ABC de Natalie

2012-01-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

L is for Little

Someday, oh yes, someday I will visit the Miniature World in Victoria BC.

2011-12-31T13:57:00.000-08:00

K is for Kitchen

I can't believe I hadn't heard about My New Roots by the time I heard about My New Roots. It is the ideal cooking blog for delicious and healthy food from cook Sarah B, there are amazing vegan and raw options as well as winter warming remedies and the most thoughtful and informative nutritional details.
Here's a link to the Reader Recipe Challenge pdf just compiled that will inspire some dishes featuring root vegetables.

2011-12-28T16:31:00.000-08:00

J is for Japan

I love getting a glimpse into some sweet cafes and shops of Japan via Natural Days : )

2011-12-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

I is for Interiors

Lately I've had a real fancy for wooden objects, this fancy has been fulfilled many times by the photos on Ashley Rose Helvey's blog. These are images from her home, I love the sun bleached look of the wood, natural and functional furniture-sculptures.

2011-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

H is for Happiness

Open publication - Free publishing

I've been keeping busy, and am proud to present The Periodical Project.

This is a digital version of the striking newsprint which features emerging Halifax art. The inaugural issue's theme was Economy and was distributed to the masses during Nocturne.

Not only does the paper showcase the thought provoking and eye stimulating work of 13 local artists, the Arts Directory listings are a the perfect accompaniment showcasing the depth of art in our community. This online issue is great especially with linking web action, but if you have a chance to get your hands on a printed copy it's really the best medium for the work. (Lost & Found will have a stack soon :)

Chris Foster and I curated the paper, I am not worthy of his amazing partnership but will happily revel in it !

Our next submission deadline is Dec 15th with the theme Light/Dark. contact theperiodicalproject@gmail.com for more information.

2011-08-23T03:01:00.000-07:00

G is for Goods

You haven't been to Cape Breton yet this summer!?

There is still lots of time to go and enjoy its trees, seas and the most magical shop in the most magical land, Salty Roses' in Ingonish.

Caityln Rose Purce ll, dear friend and jewellery conjurer, has created an amazing roadside attraction to house her own work and that of friends and family. The shop is open until early fall so start planning your trip to CB now :)

2011-08-09T16:34:00.000-07:00

F is for Fashion

Sure I am enjoying summer, lakes are great, the sun is nice, but like the chipmunk I plan ahead.

I've started to gather the essentials, foraging through the thrift store forest for AW 2011.

Guiding me with unparalleled inspiration ::::: the Araks collection.

2011-07-24T17:08:00.000-07:00

E is for Embroidery

Yesterday was Agnes' 1st birthday! I had finished this embroidery for her last month but finally just put it up, she loves her crate, it's her special place. Just like the bathtub is my special place.... Agnes does not find the bathtub special. Anyway about the embroidery, I'm trying to put a lot of sample time in these days because I've decided to undergo an extremely ambitious project with ye-ol needle and floss. You'll have to patiently wait for an official posting on that project.... probably 2016ish.

2011-06-30T04:14:00.000-07:00

D is for Dance

I want to dance!

So I am organizing a Danse Club for people who don't want to go to dance clubs! It's tonight, June 30th, 8pm-9:30 pm at the Capoeira Studio on 2827 Isleville.

The objective is for everyone to come out and have a good time (for the low cost of $2) I'm having a great time choreographing the Danse Club tumblr!

Let's Meet, Greet, and Move our Dancing Feet !

2011-06-23T04:15:00.000-07:00

C is for Collaboration

Anabela Carneiro & Geoff Piersol of Fieldguided

Shino Takeda & Caitlin Mociun for Mociun

Nicholas Andersen & Julie Ho of Confetti System

Alex Segreti & Kelly Rakowski for New Friends

2011-06-19T03:57:00.000-07:00

B is for Black Dog

Agnes wanted to take a moment to send her love to all the grand and regular fathers in her life:

Chris who comes to visit with lots of treats in his pockets, Henry who finds her when she is lost, Michael who is the best 'Owner' she could ever dream of, and to her biological father who was a real Stud!

Happy Fathers Day!

*on a side but related note, could this be a vision of Agnes in the future???

