it's new year's eve already?!

This year has just flown by, hasn't it? Here are some photographic memories from my year:

we went for a walk in a snowy park and played on the swings

when I saw Colin & Justin live at the home show

when Idle Husband was at the dentist, I read magazines at the library

our drive in the country found us some new friends

the dragonfly that decided to take a ride on my arm

my first real macarons from duchess bakery

blowing bubbles in the backyard

Idle Husband surprised me with little Hermes

adventures in ice cream and frozen yogurt making

cute visitors

the annual millwoods canada day celebration

the orange cat who liked to sleep in our flower box

our neighbour's drying laundry

our trip to see outdoor dinosaurs

Goodbye 2010! Hello 2011!

quick meals

You know when you're moving and everything feels like a disaster and you kinda forget about normal things like washing your hair or making dinner? Yeah. Me, too. That's been the story of our week. Around 6 we'll both look at each other and go, oh yeah. Dinner. We should probably eat something. And naturally, I don't have anything out or planned, the counters in the kitchen are covered with things that probably shouldn't be in the kitchen and I have no idea where all my knives are (I seriously had a mini breakdown over knives yesterday).

And so you depend on those favourite take-out easy eat, don't need a plate meals. Like pizza or shawarma or pizza. And you know what, you start getting really tired of pizza. So at some point this week, during one of our breaks, I came across this recipe for oven hot dogs. Curious. I'd never thought or even heard of cooking hot dogs like this, but it looked like the perfect meal I could easily throw together last minute. So I put it on my mental list (cuz I can't find any pens) and when we went to get supplies for food items to help prevent scurvy, I was determined to get some hot dogs as well.

Of course, we were there around 6-ish which is the suckiest time to go to Superstore, I realized. The shelves were completely ransacked. Everything was gone including hot dog buns. They had plenty of hot dogs (naturally), but no buns. Idle Husband spotted some miniature dinner rolls and kept insisting we use them because of their tiny hot dog shpae, but I kept insisting the hot dogs would be too large for them. In the end, I succumbed and we went the mini bun route.

Idle Husband doesn't like chili or at least chili with beans in it, so I didn't even bother trying to find that ingredient. Instead, our miniature dogs comprised of Miracle Whip, relish, cheese, and onions, dipped in ketchup and mustard after cooking. And you know what? This is the most delicious way I've ever had hot dogs ever. I'm serious. I'm so fixated on this recipe now that I really want to make it again,  as written. Even if it means going through the extra trouble of making my own chili without beans to accomodate it. If the addition of chili makes it better (how much better could they get?!), I'd keep leftover chili in the freezer just for hot dog emergencies. I'm that serious about it.

Oh, and the mini buns were perfect, actually. It must be a mental thing, because we felt full after only eating the equivalent of one and a half hot dogs each. Weird how your mind works like that, right? We had leftovers that we ate for lunch today, and they reheated very well, too. I was also thinking the mini size would be super awesome and well received if you were to make them for a friend's BBQ or maybe a child's birthday party. People would marvel at how you took something so simple and mundane and made it so amazing.

Soon. Soon! I swear I'm going to set up a nice place to take pictures (which is high on my 2011 resolution list). But (big surprise) with all the packing and moving and lifting and rearranging we've been doing, I managed to throw my back out sometime between yesterday and today. So even though I'm absolutely DYING to do something so I can practice taking pictures, I really can't right now. So let me take a raincheck for a better picture and in the meantime, go and visit this blog for the recipe and make it for your next 'I haven't got a clue what to make and it's already 7 and I'm super tired' dinner night.

tin collection

I'm back! I hope you all had a great holiday! Are you thinking of taking your decorations down yet? I had thought about putting them up after we moved, but now that we're here, decorating for Christmas is the last thing on my mind. Unless it involves decorating that gingerbread house we bought. Mmm gingerbread!

Anyway, we've been trying to get sorted since the movers left, and things are going relatively well -- relatively because everytime I see something, it immediately goes missing about an hour later and I never see it again; and because I feel like I have too much stuff and not enough places to put it so everything's getting dumped out of boxes and scattered around haphazardly. We're trying very hard to resist a trip to IKEA for bookshelves. I don't really want anymore IKEA furniture.

So today I'm working on unpacking my tin collection (because they were all in a very large box taking up a huge amount of space) and, as promised, I'll share some of my favourites!

