Saturday, November 22, 2008

They said snow...

... and that's what we got ! Beautiful surprise when I got up at 7:30 a.m. this morning. When we went to bed last night, the lawn was green. It's amazing how quickly snow can accumulate.




I baked a flourless chocolate cake this afternoon. Very rich but delicious. More like a torte. We each had a slice with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Farmhouse Decor

(Edited to add - please let me explain what I mean by "arts and craft" - I don't particularly like the crafty trends that go around every 6 months, that when you walk in the home it smells like a craft store. That's what I mean when I say arts and crafts. I love "Art" - painting, pottery, sculpture, quilting, knitting, etc. and if you walked into our home you would notice that I do in fact love these things. I also want to mention here that this is "my style" and may not be for everyone. Each individual is unique and your home should reflect that).

I have found the perfect description of the style we try and look to achieve at our home. I am not so much shabby chic and most definitely not arts and craft country not even French country (although we have some elements of this style in our home). I love, love, love stuff from the past, the older the better. Nothing perfect. In the text below I've indicated in bold the words that describe me 100% and the most important is in bold and caps.

(Text and picture taken from here).



Present in Country Farmhouse design are elements of rustic style interior design . While these interior design styles may vary a great deal, the one common theme is the idea of incorporating the natural elements and environments of the area to create a cozy, relaxed decorating style. As such, there are no hard and fast rules as to what you can and cannot do in country farmhouse style design, and in fact, the items you use in your country farmhouse themed home may differ from the pieces used by someone in any other part of the country, because the design should be influenced by the natural elements in your area. Some basic things you can expect to find in country farmhouse design are:
  • Wooden floors covered with colorful throw rugs
  • Furniture covered in cotton or other natural fabrics
  • Antiqued metals
  • Floral patterns
  • Large pieces of furniture made of wood

While these are some common things associated with country farmhouse décor, they’re not the rule – anything that is non-fussy and cozy goes. If there is one rule to country farmhouse design though, it is accessorize, accessorize, accessorize! Knick knacks, pillows, wall art – these are the finishing touches that bring a country farmhouse home together. Look for things at the local flea market, show off your old family heirlooms. Don’t worry about anything matching – in fact, the less matching there is, the more your home will have that charming, lived-in feel you’re trying to create. Your home décor should evolve over time as you pick up more and more pieces to add to your rooms. In this instance, clutter is a virtue and will only add to the appeal of your country farmhouse style décor.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Rainy, Spoony Ring

This picture pretty much sums up the weekend weather wise. We had heavy winds and rain ALL day today. Friday and Saturday I was in meetings in Halifax and we had rain Saturday and Friday was foggy. Actually, it feels like Spring.

Life has been so occupied for me lately that I haven't had time to really get into the Christmas spirit yet but I think that now I might be more apt to start thinking about Christmasy things.

In between meetings on Friday I slipped into this store to buy part of my birthday present (Dave gave me money for my birthday especially for this special spoon ring (below). It's custom made by this fabulous artisan from Halifax.

With some of the money left from my gift, I bought this CD at this store. I don't go to Halifax often but when I do I need to find time to go at this little store.

Happy week to everyone !

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Acorns

In one of my latest post I mentioned that if I had acorns I would fill that little green pitcher/vase that I found at Frenchy's lately but that acorn trees are very rare in our neck of the woods. Well after a brief encounter with my memory I remembered my brother telling me about an acorn tree next to the church in Corberrie (20 minute drive). So off we go mid-morning today and yes we found said tree right smack in the middle of the cemetery. So this was a double treat for me - finding acorns and visiting a cemetery. I've mentioned here a few times before how much I love walking around in cemeteries. It gives me such peace and comfort.

After the past couple of weeks enjoying mild weather today was not mild at all. In fact it was so cold that I needed my winter hat that I knitted in July.

We managed to find just the right amount of acorns but I think the squirrels got to them before we did...


Sunday, November 9, 2008

Rappie Pie

Most of the time when something ends with ''Pie'' it's usually a dessert but this traditional acadian dish Rappie Pie is no dessert. It is my most favorite dish in all the world !!!!! This afternoon Dave and I wanted to go for a few groceries in Yarmouth so we went to the local rappie pie eatery and had ours take-out. We went to the near by lake to eat it (the rappie pie not the lake, he, he, he). And please excuse the un-tidy car interior.

Notice the ''Shopping Bags'' sign in the car... why is it so darn hard to remember to bring in the shopping bags ? I am proud to say that we remembered to bring them in, in every single store we went into this afternoon. Yay for us !

Have a good pleasant week !

Thrifting, crochet and Puss

Went to Frenchy's yesterday, found this cute little pitcher/vase for .25 Don't know what I'll put in it (or where I'm going to put it). If acorns were more plentiful around here that's what I would fill it up with but we don't really have a whole lot of acorn trees in this part of the woods. And yes, that's Puss' tail you see in the background... on the table.

Also found the first season box set of The Apprentice. My daughter and I are/were (hasn't been on for a long time) huge fans of The Apprentice (not necessarily Trump but the show itself) and when the first series came out on DVD I bought it for $45 (mine is on the left) and yesterday I bought the one on the right for $1 which I am giving to my daughter. All 5 CDs are in there and in excellent condition.

I took a break from knitting and have started a crochet project. It's a surprise for someone very special.

I will leave you with a very blurry (sorry) picture of Puss. He's enjoying his stay with us but his maman misses him very much.

I am eagerly and excitedly awaiting a visit in a couple of weeks from a very special person in my life... can't wait to see her.

April ?

This past weekend looked more like April than November - weather wise. Two weeks ago it was so cold that you needed ear protection to go walking outside now we are having mild, foggy weather just like in late Spring. However, I love our seasons here in Atlantic Canada but please, I need snow for Christmas. Yes, I know it's still early to ask for anything for Christmas but I really, r-e-a-l-l-y can't stand a green christmas eve.

(edited - if it was April there would'nt be 5 cords of firewood laying around).

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Get Smart

Dave and I are huge fans of the TV comedy series "The Office" so you can well imagine how much we enjoyed watching this movie last night. We never, ever rent movies to watch but our son and his girlfriend rented this movie for Dave and I yesterday... they sure know what we like - yup, laughter, funninest and silly-ness, that's what Dave and I stand for.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Spice Girls

Halloween is as much fun for me as it is for kids. Last night our regular sisterhood got together for an evening of eating, laughing, dancing and a few drinks. Below - The Spice Girls getting their grove on. Note : The blond wig did'nt last too long, way too hot for a wig on my head.

My darling husband providing the entertainement for the evening along with the rest of his band The Grinders. They were dressed as the Blues Brothers.

And yes, here are the Spice Girls - cayenne, savory, cinnamon, saffron, paprika and curry. You guys were thinking the other Spices, right !

(These three pictures were taken by Savory Spice).