Friday is NOT Just Another Day!

 WooHoo! yes indeedy, Friday is here.  In between Thursday and Saturday, Friday is the child of the weekend, ready to run amok before the teenager of Saturday comes in to steal the show.

I was going to surprise you today, but…due to circumstance beyond my control (ok, fancy speak for I wasn’t quite ready) I have delayed the announcement until Monday.

Don’t be mad, I am not just building the drama.  It will be worth it though.  I Promise.

So with that, enjoy your Friday, and stay tuned for Monday. 

I will leave you with something to ponder though….

and … Read more...

Thursday’s…are ME Days…

I wake up in the middle of the night and roll over, peeking over hubby to see the clock…the green lights display 3:30 a.m….hmmm…may as well get rolling as the alarm is only going to blare in 30 minutes time anyway and hubby needs his sleep as he has been sick all week with a head cold.  Poor guy.

I creep out of bed, grab my clothes and head to the bathroom, carefully resting the bedroom door closed on my way out to minimize noise.  After getting myself ready, I head down to the kitchen and put the kettle on … Read more...

New Season = New Purse

Show me a woman that doesn’t change her purse at the start of every season and I will show you a man who says he doesn’t enjoy golf…HA!

I have a couple of favourite purses that I rotate for summer & winter, but I also like to change things up now and again with something new and funky, but NOT with one of the over-priced, mass-produced clones that have flooded the market.  They shall remain nameless, but you can guess what/who the top two are.

Normally my purses are made from fabric but this time I went with a knitted … Read more...

Your Mini Virtual Vacation

Monday’s…you either love them or hate them.  Me, it makes no difference as I work more on weekends than weekdays, but for those that hate them, sometimes a quick trip to Mexico is just what is needed on this day of the week.

So I am sending along something to brighten your day and get your week off to a great start.  A small sampling of flora grown in and around the Mexican resorts.  I gave up trying to think of the right word to describe them, as ‘stunning’ just doesn’t seem to do them justice.

Oh….and you are welcome … Read more...

System Maintenance Notice

Next week the site will be off-line for a couple days as the DNS (Domain Name Server) is moving and it takes upwards of 48 hours for the new location to be implemented. 

I apologise in advance for the disruption.

This site, my regular website www.deborahlsykes.com and also www.lagitanacrafts.com will also be offline as of Tuesday, September 25th at approximately 6:00 p.m. and hopefully will be back up by Thursday sometime.

I appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding and will endeavour to have things back on-line as soon as possible.

There will be a surprise posted later this week once things … Read more...

Fall into the Season

What a fabulous Summer we have had here on the Homestead.  Lots of fun things (and not so fun things…i.e. ROOFING) were done over the past few months but we definitely also took some time to enjoy the great weather and good times with family.

Now that Fall is officially here tomorrow, it’s time to clear out the summer T’s and unpack the three S’s – Sweaters, Sweatshirts & Socks (I hate socks by the way, nothing but toe smotherers they are, evil things).  But I do love to put on a cozy sweater, grab a cup of hot … Read more...

Easy as Apple Pie

One of the best things about Fall are Apples.  Apple season is now in full swing with lots and lots and lots of fresh, crisp apples ready for picking, eating, canning, juicing and baking.  I am an Apple Snob though, only liking a few specific varieties to eat fresh.  I do venture into other varieties for baking, as long as they stand up well to the cooking process.

Canadian Thanksgiving is approaching quickly and I am usually pressed for time in getting dessert ready in the days leading up to the annual food-a-thon.  So this year I decided to venture … Read more...

Sugar Rush

Seeing as yesterday’s post was disappointing in the fact that it didn’t include a sweet, yummy dessert recipe….I have decided to make it up to you and include one.  Aren’t I nice?  By the way – for those looking for a waist-line friendly recipe….look elsewhere!

This one is aptly named in the post title too.

Sugar Rush indeed.  These little beauties will make your teeth scream from all the sugar.  Hands down, probably my hubby’s favourite dessert item.  This recipe comes from his Aunt Eileen, who made the best Butter Tarts….EVER.

Aunt Eileen’s Butter Tarts

 Ingredients

2 Eggs

1 Cup … Read more...

Blueberry Surprise

I bet you think this is a post about a yummy, delicious, ooey-gooey-sugary Blueberry Dessert…. Nope. Sorry to burst your bubble. Maybe tomorrow I will post one….

Today’s post is about Mother Nature being thoroughly confused.  As I write this, the date is September 17, 2012 and as I headed out for my daily walk, I didn’t get very far when I came upon this sight….

Yep….blueberry plants with flowers on them.  Loco.  Muy Loco even.  It has been a weird and stressful summer for the native plants on the Homestead.  May was dry, dry, dry.  June gave us a … Read more...

Smelly Washer Syndrome

What is that awful smell eminating from my washing machine???  It’s kinda sour, kinda musty and making my clothes smell the same way.  EEEWWWW.  GROSS.

I have never encountered this before at home in all my 35+ yrs of owning a washing machine.  Even when I washed the kids diapers it never smelled this bad…and you know what kind of nasties happen in diapers…. p-u, glad those days are over.  Back to the present though… we have no basement here at the Homestead, so the washer and dryer are located in the bathroom, which has to be about the most … Read more...