I love the unusual shape of this tin. Plus the orange colours and flowers are really dramatic and fresh looking (flowers are one of the main unifiers to my tin collection. I noticed that it's all about flowers when it comes to my tins) and I always pounce on any tin that has a hinged lid which this one has.

I love this one because of the shooting star plants on the sides. They're really special to me because purple shooting stars grow wild on the farm where I grew up. I used to have a plant that I dug out of the field and put into my rock garden and it was doing so well it had multiplied. Unfortunately, the thing about shooting stars is that they only grow leaves and flowers during the spring and then they die back completely during the summer so you can't see them. I think they were accidentally dug up at some point, because I haven't seen them for a few springs now. I'll have to find some more, but I've never seen them in garden centres. They're kinda rare.

Surprise! A tin with birds on it. Who would've guessed? This is the most dented and scratched tin in my collection and I bought it that way. I was sad it was in such terrible condition, but I couldn't leave it in the store because of the birds. They kind of look like magpies to me and I thought that was an unusual bird to be on a tin.

I love this one for the colours, the unusual shape (again), the polka dots and the hinged lid (I told you I was fixated on those!)

These are my two Greek-themed tins. Interestingly enough, I bought these before meeting Idle Husband. Now they're special to me only because they make me think of Greece. The light blue one holds all my extra spices!

While we're on nationalities, this is my Scottish tin. I actually never bought this one, it came from my grandma. She kept small sewing things and thread in it.

This is probably the most expensive tin I have. I think I bought it for $15 if I recall correctly. I really laboured over that decision, but I'm really happy I decided to get it. Squirrels and acorns on teal? When would you ever see that again?

So are you wondering where I'm putting all of these? I thought that (for now at least) I'd put them on top of my kitchen cabinets where I used to keep my vases. I kinda want to switch back and forth between the vases (for summer) and the tins (for winter), but who knows what'll actually happen. That was just my original thought. Maybe once we get some more shelving, I'll have them out all of the time.

Anyway, I encountered a slight problem when I started putting them on the cabinets. The top of the cabinets are actually a lot lower than they look, so the crown moulding tends to hide the shorter tins. At first, I started searching around for something to sit them on and then I had a bit of a revelation. The tins with removable lids get their lids removed and displayed just as a lid (that's usually the prettiest part anyway) and the bottoms get turned upside-down to function as little tables for the shorter tins. I was so happy I figured that out before I started constructing stacks and tables out of leftover cardboard and styrofoam!

I need to add more and keep adjusting how they look, but it's getting there and the box is finally empty!

happy holidays

I just wanted to take a moment and thank you all for reading this little blog of mine this year. It really means a lot to me that you take the time to stop by and read what's shaking in my part of the world. Every visit and every comment really truly makes my day and motivates me to write better posts, make better crafts, bake prettier foods, and take better pictures.

Here's to more in 2011!

christmas antipasta

cropped and doctored just cuz I figured I might as well do something with it

Holy! When I saw the photos (all two of them) relating to this recipe, I nearly fell over. They're just a tad pathetic (haha a "tad") compared to some of the others I've taken this year. It makes me want to unpack measuring cups and bowls (and buy ingredients -- cuz I literally have nothing in the fridge and we're probably going to eat pasta for the next two days) just to make this again only for the purpose of getting some proper shots of it. But on the bright side, it's made me realize how far I've come with my photography this year, and I'm going to work even harder on it in the new year.

So my beautiful antipasta was obviously lacking the photographic justice it deserved (even though it's not really that photographic to begin with), but that really shouldn't make a difference on whether to make it or not. I can definitely attest to its deliciousness. Antipasta is one of those food things that really makes me think of Christmas. Its savoury sweetness makes it a nice change from all those Christmas cookies and when paired with Ritz crackers, it's got that sweet salty thing going on that I especially love. It also makes a perfect gift for the holidays because (depending on what size of jars you use) it makes a not-too-overwhelming amount, leaving you with just enough to gift and enough to keep (so you don't feel shorted after all that chopping you just did).

