Thrift Shopping

After a little bit of time in the thrift shops....I came home with this.  Now I just need some free time to work on some crafting projects.  I already started working with the crochet thread on a new project.  It has been on my list of things I'd like to make....hopefully it will see its way to being finished.  So far I have been able to follow the charted instructions without too much trouble.

As it becomes larger, the number of stitches in each round increases, and it becomes slower and slower going.  I also had to repeat two rounds when I discovered a mistake and had to rip it back.  Fortunately, with only one live stitch, it is much easier to rip back crochet than knitting.....and all it cost me was a little bit more of my time.  This is such a cute project.....I hope I can see my way to the end without problem.  Fingers crossed.

Nifty Nordic Finds

You might have noticed the new button at the top of my sidebar.  It's for a little blog party that I plan to take part in starting on August 26th.   As you can tell it's about lunch ideas which is good timing for here, as we are just about to send kids back to school any moment now.  There will be lots of helpful posts containing tips, stories and recipes, so do come back on the 26th to check it out and click on the button to go and see who else is taking part.  I'll be sure to poke around and see what fabulous suggestions might be there for a perfect and speedy lunch preparation since after Ike starts back into school.......I too will be going back to work.  After 1 1/2 years off work.....I was busier than ever when this opportunity sort of fell in my lap.  Now I have a few short weeks to get things in order.....but I am so easily side tracked.....I actually came to the computer to find my choke cherry syrup recipe.......

Before I get up to my elbows in syrup and stickiness....have a look as my fab finds.  While up at my parents camp in Northern Ontario....I scavenged these dishes from their cupboards (I did ask first!).  They belonged to our neighbour who had the entire set for her everyday dishes.  Time will tell if more of these pieces surface at the cabin.......I sure hope so!  I remember them as being so unusual and now of course....I think they are kind of retro groovy. 

After scooping those cool Norwegian dishes from the cabin.......I took a trip into town with a good friend to shop the Finnish district in Thunder Bay.   The two must see stores on Bay street are, the Finnish Bookstore and Finnport. (See first photo and the one directly above)  They both carry Finnish imports and Scandinavian gift ware and sauna supplies.  I always like to look in there and see what's new.  Last time there, I notice that Finnport was selling Marimekko fabric and I knew I had to have some.  And I also had to pick up this very cool umbrella....You can never have enough umbrellas.....especially cute ones:)

Now....I'd better go make me some syrup!!

Those Sheets were the Grooviest!

While collecting the vintage sheets I needed to work on this quilt project, I found sheets that were the same as ones that I remember having as a child.  The blue version of them is in this quilt in a few places.  That was probably one of the most fun things about this project.  Well as I am back at mom and dads house...I had to poke around at old photos and what did I find....but a photo of me sitting on my bed.....with those very same sheets...too funny....we were so groovy...now weren't we??  Now I'm actually OK to show you this photo because I actually look much better here than in most old photos.  Mum would have curled my hair in this one as it was poker straight and usual kept short (in a pixie cut....UGG) or in pony tails.

Pretty Yellow Things

Thrift shops are one of my big addictions but  at the same time...... I sometimes find them very annoying.  I've been certain on very many occasions that whoever is in charge of setting their pricing needs their head examined.  I've picked up kids t-shirts to find the price tag reads $5-$6, I've found cups and saucers marked at $20-$25 (many with hairline cracks which makes them worth nothing at all), and nothing special items marked at similar pricing to purchasing them new.  My biggest complaint is with our 'big box' thrift store in town.  At least all of the other thrift shops are run by volunteers with a higher percentage of the proceeds going to good charities and if I pay a bit more than I think I should for something at least I know the money is going to a good cause.  In these stores......I'm even apt to let them keep the change.  

Sadly, it is the 'big box' store which has the most merchandise to choose from so I do stop in now and again and sometimes I find what I believe to be a good deal.  Today was such a day and for the effort of 30 minutes of poking around the aisles I came home with two pretty items.  I found a beautiful and unusual Paragon cup and saucer with a floral handle for $15 and a pretty Royal Albert Pastella Cake serving plate for $2.  And I suppose it's that kind of luck that keeps me coming back.......until next time.

