Quick update on my life

This is the longest I’ve gone without blogging. And as much as I don’t want to start each new post with, “sorry I haven’t blogged in a long time, but…” I do feel like I owe my readers some explanation. I’ve found myself really busy lately, lacking not only the time for blogging, but also the time for the actual activities that I like to blog about (cooking, thrifting, crafting, and even mindfulness practice/reflection.) There are a few reasons for this. One is that work has been busy lately, and I have had to work late at night at least one day a week - sometimes two. I have also started running a part-time consulting business. For the last year or more I have had at least one little side-project running, but lately it’s kind of blossomed. This has happened organically, as I have had numerous requests from friends and former colleagues, which has culminated in having as many as four clients as once.  I also spend one night a week doing yoga, and the better part of my Sundays or Saturdays climbing. And then there is that little secret I’ve been keeping from my readers… that I have a boyfriend, who I’ve been seeing for the last 7 months. He is busy too, lives in a different city than I, and so we like to spend a good part of our weekends together, since most weeknights we don’t get a chance.

I’ve had this weekend free though (the boyfriend is in Europe) and I’ve been making time to do some of the things that I quietly enjoy, including blogging. So if you don’t subscribe to the blog, please check back regularly as I have more posts scheduled. Thanks for continuing to read!

A busy bee

The pursuit of happiness

Many, if not all of us, pursue happiness. But how is happiness discovered? One line of thought is that happiness is created; you go out and actively create the life of your dreams, at which you will be met with happiness as your reward. An other, perhaps less popular, belief is that we need to learn to be content and satisfied with what we have, at which point happiness will find us. Over the past one or two years, however, I have been exploring the possibility that perhaps joy already exists within our world, and is just waiting to be unveiled. Perhaps happiness is really about attention to what surrounds us.  I wonder, if we surround ourselves with things we love and feel passionate about, will we necessarily be happy? We will necessarily feel fulfilled? We can provide ourselves with an abundance of opportunities, people, and gifts, but what if we achieve everything we want and still are left feeling empty?

I think that many opportunities to feel joy are missed in life. What happens if you lie next to your partner on a rainy day and ignore the shape of their body, the sound of their breath or the pattern of the rain falling on the window? What happens if you prepare delicious meals for yourself but ignore their taste and drown the sensation in the noise of the television or the chatter in the mind? What happens if you rush into your car and into work each morning without pausing to smell the air and notice that the clouds have parted just so to let in a rare ray of sunshine in an otherwise grey day? Gifts are given to us on a daily basis, as are opportunities to delight in sound, sight and sensation, and too often, we miss it because we haven’t the patience or discipline to pay attention.

In a yoga retreat, a fellow participant said something during a dharma talk about contentment that always stuck with me. She said that it’s partly about “knowing when you’re content.” We need adequate time and space - thoughtful space - to reflect and say, “this is a great moment.” Without that freedom of headspace to acknowledge beauty when it makes it appearance, or to celebrate joy when it comes fleeting into our hearts, we might never find happiness.

As I pack my life with greater and greater goals, I want to leave enough space to re-unite with these gifts. To permit enough time in my day to pause and look out the window, or to silence myself long enough to notice the beautiful simplicity in the hum of the washing machine, a beautiful quilt on the bed, a kitten bunking down upon said quilt to prepare herself for an evening snooze.

I’ve often blogged about simple pleasures and readers have often chimed in, freely celebrating the humble but satisfactory joys in their life. But I think it goes beyond the ability to enjoy frugal luxuries. It’s about actually deepening an awareness and appreciation for what life already is. It’s about giving yourself the freedom to acknowledge that you might already be happy.

Another recycled canvas

I’ve finished another art piece. This work is part of my recycled canvas collection. This piece, as you might have guessed, is a kitchen cupboard, picked up from the Restore for a couple of dollars. I remember the cashier laughing at me for taking so long to pick out just one cabinet door, but I was looking for something that would work well as a canvas - smooth on the back, not a lot of damage caused by existing or removed hardware, and it needed to be something that would offer a nice frame. (I thought the cabinets provided a natural frame for the picture, which is how I got this idea in the first place.)

As always, I prepped the canvas by manually sanding it (with sandpaper, not an electric sander) and laying down a good coat of gesso.  The layers are made with tissue paper (pink and white) and graph paper.  My intention of using the graph paper (which is not very visible in this photo) was to play homage to my inner geekiness, evoking (for me,) images of pencil-drawn diagrams on cheap graph paper. I wanted to contrast this with the femininity of cheerful pink.

