Food, glorious food!

Just lately, I have been obsessed with food for some reason...it started a few weeks ago when we visited our friends the Ramundos in London and Nick made the most delicious appetizer with some crusty Portugese bread, fresh basil leaves, olive oil, sea salt, tomatoes and bocconcini cheese. Oh heavens, it was wonderful...I have made it myself a few times since and am hooked on the stuff.

Now bocconcini has a permanent place in my fridge...I throw it in salads, on sandwiches, everywhere...look out everyone who comes to my house, you'll be served it!

Then there is baking.

I don't love cooking, but baking is fun when I have the time...I think it's more to do with the art of it and appeals to my creativity. Now, granted, baking is a challenge in my house because I work with a mixmaster that is going on 40 years old and belonged to my grandmother - there really aren't 12 different speeds anymore on the poor thing...more like 3 with various sounds of protest as you move up to the whipping settings.

However, I still manage to whip up my favourite chocolate meringue torte on that mixer and, believe me, that is one delicious creation.

And last night, it was moon cakes. It was Bryanna's turn to provide treats for the end of year class party and she has been begging for moon cakes for months. Mind you, I had no idea I would be making 4 and 1/2 DOZEN of them last night before my yoga class, but despite the insanity of the kitchen for a period of time, we managed.

As I slid a final tray of the cakes in the oven, I bit my lip so as not to laugh as I listened to the dynamic duo discuss my culinary skills...

B: "Mom is the BEST!"

C: "She is the perfect mom!" long pause...

...."well, her COOKING skills are perfect."

Hmm. ;-)

Serendipity

Gentle sunshine gifted us with a delightful afternoon...

Later, after a long day full of errands, I walked upstairs to throw some clothes in the washing machine and was caught by the sight of my bedroom...sunshine fell through the windows, a whisper of breeze lifted the curtains and suddenly the laundry was forgotten...

I was drawn away from the laundry to sit in that patch of sunlight for half an hour, a book across my lap and the sounds of birds and children laughing spilling in through the open window.

It was a gift.

A little this, a little that...

Hi all ~

This is a quick and dirty post to catch up on several weeks of happenings. It has felt like a roller coaster lately...many ups (visits with good friends, the simple joys of childhood) and downs (the departure of a much loved leader at work, work challenges, and the unexpected feeling of exhaustion after the completion of a huge project).

I seem to be on an upward swing again, with time to breathe, so am posting some fun stuff from the last month...in order of occurrence...oldest events first and ending with yesterday.

Enjoy - glad to be back!

Bryanna's Art

A month ago, some good friends and I spent four wonderful days in Chicago. One of my tasks there was to take photos of paintings by Georgia O'Keeffe at the Art Institute for a project Bryanna was working on. This is the result...original by Ms. O'Keeffe above and Bryanna's reproduction below...

Visiting the Coulmans and Sellecks in Keswick

Long time good friends (the Coulmans are Bryanna's god-parents and Jane, Joanne and I were apartment mates in another lifetime) who we see far too rarely. Allie, Jessica and Megan (all grown up - how did that happen?!) were wonderful with the dynamic duo - who were delighted to find that their birthday was celebrated one more time!

Uncle John's shed...


Kite Flying
Kites from the April birthday bash were finally flown with nanny and papa last weekend - wow, did they soar!

With Spring, come the bunnies (thank goodness we don't have vegetables...),

and gardening...

A couple of weeks ago, my dad brought his tools and added some boards along the bottom of my fence so I could extend the gardens. Then we went and bought 40 bags of soil and spend the afternoon carting and dumping it!

All in preparation for the gardening that was done yesterday...the girls were a great help and loved having their own knee pads, trowels and garden gloves.

and fort building...

Yes, this is THE favourite new activity for the dynamic duo. They spend hours in this thing and they brilliantly fashioned the fort around the TV in the basement so that they can watch DVDs while relaxing. The first day they built it and I said they could carefully eat a bowl of popcorn inside, Cassidy came upstairs and while jumping up and down declared, "I am SO happy!" hee hee. I made them take it down yesterday so I could clean but it's back up again (and bigger).

and Roast Beef.

Roast beef? Well, I needed a conclusion and the Sunday dinner I made yesterday WAS phenomenal and a great end to a productive weekend!

Really... a good meal, working with your hands, friends, family and simple pleasures...sometimes I forget that life is really good.