Olallieberry

A Little Recipe Box

There's just something about an old fashioned recipe box. Good recipes are shared, collected, passed down, and cherished. My collection of recipes has certainly grown over the years to include a variety of my own concoctions and experimental adjustments, contributions from my mum, in-laws, friends and acquaintances, and of course the internet has opened up a whole new world to explore. I decided it was high time to organize. I wanted to create something to cherish; something with intrinsic value and substance to pass along someday. A collection of only the tried and true--it must be tested, adjusted, and deemed a "keeper" to be worthy of the box.

I researched and shopped and googled but really couldn't find anything that spoke to me. This was to be a very special thing, an investment of sorts. What was a girl to do?

Well, I made my own.

With a little vision, a trip to Michaels for supplies, a video on the faux antiquing process, patience and elbow grease... Voila: A unique and vintagey recipe box that speaks to me. It says, "I am yours, I am a reflection of you". And I love it. xox

May Days

Summer is shy this year, hovering so very near yet remaining just out of reach. Our plan for the long weekend was to finish planting the garden. We did manage to get our strawberries in, but the herbs, seeds, and tomatoes didn't quite make it. In fact the wind turned so icy on Saturday, we high tailed it back into the house, leaving my lovely heritage brandydwine tomato plants outside and they froze. On a positive note I did get around to my desperately needed pantry organization, which led me to whip up one of these useful little charmers. The project was so satisfying, it left me with an overwhelming urge to just generally declutter and simplify everything. This has crossed over to my recipe collection and even the blog, equating to a new simpler design, larger text (for my ahem aging eyes), and removal of a lot of other unnecessary "stuff". Let me know what you think!

For those of you who are wondering: Yes, that is a picture of real live buffalo on the prairies. We made a very quick overnight trip to Saskatchewan for a family function (six hours one way with a teen and preteen...the word "fun" just does not sufficiently describe the time we had) and passed by this park along the way. Here the buffalo are protected as where they used to roam the prairies in groups so large they stretched as far as the eye could see, they are now virtually extinct in the wild.

This week the planting will hopefully continue. I am working on a special project as well and hope to share soon!

For the Birds

The weather is getting warmer, constantly enticing me outside for long leisurly walks. While out yesterday I saw yellow and red-breasted finches, house wrens, chickadees, robins and two different types of woodpeckers. The tree swallows have returned, and pairs of them are battling each other and a chipping sparrow for dibs on the birdhouse in the backyard. We had a family lodged in the house last year, but due to a long and cold rainy spell just before fledging time, only two of six babies survived and managed to leave the nest. This was very sad for us as it was our first opportunity to closely observe bird behaviours, and we doted on every single stage with highly romanticized ideas of life, birth, nature, and renewal. We really formed an attachment to those little birdies! Hopefully a new family will have better luck this year.

Flowers and vegetables are now on the agenda. We're planning on expanding the strawberry patch, maybe putting in a bit of lettuce for fresh salads and some kitchen herbs. Oh, and tomatoes. Lots and lots of tomatoes which grow really well for us here. I'm looking forward to having an abundance for preserving in the fall. Speaking of preserves, I've also got some big plans for desperately needed pantry organization inspired from here.

Have a wonderful week!

Backyard Woods Walk

We are so very fortunate to have a forest right in the middle of our little city accessible within a five-minute walk from our door. The land was donated many years ago by a local farmer for one dollar, and he still keeps a small herd of cows nearby. The City has added beautiful walking trails and benches and maintains everything meticulously even throughout the dark cold winter months. There is a little creek that meanders through, and there are even some small fish. Yesterday the weather was so nice I couldn't wait to get out there and enjoy it. The leaves haven't quite made an appearance yet, but they are oh so very close.

Back at home it was relax time in my cozy chair with a warm tea beside me, a soft purring kitten on my lap, and some lovely handspun merino yarn in my hands. Funny how the knitting bug tends to hit me hard in Spring rather than in the traditional seasons. Am I the only one?

