On Saturday evening, we had an Italian potluck at our friends' place. They have a darn cute dog and a lovely home.

I made Panna Cotta for the first time using this recipe and topped it with Deb's strawberry coulis. We quite liked it. It would make a nice addition to a Valentine's day dinner! :)

Skating at night sounds like the quintessential Canadian pass-time. Truthfully, I haven't done it in a few years. However, our friends recently made a skating rink on their property in the country and invited us over.

I wore skates that were too small. My friend wore skates that used to belong to her grandfather. The boys kept falling over into the snow drifts. Us girls went in early for hot chocolate.

Note: Lest anyone think I am adept at graphic design, I think it's worth mentioning that it's always Mike that makes the fancy post titles for me. Gracias, Mike!

While eating crepes last Saturday, Mike and I talked about how it would be so nice to do so with friends. So this past Saturday, fifteen friends came over (toppings in hand!) for crêpes. I don't think we've ever had so many people over in the morning before, but it was awfully nice.

I know that it's not polite to invite yourself over for supper. But when you've been invited over already, I figure it's not too presumptuous to suggest a potluck. So I did. It spun into a happy mish-mash of dishes (all a bit carb heavy), shared amongst friends.


And then - the Christmas tree burning. I don't think it's a popular activity, but it should be. The smell of those pine needles crackling in the fire is just out of this world.

It makes a wee bit of a mess and the flames occasionally got a bit out of control, but still highly recommended.

I have lovely people in my life - friends who knit me scarves and a husband who designed/organized my recipes into a recipe box (quite the upgrade from my haphazard scraps of paper!).

(Note about the recipe box: We had been talking about doing this since we saw Angela's lovely recipe folder. So even though we had agreed on no presents this Christmas, Mike sneakily bought this vintage recipe box off of ebay and designed me recipe cards. How's a girl supposed to compete with that?!)

On Saturday evening, my friends and I threaded felt bunting and made sparkly holiday messages. It brought back fond memories of wedding craft nights. Oh those were crazy days, but I sure loved making all the pretty things.

I also love spending time with my best friends, eating the most amazing food*, and laughing a lot.


*baked brie in puff pastry. seriously, go make this right away.
*sparkly holiday message inspiration here.

Lately Mike and I have been going to a church on Sunday evenings, which means that Sunday mornings are now the perfect opportunity for brunch.

My friend Sarah has not only an amazing sunroom, but also a charming, cozy apartment. My friends and I gathered for a simple Sunday morning feast of pancakes, bacon, raspberry buttermilk cake, and christmas oranges. We chatted, looked at beautiful cookbooks, and I, unsurprisingly, took many photos.

It's always a bit of adjustment getting used to the dark after Daylight Savings. I miss those warm, bright summer evenings more than ever.

However, my friend Kari recently made an excellent obersvation about the cooler weather. She said, "In summer, you feel obligated to spend all your time outside. In winter, it's totally okay to just stay inside."

Absolutely true. Bring on the fires, scrabble games, moccasin slippers, and HBC blankets to snuggle in!

*Did anyone notice the "?" tile? ...it's from our engagement! :)

While Mike was busy shooting a wedding on Sunday, I went over to my friend Cayleen's for some tea & waffles. There was also a toasty fire, some mad good white sauce for the waffles, and one of my favourite games. A happy autumn afternoon, that's for sure!

Last weekend we went to a pretty, outdoor, autumn wedding that was pulled together in seven weeks. I can't even fathom how they did it. I guess after dating for four years, they didn't want to wait any longer! We are so so happy for Paul and Laurel (and a little bit emotional too - I couldn't stop crying during the ceremony!). Congratulations you two!

This past weekend, we had the complete pleasure of visiting Mike's friend Paul at his family's strawberry farm. He let us do some picking after-hours and encouraged us to eat as we picked.

As soon as I bit into my first one, I realized that I had forgotten what a strawberry was supposed to taste like. You sort of get used to eating the ones from the grocery store that are all white inside and not really sweet at all. These perfect little strawberries were unbelievably juicy and blood red on the inside. I never want to eat a store bought strawberry again.

More photos here.

Post script - I'm so proud and happy to be part of Kinfolk Magazine. It launches today, check it out here! I can't wait to dig into it this weekend.

Here's a little peak at some of the wedding décor projects we've been working on. I want to show even more, but I feel like I should demonstrate a little restraint!

My friends have been so lovely, helpful, and amazingly generous with their time throughout this whole process. For various reasons, we chose not to have a wedding party. The decision has simplified things in a lot of ways (don't have to worry about bridesmaid dresses! or flowers! or awkward group photos with twelve people!) but I was a bit worried that I would be stranded doing a million of DIY projects alone. My friends have jumped in with no hesitation - title or no title, they just want to help. I could almost cry just thinking about it. Seriously, so grateful.

Thank you friends!

On Sunday evening, me and ten friends biked downtown for a concert. Biking in a large group offers several perks - a wide variety of people to chat with while biking, a feeling of safety (because really, who could hit a pack of 11 bikers?), and a great deal of attention from motorists.  It was the perfect temperature for an evening bike ride and the ride itself was made infinitely more enjoyable with Mike's freshly installed bike sound system (ingenious!).

I fell in love with summer in this city even more.

*Kudos to our friend Kevin for snapping these photos with a DSLR while biking - I would never trust myself to do this!
*My bike is the pretty red one in the first, left photo. Mike restored it for me while I was gone last summer!

