Thursday, July 05, 2007

A journey in the garden


...the Garden's Gate, that is! Upon entering the quaint farm-house style restaurant, you are welcomed with a spectacular array of colours and scents. As you walk down the path to the restaurant, you are greeted by the most beautiful flowers in their garden.


You have a choice between the soup of the day and a salad to start with. I usually choose the salad, but this time, I opted for the Mulligatawny soup. It was a wonderful, warm, flavourful soup, with a hint of curry. Lovely! The freshly baked homemade dinner rolls are my favourite! The butter is flavoured with a hint of dill.

Hubby chose the salad. There are three homemade dressings to choose from.
Deciding what to order is always a challenge, because everything on the menu is wonderful! I chose the Fettucini Alfredo with chicken. The presentation was beautiful, with the vegetables on the side. Originally, I thought that it was string beans that I was eating, but it didn't quite have the same texture. We discovered that those delicious greens were actually garlic scapes What an ingenius idea! They are very decorative and extremely tasty. The fettucini was divine, with the perfect amount of creaminess. The chicken was perfect with its special seasoning.


Hubby decided on the steak. He had the option of risotto cakes, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or freshly cut fries (either regular or sweet potato). He chose the fries, and he had the side vegetables as well.
I've spoken to many people about the Garden's Gate, and a few times, people have said that they felt the portion sizes were too small. I totally disagree. I always leave feeling satisfied. I'm never hungry when I leave and I never feel ill from having eaten too much. Everything is just perfect! I find the portion sizes are generous and at the same time, not over-indulgent.

We caved in and had dessert this time. The Garden's Gate is famous for their desserts! Since we were having our one year wedding anniversary supper, we decided to indulge a bit! Choosing a dessert is probably more difficult than choosing a main dish! They had white chocolate-macadamia cookies, pecan pie, Schmoo torte, black raspberry ripple cheesecake, keylime pie and more!
I had the keylime pie. It's my absolute favourite. If you try it, you'll know why!!!

Hubby chose the black raspberry ripple cheesecake, which was a surprise because he usually gets the Mad About Chocolate Cheesecake...or the pecan pie...or the Mandarin orange and mango cheesecake. Oh, he just loves all of the desserts there!

Mom met up with us for dessert and she had the rice pudding. She always has the rice pudding at the Garden's Gate! I was surprised when one of the owners and one of the servers delivered our desserts with candles and singing, "Happy anniversary! Happy anniversary! Happy anniversarrrrrrrrryyyy! Haaaaaaaaaappy anniversary!"

As always, it was a delightful dining experience. The atmosphere is warm and cozy and the food is delicious! It is a veritable feast for the taste buds! If you haven't been to the Garden's Gate yet...What are you waiting for? :)

Throwback Thursday #3



Brothers and sisters- Part 1
I was not even a year old when my Middle Brother was born. Mom used to feel sorry for me because I wasn't weaned from my bottle yet and I'd go to the fridge when no one was looking and steal Middle Brother's bottle! Mom would see me scurrying to my bedroom and find me on my bed with Middle Brother's bottle. LOL!

Baby Bro came 9 years later. Back then, I was an over-protective older sister and would cry when anyone even came near my brother. Middle Brother used to follow me everywhere and we were really close when we were kids. We had a really great childhood. We weren't so close in high school and in early adulthood. Now that we're both married and he has a child of his own, we're close again. Middle Brother has a heart of gold and will do anything for his loved ones. Although even now, moments of sibling rivalry occasionally reappear (I know...Sad since we're in our 30's!), I love Middle Brother and I am so proud of all his accomplishments. He is truly a great guy. Can you tell we grew up in the 70's and 80's?


Middle Brother's baptism. I was crying because I didn't want anyone to touch him! LOL!



I remember this photo as if it were taken just yesterday. My mom put me in Middle Brother's crib and wanted to take some cute photos. She propped him up and made me hold him, and I remember saying, "Mama! Hurry! Hurry! He's heavy!" LOL! I still remember feeling him slipping and drooling all over my hand! :)


Next Throwback Thursday: Brothers and sister- Part 2 (featuring Baby Bro).
Wednesday, July 04, 2007

Happy 4th of July...


to all my American friends (and blogging buddies). Hope you have a wonderful day.

