A Special Announcement!

Our dog Watson helps us to make a special announcement :)

A Romantic Vintage Hairstyle

Just in time for Valentines Day, I thought I'd show you how to whip up a super easy romantic vintage do!

The Scent of Happiness

Ah, December. The beginning of a season that is filled to the brim with all things magical. I become alive this time of year. The next couple of months are bliss for me, as my senses are tickled by sights, sounds and smells that have the ability to transport me to places, that sometimes only exist in my imagination.

The sense of smell is powerful. It can trigger a long lost memory of baking with your grandmother, that you didn't even know you had. Or bring you to that magical Christmas Eve midnight mass - when the incense burned silently as a marker of the excitement that lied ahead in the wee hours of the morning. Scent triggers emotion.. and during a time when the joy of the season can easily become lost.. I like to use scent as a tool to bring me back.

So here are some easy, inexpensive, natural tricks to get your home smelling magical for the holidays.

Pomanders
First used in the middle ages, where people would wear them on long chains (like jewellery) to ward off infectious diseases, and to simply smell better. Back then they were made of all sorts of crazy things. Today they are simply made of Oranges studded with Whole Cloves. Once made, they will dry out and can last for years as air fresheners, and even can be useful in linen closets and drawers to repel moths.

You will need:
1) A few confectioners scoops of whole cloves (purchasing whole cloves at a bulk food, is far more cost effective than buying them pre-jarred)
2) A few Navel Oranges of varying sizes

Simply push the cloves into the orange in any pattern that you please. You can completely cover the orange in cloves, or you may choose a design such as stars, or swirls. Or in the case of my brother's creation in the picture, you can't opt for the "Mr. T" pomander :)

Potpourri Crock Pot
Tossing a few spices and fruits into a crock pot (or regular pot) will fill your home with a warm Christmasey scent. It's dead easy, inexpensive, and is a great way to get rid of any fruit that might be starting to spoil.

What you'll need:
1) A couple of fruits of your choice, such as: Apples and Oranges - cut into slices or quartered (you can use anything from pomegranates to cranberries to pears.. it matters not.
2) A few cinnamon sticks, or a couple of tbsp of ground cinnamon
3) Some whole cloves
4) Some nutmeg
5) Water

Combine a random amount of these ingredients into a crock pot, or large saucepan; fill about 2/3 of the pot. Fill pot with water to about 3 inches from the the top. Simmer on low.
I've left this for a couple of days at a time; turning the stove/crock pot off at night, and when I leave the house - and refilling the water as it cooks off. 

Balsam Fir
Balsam Fir trees smell divine! If you opt for a real tree at Christmastime, you should get yourself a Balsam. It's true that Fraser Fir is the longest lasting tree, however nothing comes close to the scent of the Balsam! I'd say put off your tree trimming until 2-3 weeks before Christmas, so that you can take advantage of the loveliness of Balsam's fragrance.
If you do not use a real tree, that's still okay. You can still take advantage of Balsam's scent by grabbing up a few of it's branches to adorn your mantle, use for a centrepiece, make a wreath, or use in your outdoor urns. You can either buy these branches where ever you would pick up your tree - such as a nursery - OR if you have any friends or family who are getting a Balsam for themselves, ask them if you can have the scraps they trim off from the stump.

Little known facts about opting for Real Christmas Trees:
- More environmentally friendly
- Christmas trees are often grown in soil that no other crops can grow in
- The trees take years to mature; in the mean time provide habitat for wildlife, as well as clean the air
- When people are done with their real trees, they are recycled and used as mulch - where as fake trees end up in landfills
- Fake trees and wreaths are made from non renewable petroleum
- For every tree that is harvested, 2 or 3 seedlings are put in its place

Happy scenting! AND If you have any more Scent-sational tips, I'd love to hear them! Leave your comments below :)

A Soup That Comforts Like No Other

It's that time of year again, when we dust out the big ol' soup pot from the top shelf, and get our veggie weapons of choice ready for melding. For these chilly months, my first choice and family favourite is always my Gramma's French Canadian Pea Soup.
For as long as I can remember I have loved this savoury treat - and culinarily speaking, I look forward to nothing more each Autumn.
This recipe was passed to me from my Mum, which was passed to her by her Mum, and so on and so forth. It has French-Canadian roots generations deep; back to when the soup-bone was shared between the neighbours so everyone could make their own batch. Enjoy!