Antique Fair Goodness

This past weekend, an antique fair was held for a local charity fund raiser.  It is one of two that happen here each year and I always plan to attend.  This year I managed to find a few interesting things.  Not like I need another cup and saucer set.......but this one was very different......and different is good....isn't it?  Also the fact that it was only marked at $9 made it hard to pass up.....honestly, I didn't try very hard....so I bring you........my latest cup and saucer purchase.  TADA!!!!!!  Yes it is very GAZONGA........but it's also pretty unique, I think, as well.

Then not a few steps away at another table I spotted a cream and sugar set from a Royal Winton breakfast set (for only $10) that caught my eye.  You see, I bought this breakfast set in a pattern that my gramma K had dishes  in........(it's just one of those china patterns that I feel nostalgic about) and the set was incomplete.  Well after a few years I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to find proper replacements for it as the pattern is just not common enough.  So I have been on the lookout for a toast rack and creamer that would blend in without too much conflict.  The shade of yellow in the set is quite pale so it's not going to be easy, but it will be possible.  Well, the job just got a little easier, as I think that this new (for me) little creamer will do the trick......and I think that the creamer (since it has more decorated area on it) was the tougher task to replace.  I do believe it is the best I'll be able to do anyway......and I don't think it's too distracting.......do you???

So, now the search continues for a suitable toast rack to finish the set..........and then........I can use it:)  If you see a little toast rack from a Winton breakfast set....let me know.....see how lonely the set is without one:(

Happy Spring:)

A Blustery Day and Chocolate Chip Cookies

Today has been damp and rainy.  This is weather that can get you down if you encounter too much of it.  For me, that has never happened.  I love the rain.  I love long handled umbrellas with pretty patterns and rain boots to match.  I like to walk in the rain, run in it (if it's a light rain), and I like to sit and watch it through my drippy window while I drink some tea or flip through a book.  (We're drinking Stash's Vanilla Nut Cream Decaf today...yummy) Despite the dampness, I managed to run into town to run a few errands and stop in at a thrift shop I like to support.  I also managed to find a few interesting or useful things.............. and I am supporting a very worthy charity to boot.

I have a few round pudding basins made by Green in my cupboard so this large oval pie dish caught my eye.  After a few moments of deciding if I really needed it........I decided that I didn't really NEED it, but I sure wanted it and it was only $2.50.....so now it is mine.  Now I just have to find out what type of recipe it is meant for.  Feel free to enlighten me if you know.  I'm imagining a pork pie or a shepard's pie???  It is quite large and deep and will hold about 1 liter in volume (4 cups).  I also found some size 3 crochet thread to make some more pot holders, and these vintage needle gauges.......all good stuff. Well I'm off a bit later to a PAC meeting at the school and need to get on with the baking of these yummy chocolate chip cookies.  

They are our favourite recipe as they are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside, and jam packed with chocolate chips.  You can find the recipe for them below if you'd like to try them.  Happy Spring or Fall as the case may be:)
Our Favourite Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp molasses
1 egg, large
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 3/4 cup flour
2 cups chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugar. Add molasses, egg, vanilla, salt and baking soda. Mix in well.  Stir in flour until incorporated, then mix in the chocolate chips until they are distributed evenly.  Chill dough 30 minutes.  Drop by teaspoonful onto a nonstick cookie sheet.  Bake 375F just until edged begin to be golden brown.  This should take about 7 minutes.  To make chocolate chocolate chippers......add 1/3 cup cocoa powder and decrease the flour by 1/4 cup.

Little Red Finds........Little Red Books

It was one of those days when you have great luck finding things that you didn't even know you needed.  OK...so maybe I didn't need a darned thing......but never the less, I managed to come across two things I could use.  I just happened to be preparing for another swap-bot swap that was requiring a bit of red cross stitch.  Well......I don't really know if I've ever done cross stitch before......scratch that.....I just remembered doing an orange owl cross stitch picture with my gramma when I was little.  I can picture it now.....the stitches were huge.  They must have been 1 cm across (no exaggeration) I wonder where that picture went??  I have done much more needle point and petite point than cross stitch...but not to say I've done tons.  I'm not sure why I've never done a lot of cross stitch.....but I think I prefer the petite point and needle point designs and am not so fond of traditional 'cute' cross stitch patterns.....who knows.  