While I'm here, I'd like to send out a few shout outs. Warning: Please excuse the lousy poems.

I know a great guy,
his name is Murray.
He can answer all your Island questions
and get you Watkins products in a hurry!
Parsley, sage, rosemary and curry...
even cleanser so your toilet doesn't get furry!

I know a cool guy,
his name is Dylon.
Quite frankly, he's one of the coolest guys
in the Nation!
He makes the most beautiful jewelry
you ever will see,
and he's a writer, artisan and on Etsy!

I realize these links aren't American, and since today is an American holiday, I really ought to send some linky luv to our neighbours south of the border.

Sharon, Jane and Audrey too,
are always bringing the coolest products to you.
From grandparent's, mommy's, daddy's, baby's, and pet stuff too,
these girls always know what's hip and what's new!

In the States, there lives a guy whose name is Diesel.
He's a writer, a PhotoShop wiz, a fun caption contest guy
and definitely no weasel!
He's funny, he's sarcastic, he's witty and smart.
He's a family man and his t-shirt designs are works of art.
LOL

Ms.Mamma, Ms.Mamma, oh, how art thou?
Your photographs are so spectacular, everyone always says 'WOW'!
Ms.Mamma's talented, intelligent, and as funny as can be!
She's insightful and witty and her bambino, Snowflake is just so lovely

More shout outs at a later date. I read so many blogs and love them all. I just don't think you guys want to put up with any more of my lousy rhymes! LOL! Happy 4th of July!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Men and Women



Having been married for one year now, there are a few things that I have learned. My husband is my best friend, my partner, my team member, my soulmate, my confidant, my everything. I have also found that the relationship between man and woman can sometimes be rather curious.

I find it very intriguing how different the two sexes can be. For example, the time it takes to get ready to go out for the evening or an event:

Hubby - undress, hop in the shower, shampoo, rinse, soap, rinse, jump out of the shower, towel dry body, towel dry hair, put on underwear, socks, shirt, pants, shoes. Good to go in less than 10 minutes.

Me - choose outfit to wear to event, change outfit 3 or 4 times, find shoes to match, find a cuter pair of shoes, find a more comfortable pair, decide between the cute and comfortable factor, make a final decision on the shoes, undress, hop in shower, wet hair, shampoo, rinse, apply facial scrub, condition hair, rinse off scrub, lather body wash onto body, rinse off conditioner from hair, rinse body, towel dry hair, towel dry body, brush teeth again before applying make-up, comb damp hair, apply volumizing product to hair, set hair in velcro rollers, apply moisturizer to face, apply foundation, apply loose powder, apply eye shadow, eyeliner, mascara, lip liner, lip gloss, blowdry hair, take off rollers, brush hair, style hair, put on outfit, decide that the outfit looks hideous, change again two or three times. Run out the door, yelling "We're late! We're late!" while Hubby patiently waits with car keys in hand. Total prep time: less than 1 hr and a half if I'm lucky.

I used to scoff at friends who lived by the book Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. I now realize that the psychology of men and women really do differ. It's not a bad thing. It's just really fascinating. Just the way we perceive the same phrases and ideas are so different. It's quite funny sometimes.

For example:

"Honey, could you please dispose of the garbage bags?"
Hubby: Okay, sure. (Thinking that it'll be done eventually)
Wifey: Uhhh...like today? I mean...now?

"I'm kind of thirsty, are you?"
Hubby: No, not really.
Wifey: That means, 'would you be a dear and get me something to drink? I know you've been working all day, but so have I and it would be so nice if you could just get me something to drink.' LOL! Okay, I'm not really that much of a pain!

