Wednesday 28 December 2011

holiday....celebrate!

a quick catch-up post!
chanukah has now come and gone....but the smell of latkes in my house and drippy wax on the table remain. 
i bought a new dslr camera, with pics to come. but in the meantime, some snapshots from the season.


all this downtime has allowed for some relaxing crafternoons!
made these little reindeer hot chocolate packs as 'last day of school' gifts for my students. aren't they cute?!


finally.... melting snowmen for a chanukah party. very sweet (seriously, the icing could make your teeth hurt). 



hope you are having a merry holiday season!

Sunday 18 December 2011

beware: teacher post!

this week at school, we did lots of crafting!
just wanted to share a few of the highlights...
more to come.
four school days left...then it holiday time!
there may be a trip coming up...here's hoping!


owl craft. two things that make them unique on the outside, their pic on the inside. WE LOVE OWLS.

if santa was stuck in my chimney....

star wars snowflakes! awesome, right?!

holiday craft to send home to the family....frames sold at dollarama.
the contents: priceless.

hope you enjoyed some of our holiday crafts!
**craft ideas brought to you by: pinterest.

Monday 12 December 2011

lights and bites

it is the time of year for holiday everything!
holiday lights, holiday bites, holiday brunches, afternoon drop-ins, and evening soirees.
it was a busy weekend filled with lovely eats and beats!
enjoy some snaps.


it all started friday evening, attending CBC's the vinyl cafe. it was a great kick off to the season!
pictured here: stewart maclean, the vinyl-ettes, and hawksley workman (who is oh-so-talented), live from the sony center in toronto
as mentioned in a previous post (which i obviously cannot get enough of!), are the joy holiday lights bring me! check out this beauty!


-------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAST FORWARD: saturday morning. 7th annual chrismukkah!
this year we moved to a brunch format in order to accommodate the busy-ness of the season. 
we ate well. to say the least.
home made baked french toast. 
pockets of baileys throughout. yum. 
complemented by icing sugar, fresh raspberries 
and pomegranate   
brunch without mimosas? oh, please. 
shout out to JESS for centerpiece and arrangement. stunning.


and as if we didn't have enough food....dessert.
beautiful weekend filled with beautiful friends, company and deliciousness. 
stay tuned...more fun recipes and holiday ideas to come!
thanks for visiting!

Sunday 4 December 2011

what a weekend.
rainy, damp, quiet. a perfect weekend for staying inside and relaxing. 
did some baking, tea drinking, dog walking, and more than anything, reading. it was great.
new book: the dovekeepers by alice hoffman


it seems some pampering happened, too.
shellac nails, round three.

no chipping, no peeling. no touch ups for fourteen days. how marvelous. 

(this recommendation is for you, ap)






saturday night. tried a new resto: 7 numbers (on eglinton). 
it was pretty tasty. good atmosphere. an iPad at each table served as the drinks menu, while the food menu was on a chalkboard. food was very reasonably priced, dishes were small but intended to share.
mama rosa cooked in the open-kitchen by the door. she said goodbye as we left. 
will we return? maybe. the sexy duck leg was pretty delicious.

chalkboard menu with lots to choose from.
two pastas.
one: linguine with fresh tomatoes and rapini
two: orecchiette with tomato sauce and fresh ricotta.

  
sexy duck leg. and sexy it was.

Seven Numbers on Urbanspoon

Friday 2 December 2011

blogolution

this little blog is beginning to evolve. it seems to be a place for my favourite things. 
and i have many. the following photos are no different.


clementines. yum. they come with the season. i literally cannot get enough of them. i eat them all day. while i'm teaching, while i'm driving, even while i am walking the dogs. i eat them in the evening, too. their sweet aroma has permeated my skin. no complaints.


 







FINALLY, FRIDAY IS HERE.


i waited all week and it is finally here. a relaxing, no-plan-entailing, vegging at home friday night!


wine and veggies for dinner, what could be wrong with that?
WINE RECOMMENDATION: cabernet franc. a personal fave.

Sunday 27 November 2011

lights!

it seems the holiday season has arrived!
alongside the arrival of american thanksgiving and black friday, holiday spirit seems to have crept into every nook and cranny of the city.
i am not complaining. the lights are beautiful and so is the shopping.


beautiful lights make evening shopping even more wonderful. especially after a long week.

some of the goods.

lights add such a great vibe to any place.
happy holiday shopping!!!

