Drive to work...

Sing along to my favorite song...
picture myself on stage

It's pouring rain...
but I am dry and warm in my car with the heat on high

School kids in polka dot gumboots waiting for their school bus...
parents holding up giant umbrellas and sipping on warm coffee

Familiar faces, walking on the side of the road...
some happy some sad

Thoughts of what the day might be like...
how nice last night was

Should I get Starbuck...
or have my office green tea instead?

Arrived at the office...
can't turn off the car till this song is over.

xx

Winter favorite things...

The sound of rain drops.
Bright green moss.
Slow cooked meals.
Fresh baked goods...
and french pressed coffee.
Starbucks treats from Santana.
Warm socks right out of the dryer.
Comfy boots over leggings.
Hot Soups!
Bubble baths.
Chinese food w Grandma.
Red wine.
Painting w Mom.
Fireplace.
Walking with an umbrella...
and wishing that you'd fly up...
like Mary Poppins.
Tooney Tuesday w Kaliya.
Blankets!
Lazy days.
Tea time w Marlis.
My couch...
with Brett.

What's for dinner?

So my sister and I were having a nice chat over coffee the other day... as usual no matter what topic we start with we always end up talking about food. Eating it, cooking it, feeding it... buying it. We decided that we have developed a different kind of shopping addiction...GROCERIES! She had just recently cleaned out her fridge of old condiments/salad dressings/left over containers.... half eaten apples, etc.... anyways, her fridge is now squeeky clean...and empty. Which means it's time for a big shop! It would be extra fabulous if we had fine grocery stores like Whole Foods, Meindhearts or Urban Fare... with gorgeous stainless steele baskets, stunning floral arrangements, french pastries that you can smell from blocks away, and jazz classics softly playing in the background... hmm this is sounding more like a hotel lobby? Anyways for now we'll settle for Marketplace IGA, Super Value and of course London Drugs, we love LD!

It's a great time of year for grocery shopping! The stores are filled with extra special items for the holiday season, especially the hor dourves and desserts for entertaining. And...of course a 'Turkey Buck' for every $20 you spend.

Now lets talk a little bit about our supermarkets.

- Marketplace IGA is cosmetically quiet nice, with red, green, gold and wood accents to give it that old fashion market look.
- The ethnic aisle is also quite fabulous! It is separated in sections, Japan (sushi!), China (sweet and sour chicken!), Mexico (tacos!), Thai (pad thai!) Indonesia (nasi goreng, rendang!).... this is where I stop the most.
- 'Our Compliments' is the store brand, here is the featured recipe for today: http://www.compliments.ca/en/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?ID=11265.
- In the same complex of IGA is the 'you never know' Liquidation World. Need a new couch? hand towels? frozen pizza? they have it! My sisters and I have all found something unexpected here. We especially love brand name fahion items that are marked down to $5! This place is full of it all. Sometimes great, sometimes disgusting, but you never know...

Super Value is where I shop. It's only a couple blocks away....which I like to walk to when I can, and this is when I like to pretend that I'm only going for a couple of things, and I end up buying the heaviest items possible, like a giant pineapple, glass bottled milk, jumbo yams... and by the time I get home I have lost all circulations in my arms. Anyways....

- Super Value has more of a village feel, with blue, white and red, kind of a sail boat theme (ahoy mate!) which is quite cute.
- The meat department is always well priced, so this is one of my favorite sections. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs anyone?
- The store brand is 'no name', but it also caries 'President's Choice (worth switching supermarkets for). Here is the recipe for today: http://www.presidentschoice.ca/LCLOnline/recipes.jsp?recipeId=266&prepTimeId=100128&skillId=175&type=details

Another plus for Super Value is the fact that London Drugs is just around the corner! This is must stop for us! From their snack aisle, that always have chocolates and tuna on sale, to the fun seasonal department, you are bound to walk out of LD with something wonderful for your kitchen, living room, bathroom or bedroom!

Well I think that's all for now...
I think I'll give my sister a call and see what she's cooking for dinner. It's Sushi night for me, so I'm making my special tuna rolls... cause little Kaliya is coming for dinner and it's her favorite!