Stay Grateful!

Have a great weekend!


Image via Long Distance Loving

A little shelf styling

There's something about a beautifully styled shelf that gets me every time.  How do they do it?  Is there some mathematical formula that I'm just not following?  Take my coffee station shelves for example.  Not too bad - just...something missing.  I'm constantly moving things around, trying to make them seem full, but not too full.  Coordinated, but not too matchy matchy.  It's a work in progress, but I think it's taken a step in the right last weekend...

Here's where I began:

See what I mean?  Totally fine.  Just missing some colour?  Too much empty space?

Well, I moved/added some things and I like how it's shaping up.  Still too much empty space I think, but we're getting there!

You'll notice in the photo below that I reflected the books/teapot instead, so the pot and hippo weren't going head to head...

Before and After...thoughts?  Any experts have suggestions?

Happy Valentine's Day!

If nothing else, eat some great food with someone you love today!

Baking time!

I don't bake alot.  And when I do, I tend not to repeat recipes - if I'm going to bake, I want to try something new!  But this is a recipe that I've made multiple times, and I love it every time.  It's easy, it tastes good, and it uses up the over-ripe bananas that are filling up the top shelf of my freezer.

The recipe is designed for a full loaf pan, but I was given 4 mini loaf pans from my great-grandmother - why do full-size when you can do mini?  They're just...cuter.

Here's the recipe!

Found in this cookbook (it's my favourite because it has step by step photos!)

The ingredients:

(Note - I substituted the sugar.  When my husband saw how much it asked for, he challenged me to change it, so I did.  I only used 1 tablespoon of sugar, and approximately 1/4 cup of honey, plus the only coconut I had was sweetened.  It turned out to be the perfect amount of sweetness!)

Preheat oven to 350 F / 180 C.  Grease or line your loaf pan(s).  I'm sure you could turn these into muffins as well!

Stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar (if using), and coconut.

Beat together the eggs, oil, bananas, sour cream, and vanilla extract (plus honey, if using) in a large bowl.

Stir the wet and dry ingredients together, until evenly combined.

Spoon into your loaf pan(s) and level with a knife or spatula.

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes (if using small pans), or 1 hour (for large pans), or until risen, firm, and golden.

Let cool for 15 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!

Cape Cod

After our trip to Boston this summer we traveled to NYC but stopped for 2 nights in Cape Cod.  We took the ferry across for a day in Martha's Vineyard.  We took the public bus around to most of the island.  The highlights were definitely our first lobster roll and the amazing cape cod style homes.  Enjoy the pics!

Lobster!

This place is getting into dream home territory for me...

And this backyard... all those windows and patios!

London is calling!

I saw this info graphic of the different districts in London - it's making me excited because we're headed there in March!  Thinking warm thoughts on this very wintery day.

image via Jim Datz