timmies vs starbucks

whenever we go on a road trip, 

 the same debate picks up every time...

will it be timmies or starbucks?

having grown up in ontario and also having lived in the east coast of canada 

we had very little choice for a travelling mug of coffee...tim hortons ruled the 401 hwy.

it was and still is such a treat to stop and get a cup to enjoy during the road trip.

because i don't take any sugar with my coffee, 

i appreciate the bite size timbits that make those first couple of sips simply delicious....

my favourite is the coconut chocolate... which, sadly, is becoming obsolete.

but as the coffee culture took off... 

another big player came into the scene.

i still remember my first cup of starbucks coffee... 

it was so dark and so thick... i wanted so much to ask for an accompanying cup of hot water 

however, i slowly got hooked...

while tim hortons feel more like a blue-collar hard working folks type of setting, 

where one can get a large black coffee single cream,

starbucks feels more like a fancy coffee/ meet your friends with extra hot, venti-double-frappuccino-but with non fat soy-milk instead type of venue.

at the beginning, all the choices were exciting... 

i would practise saying my order silently in my head as i waited in line.

today, the winning factors for me are heat and consistency... 

for this, timmies gain a point !!!

i have had coffee from many other independent cafes and i would gladly support them 

but they haven't seem to have figured out the importance of these factors...

nothing is more disappointing to get back in the car, 

put your feet up on the dash, ready for a long drive, 

and sip into a weak, lukewarm cup of coffee.

for ian, however...

 someone who utterly hates and avoids lineups,  starbucks wins.
 because for some reason, 

despite the complex ordering system, their lineups are always much shorter.

he doesn't mind paying extra for the same size, 

and he claims that the coffee is definitely better (here, he's talking buzz factor).

 this road trip coffee debate will definitely continue on our travels...

but for my daily fix... i'm proud to say that i've perfected my cuppa joe.

super hot, dark and creamy with no line ups !!!

erica

xoxo

recylart....

i was cycling home from the gym the other day

and i came upon this junk/freebie pile on the side of the road. 

there it sat.. a 3ft by 4ft colourful canvas, 

along side a toaster, some dishes, books, a t.v.,

 all abandoned and waiting for new owners.

  

actually, just picture the piece without the green dots.

( i was too quick with the paint brush than with the camera)

it had a gigantic FREE painted on it.. 

so guess who walked the rest of the way home....

i loved all the colours in the background 

but i wasn't too fond of the graffiti lettering in the front.

it sat in my studio/ corner for a couple of days... then i just went for it... 

without a plan or any idea of how it was gonna turn out.

and this is the end product... (for now...)

i am thrilled with how it turned out ...

(can you tell i'm not afraid of using colour?)  

i also love the idea of reducing, reusing and recycling to achieve it.

recycling old junk not only benefits the environment, it breathes new life into 

old objects that were once destined for the landfill.  

in this case, 

one person's (my neighbour) trash is another person's (me, me, me) treasure !!!

meanwhile... 

my daughter took her old crayons, another recycled canvas 

and her blow dryer to create this.

we had so much fun with these art pieces... 

now, just to find some wall space to hang them up !!!

erica

xoxo

jam masters

every friday night, 

both my children put on their public speaking caps 

and make it to jam masters gavel club.

jam masters gavel club is a group of kids, from ages 8-17, 

that get together once a week to practice public speaking.

through a variety of different roles and activities,

 these kids learn to become confident speaking in front of others,

 as well as develop useful leadership skills.

 every week, each child can participate by choosing from the following roles:

toastmaster

table topics master

joke master

ah um counter

timer

grammarian

word master

speaker

quiz master

if a child is eager. she/he could choose more than one !!!

jam masters is a pressure-free environment where everyone 

is encouraged to work at their own pace... 

so if a child does not feel ready to participate, 

he/she is welcome to just to sit and watch.

but it won't be long, however,...before they join in, 

because as the children learn these valuable skills they are having so much fun.

my kids were quiet the very first session they attended then they quickly joined in.

'

this past friday, my son chose to be one of the table topic masters..