It may be of interest that this scene here is made up of entirely recycled or thrifted materials. The vase below is a James Sadler vase that I thrifted at a garage sale for $1 (see “thrifted gems“) and the doily was thrifted at Aberfoyle (see “weekend antiquing: thrifted gems” for more finds). The cabinet used to belong to my nana. I’m still not sure what it was used for. It would appear to hold either vinal records or documents, since it has narrow slots throughout the interior. It’s a unique piece and I shined up the brassware to give it a brighter look.  The flowers were picked up in St.Jacob’s and dried by yours truly - this is their final run as I will likely replace them this spring/summer.

This season I hope to add increasing personal touches to my home with more of my own photography and artwork.

Veggie burgers, revisited

One of the posts I continue to get comments and questions about is my veggie burger recipe (Lentil Walnut Burgers). Several of the commenters have noticed that their veggie burgers are too crumbly and dry, and are falling apart. I’ve supplied a few suggestions, but decided to try these again to see if they worked well for me again or if I would have the same problem.

I made them tonight, following the recipe almost exactly. The only change I made was to modify the ratio of mushrooms and walnuts. I added 1.5 cups of diced mushrooms and 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts. I also used frozen pretzel bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs (leftover from the great pretzel fiasco of ‘09.)

My burgers turned out great! No crumbling whatsoever! My patty stayed completely in tact. It was moist but dry enough on the outside that it didn’t fall apart.

If your burgers are too dry, I suggest the following:

- Make sure your lentils are really well cooked. Cook them longer than the recommended 15 minutes if necessary and only use 2 cups of water for the 1 cup of lentils. When done, they should be sticky and almost have a paste-like consistency.  Some readers have wondered if there is too much water from the lentils, but there really shouldn’t be much water in the pot when you’re done. .

- Ensure that your mushrooms and walnuts are chopped finely.  If you buy pre-chopped walnuts, make sure they are small and crumbly.

- When you cook the mushrooms, err on the side of them being over-cooked, making sure the liquid has evaporated. They’ll be moist but no liquid should be in the pan.

- Make sure all ingredients are well blended together and that you have massaged each portion into a nicely formed, firm patty.

- If you don’t have a barbeque (like myself) then just fry them on a pan over medium heat with a bit of olive oil.

- Only flip your burgers once. If you want to check on them to make sure they’re not burning, do so very carefully as so not to break or crumble the patty. Carefully use your hands and a wooden spatula if you can.  If you let it get a good sear on each side, it will hold together better.

- Don’t squish the patty when you put it in the bun like you might do a burger. They are naturally soft and you don’t need to push it firmly into the bun.

It’s all in the toppings

If you find the burgers too dry, add lots of extra juicy toppings. On mine tonight I had sauteed mushrooms, cheddar cheese, lettuce, and a homemade sauce made of mayonnaise, hot mustard and chopped scallions.  Delicious.

I really enjoyed this meal tonight. My advice for those who found this recipe not to work is simply to try it again!  It’s worth it!

For convenience, here’s the recipe below. Check out my original post to see other details and comments. This recipe was adapted from the LCBO magazine. Enjoy!

Lentil Walnut Burgers

1 cup red lentils

2 cups water

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup finely chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp ground cumin (freshly ground is best)

1/2 tsp each s&p

3/4  cup finely chopped walnuts

1.5 cups finely chopped cremini mushrooms

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 . In a small saucepan, bring lentils and water to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until all the water has been absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; cook onion until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, s&p; cook 1 minute. Stir in walnuts and mushrooms; cook until mushrooms are completely tender and no liquid remains, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly. Stir in cilantro, bread crumbs and lentils to combine. Form into patties.

3. Grill over medium heat on greased grill, turning once until crisp and golden on each side, about 12 minutes.

4. Serve on grilled whole grain buns with desired toppings.

Makes 4 large burgers (or 6 small ones).

Waiting for spring

I haven’t written much recently for two reasons; one, because I’ve been terribly busy, with all kinds of engagements, both personal and work-related. I’ve also taken on two part-time contracts that I work on in the evenings. All fun, all by choice, but busy nonetheless. The second reason is that I’ve been sick - for about a week now.  I keep waiting to wake up feeling refreshed, experiencing that bit of relief that tells you that you’re going to get better, and it’s just not coming.  That sense of relief is great, isn’t it?  You remember what it’s like to be healthy and it feels magnificent, and for about 5 minutes you don’t take being healthy for granted. It’s just like waking up from a long winter, walking outside and the smell in the air tells you that spring is on the way.

