Home Is A Place...

"Home is a place you grow up wanting to leave, and grow old wanting to get back to."- John Ed Pearce

I was home on the weekend. I don't live far from home, a mere three and a half hour drive, but the rift between Halifax city life and PEI summer life seems to grow bigger with each visit I make home. In the city I can't just go and pick flowers on my street or back yard, leave them in the sink for the garden spiders to crawl out of and end up with a perfect summery bouquet. I would probably be arrested if I used my kitchen scissors to grab some of the lilacs, hostas and tulips that have been planted on the boulevard in front of my apartment building. I can't walk a mere five minutes and be on a perfectly sandy beach or pass by beautiful lupins growing wild in every ditch or roadside field on my way to town. Seasonal restaurants and cafes don't exist here in the city, but at home they are plentiful and you always personally know at least one of the staff members. Going home you trade your anonymity for beaches, friends, classmates, family and all things summer. I think that is a fair trade.
-m

The Dunes...one of my very favorite seasonal shops/cafes.

New silver and gold basket for the market that I picked up at lunch at The Dunes..

Home, starting to look awfully summery!

Back yard and field flowers!

ah...the beach..

Actually, I Wear The Nail Polish...

"Actually, I wear the nail polish to hide how grubby my nails are.."-Caroline Corr

Ew.....Grubby nails make me instantly think that someone has deplorable hygiene (unless they are a mechanic or maybe a full time gardener). I also hate really long nails and gel nails only because I know how much bacteria can get stuck under both of them (yuck!). This post however, is not to talk about dirty nails and what I do and don't like, it is to talk about nail polish...fun, flirty and fabulous nail polish! This luxury is illegal at my work. Clean, short and naked nails are how I roll for infection prevention. That said, one of the very first things that I do on my days off is paint my nails. How can one resist when nail polish now comes in such a wide variety of edgy greys, taupes and purples (plus dark and bright staples we have been loving for years!). Names like "You don't know Jacques" or "Paint my Moji-toes red" are marketing ploys that sucks me in every single time!

This week I was stumbling along reading the few blogs that religiously follow. C&C had a very fun idea to use craft glitter in a corresponding shade on the tips of just one or two nails on each hand. How had I never thought of that?! So one trip to Walmart and a glass of wine later my fingers were dark plum with glitter and after a little convincing my mothers were a beautiful pearly pink with equally adorable glitter tips. You can put on the glitter when the base color is still wet or you can just use a clear top coat on the spot you want glitter (this is easier to control how much and where you put it).
-m

Cute right?

I Put Some New Shoes On....

"I put some new shoes on and suddenly everything is right."-Paolo Nutini

Shoes. Yes, I love shoes. Maybe I have been bred into it or maybe for me it was an entirely environmental thing growing up but I do know this, I have loved them feverishly since I was a child. I can remember my mother coming home from Halifax when I was far too small to even dream of wearing even a size five and being thrilled to see the treasures she had brought back in the infamous green and white John David Shoes bag. I was also the kid that because I had the coolest uncle in the world, I rocked not only dessert boots in the 90's but I had up to the knee snake skin cowboy boots all the way from Vegas. That's right kids, I was even a shoe whore at the age of six. Anyway to this day nothing had changed and John David Shoes remains my all time favorite store that just so happens to be owned by one of my all time favorite people.

Interestingly enough I sometimes cheat on John David, and this week when I met my Uncles briefly I happened to have on cheated shoes purchased in Boston in the fall. My uncle pointed out this cheat (not in a bad way), we chatted and I went along to get my hair cut. Leaving the salon, feeling pretty good about my hair and new funky glasses (that are totally over the top and wild) I stepped out onto Spring Garden road, which if you are not familiar with Halifax, it is the top shopping districts in all of metro. My heel must have got caught on the sidewalk because all of a sudden it cracked off entirely and I was left falling arse over tea kettle in my little dress, with my new hair and funky glasses. I completed an entire somersault (which I didn't even know I was still physically capable of) and landed on my back with ripped tights and a karma ridden smirk on my face thinking to myself "This is what I get for cheating".
-m

New silver pumps for my besties wedding!

The perfect summer sandal. Totally comfortable, corky and fun.

New "Geek-Chic" specs. Mixed reviews but I love them!

Any Man Can Be a Father..

"Any man can be a father, it takes someone special to be a dad"-Author unknown.

I love my dad, he is awesome. He is a killer cook and is the best to talk to when you are upset (he always listens intently and doesn't try to say something when we both know there is nothing to be said). He has a great sense of humor and I love hearing him laugh when he is watching TV or a movie because it is infectious. My dad has rescued me from the side of the road so many times I can no longer count. Leaky coolant, no gas and even a flat tire at the end of a date (I have always had good luck like that). He is generous and taught me the value of a dollar at a very young age. Dad always supported me through everything I ever wanted to do whether it was being a ballerina princess or making sure I didn't kill myself when I got my licence. I get my neat and tidy tendencies from him along with my love of all things spicy and places that are hot. He has played a very big part in who I am today. Thanks dad, happy fathers day!
-m

I Invented It's A Good Thing...