Katrina's Molly from Lizzy , two great blogs, one sweet dog!

2011-06-13T11:14:00.001-07:00

A is for Art

Palimpsest is a collective of artists, writers, editors, curators and designers, endeavoring to create nonstandard venues for the exhibition and distribution of media and art.

Palimpsest Magazine is a heterogeneous anthology of multiples: a magazine in a box. Each issue is comprised of print, audio, textile, video, etc., and tied together via theme and design. Palimpsest is an alternative medium for artists and writers to disseminate their ideas – one which celebrates the tactility of the object in favour of the flattening effect of traditional print and screen-based media. Each issue exists as a traveling exhibition, an experiential object.

I was so lucky to host my friends of Palimpsest after their exhibit opening The Workers Installing a Work at the Khyber on June 9th. The show runs until July 7th and includes work by Burghard, Willie Brisco, Craig Leonard, Bridget Moser, Robin Simpson and Jacqueline Lachance. I'll definitely be stopping downtown for another look, I think you should too. But in the meantime let's enjoy the online aspects of The Workers Installing a Work :

Craving a little interaction? 'Required Field is a free online service that provides digital visual matter in exchange for user determined data input'. Just fill in the blanks and you will eventually be sent a jpeg of the image your data comprised, the culmination of these images will be displayed at the Khyber.

The Library is an open call for the submission of PDF's pertaining to work and outsourcing in all of its forms, the call lasts the duration of the exhibit (July 7th) and all submissions are unedited/uncensored.

2011-05-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

Z is for Zodiac

Gemini - Ruled by Mercury : [ May 22 - June 21 ]

Positive Traits • Adaptable and versatile • Communicative and witty • Intellectual and eloquent • Youthful and lively	Negative Traits • Nervous and tense • Superficial and inconsistent • Cunning and inquisitive
Gemini Likes: talking, novelty, variety, anything unusual and working on multiple projects at the same time. Gemini Dislikes: being alone, being in a rut, mental inaction, conventional learning and feeling tied down.

2011-05-20T04:52:00.000-07:00

Y is for Yarn

Yokoo has been slinging out chunky knits on Etsy since 2007. I dig her modeling self portraits. Overalls ? Yes! Egg Bag ? Double Yes !

This little video is quite an insight into her creative world, it inspired me to get back into embroidery movie watching = happiness

2011-05-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

X is for eXhibition

Inspired by the ocean edges of Nova Scotia and the treasures brought in by the tides, Caitlyn Purcell has created jewellery that evokes salt water and its metamorphosing effects. Silver cast crab claws, bone beading, hand harvested crystal rings, beach coal broaches and seaweed-esque beading are the direct result of Purcell's beachcombing days. Stop by Lost & Found this May to experince this breathtaking show and it's foreshadowing of summer days.

Beachcomber Over & Over photos by Levon Campbell

2011-05-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

W is for Website

I love navigating through this website. The jewellery is displayed nice and strangely in the collage/gif photos. Designer Carly Margolis has her friends model her pieces and provides a link to each models personal website. *Warning you get lost in Browsecity.

2011-04-27T04:47:00.000-07:00

V is for Virtuoso

Air/Fire

Stellar sounds + Astrological lyrics = my new favorite band!

2011-04-25T17:35:00.000-07:00

U is for Used

Like Jesus, my love for the blog Ensuite was resurrected this Easter weekend! Clarisse Demory takes and posts photos of many an inspiration that she herself congers.

My favorite posts incorporate recycling materials within her many styling jobs.

Pictured here are some projects for a french childrens magazine (Dad t-shirt dress & nail polish painted glass) , as well as some interior styling for Nanashi a new Parisan/Japanese restaurant ( vintage vases, 80's school chairs, recycled table tops on vintage legs )

*le sigh*

2011-04-01T10:42:00.000-07:00

T is for Tea

Three random videos with a unifying reference to tea. Ah tea, the great unifier. If tea had it's way everyone would be happy...just like the British ?

2011-03-25T05:39:00.000-07:00

S is for Sewing

*** Ingibjörg Laufey don't look!***

I've skirted a little onesie for my new friend Ingibjörg Laufey, who lives with my dear friends Elin & Ragnar in Sweden! I hope she likes it and I hope it still fits her when it gets there! The skirt fabric is leftover from my sewing at the shop, it was really fun to do and I'm looking forward to making more ....next one is for Ruby!

