Lovely Bones

I have a confession...I have a sweet spot for vintage platters. Iron stone, bone china, ceramic, pottery; I really don't discriminate. I limit myself to thrift stores, scratch and dent and the mismatched bin at Antique stores to keep my costs down. My dream is to use all of the platters to present my baked goods at my bed and bakery one day! Until then, they're used for personal baking and I'd like to get a few on the walls. Here are three I picked up last week at the Value Village:

Winter Blues

It's the simple things in life that make me happy, and rearranging my buffet decor is one of those things. I was in a bit of a blue (colour only) mood on the weekend, and this is what I came up with!

Happy Monday everyone, hope you had a great weekend!

Fab Find Friday: Kitchen Tins

With 2013 being the year of bread and all as noted here...I just couldn't pass up taking this sweet girl home with me last weekend when I visited the thrift store. She is a Kromex original, and according to some internet research selling for upwards of $75 (not bad considering I paid $5).

Then, in pure kismet, my friend's sister posted these great cannisters on Facebook, and I had to have them...my new girl needs some company:) Jayne is just starting to sell her pickings through her shop Shakey's Vintage, so please check out her Etsy Page:)

Bad lighting= not being able to read Flour, Coffee, Tea

One big happy family...if only we could find the runaway sugar!

Happy Friday Everyone!

If I Lived in a Cabin...

This would be my chandelier! 

That is all.

Menu Planning Progress

As I noted in my looking back post, menu planning was definitely not one of my strengths in 2012. It was inconsistant, non-existant and just plain hard. Edie blogged this past week about her menu planning process in three parts (one, two, three), and although I really like her idea of using reoccurring calendar meetings as a tool, I came to the conclusion that menu planning is personal. Every household is different, and just because something works in a kitchen in Tennessee, Toronto or Timbuktu; doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you.

Sunday's latest prep

I've been working at it for the last few weeks and here's what i've found works for me so far:

• I plan no more than 3 meals for the week. Life happens and that usually means that we aren't eating together or at home  twice a week. Anything more than this also feels like too much pressure.
• Prep your meals, scan your pantry & fridge, write a grocery list and shop once. I used to end up having to stop at the grocery store multiple times during the week because I didn't have all the ingredients for the meal I wanted to make. Shopping to a list also results in a cheaper more efficient trip at the grocery store!
• I don't necessarily prepare full meals on the weekend. I make a combination of full meals and prepped ingredients. For example, this weekend I made the sauce for pasta, so I just need to stir-fry the meat and veggies, a soup and a quinoa main dish. Last weekend I made a chili, prepped chicken burger patties, made oatmeal to go and marinated steak.
• Pre-portion your meals, whether they're in individual portions or meal-size portions, this certainly makes cooking during the week a lot easier!

How about you? Do you plan your meals on the weekend, or wing it throughout the week? If you do plan, what tools or recipes have you found the most helpful?

Fab Find Friday: Apothecary Jars

I found both of these jars at the thrift store. I picked up the larger one last weekend, and the little guy in the summer. These would be great in the bathroom or on a vanity. They both needed a little TLC, but nothing a little soap and hot water couldn't fix!

Happy Friday to you all!

Sweet Guy

I've decided it wouldn't be my blog without a regular picture of one of my fur-babies. I apologize in advance for anyone with a sheer hatred of cats, people who call their animals their babies or people who have far too many pictures of their pets (read: way more than I have of humans).

My little buddy was in this pose waiting for me when I came home from work last week. I immediately snapped his picture. I think it looks like we took him to Sears for a portrait session!