Happy New Year 2011!

Hello,

I had planned to post some photos of Christmas outings around town but decided to post about the New Year just around the corner. Hope you all have a great 2011!

Michelle

Merry Christmas 2010!

Hello,

A friend sent this to me and I thought it was beautiful.  It was done by Northland Park Church in Longwood, Florida during Christmas Eve 2008.


"Carol of the Bells" (subtitles) from Northland Media Design on Vimeo.

Sit back and turn up the sound.

Have a wonderful blessed Christmas,

Michelle

I love Quinoa and a shout out to my mom's biscotti's

Hello,

Quinoa Salad

So I haven't really had Quinoa cooked properly. My sister has tried to make it and it never turned out right and didn't taste good at all. I keep hearing about it everywhere and it's so good for you.

Here is the definition of Quinoa from Wikipedia: a species of goosefoot (Chenopodium), is a grain-like crop grown primarily for its edible seeds. It is a pseudocereal rather than a true cereal, or grain, as it is not a member of the grass family. As a chenopod, quinoa is closely related to species such as beets, spinach, and tumbleweeds. Its leaves are also eaten as a leaf vegetable, much like amaranth, but the commercial availability of quinoa greens is currently limited.

Quinoa contains a balanced set of essential amino acids for humans, making it an unusually complete protein source among plant foods.^[9] It is a good source of dietary fiber and phosphorus and is high in magnesium and iron. Quinoa is gluten-free and considered easy to digest.

So the other day I was flipping through a recipe book I have and saw this great looking recipe for a Quinoa corn salad so thought I'd try it again but only bought a small amount. Well one cup gave me a whole pan worth and I tried some with just a bit of Mrs Dash extra spicy and thought it tasted good. It has a bit of a slight nutty flavour to it if (it's hard to describe). Once it was mixed in with the corn salad it was divine and so filling. Now I'm addicted to it and because it doesn't have a strong taste you can mix it with so many different things.

Since Christmas is around the corner my mom has been baking non stop it seems. She is famous for her Biscotti's and she makes them more moist then a traditional biscotti and has perfected her recipe over the years (she even makes gluten free ones too). Since we are Italian it comes pretty naturally to her.

4 Pack of Biscotti

This week we are preparing for our last Christmas show at Moss and it should be a great time.

Until next time

Michelle

My brand new Magenta Macbook Pro 15" hardshell case

Hello,

It's been awhile since I posted and I've been crazed with our bath and body product line. We have had 2 Christmas shows in the last week and have been working non stop to make sure it's perfect.

Our last Christmas show is coming up in two weeks.

So back in the summer I finally got my a Macbook Pro 15" antiglare laptop and was looking everywhere trying to find a hard shell for it and it had to be pink. The problem was the laptop I bought had just been released and no one at the time had a case that fit perfectly since Apple changed the power adapter for this model. My plan was to order a Speck one but at the time they had to be modified using a nail file and I wanted to buy one that just worked.

I ended up with a Magenta InCase Design one and love it:

Magenta Hardshell Case for 15" Macbook Pro

Now I won't worry about scratches or having it go in and out of my knapsack. I like to travel with it as well.

Michelle

Delicious Delights

My sister and I had our first Saturday off in 26 weeks (we usually sell our Splurge bath and beauty products at a local market) and it was wonderful and hard to believe all at once. This is how the rest of the world must live.

We jumped up early Saturday morning to get a Pumpkin Latte at 2% Jazz.

We made to cry for kale chips last week-end and they were gobbled up so fast. There were only a few left when I snapped this photo.

Until next time,

Michelle

Homemade Marshmellows....Yummy

Hello,

My business is Bath and Beauty products at a local organic farmer's market on Saturdays 6 months a year. Gluten free baking
is also another product we sell.

A fellow vendor asked if we had ever tasted home made marshmallows. I replied not only have we tasted them but
we can make them. We sold them last Saturday to our gluten free customers and they were a hit.

Here is the an overview of them packed in their cute home:

Homemade Vegan Marshmellows

Here is a close up:

Vegan Marshmellows Close Up

They were so divine I can't wait to make another batch.

Michelle

My cozy Cowl Neck that I adore

Hello,

My sister is a fabulous knitter and makes adorable berry caps, some are on our website but we have many more at our local Saturday market. Here is an example of two that she makes from our website.

A Wee Sheep Cap:



Newborn size:



Since my neck is always cold I asked her to make me a cowl neck and she did.





I love it as I wear it to work when I walk or bike on cold days. Sometimes I wear it around the house if I'm chilly and it instantly warms me right up. She is working on a dark grey one now and will probably sell a few at our market and maybe even our website.

She even knit me a pair of arm warmers that have funky green and brown stripes. I knit as well but I'm not near as fast or as experienced as my sister is so I have to practice to get better at it.

