Buttercups & Burlap

Teapot Collection

Post author By Lila
Post date September 16, 2020

“Home is where your teapots are!” That is what famed British novelist, Helen Oyeyemi says. Our home most definitely has a lot of teapots, each with its own significance. I’ll be sharing with you a few of my favourite ones.

1. Vintage Japan Redware Brown Betty Teapot
Brown Betty teapots are considered special because their shape allows the brewer to make a superb cup of tea. However, this particular one is special to me because it belonged to my maternal Grandmother (given to her as a gift from my Aunt, or so my Mother tells me). I remember exactly where it sat on the shelf in my Grandma’s apartment and when I look up at it in my own kitchen I am fondly reminded of her.

2. Tea for Me Set
My Mother gave this to me before I went off to university. I brewed many a comforting cup of tea for myself while reading endless chapters, cramming for exams and writing essays. It is such a cute little set.

3. Parrot Teapot
I bought this for myself at The Jammery in Kelowna on a girl’s trip with Megan about four years ago. It was a memento of our time together. The second I saw it, I knew I had to have it. It is cheery and unique.

4. TeapotsTeapot
Fresh off of reading Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland after watching the Tim Burton motion picture adaptation (2010) I found this in Chapters in the bargain section. I love the tea party scene with the Mad Hatter and his riddles. The teapot reminds me of the whimsy of the novel and film.

5. Yellow Modern Teapot
This sleek and bright teapot caught my eye at Teavana. I often enjoy a nice lemon-chamomile tea steeped in this one. I feel this captures my “city-side.”

6. Blue Dragonfly Teapot
My aunt and I used to go CrossIron Mills A LOT. On one of these trips she bought me this teapot after I remarked about it. Such a sweet reminder of our road trips together. The colour is incredible and the wicker handle is a neat detail.

7. Brown Mouse Teapot
How adorable is this teapot? I think it is easy to see why this is one of my favourites….Need I say more?

8. Purple Floral Teapot
My Mother-in-Law gave this to me and my husband as part of a set when we moved into our house. The shape and design are super pretty and the fact that she passed it on to us is wonderful.

9. Copper Kettle with Delft Porcelain Handle
Okay; so this isn’t a teapot but it is a fixture in our home on top of the kitchen cabinet. My mother has one just like it and this one too came from my Mother-In-Law. It’s antique and rustic and I love it!

There are MANY more, but I figured I should save some for later 🙂

Reflections & Lifestyle

Teacher Plan Book Feature

Post author By Lila
Post date September 14, 2020

The importance of planning to the teaching profession is EVERYTHING. We plan for: lessons, units, assessments, which resources to use, student needs where we adapt, modify and accommodate varying levels of student abilities, classroom management strategies and communication with stakeholders; just to name a few. There are a tremendous amount of ways and schools of thought on how planning should be done.

Much of what we do is done digitally, for example there are e-plan books, marks are all live online, students complete and submit work on Google Classroom, preferred communication by a lot of stakeholders is via email, Individualized Student Profiles (ISP) are living documents completed by all those teachers working with identified students and updated each term on Google Documents; need I go on?? However, personally I just need a traditional, old school teacher planbook.

It is not that I am old school and anti-technology in terms of my teaching but since I spend so much time PLUGGED IN during the day; it is nice to go back to basics…back to pen and paper. Sometimes I find technology alienating though. As much as we are a connected society we are very isolated behind our screens. Plus, it is ALWAYS good to have a back up!

I had a beloved plan book but the publishing company discontinued it and when I did find something similar; it was WAY too expensive. I spent the past two years making and formating my own on Google Docs and then printing them out and keeping them in a binder; but a binder was just too cumbersome to bring home all the time. I was in Education Station shopping for resources this past summer and I found my new perfect coil bound plan book and it was only $20! The only thing I have to do is add tabs to separate the sections.

