Étiqueté

Tag was always my favourite game when I was a kid, and so naturally I enjoy being 'tagged' in the blogging world. In a recent post, my mum tagged me to pick up the book nearest to me, turn to page 28, find paragraph 3 & write about that paragraph. Next to my bedside table for the last couple of weeks has been the book "The Red Tent" which I actually just finished reading this afternoon.

The book itself actually revolves around the Book of Genesis and the lives of Jacob and his twelve sons. What amazes me about this book is that it is told from the eyes of women, who are largely silenced and remain peripheral in the Bible. It speaks of midwifery, marriage, childbirth, life, death and the traditions of ancient womanhood within the 'Red Tent'. Specifically, page 28 speaks of women's experiences during childbirth and of child rearing, and of both the difficulties and the joys of becoming a parent.

I have spoken of this book before in past posts and many of you have either read this book and have recommended it, or have it next to your bedside waiting for the opportunity to begin reading it. In my opinion, "The Red Tent" deserves all of the acclaim it has received-

it is a must read!

I am Tagging:

All of you! And I look forward to reading your posts about the books that have inspired you!

I Heart George

I don't watch a great deal of t.v., especially when the weather outside is so beautiful. BUT - I will make an exception, and this exception's name is George Stroumboulopoulos. Not only is he gorgeous, but he's also informed (a real bonus these days), and I consider him the Canadian equivalent of Bill Maher (gorgeous, funny, informed....oh, and did I mention gorgeous?)

George not only brings Canadian news to life, but his signature black clothing and red leather seats on the set puts a unique and interesting twist on his presentation of the issues at hand. His interview with the late Canadian feminist June Callwood was one of the most touching interviews I have ever seen. These days, I find myself keeping my eye on the clock from 7 onwards and yesterday in IKEA there was a mad dash to the checkout at 7:45 pm to make it home in time to catch my 'boyfriend' George (you know a show is good when...)

His show "The Hour" is on CBC weekdays at 8 p.m.

Un Détritus De l'Homme, Est Le Trésor D'un Autre Homme

We were approached last week by one of our neighbours about doing a neighbourhood garage sale. Now, anyone that knows us or reads my and my mum's blogs, knows that we spend every Saturday morning garage sale-ing. And at one point in time, you know that you have to have a garage sale yourself (especially once you've weeded out the trash from the treasures!).

We have a local no-kill animal shelter that's near and dear to our hearts since we found our precious Ben there, so we donated all of the proceeds from today's garage sale to the shelter.

There may be less in our house now, but I think we've made just enough room for next weeks bargains!

Bourdons et Lapins

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you"

~Frank Lloyd Wright

From the top of our lilac bush to the bottom of our garden, we are blessed with so much beauty.

From the buzz of the bumblebees and the chirping of the birds, to the croaking of our little toad and the soft pitter patter of little paws, we are surrounded by nature.

Nests are being built in the trees above us and our toad nestles in his little 'toad house' under the garden bushes.

I had to stop and watch their industriousness and their beauty...

"I meant to do my work today,

But a little bird sang in the apple tree,

And a butterfly flitted across the field,

And all the leaves were calling me"

~Richard LeGallienne

Vacances De Jour De Victoria

"Picture yourself in a boat on a river

with tangerine trees and marmalade skies

somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly,

a girl with kaleidoscope eyes"

~The Beatles

Tonight I had kaleidoscope eyes.

The sky lit up.

Tonight, we celebrate Victoria Day in Canada.

Gâteau au fromage fait maison

And the competition continues....

As I've mentioned in previous posts, there is an ongoing (friendly) competition between myself and my dad as to who makes the best cheesecake. I must admit, my dad was the first to begin making the famous homemade cheesecake during the holiday season and my mum's birthday, but now I think the grasshopper may have surpassed the master...

In previous years I was in charge of making the graham cracker crust, which I must say, I have perfected. Fast forward to now, and I can successfully make the entire dessert from start to finish. If it sounds like I'm tooting my own horn, I am...toot! toot! But that's only because in past years I have successfully managed to destroy almost every dessert or meal I attempted in the kitchen. The mere fact that I am able to, at the very least, make a dessert without assistance, supervision, or general fear that I may literally burn the house down is quite an accomplishment for me.

Above is a picture of my latest cheesecake creation...the only thing missing is a scoop of strawberries and, if you're a chocoholic like me, a drizzling of some chocolate syrup. Delish!

Trésors De Grenier

I continue to be inspired daily by the creative, intelligent humorous women who share their experiences and daily realities through their blogs. Recently I was inspired by two such women, Rosemary and Vallen, who found some magnificent treasures which were passed down to them by friends and family. I thought it might be interesting to look through my own attic and see what treasures I could locate.

The treasures I did find only attest to the fact that I am a child of the '80s...first of all, my two major crushes were Fred Penner and Michael Jackson. I've always been attracted to musical people...and who can resist a man wearing red leather! I came across my Michael Jackson "Thriller" tape and my Fred Penner/Sesame Street albums, as well as albums from two of my favourite musicals: West Side Story and The Sound of Music (did I mention I also had a crush on Christopher Plummer?)

Then, I came across my vintage "The Wizard of Oz" poster. I had completely forgotten I had this, but it hung on my wall as a child and it has always been a favourite film of mine.

All of my treasures brought me back to my childhood in the '80s, and I want to thank Rosemary and Vallen for the inspiration to go digging through my attic and coming across these wonderful things.