Archive for March 2010
And they’re off……. the braces that is! I can’t tell you how good it feels. It’s been a long 2 1/2 years and they are finally off. Sorry no pic yet, trust me, I did not want the way I looked yesterday to be immortalized on the blog. My teeth looked fine before, but my bite was off which was causing extra problems with my TMJ issues, so now that everything is where it is supposed to be, things should be fine from here on out. I will always have some muscle soreness where my jaw joint slipped out of it’s socket when I was in college, but for the most part, I should be pain and problem free. Now, what does this have to do with chicken korma, you ask? Well, let me explain. We paid a little bit extra to have clear braces on my top teeth so that they would be slightly less noticeable (as if). The only problem is, that apparently even with all of the technology today, they can’t make elastic bands that are clear and don’t stain. So one cup of tea and they turn a dingy brown. Not good when I had to wear the same elastics for 5-6 weeks. Soon after I got them on, I made the mistake of eating a curry. It must have been the turmeric in it, but it turned my bands this luminescent yellow which I then had to deal with for the next month. Not good, not good at all. I love curry. Absolutely love it, and have had to avoid it for the last couple of years. When I was little we ate Japanese curry in Japan, and then when we moved to England, we ate Indian curries. I have literally been craving curry this past 2 1/2 years, so for supper on the day I got my braces off I made a curry. Boy was it good. I used the recipe in Jamie’s Food Revolution. I know, I know, more Jamie. What can I say, I love this book. I’m making my way through it and every single recipe I have made has been a keeper. Next time I make the curry, I will try making his recipe for the curry paste as well, as the only kind I could find was a teeny jar for not such a teeny price. The recipe was super easy to make and it was a big hit. I ended up putting just a bit of the curry paste in while I was cooking it and then taking out the kids portion at the very end before adding more curry paste to spice it up for Hubby and me. I will definitely be making this again, though I think I will try the Chicken Tikka Masala next. I’m on a curry making mission as I’ve got several years to make up for. If you like curry, what is your favourite kind?
books, food • Wednesday, March 31st, 2010 • 12 Comments »
This little robin flew into our yard chirping away yesterday. What a beautiful creature. He sat still for a few minutes just long enough for me to take his photo, though he was a bit curious. I love the looks he gave to me. Perhaps spring really is on the way.
nature • Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 • 8 Comments »
Yesterday the girls and I started planting up some tomato and pepper seeds.We had a break in the cold weather and snow (though it was still chilly) and I decided that now was the time. Quite frankly I have no idea what I’m doing with gardening. Last year was the first year we tried to grow anything, and it’s a miracle anything survived. No seriously, the only plants that did survive were the ones that I bought from the plant sale, so they already had a good start in life by someone who knew what they were doing. 
So this year I decided to take out a little extra insurance. We bought some trays with those plant-straight-into-the -ground-peat-pots and we planted quite a few seeds. I daresay, way too many, but I figure that when half of them don’t make it, we’ll still have a decent amount of viable plants. 
We didn’t have any markers so we improvised and used tiny clothespins meant for their art wires. They worked well. So now we’ve got tiny tomato and pepper plant seeds buried in moist, nutrient rich soil, just waiting to start their productive, fruitful, delicious lives. Fingers crossed that some make it. What are some of your favourite things to plant?
family, gardening, green, nature • Friday, March 26th, 2010 • 10 Comments »
For my birthday last fall, I received a subscription to the British Country Living magazine. I just got the March magazine in the mail a couple of days ago and found the cooking section on grains really good. When we woke up yesterday to gobs and gobs of snow on the ground, I knew it was a good day for soup. Hopefully soon the weather will turn and we might even look forward to a chilly day with a steaming hot bowl of soup. So, I gathered up the ingredients for the winter minestrone with barley. It is chock full of lots of different kinds of veg, and beans and barley, and it is delicious. Apart from grating parmesan on at the end, there is no meat, or dairy, so it is perfect for vegetarians and vegans too. It only took about an hour to make, so it’s pretty easy to throw together even if you’ve been out all day, and boy is it worth it. Can you believe this is the first time I’ve ever cooked a turnip? I’m sure I’ve eaten them when I was a kid and we lived in the UK, but I have never cooked with them. I think they are so pretty and they are really mild. When the soup was done, nobody could tell the difference between them and the potatoes. Even the babe, who has been having a bit of a picky streak, chowed down on the soup, which is high praise indeed. This will definitely be in our winter soup repertoire. What is your favourite soup on a cold winter’s day?
food • Thursday, March 25th, 2010 • 10 Comments »
First I made a fabric covered button, from one of the sets I found at the thrift store. 
