Curious? No... It's more than that

Being that it is mid-term time and I am up to my eyeballs in marking, I am going to make this post short and sweet.  Below is a series of photos that have been taken of bananas that Dave bought three weeks ago.  They have been in the same sunny place for three weeks, yet they remain green.  Like, WTF?

You may ask, why would we buy green bananas in the first place.  Well, because even though we like bananas very much, our house has a crazy climate in which our fruit ripens at a rate similar to that of a country on the equator.  So, if we would like to enjoy our bananas without them going black by the end of the week, we must buy them green.

I AM DESPERATE FOR A BANANA!!!! Yet, still I wait.... Way to go Del Monte organic bananas, way to go!!!!

Week One- I am so hungry....

Week Two- I can feel the potassium leaving my body...

Week Three - I know bananas will be extinct in 20 years, but right now, I really can't remember  their sweet goodness...

For some reason these pictures added a yellow tinge to the fruit, but I can assure you, there is no yellow yet. None at all.

Stay tuned. 

March Break - Activity # 3

As per usual, we have used our holiday to do home renovations.  The first goal on Dave's list was to tackle the spare room.  Or rather, the Barney room as we had aptly named it. You see, when we moved in, the room had been a little girl's bedroom.  And for some reason, perhaps because this sweet 6 year old had been able to choose the colour, it was the colour of a popular  large dinosaur from the early part of the decade.  To say the very least, it was offensive.  

So, armed again with a giant pail of primer, Dave happily began to tackle this room as the next room in a series we like to call The Olden's Paint Everything.  

So far, we had painted the main floor powder room and the dining room and the study.  The powder room, if you remember from a past post, was the room with the lovely teal textured walls that needed to be sanded down and Greco-Roman light fixture that smoked from the halogen lights that were in it.  

This is it now:

The print on the wall is from one of my favorite Canadian artists, the late Norval Morrisseau.  He is considered the "Picasso of the North" and as an Anishinaabe artist his works feature the beauty of Canadian Aboriginal spirituality and mysticism.  This particular work is entitled A Branch From The Tree of Heaven.

Though not nearly as well known, Dave is also a skilled artist with a paint brush.  In later posts I will show the final result of the study and the dining room, but here, I actually managed before and after shots of the Barney room, so I figured I would post them ASAP.  

 There is something to be said for a man who has a thirst for painting.  Look at the sense of satisfaction he has as he rolls the last bit of primer over the abomination that was the purple walls.  Pure joy I tell you; that is pure joy!





I have a bit of a commitment issue when it comes to paint colours.  I know how absolutely temporary they are, but I still break into a sweat having to make the final decision in the paint store.  Inevitably, I always hate the colour for about two weeks after it goes on the wall. Here is the final result of our spare room.

It has all the furniture from the spare room in the old house (a.k.a. my old university furniture) , so I think maybe it is throwing me off, but it has only been a few days, so I have miles to go until I love it.  The main thing is, NO BARNEY!!!! And that's what counts isn't it?  

And as I type, Dave is filling the walls and sanding in the laundry room and bathroom.  I suppose I should get back to him. It is, of course, The Olden's Paint Everything, so that means  both of us...

March Break - Activity # 2

Our egg tree on the foyer table

So, I love Easter. That's right, Easter.
In fact, it is my absolute favorite holiday of the year (All Hallows Eve being the next runner up).  Faith aside, and believe me, most of the reason I love this holiday has everything to do with my faith, I think it is the most beautiful and hopeful holiday of the year.  In the colour department it is absolutely the most pretty, and in the season department it brings Spring. Who couldn't love Easter?

On the faith side, Easter ultimately means that we all have a new start. We can brush off the dust and crap like the Winter leftovers that remain from the thaw and like an Easter egg, we are given a chance for a fresh start at beautiful new beginning.  Easter and Spring bring us re-birth like a cuddly baby little lamb after a long time in the barn.  That's Easter to me.

My birthday is in March, and as a result, all my life I have received gifts that somehow had a connection to Easter.  At some point people began giving me bunnies and it became a birthday trend that turned into an homage of seasonal decor.  It also doesn't hurt that the scent of Easter lilies and hyacinths is the best smell on earth (next to a freshly tilled garden) and it is also my birthday smell, if you will indulge a person to have a birthday smell. So, as a result of combined celebrations,  I have embraced this holiday season by filling our house with all the Easter things I love.  Dave just smiles with that, "look how I managed to domesticate the wild one" look as I participate in these sorts of things.