"I'm tired" or "I'm going to bed now"
Hubby: Okay. Good night! (see you after I finish this movie or when I finish watching the news)
Wifey: Uhhh...that means 'It's time for bed"! LOL! Okay, I am usually in bed after Hubby is though. You know...addicted to Facebook and Blogger. Grrr.

"We should go to blah blah for supper sometime!"
Hubby: Yeah. That's a nice restaurant.
Wifey: Uhhh...more like today!?!?!? I haven't had a night where I haven't had to cook and clean and do dishes in ages. It would be nice to have a little treat once in a while. LOL

It's these differences that make the relationship between men and women so fun. I must commend Hubby though. He has a way of sometimes knowing what I'm thinking before I even tell him! He's gotten quite good at this too!

Me: Honey, could you...
Hubby: I already threw out the cat litter.

Me: Honey, do you think you can...
Hubby: I already tilled the soil so you could start planting your corn.

Me: Honey, can you...
Hubby: I already fixed the window screen in the bedroom.

Me: Honey, can we...
Hubby: Yes, I already booked us a one week vacation in the Dominican Republic and we leave on Friday.

Just kidding. The last one did not happen, but 3 out of 4 is not bad, eh? ;)

I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!! I am so very lucky that he puts up with my craziness sometimes.
Monday, July 02, 2007

Why I did not make our bed this morning...






This is why :)

Brought to you by the Girls at Pinks and Blues


Yet once again, the fine ladies at Pinks&Blues are having another wonderful contest for their lucky readers. This time, they are giving away a Vera Bradley purse (with matching coin purse) and a jar of luscious coconut body butter from The Body Shop (courtesy of their favourite Body Shop consultant, Sheena Williams).

To enter the contest, all you have to do is link up The Body Shop/Vera Bradley Contest and Sheena's The Body Shop site to your blog. Leave the girls a comment on their blog and they'll enter you in the contest for a random draw.

I don't know if I'll enter the contest, since I'm not good at winning things! LOL! I just love the girls at Pinks&Blues and I can vouch for how amazing that coconut body butter is! It's the only thing that can really make my skin feel soft and mosturized! Love it!

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Happy Canada Day!!!


Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian family and friends (and blog friends). The festivities began early in the morning. The fire department held a yard sale and many people came out to support the local fire department. There were many activities going on in SouthBay. It was soooo busy! All the festive colours, floats for the parade, Canadian flags, hamburgers, ice cream, local artists selling their crafts...It was wonderful!

Since Hubby is a firefighter and an emergency first responder, guess who had to help at the yard sale? :) That's right! We all pitched in and helped out. It was lots of fun talking to tourists and locals and raising money for the fire department.

A pic of hubby, just because I think he looks cute in his uniform! LOL!


Hubby showing a bunch of kids the inside of a fire truck. The kids got a kick out of honking the horn, hearing the siren, seeing the lights flash.
Showin' some Canadian spirit!

In the afternoon/evening, there was a fish-fry. In the city, I had never heard of this. I'd heard of fried fish...but a fish fry??? It's a kind of family or social gathering where fresh fish is served (in a delicious batter and fried). There were salads, dinner rolls, potatoes, beans, lemonade, Canada Day cake and ice cream too. It's such a nice way to socialize and talk to people in your community. This is something I never experienced much of in the city. In the city, I never even spoke to my neighbours! That's what I love about living here: the sense of community.

At night, we had to wait until the boat left before the fireworks could commence.


My nieces and I watched from the bridge overlooking Lake Huron. Hubby, my SIL and the other firefighters were working at the bay for the fireworks.

Some photos of the fireworks. Though they do not do the fireworks any justice, they were neat pics.

Near the end of the show, a big, round, orange moon began to rise. So pretty! I tried to get a cool pic of the moon, but clearly, I do not know how to take night photos! LOL!
Hope you enjoyed your Canada Day celebrations as much as we enjoyed ours!
Friday, June 29, 2007

Take a walk in my garden...


At the request of Lotus, I have decided to add some photos of my garden. Before I begin our virtual tour, I must say two things:
1) Jill, please forgive me. I just want you to know that I do not wear this get-up in public...ever! LOL! I was at home, in the garden with John and our nieces. I know you'd shoot me if you ever saw me wear a sundress and workboots... together! You're surprised I even have garden boots, right?