What does my plan book look like this year? It has…
–Monthly Calendars
–Daily Plan Pages
–Seating Plan Pages (with space to write comments)
–Timetable
–Meeting Notes Page
–Parent Communication Tracker
–Record Keeping Scoresheet
–Resource List Tracker
–Directory

Food & Drink

Side Dish Sensations

Post author By Lila
Post date September 11, 2020

So far on this blog I have shared a number of recipes but I have neglected SIDE DISHES! Side dishes should enhance your entree and they play a part in balanced eating; especially considering that according to the Canada Food Guide; proteins should only account for 1/4 of your plates and grain only 1/4 of your plates –the remaining half should be composed of fruits and vegetables. Today, I’ll be sharing with you some side dish sensations so you can give your plating some much needed attention!

Fruit & Vegetables Forward…

Roasted Spaghetti Squash & Kale (Pioneer Woman)
10 Minute Sugar Snap Peas With Lemon (A Sweet Pea Chef)
Mediterreanean Baked Sweet Potatoes (Minimalist Baker)
Mango-Avocado & Cucumber Salad (Elizabeth Rider)
Heirloom Tomato Salad With Pomegranate-Sumac Dressing (Kitchn)

Grain Forward…

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (Damn Delicious)
Brussel Sprouts & Basil (Whole Wheat) Bowties (Good Housekeeping)
Pearl Couscous Salad With Cherries & Arugula (Kitchn)
Brown Rice With Minted Peas & Feta (Eating Well)
Mushroom Wild Rice (Taste Of Home)

Gifts

Back To School Teacher Product Box

Post author By Lila
Post date September 9, 2020

You have probably heard about the many subscription boxes that exist from FabFitFun to CauseBox and many more. I thought it would be neat to design a version of one of those boxes just for teachers…just in time for them to head back into the classroom this September. The result is a collection of items that are: essential in every teacher’s drawer, fun to enjoy and practical for self-care.

Pencil Case: “Teaching Is A Work Of The Heart”
Marking Pens: Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens
Hair Products: Invisibobble’s Clicky Bun, Scrunchie & Waver Clip

Chapstick: Bite Beauty Agave+ Daytime Vegan Lip Balm
Gum: Simply Gum (Mint Lovers -Peppermint & Spearmint)

Hand Sanitizer: Art Naturals Hand Sanitizer Set (Coconut, Tea Tree, Lavender & Scent Free)
Supplement: Gaia Herbs Echinacea Supreme
Foot Care: Cloud 7 Foot Pads
Agenda: Teacher Lesson by Erin Condren Planner
Chocolate: Raaka Three Bar Gift Set (Pink Sea Salt, Coconut Milk, Green Tea Crunch)
Desk Ornament: Mint Marble Geo Planter (plant not included)

Food & Drink

University Nostalgia: Food Edition

Post author By Lila
Post date September 7, 2020

It has been 16 years since I moved into 5 Henday in Lister Hall at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. I met my best friend there and in my third year we moved off campus together into an apartment and we spent LOTS of time cooking together and sharing our “go-to” recipes.

So, as many are heading off to post-secondary I wanted to share some delicious recipes to cure homesickness and provide comfort at this stressful time. (Collecting these also gave us a chance to reminisce about the good old days).

From my recipe book….

Pörkölt (Hungarian Chicken Stew)
Ingredients….
2 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon paprika
2 pounds chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
1 large tomato, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup water
1-2 teaspoons sea salt
2 (6 ounce) packages wide egg noodles

Directions…
In a deep pan, heat the oil; add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Remove the pot from heat and stir in the paprika.
Add the chicken pieces and cook on medium heat until the edges of the chicken are browned. Mix in the tomato, bell pepper, and 1/2 cup water.
Season with salt.
Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for an hour, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
Serve over egg noodles.