Ah, spring. Us Canadians are so desperate for it. We are chomping at the bit to get some warm weather, some relief from this painfully long, painfully cold winter.  I look forward to so many hobbies, foods and colours that come with summer.  For example…

The garden fresh box from the Guelph Community Health Centre (you may recognize this one from the popular post, help me eat up my veggies) and shopping at the local markets…

Buying flowers from the mennonites and drying them… (you don’t really have to wait until fall, but for instructions you can check out my post on drying flowers: “a frugal, forgotten fall craft”…)

Antiquing at open-air antique markets like Aberfoyle and going treasure hunting at garage sales and church basement sales, not to mention regular thrift stores (spring cleaning often yields better thrifting outcomes.)  The art-deco bookcase shown below was destined to become mine.  Oh how I’ve missed antiquing and thrifting!

Greenery… When I first took this picture on a rainy hike, it seemed so ordinary. I didn’t bother to post in my overview of the hike, “on the bruce.” Looking at this picture now, it seems extraordinary. The green strikes me as incredibly relieving, almost consolatory. It makes me realize how much I’ve missed it.

Eating fresh herbs, like basil, and turning them into pesto (for the ideas on how to make this orzo salad with pesto and other salads, check out “from fast food to fresh food: livening up the palate with summer herbs“.

…Being able to sit outside on my patio and have a glass of wine. (This pic was taken during a rainstorm, and it still seems so relaxing and appealing.)

…Having my oleander bloom its bright pink, bubble-gum smelling blossoms! It’s managed to stay alive in my apartment all winter. I can’t wait to put it back outside and let it thrive in the warm weather!

It’s really just the tip of the iceberg… I’m look forward to gardening with friends, exploring the arboretum, hiking, wearing cut-off jean shorts, eating gelato at Planet Bean, and so much more.

What are you most looking forward to with the advent of spring?

Kitten in slow motion

A friend of mine shared this video on facebook a couple of days ago and it really touched me. To some people it might just be a cute video; others might be interested in the technology that was used to create it. But for me, I found myself to be quite moved.

Within the two minutes of that short video, here’s what I noticed:

• How extraordinary a simple moment like playing with a kitten in the garden can appear, when given attention
• The slow-motion effect is a lot like being mindful - giving focus to one activity at a time, paying attention to the special qualities of the event, such as the kitten’s movements, the spectacular nature of its body, the joyous nature of the event
• Play is natural state of being. We should make more time for it
• How joyful the kitten is, in its natural state of play
• How beautiful many other moments are in our life, just like this one - beautiful in their simplicity, innocence and naturalness
• I busy I am.  I have not been making time for mindful attention to simple activities that I love - such as playing with Butternut, cooking, hiking, photography, and just being. And I miss it.

Breathing in little moments

Last Friday I had sushi with my dad while in Toronto. We ate while sitting next to another father-daughter pair.  The daughter looked to be about 8 or 9 years old. I could overhear most of their conversation, some of which had to do with making weekend plans together. “We could make a pizza together,” the dad suggested, and explained how they could together prepare a pizza and choose the toppings. He spent some time coming up with various ideas that might be fun ways for them to spend time together. I was touched to see a dad spend his Friday night with his young daughter, enjoying some sushi and thinking earnestly about other activities that might be fun for his daughter.

In my field of work there is a lot of sadness and a lot of awareness and attention on human rights abuses and struggles - sociologically, legally, politically and personally. A great deal of my time is spent thinking about how I can address and work to overcome these challenges in small ways. So it is very good, but often involves an energy that is borne from a sense of injustice, involving anger or indignation.  Even those who don’t work in such a field can probably understand; most of us spend a lot of our time focusing on problems.

That’s why, when I see something beautiful, something touching, I breathe it in. I savour it. Seeing human kindness is one of the things that touches me the most. Whatever challenges that little girl has in her life, she will remember Friday night sushi dinners with her dad, making pizzas together and other weekend activities. She will have grown up with a dad who wanted to spend time with her. Those little moments will probably provide retrospective joy when she is an adult.

It’s so important that we capture and relish small moments of beauty and compassion in our lives. It’s what makes life so rich.

Update on Hawaii

Wanted to share an update with you all - I am home safe and sound and enjoyed a truly wonderful trip with my sister to Hawaii. It was an amazing experience and I’m so grateful that I had the opportunity to take this journey. Hawaii is an incredibly beautiful place. Although we barely scratched the surface of what there is to do and see, we were wowed by the beauty and cultural diversity of this state. It is somewhere I’d like to return.

