Skinny Legs & Cowgirls...

Intriguing isn't it?

Skinny Legs & Cowgirls.
Such an interesting and fun phrase.

It's a resturant...themed after some old giddy up Cowgirl inspirations taken from a novel.

Super fun. Super chic.

A great watering hole, so to speak.

Some girlfriends & I finally ventured to this place for lunch.

It did not dissapoint.

Except on one point....I did not leave with skinny legs.

Dang it.

This place features mostly organic meat & produce.

And a few fish dishes to round out the menu.

We started with 2lbs. of PEI mussels.

And 2 of us being from the Maritimes, we know our mussels.

They were truly delicious...cooked just right in a wine & tomato broth,

With bread for sopping up that broth left in the dish.

And on one's chin.

Next came chicken in a mushroom cream sauce..with risotto.

And a salad.

It was so very juicy & tasty.

No ladies' lunch would be complete without chocolate.

We shared a delightful chocolate mousse pie.

We can't wait to whoop it up again at this place.

It was totally a 'happy trails' experience.

some 'Grammie' LOVE in the kitchen...

Whenever my mother comes to visit,

she & Hunter like to cook up adventures in the kitchen.

One of the ways my mother shows her love for people is to cook for them and with them.

Hunter has learned so much from her.

And one of things I love about my mother is that she is always game for whatever you want to try.

She's such  a FUN girl!

Hunter always wants to make crepe desserts with Grammie.

This time it was crepes with sauteed pears, candied walnuts with vanilla ice cream.

Topped off with maple syrup.

Delicious.

Hunter feels that crepes taste better when they are flipped.

But they must be flipped by her.

The sauteed pears in all their butter, cinnamon and syrupy glory.

Candied walnuts ready for garnish.

The yummy finished dessert.

the staff appreciation luncheon....

Each year, the parent council at my childrens' school hosts a luncheon for the teachers and staff.

It is to show appreciation for all the little 'extras'  the teachers' & staff give to our children.

It's  held on a  regular school day in the gym during school lunch hour.

The teachers and staff really look forward to this special treat.

The honour of planning this event this year was entrusted to me.

{Um...probably 'cause I opened my big mouth last year and said that I would love to

organize & plan hot dishes instead of just sandwiches.}

In any case, it was my pleasure to plan this little party.

I chose an Olympic theme to tie in with the Vancouver Olympics.

And the students awarded the teachers 'GOLD' medals for different events as part of the luncheon entertainment.

The budget for this event is very small.  Just $100 is what parent council sets aside to cover decorations and supplies. We try to make the best of every dollar with carefully chosen,

but simple decorations.

I had an amazing  & super enthusiastic mother design these simple, yet elegant flower decorations for the tables.

Very lovely touch.

The parents of the school donate ALL of the food. It is strictly on a volunteer basis.

For the first time, parents were asked  to donate crockpot dishes if they could.

I was overwhelmed with offers of donations of crockpot dishes and desserts.

We have a fabulous group of parents at this school.

In addition to crockpot dishes, there are veggies & dips, salads, cheese trays, and bread.

The beverage station had water and punch available.

This was the dessert table. It featured all kinds of homemade goodies like tiramisu, cupcakes, carrot cake,

cookies, chocolate-dipped pretzels and fruit salad.

I tried the tiramisu. Yummy.

The carrot cake. Super yummy.

When the 'gold medal' presentation was finished, the students got 'High 5's' from the teachers and staff

for a job well done.

After the luncheon was over and teachers return to their classrooms, the volunteers sit down for a well-deserved break and lunch.

Then we pack up all the leftovers and load them into the fridge in the staff room  so teachers

can have a meal the next day as well.

On the day of the luncheon, I arrived at school at 8:30 am and I remained there until 3pm.

Needless to say, when the event was over, I was pretty pooped and my feet were killing me.

When I finally had a chance to sit down at 3 pm on a bench in the school hallway,

another mom arrived and announced that she was going for a 'walk' outside and did I want to come?

My response was, "Are you kidding me? I just had a 6 hour walk....all over the gym!"

But, at the end of the day, it was a really fun event and it was full of fun & laughter.

It was a most rewarding volunteer job.

my picture of the day project...

is coming along well. I am actually keeping up with taking the pictures

AND

getting them into the album

AND

having fun!

It was a little hard at first to remember to take a picture EVERY day

but now it had become a normal daily 'habit'.

Doing this project is part of my goal for 2010.

My word for 2010 is " Illuminate". I want to illuminate more areas of my life.

And not save the scrapbooking for the BIG events of life, but to scrapbook

all the little moments that make up our everyday life.

This format is working so well for me.

I am almost 3 months into the project and I am just as enthusiastic as when I started.

