the phone cone

this cartoon (via the new yorker) made me smile. 

i know someone who could use a phone break.  how about you, would you consider going without?

 

have a lovely weekend.

the farmer's apprentice

stefan's already told you about the farmer's apprentice, but it's so good i thought i would document it here too. 

the two times we've been to the restaurant we booked early dinners and two things were immediately obvious.  it fills up quickly and you must reserve; we witnessed many arriving (some by cab) just to be turned away and thus disappointed.  a lucky few were seated at the bar.  the food? simply awesome. 

the first time, i swear, i could have eaten everything on the menu, it was hard to choose just a few dishes to share.  the second time, i must admit, i was worried because there was nothing on the menu that appealed to me but when it all arrived absolutely everything was delicious.  everything! 
 
although i don't remember exactly what i ate - it's been awhile - i do remember wanting to lick the plates.  but instead i happily mopped up the remains on each and every plate - both visits - with warm crusty bread.  i didn't want to waste a single morsel.
 
this charming spot - just thirty seats - was opened by david gunawan with a desire to create unique foods while taking care of the earth.  he's bringing the 'farm to table' concept - wildly familiar here in vancouver - to a whole new level.  david is taking the farmer's products and producing gorgeous, thoughtful, and inventive food with it.  he also follows the seasons and thus the menu changes daily - you will not be able to order the same dish twice.  
  
and, we didn't just have delicious food, we also had wonderful service, cozy environment, and lovely drinks. 



pic from here





pic from here

the farmer's apprentice is located in a blossoming neighbourhood in south granville (see this post) with oliver and lily down the street, beaucoup bakery and heather ross around the corner, y yoga set up a studio on the block too, and a green space park is in the making.  it's a perfect destination to while away a few hours - shop, eat, do a sun salutation, grab a coffee.  a perfect afternoon completed.

if you live in or are visiting vancouver, you have to check it out! 

circle craft

last year, i came home from the circle craft fair empty handed but not this year - see my stack of rings post.  there was so much more of course that could have followed me home.  take a peek:

gorgeous hats from wildhagen.  when i visit toronto next year i plan to visit them.



felt products from trifly design, especially this little vessel.

 

 

 

adorable rattles from mimi.  they also have a cute elephant.  perfect for a little one, yes?

 

 

 

ceramics by erin morris are influenced by nature... trees, birds, and dragonflies.  so lovely.

 

 

a simple wool cowl for men and women by pip robins accessories.

 

 

 

patrycja's very cool mom, jagoda, is a jewellery maker that i have written about here. and she fell for this cute pant apron for makers; it looks so adorable on.  made in vancouver by glasnost.

 

 

 

porcelain vessels, by russell hackney that i have eyed and coveted in vancouver boutiques.  gorgeous.

 

 

abeego, reusable 'saran' wrap, is genius.

 

 



 

thank you circle craft!  they are a british columbian artist cooperative that exists to connect craftspeople with the community and i am so grateful otherwise my right ring finger would be empty. and i now have ideas for gift giving - myself included :) 



weekend pics, at home

friends, i am not going to lie, the weekend has been mildly frustrating and sucky.  and i know this will pass and all will be okay again.  and i know there is much more to be grateful for but once in awhile it's okay to whine, right?

well,  ready or not, here i go:

• i have vertigo - waking up to a spinning room isn't fun.
• kai's school project is, well, not even started after having a month to complete it in class and it's due on tuesday, of course.  so can you guess what we were up to do this weekend?  not how i intended to spend hours of my time.    
• i forgot my mittens while attending kai's soccer game and it was so very cold standing out there.  if they were playing well it would have been worth it but it wasn't their best game.  am i a horrible mother for admitting this?  i feel like it and probably should delete this point. 
• i ran into an old friend on the soccer field. we cried and hugged and exchanged numbers and it was all so so lovely, you know.  but i worry life (our routines) will take over again and we won't be in touch and that would be very sad.  friendships are awesome.
• finding tufts of jude's hair around the house has me worried about him - his stress has increased tenfold since the scaffolding when up around our home and walls being torn apart.  we've spent monies on this problem before and hoped it would resolve.
• two store clerks wished me happy holidays - it's november?!?!
• mostly i am sad that stefan came home to a whiny wife.  i wouldn't blame him if he wished he was back in stockholm.

on the bright side, i completed a photo project that has been long awaiting my time - selecting, printing, and sorting photos to send to our families.  it felt great to actually get it done, even if it was all i managed this weekend. 

and, we ate for free here... the owner of edible canada, eric pateman, was so gracious as to invite stefan and others to a sit down fall harvest family-style dinner as a thank you for just being a customer.  the food was abundant and amazing; i hope their squid dish makes it to the menu. 