The cutest cross stitch I've ever seen was done by my gramma on the sleeves of a Ukrainian shirt that she had made for my mother when mom was just  a little girl.  I remember 2 rows of rainbow coloured roosters stitched up the side sleeves of a soft linen shirt.  It was just the prettiest thing ever.  I wish I knew  where that shirt was now.

The second book I found is equally as fun as the first and is filled with East Coast mitten patterns...how fun it that....more on that one another time...

Since I knew I had to find a suitable bit of red cross stitch to complete my swap project.......I decided that I must have this book, and it is just plumb full of patterns recovered from vintage pieces.  I have a bit of renewed interest in cross stitch now and am making a bit of progress.  I have never been fond of the look of aida cloth, but it has made this first attempt easier...I think.  Well only a little bit more cross stitching needed for another matching piece and I can start to put things together.  Do you have any idea what I might be making?  

I bet you can figure it out!  BTW there is a mistake in my work....but I'm hoping it's not that noticeable.....because OMG is it hard to rip out.......I know this from a bit of practice on this piece already.  So I think I'll call this error my Amish Quilting error.......so it's supposed to be there....OK!

Thrift Shop Goodness.....mostly:)

There hasn't been a lot of time to get out and enjoy the thrift shops lately.....but I did manage to squeeze in a few quick trips and pick up some things here and there.  I found three pretty tins on two different occasions....one of which I had in mind for my mother.....but with any luck she'll not like it......then they'll be mine.....ALL MINE....(insert evil laugh here).  I also found a beautiful large pitcher perfect for summer lemonade......cannot wait to put that into use.

The red and turquoise tin is already in use and will soon be on it's way to tonight's parent meeting at the school.  I've been busy trying lots of new baking recipes for another post  that I'm getting ready for, and  have been doing a wee bit of sewing here and some embroidery there as well.  The pin cushion above  (just finished it) will soon be mailed for one of the PIF's I'd promised.  Busy here....keeps me out of trouble I suppose.  Now.....one more batch of cookies to bake, supper to cook and it's time to get going to that meeting.  I hope you are having a productive and enjoyable week as well!

Yoyo Biscuits

Poor Ike was the only kid to show up for the Parent Advisory Council meeting at the school last night:( He always wants to go since the kids get to use the computer room during the meeting .......and there are usually lots of kids there= lots of fun. Not so, last night....poor kid. In need of a new bake up for the meeting....I decided to try a recipe suggested by a previous blog visitor. I tried the Yoyo recipe from the Edmonds Cookery Book. After glancing at the recipe....I saw that they are very much looking like a short bread cookie, prettied up a bit by joining two cookies with a bit of butter cream. Both the cookie and the frosting were flavoured with custard powder. The custard powder (1/4 cup of it) also provided the cornstarch to the cookie that made me think of short bread. The cookie is a nice shortbread, and the frosting added a bit of extra interest. I found the single recipe made only 14 completed cookies for me instead of the 20 suggested in the recipe, so I made a double batch. I would definitely make these much smaller next time with about 1 level tsp of dough each, to make them easier to eat. We ended up pulling them apart to eat them like an Oreo. I flavoured half of the frosting with raspberry jam and a pinch of red colouring to pink them up. If you like short bread, you will most likely like these, and they are a nice shortbread.

If you'd like to give them a go, here is the recipe. New teapot set and cup and saucer set from ebay........... and a new pot holder from the thrift shops.........I know.....I need to stop:) So far the consensus from the short bread likers is two thumbs up!

Yoyos
175 g butter
1/4 cup icing sugar
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups four
1/4 cup custard powder

Butter Filling
50g butter , softened
1/2 cup icing sugar
2 tbsp custard powder

Cream butter and icing sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Sift flour and custard powder together. Mix sifted ingredients into creamed mixture. Roll teaspoonful of mixture into balls. Place on a cookie sheet and flatten each ball with a fork. Bake 180C for 15-20 minutes. When cold, sandwich together in twos with Butter Filling.

Butter Filling
Beat all ingredients together until well blended.

note: I baked at 350F for about 10 minutes, removing once there was a slight goldening on some of the cookies. Bake too long and they will become sandy and dry, so do remove them at the first signs of browning.