Here's where I blogged about it (and where you can get the entire story) and here it is on Tasty Kitchen!

friday fixations

my globe lamp



Can I just brag about this find for a moment? I was just, like, a few weeks ago swooning over a certain someone's globe lamp and wishing it were mine. Then, a week later, I was wandering around in Value Village when dammit if I didn't come across a friggin' globe lamp! Someone had taken it to the plugs and tried it out and since it was still there, I assumed it didn't work. And it didn't. I suppose the first person decided to move on. But not me! Oh no. I took it apart and found it lacking a light bulb. I decided to chance it because, look here, it was $4 and if anything anything, I'd totally be willing to try rewiring it just for the privilege of owning one.

It took me a week to get it lighted which was again another happenstance situation. It's got bulb specifications on the bottom, but (I assume that) due to its age the correct bulb didn't exist anymore or at least the name of the bulb didn't. So while I found lots of bulbs with the correct wattage, I wasn't sure which of the different screw bottoms would fit. Then, this week, I decided I'd better pack up my storage closet which had one entire shelf dedicated solely to light bulbs (don't even ask me why) and included in that mess was one chandelier bulb. We don't have a chandelier and we never have, so I don't even know where that bulb came from, but I decided to try it since it was the right wattage (and since it was free), and it fit!

So here's the thing that makes me so excited (besides the luck and the price and the chance). There are things printed on the inside of the globe that can only be seen when the light is on. So when I first flipped the switch, I just about had a mini heart/swoon attack at how beautiful it was. Every time it's turned on, I gasp a little. It's so. freaking. beautiful. Gawd. I don't care what anyone thinks, I could literally sit in front of it and stare at all the 1985 geography for hours and not get bored. It's the best Value Village find I've had for about a year, so I'm going to be swooning over this one for a while.

{clusters of chairs} I really loved this photo of a ballroom-turned-living room. But not because it's a ballroom-turned-living room. I loved that cluster of chairs in the living area. It would be really interesting to have a few different chair styles in fabrics that coordinate or go well with each other or maybe neutral fabrics with pillows that all tie into each other. This could be a possible main floor living room idea.

{internet gift idears} First of all, I just wanted to mention sub-studio design blog's 2010 gift guide. They arranged each list according to colour, and I'm such a sucker for things arranged by colour and then arranged by rainbow! In fact, they even compiled a rainbow list! Go enjoy all of it here. I also keep coming across stuff I'd really love, but I'd have to order it off the internet to get it (which is something I still haven't mastered). If you didn't notice, everything in my gift ideas list is stuff (or supplies for stuff) I could easily drive to the store to get. I forgot that there were a ton of things on the internet I also think are super neat and swoon-worthy. Here's my (ever growing) list:

• pee-wee herman plate (hm, the previous antique plate she had for sale was much better)
• christmas sweater t-shirt (I think these are cute and not ugly at all!)
• bird's nest egg cup (I'm finding it really hard to find nice egg cups. These are pretty nifty)
• komforte chockolates (I've been so intrigued by their weird flavours [especially Ramen Noodle] for a couple years at least. It makes me want to try making them myself...almost)
• cats attack! cat scratcher (if I still had a cat)
• donut maker (also a Target being built at South Common instead of a stupid Lowes would be cool)
• wooden watch (I like how simple and cool this is)
• pocket torch (could I use this for creme brulees and indoor s'mores, I wonder)

{pantone colours} Just what I needed, some springy paint inspiration! I always like looking through Pantone's spring fashion report (PDF here). The most interesting thing was that the colour Peapod is almost the exact same colour I have in the living room and dining room of my house now. I'm so ahead of the curve! Except that now I'm very over that colour. My favourite colours in their spring collection are beeswax, lavender, silver peony, and silver cloud.

{fanny packs} If there's one thing that bothers me during the winter it's my purse. I usually switch to a purse that can go across my person, but sometimes it really irritates me to have to carry it. I have to take it off in the car and then put it back on when I get out and then it gets wrapped around my scarf and stuck on the hood of my jacket. Sigh. Also, it sounds weird, but my shoulders get more tired and sore carrying a purse around during the winter months than during the summer months. I think it's because of the added weight from my winter coat, but maybe I'm just being a baby! Anyway, I saw this super cute fanny pack (rainbow zippers!) and I thought, hey! Now that would actually be pretty awesome during the colder months. All I need are my credit cards, some tissue, chapstick, and my camera and then I could tuck it all discretely under my coat. Besides, you're only ever paying for something when you're inside a building, right? So it's not like it would be really terrible to unzip your coat to get your money out, would it? Also why don't girl coats come with interior pockets? Am I the only girl who wishes we had this option? (Idle Husband got a new coat this year with pockets on the inside and I sighed rather jealously.)

