One Skirt. Two Looks.

I've been really into the skirt dress idea since I wrote about it not long ago. I don't own any skirts except from the one I wore in the last picture so I've been keeping my eyes open for the perfect skirt. I was at Old Navy the other day and came across this brown full-length skirt marked down from $32.99 to $8 so I couldn't pass it up.

One Skirt. Two Looks. Voila!

Skirt: Old Navy
T-Shirt: Jacob Connection
Tank: H&M
Sash Belt (dress photo): Jacob
Sunglasses: Winners
Shoes: Old Navy

The Julia Child In Me

Here I am revealing my inner Julia in 2001

When I was in my teens I would come home from school, plunk myself on the couch and watch Julia Child & Company. It was my midday ray of sunshine. I loved her casual cooking style, her smiles, her jokes, her running commentary but best of all I loved food and loved watching her cook food.

I remember making Coq Au Vin and Boeuf Bourguignon in my parents kitchen. I must have been around 17 or 18 years old, adding a bit of this, a dash of that, chopping and stirring, and talking in my head as if I had my own cooking show. I was Julia -- the master chef of the kitchen though not so masterful because, well, I'd never been to cooking school and although Julia had, there was something about her that made you think that you could cook just like her regardless of whether or not you had ever cooked before. Julia made cooking fun! I'd drop a carrot on the floor or the flour would be all over the counter but that was OK because, well, if Julia could drop a whole chicken, duck or whatever the rumour had her dropping on the floor than my carrot was still good too.

I had another wonderful influence, my dad. He loved cooking and cooking loved him. He just had a natural talent for it. His spaghetti sauce made with tomatoes from his own garden was something I will never be able to duplicate though I have tried. To him it was all from memory, his own creation that he never had a recipe for. And his pizza -- friends still remember his pizza. I helped him every time he made it. I can vaguely remember the ingredients, I'm just not sure I'd be able to make it the same or even if I tried there would be something a little different about it. My dad taught me many things, to laugh, to enjoy life, to always write down your recipes even if your recipe is a pinch of this, a little of that -- one thing he never did.

Through the years I continued watching cooking shows. You name it, I'm sure I watched it -- Wok With Yan, The Urban Peasant, The Galloping Gourmet, The Two Fat Ladies, Emeril, Jamie Oliver, David Rocco, The Barefoot Contessa and so many other wonderful cooking shows that would influence me as I started to cook for myself, my family, my friends.

Back when Steve and I had our first place together, I had a pot of something on the stove that needed stirring. In his best Julia Child voice he came walking into the kitchen and said something chef-like as he started to stir what was in the pot -- I couldn't stop laughing. Until a few days ago when we reminisced about that time, he didn't realize how much I love Julia Child.

The other night I went to see Julie & Julia and absolutely loved the movie, LOVED IT! I had a happy tear through almost the entire movie because that was me, I was Julie. I was the one who used to loose herself in cooking, my escape from life's daily stresses. There was always a good recipe somewhere to take away the chaos of a hard day.

I do wish that I would have known about Julie Powell's blog (here and here) before it became a big screen movie, before writers, producers and directors tried to make a person be like her instead of reading about her thoughts from the true Julie Powell.

My love for cooking hasn't faded but it has been put on the back burner. These days it's all about what's quick, easy, cost efficient, what my kids will eat -- meaning chicken fingers and fries and definitely not any fancy kind of pomme frites.

Just like my love for cooking hasn't faded, my love for cookbooks is and will always be a part of me. I love reading cookbooks, drooling over the pictures, dreaming of creations I might one day whip up. There are so many wonderful recipes out there.

So, I ask...

What are your favourite cookbooks?

What is/are your favourite recipe(s)?

Bon Appetit!

Missed It By One

Don't tell me I'm the only one who gets excited when I see zeros on my odometer.

Today, it happened -- 56,000 miles. Yes, miles. It's an American car in my Canadian world.

Anyway, the zeros came today, and I missed it, BY ONE! Oh well, there's always next time. Only 999 miles to go!

Fave Rave: Pledge Wood Floor cleaner

A while back, friends commented on how shiny and clean our wood floors looked.

I let them in on my little secret -- Pledge Wood Floor cleaner.

I know most people will say to just use water and vinegar but every so often (mainly when we have guests coming over) I like having that freshly polished look. All I do is use a little of the Pledge solution straight from the bottle and wipe clean with my microfiber mop.

No water, no buckets, no mess!

I used it on the laminate floors in the basement the other day and they turned out just as shiny (picture above)!

We All Scream For Ice Cream!

Lucas and I enjoying our ice cream cones
at The Village Ice Cream Shoppe in Pickering Village, ON

After an afternoon of swimming at one of our local community centres, Lucas and I made a detour on our way home and stopped for an ice cream. This was our second time going to the The Village Ice Cream Shoppe in Pickering Village, one of my favourite little spots around here.

This time, Lucas picked Banana (instead of Triple Tornado or Cotton Candy, I was shocked) and I picked Moose Tracks. YUM!

The Village Ice Cream Shoppe is stocked with Kawartha Dairy ice cream which I love. Kawartha Dairy reminds me of my childhood. Every summer for five years or so my family would drive to a cottage in Bancroft (about 3 hours north east of Toronto) and stop at Kawartha Dairy for ice cream on the way. The scoops were massive and almost impossible to finish -- yes, almost. I remember enjoying Maple Walnut as a kid. Forget bubble gum or cotton candy, this girl was being a true Canadian and divulging in one of Canada's best treats, the good ol' taste of maple syrup!

Eight years ago, Steve and I stopped off at Kawartha Dairy on our way to our honeymoon destination (Bear Trails Couples Resort in Algonquin Park which I'll talk about more at another time) mainly so I could reminisce but also to enjoy a tasty treat. While they had renovated the store, the ice cream was still as good as I remembered it and the scoops were just as big too!

Last Of The Summer Blooms

It's a bit cool outside this morning and only going up to 20 degrees today -- a reminder that summer will soon be ending so I better take in all the sunshine and warmth I can get.

I wandered around in the backyard the other day (the whole 20 or so steps it takes me to get from one side to the other) looking at the last of the summer blooms. I added a new garden about a month ago with Daylilies, Black Eyed Susan's, a climbing rose, climbing Kiwi and a few other plants. I also added a Dappled Willow Standard. I planted a Rose Of Sharon in the corner of the garden but it will soon be too big for that spot. I'll have to find another location for it in my tiny backyard. Maybe I'll have to make another garden. I'm getting giddy just thinking about it!

I am...

snacking on some Garden Veggie Straws that I bought from Costco on the weekend. They're very tasty!

Back To School Shopping: Backpack

The back to school shopping has started. I can't believe Luke's going into Senior Kindergarten this September. My little boy is growing fast.

We went out last week to get a new backpack. I thought he would want one with Transformers, Batman or Spiderman on it but instead he picked one from The Children's Place.

I've heard great things about these backpacks, specifically that they last.

I like all the different pockets the backpack has. A main pocket, a middle pocket that I like to put his snacks in, a front pocket dedicated for a lunch bag and side mesh pockets for his water bottle. It even has a small pocket by the handle for miscellaneous items (Kleenex, notes, etc.).

I'm excited for him to try this one out!

I am...

enjoying a big hunk of white slab cake with lots of icing -- a corner piece. YUM!

Skirt Dress

I saw this idea on another blog I follow. I decided to give it a try yesterday for my sushi lunch date with S.

The skirt is full-length pulled up to become a dress!

Dress and sash belt are from Jacob
Sunglasses are from Winners
Shoes are from Old Navy