This year I was determined to have an Easter egg wreath for our front door.  Dave humored me as we went on a hunt (no pun intended) for this egg wreath.  We searched high and low. I think I may have been in every shop in our town to find one, but to no avail. Those I found were either ugly or too small.  Then it dawned on me! Why not just make one? So I did...

I decided that the best place to make this project was at my family flower shop.  For 16 years I have had the luxury of easy access to supplies of the trade at my finger tips.  Though this was not at all going to test my floral skills, it gave me the excuse to hang out with my sister while I dipped my cute little eggs in the hot glue pan.

There was a need for me to scout out just the right eggs for this project.  The right melange of eggs is key to ultimate curb-appeal once on the door.  These were two sizes, some glittery and some beaded.

This is the standard wicker frame I decided to use.  Not too heavy but nice and strong.

This is the pile as I take a break from gluing.  They started off as eggs on a metal pick, so thanks to Max, I did not have to cut a million eggs off their wires!  That's love I tell you.

Here is the final product on our front door. Gone are the very yellowed Christmas containers and greenery.  Now we have a festive little purple urn with artificial forsythia and the ultimate egg wreath.  

I am thinking I might need to scout out an Easter door mat though, don't you think?  I pulled out our summer one and it's just not doing it for me.  The hunt continues... 

A Pre-Break Culinary Adventure

Just one more bite Davey... you can do it!

For over a year it has been a small goal of Dave and mine to dine at Nick and Nat's Uptown 21 in Waterloo. Early on in our relationship we realized that we might be what one calls a 'foodie', however Yuppie that may sound. The reality is, we love to eat, we love great food, and we are super critical...ok, maybe not critical, let's say discerning, and we are not afraid to try anything. In fact, for years we have thrown around the idea of writing our own critical reviews for hungry couples. Wow, I just realized the multi-layered context with which that last sentence could be interpreted!


Anywho, back to the subject at hand, Nat and Nick's. Dave and I were cursed with never finding the time when this cute little secret of a restaurant was open to partake in its awesomeness; then it happened, last weekend we finally ate there! And let me tell you, it was WELL WORTH THE WAIT.

To begin, we sat at the chef's bar which makes you practically a sous-chef in the kitchen. You are literally on the other side of the counter. This may be the most deadly seat in the house as you can watch the entire menu as it is prepared. If you have a hard time choosing your meals, this will not make it easier! We had not planned on going anywhere for dinner that night so we were dressed in our usual weekend uniform of jeans and hoodies. Of course I was wearing my purple Wellies . It was a busy Saturday night and we stuck out like sore thumbs, but by the end of the night, I'm sure they were happy they seated us.

We started off with our appetizers, both of which were fois gras based. Dave's croquette was divine as was my terrine plate.

As our seconds, Dave enjoyed the mussels in a tomato and olive based melange that payed respect to the awesomeness of layered fresh herbs. My salad was a testament to the greatness of freshly grated cheese on anything.

Our mains did not disappoint. Dave had the lobster and shrimp dish and I had the steak. The fish was to die for and the delightful rub on the steak was a perfect frame for the care taken in its aging and preparation. We could not drive the option of the homemade squash ravioli from our minds, so we also shared a half order of them and did not regret our choice!


It should be noted, that at this point in the meal I reminded Dave that there was no shame in turning to our Greek / Roman forefathers in our time of need. Dionysus / Bacchus had a suggestion for dealing with the 'can't eat another bite' feeling. Dave simple looked at me with an unimpressed look. Good golly, it was just a suggestion! Instead we rested and digested before our final selections.

Dessert for me was tempura apple dumplings. Dave had the creme brule. We also shared the homemade berry gelato. When we were done nothing but a sprig of mint remained!

The price for our meal was well in keeping with the dynamic changes that are being seen in uptown Waterloo with the addition of higher end dining options. There is no question that the value and quality of our meal more than justified the price (which really was not outrageous). It also helped that it was annual bonus time for the Olden family!

