Korean Treat

How delicious does this Korean treat look? We picked it up at the Korean market on Friday and I was so excited to try it. I was imagining this super yummy sweet black sesame paste sandwiched in between chewy sweet glutinous rice flour. What I got was a bland but slightly salty, chewy unpleasant mouthful of blah. Last time we got dessert from the Korean market, it was also not yummy and we got suckered in yet again! Arrrrrg! Darn you freshly made Korean dessert rack at the checkout!!! 

Cabinet Rejuvenated with Annie Sloan's Chalk Paint

Leanne from Apple Box Boutique has totally got me hooked on painting furniture to give it a second life and now I see old wood furniture in a whole new light. I took a class from her earlier this year and was able to transform Jamie's old night stand into something that I absolutely love. 

The picture really doesn't do it justice because the gold gilding wax is amazing in person. We have a matching dresser for this night stand that's in line waiting to be transformed into a baby dresser/change station. Hopefully that'll get done before baby's arrival! 
Leanne had a massive furniture garage sale a couple months ago and I managed to pick up this beautiful, made in Canada dresser. It fits perfectly in our foyer and I knew I wanted wanted to test out the oh so loved Emperor's Silk paint color. It took 2 coats of paint, 2 coats of clear wax and some spray paint for the hardware to almost complete the look. I picked up some dark wax to give it more character but haven't gotten around to truly finishing this dresser yet. In the meantime though, it stands loud and proud in our foyer, strutting its new sharp look. 

Card Biz Update

Remember way back last spring when I was so excited to announce that I was taking on a little business adventure with a local store? I just thought it was time for an update on how things are going with that venture. The store is called Apple Box Boutique and it's located in the heart of Highlands. Leanne is the wonderful owner of this unique store and she has been so supportive of local artisans that the store is loaded with products from my greeting cards, small local company bath and body products, locally painted artwork to hand-sewn quilts. The focus of her store is the Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and you can see the paint in action with all the painted furniture in the store. Sales have been slow since the cards were all kept in a little box on a counter, but after some discussion we decided to have a display shelf to draw more customers to the product. How amazing is Leanne for allowing me to have the space that she has? Jamie impressed me when he built this card rack and after some sanding and Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, there it sits in all its glory. Smack dab in the middle of the store, directly across from the checkout counter. I'm not expecting to sell hundreds of cards but just seeing them all displayed out like that sure makes a gal feel good.  

#yegdt

Last weekend Jamie and I had our annual dental check-up and afterwards, decided to frolic downtown. It took a little bit to find parking but finally managed to make it to the City Market inside City Hall. It was bustling with vendors, customers and live music. The vendors that we hit up: Green Valley Farms, Theo's Greek Kouzina, Shooting Star Ranch and Fruits of Sherbrooke. We always get our elk antlers and elk jerky from Shoot Start Ranch. Khuno loves gnawing on those suckers. Fruits of Sherbrooke was a vendor we've never seen before. Their story is they take urban fruits that would otherwise go to waste, and make yummy things out of them! I'm sure you've all seen the large number of rotten apples on the ground in people's yards. These folks will swoop in and rescue them. This jam we bought has a lovely pureed texture (I'm not a fan of big chunks of fruit on my toast) and isn't too sweet. They also make things like Chipotle Ketchup, which I've heard is quite delicious. 

After the market, we walked past City Hall to De Dutch on Jasper Ave. We had very similar Dutch pancakes in Amsterdam so it definitely brought us back to our honeymoon days. Really quaint bright atmosphere and there was no lineup at all, which surprised us. It's a nice change of taste from the typical Cora's breakfast. We both chose savory items but they had a massive list of sweet treats to choose from. It was such a gorgeous day to be out walking and we almost forgot about all the wonderful things to do in the city. There were people skating on the free public ice right outside City Hall. There was a free gigantic chess set for anyone who wanted to play and there was a shinny hockey tournament going on all afternoon! If you're bored and have nothing to do next Saturday, downtown is full of fun things including the mall! You'll be reminded of our lovely downtown by all the buttons people are wearing that support #yegdt. 