We aimed to strike a balance between adventure and relaxation and I think we accomplished exactly that. We stayed in Waikiki, which as most people know, is a busy, bustling tourist resort town, a popular place for Japanese visitors. Despite the bustling nature of the town, it maintains a relaxed Hawaiian vibe. We spent part of our time in Waikiki and part of our time driving around the island of O’ahu, going for long hikes and exploring different beaches (each one is different from the next). Mornings were usually spent with a walk on the beach, a good Hawaiian coffee, a leisurely breakfast, and then we would be off to tour around the island, spending a good portion of the day in the arboretum, a tropical rainforest, a vintage shop, or on an almost deserted white sand beach - a piece of paradise.  Then in the late afternoon we would return to our hotel room, shower, and get ready for a great meal out - usually Japanese or Hawaiian food.

True, Hawaii is expensive to get to and it’s a very long flight indeed, but all of the time and money we invested into the trip was entirely worth it.  Interesting trips last forever in your memory and, in fact, they can enrich your life and even change who you are when you leave. I think back to the month-long backpacking trip I took ten years ago with my sister across Canada. We learned so much about ourselves, about our country, and about what it means to travel and get by in this country without a residence, a car, or much money. That trip has always stayed with us.  Similarly, the time I spent with my sister on this trip is invaluable to me, and I’m sure it will only deepen as the years past.

My sister helped to navigate while I drove in an unfamiliar place, she coached me into the water as I, terrified of having my face under water, put on snorkel gear (with her help I actually managed to snorkel despite my anxiety), and we made priceless memories of creating our own “cocktail hour” in our hotel room before going out at night, and dancing to Prince or the Backstreet Boys on the radio.

Some women like to buy expensive Prada bags. But like my sister said after the trip, “I’d take this over a closet full of designer clothes ANY day.”

Off to Hawaii!

I know it’s been ages since I’ve blogged last… almost a month, in fact. My apologies for my loyal readers who keep checking back for new posts. The last month has flown by as I’ve been incredibly busy, mostly with work stuff, which has found me repeatedly out of town and working some evening/weekends conducting workshops or participating in conferences of different types. Tomorrow, though, I leave for a one week vacation in Hawaii with my best friend in the whole world - my sister.  I was lucky enough to win flights to anywhere in North America/Caribbean at a fundraiser last year. The rest of the trip (hotel, car, etc) was not covered, but I saved up all year in order to be able to afford the kind of trip I really wanted. It’s a great feeling. Every month I put aside whatever money I could - from extra jobs I took on, or from gifts, or GST rebates, or whatever I could spare during that month - and kept it in a separate savings account. I kept thinking back to all the episodes of TTDUP where Gail encourages her participants to plan for trips and save the money before traveling. I had always marveled at how even couples who made very little money and/or had piles of debt were still able to keep their travel plans just by working hard, making more money and budgeting. I’ve applied a similar approach and made it happen for myself.  It’s really quite simple and easy when you apply a step-by-step approach and plan ahead. (Just one more way in which Gail has been an inspiration to me!)

Upon my return I’ll be attending more out-of-town workshops, planning for lectures, and more workshops, so I’ll be a busy gal. And I am of course continuing on with my fun goals. Between work and my social life, I have nearly every weekend of the next two months already fully booked! But I aim to check in on the blog more frequently and will give an update on my trip.

In the meantime, here’s a picture from a cold winter walk I took recently. Looking forward to leaving this cold weather behind, even just for a few days!

The recycled, homemade canvas

Nearly two years ago, I wrote a blog post about making recycled canvases out of miscellaneous parts found at Habitat for Humanity Restores. In February 2009, I bought a door for a couple of dollars at the Restore, unhinged it, sanded it, gessoed it, and basically turned it into a canvas. I covered it with multiple layers of paint and textiles like netting from oranges, avocados and onions.  Since that time I’ve had the occasional reader ask me what the final product turned out to be, and I never followed up with the readers who left comments hoping to see the finished product.

So finally, I have the “after” picture to share.

First, the before: (I love seeing Butternut’s ears in the bottom of the shot; she’s always with me, no matter what I’m doing!)

And the after:

It’s being used as a headboard by the owners, just as I had intended!

Currently I’m working on a new piece. I’ve purchased a cabinet door from the Restore, have prepped it, and am layering it with paint, tissue paper and graph paper.  I’ll try to be more prompt to share some before/after shots of this piece.

I love the spirit of DIY, I love searching for junk and I love using my imagination to turn something ugly or painfully ordinary into something fresh, new, and interesting.