the golden rule

How perfectly sweet is this letterpress poster?! 
Hand-drawn by a six year old and then cut and arranged by his dad.  An important reminder to do to others as you would have them do to you.  Such a loving and simple principle to live by.    

 

Available at Studio on Fire

in the garden with grandma

A possible green-thumb, maybe?  Jake enjoyed the grass, the dirt, the flowers and already looks the part with his crocs and sunhat.  The watering can was also a huge hit.  He carried it around, indoors and out, all afternoon long.  What fun!

 

dirty laundry

Dirty Laundry Vineyard is cutely nestled atop the hills of Summerland and is all the lovelier with its beautiful vine-covered patio that looks out onto the valley.   

We made a quick stop there last summer with my parents and Kait.  Quick because it was so hot we had to leave the truck running with the air conditioner on for the dogs.  Not a very earth friendly move, I know.  Their tasting room was packed so we shouldered through the crowd, squished ourselves along the bar and tasted away.  I think we left there with a combined total of close to ten bottles. 

The story behind this boutique winery's name heralds way back to the 1800's, when the gold-rush hit BC and a rail worker settled down and started a laundromat.  This laundromat seemed innocent enough but behind the scenes there were some pretty scandalous things going on.  Hence, Dirty Laundry.

They make an great Merlot.  One we enjoyed with dinner the other night.

"a softer and fruit forward red wine, it boasts flavours of strawberry, black berry, spice and a hint of anise.  Medium tannins help finish this wine along with linger notes of vanilla and cocoa."

"Great with spicy Italian meats, gamey cuts of bison or ostrich, even your everyday grilled steak."

And a lovey white, the Madam's Vines Gewurztraminer. 

"the "raciest" of the Gewurztraminers, it is developed in the tradition of the Alsatian style of sweet wines. Ripe and bold flavours of melon, spice, floral and tropical fruits.  Finishes sweet and refreshing with nice lingering fruit flavours and full bodied.  This seductive wine will keep you coming back for more."

"Perfect for strong flavoured cheeses, seafood or for sitting back and relaxing on a warm summer day."

fly fishing

Everyone has returned home from the fishing trip and it was deemed a big success!  Nice sized fish were caught, some being in the ten pound range.  And a few good stories too, like the estimated 15 pounder that got away and who has everyone already looking forward to next year.  I should probably get out and practice my fly cast.    

I think Jake's fishing shirt brought a little good luck.

camping, sort of

We had a nice day at the lake but nixed the tenting-it part as the weather was dropping into the minuses at night.  Without a proper sleeping bag for Jake we figured the wise choice was to drive back into Kamloops for the night and stay with my Mom (who is not the camping type and volunteered to stay home with the dogs instead).

Although it was frigidly cold at night the daytime temperature was scorching hot.  Extreme highs and lows.  Typical spring high up in the hills.   

Jake took everything in and wanted to check everything out.  Tall grasses, rocks, logs, ripples on the water, boats, tarps, tents, fish... He was all smiles, all day long.  And walking non-stop, keeping me awfully busy.  I was pretty thrilled that he stuck to his usual nap schedule and had a little time to relax.

We saw countless Deer and a few Bighorn Sheep 

on our drive into Red Lake.  

 

 We kept cool in the shade under a giant tarp and 

did some coloring with the big kids.

And of course, had fun exploring.  

 
There were some nice fish caught too, Brook Trouts and Rainbow Trouts.  And we will happily enjoy some for dinner tonight.

gone fishing

We are heading out for our annual fly fishing trip.  Although, this year I think I will be doing a lot more child-proofing camp then fishing.  I am looking forward to seeing everyone, drinking fresh coffee from my Dad's camp-stove percolator (a handy garage sale find that makes the most excellent coffee) and of course, deep-fried turkey which has been a tradition for many years now.  I am not really looking forward to tenting with Jake and the fact that there is no out-house.

Here are a few pictures from the last several years:

wine country

We happily live in what is refered to as BC's Wine Country.  There are more then 120 wineries nestled into our lush valley.  While the hills that surround us make up Canada's only desert, the valley is green and lush.  Lake Okanagan fills most of the valley floor; stretching on for nearly 140 kilometers.  It provides much needed relief from the blistering desert heat and provides the perfect environment for wineries and fruit orchards.

It is pretty amazing and yet we often take it for granted.  I feel we really must start treating our summers a bit more like a holiday.  