Pizza
I brought a Black and Decker bread maker into the friendship and pizza was always on the menu for Friday night SATC binge watching sessions. There are tons of easy pizza dough recipes on line you can use if you don’t have access to a bread machine; but in all honesty…they take up minimal space even in a cramped dorm room closet. If you are at all interested in making an epic vegetarian pizza; here is what we have ALWAYS top ours with….
-tomato sauce
-mushrooms
-black olives
-onions
-yellow pepper
-artichoke hearts
-spinach
-pineapple
-tomatoes

Skor-Peach Dessert
Ingredients…
Canned peach halves (drained)
Vanilla ice cream
Crushed Skor Toffee Bits

Directions…
In a bowl, put a peach half (inside up)
Fill indent with a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Sprinkle liberally with Skor Toffee Bits

From my bestie’s cookbook…

Curry Rice & Pea Salad
Ingredients…
2 cups rice
1 ½ cup peas
⅓ cup canola oil
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp vinegar
½ tsp celery seed
½ tsp salt
1 tsp sugar

Directions…
Cook rice as directed on package; let cool
Cook peas; let cool
Combine rice and peas
Combine oil, curry powder, vinegar, celery seed, salt and sugar; mix well
Pour over the rice and rice

Ramen Noodle & Cabbage Salad
Ingredients…
1 green Cabbage
1 package Mr. Noodle (chicken or vegetable) + seasoning.1 bunch green onions
1 cup slivered almonds
¾ cup vegetable Oil
¼ cup white vinegar
1 tbsp sugar

Directions…
Chop the cabbage into bite sized pieces
Thinly slice the green onions
Break up the noodles
Mix the cabbage, green onions, almonds together
Combine the vegetable oil, white vinegar, noodle seasoning package and sugar; mix well.
Pour over the cabbage
Refrigerate overnight

Dutch Baby Pancake
Ingredients…
3 Tbsp butter
2 eggs
½ cup flour
½ cup milk
1 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
Icing sugar
Lemon juice

Directions…
Preheat oven to 425F
In a pre-heated skillet melt the butter
Whisk the first 6 ingredients together
Pour batter into hot skillet
Bake for 18-20 minutes
Sprinkle with icing sugar and lemon juice

Design & Decor

Kitchen Reno On The Cheap

Post author By Lila
Post date September 4, 2020

We have a ridiculously large kitchen… including the dining area it takes up a fair chunk of our 1620 square foot main floor. The cabinets are oak and cost wise it isn’t feasible to redo all of our cabinetry; considering some of our other renovation plans. We thought that a great way to save money and update the aesthetic was to simply change the hardware –from brass to bronze. The flooring, appliances and paint will be coming over the next year.

I have been doing some window-shopping online and I have narrowed down the choices for my country kitchen to the following…

1. Liberty 3 Half Round Foot Pull

2. Richelieu Traditional Metal Pull (Teramo Collection)

3. Richelieu Traditional Metal Pull (Drummondville Collection)

4. Amerock Extensity Pull – Oil-Rubbed Bronze

5. Amerock Inspirations Pull Oil-Rubbed Bronze

What do you think? Leave a comment!

Food & Drink

Veggie Sandwich Supreme

Post author By Lila
Post date September 2, 2020

Throughout my life I spent time as a vegetarian. Although I no longer am one, I still frequently enjoy vegetarian and even vegan cuisine. My best friend and I spent a summer trying out vegetarian restaurants in our cities. As you know from some of my previous posts I am trying to eat better in general and to shave off some of my ‘quarantine weight’. One way to do that is to reduce consumption of processed food; in particular processed meats have been linked to increased risk of cancers, diabetes and heart disease. Chatelaine featured a really good article about choosing healthier lunch meat, check it out! With that in mind I thought it would be neat to create my own “Vegetarian Sandwich Supreme”…

2 slices marble rye bread (toasted then lightly cooled)
1 handful of butter lettuce or spinach
1 slice Swiss cheese
1/2 an avocado (mashed)
1 mini cucumber, thinly sliced
1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced
Several slices of red onion
2 Bick’s sandwich saver dill pickle slices
1 handful of alfalfa sprouts
1 ½ Tbsp Philadelphia garlic & onion cream cheese spread

Fashion

Back To School Outfit

Post author By Lila
Post date August 31, 2020

Hopefully I’ll be heading back to my classroom (safely) this fall. You know what that means? Time to put together “back to school outfits” that are business casual appropriate!