Early Garden Study

Yesterday was the first really beautiful day we've had since our rash of late season snowfalls began. It's hard to believe that all along under that heavy layer of snow mother nature has been coaxing her brood out of its sleep only to have it emerge with an explosion of colour at the first touch of the warm sun's rays. The last traces of snow are gone. The windows are thrown open to welcome the fresh breeze, and the house is filled with the sweet sound of birdsong loudly announcing their return from their arduous journey. I enjoy the gentle sound of raindrops as yet another impromptu shower passes overhead before the sky clears again to a magnificent blue.

Oh how I love Spring.

Around The House

Raincoat, bread pudding, mantle, succulent, Sophie's coconut sweet bread (yummy).

The snowy rain appears to have deserted us for the time being. I am amusing myself by taking random photos and playing with them in PicMonkey, which is effectively satiating my need for colour at the moment. xox

Rain, Sleet, Snow... And A Good Dose of Wind for Good Measure

Unpredictable is the best descriptor for April weather on the Canadian Prairies. While the sun warms the earth trying to coax the greenery forth, the elements continue their brazen battle. We have snow this morning. And Mr Weatherman tells us we can expect it to continue. All weekend. This equates to staying inside although I am dying to be outside poking around in the garden. For the time being I must find solace in visiting lovely blogs like Vicki's garden that capture Spring so beautifully. Thank you for that, it is food for my soul. In the meantime I will continue knitting on the Rikke Hat (details ravelled here) which although may seem completely out of season to most of you, really isn't, considering what I've already described. This combined with the Little Dorrit miniseries on Netflix (I am loving Netflix these days) should alleviate any lingering case of the grumpies of which I am firmly resolved to overcome.

Weekend Highlights

The long weekend was amazing--so many pleasurable activities! First of all thank you so much for your very kind comments on the table runner in progress. I'm happy to say Easter went off without a hitch as I was able to finish it on time. Most of Friday was spent walking from the computer to the cutting board to the ironing board to the sewing maching. Saturday I got up very early and coloured eggs all by myself. I know dear friends... this is a very sad thing and requires some explanation: The kids decided this year they are far too old for such a frivolous and totally uncool activity. I admit it was nice to have the creation process selfishly controlled, but the whole business was really rather lonely I'm afraid. Maybe next year they'll realize the fun and frolicking they missed and recommit (hoping). After cleaning up from the eggs and doing a little baking, I hunkered down to hand stitch the binding on the table runner while watching Shutter Island on Netflix. I was not looking forward to this step as I had so many other things to do, but much to my surprise it ended up being very relaxing and truthfully the most enjoyable part of the whole project. Sunday we had family over for the day, and the rest of the weekend was all about curling up, relaxing, reading, and knitting (joy!)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend too and that your week ahead is just as marvellous. xo

Spring Table Runner

Loving this Easter weekend so far, getting my fill of all the things that have eluded me for the past while. Baked this cake, just because. (I was a little short on the berries because somebody found them before I had a chance to put them in the cake.) After a jaunt down to the local movie theatre to see the Hunger Games with the kids, I'm now reading the second book in the series. I'm also making a super fast Spring version of this gorgeous tablerunner from Purlbee. Of course I'm cheating just a little as we're hosting Easter dinner on Sunday so time is of the essence here. Rather than hand appliqueing the squares I used fusible adhesive then quickly sewed around each one with the machine. I've had my eye on this project for awhile and with Easter on the horizon I really want something to reflect the fresh delicate colours of Spring. 

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend dear friends, I'm now off to finish the binding on the runner. Happy Easter! xox

Curiosity

I had a sudden urge to sketch the other day, so I began rummaging through drawers and boxes looking for my art pencils. I just managed to set myself up with paper, eraser, and a few little odds and ends when my dearest little companion suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sketching," I answered.

"Facinating (yawn). I'm sure I can find a much better use for those; here, let me show you... No, really, I insist! Look!"