Who Needs a Trim?

Or a weed whacker? One may think that Jamie's hair isn't too bad based on the above photo but here's a different perspective. The photo above was taken just before we left the house. We had a plan that Saturday: coffee at Credo, baked deliciousness at Dauphine's and most importantly, a visit to Maqxter's. You might be thinking, "Oh it's not that bad..." but trust me folks, I'm going to show you what I have to contend with.   

That's what his hair really looks like. One. Giant. Fro. Who would have thought an Asian in his 30s could have such luscious hair? Not me. But as always, Jamie proves to be something else. Something special. It's amazing how a hair cut can slim down a face and for $15 including tax and tip, I'd say it was money well spent! 

You didn't think I'd leave without showing you the outcome of the haircut did you? I don't remember if I insisted on a haircut first or not but my inkling is I did because who really wants to go sit in a coffee shop with big hair boy? 

Much better. 

Another Year Wiser

With the wisdom comes many other things... Age, gray hairs, fine lines, belly fat, the list goes on and on. With each birthday that passes, I find myself less wanting to celebrate but more wanting to reflect on the year gone by. Remember when we were young and birthdays meant family dinners because we hadn't started school yet to make friends? This was me up until grade 7. I had the occasional birthday with neighborhood friends, but because my birthday is in the summer, I never had classmates come. Fast forward to the age where birthday celebrations meant nights out with friends and significant others, eating, drinking and celebrating. I've done my fair share of those as well. The past couple of years I find myself more wanting to revert back to the good ol' days where birthdays were celebrated with a gathering of family and good food. 

Today I celebrated my birthday by going to the downtown City Market with my husband. We had a great lunch at Dauphine's Bakery & Bistro, which included the Trio Plate and the Croque Monsieur, both came with fresh farmer's market salads. Jamie got a latte and it came in this massive bowl that neither one of us has seen before. The waitress said that's how it was traditionally served. 
After lunch we stopped into our favorite coffee shop, Credo, for a London Fog w/ Rooibos tea and a latte.Sipping our drinks, we strolled along the market and purchased a variety of goodies! Fresh peaches from BC, more fresh organic peaches, lemon stuffed olives, whole wheat pita with chili hummus, cherry tomatoes, assorted tomatoes, dandelion honey, and elk antler/bones for Khuno. I also dragged Jamie into my new office building to show him where I work now. 

We got home shortly after and I came downstairs to find a hand drawn card from my hubby, inspired by the London's famous, "Keep calm and carry on" fad. Then we headed off again with Khuno to Rivercree for a buffet dinner with my parents, brother and sister-in-law. We left Khuno with Audi together alone for the first time and when we returned home, poor Khuno was so exhausted. 
It's been a while since we had a fire pit night so we cranked that baby open and made some s'mores. My amazing friends came over and brought birthday cinnamon buns with them for roasting on the fire, something that we've never done before. Something about fires that just makes people want to roast things on a skewer! 
This past year has been full of changes. We became husband and wife, went on an amazing honeymoon, witnessed several of our friends get married, and I took on a new challenge in my career. It really has been a year for adventure and I know the next one will be just as, if not more, exciting for our little family. Our next big project: re-shingling the roof. 

366 Photo Project - Photo 46: Administrative Week

A few weeks ago it was Administrative Week so all of us in the office got together and purchased our clerical staff some flowers and a goodie basket of tasty unhealthy treats. This gorgeous floral arrangement was put together by the talented Leslie of Sugar Blossoms Floral Design. She's located in the same store as the Applebox Boutique located in Highlands. One of the girls at work asked if I picked this up at Save 0n Foods. I laughed and said most definitely not. That's what I love about independently owned flower shops. The store owners are so involved with the floral arrangements that their work is stunning. I used to work at a grocery store and they didn't provide any training for floral arrangements. So if you want to get someone a OOAK (one of a kind) arrangement, it's worth the trip to Sugar Blossoms. I'm actually sad that I didn't discover them before my wedding because Leslie's wedding flowers are so affordable. If flowers or the amazing hand painted furniture by Leanne of Applebox Boutique isn't enough to draw you into their store, you'll also find my hand stamped greeting cards there! Now you have 3 reasons to check them out! 

