I've been looking to paint our doors for a while. Priced out paint and thank goodness Sherwin Williams had a sale. But while I was there I did what I usually do: peruse the Mistint Table.
It's always amazing that people will look for purples, yellows, hot pinks, and other bright or bold colours. There is a certain bravery associated with daring to put a screaming green or deep royal blue into a room. And you have to wonder: where were they intending to use that shade? I mean, it is a mistint, but it had to at least be close to what they were looking for. You don't aim for beige and end up with deep royal blue. Was it an accent? A wall? A door? Perhaps it was for a kids room or a garage? Was someone putting up stripes or another type of pattern?
I have never been that brave. I'm cheap though and the Mistint Table is a good deal. Gallons of high quality paint just sitting there for about $10. When you would normally pay $30-70 for that same gallon if you picked the colour yourself, $10 is a damn good deal. So I surf the Table whenever I go in. Sometimes in the department store, I will still go through the shelf to see if there is something there. Perhaps I'll find inspiration one day.
There was a deep but bright royal blue on the Table. A full gallon of Sherwin Williams' SuperPaint with its little $9.99 price and a pretty little dot of the fabulous colour on the lid. It begged to be picked up and used. A colour like that belongs on a table or trim, or given a path to carve across another colour. I have yet to figure out where to use it.
The room in our house that needs painting the most is the powder room on the main level. It's a tiny little windowless closet with a sink, mirror, toilet and not much else. I don't know how the blue would look in there. I haven't been brave enough to buy it yet.
But for $10, I can afford to be brave (can't I?)
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Breakfast is awesome - why can't we have it all the time?
Had a toasted western this morning with home fries and fresh fruit. Healthy, light. Quick and easy to make. Why don't we eat breakfast all the time? The food is so tasty and doesn't take hours to put together either. French toast, omelettes, waffles, crepes... it's just good stuff!
Restaurants like Cora's, Daybreak, Sunset Grill. They are awesome! The menus aren't huge, so your meal is an easy choice. Have you ever come home and just decided to have french toast? Or on pancake Tuesday have the pancakes for dinner?
Why bother with roasts and side dishes when you can just toss together a frittata? Veggies, eggs, maybe some cheese if you're into that. Even for desserts. Strawberry banana crepes, fruit and custard. There are so many options!
Here's a favourite of mine that is so quick and easy you can use it for breakfast or dinner if you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer.
Restaurants like Cora's, Daybreak, Sunset Grill. They are awesome! The menus aren't huge, so your meal is an easy choice. Have you ever come home and just decided to have french toast? Or on pancake Tuesday have the pancakes for dinner?
Why bother with roasts and side dishes when you can just toss together a frittata? Veggies, eggs, maybe some cheese if you're into that. Even for desserts. Strawberry banana crepes, fruit and custard. There are so many options!
Here's a favourite of mine that is so quick and easy you can use it for breakfast or dinner if you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer.
Bacon Cheese Frittata |
 |
Submitted By: Diana Bullock Photo By: GodivaGirl
|
"'I always serve this attractive frittata to overnight guests in our home,' reports Diana Bullock of Hanover, Maryland. 'To cut down on last-minute preparation, I keep cooked bacon in the freezer.'"
INGREDIENTS:
6 eggs 1 cup milk 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 1/2 teaspoon salt | 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 cup chopped green onions 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese |
DIRECTIONS:
| 1. | In a bowl, beat eggs, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Pour into a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with onions, bacon and cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. |
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Predictable - is it boring?
I posted on Facebook today, "Anyone want to guess what I'm planning to do today?" The first person to post, nailed it. I thought to myself, "Oh my God, am I really that predictable?"
I've always thought of predictable as being akin to boring. (And, of course, all the negative connotations that go along with that.) New, exciting, different, energetic. Those are what people want to be, aren't they? And why not? It gets your heart racing, expands your horizons, gets you mingling with new people... all the things that make parties, racing, bar-hopping, etc. fun.
But predictability? Ugh. That's like being reliable, dependable, loyal. You might as well be a Labrador Retriever. Not that they're bad qualities, just - well, boring. But here is the paradox: I don't consider myself boring. I love to read (an admittedly solo activity most times), run, eat out, watch movies, play cards, dance, go to the theatre, galleries, museums... just learning anything I can. I don't think any of those things are boring. For those BASE jumping, thrill-seeking types it would be boring, but for the most part, even BASE jumping is something you do alone. (Not too many tandem jumps off skyscrapers, I think.)
People who are always chasing the exciting, the loud, or the different are often looking for that in themselves. Will they be there for your birthday dinner? Possibly. Possibly not. Can you call them at 3:00am and know that they will be at home? That one's up in the air as well. Depends on when the concert lets out and whether or not they smoked their cab fare. These people are fun to listen to: "Are you kidding?! You drove your truck right into the pond?" The stories are unexpected and often hilarious.
I've been there. I've been the person who is drunk and barely able to stand, let alone climb the rocks out at Iron Bridge when the car can't go any further. Those times were fun. They were different and dangerous and exciting. I never knew where I was going to end up; where I would be sleeping or how I was going to get home afterward. I've discovered that I enjoyed those times, but I don't actually miss them.
