The Living Room and Hints of Spring

I feel like the living room has finally settled into place.

After all that came with Christmas was put back into storage, the room felt somewhat empty.

It wasn't long before it was feeling cozy again.

I've even, slightly early I might add, added a few bits of Spring.

Wishful thinking.

My Hyacinth has just started blooming, filling the room with it's floral fragrance and it won't be long before the Crocuses start unfolding as well.

I also tucked a small nest under a glass cloche I received from my sister for Christmas.

Are you ready for Spring yet?

New Painting and A Rose Bush

There's something so exciting about receiving mail... Especially parcels.

Yesterday one of my Christmas presents arrived.

A while ago I had found artist Shannon Bauer on Etsy. While all of her work is lovely, there were a few that I liked in particular.

This one, Dusty Country, was one of my favourite pieces. I love the colours and the movement and the beautiful scene she's depicted.

I'm still looking to find an antique frame that suits it.

I already have my eye on another piece I'd love to purchase. Maybe for Mother's Day?

I also found this little cream rose bush at the grocery store the other week. I was only planning on picking up a small bouquet, but for the same price, it's lasted me much longer. I don't know the specific variety as there wasn't a tag of any kind.

It's done well in this spot and has lots of new buds coming.

It reminds me of my Winchester Cathedral roses in the garden, though these unfortunately don't have the same beautiful scent.

I took this photo this afternoon while Hudson and Ryan were reading. Willen had gone to school and they were enjoying some quiet time together. He's become quite a daddy's boy.

Bremfield's - A New Store

My parents have started off the New Year with a wonderful new adventure.

Finally, after many, many years of patiently waiting for the right timing, they took the leap and bought their dream store.

For three years my dad has made probably weekly trips by, or to, this store. He got to know it's previous owners personally, and fell in love with it. I think anyone else would have given up long ago on it. Written it off, and jumped on the next best thing. But he knew this was it. Everything else was always compared to this store, and never matched it.

Finally, it's theirs.

Bremfield's

I couldn't be more excited and proud.

And now the fun begins - making it their own.

On the right hand tool bar is a link to their blog, which will document their adventures. I hope you follow along.

Anyone who was able to make it out to my annual Vintage Tag Sale would have met them. They ran the sale for me while I laid in bed, sick.

You may have even brought home one of the fifty-something pies my mom made, or enjoyed a gooey butter tart with a coffee while browsing.

Here is their new location.

91 Main St. West in Port Colborne, Ontario.

The store is actually two that have been converted into one. They will be living in the apartment above.

The store below will be a combination of all the things they love.

A small bakery and cafe, fresh flowers, and antiques.

Once they got the keys, it seemed like the entire family showed up to help them get settled and paint.

It was a painting party!

You would not believe how quickly a place can transform with a new coat of paint. And how quickly when so many people are painting!

In one day, they got most of the apartment painted and started moving furniture up that night.

Because the store downstairs will require quite a bit of work, their main goal was to simply spruce the apartment up, make it their own and only fix what's was absolutely necessary.

I have the most amazing family ever.

Here are a few sneak peaks of the transformation so far.

A Birthday Dinner

 

This weekend was my mother-in-law's birthday.

 

Each year, as a gift, I make us all a dinner - a four course dinner.

 

I love to cook. I love reading cookbooks and planning menus and the shopping and prepping and the setting the table. I love making the meal and enjoying it with them.

 

And so, it's become a tradition.

 

This is what was served this year:

 

Seared Diver Scallops with Parsnip Apple Puree and Crispy Bacon 

 

Beef Tenderloin with King Crab Claws, Mash, Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Toasted Walnuts and Corn Pudding

 

Trio of Cheeses:

3 Year Cheddar with Apple, Gorgonzola with Pear and Pecans, and a Honey Pistachio Goat's Cheese Truffle

 

Molten Chocolate Cake with Macerated Blackberries and Vanilla Whipped Cream

French Macarons:

Chocolate, Coffee, Vanilla and Raspberry

 

Each course was paired with a wine.

 

It was a lovely evening. When dinner is served in courses, it just makes for a long, relaxing night. It gives lots of time to savour each course, and enjoy the company.

 

Of course it's a little harder to do all that while cooking... But it's still lots of fun.

 

 

I had spent the morning helping my parents move in to their new place (lots more of that to come!), and was busy painting. So, by the time I got home, I needed to get started cooking and didn't have much time to take many photos of our table. But, I did manage to get a few.

 

I didn't do anything too crazy, but I did make her an arrangement. Yellows, greens and whites are her favourite so I used some beautiful yellow Roses, with green Hydrangeas, white Tulips and even some young white Hyacinth's.

We all had a wonderful night.

 

Happy Birthday Mom!

A New Planner and Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

 

As promised, I wanted to share with you the beautiful planner that a friend recommended. Previously I had mentioned that my New Year's resolution was going to be to use a planner. A proper place to sit and think through my day.

 

To organize what I want to accomplish.

To keep track of the endless projects I want to work on.

To begin a budget.

To see all of the events and important dates in one place.

 

Something to bring order in the midst of what is often pretty chaotic.

