12/24/11
12/23/11
Food and Drink
I think that most people look forward to the Christmas season for reasons such as spending time with family, going to Christmas concerts, a break from work, opening presents and cheesy, yet heartwarming, ballads sung by the torch singers of the 1950s. But I also think that most people look forward to the tastes of the season— things that, for some reason, we only get to eat and drink at this time of year. You know… candy canes, mulled wine, mince tarts and GINGERBREAD!
I love gingerbread— it is definitely my favourite Christmas cookie to bake and eat. This year, I made a few batches of different kinds of cookies, but I chose to make gingerbread as a gift for my coworker, Chris. Like one of my former coworkers at SNAP, Chris is a huge basketball fan… and therefore he is a big basketball shoe fan as well. So I decided to make some Christmas Nikes for him.
First, I googled 'Nike hightops' and drew up a pattern for a shoe cookie and a sole cookie. I laid the carboard patterns on the dough and used a butter knife to cut out the shape. After they were baked to perfection in the oven, I iced and decorated them. I think they turned out pretty well, what do you think?
Unfortunately, winter also brings along things like colds, flus and, for me, chest infections. I'm not a huge fan of cough syrup; medicine just doesn't do much to suppress my cough (unless it's a prescription syrup containing codine). Recently, one of my fellow choristers suggested I make myself a hot toddy to help me sleep— and it certainly did. After some additions to his recipe, I came up with this:
1) Brew a cup of decaffeinated tea
2) Add 1 shot of whiskey (I've had both rye and scotch— I preferred the rye)
3) Squeeze in the juice of 1/4 lemon
4) Add honey to taste
5) Shake in some cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg for a festive scent
6) Cuddle up in bed with a good book
If you have the sniffles , have one of these before you go to bed tonight and you'l be nice and rested for your Christmas Eve festivities.
I love gingerbread— it is definitely my favourite Christmas cookie to bake and eat. This year, I made a few batches of different kinds of cookies, but I chose to make gingerbread as a gift for my coworker, Chris. Like one of my former coworkers at SNAP, Chris is a huge basketball fan… and therefore he is a big basketball shoe fan as well. So I decided to make some Christmas Nikes for him.
First, I googled 'Nike hightops' and drew up a pattern for a shoe cookie and a sole cookie. I laid the carboard patterns on the dough and used a butter knife to cut out the shape. After they were baked to perfection in the oven, I iced and decorated them. I think they turned out pretty well, what do you think?
Unfortunately, winter also brings along things like colds, flus and, for me, chest infections. I'm not a huge fan of cough syrup; medicine just doesn't do much to suppress my cough (unless it's a prescription syrup containing codine). Recently, one of my fellow choristers suggested I make myself a hot toddy to help me sleep— and it certainly did. After some additions to his recipe, I came up with this:
1) Brew a cup of decaffeinated tea
2) Add 1 shot of whiskey (I've had both rye and scotch— I preferred the rye)
3) Squeeze in the juice of 1/4 lemon
4) Add honey to taste
5) Shake in some cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg for a festive scent
6) Cuddle up in bed with a good book
If you have the sniffles , have one of these before you go to bed tonight and you'l be nice and rested for your Christmas Eve festivities.
12/2/11
Friday, December 2
My coworker, Chris (who has recently started reading this blog), kept saying 'TGIF' today. I had to agree with him. It feels like it's been a long week.
I love the tone of Jill Barber's voice and her slight, wavering vibrado. She kinda reminds me of Edith Piaf, but maybe that's because she has recently begun to write and perform songs in French in appreciation of her growing French audience.
Here's another one, just 'cause.
This is the first Friday night in a few weeks that I've had free and I didn't really know how I was going to spend it. I have been spending a lot of time alone recently so, naturally, I wanted to go out with some friends. The hard part about that is that many of my friends live in the city or Ottawa and it's just not convenient to call them up last minute. Most of my friends that do live in town were either busy, working or in Jamaica. I've just read this paragraph back to myself and it reads as a long list of excuses for being a loner… well, that can't be helped…
Anyway— I decided to take myself out on a date. I put on a bit of extra eyeliner, I put on my new cape coat thing and I picked up a Grande Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte at Starbucks on my way to the movie theatre, where I broke into my stash of movie passes. I went to see Scorsese's new film: Hugo. I didn't really know much about the film except for what little my parents told me after they saw it a couple of weeks ago.