 



peanut butter and tea... my comfort foods



 

 





kai, with bed hair in the middle of the afternoon, "trying" to talk with his italian nonna..





i hope your weekend was a lovely one.

my stack of rings

i don't wear much jewellery but the one ring that never leaves my finger is my 'love' band. first it was my gold band with sapphires that stefan designed for me when we were married.  i love that ring as much as the one i now wear, a silver vintage-like band with ten tiny diamonds scattered around it.  it is a ring i coveted and stalked for a looooong time and then one tuesday evening many years ago i unwrapped a little box given to me by stefan and all of a sudden i was its owner! i adore these rings so so much and i haven't given a thought to owning other rings.   two very pretty and simple rings is all a girl needs.  

but then this recent craze with stacking rings began and, well, i was drawn to it.  i started to casually look around but not fully committed to adding to my small ring collection.   then i saw them and got giddy inside... you know, when you see something that is so perfect for you.  that's how i feel about my new stack of delicate and simple bands by roberto fioravanti, a vancouverite that i stumbled upon at circle craft. it felt like i had won the lottery.  three are sterling silver with just the right amount of sparkle and one is gold plated and oxidized.  they are simple and thin but all together they make me swoon. i think they will be a permanent fixture on my finger.

the best part?  i can casually browse for additional rings to add to my stack and change it up.  and, i can simply take out my pretty sapphire wedding band and add it to the mix too.  the options are endless.

 

 

ps.  roberto fioravanti is doing another show at the milano coffee lounge and tasting bar on december 10th.  hope to see you there.

have a lovely weekend (my hubby comes home on saturday!).

weekend pics, a gathering on the sunshine coast

our friend alexia had a milestone birthday over the weekend and she decided to throw herself a big party! so awesome, right?  to celebrate, she rented a great big house for a group of her friends and their kiddos in the sunshine coast.  it accommodated all 21 of us perfectly.  the house sits on a hill overlooking the ocean with a backdrop of mountains.  you could smell the ocean air from indoors. i tell you, i will never tire of our mountains; they are a constant and comforting sight.  and bonus, the house came with a visiting cat... he was big and sweet and calm and i really wanted to take him home with me!

on the first day we arrived it was raining but that didn't matter because all that was on the agenda for the weekend was lounging, cooking, eating, and lazing around.  it was great to reconnect with the special people in alexia's life, with opportunity for conversations about life and raising our children, being silly, and eating well.

when the rain stopped the next day we took the kiddos - all 9 of them - outside for a play on the beach.  how great to have a beach for a backyard!  kai reveled in the unstructured play time the weekend offered us.  at the house, the children were able to run around freely as we collectively looked after each other.  such a treat.

there was an abundant of food.  food is important to this group and we ate well. we even had one night catered for the official birthday celebration.  it was such a fantastic idea.  the highlight for me was the most delicious veggie lasagna ever (thanks alexia!), a gingerbread cake with caramel sauce, and a smoky sausage from oyama.   

i loved it when the kids gathered all the balloons and tossed them from above while we all sang happy birthday.  it was a fabulous moment.  alexia surrounds herself with beautiful (and hilarious) people.  it was lovely to be enveloped in such warmth and fun.

happy birthday my friend! and thank you for a wonderful weekend away.



  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 



 

 

 

 

  

 







sweet, thoughtful, fun and really outrageous prezzies were unwrapped.



the weekend was lovely but much too short.  we could have stayed longer since we all brought enough food for a week :)  to stretch it out, kai and i took a later ferry back home.  before we hopped on (just barely!) we stopped for a bite to eat, some ice cream and a walk in roberts creek.  a nice ending to the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

i hope your weekend was as sweet as ours!