Cat Mat Love

Do you know that feeling when you've given someone a gift, but you're just not sure if the recipient loves it? Is your present something that will later be re-gifted?

We've probably all passed a gift along at some point. I'd rather give an item to someone who can use it, than hurt the feelings of the giver by saying I don't like/need/want it. And besides, when someone re-gifts something you've given them, you've actually given them an enhanced present in that you have also saved the person valuable time that they would otherwise have spent shopping!

Anyway, this is all to say that the above described scenario was definitely NOT what occurred in our home recently, after Nick surprised Eddie with this little present of a mat. It was one of those, "I just want to give you something because I really appreciate having you in my life" things.

And it was very clear that boycat liked what he got very much. He didn't even wait until the tags were removed before he claimed it with gusto!

Food Friday : How Special Ingredients Can Boost Up Inexpensive Ones

A funny thing happened when I went to the farmers market recently. While at a vegetable stall, the vendor was describing to me what he had on offer. When he pointed out the kale he said "... and various types of kale". But what I heard was "... and very expensive kale". Then we all had a big laugh, with another girl saying she heard the same thing I did. My parting words were, "I'll be back for some of that kale after I mortgage my home"!

But the truth is, and I know I'm not saying anything new here, food prices are going up. The fact that Nick and I have been doing a weekly food post for more than a year now indicates that we care about what we eat, and like it to taste good, but we are quite careful about what we spend on eating.

So I thought that this week I would talk about using more expensive ingredients to add a tasty accent to food, but not be the 'lead player' and therefore not require being used in large quantities. And the example of this practice that I will use is the batch of Lobster Pot Pies that Nick recently made.

As I type we have 2 large ones and 2 single size portions tucked into our freezer, (frozen before baking), awaiting a future indulgence in a decadent lunch. The ones we have sampled were delicious, with the subtle taste of lobster infused within the sauce. Granted there were only a few pieces of actual lobster in each serving but what was there turned what would be plain vegetable pies into something a little more special.

Morning Coffee in a Fall Garden

Sandwiched between days filled with rain and more rain, there was a beautiful day last week. I got up early to see the dense fog completely hiding the tops of the skyscrapers. It burned off throughout the morning and by noon it had become sunny and warm. The weather-woman had foretold the news of this upcoming spot of lovely weather, so knowing it was coming we jiggled our work schedules so that we would be able to make the most of what could be the last nice day of the year.

This was the same day that we headed over to the garden centre to get tulip bulbs, but before that I had already spent an hour and a bit outdoors, reading a book (The Lovely Bones), nice and cozy under a soft tartan blanket, and enjoying a cup of coffee.

I love this old blanket. It comes from Nick's family and was around before he was born, which means he was covered by it as a baby. I am more sentimental about it than he is!

Meeting an Online Friend in Real Life

I have written before about my true love for online friends. I feel so lucky to live at a time that we can form meaningful friendships with people from all over the world. I cherish these relationships and I know that most of you reading this feel the same way.

I also feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet some people that I first got to know online, in real life. So far I have met some sweet friends I first made some through Myspace. And have also had the pleasure of meeting a couple of people I first got to know through the online community Second Life, one from the United States, and one from Europe.

Nick and I often talk about our dream of one day traveling to Europe to meet some more of the wonderful people we know from Second Life, and such a trip is high on our to-do wish list for life. (I refuse to call it a bucket-list. That is so morbid! lol)

All this discussion leads up to a lovely time I had this past Saturday when I got together with a friend from the blogging community. She is the first person I have met through this blog! It was Laura from Yummy Laura.

Really, seeing one of these 'people you know but not really' eye-to-eye for the first time is much like going out on a blind date. Although you already know a lot about the person, actually meeting them is a whole different experience. As I headed out the door (in the pouring rain!) I was a bit nervous. Would we really get along in real life? Would we find things to talk about?

Well, I need not have been nervous, as the moment we met at the agreed upon street corner, we were comfortable with one another. And three solid hours of chatting in a coffee shop, confirmed that we had plenty to talk about.

We have both been keeping our blogs for about the same length of time, so had our experiences with that in common. And Laura has recently been living in France, so hearing about her exotic travels was very interesting.

By the time we pulled out our cameras at the end of the date, we had lost any good light, so ended up with some blurry shots, of two happy people.

And because today is Halloween Day, I thought you'd like this one. It is oh so flattering right? I used Picmonkey.com to make it. That program is lots of fun!

Take Tuesday : Halloween

For this week's Take Tuesday Photography Series, the theme was Halloween. Here are some shots I got around town in the past week ...