Parisian Dreaming

The other day I was making pancakes & the batter was runny. I thought oh! I'll just make crepes. My friends, I am here to say, runny pancake batter does not translate as crepes.

Thinking along the lines of crepes, my trip to Montreal was one of my favorites. I would like to visit Quebec City. I've heard it's incredible. Maybe next summer when we visit Ottawa I will have to fanagle Quebec City into the itinerary. 

And continuing along this vein, we can always dream of France.

Someday...someday...

 

Image source: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 centre unknown

Brie, Baguettes, Bordeaux...need I say more. 

I would like to spend a week in the Louvre. 

Everything I ever studied in Art History tangible.

And if in Paris I would need an iconic photo shoot in front of the Eiffel Tower. 

I would love to wander the country sides and villages. 

To see fields of lavender would make my heart swell with all this beauty. 

A Home Tour

Welcome to my home!

Today's challenge post for blog-tember was to share a tour of one's room or house. I love home tours. One of my favorite activities is visiting show homes. I am excited to see everyone's linked home tour in the blog-tember challenge today. If the blog-tember challenge is new to you click on the blog-tember link at the bottom of the page.

I have already shared a little about my kitchen here. The kitchen is of my favorite spaces in the house, as I was able to plan it in the building process.

Here are some other pictures of our home. Come along as we tour some of the main floor minus the guest room where I had spread out three loads of laundry that need to be folded and the bathrooms that need a good scrub.

Here is the entry way. The builder has yet to have the painter come to paint our front door.  We moved in April. I may have to bust out the paint brush and finish it myself so that I can hang a fall wreath. There is my diaper bag almost always packed & ready to go for quick getaways with J. 

Next up is the living room.

Always toys. I am picking them up always. 

I still need to purchase window treatments & hang artwork in the living room. Also we are on the look out for a child friendly coffee table. 

Here is the laundry room. 

I need to install hooks for my Norwex broom & maybe find some laundry art.

The nursery

The nursery is a work in progress. I have framed artwork to hang yet and I need to sew & hang curtains.

And our master bedroom. I want to purchase bedding for our bed yet. We also want to hang artwork and get window treatments. 

In our last house we had fun Hawaii travel artwork I found on etsy and orange bedding from Anthro. I am thinking of something different for this bedroom. 

If you would like to see a home tour of our last home click here.

Thanks for popping by! 

Raisin Molasses Oatmeal Cookies Recipe & Baking Playlist

Remember those juicy raisins I was hankering for in the grocery store? On Monday I put together a recipe for soft, chewy, oatmeal, raisin, molasses cookies. This is my own recipe. I know, I amaze myself sometimes. These my friends are amazing!

You need to mix some up and have two or three cookies. Playing in the background, of course, will be this baking cookies playlist I made on Spotify.

Raisin Molasses Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup White Sugar

1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Molasses 

3/4 cup Butter or Margarine 

1 egg 

 1 1/2 cups Flour

1 teaspoon Baking Soda 

1/2 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Ginger

1/2 teaspoon Cloves

1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

1 1/2 cup Quick Rolled Oats  

1 cup Raisins 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking pans with parchment paper.

Cream sugars, butter (or margarine), molasses and egg in the mixer. (I find Molasses hard to pour...I was going for 1/4 cup but might have gotten 1/2 cup) Measure in dry ingredients. Mix. Stir in quick rolled oats & raisins.

Form balls and arrange on baking sheet. Press fork in centre. If you find dough sticky wet your hands slightly before.

Bake @350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 minutes.

Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Yesterday's prompt for blog-tember was to make a playlist. I of course was up way too late the night before watching a movie with L then up at 4 am with J and then up with the sun again. Since it was Ls day off we pulled together a diaper bag and wisked J into her carseat & picked up breakfast sandwich & coffees & we were off to the big city for a full day of shopping. When I got home, re-heated lentil soup that I had made the day before & made dinner, played with J and put her to bed I listened to a pile of music and composed this playlist. I had wanted to post it yesterday but the day got the best of me. So now I'm a day behind in the blog-tember challenge but I will catch up in time.

Baking Cookies Playlist 

(Click on Baking Cookies Playlist above to be taken to Spotify to hear the full playlist for free.)

I hope you enjoy!

Let Them Eat Cake

 

You are invited to a sledding birthday party. Dress warmly. Bring snow pants, mittens & a touque. I was 8 turning 9. 

Activity: Sledding & Crafting

I really love sledding. The tobogganing kind. 

