Things I love...When the Restoration Hardware catalogue arrives

Imagine morning coffee and laptop in those chairs SIGH!

Today I was greeted by Restoration Hardware's annual catalogue - a tome weighing about 5 lbs. It amazes me how much it must cost to put this gorgeous book together. The shipping alone must be astronomical. It is beautiful however, even though the pages resemble castles rather than real homes. This time though, included was a great little booklet - little being the key word. It was titled "Big Style, Small Spaces". Not only was it demure in size compared to its counterpart, it featured smaller furniture in grandly styled rooms yet of a more quaint scale. The booklet was divided into residential themes - one of my absolute favourite techniques to display various decorating styles and eras.

Cigar leather: naptime

Themes such as Chelsea Penthouse and Paris Pied-à-Terre were pretty typical of RH's styling of its furniture spreads: industrial chic and understated glamour of old France. What I found surprising were gems like Napa Farmhouse and West Hollywood Apartment. Oooh, how my eyes flitted from theme to theme. It was a really fun take on their collections - not to mention the scale and pricing were both more reasonable for the average sized room in the real world.

Of course, the large catalogue did not disappoint. Broken-in leather collections that make me want to crawl into the pages and curl up. Beautiful art deco foggy glass tables in the Strand Collection look like mercury glass, are begging to hold a Martini glass or two. The shimmering Victorian Hotel Pendant is the cherry on top of the vision I have of my dream dressing room. Too heavy to prop on my chest to read in bed, this will find its place on my coffee table. Maybe, considering the gorgeous photography and furniture, it is meant to be displayed that way afterall.

Foodie wars: diet books with bite

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on here and I've missed it. July has blown past and here we are in what has been one of the hottest summers I can remember. There have been a few Tweets I've shared in the past week, and of them, foodie books seemed to be the central theme. Perhaps it's because the effects of a week of indulgence and sitting around at the cottage have caught up to me, but diets, dieting and weight loss are always hot topics.

The first book I'm going to mention is one that is stirring up quite a controversy and once I reveal the title, that will come as no surprise. It's called "Six Weeks To OMG: Get Skinnier Than All Your Friends."

Seriously. I can't make this up, folks. If this sounds like something only teen girls would say, you have hit the nail of controversy square on the head. Who else could this be speaking to? The author, Venice A. Fulton, defends this saying the use of OMG is not intended to make his book appeal to young women. however, professionals are worried about the message this sends not only to young women but also about weight loss in general. The unconventional diet is based upon the use of the body's existing stores of fat in the morning, followed by no snacking and lots of caffeine the rest of the day (I'm simplifying for the sake of brevity). There is also a cold bath to kickstart your metabolism in the morning. Ick.

The kicker for me though was this article in a U.K. newspaper with case studies of people who went on this diet. Sure, there are convincing before and after photos of these people, and good on 'em for finally getting motivated to change their habits but for me, it was the before and after meal journals of a typical day that I found most compelling. I hate to break it to them but as soon as they have reached their target weight, the TERRIBLE dietary habits will creep back in. I mean, really people, crisps (chips) as your 'side' for lunch?? Chips (fries) and gravy?? Three or four pints, three or four nights per week?? And this is a typical day? Seriously.

I personally don't think their results have anything to do with the diet's ridiculous requirements as much as the drastic reduction in their caloric intake of these people each day. The 'after' diet plans are such a stark contrast to their 'before' diets - that is the real reason they lost weight and I'm sorry to say, eating less is not something new to dieting.

Moving on....

The other book I read about also deals with losing weight but the approach could not be more opposite if it tried. This one is called Culinary Intelligence: The art of eating healthy (and really well) by Peter Kaminsky, a professional foodie and writer. After facing health issues, he decided to change his habits, not his career. When faced with tasting and reviewing wonderful food around the world, he approached every eating so that every calorie counted both towards his waistline and the dining experience, savouring every single bite. This takes time of course, and when we are rushed, distracted or multitasking, not only are we more likely to eat more, we are less likely to enjoy what we do eat just because we aren't taking the time to really be in the moment and enjoy the experience. Isn't that something we should apply to more areas of our life too?

My love affair with halloumi cheese

Mmm...look at those gorgeous grill marks!

If you’ve never tasted halloumi cheese, you don’t know what you are missing. My life became just a little bit richer the day I tasted this cheese. Eaten warm, it is pure heaven when grilled to a golden brown and crispy in some parts, ooey and soft in others. The flavour of this unripened brine cheese combines with the heat to create a symphony of perfection on the palate, like tasting only the best parts of a grilled cheese sandwich: buttery, cheesy, crispy, warm. This cheese is soft and mild yet has a salty character, and is dense enough with a high melting point so halloumi is perfect on the grill. I sometimes cube it and put it on a skewer with fast-cooking meat (leaving it on too long will melt it too much so you want the rest of the skewered food to cook at the same rate) or just sliced about 1/2 inch thick, and placed on a heated, oiled grill. The texture reminds me of firm tofu, while the salty mild  flavour is reminiscent of feta. I’ve seen it served on top of a salad for a lovely summer meal, but personally I haven’t gotten farther than serving it on a the plate that I bring it in on from the bbq; it’s just too good and goes fast. My family goes crazy for it; I am barely able to be seated at the table by the time it’s almost all gone, let alone explain that it’s supposed to go on top of the other food (they do leave a piece for me because they know better than to deny the chef).