 

I recently read, and sadly I can't remember where, that "a cluttered environment is the product of a cluttered mind. And a cluttered mind is the product of a cluttered heart". And that can be so true in my life. I am so often fluttering around from task to task, keeping myself so busy, but at the end of the day, when I finally stop and look back on the hours that have passed, I can't really say that I've accomplished much.

 

And so, not with the intent of being perfect, or getting it right immediately, because we all know how resolutions go... I just want to start making an conscious effort to find some order. And a rhythm.

 

But first, I wanted to share a recipe I tried yesterday with great success.

 

Vegan* Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins from Averie Cooks.

 

Now, in a moment of honesty, I could tell you that the muffins in these photos were actually Vegan and you would never notice the difference, however they were not. I didn't have any almond milk on hand so I had to substitute milk. I also used vegetable oil instead of the recommended coconut oil for the same reason. But, I am planning on trying them again soon with both coconut oil and almond milk. As they were made though, they were delicious and definitely worth sharing.

 

I'm predicting they won't last through the weekend.

 

Also, the little wicker tray was also a recent find. It was $4 at our antique market! It was another find with Willen last weekend.

 

Sometimes, when it comes to something with Pumpkin, I find that recipes tend to use a little less spice than I would prefer. This one however delivers a beautiful spiced pumpkin flavor that pairs well with the dark chocolate.

 

It was perfect with my cup of coffee this morning.

 

It hasn't stopped snowing for the past couple days. This morning it was - 19 degrees Celsius (but - 28 with the wind chill!). It's freezing. But we don't mind. After all, it is January.

 

 

And so, onto my planner.

 

This planner from Simply Plan was recommended to me by a friend who had noticed that I was looking to purchase a planner online. You can read more about the two women behind the planner on their website (linked above).

 

It was exactly what I was looking for: Clean, simple, easy to use, and consisting of all the parts I thought made up a good planner.

 

I love the simple design with lots of space to make notes. I also love how I can fold it over when writing on the reverse sides of pages.

 

But most importantly for me, it was supporting a local business.

 

It's only been a few days, but there is something wonderful about taking time to write out a plan. To see it on paper and not just as thoughts floating around my mind. I've been making a coffee, sitting in a sunny spot, and taking some time each morning to work on it.

 

I've also enjoyed some company in my sunny little spot.

 

This is Ellie. We are kitten sitting for my sister while her and her husband are away in New York. The boys are ecstatic as a few months ago we came home to find our beloved Hermione had been hit by a car. After that, we said no more kittens for us.

 

So a few days with an adorable (and very well behaved) little kitten has been lots of fun. We'll be sad to see her go. Everyone but Ollie that is... He's been a bit jealous.

An Anniversary Bouquet

 

 

We have the loveliest older, English couple who live next door to us.

They have been living here for nearly 50 years and yesterday they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.

They are always out in their gardens, making their yard beautiful. Even in his eighties, he rarely is kept indoors. He has quite a large kitchen garden, many different coloured rose bushes, and a beautifully maintained back "dell". It's something we always appreciate very much as it enhances the beauty of one's own yard, when the yards around are beautiful.

 

Ryan and I wanted to do something special to let them know how much we appreciate them as neighbors... even if we couldn't quite afford the traditional 60th wedding anniversary gift - diamonds.

 

I picked up some cream Roses, one green Hydrangea and some white Wax Flower, as well as some greenery. I then made a simple, hand-tied bouquet, wrapped it in brown paper, and tied it with pretty ribbon.

 

I think a bouquet of flowers are always a wonderful gift.

A Happy New Year, and A New Chalkboard

 

Happy New Year!

 

Ours ended up being even more quiet than expected. We sat around chatting and watching the kiddies play... And then we went to bed. Before midnight.

 

- Actually, Ryan and I stayed up until 12:02 to be exact and still shared a midnight kiss. We then laughed at all those who weren't cozy in bed and fell asleep. -

 

My kitchen wall has been blank for a couple months.

 

My chalkboard was sold in my sale back in October, but it's taken me a while to find a replacement I love. I happened to stumble across this one at an antique shop in Niagara on the Lake. However, I had to wait until Christmas to hang it because it was a gift from my mother in law.  

 

I'm so happy with it. It's just the right size and I love that it's a beautiful old frame that's been left unpainted. The dark frame really anchors the wall again.

 

Thanks, Mom.

 

We woke up to such a beautiful, bright morning this morning. It was the perfect morning to start the New Year. It was crisp and covered in a fresh snow. We had a leisurely breakfast and then headed to Ryan's grandma's for our tradition New Year's Day gathering with family.

 

There we enjoy one of our favourite treats. Oliebollen. It's a raisin filled, doughnut type pastry that's fried. We prefer ours dusted with powdered sugar.

So, now that the New Year is upon us, what are some of your resolutions?

 

I limited myself to one. A planner. I'll show you the one I chose soon. My resolution for 2014 was to spend time planning out my day in a planner.

 

Organize a meal plan for the week, track our weekly budget, set monthly goals, compile to-do lists and plan my week.

 

How about you?