sarah haskins

If you don't know Sarah Haskins or her show "Target Women" you should because she's amazing. She makes me laugh every time.

veggie phylo rolls

One month wedding anniversary today!

Anyways...

Tried out a new recipe Monday night. Actually I tried out a combination of 2 recipes and used phylo dough for the first time. Recipes combo from Australian Women's Weekly (vegetarian) and Vegetarian Times magazine.

Spinach, basil, cheese stuffed phylo rolls (Paul approved)

Filing (all measurements approximative):

4 mushrooms

3 stalks of green onions (shallotts)

1/2 red and 1/4 green peppers

1/4 tofu

1/4 cup red lentils

approx 1 tbsp basil

1 clove garlic

4 leaves of spinach

sauteed together with butter. started with mushrooms and butter and then added the rest once the mushrooms were done.

1/4 cup cottage cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

put in food processor and pureed

spooned into phylo squares and rolled.

top buttered and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

baked for 20 mins @ 350

They were actually very savory considering that the only spice added was basil. I was concerned that the filling would be heavy but I was actually very pleased with my experiment. I will be making these goodies again.

tremblant

We headed up to Mont Tremblant this past weekend. On the way up we drove through snow:

I of course, had a bit of melt down at the thought of snow. I'm not ready for winter yet, and yet this is a sure sign that winter is on its way. [insert big sigh here]

By the time we arrived to the cottage, I was covered in coffee and apple juice, both courtesy of the fantastically smooth roads in Quebec, not that I'm bitter or anything... snow and coffee covered shirt... the weekend was off to a good start. Did I mention that I was also sick (congested) during this trip?

Anyways, even though I was sick it was a fun weekend. We ate delicious food, compliments of our hosts, Mark and Katie. They made a yummy veggie Slovenian mushroom bread cup soup.

See photo of bread cups. Must get recipe....

After lunch we sampled the new Molson M beer (it comes out in a week or 2 but one of the group works there so we got the sneak peak). It was actually pretty good. To be honest, I'm not a big Molson beer drinker but this is a beer that I'd actually drink regularly. It's smooth but not too heavy.

And then we moved on to games:

Cranium (the boys beat us by one point but they gloated all weekend) but that's ok cause the girls (though not me included) beat them at old school Super Mario.

Overall it was a good weekend. Thanks Mark and Katie!

decorating style quiz results

Results from home decorating style quiz:

Marya, you are a Bohemian Eclectic

You have wide-ranging interests and influences and so appreciate a mix of styles, cultures, periods, and objects. You would never use a matching suite of furniture or want a home that seemed cookie-cutter. You have an artist's eye that enables you to mix the old or the unusual with the new and modern. When traveling, you seek out unique objects that reflect what you love, and you use them in a sophisticated way. Your home is visually intriguing and comfortable, with a delightful mix of cozy chairs, ethnic fabrics, elegant pieces, hand-made items, even a little touch of quirk or humor, all of which gives your place a laid-back, Bohemian feel.

You value creativity. You are stylish and fun loving, and can be an inspiration to others. You have a natural sense of drama, and you know you have to be willing to take risks—whether with colors, finishes, furniture choices, or ideas—for your home to stand out. Your home can be happy and lively and the place all of your friends want to be.

Putting Your Style to Work!

With your style and needs in mind, here are a few tips that will help you make your home a little happier.

1. Your Design Challenge: UNIFY

The good news is, you probably have many things you love and have collected, and no one would ever say your home is boring! You've done the hard part; now you just need to pull it all together. If your furniture seems like a mish-mash, unify it through similar upholsters or slipcovers. When grouping objects, try to find something they have in common. If they share a shape, color or material, they will look like a collection. A tray is every decorator's secret weapon for making groups of small objects look purposeful and sculptural. If your accessories are all over the map, try subduing the upholstery or wall color, so your small items are the stars.

2. Your Happy Place

Choose a color or two that harmonizes with the tableware you already own, and collect things like linens, glasses, dessert plates, or platters in those hues. This is a fantastic way to liven up a plain, white table setting. And if you can, set the table the night before a dinner party, so you can really take pleasure in tending to the details.

3. Be Party-Ready All the Time!

Mood: Nice, flattering light makes us feel good. So nix the harsh, direct light from overhead fixtures in favor of the softer glow from floor and table lamps. Also, keep some votive candles and a couple of hurricane lanterns for setting around the room.

Scent: The first thing you notice about a home is how it smells. Use naturally fragrant cleaning products. If you find a scented candle or fresh potpourri you love, stock up on it. Any scent you like, whether perfume or linen spray, can be used on upholstery, bedding or just spritzed into the air.

Food: Devote space in your pantry or on a shelf for go-to party essentials: crackers, dip, chips, nuts—whatever you like to serve. Keep on hand a collection of attractive bowls and cocktail napkins, and you'll be able to set a spread—instantly!

Drink: The simplest and chicest thing is to have a drinks tray or table always set up. Include a mix of pretty glasses, an ice bucket, a lovely pitcher, and bottles of soda and water. When the bell rings, just add ice and limes.

You know your style.

Your Happy Home Colors

Putting Color to Use!

You are probably not one to go in for crazy color, and you may want to keep things fairly neutral and sophisticated overall. But try selecting a duo or trio of colors that work well together, and introduce one or more of them into your curtains, wall color or rugs. This will tie the overall palette together in a coherent way. You could even incorporate your color palette in smaller doses, like in your tablecloths, cushions, throws, or bedspreads, for example.

striking a balance between ambition and contentment

The past month or so has been insanely busy. Between getting married, going on a honeymoon, and dealing with jetlag (I know, woe is me, my life is so very difficult), things have been sort of out of whack for a good long time now. My life has been full of blessings lately but I haven’t really had a chance to process them and be thankful for everything that has come my way these past few weeks.

