Another Award..I Blush..

I've been given another award. 7 things you don't know about me...but may find interesting, or simply amusing. Ok, here we go:
1. I've started back to the gym. These are the shoes I wore to the gym on Monday. Do you see the problem? They are two different shoes. So, number one on the list..Sometimes, I'm not the brightest girl on the block.2. The one and only time I flew first class, was coming back from Peru. I took off my shoes and took a nap. When I woke up and put my shoes on, they were soaking wet. The toddler in front of me peed in her sleep. The pee funneled off the non porous luxury leather seats into my shoes. The shoe on the left in the above photo, is one of those shoes. Number two, I'm a little gross, and still wear pee shoes. It's the gym!!! I have zero vanity there.

3. When I was 21, I went to L.A. for a few weeks. While there, through an odd chain of events, we ended up staying at Meridith Baxter Birney's house. He daughter took us to one of the local hot spots where I was hit on by...Gary Coleman - the cute little kid from Different Strokes. Not so cute anymore. In fact, downright skanky. For years after that, my family and friends thought it was sooo funny to use the line, "what choo talkin 'bout!"
4. I wear gum boots. A lot. Seriously. More than any other shoe or boot I own. Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall. They were $6.00 and have lasted for 9 years.

5. I am deslyxic ..I mean dyslexic. When I was little, they didn't have special aid or awareness like today. I was put in the cloakroom - which they called the 'special' learning place. I was the only one in there.

6. That probably has much to do with the fact that ....I'm incredibly insecure. I've worked with some of the best magazines in North America, but was freaking out each time.
7. I honestly believe that I am a really good show tune singer. Seriously. And I'm not half bad at opera too.

Now, to pass this along to 7 others - I believe that is the rule here.
SO...
Pinecone Camp
Tiny Warbler
Pretty Far West
Beach Vintage
Vintage Simple
Sarah-Jane down the lane
and yes,
out of sheer and utter interest..
Tom Stephenson

Favourite New Dinner..

I've found a new and easy favourite for dinner. Pizza! I've been making Jamie Oliver's recipe, but sadly, it just wasn't as 'lovely' as he said it would be. I forgive him of course, because I love him so. But I digress..
I found a new recipe and... Bloody Delicious! My new favourite word - Bloody! I wish I had an English accent. When they cuss it sounds so perfectly suited to the situation.
Again, I digress...I love finding meals that we can all make together. Lily loves kneading the dough and we all add our own toppings. It's a fun night.
Pizza Dough Recipe:
1 pack of yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 cups Bread flour - don't use regular - it's not the same!
Whisk yeast, water, oil and sugar together in a bowl - let sit for about three minutes.
Put flour and salt in a wide bowl - pour in wet liquid and start to mix. Eventually, you have to use your hands to get it all mixed together and knead the dough till it forms a smooth ball. Put back in a lightly floured bowl and sprinkle a bit more flour over the dough.
Put a damp tea towel over it and let it sit on the counter for one hour. It will double in size.
Then, voila, you have yummy dough! Give it a few more kneads to work out the air, roll it out - thin or thick - the choice is yours. It does puff up a fair bit when it bakes. Add sauce and toppings and bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes.

Happy 101 Award..

I've been awarded a Happy 101 Award by the very sweet country girl. Ten things that make me happy. hmm. I could easily do ten things on my daughter alone, but will spare you all the pain of a gushing mom. She is number one on the list though...

1. She's now two and when she sings, she closes her eyes. She is living the moment, feeling the song. She sings with passion and utter conviction. It makes my heart ache with happiness. Photo is by Janis Nicolay

2. The photo credit leads me to something else that makes me happy. My friends. I don't have a large entourage of girl friends. I know a lot of people, but only a handful are my true friends. I know they are there for me, and will come running if I ask.


3. My guy because he takes my crap and gets my jokes.
We had a surprise wedding in the frozen woods on a lake here in BC. After the wedding, we played hockey and drank polar bears. How very Canadian of us. That memory makes me extremely happy.

4. Chocolate


5. Yellow primulas. They smell better than all the other colours and make me smile.



6. Art. We have tried to collect a piece from every place we have travelled. The memories attached to each work make them more treasured. This one is from a street painter in Key West in front of Hemingway's home.

7. My new sugar bowl from Walrus.

8. That today, I got two apple trees and a quince tree pruned. It's a fantastic feeling, pruning a fruit tree. There is anticipation - it's an odd sense of accomplishment. Mind you, I have 500 blueberry bushes, three figs, a pear, two peach, 300 raspberry canes, an asian apple pear, and cherry tree to go. Hmm. I've just lost a touch of my happiness.

9.That a blogger from Austria found my blog, and told me that I make her happy. How bloody lovely is that.

10. That I live in Canada. That I have a house to keep me safe. I have some money in the bank and my family is healthy. I can turn on my tap, and water comes out. I have blankets and coats to keep me warm. I have food in the cupboard. I have medical. I am not afraid for my child. She will be educated. My husband loves me and I love him.

Signs of Life..

Signs of life in the garden already! Grape hyacinths and garlic are popping up. Wait, what's the date?!
Poor Parenting 101:
Being so obsessed with getting this shot, that I didn't hear her telling me she was actually stuck. She's really good at getting that sock that always sticks to the back.

Fell in Love with a Tree..

I fell in love with a tree. Actually, I fell in love with a forest.
This tree looks like the kind of tree who has seen it all. Good. Bad.
If you stayed a while, and he trusted you, he`d tell you about the families that play by him, the fitness buffs who run by every day - sometimes twice. The teenage boys who light fires and whisper. The teenage girls who day dream about the boys who light fires and whisper.
He`d also tell you about loss, and the carnations placed around his roots.
Farther into the forest, we met a fox. He was guarding the water fountain. Must be for those fitness buffs I previously mentioned.
Perhaps you are thinking, hey, this forest looks a bit creepy to me.


To that I will tell you this... if this elf can hang a holiday wreath above his door, it must be a happy place to live.