Thread Crochet and Vintage Patterns

So.........You probably don't know this.........I have a thing for thread crocheted hot pads. When I find them (which I suppose is thankfully not that often) I always buy them. They remind me of ones one grama made when I was little. These days you will only find such things at thrift shops or antique stores.....thrift shops being my preference as they are usually less than a dollar each. I use them all......all the time (I use them to set my teapot on to catch any drips)....so I can say that they are not going to waste. For some strange unexplained reason....I will also buy vintage pattern books for knitting or crochet. This is strange to me as I'm pretty sure that following these patterns is at the very edge of my capabilities....but I just keep buying them anyway. I've now signed up for a swap (hosted by this crafty gal) to make a thread crochet item for the kitchen.....mostly to force myself to get on with it and use some of these darned pattern books. If you stop in at her blog link above....take a minute to check out the link to her etsy shop.....she makes the most beautifully crafted crochet rolls for storing you hooks. I have one and I just love it:)

Thread crochet, more than anything, has frightened me the most....It seems much more difficult than crocheting with yarn......whether it is or not....I don't know.....it just seems that way to me. Since I picked up a bag of 2 1/2 balls of pretty aqua cotton yarn, I thought I try something with it, in the interest of continueing to make progress with my granny a day project. It's about as thick as a sock yarn, but I'm not sure what the recommended hook or needle size would be. I used a 3.5mm hook....and decided to try a little and see how difficult it really was. After a lot of you tube coaching.....I've made some progress. It took me one evening (with a bit of you tubing) to make the first side....the second side was quite a bit quicker. So there you have it...my first crocheted hot pad. I decided to try a free pattern from Priscilla Hewitt in the kitchen section called scalloped potholder. It turned out to be 6 inches (or 15cm) since I used thinner yarn than recommended by the pattern. (It would have been 8 inches had I used the recommended worsted weight yarn. I think I may try one or two more before moving on to a thinner cotton thread.....but so far so good and it has been fun!

Yummy Vintage Kids Books

There are some things that just take you back. Sometimes it's the smell of Playdoh or Dettol, an old song from way back or maybe a recipe your mom used to make that you haven't had in years. Lot's of times for me....all it takes is a walk through one of my favourite thrift stores. It never fails to amuse me when I find a little something that I remember from the houses I grew up in or the home of a relative or even a friend. Several years ago when Ike was about 2, I found this book in one of the local thrift shops. It's binding had fallen off and the cover was threatening the same......but I just had to have it.....(plus it was only 29 cents) I remembered this book so very well from when I was little.

For me, children's books have ALWAYS been about the illustrations, and Elizabeth Brozowska is one of my favourites. When I saw this sorry little copy....I just had to take it home, mend it and read it to Ike. I don't know if Ike appreciates its quaint and colourful pages.......but I still do.

This story was particularly well suited for Ike as he is also not a big eater.....although breakfast is not a meal he has issue with. Never the less.....I think he got the message. This is one of the books (and there are quite a few now) that I will hold on to.

Post Christmas Shopping

I finally had the chance to hit the thrift stores! It was a fairly productive stop too. I found some small dishes...perfect for tea and cake, a cute teabag holder, a vintage card and some very nicely done vintage embroidery sets.

You never know what you'll find when you aren't really looking for anything;)

The Vintage Teacup and the Texas Sheet Cake

Things have been busy...yes they have. But not so busy that there is no time for Ebay, Etsy, and baking. Yesterday I got a sweet package in the mail. It was a lovely cup and saucer I purchased to give to a friend. This friend likes black cup and saucer sets and when I spied this one on Ebay I knew it would be perfect for her. And if it isn't....then it's perfect for me. There is always a moment of trepidation when you unwrap china that has come by post. You have to hope that the seller has truly inspected the item for damage before shipping, and that Canada Post has not dropped the item 16 times on the way to the door. As I pulled the cup from it's bubble wrap coat, and gave the edge a little tap.......it made a beautiful pinging sound telling me that it was perfectly fine. Sadly the saucer made a dull thud when I tapped it..... Well.....I spent the better part of 30 minutes trying to find the crack that I knew must be there.......and eventually I found it. The seller refunded me 50% of the sale price of the set....and none of the shipping. I'm not certain how I am supposed to feel about that, as I would not have bought the item if it was described as having a crack.....but from the sellers perspective, he is taking my word that the crack exists, and it is better than nothing. Now I have another set to add to my damaged collection which is good for kids tea parties at least.......or it could become a pin cushion like this one:) I really wish sellers would take the second it takes to ping their china before wrapping it up to send. It would save everyone a lot of grief:(

