better living in five minutes a day

Better living via suziebeezieland

Exhibit A: a dead plant sitting in front of the tv. With apologies for a freakly bright flash.

Exhibit B: a beautiful new pencil caddy.

ten on tuesday

10. Is it crazy to want to make your own crackers?

9. I am keen on trying to find an old printers type case for holding spices, found here.

8. Yes, I'm awake at 2:47am.

7. I have never been so busy at work as I am right now. I can hardly think straight.

6. life:beautiful magazine has the most beautiful photography I've ever seen in a magazine.

5. We saw Valkyrie on the weekend. How can a movie cause so much anxiety when you know how it ends?! I had also wanted to see The Reader, but thought it was probably too much for one weekend.

4. Our amarilyis is almost ready to bloom. It's the first bulb I've ever forced indoors and it's been exciting to watch it grow.

3. If I get motivated I would have time to read all the finalists in Canada Reads 2009. But really, it's not so much about the books. It's all about hearing what Avi Lewis has to say.

2. Tomorrow's forecast: high of +3, rain turning to snow in the afternoon. Fun times.

1. I'm going to try and go to sleep again, wish me luck.

cookie of the month

In 2008 Mindi had a year of cookies on her blog and she had some great recipes. Her photography is amazing too. But, it's inspired me to do some baking this year too. I realized that I bought this baking mat last June or July and I had never used it yet. Shame on me! It works like a charm, the cookies slide right off of it.

January's cookie - oatmeal raisin from the October/November 1998 issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion.

Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

makes about 30

3 eggs, well beaten
1 cup raisins
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/3 cups brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking soda
2 cups oatmeal, quick-cooking
3/4 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

1. Combine eggs, raisins and vanilla in a bowl and let stand, covered, for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Cream together butter and sugars. Add flour, salt, cinnamon, and baking soda. Mix well.
4. Add raisin mixture, oatmeal and optional choppped nuts. Dough may seem a little dry; don't worry.
5.Drop by tablespoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 2" apart.
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on rack.

menus

We had great success with menu planning last week, so I'm going to give it another try. I know that I rely a lot on Everyday Food, but it's a perfect resource for me. It's especially good because it includes the nutritional information I'm looking for.

Sunday:
potluck bible study - greek salad and frozen appetizers (supposed to be spanikopita, but could only find samosas and cheese sticks at the store)

Monday:
pork stir fry

Tuesday:
slow cooker peppers

Wednesday:
pumpkin pancakes

Thursday:
chicken with herbed couscous

Friday:
chicken burgers

Saturday:
slow cooker pork ribs

think kindly

Tricia is sharing these lovely bookmarks and matching bookplates on her website. So sweet, they make me thing of spring. Found via One Pretty Thing.

for next year

Some ideas for christmas that I just never got around to doing this year. Maybe next year. Or there's always 2010.

salt dough ornaments and oragami wreaths

caramels

white paper decorations and garland

december daily album. seriously. need. to. do. this. next. year.

holiday :: village

nordic house ornaments

christmas tree softies



and as an aside:

did you see the "just add water" mini-paintings? too cute!!
all the little people in my life are getting these sometime soon!

sweet land

I got the movie Sweet Land for Christmas this year. It's wonderful. Being a sometimes fiesty german who doesn't seem to mesh with the norwegians around her, I could relate. It's very well done. I also recommend reading A Gravestone Made of Wheat, the story it's based on.

menus

Sunday
soy glazed salmon
spinach risotto

Monday
souvlaki
grilled peppers

Tuesday
carrot ginger soup (everday food jan/feb 2007)
baking powder biscuits

Wednesday
slow cooker rice and beans

Thursday
cheddar horseradish bugers
coleslaw

Friday
split pea soup

Saturday
pizza - maybe even going out?!

some christmas crafting

How can it be 2009 already? Poof, it seems like I just blinked and a whole year is gone. Everything was so delayed this year, I'm sure most people haven't received their chirstmas cards yet. But I'm ahead of the game for January birthdays :)

This is what I was up to in December:

several hot water bottle covers














a receiving blanket for a new baby














bottles of cheer, all prettied up



















jars of chunky chocolate cookie mix














lavendar bath fizzies



















coasters














some thank you notes














I missed pictures of monkey in a tree bread that we made. We actually found foil christmas tree pans at Superstore this year and it was fun to use them. Oh, and missed pictures of the homemade marshmallows. Very tasty and very fun to make. We just used vanilla, I think peppermint would be heavenly next time.

operation NICE

While I was familiar with Random Acts of Kindness, I had never heard of Operation NICE. Check it out.
2009 needs niceness!

geburtstagskalender

Last year I received this perpetual birthday calendar from my friend in Germany. The illustrations are by Silke Leffler and are quite enchanting. It sits all by itself on a wall that leads from the kitchen into the dining room. It needs to be moved to a more friendly corner where I can actually pay attention to it. I had no idea she was such a famous artist! Thanks for filling me in Suzanne!