"I invented "it's a good thing" before you were even born"- Martha Stewart

A few weeks ago I went to a good friends house for a few social beverages. It was a great time, I got to meet new people and one of the other guests made guacamole. This is something I have never made before and it was so damn tasty! About a week later we had a pretty rough shift at work and my buddy Keltie and I decided that guac. would be a perfect treat. So going on no recipe it was a little bit risky but even my sister agreed, totally delicious and a perfect appie to bring to any social event! In the words of my hero Martha, "It's a good thing".

Here is what I did:

In a bowl I tossed in...

-3 ripe avocados out of the skin and with the pit removed.
-1 large red onion chopped (I like mine a little chunky!)
-2 tomatoes chopped finely
-Sea salt and pepper
-Juice from 1.5 lemons (watch out for the seeds!)
-A toss of chili peppers if you like the heat

Use a fork to mush and stir it all together! I served with the hint of lime nacho chips. Mmm.
Enjoy!
-m

Toss and mush it all together!

Doesn't look like much but man....delicious!

A Girl Should be Two Things...

"A girl should be two things, classy and fabulous.."-Coco Chanel

The Sartorialist is a page that I happen to follow religiously. This is a blog that focuses on street fashion and is produced by a world renowned fashion photographer that has a keen eye for interesting and unique design. The best part of this blog is that about 90% of the people he photographs are just people he sees on the street. I am talking about real people all over the world, not your typical model or celebrity. How very refreshing and inspirational. This blog has spawned many spin offs including one here in Halifax called You Look Fiiine. I must say it is pretty neat to check out Halifax's stylish people, find out what inspires them and where they get their fantastically fab duds (not to mention the writer is both quirky and fun which is a good combination). Lets just say one of my goals for the summer is to make it onto this blog.

This month The Sartorialist started up his annual vintage photo call, where he asks followers to send in vintage pictures of relatives that were fashion mavens in the making. Of course I could not miss an opportunity like that. Last weekend when I was at my grandparents for a feed of lobster sandwiches I very casually mentioned I would like to send their pictures in to a website. I explained how it worked and Papa was all for it as soon as the words were across my lips. Nanny was a little bit more reluctant but with a little arm twisting she came around and I found two perfect vintage pics to send in! Fingers are crossed that mine get featured in the next month...I shall keep you posted!
-m

Blogs to check out:

http://www.thesartorialist.com/

http://youlookfiiine.wordpress.com/page/2/

My vintage photos...

Jack and Josephine on their first date...he is so handsome!

Perfectly lovely in Polka-dots!

And just because it was so yummy, Nanny's lobster sandwich...

A Gourmet Who Thinks of Calories...

"A Gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.."- James Beard

With a hop, skip and a jump my friend Ally and I headed to the Sea-Port market this morning to see what kind of trouble we could get into. Two flower vendors, a mandatory coffee stop, just a little gossip and two delicious french pastries later we were laden with our purchases and ready to go. Besides the wonderfully fragrant lilacs and roses we picked up, we also headed home with a bunch of fresh rhubarb and delicious Greek dip. It must be summer even if the weather doesn't agree. Rhubarb and lilacs, I mean what could possibly be more summery than that?

With my rhubarb I had two options, bake a crisp/crumble or I could stew it to serve over vanilla frozen yogurt. My obvious choice was the latter. Frozen sweet treats with tart and tangy homemade topping, how perfect! Happy Saturday!
-m

*Tip- Rhubarb freezes wonderfully, wash and chop it up and throw in a freezer bag for future use!

Stewed Rhubarb with Zest

-6 cups washed and chopped fresh rhubarb
-2 tbs H20
-2 tsp vanilla
-1 cup of sugar
-zest of an orange
-sprinkle of baking soda
-sprinkle of cinnamon

...place all in saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium until rhubarb is soft and stringy (10-15 mins). Allow to cool and bottle to bring to friends with a pint of vanilla frozen yogurt or ice cream, they will love you forever!

Perfect bouquets!

Smells like summer at home...

Crimson tips.

Fresh Rhubarb!! Mmm..

All in saucepan ready to go!

Fin.

It's all about the little finishing touches...

All Hockey Players Are Bilingual...

"All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity."-Gordie Howe

With the Stanley Cup play-offs well underway and with my guys (Boston) continuing an impressive game repertoire, I thought some snacks and beer were in order. So after a long hard day at work and a quick soak in the tub, there soon was an ice cold Stella in my hand and a thin crust pizza to be made.

I started with a pre-made multi-grain thin crust (yes..lazy I know), layered on some olive oil and some pesto. I thinly sliced an onion and tomato, then tossed on a handful of olives. Topped all of that with some crumbled goats cheese and baked it at 425 for eight minutes. Perfectly simple munchie for a late night game! Don't like pesto? Try your favorite barbecue sauce (mine is the Spicy Diana Sauce) instead of pesto or pizza sauce and toss on some of those chicken breasts you have been hoarding in your freezer from the BOGO at Sobey's (come on admit it, you do that too..). The varieties are endless and it most definitely beats take out.
-m