Key Lime Pie ♥

photo credit: Pillsbury on Flickr

I know. I'm becoming a bit of a blog post-a-holic, aren't I? *sigh* Guess this is what happens when you have lots of random things on your mind and nobody around who wants to listen to your tangents. (Just kidding. My friends listen to my tangents all the time with incredibly patient smiles & nods ... love you guys!)

So, it's time I come of the closet and admit that I'm a foodie. I am a complete and utter food nerd. Yesterday, I almost bought a book on the History of French Cuisine. (No ... not French Cuisine recipes, a history book about the origins of some of the most popular French recipes!) I actually spend my Sunday afternoons reading cookbooks ... ask Tara, she'll tell you all about it. Anywhoo ... here's another random fact you might not know about me: I love key lime pie. It's actually my favorite dessert. I also love lemon meringue pie, traditional Southern coconut cake (Louisiana style, y'all) ... raspberry sorbet, cheesecake with a drizzle of blueberry puree. Yum. I think I've gained ten pounds just thinking about my favorite desserts. :o)

Tonight I read this awesome article by Michele Humes called What's Wrong With Chocolate. *hehe* ... I have to say, she's got some valid points. What's so great about chocolate, anyway? Give me lemons over cocoa any day. Oh, don't get me wrong - I love a delicious brownie every now and then, but I think it's time chocolate stepped aside and let zesty desserts have their well-deserved moment of fame.

You can read Michele's article here.

Let me know what you think ... are you a chocoholic or a lemon-head???
xox

Love, Love, Love ...

I made this layout for Catherine's challenge over at The Everyday Scrapper. The challenge was to use a punch on your layout or card - easy peasy for me, since I'm obsessed with border punches these days!! I decided to bust out my Fiskars' Upper Crest punch ...
here's a close-up of the cut it gives ....


That's it for now, kids. :o)
Happy Wednesday!!
xox

hello, November.

Wow. It's hard to believe that November is actually here. Only one full month of university left. With graduation on the horizon, I've been spending a lot of time thinking (daydreaming) about the simple things I'll have time to do once my everyday life is no longer consumed with homework assignments and exams to study for.

One of the things I'm most looking forward to is having time to read. I used to read all the time and would average two or three books a month, but then I went to university where I was bombarded with hundreds of pages of "required readings" each week. It was hard enough trying to stay on top of my class readings, so reading novels and other books for my own pleasure became something I did on spring break, Christmas break and summer vacation.

I've been busy making lists of books I need to get my hands on so that I can read up a storm in January! I know, I know. I'm a nerd.
So far, my lists include ~

For Fun -
1. Julie & Julia by Julie Powell
2. White Oleander by Janet Fitch

For Personal Growth -
1. The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
... started reading it awhile ago & must finish
2. Mere Christianity by CS Lewis
3. When God Goes to Starbucks by Paul Copan
4. God's Politics by Jim Wallis
5. The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
6. City of God by Augustine

Because They're Classics -
1. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
2. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3. Beloved by Toni Morrison
4. All The King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

.... As you can I see, I need a little help coming up with books to read "for fun". Any suggestions?

The Great Pumpkin Ball

As promised, here are some of the photos I took at The Great Pumpkin Ball at the Montreal Botanical Gardens. I don't celebrate Halloween, so traditional jack-o-lanterns don't really do anything for me ... but these pumpkins were so uniquely decorated I couldn't help but be inspired.

A little background info on The Great Pumpkin Ball .... it's an annual event here in Montreal hosted by the Montreal Botanical Gardens. Anyone can participate and individuals (young and old), schools and groups get together to decorate a pumpkin. The pumpkin cannot be carved, but you can use whatever you want to decorate it - paint, glitter, fabric, clay, etc.

All the pumpkins are then put on display for the public to enjoy!

You can see more photos here.

Isn't this a great activity to do with kids??! Pumpkin carving is so messy (not to mention dangerous) but this is totally safe and you can get as creative as you want. And if you don't celebrate Halloween, you can still get in on the fun and make something totally non-Halloweenish. AND ... because the pumpkin isn't carved, it will last longer.

Yup, I'm a fan of The Great Pumpkin Ball. :o)

xox