Life is Happening...

...while I'm living in a bubble. I don't know what it looks like on the outside. Pictures and sounds are passing by in slow motion. I feel good. I'm calm, I have time for everything but I do almost nothing. This is an incredible gift - having time. And I'm finally enjoying it.  But I'm also well aware of the fact that my bubble could pop very soon.

Photo credit: Reini68 on flickr

So what am I doing right now? I have only one exam left before finally having my diploma. I'm invited to pass an exam for a job I'm very interested in. Other than that, I cook, I sew a little, I read and I observe young plants popping out in my garden.

Tell you one thing: I can't wait to start working again! I seriously need this somewhat imposed rhythm in order to better structure my life around it. I can't believe I just said that! 

Anyway, thank you for being patient with me and have a beautiful spring!

Life is Happening...

Playing in the Dirt

Normally I wouldn't even dare to think about gardening at this time of year. Upon arriving to Canada, it took my inner clock several years to learn that there is nothing green before the beginning of May and even then you have to wait till almost the end of the month to begin to work outdoors because there is still a danger of frost. But this winter, so mild and with so little snow... I started dreaming of playing in the dirt, sinking my hands in the soil, moist and velvety to touch, and spending hours incredibly happy, forgetting time, worries, everything...
I discovered gardening only several years ago when we bought our first house in Quebec and I wanted to plant some greenery because there wasn't any. Creating my flower beds and planting my first annuals and perennials made me discover a whole new world, it was a very therapeutic experience for me, I was truly happy for the very first time in Canada. I could spend hours working in my garden, preparing the soil, sowing, planting, weeding, I don't feel fatigue nor pain. I can't wait to start playing in the dirt again this spring, I might even try to grow some vegetables this year. Till then here are some pictures from my Canadian garden:

What about you? Do you have a garden or even a balcony? Do you like playing in the dirt?

Playing in the Dirt

Lovely November morning (for DIY post)

As I was preparing  my coffee this morning I couldn't help but wonder: is it possible to have such a long beautiful autumn, sunny and temperate even in November?  So I grabbed my camera and took a picture of my kitchen window bathing in the morning sun, with African violets still blooming.

So, and now back to work! I wanted to share with you an idea for reusing, or recycling, an unusual object. For quite some time now, i had in my shed an old utensil basket from my old dishwasher. It was in good shape and I stored some little things in it. Then, last weekend, as I was cooking in my all but practical and ergonomic kitchen, I reached for the olive oil bottle so clumsily that several bottles with oils, vinegars and sauces started moving very quickly, and in the same time, in the direction of my head. I must have used some cool move at that moment because somehow I managed, after wrestling with diverse bottles for several seconds, to save them from falling. On my head. I was furious at my kitchen even if it was entirely MY FAULT. And here is why: when we bought our fist home over 4 years ago, I didn't like the existing kitchen at all. Not one bit. But we bought the house because it had some nice features for our two teenagers and that was very important at the time. And even if I dreamed all my life of having a nice kitchen and hoped to get it with our first house, I said to myself: OK, calm  down, you can function in it for a while, see what is wrong with it and renovate later. And I did it. Except renovating, that part isn't done yet, I'm still in the dreaming phase because of  'peanuts'. And you should know: I really love cooking for my family, love making them happy when the smell of their favorite meal starts to spread from the kitchen and they come running to see when it'll be ready. Back to reality, there is not one day that I don't hate my kitchen, it is so small and very badly organized space wise. And the list goes on, it's very long, believe me. I'll save it for another post dedicated to my kitchen. See?! There is no stopping me when I start talking kitchen. Anyway, back to my DIY. Having survived the accident with my oil bottles, I started to think of a rapid solution for them. What you don't know: all these bottles were placed in the cupboard over my old integrated oven. And no, there was no other solution for them at the time. Last week, as I was finalizing some prewinter rearranging in my shed with my DH, I saw my old dishwasher basket and the light went on! Back in the house, I put my bottles in it - perfect! So I took some very simple loop screws and fixed it on the inside of the cabinet door beneath my stove without having to change it a bit. And without using any tools. Ta-da!!! Look at this smart, simple, free, practical, ecological, green solution:

This basket has a grip in the middle, very practical for cooking outside in the summer. Just grab and go, everything is ready. Here are some more pictures:

Lovely November morning (for DIY post)

Last bouquet from my garden

Every autumn, very late in the season, I pick the last flowers from my garden and make my last flower arrangement. As I looked trough my pictures on the computer, I noted that I have a picture of every one of these bouquets for the last couple of years. As if I wanted them to last even much longer this way. Here is the picture that I took several weeks before the first snow arrived:

Lovely colors, lovely autumn morning light in my kitchen...makes me happy.

Last bouquet from my garden