grill-tastic

Check out these new Element by Fuego grills - designed by none other than the former Director of Industrial Design at Apple (in case you couldn't tell by looking at them - really, if they were white it'd be a dead giveaway). Anyway, they're sleek, super cheap and heavy on design chic. And they come with extras like a pizza stone and a roasting lid.

C'est chic.

weekend round-up

I know, it's late again. I seem to be taking longer and longer computer vacations so let's just jump right to the best part of the weekend.

Our local restaurant association held the Savour The Street dinner on Saturday. They closed down one of our downtown streets and set up one long table for 200 right down the middle of it. 10 restaurants, 10 courses for $100. It was a glorious warm sunny night, we got a little gussied up and headed downtown and ate our faces off. Thank god we had to walk home because the exercise was needed and then some!! It was the first big event for this new association and I'm already hearing rumblings about what else is coming down the pipe and I'm super excited for it. It's about time we had something like this here and I'm on board for whatever they dish out!

Here's what we had:

• Appetizers of glazed back ribs, pork hock meatballs, bruschetta classico, tyropitakia and smoked rainbow trout;
• Tarragon and rosemary Ontario lamb rib chop, Umbria style stuffed quail with grilled asparagus and Orvieto stewed bean, bacon and green onion salad;
• Thai spring rolls, crab rangoon and mango salad;
• Gazpacho Andalouse with cilantro and Galliano;
• Classic Caesar salad;
• Classico Pasta Fagioli;
• Cold maple smoked Atlantic salmon with aged balsamic and Salmoriglio drizzle, purple mash potato, lotus root chip and crispy squid ink spaghetti garnish;
• marinated beef tenderloin, coriander, ginger, sugar cane, toasted sesame, with rice wine slaw;
• European white chocolate mousse with Grand Marnier and raspberries;
• coffee and crostoli

Seriously. So full. Here are some before and after shots.

Sunday we digested the food that was still in our bellies from Saturday night and since Marc was slaving away (still) at fixing the extra room off our master bedroom, I made a pretty killer turkey ragu that bubbled away for most of the afternoon on the stove. Thank you Gwyneth Paltrow.

another great wedding video

Again Joanna has made me laugh.

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo. Man I wish I could've convinced my grandpa to be a part of something like this.

So cute!!!

old man bailey

It's been exactly one year since we said goodbye to old man Bailey. Reading the memorial posts and thinking happy thoughts about the best dog ever.

summer sleepers

It's summer time and I caved and bought some ultimate summer sleepware. I have a huge softspot for simple white cotton PJ's and with the sweet crocheted top, this Shabby Chic nightgown was impossible to pass up. That, and I had a store credit to use up so it only cost me $3!!! It retails for $78!!

alice in wonderland

They've released some stills from Tim Burton's upcoming Alice in Wonderland and yup, it sure does look like a Tim Burton movie. I will say though that Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen looks damn near perfect -- I love it!! That Mad Hatter though? That is positively nightmare worthy. And look at Tweedledee and Tweedledum??? Try and tell me you won't have horrifying dreams about those two comin' to git ya. And I know I said it before but the the actress playing Alice couldn't be more perfect looking for the role - she just looks like this living and breathing ethereal cartoon character! And the jury is still out for me on Anne Hathaway as the White Queen. She sure does look pretty though.

zooey's dress

I don't know who made this dress but I want it. Looks comfortable, adorable and extremely forgiving. Zoey also makes me want to grow my hair out so I can have fun hairstyles too.

Also counting the seconds for 500 Days of Summer...

butterfly lamp

This vintage butterfly lamp is for sale over at Nice for $22. I'm finding it kinda hard to pass it up cuz I think it would be adorable in my guest room....

once upon a time...

...I had an expensive pair of shoes that looked like this.

Now they look like this.

Hot Bunny Radio Playlist for June 25th

CKLU 96.7 FM
6-8pm

* denotes Canadian talent
italics denotes a new release

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PODCAST OF TONIGHT'S SHOW!!!!!!!!!