As I mentioned, I also made time for some baking as well. I had received a recipe from a recipe swap that I wanted to give a try and last night was the night. I found it to be an interesting method, and really liked the cake it produced. Very moist and fairly dense cake. Very delicious with a glass of cold milk or a cup of hot tea.....or even coffee if that's your thing. Give it a try....I think you'll like it!

Texas Sheet Cake

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp baking soda

Sift all the above together and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan place:
1 cup water
1 cup butter or margarine

Bring water and butter to a boil and remove from heat. Add the sifted flour mixture to the pot and stir well.

Add to the pot:
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour cream
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat thoroughly and bake in a greased sheet cake pan (10" X 15") for about 25 minutes at 350 F. (Until toothpick in center comes out clean)


Icing

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup cocoa
6 tbsp cream or milk

Heat above icing ingredients in a saucepan to simmer. Remove from heat and add 1 lb of icing sugar (confectioners sugar or powdered sugar). Beat smooth with mixer. Spread on hot cake and sprinkle with 3/4-1 cup crushed pecans if you like. My husband won't eat them so I didn't put them on...but I would like them I think.

Quick Thrifting and Home in Time for Pad Thai

Thrift store hunting started for me when I was in need of maternity clothes and there were no maternity wear stores in my town. It naturally then spread to baby and toddler clothes for my son, which also worked well for me since there was also no Gap or Old Navy in my town either. Now that Ike is out of the smaller sizes it is more difficult to find clothes there in good condition for him....but I soon discovered that there were more departments that I might find items of interest in. These areas have grown to include the china and glass section (for cups and saucers, platters, swanky swigs), the craft section (for embroidery floss, wool yarn, knitting needles, vintage buttons, rickrack....you never know what you'll find?) and now the linen section (for linen tea towels and vintage sheets). I really like the idea that these items are getting a second chance rather than going to landfill and in a lot of cases these items are well crafted (meant to last) and hopefully stylish in a vintage kind of way. You just never know what you might find and it's kind of exciting when you do find something you'll love. It's even amusing, at times, when you are browsing and come across something that you recognize from your past.

Sometimes you're lucky and sometimes your not when it comes to thrift store hunting. It does take time and persistence. This past week, I managed to pick up a few things.....that I felt I needed. I've been collecting vintage sheets now for the past year and managed to find a few more to round out my collection. One of these days (hopefully today)....I'll get around to cutting some of this up to start my project! I also found some vintage sewing and crochet booklets, crochet thread, buttons, a swanky swig glass and a great little Royal Worchester egg coddler. How much fun is that? After my quick thrifting fix, I squeezed in the door with just enough time for a quick supper.....and you guessed it....it was Pad Thai. The recipe is below and this time I made it with all shrimp....because that's what I had in the freezer. I really like this recipe........well....because I love Pad Thai......and because it's pretty quick! I serve it with a little wedge of lime, ground peanuts, hot sauce, and a spoon of sugar on the side.

Pad Thai
1/4 lb sliced pork
1/4 lb shelled shrimp
1 lb (wet) sen lek (rice) noodles

1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced chili

1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
1 1/2 tbsp tamarind juice
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp paprika

1/2 cup shredded ginger
1/3 lb bean sprouts
1 tbsp crushed peanuts

Devein shrimp, rinse and drain. Heat 1 tbsp oil and stir fry drained noodles until hot. Set aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil then stir fry garlic and chili until fragrant; add meat and shrimp, then stir fry until colour changes. Add eggs and stir fry until slightly dry. Add remaining ingredients and noodles then stir fry briefly. May sprinkle on lime juice and serve.

*To prepare (1/2lb) dry noodles. Soak noodles in cold water until softened and doubled in weight. (about 1 hour)
*Make tamarind juice by soaking 2 oz(56g) of tamarind with 1 cup warm water then filter the mixture.