.the table topic master conducts the impromptu speaking portion of the meeting by presenting questions or situations, then calling on members at random to discuss the topic.

he prepared a couple of debate topics .... 

i.  if your child receives an acceptance letter to hogwarts... 

would you let him or her go, why or why not?

ii.  if you want to make a lot of money.... 

would you rather work to earn it or marry someone rich?

the discussions that followed were so varied and original and well presented... 

these children were fantastic!!!

it is an excellent venue for learning ...

even though each speaker gets evaluated, it is done in such a positive and 

encouraging manner (with lots of valuable tips for improvement).

did i mention that there is no cost to attend?

norvic toastmasters, the adult version of jam masters, sponsors all of this club's activities.

for me, the best part of jam masters is .....

that the parents get to stay and watch 

as their children turn into public speaking whiz kids!!!

erica

xoxo

moment 7/4/14

a moment...

a friday ritual, a single photo, no words, capturing a moment from the week,
a simple, special, extraordinary moment
i want to pause, savour and
remember.

hippo birdie two ewe...

july 1st.... 

a very special birthday for two...

our harlow turned six, 

only forty two in doggie years !!!
if you haven't met this furry friend before you might want to read this:
harlow

for a special treat, we took him to ogden point, 
one of his favourite beaches,

for a quick dip...

 and a little downward dog (harlow style) on the warm rocks...

 he is so precious to us all...

and we love him sooooooo much !!!

 lots of hugs and kisses and some yummy chicken for our furry birthday boy !!!

mwah ! mwah ! mwah!

also... last but not the least,

 happy birthday canada!!!

last tuesday was a gorgeous evening so we all went down to 

victoria's parliament buildings to join the sea of red and white.

it was so warm and balmy... we didn't have to bring our parkas. 

(like we've worn on previous canada days...)

there were maple leafs everywhere...

and proud canadians of all sorts.

 the finale was a spectacular display of fireworks  !!!

against a backdrop of the beautifully lit silhouette of the parliament.

yes... the first of every july is a doubly special day !!!

we are truly blessed....

erica

xoxo

going blonde again this summer

it's summer... and they are forecasting hot hot hot and dry dry dry for victoria, bc.

so... for the seventeenth year in a row, our lawn is going blonde.

we have been in our home for 18 years now, 
and i know for sure that we've watered the front lawn only twice 

(our first summer here and the summer we built the front porch) 
and then we quickly smartened up.

in the summer months, outdoor water use accounts for almost 50% of water use 

around the average home in victoria.  

we are on water restriction before the summer even starts.  

i believe odd numbered addresses are allowed lawn watering

 thursdays and sundays between 4-10 am and 7-10 pm,

 in effect may 1 through to september 30.

it's CRAZY to be wasting good clean drinking water 

for maintaining a plushy, green carpet, especially since the grass comes back, 

ready for weekly mowing, once the rainy season starts.

we've come to love the blondeness of our lawn because it complements 

the wild sweet peas that seem to thrive in such an arid environment.

i will give this plant top prize for being truly drought tolerant..

(that's from 18 years of personally testing their tolerance !!)

did you know that this wild sweet pea is also edible ?!?

i was watching a video on wild edibles and found this out.

since this wild edible is related to store bought peas, 

you would think it would be natural to harvest the pea pods.

but the wild sweet pea pods are tough to chew and quite bland tasting.  

instead of eating the pods, the curly tips (called tendrils) or the brilliant pink flowers 

are suppose to be incredibly delicious.

 i would love to propagate this wild sweet pea 

so it grew and spread to cover the majority of our front lawn.  

but for now, it will remain blonde and crispy for the hot and dry summer season.

and in this case, i can attest to the fact that blondes do have more fun...

because they don't waste time, energy and money 

watering ornamental, inedible grass !!!

erica

xoxo

thrifted threads: proud to be canadian

yesterday was canada day... 

and many proud canadians were clad in red and white to celebrate this country's birthday.

but today is what i wore wednesday, 
and i'm linking up with lindsey at the pleated poppy !!

i found this tunic in a thrift shop a couple of years ago.  

i had fallen in love with the white embroidery that covered the front.

in the first set of pictures i wore it as a shirt over a pair of jean shorts.

it is so red and so white and so perfect for canada day !!!

 the national colours of canada were declared in 1921 to be red and white and 

are most evident on the canada flag.

  

i found out that red is symbolic of england and white of france, the colours having been 

used representatively by those countries in the past. 

also,  the maple leaf is one of canada's national symbols and red is its' autumn colour .

the following is the same tunic, worn as a dress 

(p.s. i just untucked the above shirt...can you see the wrinkles?? )

it is so comfortable either way.

when i find such thrifted treasures,

i am always so surprised at what people are able to give away...

more over, i am doubly surprised and delighted when i find them hanging in the rack 

waiting to be rescued and included in this blog !!!

hope you all had a great red and white canada day !!!

erica

xoxo