If you haven’t tried this savoury treat, you are in luck because halloumi cheese is increasingly easy to find in your average supermarket. The first kind I tried was President’s Choice brand which has been delish. I just recently bought a different brand that’s waiting to be devoured. Will report back on that one soon. Yum.

Want some food for thought? Enter 'halloumi cheese' into Google and take a look at the images search results. Be prepared to drool a little. 

A new chapter: the end to clutter chaos

So I've had it. I'm so done with looking anywhere and everywhere in my house and seeing nothing but clutter and things without homes strewn on nearly every surface. This is not making me happy, in fact, at times, it makes me feel like an elephant is crushing my chest. TOO MUCH STUFF!!! as the Robert Munsch book says.

Anyone who has ever set foot in my house can attest to the fact that rather than show it off with pride, I apologize for the [perpetually] messy state it's in, almost to an annoying degree. I begrudgingly give tours showcasing my incomplete projects (yes, I will paint that last wall....1 year later), and ultimately lack of organization, which I seem to have passed along to my kids. Sure, it's expected that a house where there is someone at home at least 99% of the time, with two kids and a dog and cat, will look lived in but what I see in some corners, like my dining room currently, is more like something in a style I like to call "frat house chic": cases of empty beer bottles and an extra mattress leaning up against the wall. Niiicce. Might I add that this week I had the pleasure of meeting my older daughter's boy-who-is-her-friend's mother when she came over to pick her up for a movie. She followed me into the house (GASP!!!) and I could barely hear what she was saying for my head was spinning with the thoughts of what she must think of the place!

I chalk it up to two things: a lack of organization and my inability to throw things away! As a keen recycler since I was a child, it pains me with guilt to throw things out - a breakthrough realization that I recently became aware of - but as my husband says, "Some things are just garbage, Nancy." And with that, the light bulb of realization went on and so did my commitment to clean up our act.

So with that, I'm launching a summer series of posts. In reality I know it is not something that will be completed over the summer months alone. Cleaning up 5 years of living in a house + a lifetime of bad clutter-causing habits will surely take more than 10 weeks, however, it's a fun and lighthearted approach to what could be a very daunting project.

My first step, and really the methodology for the project will be to go room by room, identifying those trouble spots that seem to be natural dumping grounds for stuff (Clutter Corners as I like to call them) and really look at why this is the case. For example, is it because the things that get dumped there have no other home? Is it because we don't know what to do with them or don't want to be ruthless and throw them out? Looking at the psychological reasons these Clutter Corners happen will be key to figuring out solutions.

I will do this room by room and then revisit the list to implement solutions for each problem. Then once that is done, go project by project (for me, starting very small so I don't get overwhelmed and leave things half finished is key) and implement the solutions. Some projects will be tiny and will take no time at all. Others might take longer but I'll make sure that I am not biting off more than I can chew.

I hope you'll check in every once in a while to see how it's going. I hope to provide before and after photos, sources for products and instructions for DIY projects, of which there will be many! My ultimate goal is to create a calming and comfortable space where our family can live and function more efficiently. Who am I kidding - I really just want to give house tours without embarrassment!

Father's Day home stretch: What your guy REALLY wants

As the weekend approaches, the world of consumerism is focusing on the next occasion to separate consumers from their money. Father's Day is on Sunday and all week I've noticed the never ending pleas in commercials and flyers to 'Get Dad what he really wants' or 'Treat dad this Father's Day' with this, that and the other. These phrases are often found on flyers for things dad would never, ever want, like, oh, a new patio set. Or that new polo shirt. Heck, even Pottery Barn was offering a free crafting event for Father's Day. The only thing I have to say regarding that one is I hope the intention was to offer a way to get the fam out of the house so dad can have time -gasp- alone!

And this brings me to the point of this post. If you really want to give your man, the father of your children, a fabulous Father's Day, I have a no-fail way to deliver. It consists of two things and two things only. The first is time alone. After the cute kid cards and coffee in bed (and at a decently-late hour I might add), what dad really wants is a day to himself with nothing to do and no one to interrupt this nothingness. Now, don't be offended. Think of Mother's Day. We like to be pampered. We like to be adored. Then we like to be left alone. The same goes for dad. He doesn't want at picnic at the park with the family. Or dinner at your in-laws, no matter if his favourite meal is in the cards or not. No, he wants time to be without the pitter patter of kids and animals and absence of the honey-do list that normally hangs on the fridge, and all in the silence of an empty house.

The second thing that will make your man's day is something that is hopefully part of your life anyways, but if not, it'll really blow his socks off. I'm talking about sex. Yes, those three little letters can carry a huge amount of happiness. That is really what he wants. And not the rushed quickie kind or with a feeling of obligation. A really honest-to-goodness fun time with fewer time constraints than usual if possible, and a genuine interest in making him feel supa dupa. Afterall, he is the man you chose to father those gorgeous little gems of children, so isn't he worth the time and effort? And with that, I throw to this blog post which I really think says it all, and very well: Give a guy some nookie.

Happy Father's Day!