..........grateful for....My Town

Okay so technically, Brampton isn't really a town.

It's city. With over 640,000 people in it.

That's a lot.

And we're part of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) here in the southern part of Ontario.

So, thats like, another 6-9 million people. Thats a lot of people.

But the cool thing is, Brampton is like a small town.

We can go places and run into people we know.

I like that.

Hey look, it's the Mayor Linda J!!

Farmers Market

My street; the heritage section. Brampton's as old as Canada is.

"New" City Hall

Chingcousy (Sheen-coo-see) Park

At Ching Park

Downtown Brampton,  Garden Square. Always all sorts of things going on down here in the Summer.

"Old" City Hall

 Canada is celebrating being 150 years old as an official Nation! Woot!

 Farmers markets, Winter Markets, Horse drawn carriage rides, Bands, entertainment, movie nights...

and two of the BEST ice cream shops around. Pizza Cones (what?!? YASSSS Pizza cones), amazing restaurants, B-town is the place to be.

I like it, anyway.

Well; THAT happened

So 2015 has nearly disappeared in a puff of sparkly pink glitter and wedding favours....

Did I forget to mention? I got MARRIED ! Wednesday, November 4th to be exact, at Disney's Wedding Pavilion in Florida, at WDW.

And how was it??

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect day....perfect wedding ceremony, perfect dinner, just...perfect.

(Oh yeah; There was lots of other stuff happening; crafting, gardening, and other stuff. And lots of filmwork and other gigs, too. More on that later as I catch up.)

But for right now, here's some  Wedding fun....:)

My dress & my MOH dress...and flowers...

My bouquet

Pointin' out da booblies. Lots of booblies. That was one tight corset.

Finished products! Me, Liz the MOH and Teeny Weeny the Flowergirl. Who stole the show.

Stuffing 50 feet of dress into a golf cart. This should be an Olympic Event!

My handsome Groom & his Dad.

And it happened!

Our dessert party at Epcot!

Choose Your Own Adventure Recipes

Hooray hooray!! The first Farmer's Market of the year for us in Brampton was yesterday. 

It was SO wonderful to stroll down the street surrounded by all this beauty & bounty. I love me my food; so forgive me if I wax poetic about it.

It also made me realize how dang fortunate we are to live where we do. Our soil, our land, our climate. (Yeah; even the -40C winters) But that's another topic for another day.

Now, I love my backyard.

 Except it's kinda small. And veryyyyyy shady. Which limits what will grow well.

Rhubarb, however grows insanely well. And provides a fun hidey-spot for Mikie. 

(Don't tell him we can see him. He thinks he's super secret.)

There's a lot you can do with rhubarb. Like, Pie. And...pie. And did I mention...pie?!?!?

Now yes of course I know there's more like cakes, and tartlets and my personal fav "Rhubarb Stew"

(Blogged about HERE) but this year when I saw them glorious strawberries...I knew it was gonna be PIE.

     

There is a door in front of you on the right. It is a nondescript door; however from behind it comes a strange high-pitched buzzing noise......

On your right, there is a cobwebby hallway, at the end of which are stairs that look old and rickety......

Planning the Year

I'm an Aries.

So, I almost always bite off more than I can chew.

Usually, anyway.

I start out with grandiose plans and then have to scale back somewhat.

I like to make lists to help me keep focused, and I usually put easy stuff on there that I'm always going to accomplish...like............ "Pet Cats" ..."Make Coffee"....you get the picture.

So, this year is going to be the year that I slow down and focus a little more.

Focus on friends, in person, not always online.

Focus on building skills, one project at a time. (This one's gonna be hard)

Focus on FINISHING the many quilt tops/projects currently on the go.

So, here is my List for 2015. It is flexible, amendable, and hopefully, attainable!

