Wish I Was Here

When I close my eyes...

...this is where I am.


photograph by Kevin van der Leek


His photo makes a place I know, look the way it smells.
It is the smell that keeps me here in the Pacific Northwest.
The smell fills my lungs to the brim.
I breathe more deeply in this air.

Recently Tested Recipes

Napa Cabbage Slaw - this is Rachael Ray's recipe. I used it as inspiration for the slaw pictured above. You'll also see dried cranberries, sesame and pumpkin seeds. Pretty sure I just drizzled it with sesame oil and it was delicious - oh, maybe add cilantro and a squeeze of lime for some freshness!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pudding - Eggs on Sunday posted this recipe from Bon Appetit. I bear an intense amount of gratitude for the invention of this creamy and decadent version of Reese Peanut Butter Cups! Even the anti-pudding crowd is into it (yes Dad, that's you).

Peanut Butter Blondies - The Sneaky Chef came up with Maggie's new favourite snack. I'm always looking for new ways to get vegetables into the girl and this is a good one. I would like to work on decreasing the amount of sugar in the recipe, but for now I follow it exactly as written. Chris and I like them a bit too. : )

Indian-Style Chicken with Pureed Spinach - The recipe I use is from The Healthy Slow Cooker book. It's super easy and delicious. It's full of spinach and tomato but Maggie gobbles it up!

Basmati Rice Pudding - This is another recipe from The Healthy Slow Cooker. Super easy and absolutely delicious! I tried to decrease the amount of sugar, but it didn't taste nearly as good so I'd recommend using the recipe as is.

Cuz Every Kid Can Use a Cape

When my 3 year-old nephew's birthday rolled around, I was desperate to get him a cape. I simply could not think of a better gift! If you can sew, stop here and I'm sure you can whip one up in the 5 minutes you'll save not reading this blog post. Since I am ridiculously uncrafty I didn't even consider sewing my own....well, that's not entirely true. I thought it might be possible for (yes, even me) to modify a Christmas tree skirt for my purpose. I went to Winners and looked over their luscious velvet and tassled products. Thank goodness I decided to go home and open my laptop instead! (I may not be crafty, but I've got mad research skills.)

I was uninspired by the flimsy crushed velvet crap readily available in stores. My preference was for a personalized cape. It's definitely fun to pretend that you're Superman, but I think it's even more fun to be your own superhero. I would have LOVED (and might still love) a cape with my own initial on it.

I ended up with a gorgeous and well-built cape from Panjo (as pictured above). Though she is no longer selling her creations, there are many others available on Etsy: I like homemade heroes, babypop and kidz*escapes.

Now that I have my own little one (and my mother's old sewing machine) I think I'll try to construct a handmade version. Stay tuned for the potentially disappointing results. : )

Yellow

Who knew I was a solar-powered being? Well, the sunshine's back and I'm rarin' to go. The air smells fresh, the flowers are popping, I've got spring in my step and suddenly I'm smitten with one of the happiest colours I know: yellow!

a. The daffodils in my front yard are fully opened and I'm coveting the blooming forsythia in both my neighbours' yards.

Photo by Caitlin Spencer

b. Liberté Méditerranée Lemon Yogurt!



c. I have a wooden storage bench in our front hall that I'm going to paint yellow. Not sure whether I'll go bold or soft.

Photo by Johanna Sippola


d. Too freshen up the guts of our kitchen cupboards I'm going to rip out the sloppy liners and paint with Lemon Ice. I love the idea of opening a plain white cupboard and uncovering a blast of colour inside; it's similar to the pleasure I get from cutting into a kiwi or a yam.



e. Maggie looks stunning in yellow so I'm keeping an eye on pretty spring/summer toddler clothes. (Thank you Great Grandma for the summery yellow capris!)



f. Of course I'm permanently in love with brass and gold - versions of yellow, yes? So here is something so over-the-top gorgeous that it's just got to be mentioned. A $6,640 honeycomb bracelet. In my dreams, I wear this accessory with my Vera Wang gown and kiss my hubby Hugh Jackman as I graciously accept my Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. (Dear lovely real-life husband, I adore you, even if you can't sing or dance or kill people with your adamantium claws)

Back to Blogging

I disappeared for awhile. Let's call it hibernation for now.... and perhaps one day I'll go into the details of my ridiculous obsession with Twilight. (Seriously though! I found myself in a Book Warehouse at 9PM one Tuesday night pleading to the clerk, "I feel like I'm on crack! I NEED books 3 and 4!" I suppose I needn't feel shame about my crush on this story because it's obviously a common experience; without a word, the dude led me straight back to the Teen section *cringe* and pointed to Stephanie Meyer's shelf!)