The variety among the vineyards is astounding.  You can find almost anything from the most modern and luxurious facilities, to small family run boutiques, to organic wineries.

We enjoy wine tasting every summer but usually frequent the same wineries year after year.  This year, we are going to make an effort to branch-out a little more.  Maybe even do a wine tour or two. 

Image of Quail's Gate Winery via Flickr

grilled asparagus

Billy and I love asparagus, especially since it's often hard to find in Europe.  These ones here are wild asparagus, hand-picked by my Dad.  They are beyond delicious.  So sweet and fresh you can just eat them raw, but we mostly like to grill them on the barbeque.     

 Voila!  Perfectly grilled thanks to Billy.

You will need:
asparagus

olive oil

fresh ground pepper

salt

……………………………………..

Snap woody ends off asparagus (unless they are wild and in that case, do not have woody ends to snap), rinse and dry.  Place remaining stalks in shallow dish. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, salt and freshly ground pepper; mix to coat asparagus.

Place asparagus on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning occasionally until tender-crisp, about 6 minutes.

(A big thanks to my Dad for picking asparagus for us, yet again!  They are always such a treat and we truly appreciate it, especially because it is tick season.)    

a thursday

We spent a little of our Thursday afternoon at my Grandma's like this.  Barefoot in the grass.  Enjoying the sun and flowers.  

They remind me of these pictures here, except for the fact that these were taken in April.  It seems so unbelievable to me that France was so green and bloom-y in early April! 

singer

A lovely little surprise lives in this box.

It is my Grandma's old sewing machine.  

She bought it in 1949 for $149.  A lot of money, especially considering that her monthly teacher's salary at the time was $150.     

It has been perfectly maintained and cared for and, although it doesn't do a lot of tricks or fancy stitching, it comes with a zigzag attachment and a buttonholer!  Admittedly, my sewing skills are pretty basic so it should be a good fit.  Even the fact that it stows away in a little leather box is perfect for an occasional-sewer* like myself.  I feel like jumping for joy a little

How pretty are these details!?

.   

Now if only I could find myself a typewriter, I would be set!  Sadly, my Mom and Dad had one that didn't make their last move.  They didn't know I had plans for it.  My plan was to steal it, which in hindsight I wouldn't have had to do since they apparently wanted to get rid of it.  

   

* I just basically became an occasional-sewer yesterday when I brought this machine home from my Grandma's, but I'm looking forward to it.  And I did take textiles in high 

school, so I'm pretty much set.   

one year

Happy first birthday to our sweet little Jake.  

We couldn't be luckier to have such a happy, healthy, funny little baby.  You are so full of smiles and love.  And so busy exploring the world; you constantly amazes us with all the new things you are learning and doing.  You bring us so much joy.

a birth story

Although Jake's birthday isn't until tomorrow, his birth story actually started one year ago today.  I went into labor on Mother's Day last year and he was a wonderful belated Mother's Day gift.  Still, thinking about it irrationally causes me minor panic.  The only good thing I have to say about it, is the end result was Jacob.  I am certainly glad I did it, and Billy and I feel so blessed to have Jake in our lives.  

the almost birthday boy

We had a little early birthday party for Jake today and had such a nice time.  We decked everything out in blue, sewed bunting flags and made a few goodies.

Even the process of getting things ready was a lot of fun.  I was lucky to have some helpers; my Mom and Dad iced the cookies, Kait and Tim babysat and did all the running errands and Billy even helped ice the cake!  

We used one of his very first infant onsies as a decoration.  I can hardly believe he ever fit it, but he did.   

Jake didn't exactly know what to make of the cake.  Vanilla with chocolate icing was completely foreign to him.  He didn't dive right in or devour it, but did he enjoy a little of it.
 

This really must have been a slightly overwhelming experience for him but he was such a good sport and such a sweet, happy little guy.  His present opening skills were lacking, but he was wowed by the contents of all these pretty little packages.    

Thanks to our families, near and far, who made this a special little day and who were so very thoughtful!

grandparents

It is rare for us to have all the grandparents together.  The only other time was at our wedding, so we were really happy to be able to take some pictures with them and Jake.  He wasn't exactly in the best of moods.  It happened to be long past nap time, but we couldn't let the opportunity pass.  

Although Jake wasn't exactly the most cooperative model, we love the pictures all the same.  We are already looking forward to having everyone together again, hopefully sometime in the near future.