Oh dear. I've been meaning to post these photos for forever, but I've been busy bidding on film canisters, madly throwing together an application for a scholarship that I forgot about, and booking condos for the honeymoon. I realized today that whenever I have a spare moment, I immediately launch into "to-do" list mode and begin reminding myself of the mile long list of things I have to do. Oh what a crazy season this is. But it's seriously so much fun. I have another DIY project party slated for Saturday night with my lady friends - always a great time.

Now about these photos, they were taken at my favourite breakfast place in the city. I realized as I was sitting there with these lovely friends that I have met every single one of them through Mike. A few years ago, I didn't know any of them! It's really lovely how dating someone opens up a whole new circle of friends. I'm so blessed.


*Thanks for all your kind words about the invitations. This is such an amazing, supportive community!

friday evening feast in Sarah's beautifully exquisite sunroom.

It's interesting how some nights with friends are good, and some are just spot-on fantastic. I realize I am sometimes guilty of making every night sound spot-on fantastic on the blog, but Friday evening was truly grand. 

There was delicious food (roasted asparagus with lemon & goat cheese, this absolutely delicious, mind-blowing herb lasagna, and home-made oreos), drinks (sweet tea flavoured vodka mixed with lemonade - ah!) and a slightly humorous game (found at a thrift store for $1.50, so no judgment please).

But really the best part of the evening was talking and laughing for hours. I love when conversations delve into the deep, real, meaningful stuff of life. I am so truly blessed to have great friends who appreciate good food and conversation - and also happen to have fabulous summer sunrooms.

More photos here.

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And congratulations to Autumn of Stay Gold, Autumn on winning the Pressedpetal giveaway.
Autumn, please email me at (janis.roseanne@hotmail.com) and we'll get you your goodies!

Saturday night, my friends and I had a sublimely chill evening at my friend Sarah's new apartment. We talked for hours as snow fell outside. Yes. Snow in May...

On a different note, I got a twitter. You see, I finished my teaching block on Friday and felt I could now afford spending some time on there. It was also a little congratulations gift to myself. Some people in my life don't understand why I wanted to join ranks with Ashton Kutcher, but maybe you'll understand.

Also, now that I have some more free time, I've been thinking of writing some FAQs. I get emails from readers sometimes (always a happy moment). Usually they're camera related questions, but sometimes they're about other things too. Please let me know in the comments if there is anything you'd like me to answer.

And thank you for all your Hawaii recommendations. We appreciated it so much!

I already have many stories and photos to share from Vancouver (and we're only half done our trip!), but I think Gene Coffee Bar is a good place to start.

White walls, minimal décor (except for the amazing light installation), long, sturdy, wooden tables for people to share, and three walls of windows that let in enormous amounts of natural light - this was a bright, beautiful place to spend a few hours.

I felt lucky to have visited this place and I felt even more lucky to spend such quality time with a dear friend. Melissa is one of those friends that makes me laugh all the time, but also really gets me. It's a pretty beautiful thing.

Post script:
Gene Coffee Bar has to be one of the most interestingly shaped cafés I've ever been in. Regrettably, I didn't get a shot of the triangular shaped café from outside as it was raining by the time we left (look here if interested). Speaking of rain, it has unfortunately been raining almost our whole trip. Fortunately, we have an umbrella and we don't let it stop us at all!

photos by mike.

My dear friend Kari got married this past October. My darling, talented fiancé shot the wedding and here, my friends, are the beautiful photographs!

I realize this photo collage is a bit of a mishmash, but who can blame me when I happen to be in some of the photos and I find every single one so beautiful I could cry? Kari and Justin are just so gorgeous, stylish, and absolutely meant for each other. And Michael continually blows me away with his creativity, composition, and editing.

To see more of Mike's photos of the wedding, see here and here.

Our good friend Josh also took photos that day, see them here. (He also happens to be shooting our wedding. We are so lucky!)

Post script: I miss my blonde hair. These photos make me miss it even more.

On Friday night, Mike and I had a crêpe & pancake party at his place. It was a bit of a housewarming party, and a bit of a "Mike finished the wall" party (he took down the wall between the kitchen and the living room, and built a half wall. He did an amazing job.)

We weren't sure if our friends would be into the crêpe & pancake idea, but they wowed us with creative and delightful toppings (fresh berries, whipped cream, lemon curd, cottage cheese, yogurt, bananas, caramel sauce, and chocolate sauce just to name a few). We ended up making six batches of crêpe batter as the night progressed (I am highly indebted to my friends who slaved away in the kitchen!) and were left with only three crêpes when the evening winded down.

We both agreed it was one of our favourite parties we had ever been to (can you say that about your own party?).


*photos by Mike, Kevin & I.

I know that I've been a little down on Winnipeg in the past, but I realize it's what you make of it. When it's freezing cold outside - gather up some friends and make pizzas inside!

Our pizzas ranged from traditional (pepperoni & cheese) to unorthodox (pesto, shrimp, sundried tomatoes and feta) to pure delight (pesto, tomato, and brie). It's worth mentioning that Justin's pizza dough blew us all away. Some Heinekens (or Coca Cola for the less beer inclined, ahem) and pizza provided the perfect platform for hilarious stories, re-enactments, and conversation.

More photos here. 

*Thanks for all your feedback in regards to longer/shorter photo collages!