Michelle

The new jewelry I bought

Hello,

I'm currently at the market my sister and I sell at but want to talk about the new jewelry I bought. I got a blue czech stone necklace with matching earrings. The vendor next to me at Moss makes beautiful things and she was wearing one a few weeks back and I knew I had to buy one for myself. I also got this cool looking bracelet that I think looks very rocker chick.

Blue Czech Glass Necklace:


Blue Czech Glass Earring (it was hard to get a photo of these):


What I describe as my rocker chick Asian bracelet:


Other exciting news is I got my haircut from my fabulous hairdresser Stacey. I've been getting my hair cut from her for the last 4 years of so. She has taught in hairdressing schools and is currently working in the public school system. I found two cute dews and had her mesh the two photos and I love the results.

Until next time,

Michelle

My Favourite moment on the last episode of Glee

This was my favourite scene on Glee. Both sang this so well.

Damson Plum Jam and other goodies

So I thought I'd post about my sister's Damson plum jam session a few weeks ago.

Here are the plums in the pot:


Here they are being stirred:

Here they are getting mashed:


Here is the finished jam:


Yummy vegetable homemade chicken soup:


A selection of our gluten free baking we sell at our local market:

Left to right: Chocolate Chai Vegan Gluten Free Brownies, Gluten Free Corn Bread, Gluten Free Coconut Muffins, Gluten Free Banana Cranberry Muffines and Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Until next time,

Michelle

Lavender Buds, Greek Fest, Silver Rill and an amazing Chocolate Tree

Cute Lavender Bundles my mom makes (there are two on our dining room table):


The Greek Fest started Wednesday and goes until tomorrow. Every year my mom, sister and I go (except the 2 years we were raw vegan). We went Friday night after a long week at work and it I had the wrapped Souvlaki and the Loukomades and both were divine.



Of course we had to get more fresh corn at Silver Rill again since we went right past it on Friday.


The most amazing Del Posto Chocolate Tree by Brooks Headley who is Del Posto's pastry chef in the video below (the restaurant is one of Mario Batali's greatest hits):

Hope you are all enjoying your Labour Day Week-end.

Until next time,

Michelle

My great week-end

This past week-end was great and I was very busy.

First up was homemade gluten free pizza:


Then I had a divine cafe latte at Crumbsbys

Then I had to sample the mini cupcakes which I shared with two other people (the chocolate one is gluten free and it was very dry, my gluten free is the best and I've tried a lot of gluten free all over).

I had heard about Delish and wanted to try it out and had the best Amaretti.

Since I'm from Toronto originally I've always loved Damson plum jam and haven't had it in ages. So I was thrilled when my mom found them at Oldfield Orchard. Naturally I had to go and get some plums.

This is the Oldfield Orchard sign:

One of the Oldfield carts:

I picked up the best corn on the cob at Silver Rill Corn and ate my cob right after I took off the husk and it was divine.

One of the old water buckets at Silver Rill Corn:


Well that's all for now until my next journey. Hope you all have a great week.

Michelle

Gluten, Dairy and Egg Free Brownies

So I've been on a baking frenzy lately. My sister and I sell our products at a local market. We make bath and beauty products and also sell our regular baking gluten free. I was recently diagnosed with a wheat allergy so I've been experimenting to find the perfect treats.

Brownies below:


This was my first attempt Saturday night and made them for my sister and I to sample and we loved them. These are gluten, egg and dairy free. I chose not to use coffee this time but next time will definitely add that to the recipe.

Then Sunday I decided to make a Chocolate Chai Brownie


Oh boy these are very good as well and it's a toss up between the two and I have to say I love them both. I'll be selling these at our market soon.

M.

Bunny who doesn't quite fit in a cyclinder

Hello,

I found this video and thought it was adorable. It made me laugh and it's a Friday and the end of the week.

Bunny vs Tube @ Yahoo! Video

Enjoy. I'll be posting about my week of holidays soon.

Michelle

Oil Rig Photo

THIS IS A PRETTY AWESOME PICTURE...CAN YOU IMAGINE THE LOOK ON THE PHOTOGRAPHERS FACE WHEN HE WENT SNAP....ONLY HIS DRY CLEANERS KNOW THE WHOLE STORY.....

When the lightning flashes, this is NOT what you want to see.

THIS IS A PICTURE THAT SOMEONE TOOK WHO WORKS ON AN OIL RIG. HE WAS GOING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE LIGHTNING AND WAS UNAWARE OF THE TORNADO UNTIL THE LIGHTNING ILLUMINATED IT.

This is a one-in-a-million photo...............

Taken Thursday night, April 2, 2009.

Lariat Sandridge Energy South of Ft Stockton , TX

So excited I can hardly stand it...