2011-03-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

R is for Read

I know this is so 2010 of me, but I've been wanting to post about Patti Smith's Just Kids since I put it down before the new year. Prior to indulging in the book, I thought I was in for a very metaphoric and poetic autobiography, along the lines of her recent docmentary Dream of Life and her overall lyrical elaborations. But I was surprised to read a very straightforward recollection of her pre-fame existence in the art pockets of New York with photographer-to-be Robert Mapplethorpe.

It is an unpretentious tale of two people entering the classification of artist, and their individual struggles to figure out who they are exactly and what they should be doing in life which seems to unfurl organically for the reader, producing a "Que Sera Sera" effect that makes one feel optimistic. I always enjoy watching videos of Patti Smith, here are some pertaining to this novel, and here is a great npr interview Charity sent me, enjoy!

2011-03-01T05:39:00.000-08:00

Q is for Quirky

Three quirky ladies:

Allie Brosch with her comic blog Hyperbole and a Half

Abstract artist Mary Heilmann talks inspiration.

Allee Willis is living kitsch.

2011-02-24T18:02:00.000-08:00

P is for Poem

somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond

by E. E. Cummings

somewhere i have never travelled,gladly beyond
any experience,your eyes have their silence:
in your most frail gesture are things which enclose me,
or which i cannot touch because they are too near

your slightest look will easily unclose me
though i have closed myself as fingers,
you open always petal by petal myself as Spring opens
(touching skilfully,mysteriously)her first rose

or if your wish be to close me, i and
my life will shut very beautifully ,suddenly,
as when the heart of this flower imagines
the snow carefully everywhere descending;
nothing which we are to perceive in this world equals
the power of your intense fragility:whose texture
compels me with the color of its countries,
rendering death and forever with each breathing

(i do not know what it is about you that closes
and opens;only something in me understands
the voice of your eyes is deeper than all roses)
nobody,not even the rain,has such small hands

2011-02-23T05:17:00.000-08:00

O is for Ocean

Oh my, I haven't been to the ocean since these photos were taken in December. But I'd rather reminisce with scenes from that sunny day on Conrad's Beach instead of venturing out to the coast to freeze...... speaking of beaches.......Caitlyn Purcell is having a show at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft & Design March 4th -31st with her new jewellery line Beachcomber !

2011-02-21T04:20:00.000-08:00

N is for Nan

Wish You Were Here, is the one minute film I made with the guidance of Afcoop.

It's about a girl (Laura Dawe) whose 11:11 wish comes true.

One minute can seem long when you are waiting for work to be done, but it's quite short when your making a movie :)

The music is by Ben Gallagher, I hope you like it!

2011-02-11T05:34:00.000-08:00

M is for Movies

After watching The Company of Strangers in the company of Brenna I declared that in a perfect world I would watch this movie everyday for the rest of my life. Much to my surprise, my wish came true, the dreamy film library at NFB.ca features this wonderful film directed by Cynthia Scott in 1990. This semi-documentary/semi-fiction film was created with a loosely written script that retained the plot and guided the storytelling of the women filmed.

The Company of Strangers opens with a bus bumping along a forest-lined road with 7 senior ladies impatiently awaiting their destination, an old cottage of Constance Garneau, who at 88 was the oldest of the bunch. Alas! The bus breaks down and the woman are stranded, they must fend for themselves, faced with a mortal challenge they preserver. Such a fire exists within these ladies even as their candles are burn low.

As the share apples and oranges, they also share insights and reflect on their lives, their real lives these are not actors! You (if you're like me) immediately admire every character, which was a treat because characters who deserve admiration are seldom seen in the mainstream.

Take a little time and watch this movie, and I will guarantee your life will improve!

