Making blueberry boy bait

This recipe from Smitten Kitchen works! It baits boys! Make it while the berries are still in season, or use frozen berries, like me; I needed to use up last season's produce.

Making waves

We need tea towels too, so I decided to embroider one to brighten up our kitchen.

When I doodle, I draw waves, and it occured to me that my waves would make a simple embroidery project.

Next time I'll make the waves smaller, so you can see more waves when the towel is folded. I'm also interested in adding white caps and maybe a boat or a squid.

Making time for a stroll

I'm not a person who thinks about work when I'm not at work. This, I feel, is a real stroke of luck. However, during the work day, watch out! When work tends towards stressful, like it has lately, getting a break during the day has been something that I really have to try to remember (like eating!). Until lately, I've had a hard time figuring out what to do that will actually give me a chance to think about something else, and not just stand up from my desk and then sit back down.

I have found that taking pictures on my strolls really really helps (although I'm not sure the Oak Bay neighbours always agree!). It forces me to engage with the outside world and notice it, and not just keep spinning about my work tasks, which will really take all the space you give it. The above scene is half a block from my work. Where better to go than a rose garden? It's almost funny being in there. There are a lot of rose varieties, they all smell different and it's always empty. Basically, it's a little taste of Alice in Wonderland. And what could be a better balance to picky work detail than that?

Making a list of meal ideas

This is a simple project that I've been meaning to start for a long time:

Step 1: Write down your favorite supper ideas and where to find the recipes (plus any other details that you think your future self should know).
Step 2: Add to the list as you try new recipes and discover that you like them as well.
Step 3: Refer to the list when you need to buy groceries but can't think of a single thing that you have ever enjoyed eating.

Sarah told me about this system a year or two ago when we were discussing our grocery shopping habits; Michael and I get by, but I could do with a little less time spent flipping through cookbooks. And pulling my hair.

P.S. I'm going to ditch that card that suggests that I make the baked garlic butter beans again. I jumped the gun with that one, adding it while the beans were still in the oven last night. The amount of work that went into preparing the beans (soaking and peeling) and the tomatoes (blanching) did NOT pay off.

P.P.S. I'm going to add a card with pancakes writ large as soon as I get home.