{long johns} or long janes as I like to refer to them now. I came across a display of microfibre shirts and long johns for guys at Superstore and, at first, I only noticed microfibre shirts for women. After some furious digging, I found the long janes. I've been wearing them all this week and it honestly pains me to take them off. They're so comfortable and nice, I can't even explain it. I could only find them in cream for women which kind of bums me out (another instance where guys get all the good stuff). I'd love to have a pair in black and then I could wear them with skirts, too. They'd be so great in the spring and fall! I'm going to get a second pair of the cream (because I don't think I could be without them between washings!) and maybe I'll try a smaller sized pair of the long johns. They don't have an open crotch, so I'm really hoping they'll fit about the same as the women's. I want them in black too much not to at least try!

games for gamers

I compiled a list of my favourite games for portable game systems and the computer last year, and that list hasn't changed much (in fact, I'm still playing most of those games). I'm going to amend a few things, though. Firstly, Little Big Planet for the PSP sucks. I hate it. I can't stand playing it. I haven't finished it and I don't intend to. It takes too long to load and I can't see what's going on. Don't buy it. I also got so sick of Rhythm Heaven songs that I banished the game from the house. The songs infiltrated everything, and we're already notriously annoying for making up songs about random stuff we're doing, but soon those songs were set to Rhythm Heaven music and I just couldn't take it anymore. All I have to say is "peck your beak" and it all comes back like a terrible curse. So I retract those games.

I'd like to add mahjong to my list of favourite computer games, too. I casually remembered I used to like playing mahjong online, so Idle Husband bought me a $10 mahjong game and now it's taken over a lot of my spare time. I usually don't like playing online with others, but I actually enjoy the challenge of playing against other people on mahjong. I usually get my ass handed to me, but that's the sad consequence of playing online with "gamers," who I always assume are hardcore, even with mahjong (I also really enjoy saying mahjong. It makes me feel knowledgeable).

This year, I thought I'd gather my favourite games for the major home systems. You know, cuz guys can be hard to buy for and there really are gamer girls out there that would love love getting a game for Christmas. (Really! It's true!) So this is kind of a mix of what I like (mostly what I like) and what Idle Husband has suggested. I hope it gives you at least a few ideas for quickie game presents you can pick up in a jiff.

And if you haven't got a Wii, XBox, or Playstation 3, and you're thinking of buying one, I think (oh I'm going to get teased for this) if I had to get just one it would be the Xbox. I just think that overall, it's the one we play the most (besides computer games) and despite my deep love for all games Mario, I don't think I'd really miss the Wii if it were gone. There. I said it.

Christmas decoration idea

{WARNING} This post is about my handmade Christmas gift for this year. I haven't given them away yet, but I just thought it would be kind of dumb to mention these after Christmas. No one wants to hear about decorations and gifts in January, do they? So with that in mind, sorry in advance if you accidentally happen to accidentally see this pre-getting and pre-unwrapping, but just to be sure I'm 100% not to blame, I'm going to make you click away to view it. So if you figure you're on my list, and you don't want the magic of an unknown Christmas gift ruined for you, then DON'T click for more.

a ton of Christmas gift ideas

{from the stores}

{Bird Cage hanging lamp} I'm a sucker for unique lamps and birds. {Love Me Tender cookie cutter set} How much fun are these? I love the owl and the dinosaur ones the most! (duh)

{Owl Hottie} When I'm cold, I'm coooold. This is such a cute way to warm up. {Sparkle Tree} I want to get another tree for the new house and having one that's in a unique colour would be so much fun. You could leave it undecorated and it would still be festive.

{Farmer's Egg Crate} I love this a lot more than just keeping eggs in their box. It makes it easier to grab one egg out of the fridge without having to pull the whole box out plus it looks pretty. {Pomegranate ornament} Pomegranates are traditional Greek home decorations. Idle Husband's mom has over a hundred different types of pomegranate tchotchkes all over her house. It's rare to find decorative pomegranates here, so when I see a nice one, I immediately want it.

{Magnetic Timer} Sometimes it gets kinda crazy in the kitchen and I really wish I had an extra timer. I love that this one is magnetic and yellow. {Twiggy Serving Set} We have a salad at every meal (except for pizza night!), and I'd love to have a nice serving set instead of using a spoon and my fork.