But today has been quite nice! I finally finished making a Christmas gift for one of my cousins today— I've been working on it for ages. Also, that cousin and his lovely girlfriend dropped by for a quick bite at lunch time. And on my way to work, I heard a CBC Radio 2 Canada Live set by this talented woman:
I love the tone of Jill Barber's voice and her slight, wavering vibrado. She kinda reminds me of Edith Piaf, but maybe that's because she has recently begun to write and perform songs in French in appreciation of her growing French audience.
Here's another one, just 'cause.
This is the first Friday night in a few weeks that I've had free and I didn't really know how I was going to spend it. I have been spending a lot of time alone recently so, naturally, I wanted to go out with some friends. The hard part about that is that many of my friends live in the city or Ottawa and it's just not convenient to call them up last minute. Most of my friends that do live in town were either busy, working or in Jamaica. I've just read this paragraph back to myself and it reads as a long list of excuses for being a loner… well, that can't be helped…
Anyway— I decided to take myself out on a date. I put on a bit of extra eyeliner, I put on my new cape coat thing and I picked up a Grande Vanilla Rooibos Tea Latte at Starbucks on my way to the movie theatre, where I broke into my stash of movie passes. I went to see Scorsese's new film: Hugo. I didn't really know much about the film except for what little my parents told me after they saw it a couple of weeks ago.
It is a beautiful movie— and clearly Scorsese's tribute to one of film's original auteurs: George Méliès. I highly recommend this film! It's been billed as a kid's movie, but it is definitely not just a children's story. Beyond being visually stunning, the music really makes the atmosphere of 1930's Paris come to life and the story (which is always my favourite part of any movie) is exciting but also emotionally sweet and tender. See it!
Have a great weekend! Go do something Christmassy!
11/21/11
Quilt? Check!
It has been quite a while since my original 'before 25' post and I have finally accomplished some of my goals.
This weekend, I went to visit my Aunt Donna down near London to trade her quilting skills for my internet prowess. In exchange for her help in finishing my quilt, I gave her a lesson in the facebook. Let me tell you a little bit about this quilt.
When I was fifteen, I took some sewing lessons at the local quilting shop. I learned all the basics and went on to create some pillow shams, a tote bag, a few pairs of pyjama pants, mittens, scarves and a denim dress (that didn't really turn out the way I had pictured). For my next project, I decided to conquer quilting. Did I choose to make a nice, small throw quilt or a flannelette baby rag quilt? No. Obviously not. I guess I thought my sewing skills were pretty hot, because I decided to make a queen-size log 'rail fence' quilt. It was a pretty intense experience. First, I had to slice all of the fabric into little rectangles with this cutter thing that is like a pizza cutter, but much sharper. Then, I pieced the rectangles into squares and then into long rows. I eventually sewed all the rows together and added a wide border. This took me months and months. Towards the end, I was slicing some more fabric with that pizza cutter thing and… I slipped. I sliced off the tip of my left index finger. Needless to say, progress on my quilt went pretty slowly after that. I did manage to sandwich some filling between my quilt top and whatever you call the back piece. I even pinned it all together with these little bent safety pins which are especially for pinning quilt tops to whatever you call the back piece. But that was it. That was how my quilt sat, rolled up in my closet for the past nine years. I just couldn't let it sit there any longer.
So Aunt Donna got me set up on her machine and I finished the quilting bit. Then, she helped me figure out how to turn the edges under and finish them off. In all, it only took me about six-eight hours. And it looks great… looking at these pictures, you may be thinking 'Wow! Sarah is such and incredibly talented quilter, I must get her to make one for me!' Well, I'm gonna just let you believe that. I'll keep all the wobbly stitches to myself as I cozy up under the extra layer on my bed.