"The dream of the endless sled ride is a fantasy born of reading too many Calvin & Hobbes strips and too few physics textbooks."  If sledding is your jam this article lists 10 of the best places to go sledding in the world. 

I think I had less fear when I was 8 & 9 but sledding is fun! I'm on the hunt for a great hill near my new home.  

My mom is an artist. She always had some craft to entertain us after we came in soggy from the snow. 

 Food: Lasagna + Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing  

I loved Garfield comics when I was in grade 3. That and Ramona Quimby. I was banned by the librarian from taking out either. She wanted me to expand my reading horizons.

I have had carrot cake with cream cheese icing every year of my life. EVERY YEAR. Why change now. I love carrot cake with cream cheese icing. L makes my carrot cake birthday cake now so that's fun. Still I have to make sure he has the ready ingredients & give tips. It really is hilarious and sweet to see him bake. Birthday traditions are actually a good thing.  They convey so many good memories. Traditions have depth & history. My brother told me that no one in my family actually likes carrot cake they just tolerate it in an effort to influence me to select something different one year. I'm banking on my mom loving it too since she made it for me all those years. If your planning to come to my party know that carrot cake is on the menu. If you'd prefer something else I am not opposed to two cakes and will gladly welcome you bringing a second cake. 

Gift: A sled... A bike

I must have received sleds a lot since one year I actually cried when I received one. I wanted a new bike like my brothers had received over the summer/fall. So the sled I received became the family sled (which it was destined to become anyways) & I had to wait until spring until I received my bike. A white bike with gears and breaks. I loved that bike. I thought it was such an upgrade from my yellow banana seat bike that had one speed depending on how fast I peddled and had thrown me over the handlebars once. 

Rambling Thoughts About Holiday Birthdays

If you have a loved one with a birthday that falls on a holiday or near a holiday make an effort to think of their birthday as unique and separate from the holiday. 

My birthday is in January right after Christmas & New Years. My due date for my daughter was my birthday. That would have been the most memorable birthday but Gestational Diabetes decided an earlier delivery. I'm glad she has her own special day. And yet my daughter's birthday falls right in between these two holidays. Having a birthday that falls so close to two major holidays can be a challenge. 

My mom tried to make my birthday unique. One thing my mom excels at is taking down the Christmas tree. That tree does not have a long life span in her home. It's up on December 23rd and down on January 7th or 8th. It is important I believe to change out decorations from one party to the next. There shouldn't be any confusion when your guests arrive over which party they are attending.

While seasonal gifts can be awesome for someone with a birthday near a major holiday receiving seasonal or holiday themed gifts is not always appreciated.  

I have heard numerous excuses why people cannot attend my birthday party including: individuals are partied out, or they are trying to stick to their New Years resolutions or they are studying for exams, or they have been just going too much & need to stay in etc. If you are invited to a birthday party but really feel taxed & feel the need to cancel commit right then & there to a rain check date & celebrate that person later with a slice of your time if even taking them out for coffee or having them over for a chat & a cup of tea. Or if you really are not friends perhaps a crucial conversation is in order, but preferably not on or right before their birthday. At any rate be kind.  

I have received countless I OWE YOU gifts and combo holiday/birthday gifts.  Please avoid the combined Holiday/Birthday gift. The birthday gifts are not as important anymore but when your 8 or 15 that's hard! 

As you get older perhaps the best approach is to start planning the birthday you want OR host a party. Now I much prefer smaller intimate gatherings of my favorites than when I was younger.  Or buy the gift you've been drooling over. A trip to the spa is always a good idea. And don't let the humbugs get you down!

A Party Planning Link & Reason to Party

In my party planning search I came across this great site from this Aussie party planning mom.  Themed parties are so fun. I love the Paris party.  I like what she says in why they party:

"For us, Parties and Celebrations are a must. They are a highlight. A bright spot. A peak in what can sometimes feel like a year of valleys. "A merry heart does good like a medicine," the Proverb says. And so it does. When things are feeling grim and heavy, throw a party."

Moving Forward

I aim to celebrate my daughter's life & birthday and make her birthday unique.  I am going to have to take up the unusual habit of boxing up the tree on Boxing Day. I am already thinking about planning my daughter's first birthday. Cake smashes seem to be the first birthday thing. Odd but interesting.  I am challenged to find friends with little friends for her to invite to the party. If you have great ideas for or have planned a first birthday party please share or link them in the comments below. 

Reader Response

How did you celebrate your last birthday? Do you have a holiday birthday & if so how do you like or dislike being celebrated?  Do you have plans for an upcoming birthday party? What is on the menu for your birthday? Do you have a favorite type of birthday cake?