A time for Comfort Food

I made this delicious cake on Sunday.  It's one of the best desserts I've made in a while.  It's the kind that produces oohss and aahs as the first bite is tasted.  The light textured cake is filled with fresh apple chunks and cinnamon.  It's lovely and moist and not too sweet.  It becomes absolutely mouth watering, gorgeous when you drizzle the warm, homemade caramel sauce on top. The sauce definitely raises the sweetness level but when you mix in the cake and apple with each forkful it's bliss for your mouth.

(If you find this recipe a little too small to read

 just click on it and the link will take you to the full size version.)

The recipe is from Trish Magwood's latest cookbook, In My Mother's Kitchen.  I bought it for myself in the spring and have made several recipes from it so far.  It's filled with recipes that are great for the family and gatherings.  They're easy and accessible and produce delicious results with lots of accompanying photos (which I love).  None have disappointed and some have left me feeling nostalgic for my childhood.

 I even love the picture in the inside cover of recipe cards sprawled over a table.  Some yellowed and stained, bent with use, most are handwritten.  I miss recipe cards.  Do you remember when most homes would have a little stack of blank recipe cards tucked in a drawer ready for the coveted question...Can I have the recipe for that?

recipe cards and box by 1Canoe2

We'll be making this again this weekend to serve at Thanksgiving dinner.

Letting Go and Jumping Right In

This is a picture of me ziplining this summer. Yes, it's me hanging over a canyon with almost 300 feet to the ground.  It was amazing! It was exhilarating! It was so scary!  My hands were red and sore after the first zip because I was gripping on the cable for dear life.  Altogether there were nine zip lines and somewhere in the middle I actually managed to free both hands in the air for a few seconds.

It's a strange feeling as they attach your cables to the first line. You don't really even have time to think about it.  Both my daughters had already fearlessly lept off the platform and now it was my turn. All I had to do was run off the platform (eek!) and trust that my harness and cords and cables were all secure (don't think about it!).  It was somewhat comforting to know that this was all I had to do.  Stopping was left to a device on the cable that slightly slowed you down about 15 feet from the end and then one of the young, hunky crew members would catch you in his arms....{{snap out of it}}...oh, sorry about that...

It's one of those activities that gives you a real boost.  I think my husband and girls were pretty impressed that I didn't give a second thought to doing this (well, not out loud at least).  And for me I'll have the feelings and memories to fall back on whenever I feel that self doubt creeping in.

Deep Teal - Fall 2011 Pantone Colors

Teal and Brass Necklace by nancywallisdesigns.

Deep Teal is a strong, blue-toned green. It can reveal the ocean depths and the colours of the sky at twilight. It's one of my favourites and I am forever being drawn to this colour whether it's in the form of a fabric, wall paint or jewellery upon my neck.

Wear it.

Silk Satin Dress by larimeloom.

Merino wool fingerless gloves by Neeka Knits.

Live in it.

 House & Home January 2011 issue

Go for the dramatic with deep teal walls.

Chauncey chair by West Elm

My Creative Mess

My obsession with beads is a constant struggle.  I have quite a collection.  I also have bought more organizing containers than you would ever believe all in the hopes of having one of those super clean and organized houses (you know the kind you see in magazines).  One day I'll show you them in all their glory when I get closer to finishing my studio.  It is amazing when they are sorted and organized.  I love being able to go right to the box and find just what I'm looking for. I have a bit of a strange system some are sorted by colour, some by type and some by size but it works for me pretty well.

The thing is though I find I'm the most creative when I'm surrounded by inspiring things.   Lovely piles of little glass beads can literally make my heart skip a beat.  Colours everywhere.  Turquoise, green, pinks and shiny things can make me giddy.  Sometimes the best things happen when working this way.  An unexpected roll of a bead into another pile can stir the most interesting ideas.

I've decided I'm just going to roll with it.  I'm just going to live in my creativity and I guess so is my family. I'm still working on my studio space but I do like our dining room the best. It's bright here and I can have the window open and listen to the birds outside.  My computer is close by, the coffee pot is steps away and of course so are my beautiful beads.  So for now I guess I'm just going to let my beads have their own dinner party at my dining room table.

My new creations.

 

Coffee Liqueur - Fall 2011 Pantone Colors

Chocolate Bronze Beauties by Wallis Designs.

Rich and decadent Coffee Liqueur brings a sense of elegance to fall.  It's a beautiful alternative to basic black. 

Wear it.

Felted scarf by Jumi Felt.

Off the shoulder long sleeve tee by tangente.

Live in it.

Source: House and Home February 2011 issue

Sepia toned feather photo by The Gingham Owl.

Smell it.

Mocha latte soap by Tracy Gurley Bath and Body.

Dune Collection: Pink Sand

Here's a peek at some of my new designs. I fell in love with these beads at first sight.  A beautiful rustic look with its marbled edges but perfectly pink and feminine.

Sitting on the Dock of the Bay

Our dog Mabel prefers when we are all together and she prefers that togetherness to be on land.  While my husband and our youngest were out for a sail a weekend ago Mabel paced the dock and waited patiently for their return.  She could barely contain herself as they got closer to the dock.

What's really cool though is this is my husband's childhood sailboat - it has to be forty years old (or maybe even more!).  He has such fond memories of sailing with his dad when he was younger it's nice to be able to see him extend that to a new generation.  It's great to spend some time with the girls with no distractions, electronics or texts.  Just the wind, water and some new memories.