Goodnight Irene

Corn...and perogies.......why not?

Irene blew through on the weekend, leaving us without power for a short time but not causing any major damage.

She did manage to flatten all our sunflowers and corn in the garden.  I had planned to enjoy all the corn we planted gradually over the next month......Irene had other plans.  Now I'm faced with about 75 cobs of corn to eat in 2 days....mmm...corn chowder, cornbread, corn fritters?

Today my plan is to bag up some of the corn....then stealthily hang a bag off the doorknob on my friend's front doors while they are at work......they will come home to discover they have been victims of a drive-by vegetabling(ok, I just invented this word).

As for the rest of the week, I have 4 pottery orders to pack up and ship.....and a crazy painting project to liven up my taupe kitchen (pics to follow).

Oldies but goodies....

I came across these old pictures today and thought I should share them.  They are of my sisters and I.  My sisters were 6 and 7 years old when I was born....by the look of the next picture....I think they wanted a puppy, not a little sister.



Looks like they are starting to come to terms with me......



ok, now they like me...they really, really like me....



finally, they got that puppy they really wanted.....



and, my all-time favorite...who says you can't smoke with a baby on your knee?  Thanks, Dad



To Costco...or not to Costco

So after much protesting...(more on that later) a Costco store opened in our nearest city (30 miles away)....I told you we lived in the middle of nowhere.

I decided to check it out....and found I have no willpower;

I did manage to buy some healthy things as well

I'm not sure if  I'm a Costco fan or not.  I don't have a lot of storage space and I'm really perplexed by the weird Siamese-twin thing they have going on there.  While I could possibly use one quart of Tabasco sauce (if  I drank enough Caesars)....could I ever use two?  

My biggest question is....if I keep going there...and partaking of the free samples...and buying the giant containers of brownies....will I get as wide as the Costco carts?

Oysters, and caviar and Lobster...oh my!

We realized this week that it was the 25th anniversary of our first date.....that is a long time...and I thought it was worth celebrating.  I have wanted to go to This Restaurant for so long....I checked it out on TripAdvisor (I'm like that ) and the reviews were great. I'm usually more of a nachos and margarita-type girl.but I was intrigued by their "Chef's tasting menu" where you get 6 courses based on what is local and in-season but you have no idea what it will be as it depends on what the chef has in stock that day.
 Scott teased me a bit when I took pictures of each course "for my blog..." I said.  "Oh, of course....he said...I should have known your blog would be on our date tonight..." he said.

Malpeque oysters with sturgeon caviar 

salmon tartar with avocado & smoked salmon on a potato blini 

fresh mushroom ravioli on the bottom, then two lobster claws topped by foie gras (not a fan of the foie gras)

campari orange sorbet 

lamb loins with beans, purple potatoes, chanterelle mushrooms and currant reduction

goat cheese on heirloom tomato salad

bergamont-poached peach with homemade vanilla bean ice cream, lemon panacotta with blueberries and a dark chocolate truffle



I just re-read this post and I think I'm spending way too much time watching the Food Network.  Also I should add that I almost always order chicken so last night was definitely a change.

I should also add that for our first date, 25 years ago, we went to the drive-in.  "Ferris Beuller's Day Off" was the movie playing......there was no lobster in sight........

The Proposal

This is a long post...but bear with me.

A couple of months ago I got an email from a gallery in Saint John, NB that sells my pottery.  They had been contacted by a guy in Connecticut who was going on a cruise with his girlfriend in August...and he wanted to propose to her at the gallery when the cruise ship stopped in Saint John.

He wanted a large pottery platter made with a drawing of an oak tree...with a heart on the trunk of the tree...and their initials inside the heart.  The gallery was to place the platter in a secluded part of the gallery and while they were shopping there they would happen upon the platter and he would read her a poem he wrote...and propose.

After several emails back and forth with the guy(Jason) I made the platter, had it sent to the gallery and the whole proposal thing happened last Tuesday.  She said "yes"....how could she not?

Which brings me to the second part of my story.....the part where my husband proposed to me....24 years ago....in the parking lot of a Ponderosa restaurant (I kid you not).  His defence?  He had just picked up the ring and he couldn't wait.......good thing he's charming.

10 on the 10th (er...11th)

pies, pies, pies!

yes...I had  pie for breakfast..shhh

giant pumpkin blossom

pumpkins just starting to grow....a lot of work to do before October..

zipline!  my sons made me do it....

cream of broccoli and cheddar soup...trying to use up the giant bag of broccoli from Costco

funky camping set-up I saw at a rest area....

Yarn Along - August 10, 2011

I am linking today with Ginny of Small Things for Yarn Along (where you share what you are reading...and knitting).
The mittens I am working on "Deep in the Forest Mittens" from a pattern I bought on Ravelry, are seriously messing with my mind.  The pattern is well written and clear...but I can't seem to make myself count  every stitch while I knit...and to keep looking at the chart is really not fun for me.  I am considering abandoning them...but that is even harder than abandoning a book midway through ( which I am also loathe to do).

"Trauma Farm" (despite its name) is very enjoyable...it brings back memories of all the farm animals I have had throughout my life (which is another post in itself).

Change is good

I have an appointment tomorrow for a haircut...with a new stylist that I've never been to before.

She was recommended to me by a friend.

I'm ready for something different....but I'm a chicken when it comes to my hair...or change at all for that matter
.
In looking at some pictures it's clear...my hair is always the same;

I found this cut online....and I like it...but...uhm...it does look a bit familiar...no?

Horrible Mother

Okay....so Scott was away with a couple of his friends on an overnight "man-camp" trip so I was left alone with our son Isaac who is 16.  I thought we should go to the movies...you know all mother&son bonding etc. I thought "Horrible Bosses" looked funny...it was...I did not, however, realize it was x-rated.

 This is where it gets embarrassing....1.5 hours of sex references does not make for a lovely evening with one's 16 year-old son.  Thankfully it was dark in the theater....my face was red through the whole movie.  It was very funny...and I know I'm not a prude...but watching it with your teenage son...not recommended.

When we left the theater I purposefully stalled a bit and walked behind Isaac (I didn't want anyone to see that I was his mother and I took him to this movie with me).  Can you say awkward???

Long Weekend

As it was a holiday weekend here (New Brunswick Day) we decided to go to my husband's sister's cottage at the lake.  The cottage is on an island so you have to take a 20 minute boat ride to get there.  It was built in the 1940's and has no electricity but there is a hand pump for water and a composting toilet.  We have been going there every summer since our boys were babies and we always have a great time.

Some highlights:

Cameron had a rare day off from his summer job so we were a family of 4 again (these sunglasses still crack me up)

the cottage

My sister-in-law with a very large dog

Isaac enjoying yet another Stephen King novel

Cameron and Isaac jumping off "Canon Ball Rock"

quite possibly the most unflattering picture of me...ever...when I jumped off I thought I was as graceful as a gymnast..apparently I was delusional....

Scott relaxing with a slightly smaller dog

Isaac on the way home....I think he had a good day.