Goodbye pancakes

This morning the wind has died down and there are fluffy clouds scattered across the blue. I made pancakes for breakfast, these are usually reserved for Sunday mornings but seeing as I am heading north into the snow I thought it would be a nice treat before I got on the road.

Button block

I had something like writer's block except for me it was button block. The vintage box was primed and ready to go. Hundreds of buttons for me to choose from all sorted by colour and type. But I could not picture in my mind what the box was going to look like. I have a pretty good idea about the inside; a mini quilt made with a mixture of fabrics and in one corner, a cupped ceramic hand (Japanese) perfect for holding rings.
Then after a day of not thinking about the box or buttons, I realized that I was thinking about the process too much. I've done this so many times that I was fighting it thinking I had to do something totally different and outrageous. But when something is good and it works, why fight it? All I had to do was remind myself of what I do; I take a box and I cover it with buttons.

Busy Sunday

Before we had our Cowboy breakfast by the river, we stopped at the Soup Kitchen in the Daily News parking lot and donated a bag full of socks, juice boxes, and granola bars. There was a cold wind blowing so a bowl of hot soup will be most welcome for those who need it most.
Stopped in at the Antique Market at Cottonwoods; was happy to find a linen tea towel, a dovetailed box, a star-shaped mother-of-pearl button, and a pewter horse pendant.

After rearranging the furniture, we enjoyed a new recipe that Mr. Cowboy cooked up - Parmesan Chicken with Caesar Roasted Romaine from the March 2012 issue of Bon Appetit. The chicken was moist, the topping was nice and crunchy (homemade breadcrumbs), and the roasted romaine with anchovies and lots of lemon juice was a nice change.

At work

I talk on the phone a lot. That is part of my job. These flowers are a result of one of those phone calls.

Layer number ten

I know the pie isn't all there but I just needed Mr. Cowboy to model the latest cover for my hot mitts. I found this great cotton with a pomegranate design (my favourite fruit) so could not resist sewing it up. This is layer number ten and we can still get our hands into them.

Oh, and by the way, the cherry pie with graham cracker crust and whipped cream that Mr. Cowboy made was really good.

Tastes like August

This may seem like an ordinary bowl of mezze linguine but it was far from ordinary. We finally dipped into a bin of our frozen cherry tomatoes. Someone who is very patient removed the skins from the tiny orbs and then made a quick sauce with lots of parsley. Very tasty and even better when served with a dollop of ricotta.

A 'green' gift

I always have a hard time buying gifts for little people. I was so desperate that I even went to a big box toy store, walked in and walked right back out. Normally I would not buy something second hand for a little person but if it was a vintage item in good condition, I certainly would consider it. I found this growth chart at my favourite 'boutique' and snapped it up. It is made from linen and all it needed was a dowel and ribbon to make it a nice gift.