Some time off

Today is the last day of my summer vacation time... Back to work tomorrow after two weeks off . I accomplished plenty during that time: forgetting what day we were, living without a schedule, eating when hungry, sleeping when needed... I wish this lifestyle could go on another week! This years vacation was some time off everything. I stayed home, not  knowing what the next day would bring. I realise now how much I was tiered and how much my body and mind needed a break. I slept a whole lot during these two weeks (4 hour naps in the afternoon and full nights sleep) and even today I feel my body still needs some rest. I honestly thought I took time to breathe here and there but realise I just DIDN'T. These two weeks inspired a change in my lifestyle and I will share my thoughts and experiences on the subject in the months to come right here with you all.

I must mention I did have some good time in the past two weeks. It wasn't all about sleeping. I saw some friends, went for a couple walks, and took a couple pictures for future inspiration...

A fun little project: I have been seeing these origami crane mobiles here and there on the web. Thought I'd make my own while watching Gilmore Girls... had my little work station and some good tea for company:

Lovely walk in a park with my dad, taking pictures along the way for color inspiration:

An afternoon with a friend in a ceramic shop, working on a car coffee mug project and sipping some pretty fancy coffees:

Bought some new tea:

And to finish my vacation, another nap on the couch with this little guy... This is Jack. He was happy to have some company for his afternoon ritual snooze:

Homemade Granola

As a kid I used to love granola. With time I stopped eating it because store bought granola sometimes tastes too sweet or even old. The boyfriend eats granola on weekdays along with some yogurt and fresh fruit and we buy some frequently. Each time I'm surprised at how expensive granola is. For the fun of it, I started surfing the net reading recipes and I got inspired! Yesterday I came up with my own concoction. I went to our health store and bought organic ingredients. Here is my recipe:

JENNYS GRANOLA MIX

n.b. every item below is organic

4 cups rolled oats
1 cup barley flakes
2 cups corn puffs (plain natural, no sugar added)

1 cup roasted coconut flakes
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds (plain natural)
1/2 cup sunflour seeds (plain natural)
1 cup banana chips
1/2 cup dried pineapple
1/2 cup dried papaya

1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 cup pure maple syrup

*preheat oven to 200 degrees celcius*

1- Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl except dried fruit (put these aside for now).
2- Add in your oils and maple syrup and fold until all dry ingredients are covered.
3- Line 2 baking sheets with parchemin paper, pour and spread half of your mixture on each one.
4- Put both baking sheets in the oven for 1 hour total or until the mixture is dry. Every 20 minutes give your mixture a stir and alternate the baking sheets on you two levels in the oven  so they both get the same degree of heat.
5- Once done, let cool on the baking sheets for 10 minutes then divide and spread your dried fruits on your granola. Let cool completely.
6- Put in a an air tight container. I keep mine on the counter because it is going away fast but you could always freeze part of it if you don't eat it in the next two weeks.

This granola is my first batch! I might put a little less maple syrup next time though it's not that sweet... Doesn't taste old like the store bought kind.. and I like knowing I chose the best ingredients I could!

 

Delicious fast and hearty breakfast!

Breakfast is without a doubt my favorite meal of the day! I love weekend breakfasts with their 1001 things to eat even though preparing them is alot of work... On week days I like to keep it simple. I wake up early and have lots to do before leaving the house... Oatmeal is always a winner when time is an issue and a bowl of porridge will definately keep the tummy satisfied till lunch time! Here for you is my goto recipe (my favorite and boyfriend is a fan also!):

Jenny's Apple Pie Oatmeal Recipe (serves 2)

You will need:

2 cups rolled oats

1 apple (cored and diced)

Milk

Maple Syrup
Butter

Cinnamon

1- Put oats in a saucepan, cover with milk and add a pinch of salt. Add 1/4 cup of maple syrup. Cook on medium heat mixing every minute or so with a wooden spoon. This will give you a very nice textured porridge and it won't stick to the bottom of the sauce pan. Cook until desired consistency. Put aside. 

2- Put the apple cubes in a non stick pan with a tablespoon of butter and cinnamon to the taste. Cook on medium high heat for about 5 minutes tossing the apples around every thirty seconds. After the 3 first minutes of cooking, add 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. The juices of the apple mixed with the maple syrup will transform into a gooey sweet sauce to drizzle over the porridge before eating it.

To serve, divide the oatmeal into two bols, top with the apples and drizzle on top the juices that are left from cooking the apples. Pure deliciousness!!! Mmmmmmmmmmm

The sea and I...

I find the sea has soothing properties for the soul. As a child I used to say I came from the sea, that there was a special bond between us. I believed the sea had her own personality and that I spoke her language. I grew up playing on the beach with my friends and I remember my dad would pick me up from school  at lunch time to go eat lobster looking at the waves sitting in the sand... not talking, just enjoying the beauty before us (a couple seagulls waiting close by desperately hoping we leave a little snack behind). On rainy days I loved my beach! I would run after the waves and let them chase me back to shore. They always won the race, filling my rainboots with water... that was the fun part! Today I don't live by the sea I once knew but still visit once a year. The first thing I do when I arrive and after giving my grandma a big hug is go sit in the sand, close my eyes, listen to the waves and breathe in the same rythm as my friend the sea... listening to her stories... letting her heal my soul...

