Remembering

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

                                                                                                           John McCrae

    Friends- it is Friday once again and this Sunday while we all go about our busy lives- swimming lessons, family brunches, grocery shopping- let us pause for a minute and think about those who have gone before us, ensuring our right to freedom and our luxury to watch our children grow up in Peace. Have a great weekend Friends- I know I will!

In My Kitchen

Apple Crisp

The Goods:

4-6 small/ medium apples peeled and diced into cubes
1 cup blueberries
1 hand full of chopped walnuts

topping:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup butter

The Deal:

-peel and coarsely cube apples until they fill the bottom of a casserole dish- about 2 inches high- mix in blue berries and walnuts.
- for the topping mix all dry ingredients into one bowl- cut in butter until you have a pebbly consistency
- sprinkle topping on top of fruit, place into a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes- serves six.

      This fall weather as got me feeling all snugly and cozy lately and this is the perfect fall recipe to tuck into. Inspired by the apple crisp that my mom used to make all the time when we were growing up our own Littles love this dish just as much as my sister and I did when we were young. Full of healthy apples and blue berries this is the perfect treat for breakfast when topped with Greek yogurt or an afternoon snack with a drizzle of milk. Topped with ice cream and chocolate sauce this makes a decedent yet healthy dessert.

     It has been my experience as a mom that when the weather is miserable and the day becomes an inside day little people get restless and dare I say it "bored". Apple Crisp is the perfect way to make the day special and your house smell delish! This is a great gateway recipe to get kids involved in food preparation- picking out the apples, watching as you peel them, playing with the curly whirly peels, making the topping, setting the timer and "checking" on dessert through the window in the stove- Littles love to help out in the kitchen!

Loose Ends

   This post today could also be called Nerding About- but really I just have so much to talk about that I needed to get it all out in one post! You may have noticed some changes to my little blog- I am starting to get the hang of things here- with the help of my trusty I.T. guy- also known around these parts as my Mr. He is such a huge part of what I do- not only does he believe in what I am trying to do but he also fills in all the blanks when it comes to technical stuff- for someone like myself who is more comfortable on a sewing machine than a computer there are a lot of blanks!

     As many of you know I have over the years created a little paper company called Plain Jane Designs- I have talked about it sporadically here and I occasionally post pictures of what I have been working on with promises to post them for sale on Etsy- well the truth is those items often get purchased before they make it online. I have been hard at work to increase my stock levels and I am officially back up on Etsy- with lots more goodies to come over the month of November- just in time for the holidays! Click on the link at the right hand side of the screen to head over to my Etsy shop or feel free to message me for custom orders!

   Along the same lines as Plain Jane or perhaps hand in hand would be more accurate I have been invited to do an in store demonstration at Opus Framing and Art Supplies. Needless to say I am thrilled! In full disclosure I worked at the Granville Island location off and on over the past ten years, last spring I felt it was time for me to move on and face new challenges- terrifying but necessary- I am so happy they haven't forgotten about me!

        The topic of my demonstration is Art Exploration - Saturday November 24 2:00-4:00pm at the Downtown Location at the corner of Hastings and Cordova St. I will be talking all about how to encourage your  young child to be creative and explore art beyond crayons and paper. I will be demonstrating three fantastic projects ranging in difficulty to help challenge your child depending on where they are artistically. I will also reveal my top five favourite Opus products for kids to use and how we like to use them. It should be a fun couple of hours and I will be available afterwards should anyone care to pick my brain!

      In other news I received a package in the mail from England today- when I heard the mailman buzz from downstairs I practically levitated with excitement! It was an order  "sent with care" from
 Merchant and Mills- purveyors of the most gorgeous sewing notions known to man. Everything came so carefully wrapped in layers of tissue and brown paper- it was exactly how I imagine the line from the sound of music to look "brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favourite things.." I can hardly wait to cut into the fantastic organic chambray- shirt, dress, bloomers- I'm not sure what these three yards will become yet!

     In a final nerd moment - how gorgeous is this Misty Alpaca? I have most definitely caught the knitting bug and as if hoarding fabric wasn't bad enough it looks like I may also have a wool problem. Purchased at Maiwa Handprints on Granville Island this yummy bundle is 100% baby alpaca- this would make beautiful hand warmers for someone special! Lets not even get into how much I love the knitting needle selection at Maiwa- or the natural dyes- or the books- or the buttons- oh Lanta! Clearly what I need is a bigger studio and more hours in the day!

p.s.- if you are interested check out Alabama Chanin's blog- filled with textile beauty and inspiration!

Wooly Underthings

    The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, And since we have no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let is snow!

   Perhaps it is not exactly cold enough to snow yet in Vancouver- but lets face it the weather here in November is miserable- it's the cold dampness that sneaks through all layers of clothing until it finds your back and gives you the chills- obviously I have yet to acclimatize. Miss Lo is particularly susceptible to the chills- this summer gal of mine is always complaining she is cold!

    Cotton leggings are the de rigueur of toddlers on the playground here but they just don't cut it for her- what I had in mind was soft and fuzzy and warm- cashmere! Talk about the ultimate in decadence for a toddler to have cashmere leggings- but this was what I had in my mind and I set about scouring thrift stores for gently loved cashmere sweaters. After weeks of keeping my eyes peeled I came up empty handed- maybe nobody donates cashmere sweaters? Or maybe all the other mommas out there had a similar plan?

