What was hiding in the yard!

Ok so it's mid-november and we've had frost almost every night. When we get some frost it's that time of year again....

Sunchoke time!

So I got my pitch fork and went to work! I dug up a whole basket full. They will make a fine mash.

Much to my surprise I also found that the oregano was untouched by the frost, so of course I picked some.

Beans are said to be the musical fruit, but I firmly believe the sunchoke is the musical one!

Sunchokes are one of the only truly indigenous veggies from Québec. When the settlers arrived they ate the chokes just as we eat potatoes today. Why did sunchokes fall out of favor? I don't know for sure but I bet the fart factor is a reason.

They are making a comeback today and appear on the menus of some of Montreal's swankier restaurants. They have a really great flavor, nutty and mild.

I also found some kind of asian cabbage unmarked by the cold. So I picked some to use in stirfries or soup. It's delicious!

Gotta go! The garden beckons me once again. I think I saw some arugula!

Xmas Shopping and other stuff

What a relief it is to feel almost 100% better.

My chiropractor is definitely a miracle worker. I know some people are against chiros, me I'm totally for them. Mine is mot all about cracking, he's also about deep tissue work, and that is goood because sometimes my muscles are so tight they displace my vertebraes....EEEEWWWW!

My chiro is in downtown Montreal so I took the opportunity to shop and check out the decorations!

My first stop

The Bay department store. It was know as Morgan's until the 1980's and was established in 1867. 

Oooh! Silver, lime and turquoise! I love it!

Xmas goodies all ready to give!

Red and gold

Need a lift? For those who don't know, The points blanket was introduced in 1780 by the Hudson's Bay Company as a standard trading tool. Pelts for blankets basically.

The off white one with the colored stripes is called a chief's blanket. The blankets were made larger since they were felted as part of the manufacturing process and shrunk 50% of their size!

I'm very lucky to have one that was my grandmother's (Gran-Mimi). It is part of my winter bed.

I'm sure you remember how anal I am about sheets, lol. So yes I have winter beds, and fall and summer beds.

About the winter beds...they are usually made with some nice and soft LLBean flannel sheets, then a woven cotton blanket, then a wool blanket (like a points blanket) and finally a comforter. If it gets really cold, I add a flannel comforter cover. The cats love this!

I know it's a lot of covers but we don't heat the bedrooms or just barely. It's so much better for our noses!

I visited their kitchen department and was totally smitten with these lime green Le Creuset!

Wow heavenly cookware! I really don't need any more, but they are sure sweet!

Notice that one of the lid from the small casseroles is missing...was it stolen? That is bad! 

I spied this super cute florist stand on Ste-Catherine street.

I was really glad to get a jump on Xmas shopping on wednesday. But I was happier to jump in the train and head home! Treatments can be really exhausting!

Oh I almost forgot! I want to welcome my 94th follower! I hope you enjoy the ride!

I'm thinking that it might be time for a giveaway....a Xmas giveaway! I would like to reach 100 followers by Xmas....little goals! lol 

Tune in tomorrow or monday as I share what I found in my yard!

Pain,Pain GO AWAY!

I didn't do much over the weekend because I suffer from a BAAAAAD shoulder. I can barely move my right arm and since it's my main one....Nothing got done! Thank god for Dan who helped me get dressed and took care of me.

2 highlights : I got my CSN shopping done (hint: bathroom decor and something pink) and yesterday I put my arm in a sling and was able to go to my dance lesson. Mind you I couldn't do all the dances, but I was there and that's what's important! After all the Xmas party is in a couple of weeks and I want to be ready!

I hope to regain my smile soon!

In the meantime I'll hang with warm kitties!

This is the view from the river banks, all dreamlike.

And I took the opportunity to read; my lateat? Twilight. Yes, yes it's about time I read it. I didn't much care for the films but so far I really like the book. Stephanie Meyer writes really well and the book sucked me in in a matter of pages! 

Gotta get ready! I have a chiropractor appointment later this morning....

Thrifting in the Big City

I so totally needed a break from job hunting yesterday so I took the train and headed out to Montreal. Thrusday is the perfect day to go thrifting because my most favorite (take that syntaxe!) church basement is only opened on thrusday afternoon. I had high hopes becasue this is like my digger's delight, I found a lot of Pyrex in that dusty basement!

OMG! What a disappointment! I couldn't help thinking about Tracy's digger's delight bumer visit! You can read about it HERE . Nothing interesting and everything was way too expensive! I saw a cute glass pitcher decorated with orange slices (not Pyrex) with matching juice glasses it was 16$. WHOA NELLIE! And I heard a guy ask the price of an old toaster oven the volunteer said it was 15$. WHAT??? 15$ for an old (not vintage) and dirty toaster oven?

Boy oh boy that place sure has changed! They watched too much Antique Roadshow! LOL

After the CBD (church basement debacle) I walked to Chinatown for lunch and  Xmas shopping. Now you understand that I can't show you what I bought because Xmas is-a-coming!

Then it was time for the Salvation Army!

I saw a wall of phones! Yes Salvation Army? I'd like to donate 50 touchtone phones!