She is the one responsible for one of my passions... collecting rocks and little treasures she leaves behind. I have been doing that for as long as I remember. I still have all the little rocks, pieces of sea glass and little tiny seashells I gathered as a child. And today I still go on the hunt for new additions to my collection every time I have a chat with the sea. I store my treasures in glass jars and use them as bookends or just lay them out for me to touch and see. I don't hunt for paticular things, just what's pretty to my eye. Here are some of my favorites of the moment:

I can't wait to go treasure hunting once again! It's been a year already! I can't wait to listen to a new chapter of  a story that has been writing itself for 35 years...

Testing! And learning!

As I enter this world of blogging I find myself in front of something I do not know at all! I hardly know anything about computers and how to make things work on Blogger... I find myself in a place I haven't been in a while! I know how to work my way around a kitchen but i've been doing it for oh! 26 years! I know how to be good at what I do in my day job! I know how to play music, how to take on a new DIY project from scratch...

The more I think about it the more I realize that I love learning and that I suppose I'm pretty good at jumping in a project with an opened mind and without looking back! I don't always know  where I'm going but I know the direction I'm heading... Will I take a left or a right turn along the way? Who knows!?! This is the beauty of it all! It's almost like opening a present but ripping just a little tiny piece of wrapping at a time.... One day I'll know what this adventure will have brought me! Meanwhile I am starting to plan on what to work on next for this blog... Today I installed the Blogger app on my phone and his is the first blog post written on it! Let's hope the learning part of the app will have gone well!

On an other note: I had the pleasure of cracking a fortune cookie today! Let me share with you my fortune:

Anybody who loves fortune cookies as much as me? Hum?!? I wonder if there's a way to make these myself for my loved ones with my own little fortunes inside them... Another idea on my list! :-)

Going back in time

I made a wonderful and meaningful purchase a couple weeks back... This vintage kitchen table had been lingering in my father's basement since my childhood. It had belonged to my great grandma in the sixties. Over the past 15 years I asked my father many times if he needed the table because I just loved its color and cherished the dream of having it in my own kitchen! Each time he answered: 'I keep it as an extra table for company'... ok.... than I'd ask again a couple months later... same answer...

Back in May my father was having a garage sale... Of course I offered some help and planned on spending the day selling his little treasures... (maybe ending up buying a couple of them because his house is filled with many wonders and great childhood memories). Approaching the house early in the morning I could see the front lawn filled with tables and different objects: some clothes, books, tools, shoes, some extra construction materials from my dad renovating the kitchen a couple weeks back, some tableware and all kinds of things I could not identify from a distance... and..... his red vintage table.... I thought at first that he had taken it outside to display some of his small selling goods. But, as I walked by, I saw a price tag on it: 15$ it said.... I was shocked and horrified all at once. Lots of people had come by already and I did not know if this table was still up for grabs! I rushed over to my dad and I can't even remember saying Hi!... I asked about the table right away and was relieved when he said: 'Oh! You wanted that?? sure!! You can have it! Put it in your car!' I was happy, shocked at the same time wondering why he hadn't figured that one out after 15 years of me asking about that table. Lesson learned that day: Be clear on what you really want when talking to people you love... they can't guess what's going on in your head!! My dad wanted to give me all the objects I wanted to bring back home but I thought it was a good thing to play along and pay for what I was buying... I brought back that day a flower vase, a book, and old mirror, the red table and a little something more for which I have a transformation project... I will share that one with you when the time's right.

Here is what's going on under the table. My dad says his grandma bought it on that day... March 21rst 1963. He was going on his 10 years old! I even have the table extension!

And here she is... red and beautiful! I will transform her a little bit because she doesn't quite fit in out decor. So the legs and the metal contour part are changing colors! I love vintage items and see no problem in adapting the look of them to another style! That's the fun part! I'll keep you posted on the final result!







The Begining

I don't even remember when I first created this blog... It was almost two years ago and I did not follow through with blogging... I put the idea on a shelf with all the projects I have in mind. I walked by this amazing box of dreams every day... From the corner of my eye I could see my blog jumping up and down waving at me, saying: 'Hey you!!! Wake up and bring me to life will ya!?!' but I just walked on.... The funny thing is, I have been following blogs and vlogs for years... I love to put my artsy side in action, I love photography, I surf the internet everyday looking out for new DIY's to add to my collection, new techniques to try out but still, I have not worked on this blogging thingy!

I have a very hectic life... the life us moms have sharing time between a full time job, raising children, taking care of our pets, meeting everyone's need, cooking, shopping, being a taxi driver to a 13 year old, having her friends at home every weekend.... and all the other stuff that would be too long to mention... but, you know what I'm talking about! I learned in the past year to take time for myself... well to be honest, I am working on that still today! Sometimes we just need to put ourselves first... which is very hard for me.. but with the help of my loved one and him kicking my but gently from time to time, I am learning to say No! and also putting me as nu. 1 on my priority list once in a while...

So this is what I'm doing today! It's a Jenny day! I have a project in mind :-) that I've been wanting to work on since May! Today is the day! New beginnings for myself and all the treasures hidden in my head! I am taking you along on what I hope will be a fantastic journey!