The end of an era

Excitement and sadness consumes me as I write this post.

I have yet to decide if it will be my last, or my second-last.

Don't worry, I'm not going far. But this is the end of the road for this blog.

I've read that you should write blogs assuming no one will read them (no one besides your mom). But now and then I need to thank you for actually reading my ramblings. It's motivating to know you're out there.

I will make a final announcement here on June 1st to tell you all about my new project, but today, I just want to reminisce on everything "done well"and leave you with some parting words.

1. Donate blood!

Remember when I started this blog? My grandma had passed away, and I wanted to encourage people to donate blood. Some people still let me know when they last donated, or that they have an appointment coming up. Dustin actually received his "25" pin last week. 25 donations! Thanks to all those blood donors out there! I'm still hopeful that they change the rules and let me donate one day. The offer still stands if you need someone to hold your hand or to bake you a cookie reward. Or a coocookiekie. Just let me know.

2. Make something!

My discovery of the workroom, a cute fabric shop and sewing studio in Toronto, kickstarted my love for sewing. "Make Something" is the motto there, and I couldn't agree more. You can do it. Try the birdie sling bag. Or a Christmas ornament. Or a baby bib (complete with tutorial!).

Birdie Sling Bag

3. Quilting is for the young and hip.

Modern quilting is an actual thing. Patterns are easier. Fabrics are way cooler. You meet amazing people. I took classes at the workroom for the sampler quilt, and the Houses! paper piecing quilt. But there are endless resources online. Like the Houndstooth pattern, or how to free-motion quilt.

Houndstooth Baby Quilt

Hunger Games Quilt

4. Eat locally: CSA boxes, home gardens, or neighbourhood restaurants.

Not only does local food generally taste better (not always: my mom once told me that she spent $6 on a pint of local Ontario strawberries that were terrible; I guess you can't always win), but you are also supporting your local community and province.

If you live in a somewhat major city, you likely have the option of a CSA (Community Shared/Supported Agriculture) program where a box of local produce is delivered to your door, or available for pickup. It's pretty fun. You learn to eat weird, new foods, or begin a quest to find out how to love beets.

Our food box from The Culinarium

I live in a typical Toronto townhouse with no backyard and minimal sun-exposure. But I managed to maintain a pretty decent vegetable (I guess tomatoes are fruit...) garden! Tomatoes, snap peas, cucumbers, kohlrabi, beets, even strawberries were all quite successful growing in pots on our back balcony. Nothing beats walking out there and munching on fresh snap peas that still taste hot from the spring sun.

Fresh snap peas

If you're the "go out to eat" type, then make sure you go check out your local restaurants. Forget the chain restaurants. Pick places that focus on local and seasonal items, or smaller local businesses that make your city special.

Duck poutine pizza from Bannock

MTK Burger from Mildred's Temple Kitchen

5. Share and inspire.

I find myself often explaining how I find time to do "all this stuff". You'd be amazed at how much you accomplish if you just start keeping track.

Start your own blog. Here is a fantastic article with tips about blogging. The author, a hero of mine, mentions that it changed her life. I think I can honestly say that it has probably changed mine as well.

When you share, you inspire. When you're inspired, you share more.  Here are some of my fave inspirational blogs: Make Something, Mothers Daughters, Orangette, Oh, Fransson!, Dirty Kitchen, Joy the Baker, I made that, ... the list goes on. (See my blogroll to the side.)

This concludes my parting words. I hope you'll stick around for my next project.

It's been an absolute pleasure sharing my first blog with you. We've done well.

Here marks the end of an era.

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Pickled peppers, train trips, nursing strikes and more!

Inspired by Barney's one-minute recap of his relationship with Robin, I have decided to do a speed recap to update you all on the goings on in the Dunwell house!

Ready? *big breath*

We went raspberry picking with Emily and Lucas. Also got some hot peppers. Used Michael Symon's method/recipe to pickle them. mmmm. Highly recommended.

We rented a cottage in the 1000 islands and went on our first vacation with Lily. Lily played on the dock. She didn't fall in the gross green water, but Mackenzie did -- 4 times.



Lily is getting bigger, loving her solid foods, has two bottom teeth and a couple more cutting through on the top. She still doesn't like being on her tummy. It is unlikely she will learn to crawl.




