me the Simple Life)

Ah, it's Friday!  This is one of the rare weekends when my husband's days off actually coincide with those of the rest of the world.  However, even when it's not actually the start of your days off, there's something about a Friday that gets you excited and filled with anticipation.  Anything can happen on a Friday!

I like to try and have my nest all fixed up for the weekend.  You never know when you might have drop in guests, so it's always a good idea to to freshen up the house and stock the fridge and cupboards!  

The weekend is also a great time to go shopping.  Back home, I would always go for breakfast with my mom and my sisters on Saturday mornings, and more often than not we ended up hitting the shops!  We also enjoyed visiting thrift and second hand stores to search for treasures.  And if there was a basement to attic or rummage sale on the go, that was on the agenda too!

Over the years I've accumulated a lovely cache of treasures both new and previously loved.  My mother and my husband in particular are wonderful gift givers with the knack of finding the perfect item you didn't realize you wanted and/or needed!  Add family treasures and personal shopping finds to my stash and I have a nice collection of things that make my nest my own.  While preparing this week's series of posts on "The Simple Life" I decided to do a post on things that I'm loving right now, and I've decided to make it a recurring post.  Over time I'll share old treasures, new finds, investments, and just plain stuff!

Anyone who read Wednesday's post on my Cloud of Inspiration may see some of the items mentioned appear in these new posts.  And so, I'll start with one of these items.

My beautiful luster-ware tea set!

Several years ago my mother-in-law, who has a fine cache of treasures of her own, gifted me with a beautiful luster-ware tea set.  Depending on where we lived, this elegant set sometimes had to live in seclusion so as to protect it from our cats, who have a habit of breaking fine things.  The decision to put it away was finalized a few years ago, when our cat Junior Mint got herself tangled up in a Christmas display I had made that included the tea set.  As she panicked, the components of the display, tea set included, went flying across the room.  There was a horrible moment as we raced about gathering up pieces, and although several items did suffer damage, the tea set emerged unscathed.  We tried displaying it again at our first Kitimat home, but we were too nervous that the dogs would knock over the wine rack on which it was displayed  as they rough-housed.  However, when we moved into our current house, the kitchen cabinet tops provided safe shelf space, and my tea set found it's home!   

Another item I'm really loving right now is my Bodum French Press Coffee Maker.  My version is the one that Bodum designed for Starbucks; I adore it's simple, elegant design.  We love our french press coffee, so much so that when our old coffee maker gave out during the winter we decided not to replace it.  This means better coffee all the time, and more counter space for me!!

Pretty Note Books (and a long lost fountain pen!)

I'm sure some of you probably remember my recent post on to-do lists and pens?  In it I mentioned that I had found the perfect notebook, so, here it is!  I purchased two, so I use one for my daily to-do lists, blog brainstorms, and household notes, and another for Bible study.  In addition to being cute, they also have a folder AND an envelope inside!  Brilliant!!!!  And did you notice the pen in the picture?  A few days after my rant about how my favorite fountain pens were all gone, I was searching through a desk that used to live in my old craft room and I found FOUR fountain pens still in their box!  Turns out, I had doled out the pens to my husband and I in the first place and then put the box in a "safe place."  We were both very pleased to get a new supply of fountain pens!

You may also remember my salt and pepper shakers.  My husband brought them back from Nova Scotia for me.  He purchased them at one of our favorite Halifax shops, The Black Market.  Here are a few shots I took of them (and yes, it's sad that I enjoy taking pictures of shakers!)  I caught myself having a bit too much fun setting them up in different poses and then imagining the dialogue between them.  To demonstrate, (with apologies for the quality of the images):

Salt - Ridiculous! I don't believe a word of it!

Pepper - Please listen to me!  I can't let you go on thinking he's someone he's not!!

Salt -No!  I can't believe Basil would betray me like this!  And for that horrid Paprika!!

Pepper - "Don't go!  It will be fine!  You still have Oregano and I!!!!

Salt - "Hold me!"

(The phrase you're searching for is "charmingly eccentric!") 


So there you have it, the first installment of "A Few of My Favorite Things!"  I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for new, and old, wonderful treasures to share with you!

I'm linking to Housewife Bliss' Fabulous Nest Friday blog hop, and you should hop on over and check it out, too!  I've discovered so many great blogs (and the wonderful folks who write them!) through this hop, so go check it out!


Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you on Monday!