danish paper hearts

My maternal grandfather came from Denmark (my great-great grandfather was a guard at the Danish royal palace). There are a few traditions that held on when they came to Canada, like the big christmas dinner being on Christmas Eve and the fact that my grandpa never makes a sandwich with two slices of bread (always open-faced!). When I was young my mom taught us how to make these heart baskets for the Christams tree. They had to be made with shiny, foil paper, and in any two colours. I wonder if that was more of a 50's/remembering the past king of thing than a danish thing though :).
Mine are gold and red right now, but I think I prefer red and white. These are made with wrapping paper, but it doesn't hold up very well. That said, very light paper is easiest to weave (make sure it's not too heavy). They can be quite a project, so you may want to take that into consideration.
And until I got married, I never knew it was strange to use hearts as a christmas ornament. I have tons of heart christmas ornaments, and maybe it's a danish thing, but I love them and don't think it's weird at all.
When I was in college, we had to do a presentation that taught people something. This was my project. I only got an A- on it, but I guess that's ok. Public speaking is not my thing. At all.





















If you would like to make the baskets, this is a GREAT video that shows you to weave them together really well, you'll just have to watch an ad first - sorry! Best instructions I've seen yet. And here's a link to make baskets here.

mexico

was heavenly!

All we did was play at the pool or the beach (and get a bit of sunburn!). It was great to get away before the crazy business of Christmas started.

works in progress

A scrapbook, inspired by the Red Letter Days class I took. Still in a long way to go.















cream and bloack floral fabric for a tote - hopefully will be done by Tuesday :)


















A quilt for a Christmas gift. Who am I kidding? For Christams 2009.

christmas cards

It's that time of year. I decided last year to buy cards this year. It's always a dilema. But as my oldest and dearest friends know, I overextend myself just a bit over the holidays. Just a bit. Homemade cards will have to wait for another year.

The dilema this year is newsletter or no newsletter? Pictures? That would mean arranging a family photo. So many decisions.

Did you know that Hallmark cards has a holiday card help area? t has lots of great ideas regarding holiday newsletter and cards. This is from the Holiday Daily Post that I found on their website:

Newsletter Writing
Lauren Debiak, writer
Here are ideas I’ve used to make my holiday newsletters thoughtful, fresh and fun. Feel free to nab a few for your own this year.

1. Find your inner photographer. Dress up the dog. Include recent photos or silly ones from childhood and write funny captions. Feature a person holding a sign with a holiday message on it. Use a child’s artwork.

2. Include festive quotes. Inspirational or cheerful words can set the tone for your newsletter. Use one at the beginning or close of your season’s greetings.

3. Parody a popular holiday tale. Choose your favorite carol or story, and replace the characters with your family members. Get creative with your story-telling.

4. Make a hits list. Put all your “best-ofs” in one place—from most-watched TV shows and top playlists to Web sites worth visiting and must-reads.

5. Share key ingredients for a good year. Format your newsletter to read as a holiday recipe. Start with sugar and spice. Also, include a delicious dessert recipe of your own.

6. Theme your newsletter. Was it a year of changes, travel or growth? Tailor your images to fityour theme.

7. Write your holiday checklist. Outline your family’s big to-dos this year in a fresh, fun format.

8. Challenge your readers to trivia. Include fun facts or a quick quiz based on your latest news.

9. Let them put in their two cents. Each family member writes a little bit about their year. You can even write a blurb from the family pet’s point of view.

10. Highlight the year’s most memorable moments. Share your favorite memories. Don’t forget the honorable mentions.

halloween 2008

halloween 2008
Originally uploaded by septemberish

Our curious little monkey didn't stand still long enough for a photo shoot - but we did catch his tail as he headed off to find more candy.

ten on tuesday

1. we live on a great street.
The view to the north:



















to the south:



















2. We had a quiet thanksgiving, but very good. We spent it at the farm with my folks.

3. I think I feel a bit re-charged after getting away for a bit.

4. Election day. The news is depressing. Please don't watch it.

5. I had visits from both Pam and Nadine today! It was so good to see them - it had been far too long since I'd seen either of them. Pam, do you read this? You need to start blogging.

6. Did you know white cranberry juice comes from slightly unripe cranberries that just haven't turned red yet?

7. I can't remember where I found this, but it will turn your pictures old. And it will suck hours away from your life. But they will look like this:



















and the before:

8. It's freaking cold here already. I know it's the middle of October, but I'm still not ready.

9. I am overloaded at work. The piles are seriously high and the to-do lists are very, very long.

10. Remember, the littlest birds sing the prettiest songs. Especially when the little birds say mom-mee when they arrive home to see you.

fall

sunflowers


















our neighbour's trees, as seen from our dining room window



















pumpkins from our garden, waiting to turn orange


















sunshine in the dining room

three drinks

something for each of us.

decaf.
full-strength.
and a bottle.

but, this picture is now history...
no more bottles in our house.

fabric needed

When I buy fabric on impulse, I usually just buy half a metre or yard. In this case, I bought a whole yard of this brown floral. Of course, now that I want to use it for a project, I don't have enough. I could use another yard of it. It's the eternal danger of hoarding fabric. Once it's gone, it's gone; it's best to use it promptly. If you run out, you can still buy some more!