366 Photo Project - Photo 40: Ameya Studio

Last Thursday I managed to make a stop at Sabrina Butterfly during their Late Night on the Ave in Highlands. Sabrina was featuring a local soap company, Ameya Studio. I love supporting local and instantly snapped up 2 bars of this Gardener's Scrub Bar. Now I know what you're all thinking, "Sandy doesn't garden." You are absolutely right, I don't. I picked these up as little gifts for my neighbors because everyone around us have mega green thumbs. In fact, their hands are probably green. I can see my one neighbor starting seedlings in her window. One day I'll take advantage of the sun we get in our kitchen window and try to get a herb pot going. 

Dahlia's

If you live in Edmonton, there's a tasty little bistro that deserves a visit. It's called Dahlia's Mediterranean Bistro. It's on High Street right near MEC. Their menu is short and simple. A few of us decided to eat here for lunch during one of our meetings at Plaza 124. It used to be a tasty little catering company here. I wasn't sure what to order at first so I asked the owner, who was also the chef. He said that their falafel pita was just voted one of the top 25 things to try in Edmonton. Bam! It sold me. I told him he was a good salesman and he said the food sells itself. Bam again!

I also ordered a greek salad to go with it. The pita was quite simple really. He slathered it with hummus, then filled it with some greens, falafel, pickled turnips and finished with a touch of hot sauce. The salad was nothing special and it was actually quite expensive for the amount I got. They should really put it into a bowl instead of on a plate to make the serving size look better. Onto the star of the meal though, the falafel pita. It was so flipping delicious. The other ladies had the shawarma and they described the food as "very flavorful". They weren't kidding! I've tried making falafels before and I've eaten both good and bad ones. These ones were moist and seasoned well. The pickled turnips gave just the right hit of acid to balance out the creamy hummus. I actually couldn't finish about 1/3 of it because of my late morning snack so I wrapped it up and to eat later. I left it in my lunch bag and the next morning realized I had forgotten about it. It was so tasty the day before that I thought, "Screw it, I'm heating it up and eating it anyways." Well let me tell you, it was just as tasty the next day even after it had sat out all night in my lunch bag. I'm going to bring Jamie here because the falafel was just that good. Do it. Go. Today if possible. 

365 Photo Project - Photo 5

I have wanted a pair of these coveted slippers for a long time. I first saw them at Sabrina Butterfly Designs on 112 Ave in Highlands. They didn't have the color that I wanted back then and I never thought much about going to look for them. On Friday I ventured into Birth Source for the first time and found that they carried these Padraig slippers! They did have the color I wanted but the leather sole had a weird kink that I didn't like. The owner told me that the leather would eventually mold to my foot but I didn't want to risk it. I settled for a brown pair instead. What makes these Padraig slippers so awesome? They are all handmade in North Vancouver, B.C. with hand spun raw wool and the inside is lined with sheepskin. When I wear them, it feels like I'm rubbing my feet into Khuno's undercoat. It's very luxurious!

Saturday Morning

You read that blog title correct! I was in fact, awake this morning at 7:30 AM. Last night Jamie reminded me that we had a dentist appointment this morning at 9:00 AM. "Why?! Why would I do that to myself?" I asked Jamie. It's not that I can't get up early, but sleep is just oh so nice. Every year I always get a lecture from my dentist on proper brushing because the backs of my teeth are stained like mad. Today as he was doing his initial exam, he came across those same stains and let out an unprofessional, "Ewwuugh". It's a good thing I wasn't embarrassed. My response, "I know they're stained, there's no need for the lecture. Just clean them so I can restain them." I love my dentist. We have a special relationship. After bickering with him about my flossing technique and him pushing me to go on a cruise for our honeymoon, we finished at the dentist at 10. On the way home I decided to make Jamie do a detour to Planet Organic. I had purchased some soap the last time I was there and actually quite liked it so I grabbed another couple of bars along with a bar of goat milk soap. It's supposed to be really moisturizing for eczema. I almost got the bright red bar with anti-bacterial acne fighting properties until I smelt it and almost threw up. 