    My fantastic warm and woolly plan was put on the back burner and sort of forgotten about until the other day- I was sorting through old boxes of stuff- OK full disclosure- I was riffling through my fabric horde- when I came across an old maternity sweater- it was big, it was cashmere- it was perfect! One pair of cashmere leggings coming up! 

    In a wink I traced around a pair of the flimsy cotton leggings and made a pattern for the new leggings- just adding seam allowance and sewing up the same way a pair of p.j.s would- bonus I used the bottom of the sweater, with the finished edge, as the cuffs on the new leggings- too cute and easy to tuck into boots. Miss Lo is sure to be cozy and stylish this winter in the playground!

   

Knit Two, Purl Two

     Sunday morning found us waking like everyone else in the Western Hemisphere- and hour behind our regular time. Once upon a time this would have meant an extra hour to laze around in bed all snuggled up against the dark rain beating against our windows. However - like many of my friends with children can attest- I do not sleep any more, and so Sunday morning found me rattling around our apartment at loose ends at 5 a.m.- the new time- which is really only 6 a.m. the old time.

    I was feeling restless- unable to focus on my reading and not feeling quite like making my latte yet- I wandered around aimlessly moving piles of clutter from here to there. Then I remembered I had a few fresh hanks of wool- procured on a rainy day outing to  Birkeland Brother's Wool in Abbotsford on Saturday- to wind up into balls. With a task at hand I pulled out my knitting basket- only to find the hat  I had started last week waiting patiently to be finished- and so before starting another project I finished up this cozy red hat- perfect for protecting ponytails on a walk through the neighbourhood later that day!

     I am not really a knitter or more specifically I am a new knitter who gets frustrated easily- but I am inspired by all this lovely fiber and have visions of what it can be turned into. I got a little artistic direction along with some warm company at about 7 a.m.- apparently Bunbun also needs a matching hat as our apartment is super cold- according to Bunbun that is!

    I am really pleased with how it turned out- I didn't really use a pattern- and I know I am going to completely butcher the knitting terms- but here goes! I started with about two inches of ribbing around the bottom to keep the hat from rolling up ( knit 2 purl 2) from there I just knit stocking stitch in the round for about eight inches- I bound off the whole way around and then seamed the hat across the top- finishing the whole thing off with some fantastic pompoms. I know some of my friends - Sarah F- I'm looking at you- are wayyyy more skilled in the ways of the needles! But I have to say for a project that is not a scarf I am pretty happy and so is Miss Lo!

In My Kitchen

    

     While I enjoy a good sweet as much as the next person I am much more of a savoury type gal- olives, capers, salami- now those are my idea of treats! It might also be said that a person can't live on Halloween candy alone - nor should they be allowed to try! So with this in mind I am making one our our family's favourite dishes today- this can stand alone as a main or be a tasty side.

Sauteed Cabbage with Apple

The Goods:

1Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion sliced thin
1 Tbsp butter
1 small Savoy cabbage, sliced thin
1 Granny Smith apple, sliced thin
1 tsp salt( not necessary)
1/4 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

The Deal:

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook until light brown. Add butter and sliced cabbage. Cook for 20 minutes, or until cabbage is soft. Add apple, stir, and cook for another 10 minutes. Add sour cream, mix well. Cook another  minutes or so. Turn off heat, add vinegar and serve.
* I added bacon to the mixture pictured above- it tastes pretty good but be sure to cook bacon well before adding it to the cabbage dish*

   This recipe comes out of a very old edible Vancouver magazine- issue sixteen to be specific! I find this is one of those winter recipes that are perfect for adding a big dose of veggies into your day when you are feeling a bit lacking in that department.

  Now that it is November I am going to be kicking my Holiday making into high gear this weekend- which means dragging the Mr. and Littles to various fabric stores this weekend! May you find a spot of sun this weekend and if it rains- I hope you get your craft on! Happy Friday Friends!

P.S.- friends don't let friends drink and sew- but if you must have a boozy coffee mid project- watch your fingers!

Halloween Hangover

    Happy November First everybody! Today I am running a bit late- too much sugar and excitement last night meant we all slept in this morning- in fact Miss Lo is still sleeping! There is a distinct feeling of today being the morning after a big party- a bit quiet- little bits of debris scattered about- a Lego Captain America hand here and a pair of Monarch butterfly wings there. I am not in a hurry to start today-just easing into November!

      Yesterday Miss Lo and I decided to bake chocolate cupcakes- yes using Fair Trade Cocoa- and they turned out really well! As mentioned in a previous post we opted out of the candy treats this year and handed out bubbles instead- after we had gone Trick or Treating in our building the Littles invited their friends over for a sweat treat.

     Our Halloween did not end with Trick or Treating in our building- oh no! We went over to Lovely Cousin Laura's neighbourhood and did a loop around the block there- the rain held off- amazingly- and the Littles got a few more treats before settling into Lovely Cousin Laura's for some home made pizza and movies.

    Below is a picture of three of the most fantastic costumes I saw all night- Captain America Lego man, a Reverse Mermaid ( genius) and Miss Lo the Monarch Butterfly. We had such a fun time and I cant lie- I'm exhausted- I am going to go make myself another latte and snuggle in with the Littles for a movie this morning- clean p can wait until November 2!