She took her first train trip to Ottawa where she caught her first cold. *sniff* (Literally.)

A week ago, Lily went on a nursing strike. I cried a lot. She cried a lot. We forced her to drink milk from a sippy cup. The strike finally ended yesterday. Phew. 6-day strike. Not fun. Probably one of the hardest things I've ever gone through.

Dustin started his first job last week. 12 years of university. Big milestone. Next on the list: new car. Our poor '95 Corolla deserves a retirement.

Dustin is on a purge. He tried to donate my rollerblades to Goodwill. I fought to keep them. I won. He tried to donate my wedding dress. I fought to keep it. He won. Hopefully it helps raise some money for cancer research.

My goals for the next month: sew some fall/winter gear for Lily, finish a quilt, go to the theatre to watch Pitch Perfect, celebrate our 5 year anniversary (I know! 5 years! crazy!), bake a pie, eat a pie, and maybe I should really get started on finding Lily a daycare...

*exhale*

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Hats off to Lily!

Lily Marilla Dunwell was born on February 9th at 3:30pm weighing 6 lb 13 oz!

Her name is a nod to heroic characters in J. K. Rowling and L. M. Montgomery's famous stories of wizardry and imagination.

Lily was actually born a few days before her due date (in true Kelly-style: "arriving early with lots of time to compensate for unplanned events") and I have several partial blog posts that are ready to be finished up and shared with you!

I had made a conservative sewing "to-do" list for the expected arrival of Lily, and I managed to finish every single one of them (including her recently completed houndstooth quilt.)  I didn't plan to make any clothing for Lily, as our generous friends and family have showered her with plenty of this season's latest and greatest fashions. I did, however, notice that all the hats we received were quite large, including the one that we registered for (What was I thinking? 6-9 months baby hat? For the summer months??).


I found a blog post on Made by Rae where Rae makes a newborn hat out of an old T-shirt. She used a template from Martha Stewart and modified it slightly. I also modified slightly (the tutorial on Martha Stewart's site is dismal) and made the hat out of flannel.

I scaled the pattern so the length of the hat from front to back was about 7 inches and I used two different fabrics for the outside and inside so that it was reversible.  It turned out so great and took such little time that I whipped up another one for my friend Magda.  I thought about doing a step-by-step tutorial for this hat, so if anyone is interested, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do!

Magda's baby isn't due for another few weeks but hopefully we'll get the babies modelling both hats at some point!

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Clothing expansion

When women talk about expanding their wardrobe, we are usually talking about the exciting prospect of adding the latest and greatest new fashions to our closet.

I am expanding my clothes. But not as described above. Dustin and I are expecting a baby girl in February (yay!) and I am literally expanding my clothes. I've altered several pants already (super easy with all the tutorials out there) and after a crazy drop in temperature in mid September, I set out to alter my fall rain jacket.

Last Christmas, my brothers cleaned out my wishlist from the workroom. One of the items was a meter of nani iro oilcloth. I'm so glad I asked them for it. The workroom no longer has it in stock, and I had it all saved up for a perfect project like this. (I recently used the rest of it on a beautiful Anna Maria bag, but that's another post!)

I cut out a section much wider than I needed and then sewed pleats into it to allow for additional expansion (especially in the midsection.) I lined it with some leftover fabric from my paisley sampler quilt and then finished the neckline with some fuzzy hounds-tooth fabric: gotta have something fuzzy by your chin.

To get a compatible zipper, I went to the Leather and Sewing Supply Depot on Queen West (amazing store for zippers) and asked the lady to find the perfect match.

The best part about this alteration is that I can undo the expansion and eventually use the jacket in its original size again (Oh how I long to be a size small again...)

The downside? The jacket hides the baby bump quite well, and I have noticed a significant reduction in seat-offerings on the subway...

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Idiot Laughing on the Subway

I just started listening to the podcast Spilled Milk. One of the cohosts is the lovely Molly Wizenberg, author of the book A Homemade Life and fabulous food blog Orangette.

All of which I highly recommend.

But I have a dilemma.

The podcast is funny, and it does not take much for me to lose control and laugh with my entire body. Even when I'm on the subway.