1. Learn how to Cable Knit.

2. Knit a sweater using Cable Knit skills.

3. Pet Cats.

4. Clean out bathroom closet - any old toiletries/makeup/etcetc is going out!

5. Finish up all quilt tops.

5.1 Finish up all UFO projects.

6. Learn how to properly sew in zippers and make some zipper pouches.

7. Vaccuum.

8. Get back into hitting the gym thrice weekly.

9. Use more words like "thrice".

10.  Be a better person.

And because all things good to to Eleven:

11. PLAN MY WEDDING!!!!!!

(Oh...and work on my blog. And blogging audience. And photo skills. And clean out the basement. And get my car fixed up. And work on leaning OT stuff to help my Mama and keep her sharp. Get her back knitting again. Find a great therapist to help her relearn to walk. And tell Mr. J I love him each and every day a million times a million.)

Bring it on, 2015.

Handmade Homemade Christmas Traditions Pt 2

I love to do a handmade Christmas.

 I mean, let's face it. We all of us mostly have everything we need.

And these days, if we need something, usually, we can just run down to the nearest big box and grab it.

And handmade or homemade gifts, well, they're just that extra special touch for the holidays.

I remember as kids; my next door neighbours always made trays of cookies, treats and  handmade ornaments for the trees for us.

And I remember 'helpin' in the kitchen as Mom made up her homemade gifts for the neighbours & church Christmas bazaars.

 So these past few years, I have tried to make a few homemade items to mix in with my storebought treasures.

NONE of these recipes require anything fancier than you can get in your own local grocery store!!

Here are a few of my Go-To Holiday recipes, treats & tricks from some of the coolest Bloggers out there. All the below recipes I have made and had great results. Again; read everything through before starting!!

Homemade Salted Caramels: Tried and true recipe at "Inspired Treats. A great recipe with video. Patience pays off for these melt in your mouth treats.

Macarons - ......Read THIS first. Oh gosh. They're tricky but again, take your time. Patience pays off!

Candy Cane Whoopie Pies - My teenaged nephew inhaled these. They're pretty darn good!

Candy Cane Kiss Cookies  - One of my favourite Bloggers of all time; Sally @ Sally's Baking Addiction. So many recipes, So little time! She has an awesome cookbook too. It's on my wish list.

Crisp & Chewy Molasses Cookies - I like this one, also a favourite is Moravian Molasses Thins.

Homemade Spice Rub - My own Creation! Great on chicken, pork & beef!

Classic Chocolate Chip - I use the same batter, just double or triple the recipe, divide it up and then  switch out the chips; I change out Peppermint Chips, Butterscotch Chips & Peanut Butter Chips to make a super easy master recipe. 

 (I have to confess that Sally's recipe has replaced my Grandma's recipe. Ssh. Don't tell.)

Home Made Spice Rub!

Here's a little sumthin' that I like to whip up for the cooks in my life.

Super easy, VERY affordable, and looks great when you're done.

Head to your nearest Bulk Barn or equivalent - any Bulk food store will do.

Next trip, any local Dollar store to pick up fancy labels and jars.

Similar ones to this were THREE for $1.25

You can get fancy labels to peel & stick, too! 45 for 1.25! 

Photo credit: Spruce Up Organization

This is the mix I use, and the approximate amounts of each. You can adjust and tweak away to suit your tastes! The entire take home price was just under $20.00 for all the below ingredients.

You can do gifts for almost 8 people (depending on size of the jar) for less than $30.00!!

Ingredients:

Chili Power, Ancho Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper, Kosher Salt, Basil, Oregano, Rosemary, Cumin & Turmeric.

Uses: Use as a dry rub for chicken, beef & pork. Slather on your favourite BBQ sauce overtop for an extra yummy bonus. Great as a marinade, just add lemon juice!

In a big bowl, I mix: 

1 Cup each of:  Chili Power, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder

Half Cup each of: Ancho chili powder, black pepper

Quarter Cup each of: Kosher salt, basil, oregano, Cumin, Turmeric

2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika

3 Tbsp Flour (Can be omitted)

Using a  wooden spoon, mix up all your spices. Taste test and adjust accordingly.

Spoon into glass jars, add some ribbon or trim, and voila. 

Cute, functional and affordable Christmas gifts.

Different ideas for how to wrap!