{Holiday nailpolish set from Superstore} in imperial, dupioni, and midas. I love dupioni! I'm wearing it right now.

A Bulk Barn gift card. I hadn't been there for quite some time, but I was looking for some specific cookie cutters and remembered that they have a lot of kitchen things, too, so I thought I'd check it out. While there, I noticed they have gift cards and I thought, who the heck would want a gift card to the Bulk Barn? But then I really thought about it and you know what, any keen baker or cook would probably die and go to heaven if they got a Bulk Barn gift card (I would!). Some items that tickled my fancy: unique concentrated extracts in flavours like root beer and watermelon, magnetic spice jars, fancy peppercorns, peanut storage jars, cake decorating essentials, and (of course) cutesy cookie cutters (they had birds!).

{homemade}

Foodies

I haven't made any of these recipes, so I can't attest to their success, but they all looked really easy and really yummy. So here are the recipes I bookmarked as possible homemade gift ideas for the people in my life and they might inspire you, too:

balsamic onion marmalade

burnt sugar lollipops

cranberry and pistachio white chocolate bark

fruitcake cookies

maple bacon kettle corn

hot pepper jelly

chocolate vodka

coffee vanilla bean liqueur

uniquely flavoured popcorn balls
preserved lemons (I came across a bag of clearance lemons and was talked into getting it on the presumption that I'd be sharing the bag. But then I ended up with the whole thing, so I was whining about what to do with a whole bag of lemons and then I remembered this easy recipe. So I'm currently preserving lemons, but I haven't actually used them yet. They'll be ready January 1st.)

Some tried and true recipes in case the above didn't work out (you gotta have a back-up plan!):

marshmallows (flavoured with peppermint, coloured red and green, or plain)

granola (with pistachios and cranberries instead of almonds and raisins)

Crafties

I really like choosing an ornament to make each year to add as part of the wrapping decoration for the main present, but this year (because of time constraints), I decided to just do an ornament, so you'll notice some diys for ornaments in this list, too.

onion bulb paper ornaments These feel very Mad Men to me.

modern paper ball ornament This would be a really interesting display if you made a few in different sizes and clustered them together.

I was once gifted a paper star made from old Christmas cards and it's one of my most treasured Christmas display items (even though I've had to reglue it a few times).

recycled paper notepad I love the idea of mixing a lot of different papers to create a really unique look. Maybe some graph paper, coloured paper, even old children's books cut up. You could get so creative!

leather bracelets These look so amazing! Someone would be super impressed to know you made it yourself!

fox lamp Or any animal! Too cute!

missing glove squirrel So cute and quick and easy! It could also be transformed into a bear, a dog, or a cat with a few tweaks to the tail, ears, and details.

cement planters Who couldn't use a modern pot? They're so hard to find! I would definitely consider adding a saucer if I were to do this, though. You could probably use a plastic lid slightly larger than what you're using for the pot to help mould the cement. And it might be easier to put some holes in the container bottom and then pop some straws through (to keep the cement in) for drainage instead of drilling through the concrete afterwards. Also consider adding a plant with this gift. Perhaps a Christmas cactus, pointsettia, or amaryllis?

Another craft idea coming later!

greek name day

Idle Husband just celebrated his name day last week! How exciting, right? A day just for you to celebrate -- along with everyone else who also shares the same name as you. They're more important than birthdays in Greece, so this year, I thought I'd try to do something special.

I really wanted to make a big beautiful cake and carve it into the shape of the first letter in IH's name.

And then he requested a small cake.

So I started rethinking how I could do something similar but on a smaller scale without it looking like an alphabet block.

So I thought I would try to find alphabet cookie cutters. Then I was excited! I could do a bunch of letters and decorate them all up nicely and he could even take them to work and it would be awesome! Everything would be awesome! But the alphabet cutters I did find, I wasn't happy with and in a related discussion to find out more about what he wanted, I discovered he wanted a banana cake. With bananas. And lots of bananas. And maybe coconut.

Back to the drawing board.