Thursday 24 November 2011

love.

this past weekend, my beautiful cousin and her amazing fiance became husband and wife. 
a wedding thrown together in 7 weeks-it couldn't have been better if they had spent the past 7 years planning it.
a 'movember' themed wedding was in full effect, mustaches galore, complete with a donation to prostate cancer canada in the name of each guest.
while the details were incredible, it was the sheer emotion in the room that set the tone.


stunning tall centerpieces

view from below
 loved the movember theme. made for some fun photos!
mustache photo props. genius.
and finally....the happy couple.
cheers to lots of happiness to you both!

addictions

i have a new addiction: pinterest. the most wonderful website i have come across in a loooong time. or, ever. it is a hotbed for creativity, design and beauty. i have spent hours (maybe even days?) perusing and 'pinning' and being inspired. it is a means of keeping track of all your favourite things in one place. genius. dooooo it!

Tuesday 15 November 2011

what a week. so much going on. sometimes it can be difficult to see the beauty. but when you look, you can almost always find it.


i should take a moment to show the kind of fun i get to have at work. teaching primary is amazing. so amazing that i have 73 books checked out on my library card! what can i say? i love to read and i love that the kids love to read! imparting my love of books to my kids is a beautiful part of my job. teaching them to read is life changing.
some overdue books that need to be returned asap...
i really have the best classroom in the school. check out those rays of sun. you can't fake that.

yesterday morning when i got to school, the sky was so wonderfully blue. it amazed me to see the moon in such a clear, beautiful autumn sky. enjoy.

can you spot the moon?


it is my beautiful cousin's wedding this weekend. lots of prep this week, in addition to parent teacher interviews and life's happenings. i hope you are taking a moment to think about what you love, and to find the moon in the sunny blue sky.

Sunday 13 November 2011

novembrrrr recommendations

a few pics from the past couple of weeks.
phone ended up in the toilet so i lost a bunch of beauty shots.
hope you enjoy the few from this weekend.

saturday started out with a good read and a latte.
i definitely recommend 'the forgotten garden'. a wonderful book.

tried a brilliant restaurant in leslieville for dinner. 'hello my name is leslie jones'
it had an excellent atmosphere and the food was incredible and fresh.
loved every bite.

we enjoyed: pureed carrot and broccoli soup with feta cheese as apps
                     a mushroom risotto
                     stuffed eggplant with goat cheese and fresh veggies.
1182 queen st east. don't miss out.


lovely fall colours. have to sneak it in.
happy sunday.

Sunday 30 October 2011

hallow's eve eve

halloween party was a success!
here are the finished (homemade) costumes....

our home made pair of dice...not bad, right?

cheers to great pals danielle and colin for hosting an excellent party, and going all out with the decorations!

happy halloween!

Saturday 29 October 2011

c'est l'halloween!

halloween is upon us!
hope everybody is enjoying putting their costumes together. it is time to get creative!

halloween prep. have faith, it will come together.

super dog! even lexi is in the spirit


field trip season!

october has been great. boots, warm coats, hot lattes and as of yesterday, mitts!
it is also the time for dressing up, pumpkin carving, runny noses, smiling faces, and candy. yesterday, all of these things came together in our first class field trip of the year: the pumpkin patch!

which kid doesn't love picking their own pumpkin?
they all do.
i can tell you, though, they don't love carrying them by hand through the pumpkin patch. and neither did i.





we were so lucky our field trip was on the first sunny day in a week. the coldest day, but the sunniest.
that mud was not as frosted as it looks. lots of muddy shoes and boots. what fun!

Monday 24 October 2011

israel



hours of time change. days flying. months traveling. many trips. several thousand photos. israel. falling in love. love.

i have traveled to israel so many times. i am always astounded by the beauty. i cannot get enough. it is a drug that takes over my entire body. the people, the smells, the paradox, the history in the cobblestone. the beach, the nightlife, the road-rage. all of it together makes up this magical nation of beautiful people.
here are some highlights from years past, in no particular order.

prayers for health and life at the Kotel in Yerushalayim.
live music 
TA nightlife..on the beach







hero's memorial.

they're all heroes.

the beach. how i love it.
spices in the shuk



the cardo.
caesaria. wow.

some gems. more to come