Then I made some backs. 
Added some crocheted flowers from this pattern (which is brilliant, and my favourite flower to crochet)…. 
and turned them into fun flower brooches. 
I am loving these and with changing up your yarn and buttons, they can be made to be springy, wintry, for your clothing… 
or to gussy up a string bag. These flowers are gorgeous, the pattern is flawless, they are fairly quick to whip up and brilliant every time. They would make perfect gifts, and are fantastic for embellishing lots of things. Have a go, you won’t regret it.
crochet, gifts, sewing, thrift store finds • Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 • 16 Comments »
I made this string bag a while ago, but promptly forgot about it in shuffle of everybody being so ill. I used this pattern, which was a breeze to crochet. I did add some extra rows in the middle as I wanted the bag to be a bit bigger, but otherwise it is the same pattern. I had lots and lots of natural cotton, but I am thinking of dyeing it a brighter colour now that it is done and my stash is almost gone. This is the biggest bag (though it’s not huge) I’ve done and I really like it. I have intentions of getting one more bag done before the month is out, and I hope I’ll be able to get to it. I love making my own bags, and this has been such a fun challenge as it is not something I’ve done before. Even though I have not had luck in finding a pattern to match what I need for big shops, these smaller bags will definitely have their place. For one, they’ll be easier for the kiddos to manage. They will be perfect for produce bags and also little gift bags. Several different little handmade string bags would also be perfect tied up with pretty ribbons for a gift. Well, it’s supposed to snow again today and tomorrow, I am thankful that we are having days of springyness in between the cold, grey weather, but I will definitely be glad when it is more consistently warm. No real sign of spring here in the form of buds or anything green, but I am keeping a keen eye out. What are your favourite signs of spring?
crochet, gifts, green, home • Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010 • 9 Comments »
This was one of my finds on my thrift store run on Saturday. Aren’t they great? I just love the boxes as well, I have a thing for vintage illustrations. 
Adventures with Sea Shells has both the specimens to look at and the book. Unfortunately the Adventures with Rocks is missing the book, but the kids are still loving the rock and mineral specimens and we have several other books where they can look up the information. They were both a steal at $1 and 50 cents (because of the missing book), and the kids (and I) are really having fun with them. On a side note, I did get some of my braces off on Thursday (the receptionist was as sweet as could be), though they were only the back ones that you can’t see anyway. One more week and I get the rest of them off, wohoo! Hope everybody had a great weekend, anyone have anything exciting going on this week? Just more of the usual here.
books, homeschooling, nature, thrift store finds • Monday, March 22nd, 2010 • 6 Comments »
Have a great weekend everyone!
nature • Saturday, March 20th, 2010 • 2 Comments »
And they’re off……. the braces that is! I can’t tell you how good it feels. It’s been a long 2 1/2 years and they are finally off. Sorry no pic yet, trust me, I did not want the way I looked yesterday to be immortalized on the blog. My teeth looked fine before, but my bite was off which was causing extra problems with my TMJ issues, so now that everything is where it is supposed to be, things should be fine from here on out. I will always have some muscle soreness where my jaw joint slipped out of it’s socket when I was in college, but for the most part, I should be pain and problem free. Now, what does this have to do with chicken korma, you ask? Well, let me explain. We paid a little bit extra to have clear braces on my top teeth so that they would be slightly less noticeable (as if). The only problem is, that apparently even with all of the technology today, they can’t make elastic bands that are clear and don’t stain. So one cup of tea and they turn a dingy brown. Not good when I had to wear the same elastics for 5-6 weeks. Soon after I got them on, I made the mistake of eating a curry. It must have been the turmeric in it, but it turned my bands this luminescent yellow which I then had to deal with for the next month. Not good, not good at all. I love curry. Absolutely love it, and have had to avoid it for the last couple of years. When I was little we ate Japanese curry in Japan, and then when we moved to England, we ate Indian curries. I have literally been craving curry this past 2 1/2 years, so for supper on the day I got my braces off I made a curry. Boy was it good. I used the recipe in Jamie’s Food Revolution. I know, I know, more Jamie. What can I say, I love this book. I’m making my way through it and every single recipe I have made has been a keeper. Next time I make the curry, I will try making his recipe for the curry paste as well, as the only kind I could find was a teeny jar for not such a teeny price. The recipe was super easy to make and it was a big hit. I ended up putting just a bit of the curry paste in while I was cooking it and then taking out the kids portion at the very end before adding more curry paste to spice it up for Hubby and me. I will definitely be making this again, though I think I will try the Chicken Tikka Masala next. I’m on a curry making mission as I’ve got several years to make up for. If you like curry, what is your favourite kind?
