things i like

1. the stars "romantic comedy" it has a good medley
2. my beautiful new apartment (the colours, character, light fixtures, neighbourhood, architecture...my only dislike is the gas stove b/c i don't know how to work it yet :P
3. new cheap slowcooker (go walmart :)
4. dollarama (you stock my kitchen and supply mini decor to make my place a little more homey :)
5. zellers 4.79 candles (again with making my place homey)
6. sleep (i think i may call it an early night)

julie and julia: take one :)

so i decided that i would systematically work through a cookbook just for fun :)
i think i shall call my adventures julie and julia take (whatever the meal number is from the book)
i decided on Michael Smiths cookbook (the chef at home guy on the Food Network)

tonight i made my first thing from his book
it started with a craving for quiche for dins (which was my first and turned out pretty good)
and then a craving for some apple or pear salad with walnuts and cranberries, however, i wanted a nice light dressing and none of the ones in the fridge were cutting it

then the lightbulb went on!
i remembered that i brought my Michael Smith cookbook back with me and he has recipes for about 6 different vinaigrettes :)
i looked through them and decided on the vanilla vinaigrette
here's the recipe:

-1 cup evoo
-half cup white wine vinegar
-2 spoonfuls honey
-3 teaspoonfuls of vanilla extract (it calls for two but i found the dressing still bitter)
-a spoonful dijon mustard
-a sprinkle of salt and pepper

serve over your choice of salad (i would highly recommend one with some form of fruit)
and enjoy ;)

falling for fall-weekend love

these past few days have been AMAZING!
alot of the things i LOVE to do were all combined into one glorious weekend :)

it all started friday morning with a doctors appt at 9:30am (so much for sleeping in eh?)
your all probably thinking what is so great about a doctors appt? well there isn't anything really, but i did enjoy the walk there (admiring all the colourful trees and the sound of them crunching under my feet oh and who could forget, that crisp fall smell in the air? i love it!)
which was then followed by an appt to get my eyebrows did (yess!)
after that i decided to treat myself to lunch at this cute cafe that a guy from France actually came to Belleville and opened up. i had the most amazing ham, swiss and mushroom quiche on the cutest plates ever!
-scored a cute little hat i have been wanting for a while for really cheap
-looked around at more stores downtown and had some great convo's with the owners
-impromptu coffee date with a friend
-dinner date with the fam
-shopping with mom

today
-i babysitt some of my favorite girls :)
we watched madeline, made cookies, ate KD for lunch and giggled over the sounds animals make (not to mention i LOVE their house! its not a mansion, but the way it's decorated, is soo homey and makes me dream about the day when i have a family and how much i will enjoy making my house cozy and welcoming while doing fun things with my kids :)
-this was followed by my nanny's 85th birthday celebration. it was great to see ppl i haven't seen in soo long and to meet some of my cousins kids that i have never met before (they are so stinkin cute!)
-we then went back to my nanny's opened gifts, had dinner together with some great conversation about the old memories we made

as for tomorrow:
-i am SOO looking forward to maranatha (i heart that church!)
-hanging with my bro (he's gone away on a retreat with the youth and i miss him like crazy...we are pretty tight)
-nothing planned for the afternoon, laying low
-the turkey dinner my mom is making me :)

thank you Lord for a great weekend :)

for the love of plates

ate a quiche today at a great bakery downtown belleville on one of these great plates:

http://bit.ly/DT7J2

i actually pictured myself whipping up a homemade quiche and serving it on one of these guys :)
so great!
i told my mom about them and how they only ship in the states and the only other place i could find them is at Target.
she then mentioned she has a friend who's heading to the states and could get her to pick me up a set! YESS!
yay for my cute 25 dollar plates (yes i know they are pricey little guys, but soo cute!)