2011-02-09T05:18:00.000-08:00

L is for Little

Wow, I've found a gem by the name of Andre da Loba . I could say a lot about him , but I prefer this memior he wrote about himself :

MEMOIR (By and about myself, as if I was someone else.)
Andre da Loba
Andre da Loba was born in 1979 in Portugal, to a mama and a centaur. In a family of nine brothers he was the ugliest. His nose was very big, and still is. As a result, his parents sent him to join a sea circus. As a secondary attraction, he traveled the world two-and-a-half times. He almost made it to top billing, but there was always somebody who had something bigger than his nose. Which I don't know if I mentioned that it was very big, and it still is!
During these nomadic years he developed a particular taste for the anarchists, fortune-tellers, fleeing kings, blasphemers and mutineers. Also, fire-starters, witches, poets, biologists, sexologists, shipwreck survivors, tall hats, fancy shoes, skulls, talking fishes, morning horses, people with odd limps, light-bulb changers, professional vagabonds, perfect stammerers, spontaneous mutes, and of course, pencils, colored paper, glue, and cardboard.
The circus eventually stopped at a red sign. As everybody abandoned the circus, Andre started to use its remains to make his creations. Sometimes he did it for money, because he had to eat; sometimes for fun, because he had to eat more.
One day, when the circus materials were depleted, he started to use trash to make his illustrations. It might seem that he has a mixed-media approach, but the truth is that he just uses everything that people don't want, so he keeps on making people's junk his own. WHAT A THIEF!
He illustrated a couple books with recycled materials and more are yet to come (he hopes!).
His work has been recognized and awarded by the Bologna ChildrenÕs Book Fair, The Society of Illustrators, IBBY, The Visual Magazine, The Creative Quarterly magazine

Currently he lives in New York City, where he is secretly happ

2011-02-03T14:51:00.000-08:00

K is for Kitchen

Agedashi Tofu Makes me Smile! I made this recipe last week and it was perfecto ..I will make again this weekend for sweet Bree's Birthday .

AGEDASHI TOFU RECIPE
from http://rasamalaysia.com/

INGREDIENTS:

One block soft tofu
Corn starch
Oil for deep frying

TENTSUYU SAUCE:

3/4 cup (185 ml) dashi or Japanese fish stock
4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons sake
2 tablespoons mirin
3/4 tablespoon sugar

TOPPINGS:

Peeled and grated daikon
Peeled and grated ginger (optional)
Sliced green onions/scallions
Dried bonito flakes/katsuobushi

METHOD:

Cut the tofu into small pieces. Bloat each with paper towels and coat with corn starch. Set aside.

Bring all the ingredients of tentsuyu sauce to gentle simmer in a small sauce pan. Do not bring to a full boil.

Heat up the oil in a wok a frying pan and deep fry to tofu until they turn light brown or crispy. Please take note that the corn starch coating will not turn to golden brown easily. Remove the deep-fried tofu and drain the excess oil on a plate lined with paper towels.

To serve, place a few pieces of tofu in a small bowl and pour some tentsuyu sauce on the tofu. Garnish with some grated daikon, chopped scallions and dried bonito flakes. Serve immediately.

2011-02-01T08:08:00.000-08:00

J is for Japan

Some amazing products coming out Japan:

Daisy Balloon is a renowned balloon artist, my mind is blown ;)

Ribbonesia, by BAKU ...I love his whimsy and want to hang out with all the people on his blog!

Môko Kobayashi's 'Piece of Conversation' beaded accessories.

But the best thing coming out of Japan is my sweet friend Ami, who will be home in a few weeks ! xoxoxo

2011-01-24T14:31:00.000-08:00

I is for Interiors

When you get invited to a squirrels home you'd better take your camera, memory isn't enough to capture all the treasures they have collected for their den.

I call Maureen a squirrel, alas she is a woman, a lovely friend and the owner of Elsie's. Maureen bought this amazing house last year, it had a lot of character to begin with, and by adding beautiful wallpaper and her pick of the crop possessions she's made herself a cozy little home.

Maureen is a talented finder and decorator with a discerning eye, each element in her home is carefully picked and spaced wisely leaving this flea market frequenter's home without any sense of clutter. ( I cannot say the same about myself!) Every piece has a story to go along with it, when the granddaughter and grandmother figurine belonged to Maureen's grandmother it fell and broke into tiny pieces, which her grandfather painstakingly glued back together, and there's the miracle yard sale couch story which you'll have to ask Maureen about ;)

When you visit here is easy to feel like you are nestled in the trees surrounded by birds, foliage, sunshine and an extensive collection of teas! There's a perfect balance of earth and air within the walls, some rooms are light with shades of blue and yellow much like the view from tree limbs while other rooms are dark and cozy like the little dens carved into trunks, such a nice place to curl up!