Some of These Things are Just Like the Others

Look who caught my eye in Toronto. While stopping in Toronto for a few days with Ike.......we just HAD to stop by China Town. It is one of my must do things every time I go there. This trip we had a small shopping list from Grama to complete before we could leave. The shopping is very hard work for Ike and there was a little bit of complaining........ but not too much. It was a few hours of walking...so it was good exercise too:) While in the shop we needed to stop in for Grama, I chanced upon this cute little teapot. Since I had not purchased much on this trip....I didn't feel the least bit guilty indulging in this small purchase. When I saw it I thought it might suit these little mugs I found earlier in the year in a thrift shop. Hmmmmm..... I think I may feel a collection coming on.

Look What the Mailman Brought :)

I've had a pick up slip from the post office sitting on my front hall table for the last few days. Just waiting for the right moment to pick it up. It didn't look like it was going to happen today.....because it snowed AGAIN! But as the day wore on the snow on the roads melted and it became safe to drive. Lots is going on with the school's next social event coming up tomorrow, so after meeting to discuss last minute duties, I hopped over to the post office and collected this little package. I've been patiently awaiting its arrival for the last two months. It came all the way from Australia, and arrived today without a scratch! I've been wanting a tennis set or snack set for some time now and this one fit the bill. I got to try it out already with a new cookie recipe I found here while checking the blogs. Nice cookie.....very fudgey! I was being pestered to fill up the cookie jar.......and while this recipe didn't fill it....it did make enough to not have the cookie jar feel so empty. For me the recipe made 30 nice sized cookies and they did not flatten out too much in the baking so it's a good thing I flattened them by hand before baking! I found at 350 F (using convection) they were done in 8 minutes. Next time I'll try even a few minutes less to get a more chewy center.

Double Chocolate Pecan Cookies (Julie Le Clerc Magazine)

125g butter
1 ¼ c brown sugar
1 egg
1 c flour
¼ c self raising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/3 c cocoa powder
¾ c chopped pecans
¾ c chocolate chips

· Beat together butter and sugar , then add egg
· Mix in all dry ingredients and then the pecans and chocolate chips
· Roll into balls and put on tray, leaving room for spreading
· Flatten slightly and bake at 180c for 15-18 minutes
Cool on wire racks

Thrift Store Refashioning is a Cool Idea!

From my likeable links menu you can see than Grosgrain is one of the places I like to stop by just to see what is new. I really liked this idea......and since I do like to frequent the thrift shops....and I do mean frequently.......I am feeling a little challenged to give a little project like this a go. I think I might need to go .....right now! Click on the link below to have a look at the lovely job she did with the thrifted dress she found and see the 'before' picture. Absolutely adorable....at least I think so!
Summer of 69 Thrift Store Refashion Frock GIVEAWAY!!!!

Tea and Toast

What do you have when you wake up at 3am and are feeling restless and a little peckish?? Well, for me it was a pot of tea and a piece of toast......cinnamon toast that is. Does anyone make cinnamon toast any more? It was the snack of choice at my gramma's house when I was a little girl. At both gramma's come to think of it. Gramma K would make it with lots of butter melted into hot toast and a good sprinkle of cinnamon and white sugar that would soak right into the buttery toast and turn a delicious shade of cocoa brown. Gramma B would make it also with lots of butter, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a decadent layer of brown sugar to top it off. I went for years without having a slice of cinnamon toast and just recently have got back into it as one day I was trying to think of a quick snack to make for Ike....... and I realized that Ike had never had a slice of cinnamon toast. (at least not at home) Of course Ike liked it....because...well...who doesn't like cinnamon toast???

And just in case you're interested.....I enjoyed a cuppa tea along with it in my new (new to me that is) cup and saucer compliments of Value Village. Well not complementary mind you....I did pay for it. But a good price ($10), and although I'm not looking to expand my collection at this time I felt the need to own it as it matches this tea set that my mom bought for my birthday while on a trip through Victoria several years back. It is my most often used teapot because it is the perfect size for one or two and I like that the spout does not drip. While the pattern of the teas set is Camellia and Bows by St George China, and the new cup and saucer is Camilla (Yuck) by Royal Albert, the decal is identical (mind you without the bows). I also bought another cup and saucer that was so very pretty but obviously had a severe issue as when I pinged it....it just went thud. On very close inspection there was in fact a very long hairline crack. End of the story is, after much discussion with the store manager who was not satisfied that there was anything wrong with the cup and saucer until he could see the crack, he sold it to me for $2 instead of $20. You'll be seeing that cup and saucer shortly in another post.....I hope.