I have also checked off a few of my other goals. I joined the Christmas Cantata choir at my parents' church! (We're singing on Sunday Dec 11 at the morning service, if you want to come see!) I've started going to yoga at one of the local studios too! (And pretty soon, I will have completed all my teacher's college applications!)
I haven't really read much more of Samuel, so I want to get on that! It's those darn 'Game of Thrones' books! I've read the first two now, and they just suck up all my reading time. I can't put them down!!!
This weekend, I went to visit my Aunt Donna down near London to trade her quilting skills for my internet prowess. In exchange for her help in finishing my quilt, I gave her a lesson in the facebook. Let me tell you a little bit about this quilt.
When I was fifteen, I took some sewing lessons at the local quilting shop. I learned all the basics and went on to create some pillow shams, a tote bag, a few pairs of pyjama pants, mittens, scarves and a denim dress (that didn't really turn out the way I had pictured). For my next project, I decided to conquer quilting. Did I choose to make a nice, small throw quilt or a flannelette baby rag quilt? No. Obviously not. I guess I thought my sewing skills were pretty hot, because I decided to make a queen-size log 'rail fence' quilt. It was a pretty intense experience. First, I had to slice all of the fabric into little rectangles with this cutter thing that is like a pizza cutter, but much sharper. Then, I pieced the rectangles into squares and then into long rows. I eventually sewed all the rows together and added a wide border. This took me months and months. Towards the end, I was slicing some more fabric with that pizza cutter thing and… I slipped. I sliced off the tip of my left index finger. Needless to say, progress on my quilt went pretty slowly after that. I did manage to sandwich some filling between my quilt top and whatever you call the back piece. I even pinned it all together with these little bent safety pins which are especially for pinning quilt tops to whatever you call the back piece. But that was it. That was how my quilt sat, rolled up in my closet for the past nine years. I just couldn't let it sit there any longer.
So Aunt Donna got me set up on her machine and I finished the quilting bit. Then, she helped me figure out how to turn the edges under and finish them off. In all, it only took me about six-eight hours. And it looks great… looking at these pictures, you may be thinking 'Wow! Sarah is such and incredibly talented quilter, I must get her to make one for me!' Well, I'm gonna just let you believe that. I'll keep all the wobbly stitches to myself as I cozy up under the extra layer on my bed.
I have also checked off a few of my other goals. I joined the Christmas Cantata choir at my parents' church! (We're singing on Sunday Dec 11 at the morning service, if you want to come see!) I've started going to yoga at one of the local studios too! (And pretty soon, I will have completed all my teacher's college applications!)
I haven't really read much more of Samuel, so I want to get on that! It's those darn 'Game of Thrones' books! I've read the first two now, and they just suck up all my reading time. I can't put them down!!!
10/12/11
This Post is Late… Before 25 Tuesday!
Hey there! Happy Thanksgiving! How wonderful was the weather this weekend? I headed up to Almonte, Ontario, the birthplace of basketball, to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner with the Patterson clan. My family ate Thanksgiving dinner outside in the sunshine, sipping cold beers and smiling at our reflections in eachothers' sunglasses. I am thankful for so much in my life and my family is definitely near the top of the list!
In the past couple of weeks, I have made some progress towards accomplishing some of my 'Before I Turn 25' goals.
Earlier this week, I received some information from the OUIT, allowing me to log-in and complete my application for teachers college. I've started to fill it out, but I probably wont fully submit it until closer to the due date so I can add on some of the volunteer and work experience I will have by December.
Also, I went out to check out a local chamber choir. I think it might be fun, and I really want to get back into choir singing and they sing a wide variety of music. But… the music is pretty challenging. I'll definitely need to practice at home on my own!
I am going to be doing some volunteering at a local elementary school as well. I will be helping out in a Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 class— I had my first day this week. Although trying to supervise nineteen 5 and 6-year-olds was a little bit stressful, as they constantly attempted to pull my attention in different directions, I had fun! I helped them sound out words while playing a board game and I made playdough cookies. I am looking forward to next week!
My job has been a bit hectic, so far. It's good, just hectic. I haven't settled into the roll yet… and some things aren't quite working out as I have planned, so I will be making quite a few changes for next month's calendar. As everything in life, this job is definitely a learning experience. I am enjoying it— unlike some other learning experiences I've had in recent years!