on another note, i plan on systematically going through one of my cookbooks for something fun to do.
say maybe make two things a week from it?
i'm excited :)

beaming with anticipation

-hanging with some C4C girls tonight over baked goods and swaping clothes/stuff
-small group tomorrow night
-young adults wednesday night
-home for the weekend on thursday night
-kickboxing with mom on friday night
-nanny's b-day party saturday afternoon
-movies with bro in the evening
-church on sunday (maybe both services b/c i LOVE maranatha!)
-apple picking
-making apple crisp with a great friend and my mom

on a more random note:
-the things God is teaching me/woman He is making me

thankful for:
-the blessing of living with an awesome woman of God for three months and learning sooo much!
-whether it was theology/music/art/fashion/food/health...she is a vault of info and i praise God for her wisdom
-as a result of living with her, i feel more free in expressing myself in all areas of life whether it be my convictions God has given me or little things like the clothes i choose to wear or how i opt to spend my free time. this woman has truly shown me that in all this, i stand before God and if its fine with Him, its fine with me :)
as a small disclaimer on that last point:
i am still open to the fact that some things are temptations for others and would refrain for their pursuit of holiness

i am hearting life right now <3
like evacuate the dance floor, i feel like busting a move, i am hearting life!
thank you Jesus!

martha stewart's chocolate french toast

great martha recipe i just had to share! i had it this morning and fell in love!

ingredients:
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons milk
4 large slices italian bread
4 ounces thin semisweet chocolate bar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
confectioners sugar for dusting

directions:
1. in a large shallow dish, whisk together the eggs and milk. set aside
2. form two sandwiches with the bread and chocolate (break chocolate as necessary to cover bread) dip both sides of the sandwiches into the egg mixture to coat
3. heat the butter in a large non stick skillet over medium heat, transfer the sandwiches to the skillet. cook pressing occasionally with a spatula until golden, 1 to 2 mins per side. transfer to a paper towe lined plate. cut each sandwich in half and dust with confectioners sugar before serving

serve with fruit
and enjoy :)

when you wish upon a star...

haha, well i don't actual believe in wishing on stars but i do really want a certain something to be the will of God :)

so tonight my friend Joy and i had two places to look at (considering renting).
the first was a condo complete with a fire place and stove, fridge, dishwasher, a/c, washer, dryer, great size rooms and balcony as well as a sunken tub (did i mention the fireplace?)
sounds great eh?
but just a wee bit out of our price range

we then ventured to LG and found an AMAZING place (and price!)
i actually liked it better than the condo. it has such character and charm!
beautiful stairwells (the posts are those gorgeous old victorian style)
so you walk in the front door and walk up the stairs.
the immediate landing has room for a plethora of bookshelfs :)
to the right is a gorgeous kitchen with huge cupboards and a little patio to sit and have qt's :)
go to the left and you have a cozy living room (not too big and not too small)
come out of the living room and turn right and you are greeted by another glorious staircase
this one takes you to another landing with a small skylight big enough for more bookselfs and a comfy chair (YES!)
to the left a large bedroom and to the right a not so large bedroom
oops almost forgot the bathroom that apparently has amazing water pressure and nice tub for bubble baths

i don't think i stopped smiling the whole time
it has my character written all over it
2 guys have already put in their forms and their references are being checked
others are viewing tomorrow
i know God has my best in store
but i really really hope this one is what He has for me :)
Please Jesus!

laughter: she can't contain it

sometimes i enjoy those days where i am able to let my emotions run loose
its nice when you need to cry and your in a place where that is possible, or where you are soo angry at injustice and know that one day there will be an end to it all
to know that God is patient and wants everyone to come to a repentance
but also to know that God mourns and weeps with us
thank you Jesus
as for today, i have had many moments of laughter which i am so thankful for ;)

it started with an invite to see disney on ice (yes i know i was lame and didn't go)
i spent a day all to myself
looking at my work week ahead, it was a hard, but wise choice
i am learning that solitude gives me rest
it really refreshes me

-so after church i headed up to the plateau and had a yummy bagel and salad at St Viateur
(i was also very happy to see they were playing some old episodes of the pink panther), i felt like a fool sitting by myself eating my meal trying to withhold laughter
-this was then followed by some much enjoyed window shopping
-a stop at a cute inexpensive grocery store (to get banana's for the banana choco chip pancakes i have been craving lately!)
-another pit stop at premiere maison for an after dinner treat
-and a little pumpkin for decoration until it gets made into martha stewarts pumpkin soup :)
-then while on the metro, i pulled out one of the 3 books from my bag, this time it was madame bovary, i am only three pages in and almost died laughing

as for right now, i am enjoying this:

whilist chuckling to myself at my random almost outbursts of laughter today
(not the greatest quality pic on my macbook, but you get the idea :)
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

i never thought i would say this...