• Michael Jackson -- Shake Your Body -- The Essential Michael Jackson
• Destroyer -- The State -- Trouble in Dreams *
• Yo La Tengo -- Let's Save Tony Orlando's House -- And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out
• Gentleman Reg -- When Heroes Change Their Profession -- Jet Black *
• Sonic Youth -- Sunday -- A Thousand Leaves
• Kevin Drew -- Love vs. Porn -- Dark Was the Night: A Red Hot Compilation
• Leadbelly -- Take This Hammer -- Leadbelly (VINYL)
• The Lovely Feathers -- Gifted Donald -- Fantasy of the Lot *
• Still Life Still -- 80's on TV -- Pastel EP *
• The Police -- Synchronicity I -- Synchronicity
• John Doe & The Sadies -- 'Til I Get It Right -- Country Club
• Immaculate Machine -- You Destroyer -- High on Jackson Hill *
• Eels -- The Longing -- Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
• The Black Keys -- I'll Be Your Man -- The Big Come Up
• Sun Kil Moon -- Tiny Cities Made of Ashes -- Tiny Cities (VINYL)
• Florence & the Machine -- Dog Days Are Over -- A Lot of Love, A Lot of Blood EP
• Rock Plaza Central -- Them That Are Good and Them That Are Bad -- ...At the Moment of Our Most Needing *
• Dinosaur Jr -- There is No Here -- Farm
• Brent Randall & his Magnificent Pinecones -- Strange Love (Don't Be Lazy) -- We Were Strangers in Paddington Green *
• Los Campesinos -- Heat Swells/ Pacific Daylight Time -- We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed
• Royal City -- A Belly Was Made For Wine -- Royal City *
• Iron & Wine -- Belated Promise Ring -- Around the Well
• Neko Case -- Don't Forget Me -- Middle Cyclone
• Elliot Smith -- Satellite -- Elliot Smith (VINYL)
• Camera Obscura -- I Don't Do Crowds -- Biggest Bluest Hi-Fi
• Barzin -- Soft Summer Girls -- Notes to an Absent Lover
• Hayden -- The Van Song -- In Field and Town *
• Michael Jackson -- Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough -- The Essential
• Jackson 5 -- I Want You Back -- The Ultimate Collection
• Jackson 5 -- The Love You Save -- The Ultimate Collection

NOTES & THOUGHTS FOR THIS WEEK

• MJ huh? That was a shocker of a news bite:
• The Police is for Dennis who said that the greatest hits Police record is the only one you need to own. Blasphemy!!
• " Til I Get it Right" is quite the adorable/super sad song;
• THANK YOU to the World According to Khaf for bringing Florence & the Machine into my life!!!!
• Why, WHY can't Royal City get back together?? I like new old music but I want new NEW music;
• Oh, that Iron & Wine song is all kinds of sweet;
• not many notes this week -- show was kinda taken over by poor MJ.

sadie vs the turtle

Sadie met her first turtle on holiday. I'm pretty sure the turtle won.

weekend round-up: the anniversary edition

So as I posted, Sunday was our wedding anniversary and we've sort of loosely promised to always take a trip somewhere on our anniversary. Sometimes it'll be a big trip, sometimes a trip somewhere close by but we've vowed to always at least try to be somewhere kinda special on the 21st of June. This year, since we've been away so much this summer and have been (and will continue to be) bunking Sadie with her grandfolks, we decided that she's earned a little vacation herself.

So knowing we didn't have tons of time and didn't want to drive super far with Sadie we opted for a puppy-friendly cottage in Lakefield called Seldom Scene, a bed and breakfast with a guest cottage on the property. And what a property!! Log cabin, by a quiet windy river, meadow nearby, gazebo with loungers, a hammock, and inside the cabin you find all the luxuries of home including a jacuzzi bathtub, a super duper fancy Swiss shower with lights and a phone, espresso machine, homemade breakfasts brought to our door every morning along with brownies and muffins warm from the oven and hell, even a couple dirty movies in the cabinet for those you so inclined.

And as good a time as Marc and I had, I think Sadie had three times that much fun. She met her first turtle, chased her first frogs, spent most of her time diving headfirst into ditches filled with daisies and when she wasn't laying in the sun she was showing us how fast she could run all around the yard. I'm also happy to report that she now will successfully respond to the phrase "Sadie get the bug!!"

As for Marc and I , we happily explored the surprisingly lovely, lovely town of Peterborough. I don't know why I expected that town to be awful but it is quite the contrary. Great restaurants (had amazing tapas at a place called Elements), great little boutiques, killer cafes.....yup, Peterborough is officially awesome. We also managed to take a side trip to Port Hope, one of the best places to antique in Ontario and cuz we're those kind of people we did antique our faces off and picked up some great pieces (which I'll do a separate post about). Managed a trip to Michael Thomas's amazing shop which went splendidly well and we found a great early 1900's office chair made in Kitchener. So pretty and so comfortable!

We took another side trip up to the Kawartha Country Winery where they make some of Canada's best fruit wines. And trust me, these aren't the awful fruit wines that your mom and college roommate drank. This is the good stuff. We went and were spoiled rotten and sampled a pile of delicious beverages and left with a case full of fruity deliciousness, including a Golden Plum wine, a dry Rhubarb, a Blackcurrant, and an amazing bottle of Blackcurrant Port that knocked my port-loving socks off.

And really, other than that, we pretty much holidayed and then some. Here are some pics:

Another pic to add to our collection of us kissing in places far from home.

We even found turtle nests!!

Sadie met her first turtle. She is so, so brave.

And then she saw her first cow. He fancied her.

Who knows what she's getting in this photo.....

The river steps from our front door - so close you could hear it bubbling away at night....swoon.

Our little piece of heaven complete with gazebo, hammock and fireflies.

Then she met her first frog....

And hung out at her first vineyard -she even got to go inside!

Here's Sadie amongst the daisies, so at home.

2 years ago today...