2) Lotus, in case you're wondering about the plastic drop-sheet I put over our 10x100 ft garden (yes, I am insane!!), I was trying to figure out how best to combat the weeds when I don't exactly have time to do any weeding all the time. Last year, I weeded (I couldn't keep up with the darn weeds!) and it was back-breaking effort just to keep up. The year before that, we mulched. This year, we put plastic down so the weeds wouldn't grow through...and we mulched. I'm thinking next year we'll do a combination of this method and perhaps some raised beds!!! Of course, I couldn't do 10x100 ft of raised beds! Hubby would kill me!
Before we begin our tour, sit down and have a smoothie. It's custom in my culture to always feed our guests.

Come play with the kitties first. They're now 6 weeks old. Aren't they cute!?
Looks like the kitties' Aunt Fred is ready to have her litter any day now! More kittens! Will my husband ever forgive me? He said no animals inside the house! LOL!
Chance would like to accompany us on our garden tour. Poor boy. He looks a little matted. We even brushed him and took him to the beach so he could loosen and get rid of his winter coat! It didn't work. I'm wondering if a trip to the groomer's may help! In the city, Chance never looked this messy! He had his bi-annual groomer's appointments at $95 + tax a pop! He always emerged from the groomer's with a shiny, sleek coat and a pretty ribbon around his neck. Yeah, I know. Hubby doesn't think a male dog should wear a ribbon around his neck! LOL!
These are Hubby's bovine babies. They keep Chance in line.
Here are some of the tomatoes.
The red currants are starting to change colour.

You can see the raspberry canes on the left, and the red currants on the right. In the background, you'll see our plum trees and an apple tree.
Peppers! Hungarian, jalapeno, banana and all sorts of other peppers plants are starting to shoot up. They took a beating with all the heat and no rain.

Potatoes!!! The funny thing is that I forgot to plant potatoes this year! I think these plants started from the compost I threw on the garden! LOL!

More tomatoes. I only planted four varieties this year.

Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage. I'm not sure which one this is, because right now they all look alike...and I forgot to mark them as I planted them in the ground!

So sad! Can you spot my one blueberry? Blueberries aren't found on the island because of the high lime content (lots of limestone on the island). However, you will find many, many blueberry vendors on the side of the highway on your way to or from Sudbury. The Sudbury area has wonderful blueberries! I used to buy them from an old couple who visit the island every summer and bring their blueberries to sell to restaurants and anyone who wants them. I wanted to conduct a little science experiment and see if I could grow blueberries. We'll soon find out if I'm successful.

Asparagus, now going to seed. We had a hearty crop this year. I didn't know that you could eat asparagus raw! One of the "old timers" told me that! They're actually really tasty raw. They taste like snowpeas!
Our apples are starting to come. A few weeks ago, the air was fragrant with that sweet apple blossom smell. The breeze carried some of the petals and blossoms and scattered them all over the yard. So pretty!
guess that's it for the tour so far. It wasn't that interesting, but I thought I'd share this with you, Lotus and mrinz! I forgot to take photos of the corn, onions, peas and beans. Maybe next time.
Thursday, June 28, 2007

Throwback Thursday #2



In keeping with the Pinks & Blues Girls' tradition of posting Throwback Thursday pics, here is my walk down memory lane for today.

Today, I would like to pay hommage to two very important men in my life...both of whom have passed away. Grandpa (my dad's dad) died when I was very young. I only wish I could have had a few more years with him. From what I do remember, he was such a wonderful man and so funny too!