I found a recipe for banana and chocolate chip upside-down cake from David Lebovitz. It had a lot of rave reviews and it was designed to be low fat and marginally healthy (as any cake could possibly be). So I decided to go with that. I chose a cake that could neither be stacked or decorated, but at least it was what Idle Husband wanted. Besides, by this point, I was getting rather tired of coming up with ideas and planning and figuring and plotting. And, quite frankly, last week, I really didn't have the time to do any of the grand things I was coming up with. I don't know where my brain was.

This cake was very easy to put together and I really love recipes that are easy. Instead of mashing the bananas, I used my immersion blender and pureed them which is something I think I'll do from now on any time I need bananas for a recipe. If this makes any sense, I found that the banana was more integrated into the cake. Maybe since it was pureed, it could be better incorporated whereas mashed bananas still retain some chunkiness and can't really flavour a cake entirely. Er, foodie mumbo jumbo, etc. The only thing I did differently (other than using yogurt instead of sour cream) was that I forgot to put in the melted butter. I had the oven on and I was melting the butter on a burner and I completely forgot about it until I mixed everything together and poured it on top of the sliced bananas (as one does). So my version is even lower in fat than the original, but I don't think the butter is missed at all. Why even bother with it?

I made an epic meat and potatoes dinner on Saturday, so we actually never got to taste the cake until Sunday. For some reason, I thought I could stack it and I came up with an idea to decorate it, but neither really went the way they did in my head.

My icing sugar shaker shook out the sugar (that's a lot of Ss) in clumps so I didn't get the effect I really wanted. And because of the caramelization of the bananas on top, it eventually melted away. I've decided I don't fit into the perfect party and desserts category. So what I lack in presentation, I make up with in taste, because this is a really good cake. It's very dense and more like a banana bread cake than fluffy cake, and that's all right.

I remembered about these chocolate letters at least

If you want to learn more about name days or find your name day, you can go here. It may not be listed in your specific form, it might be listed as a different version or spelling, so look carefully because who wouldn't want another day to celebrate?

friday fixations

popsicles and snow 

{brightly coloured walls} I don't know if it's cuz it's winter, but I really love the mixture of colours in this home. I especially love the painted lamp and plate shelf (it kinda looks like maybe the pink rug, too) in the third picture down. What a clever idea!

{flowers and garlands} All I want for Christmas are pink paper flowers, multicoloured pom-poms on garlands, flowers strung onto string, primary coloured garlands and buntings strung on the walls, and huge yellow pom-poms hanging from the ceiling. Here are some favourite bookmarks: wax paper flowers, napkin flowers (I want to make these so badly), pom-pom tutorial, flower garland, ruffled fabric garland, wool beads (page 35), and tissue paper pom-poms.

{advent calendars} I've always wanted one of these, and to this day, I still haven't gotten one. Why? Cuz I always forget about it, that's why! Look here! It's December 3rd already and where's my advent calendar? Nowhere, that's where. Sigh. Maybe I'll have the time and foresight next year. Here are some great ideas for DIY calendars. I especially love the literary advent calendar and the calendar from German magazine Living & More.

{dots} Have you ever been to this store? Honestly, it was always that shop with clothes I didn't care so much for. But then, I don't know, I grew up or my tastes became more refined or something, because now it's one of my favourite stores. I don't think there's ever a time I go where I don't end up with a huge armful of clothes to try on. They've got brands and styles that I can guarantee you won't find anywhere else. And the most exciting thing? They've got sales going on all the time! Sign up for their emailing list and you'll hear about them first.

{boxes} Isn't this one kind of obvious? Any time I see one, I'm like, 'Ooooh that's one good lookin' box! It would be so perfect for books or china or other small yet heavy items!' Cuz that's what I need right now. Boxes that are good for small and heavy items.

there's mayo on this grilled cheese!

I know it's just grilled cheese, but it's the best grilled cheese ever and it's not like I'm doing anything differently with it. It's this new 4-in-1 grill we just purchased. I know it is. Long gone are the days of grilling cheeses on a bulky pancake griddle that would burn the bread before the cheese even melted. Gone are the days of having to squish down the sandwich with my largest pot lid so as to melt that cheese before the bread burned.

So, no. I didn't think it was possible to make grilled cheese any better. I honestly just thought that this machine would be better because it's more space saving, easier to clean, and more multipurpose than just a simple griddle. I had no idea that it would make the best grilled cheese ever.

Is it the lines that make it better? I've never had a panini so I really can't say whether they're a superior sandwich to a normal toasted sandwich. If they are, why are regular sandwiches even being offered anymore? Why aren't there more panini grilled cheeses? Someone needs to rectify this and fast.