This is the mother of all trophies! This one is for you Erin (too bad we're not neighbors....lol)

I also saw this cute carafe but left it there because I didn't need anymore and they don't really sell well in the store either.

So I actually left the Salvation Army empty handed!

Later after I met Dan we went to Friperie Renaissance in Verdun. That place never has anything and it's like a circus with clothing really.

And I saw this little guy...

A cute red 402 all by his lonesome! I took it in my arms and checked the rest of the store for goodies. After 

   was done I put it back on the shelf for somebody else to find and cherish (heck I already have one)

Then I saw something really sweet , something bold and graphic...

This beautiful vintage bed sheet! Which reminded me of a Pyrex pattern... This morning I went to the basement to get my bowl....and this is what they look like together.

Freaky! How cool is that?

Why a condo is not for me...

Ok flash back to the second week of the Maine vacation.... You know that beautiful house with the terrible beds? It was a condo. Condo rules kill me. Maybe some condo boards have less rules but these were a mood killer!
Here are some of them: You can't hang your clothes outside. You can't hang your beach towel or bathing suit on the railings for them to dry.

You can't have a lighted candle or a lighted lantern on your patio (even if you're there)

 You can only have one plant and a welcome mat on your porch (some units weren't aloud that and their no were printed for all to see)

You were granted a planting permit so you could plant in between the plants in the borders, but if you didn't properly take care of the plants your permit would be revoked and they would pull out the offending plants. 

You could not walk on the grass, you couldn't leave beach chairs on your porch, you couldn't make noise after 10 because people had to get up early and go to work. How about the people on vacation that the leaf blower woke up several times a week at 7:30 am???

And if you didn't obide by the rules you could get penalties! Man oh man that is seriously not fun!

And the last ones....mind you these rules came from the realtor and not the condo board.

You must bring your linens, dish soap, GARBAGE BAGS AND TOILET PAPER!!! I fell off my chair when I read that. So we went to Maine with a 16 roll pack of TP and some garbage bags....The owner of the house we kind enough to have left some tp, but the garbage bags I brought didn't fit. So I had to buy some, now they are under my sink because they don't fit my kitchen garbage pail, but no way in hell was I gonna leave them there! Nay Nay!

And the realtor wanted us to leave the place clean...totally understandable. But there wasn't any cleaning products! HELLO PEOPLE! WAKE UP! Don't tell we I had to bring these too?

 I learned to do a lot of things with Wet Ones! LOL

Well let's just say this was a learning experience on a lot of different levels....And that's why I won't buy a condo and I don't think I'll use that realtor again.

Oh a quick one! A couple of years ago I asked a fellow blogger from Maine if she could provide some realtor names because I wanted to rent a house. She never answered. When,after 6 months, I was really pissed and I wrote her telling her she was RUDE! She answered she was sorry but she didn't answer me because she didn't know any realtors. COME ON! That part of Maine has a population of less than 10,000 people year round so don't go telling me you don't know any realtors lady!

Needless to say I don't follow her blog anymore (she never followed mine it was too pedestrian for her).

That felt goood! A good rant once in a while does the body good!

First pic is from Poland Spring, Maine. The restaurant next to this pic has the most expensive clam chowder EVER!

Second one is from Cape Elizabeth, so fresh and charming. Thrid is from Saco Bay, there was a big storm that day and last but not least is the beach in OOB.

Have a great day!

Am I Gone Fireking Crazy???

Ok I admit it, I've loved Jadeite for a llllooooonnnnggg time. Something about the color; that tender,fresh green just makes me swoon!

And lately I seem to find a lot of FireKing ripe for the picking.....

 

 I never keep the beautiful pieces I pick up, I always list them in the shop

Like these azurite luncheon plates.

That super shiny relish plate.

Those adorable berry bowls

Oh so cute custard cups!

I found those chili bowls last week at the Sally Ann. Only .69 cents each. And I decided to keep them to myself ! Their size is more practical than the Pyrex bowls I've been using (I can't believe I just wrote that!) 

and I'll be listing those pretty Pyrex bowls shortly.

And this is the piece de resistance! The FireKing jadeite batter bowl! I've been aching for one for years and was always put off by the price. This year I found this one on vacation, very reasonnably priced and besides Dad bought it for me! It was reasonnable enough that it might be a repro but the color, finish and it had no mold marks; so I chose to believe that it is the real mccoy!

So I have Pyrexia and a touch of Jadeitiis!

CSN Shopping on the Horizon

The good folks over at CSN stores asked me a while back if I wanted to host a giveaway or review a product...Well ,I had  a giveaway not too long ago...and I need stuff for the house, Xmas is coming soon and this girl LOVES to shop!

CSN has over 200 stores filled with whatever you need or want! Furniture,Bar Stools , Xmas decor, bathroom fixtures,bakeware you name it they have it!

I know ,I know I just got a fab couch but this one is super sweet!

Yes Santa I'm good, I'm always good!!!

Aren't these super cute? I love them! Did you hear Santa?

All these came from my window shopping over at CSN!

I can't wait to shop for real! This is so exciting! Have a great week! :)