everyone told me to enjoy school while it lasted and i always shrugged them off
i never realized til now how much i love school
or maybe i just like the flexible schedule moreless
when you are scheduled to work, there is no i am not going to it, like classes? (shhh, lol)

so one thing i realized is how much i miss kingston!
while listening to Frank Sinatra tonight i realized:
i miss the "serves you right" resto in Kingston, and more than that, i miss those after church brunch dates there with sarah and sitting there for 2rhs after finishing our meal, sipping tea.
i miss the kingston farmers market (as expensive as it was)
i miss all those cute little shops on princess st and nearby
i miss sipps coffee shop soo much! (how i LOVE that place)
i miss my apartment in kingston, so spacious, yet, so cozy!

looking at this list again, i say what i never thought i would, i miss kingston.

priority shift

i feel as though i need to do a blog label called "for today atleast" or "for the majority of the time" just as a small disclaimer to say i don't always feel like this...i have my moments.

anyhow this weekend i was blessed to go to the queen's/ottawa/montreal summit (a fall retreat with campus for Christ) and watch the cute staff kiddo's.
i must admit, i love kids, alot! i look forward to the day when i get to hold a raise my own, but i had quite a shocking revelation this weekend.
working so closely with the kids and the mom's, i saw how interests become somewhat divided. for example, at a conference, they have things like childcare so that the mom's can actually participate in the conference a little and bond with the students, and then i realized, when your a mom, your kids are your first priority (next to Jesus and your husband of course). usually leaving little to no time for other forms of ministry.

i always knew this and have heard this, several times from several mom's.
but this weekend, it really sunk in.
i realized that my desire right now is for women's ministry and to equip them with what they need to reach those in their lives with the gospel.
so i can probably say that having a family is not my top priority at the moment (suprise, suprise, i know!)

it was definitely on the ride home that i had these thoughts and was mentioning them to Lydia as we stopped for gas. i think this shift in priority came from what i learnt this weekend in watching kids, but also in just coming out of a serious relationship. i realize that i enjoy sharing my life with someone and i am not by any means saying dating or being married is wrong, it's so wonderful when two people who love the Lord come together (i actually LOVE the image of marriage Christ gives us, check out Revelation 21:1-4).

but, i think for the time, my desire is to serve women. and as i thought about this weekend if a man of God where to pursue me, how would i respond? would i say yes? or would i need to actually think and pray about it for a bit as i would be a little unsure?

and i think that for the first time in a while, i wouldn't be able to say "yes" confidently right away. i would need to really seek God in this one. i praise God that my heart is healing from my past relationship (he is a great guy trust me), but my uncertaintity would come purely from what are my priorities and not that i am still grieving this past relationship.

i really didn't think i would take anything away from this summit as i was just watching kids. when will i ever learn that God will use any and everything to teach me a lesson?

three cheers for globalization (for today atleast)

as soon as i stepped off the metro today my eyes almost welled up with tears.
why is that you ask?
i looked to my left and saw walmart!
right now you are probably seeing a disconnect...why would walmart make one sad?

well to answer your question, it didn't make me sad.
i have actually never been happier in my life to see a walmart
i think it has to do with the fact that i have been a little homesick lately
i must admit going from one small city, to a bit of a bigger one to an actual city is quite the adjustment (especially when trying to learn a new language)

today when i went to walmart and was shopping with my friend (Emily) we chatted about how much we both missed home and our moms. i am so thankful i have a few friends to share these thoughts and emotions with. i personally:

miss the small city feel
miss pulling into the driveway of our cute little house
miss the way it hugs you when you walk into it
miss my puppy (rocky) jumping on me as i walk in
miss my BEDROOM, its organization, its decor and clean linen candles ohh so much!
miss late night convo's, trips to walmart, chapters, small towns and lunch dates with my mom
miss having all the signs in english and people talking in english (that may just be from bad experiences with some francophones)
miss movie dates with my bro
miss watching chef at home with my dad
miss maranatha so much! i love that church and truly see Jesus at work there, i love it!

Lord please help me adjust and get settled here in Montreal. i love many parts of this city, but i pray you would help me make this home.