Balls Are To Men...

"Balls are to men what purses are to women."-Carrie Bradshaw (Sex and The City)

The way a junk drawer in a kitchen or the way a basket meant for keys and change slowly fills up with stuff until it can take no more, this is what seems to happen to my purse. I can quote any number women complaining of this or that they can not find anything in their bag. I have been making a conscious effort to avoid this and have been frequently "de-cluttering" my purse and trying to carry only the essentials. This is difficult for the girl that finds lip chap in every possible pocket, basket and drawer.  Here is what I found in my bag today. All of the essentials plus maybe just a little bit more....What's in your bag?
-m

Not looking too bad...only problem is I have been rocking a small bag!

-I NEVER leave home without my travel mug!

-Wallet incase I need to buy something fabulous or pay bills.

-Day planner in the sweet fabric cover sewn by my bestie Lesley!

-Pink pen, you never know when a famous person like myself may have to sign and autograph or ten!

-Sunglasses, fashion forward and wrinkle free!

-Ipod. Keeps walking to work entertaining.

-Cute kleenex incase I get the sniffles.

-Body Shop hemp hand protector. This bad boy goes everywhere with me and my poor chapped hands!

-Keys incase I need a quick getaway...

-CO Bigelow Apothecaries Mentha Lip Shine. Glossy and tastes delicious.

-Original Carmex.

-Cherry and SPF Carmex (These are EVERYWHERE in my place! I don`t go anywhere without one or two apparently).

-MAC lipstick in a soft pink and a sweet nude.

-Stick of gum.

-Hand sanitizer.

Bring The Tulip...

"Bring the tulip, bring the rose, while their brilliant beauty glows"-Eliza Cook

As we are sadly coming to the end of tulip season (the flower man at the market tells me all of his have been cut to save the bulbs for next season) I thought I would do a short post on my all time favorite flower besides forget-me-nots. After a little research I have learned that tulips are meant to represent "perfect love" and that each color carries a different meaning. That said I will tell you why I love tulips so very much and it has nothing to do with any of that!

Tulips are the perfect flower because they are never too outlandish, never over the top and look perfectly elegant and simple in a vase. Although I am a fan of simple and undertsated, they also look lovely when mixed in with a bouquet. They last for a week if taken care of and are the perfect hostess or birthday gift because I personally have never heard anyone exclaim malicious hatred towards them. Along with daffodils and crocuses, they make me think of spring even if we are in the middle of an April ice storm. Tulips are inexpensive and instantly make a home cheery and comfortable. But all of that is just my opinion. I am sure there are tulip haters out there somewhere!
-m

How understated!

In the pretty Easter vase from Mom!

I have adopted a living room lamp in my kitchen. Cosy but slightly out of place. I love it!

In my Dunes frog with some spring colored spider mums!

And for those who don't know, the roof-top terrace is officially open at the farmers market on the weekends! What a view!

A Reccomendation..

To all of those who frequent the lovely Island of Prince Edward, if you have not had the privilege of indulging in a light lunch at Leonhards Cafe and Bakery, I highly recommend it! If you do not frequent or have not been lucky enough to enjoy this little coastal destination you should probably go asap.

This little cafe is the epitome of beautiful. It is light and airy with just the right amount of sparkle. The coffee is always fresh, the lattes are divine and the soups are gluten free and piping hot. All of the ingredients are fresh-local and for just over twenty dollars plus the cost of a tip, you can treat yourself and a friend to coffee and a soup with half a sandwich. I had gluten free potato leek with a foccachia that had fresh veggies, havarti and feta folded between the generous slices. My dad had the same but with an Indian lentil soup. We were both very full and very happy after a tasty lunch and good company!
Check out the link at  http://www.leonhards.ca/

-m

Lattes!

Mmm..

It's all in the details.

Perfectly Lovely!

Like I said, just the right amout of sparkle!

Easter...

Easter...not just for the kiddies!

At the ripe ages of 25 and 21 years old my sister and I embarked on the adventure of blowing out eggs and dying them the old fashioned way (without a fancy egg dying kit). After poking holes in the top and bottom ends of eggs and blowing till we were blue in the face, we washed them, let them dry and prepped our food coloring. For those interested, 1/2 cup of room temperature water ,1 tbs of white vinegar and 20 drops of food coloring makes the perfect dye (so google tells us, and after testing we would have to agree). You can dip your eggs as many times as you like to deepen the color. We chose to use glitter and paste to decorate our colored eggs (but crayon or wax work if you have them!). The only suggestion we make is do not wear lip gloss while blowing the egg and yolk out of your eggs. Color apparently doesn't stick to lip gloss and you end up with a very sad looking Easter Egg (right SJ?). Anyway happy Easter weekend everyone!
-m

Keep the eggs free of lip gloss...