Hello,

Well as most of you know our entire fully furnished basement was flooded and we are still working on getting it all back together.

I was able to get to order a new iMac 27" i7 and a new Macbook Pro 15" i7 high resolution anti glare computer through insurance. They should both arrive by the end of next week. So I've been pouring over reviews, photos and forums to find out more.

First the Macbook Pro i7 15" high resolution anti glare:



And since I can't get enough of this computer here are more tidbits:



Forums of those who already have it:

MacRumors: Forums

Another MacRumors: Forums post

Great review on the 17" high resolution anti glare model

The 27" i7 iMac:



I'm living for the end of next week and am hoping they come quickly.

Michelle

I love this song Newsboys Stay Strong

I've seen this group many times live and just love them. They have since switched to different lead singer (Michael Tate who used to sing with "DC Talk") and changed other members but they are still great.

If you want to know more about this group go here. Or check out their main website.

Newsboys Stay Strong Video



Newsboys Stay Strong with lyrics:



I just got back from New York and will post photos of my trips soon once I adjust to reality again.

Michelle

Stiff Neck Woes

So I was on my way to the dentist and felt this slight pain just below the left of my neck (where I swallow) and wondered if I was coming down with a flu or something. Anyway I thought nothing of it until Friday my throat was feeling a little tender. Then on Saturday it was still sore and my neck started feeling stiff. So I touched the back of my neck and realized something was out. Sunday it was even worse and hard to swallow and I couldn't sleep that night. Monday I woke up feeling just horrible. I went to the walk in clinic and the doctor said I didn't have a virus or anything but he thought it was a muscle that was out of wack. I called physio and begged for an appointment that day.

They were able to fit me in with someone at 7:00pm (it wasn't the usual person I see) and I was grateful. I was thinking that I'd be screaming in pain when I went and was prepared for anything as long as I could move my neck again. The lady I saw was Irish and I loved her accent. She was fantastic and explained everything to me regarding my posture, ways to improve my neck pain etc. She also was able to manipulate and massage my neck and I felt better but sore when I left. The neck day I felt so much better.

I think I know what happened, I'm on my laptop a lot at home and of course I sit in a hunched position. That isn't new but we took an old laptop and set it up on this high desk in the kitchen and instead of sitting down at it over the week-end I was standing looking down at it and typing away and I'm pretty sure that is what caused my neck crink.

Tomorrow I go back for my second appointment as there was a part of my neck that wouldn't budge. I'm just so thankful to be feeling better and it makes me appreciate the things I take for granted.

Michelle

Paralympic Games

Since the Paralympic Games are in full swing I thought I'd keep up my header. To check out the schedule of these games go here under Schedule and Results.

I had a chance to see a special on these games during the Olympics and it was so inspiring to see the determination of these athletes. You realize nothing is impossible and the parents behind these athletes are amazing as well.

When I was watching The Biggest Loser a few weeks back they had a special on the Olympics where they went to the Olympic training base and they met on of the athletes who competes in the Paralympic Games and she is a skier. She said her mom just put her on skies and said figure it out and now she is a fierce competitor.

I'll be watching these games as well until the games officially leave our province.

Michelle

More Olympic Memories

I found some cool things about the Olympics that I couldn't pass up sharing.

Brian Williams (the USA NBC host) leaving behind a thank you note here.

This video moved me to tears over the pride of our great country. This one is presented by the Canadian Brian Williams in case you are confused. Check it out:



Until next time,

Michelle

Olympics 2010 Go Canada

My sister and I went to Vancouver last Saturday. It was the first day of the games and we had watched the opening ceremony the previous night. During the opening ceremonies I was teary eyed many times and felt such pride for being a Canadian. I thought the show was well done as they brought in influences from the west, east and indigenous cultures.

It seemed only fitting to go the next day. It was mobbed with people and it was raining the whole day. Plus it was cold but the highlight of our day was seeing the torch burning bright even through the rain.

I'm keeping up on our medal count and trying to get caught up on highlights throughout the day here.

Until next time,

Michelle

Undercover Boss TV Show

My sister and I watched this show last night and it was so good.


Watch CBS News Videos Online

I'm looking forward to next week's episode.

Michelle

Smells like Lemongrass

So my sister and I keep thinking of new ideas for soap. Our lastest one we made Thursday night is a fragrant Lemongrass.

This is the soap after it was poured in the mold:



This is what it looked like when I took it out of the mold yesterday:



Today I cut the soap into bars:

New Soapies

We are slowly restocking our soaps and other products. Lately Caron and I can't get enough of soap.

Roses in Bloom Vegan Handmade Soap with shea cocoa butter and rose petals from our garden



Energy Vegan Handmade Soap



This one smells incredible and is a complex citrus combination.

Today was such a nice sunny day outside which was a nice change from the chilly cool air.