I was the idiot laughing on the subway today. I'm not talking about a smile and a chuckle. I'm talking about a grin from ear to ear, gasps of air as I attempt to regain composure before my abs quit on me, and uncontrollable shaking. My shoulders and chest do the laughing shake that you think only a cartoon-grandpa would do on tv.

It doesn't help that I'm staring at nothing. It's not like I'm laughing at what I'm reading, or even a movie on my ipod. I don't know where to look when I have these laugh-attacks. I just stare at my feet and hope that people see that I'm wearing headphones.

Do I care? Should I care? I've seen worse things on the subway. but usually late at night. Not during rush hour surrounded by men in suits, and women with perfect hair and makeup.

So far, I've listened to episodes on Ramen, Parships, Hot Dogs, and Spouseless Eating. I love it. And need to figure something out.  Perhaps I need to start perfecting my hair and makeup and sporting a smart-looking-suit?

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So Long, Farewell

It's winter. It's cold and dry. I wear a scarf. I wear lipgloss.

My hair has gotten so long, it strangles me when I try to put on a scarf.

My hair has gotten so long, some of it always manages to stick to my lipgloss.

My winter mornings leave me strangled, with a mouthful of hair for breakfast.

Do not fret! (I remind myself.) It is for a good cause! I have taken The Hair Dare.

On March 14th, I will donate at least 10 inches of hair to be made into wigs for children. It's sad when kids have conditions that cause hair loss (some or all) and it would make me so happy to say farewell to my long, long hair, knowing it will go to such a great cause.

My friend, Grace, is organizing this wonderful event; she's even secured a location for the after-party where friends and family can come and see the reveal!

What 'do will I sport? I'll probably go back to my early years. circa 1983. Barrettes are making a comeback.

If you are interested in being a fellow Hair Dare Devil please contact Grace via the website!

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done well: now in a book!

Dustin totally won the "best Christmas present" award this year.

The judging system consists of up to 10 points for taste, 5 points for presentation, and 5 points for originality. Yes, this is the judging system used by Iron Chef.

My Christmas present to Dustin was a new wallet.

3 points for taste (100% leather plain black-brown non-designer wallet), 4 points for presentation (I wrapped it in a cute green and blue paper with a matching blue bow; bonus marks for double sided tape), 1 point for originality (I bought him a wallet 8 years ago; that wallet was falling apart, so I bought him another one).

Total: 8 points.

Dustin's present to me: MY BLOG IN A BOOK!

Let's break it down.

Taste: 9 points. He chose a hard cover 7"x7" cute, small size; it was printed on high quality paper by Blurb, and he kept the jacket cover simple.

Presentation: 1 point. It didn't arrive in the mail until after Christmas. Packaging was FedEX. 1 point for the easy-open-rip-tab.

Originality: 5 points. I was so surprised and soooo excited about this gift. I've mentioned in passing about backing up my blog in case something happened to blogger.com and perhaps to make it into a book. Super extra bonus marks for doing all the layout designs and personalized dedication on the jacket sleeve.

Total: 15 points. Destroyed me.

I love writing this blog. I wish I had more time to make my posts creative, but flipping through the book brought back so many great memories of adventurous and creative things that have happened in this short time.

Here are some pictures of how great the book turned out:

1. In Honour of my Grandma / My Grandma Initiative: the post that started it all. I had to wipe my tears when writing this post because I could no longer see what I was typing. I miss my grandma.

2. Tomato and Thyme Risotto: I got to write so many great things about my balcony garden and all the fruit and veggies that I made into delicious dishes!

3. Boy, am I ever beet! I went through quite the ordeal trying to find recipes for all those beets that came in our CSA box.

4. My Birdie Sling Factory: the Amy Butler Birdie Sling will always be one of my favourite things to sew.

5. Beautiful BC: my amazing trip to Garibaldi Park and the crazy hike up to the Black Tusk!

6. That's my girl: the back cover of the book was the original picture I used for my blog. My beautiful doggie (with a real knack for making you feel guilty leaving her alone at home).

Thanks so much to all of you for reading my blog! It's so motivating to hear from you through comments and emails. Here's to many more great memories and many more great blog books!

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Restaurant Beets

Dustin and I finally celebrated our 3rd year anniversary! Better late than never!

I can't believe it was over 3 years ago that I got to wear a pretty dress and walk around in crunchy autumn leaves. That was a nice day. A really nice day.