I actually almost threw up a lot today now that I think about it. I gagged a few times at the dentist, then smelling that God awful soap and then several times when I was smelling different essential oils. A lady actually laughed at me when I told Jamie that many of the oils made me gag. I finally settled on some grapefruit essential oil. Why do I need some of that expensive crap oil you might ask? I was poking around on Pinterest and found a pin on homemade carpet powder. Khuno's food is very fishy so the basement (my crafting lair) always has a weird odor. Hopefully the baking soda/grapefruit oil will help eliminate some of that. We also purchased some new toilet bowl cleaner and dish soap. The dish soap smells awesome but still comes in second place behind Amway's Legacy of Clean Dish Drops. That stuff is still my all time fav.

After the bit of shopping we decided to stroll (...drive) over to Credo for a beverage. Their rooibos london fogs are another one of my favorite things. Lattes are quite tasty as well. Turns out our neighbor knows the owner! We had taken our engagement photos at Credo and even though we have had many conversations with the owner, I still wonder if he recognizes us. I got my answer today when he commented on how well the engagement photos turned out! I emailed him the link after Katch posted it on their blog. 


Now I'm not sure if any of you have been to Queen of Tarts before, but if not, please go. Yes some may think it's expensive compared to the local favorite, The Duchess, but supporting local businesses is important to me. The Duchess boasts about their use of quality ingredients but what sets Queen of Tarts apart is their use of local ingredients. Support local always costs more but I don't mind paying the extra cost. I had my heart set on this amazing bread with cherry tomatoes, but sadly it wasn't being made due to the lack of fresh local cherry tomatoes. The owner said she'll be bringing that back in February. If getting downtown doesn't fit with your schedule, you can find Queen of Tart goodies at the Alberta Avenue Farmer's Market that runs
year round. Their bread is so worth the calories. We got their seeded baguette today. Wow, I wrote a lot today. Thanks for reading! (You know who I'm talking about)

Alberta Avenue Farmers Market

I've been meaning to go to the Alberta Avenue Farmers Market for the last few months but with work, it was difficult finding time. This past Thursday was my one and only evening off so I took the opportunity to visit the little market. You can find more information about it here. Although it's small and quaint, there's a lot of things to choose from! I came home with a few goodies. 

I knew I wanted to try some pickled goodies and carrots are always full of crunch. When I'm done all these, I'll just throw in a few more carrots from the fridge to take advantage of that yummy brine. This big jar cost $6. 


My second stop was Queen of Tarts Bakery & Bistro. I don't remember the name of this bread but it was full of organic flour and pumpkin seeds. I've had toast the last 3 days. This tasty loaf put me out $5.50. 

The last and final stop was at Shooting Star Ranch. Daisy had tried their breakfast sausage and was highly recommending it. I've got a weakness for sausage and was about to buy the ham garlic sausage at another booth when the sample of elk sausage hooked me in. It was so stinkin' tasty I snuck in 3 samples. It was also very affordable to buy! That ring in the picture only cost $5.85. The ham sausage was going for $7. Jamie had also recently bought Khuno an elk antler to chew. Khuno devoured half the antler in one evening so this bigger chunkier antler was right up Khuno's alley. 


If you haven't had time to stop by the farmer's market on Alberta Avenue, it's definitely worth the trip. There was produce, meats and organic grains. It runs all year round and it's indoors! Parking is ample and the atmosphere is super cozy.