vintage books

I love to read. Somedays all I want to do is cuddle up on the couch with a warm blanket, some hot tea and a great book. *dream*
My favourite books are vintage ones. I love the way the smell and the way the paper feels. Its interesting to read all the different words and sayings of the times they were written in. I'm reading a book right now about the revolution in Nova Scotia and there are a lot of "thy's" and "thou's".

I'm going to try hard to get Cohen to love to read. I read to him while I was pregnant and I read to him now. Its getting hard right now because he wants to hold the books and eat the pages! I'm looking right now for vintage children's books.

Classic

The illustrations on these books were so simple and so beautiful!

I love this suitcase inspiried by illustrations

Oh Dick and Jane! How you taught me to read...

How great would these lamps look in a children's room..love it!

Its going to be a long day. We are having company for supper...which we hardly ever do...meaning I don't remember the last time. I'm not too confident in my cooking abilities but I guess I have to get over it:)

I'm going to do a lot of prep this morning so I won't be so stressed this afternoon.

have a great day!

tamara

xoxo

a step towards a healthy valentine's day

As a fitness professional I'm always trying to find a balance of what we all need to do and what we can get away with so that we are happy!

What's Valentine's Day without sweets? My favourite is anything chocolate. But I have found a healthier version of mousse brownies that are so delicious! There is a secret ingredient that takes the place of flour. Can you guess what it is?

There are people out there who can not have flour. (Celiac's) So this is a great alternative for them or for anyone who wants to reduce the amount of flour they are eating.

Mousse brownies:


You will need:
-1 can or 1 1/2 cups of black beans, drained and rinsed (secret ingredient)
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup of oil
- 2 tbsp of vanilla
-1/2 cup of cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 cup sugar
- 1-2 tsp of baking powder

Preheat your oven for 350 degrees.


In a blender, mix together beans, eggs, oil and vanilla until smooth.
Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl.
Pour bean mixture overtop of the dry ingredients and blend until smooth.
Pour in to a greased pan.

Excuse the UGLY pan. I baked this one for 35 minutes.

This recipe is so versatile. You can bake it for less time and it will more of a mousse.

You can but a graham cracker crust and have a yummy chocolate square.

Replace the black beans for white kidney beans and add white chocolate and you've got a white mousse brownie.

If your boyfriend or husband is taking protein powder...you can replace have the sugar with protein powder.

The list is really endless of all the ways you can make it!

My husband is addicted to sweets. So I made this for him without telling him what's in it. He almost ate the whole pan by himself!

cold cold winter

The wind is howling...the cold goes right to your bones.
A perfect Sunday afternoon to stay indoors ALL day without guilt.
Superbowl...what is that? I'm going to craft all afternoon and cuddle with my husband and baby on the couch, in our toasty warm house.

Check out this photo art by Raceytay

i want a suit like this.. hehe

I could eat this baby he's sooo cute!

This is my pic of one of my Style School projects that I'm in the middle of...I'm sure "does it give unicorns?" doesn't make sense so most people.

Here's the story...my husband and I were sitting on the living room floor watching tv. There was a commercial that had a unicorn on it. Once it was over my husband turns to me, very seriously I might add, and asks "does it give unicorns?" I said "Pardon me?" To which he repeated the question. We both ended up laughing so hard. He was trying to ask me a serious question and I thought he was going crazy. He wasn't making any sense. Finally I asked him if he meant "do unicorns exist?" And he said yes. I went on to tell him that he wasn't speaking english properly and he insisted that he was correct in his grammar.

My brother in law is from Germany and he said that "does it give" is a direct translation from German. Well that may be true but English it just doesn't make sense.

I'm cross stitching this onto a pillow for Jason for Valentine's Day. He knows I"m making something but he doesn't know what it says.

Its time to retire to the sitting room..hehe

tamara

xoxo

February is Heart Month

February is Valentines and love but its also heart month for The Heart and Stroke Foundation. I volunteered to be a canvasser for one street in our town. I was really excited about it until I started today. As I was walking up the driveway of the first house, I became so nervous and remember how much I dislike having someone come to my house. I believe in the cause and so want to help. I finished one sectio of my route but I came home feeling pretty bummed. I don't really want to quit...I don't want to be a quitter. But I don't know if I'm cut out for this.

What would you do?

If you would like to donate to the Heart and Stroke Foundation click here. (canada)

or in the US American Heart Association.