Blouse: Double-V Woven Layering Cami in Gold from Ricki’s

Blazer: Basic Black Blazer from Zara

Pants: Democracy “Ab” Solution Black Jeggingfrom Ricki’s

Shoes: Corso Como-Del Classic Leather Pumps from Hudson’s Bay

Accessories: Tutti Fruity Lemon Ring from Kate Spade
Tutti Fruity Lemon Hoops from Kate Spade

Food & Drink

Flashback Friday: 15th Anniversary Weekend

Post author By Lila
Post date August 28, 2020

As Baltasar Gracian, said…
“True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… To find one real friend in a lifetime is a good fortune; to keep [her] is a blessing.”

Who would have thought that after our first meeting on 5 Henday in Lister Hall at the University of Alberta we would still be best friends?!?! Well… it’s true. We have been through so much in that time; finishing degrees, relocating, loss of beloved family members, divorce and marriage, home ownership, starting businesses, starting a blog… and that is only the tip of the iceberg.

We decided to have a celebration weekend and it was EPIC!!!
Our Friday night started off with dinner and beer sampling at Last Defence Lounge at the University of Calgary; we wanted to include something collegiate since our friendship began at a university after all. Then we picked up our favourite brew from The Dandy Brewing Company (Wild Sour Ale).

Saturday morning, with our coffees in hand we headed off to have manicures at Frilly Lilly. And then we window-shopped, carefully noting what we wanted to try on and falling in love with various garments and accessories.

We had our make-up done at Sephora, with coupons and stocked up on some much needed beauty supplies like make-up removal wipes and dry shampoo and picked up some new things…for example I am going to pay much more attention to my brows for the first time EVER! We both went for glam looks!

We capped off our day with a sweet snack at Finesse Desserts; we opted for the chocolate chip cookie and the black currant and bubblegum macarons!

Before dinner we went back to Frilly Lilly for pedicures; they felt really nice after all the mall walking we did at SouthCenter and Chinook Center.

Loving great food as we do, we wanted to try a new restaurant and we were ready to splurge! My best friend chose Chairman’s Steakhouse…this place did not disappoint, it was everything we could have imagined. We definitely felt fancy. Our server brought out a butcher board of the steaks they offer and told us all about their origins and preparations…WOW! We ordered a bottle of wine (a first for me); the 2016 Calliope Viognier from Burrowing Owl. Often times we order strategically so we can try that much more food. For instance one of us ordered a cold appetizer (Elk Carpaccio) and the other ordered a hot appetizer (Chicken Fried Oysters Rockefeller). And…often times we order the exact same things (Petit Filet with Pomme Puree, Broccolini and Bacon Jus). Dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding and the Lemon Tart

A girls’ weekend, is usually not complete without watching a Netflix comedy special lately; as a throwback we watched Iliza Schlesinger’s War Paint.

We were up with the birds…so we had to kill some time before the malls opened. We went from fancy dinner the night before to Egg McMuffins from McDonald’s. Ricki’s had great sales on so we stocked up on our back to school clothes and Megan got the most awesome evergreen coloured Nicole Twistlock Shoulder Bag from Kate Spade …I am so jealous!

Gifts

International Dog Day: A Gift Guide

Post author By Lila
Post date August 26, 2020

To celebrate International Dog Day (August 26 2020) I wanted to put together a list of awesome products for us to be able to treat our furry friends. And I included a special treat for us Dog Moms too:)

Treats…
Greenies Grain-Free Dental Dog Treats