Mugs work!

Half-way mark!

Robins Egg Beautiful!

Made one in Sister's Like-ness.

What a pretty centerpiece!

Peep! Peep!

Most Grandmothers...

"Most grandmothers have a touch of scally-wag"- Helen Thomson

Most grandmothers are not my grandmother. My Nanny is all class, all style and always the perfect friend to tell secrets to. She makes the best tea, has the most beautiful skin and always gives honest and excellent advice. No matter how many times I try, I can never make her homemade soup taste half as good as hers does. Hanging out with her and Papa can make an ordinary Sunday a perfectly spent afternoon. I love them.

Did I mention my nanny is stylish and has great taste? She wore the same wedding dress as Grace Kelly, which is the most googled wedding dress ever (Princess Diana's is up there as well). All of her things have always been of quality and are so classic that they are stylish even thirty years after she purchased them . Here are some of the wonderful things that I have acquired over the years out of her closet.
-m

Trendy details on some beautiful bourbon colored boots!

The perfect Little Black Shift Dress.

A Jackie-O two piece suit.

Sweet white stitching and details.

Perfectly shaped shift underneath!

Didn't photograph well, but these raw silk vintage Andrew Geller peep toes with crystal bow details make me weak in the knees!

A very happy Nanny at a very fun birthday dinner!

I believe the world to be a muffin pan...

"I believe the world to be a muffin pan, and there certainly are a lot of muffins here."-Aaron Funk

It has been too long friends, I am sorry. Work got the best of me this week. Silly work always getting in the way and messing up my sleep cycle. Having a screwy internal clock results in me being wide eyed and bushy tailed at 2 am looking for something to do. So this Sunday at 2 am I flipped through my Joy of Cooking (if you don't own this you should) noting that I had an excessive number of apples in my fridge. While flipping, I stumbled upon the muffin page (784) and apple walnut muffins peaked my interest. Simple recipe and I would consider it a success. I added some nutmeg and vanilla and I doubled the cinnamon (yes mom, I held off on cloves).
-m

Apple Walnut Muffins from Joy of Cooking..

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, beaten
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups grated or diced small apple
5 tablespoons butter (melted)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Sift the dry ingredients together and then set aside. Whisk eggs and sugar together. Stir in apples and let sit for 10 minutes so that the apples release their juices. Stir in the melted butter and nuts. Fold into dry ingredients. Divide batter among 12 greased or lined muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes, until a testing stick comes out clean. Let cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pans as they are very tender.

Four current obsessions...

Four things that I recently can't seem to get enough of...

Beautiful silk scarves. This is a Put Me On find and is big enough that it can be worn several different ways.

Costume jewllery, the more sparkly the better!

Nude Lips! After years of searching (not an exaggeration) finally MAC and Lady GaGa combined equals perfect nude for my too pink lips and too pink cheeks!  While Lamcome juicy tube in Simmer gives a perfect nude gloss!

Freesia. Where have these flowers been all of my life? They actually fill my apartment with their beauiful fresh smell and they are not in the least over powering. Thanks B!

A light lunch...

"Spicy salad mix" from the market consisting of lettuce, red mustard, spinach and sorrel. Topped with some cold, left over lemon and pesto chicken!

The beginnings of Jenna's Lemon-Pepper salad dressing!

In a mason jar combine 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup fat free mayo, 1 tsp of lemon pepper and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Shake it up for the most lemony-fresh and simple dressing around! Total crowd pleaser.

 Finish is off with Parisian loaf from the market! Mmm..

Weekends don't count...

"Weekends don't count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless"- Bill Watterson

I must say, in a world of needles, medication calculations, stethoscopes and three am calls to sleepy residents, nothing beats a Saturday morning. Even better, Saturday morning market trips in a sleep deprived haze.

 Keep in mind, working a twelve hour night shift leads to several things:
-Extreme cases of post shift giggles
-Sarcasm
-Impaired judgement when it comes to spending money (even sparkly pom-pom pen toppers seem like a great idea!)

...all of these things make for a fun, entertaining and pleasant Saturday morning adventure!

Parisian Loaf!

My flower guy pulled through! Talisman roses, my all time favorite variety of roses!

Vintage mason jar purchased from Value Village for a whole seventy-five cents is the perfect way to show these beauties off!