Normally, I would add a slice of tomato to my grilled cheese, but I'm really digging simple cheese right now. And I used to use the plastic wrapped processed grilled cheese cheese (what don't they make nowadays?), but I realized that's just dumb. Plain ol' cheddar works just fine.  There is mayo on this grilled cheese, too -- eh hem, I mean Miracle Whip. I just refer to it as mayo because it always has and always will be my mayo. And I always like to add some vegetable seasoning or salt and pepper. Just to give it a little something extra.

We have them for dinner almost every week, since they're kind of my go-to when I haven't got a clue what else to make. But now they're coming out so melty and so good, I kinda just want to eat variations of grilled cheese for every meal now. It wouldn't be hard to convince Idle Husband, either. As long as the grilled cheeses included bacon.

house update

We got into the house this weekend and were surprised to find kitchen cabinets!

I really wanted white cabinets, but I hated the style of the doors and that was the only option for white. You wouldn't believe how old fashioned builders still are! So I'm extra interested to see how the darker cabinets look when the flooring goes in. Dark floors, dark cabinets? I hope it looks all right. Also notice there is no backsplash. That's because what was chosen for the floor tile (see below) was also what would go up as a backsplash. No. Just. No. I'll choose that myself, thankyouverymuch.

Here's the gorgeous quartz countertop. For some strange reason, I thought it was a lighter grey, but no worries! It's still so pretty and smooth and grey and sparkly. I'm looking forward to kneading bread on it, that's for sure.

The tiles for the front and back entrances have been installed. It's hard to see, but they're a grey-black. Here's another option we lucked out on for looking at least slightly more modern than the others. The tile options, man. They were so 1985.

The linoleum in the bathrooms had all been installed, as well as the cabinets in the bathrooms and fixtures throughout. I do not like any of the fixtures, actually, but in a way, that's a good thing. They're not terrible, so I can spend some time and find ones I do like (read: more modern) and install them myself. See? Even though it's a new house, there's still going to be plenty of projects to work on.

I do really love how the doors and trim are all in a darker, contrasting colour to the walls. It's a lot more interesting than typical white.

I thought I'd also share the ceiling texture since that was such a worry for me. It reminds me a lot of a wall texture I've seen, but it's a lot smoother (it doesn't look that smooth in the picture, but it's not as rough as it seems).  Now that I've got something to compare popcorn to, knockdown makes the ceiling feel a lot lighter and higher. I find that popcorn makes the ceiling feel lower and almost cave-like (total stalactites).

Finally, the outside door has been painted teal! I really think it makes the siding look more green than grey. But do you notice a problem? There are STILL no eavestroughs! Houses that were started after ours have them and we still don't. It's driving me bonkers. The front steps are covered in dangerous ice because of it. Argh!!

Overall, I'm really happy with it, but it feels like a builders, out-of-the-box house to me. It has absolutely no character and looks like all the other showhomes. I'm sure most people don't even think about painting or changing the light fixtures when they move into a newly constructed house, but it's our house and I want it to reflect our personalities and not the limited options (and design esthetics) that someone else made me choose from. So never fear! It may be a new house, but I'll definitely be showing you before and afters as I change things and decorate!

christmas cactus and football?

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? Seeing all the recipes and hoopla this last month really made me jealous for a proper Thanksgiving feast (since I've only been making small two person meals for the last few Thanksgivings). The thought of having another pumpkin pie and some stuffing totally entered my mind. I think that's one of the nice things about having Thanksgiving earlier. We can opt in for a second go if we want to!

But since Thanksgiving for Canadians is in October, our November celebration usually revolves around the Grey Cup. We'd have a party on Sunday where we'd watch movies and snack all day and not even bother with dinner. And, yes. You heard right. We never watched the game. No one really cared for football even though we still called it a Grey Cup party. So to this day, when I suggest having a Grey Cup party, I'm really suggesting we snack all day and watch movies with zero football interruptions (and one of those movies has to be boring as hell, so we can possibly have a little nap during it). I guess that explains why I'm so not in the mood to make a 'meal' this week, and I just want some little bits to snack on instead. Weird, hey?

Anyway, Edmonton is going crazy with football fever since we're hosting it this year. Are you watching the game?