So first things first: We travelled to the south of France for our honeymoon and I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the world. Really, the world is an amazingly stunning creation. Be it the big bang or god’s hand, or a combination of both working together, the few corners of the world I’ve been blessed to visit have all struck with their beauty. Seeing all these places only reconfirms my commitment to be a better environmental steward. There may be other beautiful worlds out there but it would be a shame for us to let apathy and luxury lead to the demise of the one we have. Seriously.

On top of being reminded by how gorgeous our planet is, travelling constantly reconfirms that sense that the way we live as North Americans is seriously flawed. Our joie de vie is always linked to money and work and not sitting back and just enjoying life. I know we have to work, but the need for more is seriously undermining our ability to just appreciate what we have. Of course, I write this as my husband (holy crap, I have a husband now) and I are talking about selling our condo and buying a house. More space seems to be the answer but I have to admit to feeling somewhat ill at ease with the idea. Yes, I want a garden and my own craft room. I want places to store things (linens and so forth) but I find myself wondering if a bigger space is really going to be the answer. The move is one that my partner craves slightly more than I do at this point, mostly because of my reservations about a consumerist lifestyle. I am hesitant about the timing, locations we’re looking at, and the financial savvy of making such a move. Besides, while the excitement of decorating an unknown space is appealing, it means that life is put on hold for just a little bit longer and we live in limbo until we make the transition. But then again, if we know that it’s only a matter of time, isn’t it better to just get on with it now? Is staying in the condo really the answer to reducing my consumerism or just avoidance of the larger issue that I’m struggling with? Will trying to stay in a smaller space and learn appreciation for what we have really solve my concerns about living a life that makes sense in the face of our current environmental realities.

With each trip I make, I feel like my dis-ease with North American life grows by leaps and bounds, and the biggest qualms I have in regards to this dis-ease, is our big box supermarket, mass consumption lifestyle. I’m not particularly comfortable with our proscribed need to buy a house in the ‘burbs, raise some kids, build a career and so on and so forth. Don’t get me wrong, as already mentioned, I do want a kid (emphasis on the singular) and my career is important to me, but white picket life makes me cringe a little bit. I find trying to find a balance between the need to stay put and build those things and my desire to life a nomadic life very hard to negotiate at times. Obviously I just got married and I’m agreeing to a semblance of stability in my life but I’d like to do so on terms that defy the ordinary to some extent. So one of the issues that I’m currently pondering/meditating on, is how to find a balance between the lifestyle I’ve been raised to live (and in some ways very much do want: I mean, I want a kid who has a yard to play in, a small home that is decorated, comfy and full of love, and I want a life that is relatively stable) and my apprehension about some of the details and foibles that come with it (I want to travel and see the world, I want to live a life that isn’t stereotypically suburban, I want art and culture to be part of my everyday). Ironically, in becoming more stable in my life, I’ve come closer to those goals than I ever have before. I mean, since Paul ventured into my world, I’ve travelled to more places than ever and have started to explore my more artsy, crafty side (Yes, my husband makes my life better, it’s true and I’m announcing that publicly just for him!)

proof that Paul makes my life better!

top row: Antibes, France; Cathedral Grove, BC; Taj Mahal, India (not directly related to Paul, but part of the Paul era); Boston, USA. bottom row: Nice, France; Varadero, Cuba; Mont Tremblant, QC; Brooklyn Bridge, NYC

In the end and back to my point, we don’t want a big house. Ideally our goals are fairly realistic. But in the search for bigger and better, when is enough, enough? I think it’s important to have goals to strive for, but when does our ambition move beyond the materialistic towards a path that is ultimately more fulfilling? I've seen kids in India, and students from around the world with far less than me, who are ultimately far happier than the average North American. So what gives? Because I'm not buying that poverty brings happiness. I know that money doesn't buy it either, but obviously the key isn't in quantity, or even necessarily always quality of life, but rather lies in our attitudes and expectations of life. We've been raised with the proverbial silver spoon (to varying degrees of course) and yet on average, we're far unhappier than the rest of the world. Again, the only answer that seems to make sense is that we expect too much, too soon, and when we get it, we quickly move on to the next thing. So, back to the question at hand, if we get that bigger house, what will come next? And will we be able to balance our materialistic goals with our "spiritual" more life fulfilling ambitions. The problem really isn't whether we buy a house or not, not really, but what we do with our lives once we've achieved the major milestones we've set for ourselves and how we negotiate the journey that follows. I suppose my fears lie therein. What will we do once we have it all? Will we cling to the need to find more, have more, be more, or will we transcend the need to consume and learn contentment?

patchwork table runner

I've been working on a patchwork table runner over the past few days. Here are the results:

If you look closely you'll notice a few problems with it. The edges are completely balanced and it looks bumpy (I think a bit of starch will fix this). Part of the problem is that when I was sewing the patches, I didn't make sure that all the seems laid in the same direction. But I admit it, I was too lazy, once I realized the problem, to go back and correct it.

Overall the results are ok, but if I were to do it again, I'd use larger squares because I feel like the number of black squares really break the pattern more than I had envisioned. But it's an evolving process and at the end of the day, it's fine. I learned a lot from it and the end product is still useable, so it's all good!

cylon toasters!

Ok, moment of pure and utter geekdom squee:

image from TV Blog

I was home sick today, watching The Big Bang Theory and saw this toaster. Seriously, as a Battlestar fan I can't help but find this totally fraking awesome. I totally want one. It apparently toasts a cylon face onto the bread and even lights up as it toasts! Yup, I'm a geek, but this is too cool to not geek out over.