I will leave you tonight with some excellent music. I may have mentioned 'Watch Listen Tell' in a past post, but just in case I didn't, please check out this link. Watch Listen Tell records up and coming artists as they perform acoustic renditions of their singles in outdoor locations around North London. Unsurprisingly, I discovered their recordings while YouTubing my favourite English band, Stornoway. Some artists they have featured include Liam Bailey, Dry the River, and Newfoundland's own Hey Rosetta! Oh yeah, OKGo's WTL is amazing, too!
My new favourite discovery is a band from London called 'Golden Silvers'. They. Are. Ace. If you every hear that they are touring in North America, PLEASE let me know. Enjoy!
In the past couple of weeks, I have made some progress towards accomplishing some of my 'Before I Turn 25' goals.
Earlier this week, I received some information from the OUIT, allowing me to log-in and complete my application for teachers college. I've started to fill it out, but I probably wont fully submit it until closer to the due date so I can add on some of the volunteer and work experience I will have by December.
Also, I went out to check out a local chamber choir. I think it might be fun, and I really want to get back into choir singing and they sing a wide variety of music. But… the music is pretty challenging. I'll definitely need to practice at home on my own!
I am going to be doing some volunteering at a local elementary school as well. I will be helping out in a Senior Kindergarten/Grade 1 class— I had my first day this week. Although trying to supervise nineteen 5 and 6-year-olds was a little bit stressful, as they constantly attempted to pull my attention in different directions, I had fun! I helped them sound out words while playing a board game and I made playdough cookies. I am looking forward to next week!
My job has been a bit hectic, so far. It's good, just hectic. I haven't settled into the roll yet… and some things aren't quite working out as I have planned, so I will be making quite a few changes for next month's calendar. As everything in life, this job is definitely a learning experience. I am enjoying it— unlike some other learning experiences I've had in recent years!
I will leave you tonight with some excellent music. I may have mentioned 'Watch Listen Tell' in a past post, but just in case I didn't, please check out this link. Watch Listen Tell records up and coming artists as they perform acoustic renditions of their singles in outdoor locations around North London. Unsurprisingly, I discovered their recordings while YouTubing my favourite English band, Stornoway. Some artists they have featured include Liam Bailey, Dry the River, and Newfoundland's own Hey Rosetta! Oh yeah, OKGo's WTL is amazing, too!
My new favourite discovery is a band from London called 'Golden Silvers'. They. Are. Ace. If you every hear that they are touring in North America, PLEASE let me know. Enjoy!
9/30/11
If you have Netflix, check this out:
I just watched this awesome documentary on Netflix called 'God of Wonders'.
It's a 'Planet Earth'-style documentary, describing the immense power found in the cosmos, the intricate detail found in insects, water life and birds and the innate sense of justice found in each human's conscience. Admittedly, the guys in the video are not the hippest-looking people (and none of them are ladies), but they speak the truth. You should check it out!
It's a 'Planet Earth'-style documentary, describing the immense power found in the cosmos, the intricate detail found in insects, water life and birds and the innate sense of justice found in each human's conscience. Admittedly, the guys in the video are not the hippest-looking people (and none of them are ladies), but they speak the truth. You should check it out!
9/27/11
More from Ed Sheeran and Birdy
I've shared tracks by both these artists with you before, but I've found some new stuff I really want to share.
Ed Sheeran's debut album '+' is now available. I haven't heard the whole thing, but what I HAVE heard, I truly love. Here's another track from that album for you to enjoy. It's called 'Small Bump'.
Birdy has an album coming out later this year. Her debut single was a cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love. This track, 'People Help the People' by Cherry Ghost, is just as stunning:
Ed Sheeran's debut album '+' is now available. I haven't heard the whole thing, but what I HAVE heard, I truly love. Here's another track from that album for you to enjoy. It's called 'Small Bump'.
Birdy has an album coming out later this year. Her debut single was a cover of Bon Iver's Skinny Love. This track, 'People Help the People' by Cherry Ghost, is just as stunning:
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