...you made an honest woman outta me and my life was never the same again.  Thanks my darlin' for making every day better than the last.  I loves ya bunches, this past year more than any other....

thermals

Even though this heat makes it hard to remember a time when thermal is necessary, this Hautelook sale of adorable (and so cheap!!) Primp stuff is hard to pass up. And who says long underwear has to be boring?

and then SHE said....

According to new research done by the University of Michigan, gossiping makes you happier and healthier. This is the best news I've heard all week...

Hot Bunny Radio Playlist for June 18th

CKLU 96.7FM
6-8PM
* denotes Canadian talent

italics denotes a new release

CLICK HERE FOR A FULL PODCAST OF TONIGHT'S SHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Curtis Mayfield -- Move On Up -- The Very Best of Curtis Mayfield
• Iron and Wine -- Such Great Heights -- Garden State OSR
• The Clash -- Police & Thieves -- The Clash
• NQ Arbuckle -- You Look Like A Wreck -- The Last Supper in a Cheap Town *
• The Flying Burrito Brothers -- The Train Song -- Close Up the Honky Tonk (VINYL)
• Eels -- What's A Fella Gotta Do -- Hombre Lobo: 12 Songs of Desire
• The Queers -- Sidewalk Surfin Girl -- Don't Back Down
• The Bird & The Bee -- Love Letter to Japan -- Ray Guns Are Not Just The Future
• The White Wires -- Ha Ha Holiday -- The White Wires *
• Bright Eyes -- Another Travelin' Song - I'm Wide Awake It's Morning
• Dan Auerbach -- My Last Mistake -- Keep It Hid
• United Steel Workers of Montreal -- Making Babies -- Three on the Tree *
• Caledonia -- The Plague -- We Are America *
• Old Reliable -- Tiny Rivers -- The Gradual Moment
• The Shins -- So Says I -- Chutes Too Narrow
• The Sunparlour Players -- Wood Dress -- Wave North *
• Great Lake Swimmers -- Palmistry -- Lost Channels *
• Alejandro Escovedo -- Real As An Animal -- Real Animal
• Dave Clark Five -- Glad All Over -- Quivers Down the Backbone BCK compilation
• The Gruesomes -- You Said Yeah -- Gruesomania *
• Aretha Franklin -- You're All I Need To Get By -- Aretha's Greatest (VINYL)
• The Lovely Feathers -- Long Walks -- Fantasy of the Lot *
• The Superfantastics -- Vantastic -- pop-up book *
• Statues -- No Time -- Same Bodies, Same Faces (VINYL) *
• Dinosaur Jr. -- I Want You To Know -- Farm
• Loose Fur -- The Ruling Class -- Born Again in the USA
• Rock Plaza Central -- My Children, Be Joyful -- Are We Not Horses *
• Liz Phair -- Johnny Feelgood -- whitechocolatespaceegg
• Jenny Lewis -- The Next Messiah -- Acid Tongue (VINYL)

NOTES THIS WEEK:

• 8 solid minutes of Curtis Mayfield might shake me out of my funk and put me into his kinda funk;
• "Police and Thieves" is the song that got me out of my funk on my walk to work this morning;
• I also can't believe "P&T" is 6 minutes long. It doesn't feel nearly long ENOUGH!
• Time for another White Wires appreciation moment in honour of my own holiday starting in 2 sleeps;
• The Shins is for Kaili. Now get it out of your system!!!!!!!
• like that Alejandro song a loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooootttttttt;
• "Glad All Over" makes me feel glad all over;
• That's my first listen to that new Dinosaur Jr and I think I dig it. Maybe even with a capital D?
• Yeah, that RPC record totally does make me sad. Those poor horses! Who'd have thought I'd like a Canadian concept record so much?

weekend round-up: the late version

So I'm back in the real world today after spending 5 fantastic days in Ottawa with and my favourite family and their new addition, handsome Milo!!!  Not only was it great to get out of town but I was so excited to meet Milo I could hardly sleep the night before we left.  

So how did we spend our time??  Pals Big City Kelly and Dennis joined us and wee shopped our faces off at Victoire and Trustfund, scored scones from the Scone Witch, chilled out in Westboro for Westfest where we were treated with a show from the always wonderful Danny Michel.

Marc's band The Joliettes also played a little punk festival called GagaFest so we also squeezed in some of that sweet action and took Milo to his first punk rock show!!!  Their show got quite a lovely review over at National Capital Rock.  Here's the verdict:  

"The Joliettes were yet another band I was unfamiliar with. They come from Sudbury (and have only played a trio of shows there). They've got a pair of folk harmonizing frontwoman, a hot lickin' guitarist and a punk rock drummer, Statues frontman Rob. They do sound super-sweet, and news of an upcoming Gaga records single is most welcome."

So YAY for the Joliettes!!!

And for me, the rest of the weekend pretty much boiled down to all things Milo.  He's a mere 7 weeks old and he's already my new favourite boy ever.  I took about 1000 pictures of him and if that was all that happened over the weekend, I would still have had the best weekend.

Sigh.  I heart my Ottawa family hardcore.