This has been  a wonderful and illuminating experience.

freshening up a little for spring...

While doing some cleaning for Spring, I have been changing up my 'tablescapes' a little.

It's so fun to do this every once in awhile.

This is a collection of little bottles on top of the martini bar.

I collected them from Goodwill. I paid 99 cents each.

I love a cheap thrill, what can I say?

Something a little fresh for the dining table.

Wish I could say they are real.

But Homesense has wonderful little pieces like this.

The little table by the front door.

I just 'shopped' the house for these things.

A pile of vintage books that belonged to my Grandmother.

A mini lamp my Mom purchased for my kitchen years ago.

An artichoke tealight from Anthro.

A white pitcher from Homesense with some flowers.

I find making the top of the piano look interesting my biggest challenge.

For now, just another arrangement of books.

Another artichoke tealight from Anthro.

Have I mentioned that I am on the bandwagon that loves Anthro?

I think the mirror needs to be painted white.

Another project for my to do list!

a new season of Sarah's House.....

Sarah Richardson.

LOVE her.

She was recently a guest at a home show in my city.

I had to go see her and see her I did.

She was a wonderfully dynamic speaker and every bit as fun

as she seems on tv, even without that sidekick Tommy.

 One of my favorite things about Spring is looking forward to a new season of Sarah's House.

These are some of the rooms in the new season.

Love the sophisticated touches of yellow in this bathroom.

Sarah's rooms are always so colourful.

But if you look closely, you will see that her backgrounds are mostly neutral.

She adds colour with fabrics, furniture and accessories.

Her 'jumping off point' for the bathroom was the yellow fabric used in the drapes.

This is a tablescape from the entry/mudroom.

Sarah is a master at creating the most charming vignettes.

This is one of the upstairs bedrooms.

I absolutely adore the colour palette.

The headboard fabric was the 'jumping off point' for the colors in this room

I love the chandelier.

To me, this room is the perfect blend of lovely and comfort.

I really need a chandy for my bedroom.

It's the next thing on my list.

entryway envy....

I am spring cleaning.

This means that as I clean, I am looking at everything with fresh eyes.

Asking myself, "How can this look better?" as I go thru each room.

I love the look of this entry.

I have always decorated with blue in my house.

But never on walls.

I would love to paint my entry this color.

Except that it has round corners that make it hard to find a place to end color on a wall.

Now I am thinking I am going to paint the bathroom this color.

Fresh. Almost a bird's egg blue.

I will share when I have this project completed.

My to-do list grows.

I am in lust....

with all of these fresh-looking lounge spaces.

I love the down-filled, french styled tufted sofa. The layers of creamy color. The hints of soft yellow and green. The whole look is so calm and welcoming.

The picture collage in this room just makes me swoon.It's eclectic, pretty and funky. I love the floral print in the middle. I have seen it to purchase online and I am tempted.

This room comes from Canadian House & Home and I believe it is the home of 2 men in Vancouver.

I love it for it's fun look and it's eclectic grouping over the sofa.

Something unexpected.

Another room from Canadian House & Home.

I believe it is described as a modern take on bohemian.

I love the turquiose rug that is the platform for this look.

All these rooms have creamy, neutral backgrounds

 that allow for the accessories and hints of color to sing and give character.

I am dying to paint my whole house a cream color.

Now to convince the other half.

It's been 5 years since this place was painted.

I think it's time for a little freshening.

Menu Plan Monday.....Mrs. Easy Peasy..

I am still working on a binder of 30 of my familly's favorite meals which I will share when I have completed. The purpose of having the recipes all in one binder is to make planning meals easier.

No flipping thru cookbooks for ideas. No last minute 'can't find it' search.

Everything in one place.

Favorite recipes in cookbooks will be photocopied for the binder.

Simple dimple.

Among my categories for the binder are the standards...chicken, fish, beef, soup, slowcooker, etc.

But I have also saved room for a section called "Easy Peasy".

Simple go to meals.

Our homemade fast food if you will.

Not every meal needs to be fancy schmancy from a cookbook.

Sometimes you need those 'throw together' meals.

Something that everyone likes.

Fast, hot & yummy.

Our meals for this week:

Monday- Beef burritos. Hunter had skating and Tyler had hockey, so we needed something that could be heated up at different times.

Tuesday-Pasta. This is a simple recipe that my mom used to make for us. Pasta, ground beef. Tomato Soup. Salt & Pepper.

Wednesday- Pork Tenderloin with Orange-Balsamic Glaze, roasted potatoes, green beans & carrots.

Thursday- panko-crusted fish with rice and salad.

Friday-Creamy Seafood Lasagna with leeks & Bell Peppers.

Saturday-Dad cooks.

I am linking back to an organizing junkie.com as she hosts Menu Plan Monday.