home-ifax

i'm in halifax again! 
sam and i flew in last night, were greeted by a beautiful posse of awesome people, and then went to the ultra-gorgeous Sweet Hereafter for another round of hugs, presents, and general mayhem.
:D

(ps pumpkin maple cheesecake is actually more delicious than it sounds.)

impressions so far:

i have the best, lovingest, most relaxed family in the world.  home is - well, home.

the trees are so so so lovely.  i've missed the radiant reds and oranges of an east coast fall.  

my parents make me feel like a better person.  i love being around them. 

halifax is a good place to run into people you know - lunching, shopping, happy hellos!

samjam will not go hugless while his cousins and aunties are around.

i have the world's prettiest sisters.  hands down.

and there you have it :).  i'll write more (and share pics!) when i get a sec.

sakeji

o sakeji, i miss you
your marching path, your river,
the plates, worn smooth by thousands of forks
by generations of forks
by dishes of sunday ice-cream.

i miss your hundred verses, your ricecakes,
your legendary maps and basketball court,
your pool, your river, your dust.

i miss your birthday chairs and mealtime prayers
your tea - your half-term - your dusk
your singing
and laughing
and homesick longing.

o sakeji.  i miss you.

happy heart

the day before my wedding, my lovely sister in law gave me a little scented tube of lotion: clinique's happy heart.

it was perfectly apt, and a wonderful way to begin a marriage.

well, it's been a while since that day.
and i've long since used up all my lotion.
so sometimes i get down.
gloomsville.

lately i've been giving myself permission to wallow in sadness and the blue fog of circumstances.

i want to get out of that funk.  i want to have a happy heart again.

so i'm going to try to put some giving into thanksgiving.  if i can think about others, and die to my own selfishyselfishyself - i hope to find a happy heart.

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.  Prov. 17:22

buttermilk lime carmel sauce

this is a scrumptious carmel sauce that i adapted from german pancake syrup.  hope you enjoy!

ingredients:

3/4 C. sugar

1/3 C. milk

2 Tbsp lime juice

1/4 C. butter or margarine

1 Tbsp corn syrup (or maple syrup)

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp vanilla extract

directions:

1. add lime juice to milk, wait ~5 mins.  milk will curdle.

2. in a saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, milk mixture, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda.  stir (almost) constantly.  bring to a boil, and boil for 7 minutes.  (time varies - for a thinner sauce, boil a shorter time; for a thicker sauce, boil longer.  to get a nice, spreadable carmel, i keep stirring until the colour changes from amber to a deeper brown.)

3. remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

4. cool slightly before consuming (it gets really hot).  enjoy!