French Canadian Pea Soup

-1 Ham Bone or Pork Hock (traditionally this soup is made with a Ham Bone, however it is very difficult to find just the bone anymore without buying the whole ham - unless you are near a Honey-Bee Ham Co. - Pork Hocks are available just about everywhere, and you can use the meat in the soup afterwards)
-1 Pkg of dried split green peas (about 3 or 4 cups)
-1 large cooking onion, finely chopped
-1 large carrot, grated
-2 bay leaves
-1 tsp. dried thyme
-1 tsp. ground sage
-salt and pepper to taste

Rinse split peas well in cold water, set aside.
Fill soup pot with water to about 2" from the top. Bring to a boil with ham bone or pork hock - simmer on low for about an hour.
Add remaining ingredients, including rinsed peas, and simmer for 2 hours, or until thick.
Remove pork hock, and cut away the ham to add to the soup.
Serve hot with a side of crusty French bread.

A Vintage Updo!

After a few requests from people wanting to know how I did my updo in my pickling video, I decided to make a little tutorial. I personally have found it difficult to find tutorials on vintage updos, so I hope this helps others looking for some retro-updo inspiration. Enjoy!

"Make Do and Mend"

While in Portsmouth, England in August, my Husband and I went to the Portsmouth D-Day Museum. My Husband has always been interested in anything WWII, but to be honest I've always been quite ignorant on the subject. The extent of my education was that Hitler was trying to take over the world, killed a horrifying amount of innocent people in the process, and the rest of the world banned together to stop him. I have been shocked by facts that I have recently learned through my small education given by my Husband, through the Portsmouth D-Day museum, and now through my own reading. Now I'm kind of getting hooked :)

What has been intriguing me most of all about war-time, is the way people pulled resources together in a time of emergency. I picked up a couple of re-printed war-time books in the gift shop at the D-day museum. The first "Wise Eating in Wartime" and the second " Make Do and Mend"(both books also available on www.Amazon.com for $5 or $6 ea.). Both books were a fantastic read - tips and tricks to get the most out of what you had available to you. The necessity of these books came about mainly because Hitler had sent submarines to take out the import ships carrying food and goods to England. He did this to try to weaken the British people. But instead of panicking and feeling sorry for themselves, the English Ministry of Information began to produce ad campaigns, and books to help people get by as best as they could without needing any imports. How-to books of all sorts began to pop up, how-to grow your own food; recipe books with all sorts of fantastic recipes, even vegan recipes (because veggies were the most readily available food) recipes that stretched your pocket book, but gave you the most nutrition. How-to make clothing, and make clothing last. How-to reuse things; re-purpose things. Studies at the time even showed that people were healthier because their diets were better, and somewhat happier because they took nothing for granted and took pride in what they were able to do for their families and country. Inspiring isn't it?

So, when one of my oh-so-comfortable, canvas shoes I had purchased brand-new for our trip overseas, had sprung a nasty toe hole, I decided to fix it myself, properly. My initial thought was, "darn, I love these shoes, now I have to throw them out!". But instead I opened my trusty little "Make Do and Mend" war-time book, and taught myself how to Darn.
Darning is the term used to mend an article of clothing - but more than that, it means to actually continue the existing weave, as opposed to just whip stitching.

My first attempt is clearly rookie... but I think with some more practice, I could make the Darn blend right in. And with the money I saved on not buying a new pair of shoes, I can put it towards a pedicure ;) , or extra grocery money... or even if I don't NEED anything.. I can invest it maybe? Saving money in this manner doesn't just benefit you if you are trying to scrimp and save, but also if you have an investment/money-making mindset - the money you don't waste on new shoes when it's not necessary, could be put towards investments, just the same.
I'm going to continue educating myself on these war-time household practices.. we all have our own "states of emergency" and these retro housewife tips and tricks could benefit everyone for their own reasons. What is your reason?

Pickling!

 I've always wanted to learn how to pickle. I'm particularly fond of Dill Pickles, but have been shying away from buying them at the grocery store lately, because simply, they can be expensive, and I don't know what I'm eating. I've not taken the initiative until now to learn how to pickle, because I thought the process was arduous and lengthy. But boy oh boy was I wrong! It's dead easy! And now that I know that the ingredients going into my pickles are organic, and free of harsh preservatives (not to mention I'm saving some moola too), I can go back to good ol' pickle heaven.
Now that I know how to do it, I'm going to be trying all sorts of pickle combinations. But until then, here is how you make good ol' fashioned dill pickles. Also, below you will find an excellent recipe for pickled beets as well :) Happy Pickling!

Yummy Pickled Beets!

Scrub your beets well, and cook whole, in salted boiling water until a fork easily penetrates them.
Plunge cooked beets into ice water; slip skins off of beets and cut away any rough parts. Slice your beets :)

In a large saucepan combine and bring to a boil, the following:
2 cups beet cooking water
2 cups vinegar 
4 cups organic cane sugar 
1 whole lemon, thinly sliced
4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2 cinnamon sticks (optional)

Fill your sanitized jars with your beet slices. Ladle the canning liquid into the jars. Pop the tops onto your jars and submerge into your canner for a couple of min. Remove jars from the canner, do a quick release of the air (as seen in the above video) and place your finished jars on a rack to cool! :)