Well it's morning now and breakfast was a toasted Bacon, Tomato, and Cheese sandwich for Ike (with a bit of Miracle Whip and salt and pepper) and a toasted English Muffin sandwich with cheese and bacon for me. Yum! We ate our breakfast at the table and looked out at this. Doesn't it just look like spring??? Oh it's coming!.....There are buds on the trees already.(really!, enlarge the photo and you'll see).....plus we have 7 more days to get rid of this snow....easy peasy:0 As a point of reference regarding snow depth.....the small circle directly in front of the long line of cedars is our bird bath.

It was a Lovely Lellow Weekend

We had a lovely (although mostly indoor) weekend....partly due to the fact that Ike is suffering from a bit of a cold, which we are slowly succumbing to....and partly due to the little cold snap we are experiencing here. It gave us time to work on some model building, and some pizza making...both things that Ike likes! I took the opportunity on Saturday to go into town for some groceries and made a quick stop into the thrift store...as it happened...there were a few things with my name on them....and they all seemed to be yellow (or lellow as Ike said back when he was 1 1/2 years old). The yellow sheet is brand new and has been added to my vintage sheet pile. I have a project in mind for them and have been collecting them for a few months now....more on that a little later! I was also pretty pleased with the little yellow Royal Albert Pin dish and........ well, all of it actually....or I guess I would have left it in the store:) Later on we juiced some fruit (another one of Ike favourite activities) because we had a mango which was getting too soft to eat......and it was lellow too...well kind of anyway! Yummy mango, strawberry, pear and apple juice.......Ike figured it was just the right combination to fight off those pesky cold germs!

Chai Tea Latte at Home

Hard to believe it's March already:0 but here we are! It really feels like all my recent posts have been predominantly about food... so I will make a conscious effort to post some more crafty things over the next few posts. But until then, have a drink on me.

I have been known at times to appreciate the pretentious atmosphere of the local Starbucks certainly just as well as the next sheep. But not being a coffee drinker limited me to steamed milk for quite some time....but after a while they offered (or at least I noticed that they offered) the tea lattes. I had been served chai tea many years ago when visiting the home of one of my university professors. They steeped regular Tetley Orange Pekoe teas along with one cinnamon stick, 5 green cardammom pods, and 3 whole cloves. It made a nice lightly spiced Chai which was as close to how tea was made 'back home' for them. I found it quite enjoyable as it was not overly spiced as many Chai Teas available here can be. At the time I did not realize that this was Chai Tea as Chai Tea was not being sold here is as much variety as it is today. Every now and again I will make a pot just as my professor did.........but now I've been turned on to the Chai Tea Latte, and the Matcha Tea Latte, and the London Fog....all of which can be easily and much more cost effectively made at home. Today I made myself a Chai Tea Latte....and it was equally as good as Starbucks if I do say so myself and $4 cheaper. I used the grocery store brand which I happen to like as it's a bit chocolaty and not overly spicy. It's absolutely amazing to me the amount of money people will deem to be disposable........at 2 visits a week that's $440 per year for one person....yikes! Compared to the one I can make at home for less that $0.50 and all those paper cups and sleeves not going to landfill.....I think I'll make my own. Don't get me wrong......a few times each year I do enjoy the chance to soak up the atmosphere with a friend....but I'd have to have more money than brains to do it regularly........

Chai Tea Latte

6 oz skim milk
1 bag chai tea
1 tsp vanilla syrup

Heat milk and tea bag in a small sauce pan over medium heat just until it begins to simmer. Remove from heat, remove bag and pour steeped milk into your cup. (My china mug is from a local thrift store) Add vanilla syrup and enjoy:)

If you don't happen to have vanilla syrup around.....and it's actually quite weird that I had some, you could make you own simple syrup solution and throw a vanilla bean in it to steep and make enough to use in the future, or just sweeten the tea with a tsp of sugar (to taste) and a splash of vanilla extract.