Tonight we had dinner at Cowbell, a super cute restaurant in the Parkdale area that celebrates local farmers. When I found out that our absolute favourite Toronto restaurant (Superior) closed a few months ago, I began a hunt for a new favourite.

Cowbell focuses on naturally raised, organic meat and produce sourced by local farmers. The menu changes daily so I just had to cross my fingers that duck was on the menu -- which it was!!! Excellent. What should I order as my appetizer?

That was easy.

Ever since we signed up for our next CSA box with Culinarium I've been working on a new game plan for our beets. We received plenty of beets in our food boxes last year, and we knew that this year would be no different. Although I found some recipes (like pickled beets) that I admittedly enjoyed, I still did not have a proper appreciation for beets.

I decided that the problem was psychological. I didn't have any amazing beet experiences to reminisce on. I did not have delicious beet salads to dream about when I smelled the beet aroma as they were cooking. I did not strive towards that je-ne-sais-quoi that I loved in a particular beet dish that I was served.

And so: Operation Restaurant Beets began. Two weeks ago, I tried a delicious beet root salad at O&B Canteen (a new Oliver & Bonacini restaurant in the Toronto Entertainment District.)

image from oliverbonacini.com

With my new quest, it was easy for me to decide what to eat at Cowbell (ah yes. remember? I went on a HUGE tangent to talk about beets? now I'm back to talking about what I ordered at Cowbell... I do that sometimes.)

On the menu was a roasted beet and fennel salad that was equally divine. It was a mixture of pickled beets and raw golden beets that was lightly dressed and served with a thin layer of roasted fennel. It was fabulous. I didn't even remember to take my camera out, embarrass Dustin, and take a gorgeous picture for this blog -- sorry. The lighting was so romantic, my poor little camera wouldn't have done it justice anyway.

I think I can safely say that I love beets! I'm 2 for 2 when ordering beets at a restaurant. It's only a matter of time before I can perfect my own recipes to taste just as good. I just need to keep ordering the beets!

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Skips: the flower shaped chip

For my birthday not too long ago, my good friends Jess and Rebecca sent me a package from Ireland: it was filled to the brim with Skips!

From me

Since I was a little girl living in England, I fell in LOVE with prawn cocktail chips: the ones that looked like little flowers. I think we used to be able to buy them from Marks and Spencers, but I haven't seen them in Canada for a very, very long time. Growing up, my sister and I would reminisce on those prawn flower chip days, never expecting anyone to ever bring them back into our lives. That is, until my friend Rebecca moved to Ireland.

From me

My birthday package came with maybe 12 bags of these "fizzibly melty" chips (I say "maybe" because I wolfed down so many bags already that I have no idea how many I started with...) I've tried to make them last, but just today, I noticed the "best before" date:

From me

Horrifying!!! Starting today, they are no longer at their best!

What do I do? Eat them ALL? But I haven't even shared with my sister yet!

I compromised. During the course of this blog writing, I finished three bags (Hey, every day I save them, they are 1 more day away from having been their "best.") That leaves... 3. I will now save the rest for my sister. I see her this weekend, and she'll just have to settle for "best minus 3 days."

At least I'm sharing. And since I'm doing so much sharing, here's the amazing birthday card that my lovely ladies sent with the chips. Thanks so much!!!

From me

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Max of many faces

From Maximus

I haven't done much sewing as of late. Little projects here and there. Some pillow cases. But I had a valid distraction: my cutest nephew, Maximus.

My sister and her family came to visit me on the weekend to help pass the dreary Toronto rain. We spent the weekend eating and relaxing and playing with Max until he gave us the face of utter melancholy. Usually a happy baby, there was moments when he was happiest exercising his lungs.

From Maximus

I wish my stories about Max were longer and more exciting, but until he can do more than eat, poop, and drool, a couple "oooo"s and "ahhhh"s of his cuteness will have to suffice.

From Maximus

I have recovered from his love spell and will soon tell all about some more sewing adventures (could it be?! Another birdie sling?) and some ambitious plans for my garden.

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Thirty and Flirty and Thriving

From Maximus

"My mom turns 30 today. I can't even count to 30. But I've been told it's not hard. 30's not that much. My dad's way older."

Happy Birthday Kandice!