Being able to say to a friend that I'll be over for dinner for sure. Knowing that I can maintain a friendship through years, distance, arguments, etc. is a good thing. It's reliable, loyal, and I have to say a damn sight harder than just the surface friendships that are often new, and exciting, and fickle. So while you listen to your friend tell you about their wild escapades from the weekend, remember the laidback but riotous night of cards with your closest friends. The laughter that stretches for years and runs deeper than the last road trip or case of beer.
So when my phone rings at 3:00am, I will be ready. Dependable, reliable, loyal. I have become the Labrador Retriever. But that's okay. Labs are happy dogs, and really: who doesn't love a Lab?
I've always thought of predictable as being akin to boring. (And, of course, all the negative connotations that go along with that.) New, exciting, different, energetic. Those are what people want to be, aren't they? And why not? It gets your heart racing, expands your horizons, gets you mingling with new people... all the things that make parties, racing, bar-hopping, etc. fun.
But predictability? Ugh. That's like being reliable, dependable, loyal. You might as well be a Labrador Retriever. Not that they're bad qualities, just - well, boring. But here is the paradox: I don't consider myself boring. I love to read (an admittedly solo activity most times), run, eat out, watch movies, play cards, dance, go to the theatre, galleries, museums... just learning anything I can. I don't think any of those things are boring. For those BASE jumping, thrill-seeking types it would be boring, but for the most part, even BASE jumping is something you do alone. (Not too many tandem jumps off skyscrapers, I think.)
People who are always chasing the exciting, the loud, or the different are often looking for that in themselves. Will they be there for your birthday dinner? Possibly. Possibly not. Can you call them at 3:00am and know that they will be at home? That one's up in the air as well. Depends on when the concert lets out and whether or not they smoked their cab fare. These people are fun to listen to: "Are you kidding?! You drove your truck right into the pond?" The stories are unexpected and often hilarious.
I've been there. I've been the person who is drunk and barely able to stand, let alone climb the rocks out at Iron Bridge when the car can't go any further. Those times were fun. They were different and dangerous and exciting. I never knew where I was going to end up; where I would be sleeping or how I was going to get home afterward. I've discovered that I enjoyed those times, but I don't actually miss them.
Being able to say to a friend that I'll be over for dinner for sure. Knowing that I can maintain a friendship through years, distance, arguments, etc. is a good thing. It's reliable, loyal, and I have to say a damn sight harder than just the surface friendships that are often new, and exciting, and fickle. So while you listen to your friend tell you about their wild escapades from the weekend, remember the laidback but riotous night of cards with your closest friends. The laughter that stretches for years and runs deeper than the last road trip or case of beer.
So when my phone rings at 3:00am, I will be ready. Dependable, reliable, loyal. I have become the Labrador Retriever. But that's okay. Labs are happy dogs, and really: who doesn't love a Lab?
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
It's all fun, but Stupid Me gets no rest.
It's the August Long Weekend officially known as the Civic Holiday. No one calls it that, they just take the day and call it the "August Long Weekend". Why it doesn't have a real name, you know - one that makes sense, I don't know. Right now, I just don't care. Most people go to the cottage, take holidays around this time, or generally relax. Me? Not me. Why would I do that? That's just CRAZY talk!
Stupid Me comes off of 95 hours in the past two weeks and dives right into three days of entertaining. Not directly. One was a great pool party, but I had to make fruit dip and prep stuff. At least I got to sleep in. Day Two was up early for a run and tea, but as great as that was, I had to squeeze grocery shopping into my schedule before I went to the movies with my Mom. Loved the final installment of HP and managed to enjoy some chinese food first. Today is the last day. No sleeping in here! 8:00am tee time, then have friends over for lunch. Hubby snagged the couch first, so he got the nap - I vegged in front of the TV. Fell asleep on the couch last night before dragging my butt to bed.
Of course, I was up early for a tempo workout before heading to work. All I can hope is that I don't have to get up too early tomorrow, although the plan is go up and stain my in-laws back deck. I have to work this coming weekend too. Stupid Me. And at some point, I really should scrub the litterboxes, cut the lawn and get stuff posted on Kijiji as we planned. Let's book that sleep in for.... August 10th.
Stupid Me.
Stupid Me comes off of 95 hours in the past two weeks and dives right into three days of entertaining. Not directly. One was a great pool party, but I had to make fruit dip and prep stuff. At least I got to sleep in. Day Two was up early for a run and tea, but as great as that was, I had to squeeze grocery shopping into my schedule before I went to the movies with my Mom. Loved the final installment of HP and managed to enjoy some chinese food first. Today is the last day. No sleeping in here! 8:00am tee time, then have friends over for lunch. Hubby snagged the couch first, so he got the nap - I vegged in front of the TV. Fell asleep on the couch last night before dragging my butt to bed.
Of course, I was up early for a tempo workout before heading to work. All I can hope is that I don't have to get up too early tomorrow, although the plan is go up and stain my in-laws back deck. I have to work this coming weekend too. Stupid Me. And at some point, I really should scrub the litterboxes, cut the lawn and get stuff posted on Kijiji as we planned. Let's book that sleep in for.... August 10th.
Stupid Me.
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