He stayed with us when he got sick (he developed diabetes) and my dad and mom had him live with us. I remember that he was not to have anything with sugar, so that meant absolutely no sweets! Grandpa loved sweets! He would give my brother and me $1 US if we gave him our chocolate and promised not to tell Ma and Pa! LOL! One day, Grandpa was eating a powdered jelly donut and then tried to hide it from my dad. Dad said, "What are you doing?" and Grandpa leaned back against the sink, facing my dad, with the donut behind his back...but with all the evidence of the white sugar powder all over his face! LOL! It was a terribly sad, yet funny moment. It was at that moment, I realized my Grandpa was no longer the alpha male in the house. He looked like a small child being caught doing something he shouldn't.
This photo was taken at Niagara Falls. I was just a tiny little thing back then. It was Grandpa's wish to see the Falls. My dad's youngest sister is in the pic with us.

My grandfather on my mom's side was affectionately known by everyone as Daddy. Even my cousins and I used to call him Daddy. I know it may sound odd since he was our grandfather, but we grew up hearing everyone call him Daddy. All our aunts and uncles called him Daddy. Our parents called him Daddy. Even family friends called him Daddy. He was the life of the party wherever he went. He was active in the community. He'd give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.


Daddy passed away when I was teaching overseas. I had just gotten my teaching position, so I was not able to take time off for a "holiday". I insisted that attending a funeral was indeed not a holiday! Anyway, I wasn't able to be with my family for the funeral and I was so far from home. I don't think I ever really obtained any closure until just a few years ago.

Though a bit blurry, I love this pic. It's of Daddy, my middle brother and me in the field near our old house. Now, the field and its wonderful little creatures no longer exist. The entire neighbourhood has become developed. The field is gone, and in its place there are new homes and stores. It feels like part of my childhood has been taken away. I don't even like revisiting our old neighbourhood because so much has changed and the people who bought our house have neglected it. It's no longer that proud, cheerful home that stood on the corner of the street. There's overgrowth and weeds...the fence hasn't even been mended. The paint has faded and chipped. It's so very sad since we took such great care of it.

Both pics are pre-Baby Bro, since he is eleven years younger than me. Middle Bro and I are only a year and a half apart.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Yay!!!


I was reading through the comments from my last post, when I came across Sharon's (from Pinks and Blues Girls) comment and sat at my computer in awe. Apparently the "girls" think I'm a ...
Here's the sweet little shout out they gave me on their blog.
Now I am to pass along the honor to 5 other Rockin' Girl Bloggers! This is a very tough feat, as I read sooooo many really cool blogs by sooooo many really amazing, intelligent, witty, hilarious women!

Here goes:
Ms.Mamma- a truly amazing, inspiring, talented mamma. I just love, love, love her and her blog. She's beautiful, funny, and straight to the point and real. She takes the most gorgeous photos and she's got the most adorable little bambino named Snowflake and the cutest canine babies too!

CanineCologne- she's spunky, she's fun, she's got great taste in music, she takes great pics of the world around her...and she's one of my favourite foodies!!

Lotus- I fell in love with her blog. She's sooooooooo intelligent and always has so many interesting things to write about. She's another one of my fave foodies. I also love the fact that she is trying to 'share her love of food while trying to tread lightly'.

CuriosityKiller- She's hip! She's wild! She's fun! She's talented and creative! She's a friend of mine in real life. Blogging is our way of keeping in touch while she lives the cosmopolitan life (a la Carrie Bradshaw) in Hong Kong, while I've nestled into cozy country living on Manitoulin Island.

J- always has topics that make you really think. I love her style of writing and her wisdom. She always seems to have a logical response to any question or dilemma a person could have. She's got a wealth of information and I'm glad she is willing to share it! She's got great taste in literature and I love what a wonderful relationship she has with her hubby and her daughter.

Of course, I think that there are plenty of other Rockin' Girl Bloggers, but I was to only choose five! Jane, Audrey and Sharon...I wasn't sure if I could choose you since you chose me. I totally would have chosen you! Kim, Mist, GirlieMonkey, Karen and the rest of you ladies...you are all wonderful and I check out your blogs every day too! :)

Keep on rockin' and pass on the linky luv to 5 more rockin' girl bloggers!

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About the Blog Author


City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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Life on Manitoulin: Just a bunch of ramblings from a city girl gone country!

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