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Cute to the Max

This Christmas holiday, I had a date with my new nephew Maximus. Okay, so we didn't take long walks on the beach, but I got to burp him, and cuddle with him, and tell him all about how goofy his mommy is. Then I gave him back to my sister so he can throw up on her.

Truly one of the best babies I've ever had the pleasure of canoodling. Here's to Max: a special 14 picture collage.

From Maximus

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Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter

I'm an emotional person. Ask anyone.

I laugh out loud. And I mean *LOUD*.

I cry a lot. You know that Kodak commercial with the kid that shows his grandma her old baseball picture? I'm the one you can hear crying in the distance.

I get chills whenever I witness a fabulous performance of singing or dancing. CHILLS. Followed by immense jealousy that I can't sing and dance like them.

Last week was the Fall Finale of Glee (did I miss the memo on mid-season finales?) this made me have chills, and then I cried. (I just watched this clip 4 times and then the first 30 seconds 8 more times.) [update: the original clip was removed from youtube so now it's just the audio...)


Speaking of the sun being a ball of butter, I have two things I would like to share.

1. Buttery, delicious pecan pie.
2. Me balling -- well, bawling, but those who can't spell can see my segue.

First, the pecan pie. This was the first time I tried a no-roll-pie-crust. I set out to make small pecan tarts instead of one big pie. And then I realized that I had too much filling so I spent another 10 minutes (that's all it takes!) and made another crust for an entire pie. The crust turned out fabulous. I didn't blind bake anything: contrary to my quiche post. Why? I don't know. The likely answer is laziness.

Thanks to my housemate's trusty (although ancient) camera, I was able to capture one decent picture. For the filling, I used Martha Stewart's recipe. Mmmm. The sun must be mighty tasty.

From Food

Secondly: why was I bawling, you ask? Well, they were tears of happiness. I swear. Remember how I broke my camera and you all ran out to buy me a new one for Christmas? Well you can all return them (and get me gift certificates to the workroom) because Dustin gave me my Christmas present early! He spent hours researching for an inexpensive camera that performed well in low light and then went out today to bargain for a discount. He knew I would never have agreed to an expensive camera (and if Angela's ancient camera was up for grabs, I was thinking of buying it off her) so the Chinese bargaining skills came out and (although he wasn't able to pay cash for an extra no-tax savings) his mission was accomplished.

The battery is charging as we speak. No rain on my parade today!!!

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Cleaning Out my Closet

Last weekend, it was finally time for cleaning out my closet. But unlike Eminem, I was cleaning out my literal closet full of clothes without rapping to da beat. Don't get me wrong: if I could, I would -- but my rap skills are dismal.

Since the Spring opening of the breath-takingly fabulous Anthropologie store, I had given my closet a well deserved boost of "bohemian chic." Consequently, I caused a not-so-deserved crater in my bank account.

My Fall/Winter wardrobe needed to be better thought out. Before heading out to the shops for random "isn't this fabulous?" shopping, I needed to give it a thorough clean and assess my needs for the upcoming cold weather.

In the process, I was able to dig up a few cute things to share with you. (Yes, what an incredibly long segue to sharing these items...)

My maternal grandmother used to hand-make all sorts of things for us while growing up. Sweaters, hats, bibs (to name a few,) and cute little baby shoes. The pack-rat in me has kept these baby shoes in my closet where they will remain forever -- or until I have a baby girl: Dustin thinks they're too girly for a boy. Look at that craftsmanship! Grandmothers are amazing.

From me

From me

The next item up for bid (not really, but I love The Price is Right) is a pair of handmade mittens that transform into gloves. We bought these in England, at the market in Tavistock. I was 8. The lady was old. The mittens were fabulous. Old ladies make the best stuff.

From me

From me

And finally, I would like to share with you one of my favourite pictures of Dustin. The fact that it's on a button makes it even better. I get to make my "Isn't he cute as a button?!" joke forever and ever.

From me

At the end of the day, I saved a handful of valuable keepsakes, reorganized a closet of fall and winter essentials, and donated one very large garbage bag full of clothes to Goodwill. My mother has always reminded me to put old clothes aside for her first before giving it to charity. But like Eminem said "Sorry mama. I never meant to hurt you. I never meant to make you cry, but [last weekend I was] cleaning out my closet."

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