Monday, September 30, 2013

Come Together


Yesterday my Facebook status read...

There are some places you can go and totally be yourself ~ no expectations and no judgement. Last night was one of those nights so thank you Tracey for hosting our little girls reunion and thanks to Susan, Krista, KellieAnn, Tammy, Kim & Laurie for showing up ~ sharing stories and making us all laugh ~ what a wonderful group of friends. — feeling blessed.



I have talked about this group of friends before
they are the ones that you love to see ~ not just to play
"remember when"
but to invest in their lives ~ find out what is new
how are the folks, the kids, the pets
sharing stories

I always say thank goodness for FB for helping us keep in touch
and plan gatherings like this one and the lunch date I had last month


Kim, Sue, Kellieann, Krista, Tracey, Lori & Tammy out front

I got all sappy at one point of the evening and said
you know ~ I wasn't worried about having to have my nails done
or my hair coloured
I could come here in sweats and know that I would be welcomed
with open arms

we have seen each other at our best and our worst
in happy times and sad ones
we have wiped away tears and baby spit up

we talked about everything under the sun
who have you seen?  do you know where so and so is now?
music ~ what are you listening to?
tv shows ~ don't you just love Deacon on Nashville?
and of course we did a LOT of reminiscing as well


I have a hat box full of trinkets from my 17 years of working here
and leave it to Kellieann to dig into it and surprise us all out in the gazebo
with a little impromptu fashion show



this is Laurie ~ closest thing I had to a big sister for a whole lotta years
she was my manager ~ my mentor ~ my friend
she was the one that would give me an 11 am wakeup call on Sunday mornings
when I was a carefree single living on my own
good times ~ good times

I miss that we do not see each other that often anymore
but with 2 kids ~ involved in sports ~ well there you have it
she does have a new puppy so we talked about a dog park date soon!


we missed a few that were able to make it last time but not this one
and a few that were planning to come but couldn't

the only way to remedy that is to have another one sooner than later

looking at these pictures make me smile
I truly am blessed.

xo

Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday Potpourri


Autumn has arrived
and it's been a chilly ~ rainy ~ soup making kind of week

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via

last weekend was a busy one
chow making ~ baking ~ mailing ~ shopping
picking up loved ones from the train station
and Sunday tea kinda weekend

after a non stop Saturday I had the family here for tea, coffee and sweets on Sunday
my Aunt is here visiting from Ontario and it was the best opportunity to 
gather everyone in one place ~ it was a great day.

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via

via

out a couple of nights this week
but laying low ~ I am a tv junkie and it is premiere week
so I cozied up with my furry daughter
under a blanket and just relaxed

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via

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I am looking so forward to tomorrow night
as I am getting together with these girls again
it's been 5 years and that has been too long
can't wait!


Hope you have a wonderful weekend!



Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Relish the Thought....


I like to try different things ~ step outside my comfort zone once in awhile
and although my mother in law in the one that
makes the jam and pickles in the family
I decided to give it a go this year

I made mustard relish one year
and peach freezer jam
I must have been going through a Martha phase or something

then I made hot dog relish
and it was a success ~ thankfully the recipe lasts us about 2 years
so that is a every other year kind of job 

canning is a LOT of work
especially when you work full time
outside the home and have 2 days a week
to get it all done as coming home at 6:30 and pickling
is not high on my list of things I like to do after work

so this year I thought I would make my boy's favourite relish
Chow Chow


I am not a fan but I got the recipe from my girlfriend
and decided to give it a go

it's pretty simple actually with basic ingredients
green tomatoes, onions, sugar and vinegar
easy peasy

I am pleased to say that it turned our perfectly
and tastes good too ~ so I have been told

for anyone wanting the recipe
here you go:

Chow Chow
5 1/2 lbs green tomatoes - stem ends and cores removed, sliced
1 1/2 lbs onions, cut up
1/3 cup coarse (pickling) salt
3 1/3 cups granulated sugar
4 1/2 tbsp mixed pickling spice - tied in a double layer of cheesecloth
2 tsp tumeric
2 cups white vinegar

Layer tomato, onion and salt in a large saucepan.  Cover and let stand on counter overnight.
Drain
Add 4 remaining ingredients.  Vinegar should just be a bit visible as too much will make excessive juice.  Heat until sugar is dissolved.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer uncovered stirring occasionally for 2 hours.  More tumeric can be added for colour and more sugar can be added for taste.  In order to obtain and accurate taste cool a spoonful and then sample.  
Discard cheesecloth bag.  Pour into hot prepared pint jars within 1/2 inch of top.  Place lids on jars and screw metal bands on securely.  For added assurance against spoilage, you may choose to process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes.  Makes 4 pints ~ 8 cups. 

Trevor was not home when I made it so I ran next door for the "taste test"
I did not add any extra sugar or tumeric and the finished product is shown here.

Enjoy with any type of meat or scalloped potatoes.

Let me know if you try it ~ it's a Maritime favourite!!


Friday, September 20, 2013

Summer Wrapup


With tomorrow being the first day of fall
I thought it fitting to do an end of the summer wrap up today
instead of my usual Friday post


this summer was love ~ no matter how you slice it
looking back we did not do a whole lot 
but what we did do ~ was done with the sun shining on our faces
and love in our hearts


June brought middle school graduation
a junior prom and gorgeous pink peonies


along with trips to the cottage ~ rhubarb from the farm
and wildflowers


July was walks down old familiar roads


the views that fill my heart


sun shining through the trees


and a visit to the past


We kicked August off at the cottage with the best neighbours ever
we walked the beach, roasted marshmallows
went exploring and I had so much fun showing them the places that I love


Vacation was incredible ~ we made some new memories
with family at the camp ~ love these reunions


and spent some quality time with the girls
and our friends too


Labour Day weekend was back to the cottage
finishing off vacation right before getting back into the swing of things
called routine and September.

I loved going back through the pictures from over the past 3 months
and I hope you enjoy the ones I chose and put together to share.

Have a wonderful weekend.

xo


Monday, September 16, 2013

At The Fair


Sunday after breakfast
we had a couple of options of what to do with our day

it was open farm day which we took advantage of last year
and had fun going to some local farms
to see how things work and to see the animals

it was also the 100th anniversary of
the Albert County Exhibition


I have never ever been
which is kind of weird since it has been basically in our own backyard
the past 99 years!




it was a gorgeous day
rides ~ games ~ animals
yup ~ we are in the country and I love it!




I loved the goats ~ they were so darn cute


we were in and out of every barn and when I turned the corner and saw this
I stopped in my tracks ~ no relation ~ but think that it is kinda cool all the same




so many ribbons in the horse barn

of course we walked and walked 
stopped and watched what was going on in the ring
then went into Exhibition Hall

this was county fair all the way




all the winners were on display from potatoes to pies
to flowers and quilts
each sporting their ribbons



Trev of course loved the old tractors and equipment


now I could not go to the fair and not have a candy apple
that is illegal isn't it?


it was a perfect afternoon.

What did you do over the weekend?