Spring has sprung

at least it's starting!

While out walking the dog we saw the first flowers in the neighbourhood.

I checked around our maple for some shoots but none yet. I hope the squirrels haven't found my bulbs!

Getting motivated to clean house

I had plans for the day. really. And they sure didn't involve cleaning.

...But...the dust, the dog hair - oh yes, our sweet pea sheds tons - and all the daily grime that gets tracked through the house. I couldn't keep the blinders on any longer. The cleaning began.

I started with dishes left over from watching the Olympics last night. Stripped the kids' beds and got the laundry going. I desperately need to vacuum upstairs and the front entry. And let's face it, the whole house.

I don't know anyone who loves to clean and god knows I don't. I'll leave it as long as I can.

Until I get disgusted.
Or I get in the mood.
It does happen.

We have a small house and if the kids don't find homes for their stuff I start looking to pitch things.

The best way to motivate myself is to invite friends over. That way, I get good company, yummy food and am left with a clean house when they leave.

I suspect that if we pretended we were selling our house, things would get done too. But, having watched friends go through the process for real, I'm not ready for the stress of an always clean house.

So, I've embraced the reality of living with two kids and a dog in an untidy, sometimes dirty house.
Just not for today.

Should you get the urge, here are a couple links you might find helpful:

• Real Simple's daily cleaning checklist
• Natural Factors has some good homemade green cleaners

Spiced Butternut Cranberry Squares?

I was reading Inside Storey blog today and saw a post by Amy Cotler for Spiced Butternut Cranberry Squares made with local ingredients. They sounded delicious so I had to try.

I knew I didn't have a butternut squash but figured I'd use pumpkin from the freezer - and hey, it was local. So were my eggs.

Wouldn't you know I was just about out of white sugar! Well I often use less than called for so instead of 2 C of white, I used ½C white and ½C brown sugar.

End result is maybe not as sweet but...loaded with tart cranberries, sweet apple and loads of spicy flavour.  The kids loved it and the recipe is a keeper!


If you're going to try, you may want to use a 9x9 pan. Mine was so light it rose well above the edge of the 8x8 pan.

Inspiration on a wet winter day

Today it's snowing...or is it raining now?
I shovelled.

It snowed on Tuesday.
I shovelled.

It snowed on Wednesday.
I shovelled.

This winter doesn't want to go.

Looked for inspiration on the web and found lots to take my mind off winter. I wanted to share Marie Claire Idées with you. I love this magazine for craft ideas. But the blog didn't have exactly what I wanted to show you... 

A search on Marie Claire Idées brought to a blog on French style with beautiful pictures. From there I found an awesome artist who works in tin. Her work was features on a UK design blog. So follow my trail, way more fun than wet winter weather.

No-fail Chocolate Cake

Best friends & family, a birthday and chocolate cake - what could be better? Our daughter made the cake! She is quite the baker and we had fun together in the kitchen.

This is my go-to recipe when I need a cake and don't have time to fuss. There is no separate beating and folding of egg whites here. And I always have the ingredients in the pantry. If I'm missing butter, I can use margarine. Low on milk? I've used yogurt or sour cream. It always turns out.

Light, moist and chocolaty. And it works with whatever icing you like: chocolate, orange, German chocolate cake topping, or one of my favourites, cherries and whipped cream.

The recipe has been my family's birthday cake for close to 50 years. Here it is, my birthday present to you.

Birthday Chocolate Cake     

350degrees, 30 minutes

makes 2 9" layers or 2 8" layers and 12 cupcakes

1 Cup	butter or margarine
2 Cups	sugar
2	eggs
10 Tbsp	cocoa
2 tsp	vanilla
2 Cups	milk
3 Cups	flour
2 tsp	baking soda

Cream butter and sugar until light.
Beat in eggs.
Add cocoa.
Stir vanilla into milk.
Mix flour and baking soda together.
Alternate adding milk mixture and flour to butter/sugar/eggs/cocoa mixture.
Beat until smooth.
Pour into greased and/or lined pans.
Bake until cake tester comes out clean ~30mins.

Enjoy the praise!

Why wear an apron?

Seeing a woman wear an apron lets you know she loves to create…You just naturally think, “What is she making?”

The quote is from the article “What is she making” by Jeannie Pierce in the Artists in Aprons issue of MaryJanes Farm. If you're at all interested in stiching, farm life or strong women, you should check it out.

Growing up, there were always a few aprons hanging up by the fridge in my house. My mom wore one daily as she went about her work.

Now I wear one in the kitchen when I’m making messes – bread, dinner or cookies. And I want one for holding clothes pins when I hang my laundry out in the warm weather.

An apron says I’m doing something important. And it ties me to past generations of women in my family. Kinda’ grounding.

Here’s what I’m working with to make a new one:

Need some inspiration? Check out some great aprons for sale on Etsy. The gallery is constantly changing. Another site for vintage-style aprons is Cupcake Provocateur.

So go ahead. Tie one on!

Top 5 lessons from Blogging for Bliss

After months of dithering over having a blog, I finally jumped into the blogosphere with the encouragement and knowledge I got from Blogging for Bliss by Tara Frey. Here’s what I learned.

1. Just start blogging – now!
By very definition blogs are dynamic. You can always change layouts, features, and design as you refine your focus and find your voice.

2. Photographs and other visual elements are important. Tara teaches you how to:

• Take better pictures
• Add tweak images with software
• Choose fonts
• Create your own banner or find sources for banners
• Add sidebar fancies

3. Tara covers all the basics for getting started.
In her book, Tara provides:

• Advice on choosing a platform along with set-up instructions for leading blog platforms including Blogger and Typepad
• Suggestions for building traffic for your blog
• An overview of basic blog elements, technical terminology and blog etiquette

4. Blogging for Bliss introduces you to some great craft blogs. Some of my favourites include:

http://housewrenstudio.typepad.com/

http://theblackapple.typepad.com/

http://stitchindye.blogspot.com/

5. Tara’s book gave me tons of inspiration and encouragement.

Blogging for Bliss is full of beautiful images that made me want to create something equally inspiring. I have high hopes for improvement – it’s a work in progress :)! And at the end of the day, I felt like I had someone in my corner, someone who gave me the confidence to get out into the blog world and have my say.

Thank you Tara!