Wedding pics have arrived!

We were thrilled to receive our official wedding photos last week.  Every one was sharp and stunning.  Many thanks to Pam Bernard, our photographer.  We didn't even notice her during the ceremony, and yet she captured so many amazing shots.

The wedding was just such a joyous occasion for us.  What a day.  We couldn't be more grateful for the family and friends that made it that way!

(You can click on the photos for the large version.) 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

{All photos credit Pam Bernard}
{Program design credit Becki Peckham}
{Flower arrangements by Daisy-A-Day}

Knitter's Anatomy

For those of you who are not familiar with the online world of knitters, you may be interested to know that a subset of these strange creatures are quite nerdy (in a scientific kinda way).

Allow me to present to you "Knitter's Anatomy":  a smattering of knitted human organs that can be found around the Interwebs.  I don't think I need to expound their awesomeness.  Just know that I am reveling in it as well.

Exhibit 1:  The uterus.  (found here)

Exhibit 2:  The vulva.  (found here)

Exhibit 3:  The gastrointestinal tract.  (found here)

Exhibit 4:  The brain.  (found here)

Exhibit 5:  The heart.  (found here)

Exhibit 6:  The lungs?  (found here)

Well, there you have it, folks.  Maybe I'll try for an anatomically correct version of the lungs, in a boucle yarn to simulate the alveoli (Karli's idea).  Or perhaps a pair of kidneys, in a nice burgundy mercerized cotton, ureters in a goldenrod yellow and the bladder in a pastel pink.  Oh, the possibilities....

Pesto

Several months ago, now, I came across this recipe for pesto on O, Pistachio, a delicious and favorite blog of mine.  Well, I tucked it away under my 'food' bookmarks tab (you knew I had one) and in the back of my mind.  Then, on a trip to Lester's Farm this summer, when I walked in and immediately smelled the fragrant basil, I knew the recipe was going to become reality. 

And so it did.  I found the recipe a good one for a few reasons: the pan-roasted pine nuts add a beautiful nutty flavor; using a very small amount of garlic really lets the basil shine through; and the lack of salt makes this sauce immensely superior (from a health perspective) to any store-bought pasta sauce.

The end result is a very fresh-tasting topping for your favorite pasta.  As always, let me know if you try it, and what you think!

Wedding Retrospective: bridesmaid thank-you cards

So as most of my readers know, Mike and I got hitched this summer.  The wedding and all its DIY/crafty goodness went down before the birth of my little blog here.  So I am starting a series of posts:  Wedding Retrospective.  There are several little projects I pulled off that I'll detail here on runty mouse.

The craft I'll show you today came about six months before the wedding.  My amazing bridesmaids and maid-of-honour had been listening to me waffle over wedding details, had all flown to Ottawa in November for a dress-shopping, girls-weekend excursion, and I was generally feeling like a very loved bride.  So I wanted to make up some thank-you cards for them, in advance of the wedding.

Our colours were pink, brown and ivory.  The bridesmaid's dresses can be seen below (in action!).

photo credit: C. Forbrigger via Facebook

I thought the dress symbolized the role the girls were playing.  It was a simple, clear image that would mean something to them on first viewing.

I found some beautiful, textured paper at Michael's to use as the "dress" - almost a velvet texture, with a lighter-toned damask pattern (I'm a sucker for damask).  The rest of the paper was lightly textured cardstock.  Mmmm, paper.

A mock up of the "dresses":

And now, the finished products:

It was a fun little project that certainly got me into the wedding planning mood and that I hope showed the girls how grateful I was (still am!) for their help and support!

Visitors!

Mike and I were very fortunate this weekend to have some visitors from the "Mainland" (technically incorrect since they are both from islands, but in NL you just have to deal with the slang):

Tim and Doris!!

Please enjoy the following photo highlights of our hike on the Cape Spear section of the East Coast Trail.  The hiking in NL is unbelievable - I've been on half-a-dozen beautiful trails within twenty minutes drive of St. John's.  It's healthy and rejuvenating and doesn't even feel like exercise (unless you're hiking Signal Hill!).  The trails are groomed just enough to enhance your hike, without taking away from the scenery at all. 

We even found a sample of the provincial flower of Newfoundland and Labrador, the pitcher plant.

One thing I don't have a picture of is the *whale* we saw - a chance sighting that really made our day.  T&D now have bragging rights when they head back to NS.  We feel very lucky to be in a city that is so close to nature.

Check out this view!  Mike is loving it!

Thanks for coming, Tim and Doris!  It was great to have you here and you know you are always welcome.  Looking forward to seeing your pictures, too.

Another blueberry post

I started this blog with a blueberry post.  Now here is another for you.  As I and my hiking buddies found out yesterday, blueberry season is still in full swing.  So we did an impromptu picking session and ended up with this:

Notice our improvised container (thanks Doris!).

Now with the last batch of blueberries, I only got as far as making some blueberry pancakes.  They were quite delicious.

This time, by popular demand, the blueberries went into a "Chimo Cake".  Recipe is posted below.  The topping really makes the cake!

Chimo Blueberry Cake
   

2/3 cup white sugar   

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt                                                               

2 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp melted butter                                          

1 egg                                                                   

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup milk
    

Fold in 1 cup blueberries

Spread into 8 x 8 inch pan

Bake 350 F for 25-30 min

Double for 9x13 inch pan
    

Topping
       

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1 cup coconut
     

Spread over freshly baked Chimo cake.  Put under broiler until golden brown.

Flickr faves

I find Flickr a source of endless entertainment.  Given the time, I could peruse for hours.  My favorite feature is probably "Explore - Last 7 Days".  Here are some favorites I've been collecting over the past few years (many of them were found via the Explore page).

Some familiar themes?  Good food, the outdoors, cozy and rustic homes... and flowers, a lot of flowers for some reason.