We cannot wait to go back. In fact, we have already begun to plan our next menu choices. Since it is and ever changing menu of local produce, I suppose we will need to make it soon; poor us! ;)

March Break - Activity # 1

There are a variety of activities that Dave and I will be undertaking this March Break.  As per usual, they will revolve primarily around home improvement projects.  There were plans that we might actually take a honeymoon, but why on earth would we do that? We would rather continue to be frugal and mature with our earnings and deprive ourselves of fun in order to be debt free (please feel free to wipe up any extra sarcasm that may be getting on you).

Alas, my primary goal now is to have a number of posts up regarding the break as it unfolds, but for now, please enjoy a few pictures of the only member of the family actually enjoying the break... Miss Le Fluff herself.

Here Humphery is watching The Westminster Kennel Club finals.  No, this is not a set up, it was actually on and I was listening to it while I was sewing in the other room.  I came in to find her in this position.

Here she seems to be quite struck by Ladybug, the Portuguese Water Dog.  Later on Humphery would go on to tell me she thought that Ladybug only won her Best In Breed because she is the same breed as the Obama's dog.

Here Miss Le Fluff is caught red-pawed watching the final awarding of Best in Show.  She later reported that she felt that the winning dog, Hickory the Scottish Deerhound, was much deserving of the award.  She felt it was high time that Hickory get time in the spotlight as she would be retiring after this year.  I personally think Humphery was a little geriatrically empathetic and bias.

The Olden family would like to congratulate Hickory on her win. Bravo, Hickory, Bravo!

Ahhhh, Family Day

A view so lovely you would never
know it was the middle of February

When the Ontario government introduced the idea of a long weekend in February, I thought the idea was ridiculous, never mind the rant that ensued between myself and the T.V. about how unfair this was to the people that did not have a family, or those that did not subscribe to the idea of what is considered the 'traditional' model of a family. However, as a Canadian, who am I to throw away a long weekend given to me by the grace of the ever omniscient government?  Damn it, I was determined to make the best of it this year!

As all good family outings begin, I decided that Family Day was going to be the ideal day to look for dinning room chairs.  Nothing says family like dinning room, so hence, this was my rationale.  I convinced Dave that Stoney Creek Furniture was going to be the answer to our chairlessness. He agreed on the road trip and off we went in Dave's car (aka The Smartie).

As with every trip to the Hamilton area, we planned our schedule to include a trip to Hutch's on the beach. I was first introduced to Hutch's just prior to my moving to Hamilton (Ah, Hamilton; I can't say I was sad to leave)  when, as a right of passage you could say, Dave brought me to the hallowed location that serves the best fish and chips in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE.  Hutches was a tradition for Dave, his siblings, and his cousins when they were growing up.  Dave's Opa would bring the kids down to the beach on the weekend and inevitably end up at Hutch's. To say the very least, this is a very special place for Dave and, though it was the reason for serious weight gain while I lived down the street, it has become a very special place for me as well.

Same awesome sign with neon fries!

The ordering is simple at Hutch's.  You have a small fish and chips or you have a large.  The interior is straight from the original 50's when they first opened.  They wrap your order in newspaper and there is only one size of drink.  It is very easy to feel like you have traveled back in time and the comfort that comes from realizing that there really is somewhere in the world that has never changed is something that cannot be replaced.  The customers come from every walk of life and I always choose to sit at a booth that is next to a sweet old couple.  I like to think that they too came to this place when they were first married, then with their children and still now that they have grown old with one another.

I think I can hear my arteries crying.

The large fish and chips is bigger than one person can consume and always goes home with you.  Believe me, there are actually two giant pieces of fish below that pile of fries!

The very best part of any meal at Hutch's is the extra fries that are saved for seagulls that circle the beach outside the back door that leads to the beach. Though I know there is a very good chance that I might be crapped on,  I always throw some fries into the air to see the chaos that will ensue.  After all, tradition is tradition.

Hitchcock anyone?

Though we had some serious issues finding dinning room chairs, and came home empty handed (except for the leftovers) we found exactly what we were looking for at Hutch's. We found tradition and a chance to celebrate family. We had an amazing chance to celebrate Opa's life and memory on a beautiful day at one of his favourite places. If this isn't the point of family day, I don't know what is.