Many thanks to Maureen! To see more photos of the beautiful home, you can visit my flickr.

2011-01-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

the dog chewed my computer power cord....

2010-12-28T15:06:00.000-08:00

H is for Happiness

Agnes and I have a had a great time with family on PEI this past week, happy holidays!

2010-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

G is for Goods

The Society Inc. is a magical shop in Sydney Australia, that undergoes a metamorphosis every three months to offer a variety of shopping themes. The shops owner Sibella Court, has a paint line with Murobond and highlights her quarterly release of paint colors by clearing out the shop , using the new colors to repaint everything. The paint colors correspond to a theme (ie. Paper Whites, Trade Winds, Travellers & Magicians) and the shop is then stocked, with items collected by Sibella on her worldly journeys, bringing each theme to life.

2010-12-23T04:14:00.000-08:00

F is for Fashion

Last week, I was lucky enough to be invited to the Intermediate Fashion Show at the NSCAD port campus! It was so great to see the designs and concepts of the emerging designers: Derrick Dixon, Alex Esparanza, Gillian Lake-Thompson, Ashley Daurie, Kandis Woods, Nathalie Dieras, Liz Dore, Laura Roy, Alison May Crozier, Gillian Hannah Berry, Amy Fournier, Anne Wunder, and Alysia Myette.

For such a small group there was no overlap in ideas each collection was exclusive of the next. Some were conceptually laden, expressing the ideas and ideals of designers in a very personal unique way, at no time did I attribute a design to a higher fashion power. Others had fabric in the forefront, highlighting the organic nature of fabric and manipulating it into a wearable design that pays homage to the aforementioned nature.

Though I'm not the best fashion photographer I've put together a bit of a collage of some of the evenings looks (actually a collage of a collage ...I was having technical difficulties please excuse : ) I'm looking forward to future shows and hopefully by the I'll figure out how to take digital photos (red-eye nightmares!)

2010-12-08T05:36:00.000-08:00

E is for Embroidery

I've recently inherited a fantastic collection of embroidery floss. I have spent a lot of time thinking about what to embroider, but haven't actually thread the needle and gotten to work.

But these wonderful works by Renilde Depeuter have reminded me of a project that I must do!

Does anyone have an old map of Rainbow Valley?

2010-12-02T05:19:00.000-08:00

D is for Dance

Pina Bausch (1940-2009) was a German choreographer whose esthetic philosophy changed the development (stylistic and psychological) of dance across the world. Bausch would say that her focus was not on movement but instead what moved people, she directed empathy for the stage in its poetic depiction of reality.

2010-12-01T06:49:00.000-08:00

C is for Collaboration

For his Spring 2011 Rochas RTW, designer Marco Zanini collaborated with Swedish folk artist Slotts Barbro to create beautiful textiles of Barbro's designs. The result: elegant folkloric whimsy for the french rich hippy. Je t'aime!

2010-11-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

B is for Black Dog

Our lil' Agnes is growing up she's now 4.5 months!

She's the best thing that ever happened to me, I love her so and worry about every single aspect of her existence... yet I try to give her some independence to make her own decisions.

Her likes include:

-sleeping

-eating food

-wrestling fellow dogs

-eating pebbles that look like food

-pooping
-mondays with Joan and Cliffie

-cuddling

Her dislikes :

-wind up toys

-boys dogs trying to take advantage of her

-rain

-not being cuddled

2010-11-26T05:39:00.000-08:00

A is for Art

We've only had one snow this year but that's enough to make me start planning my hibernation mode.

So far: I will knit, I will make soup, and I will try to convince Michael to let me paint flowers on the wall.

Any Nova Scotian, upon hearing this promise of paint, will automatically evoke images of sweet little Maud Lewis' home; our best known outsider folk artist. Her paintings make me SO HAPPY and a guaranteed cure to anyones woe's is a trip to the AGNS to see her exhibit.

Born in 1907 she married Everett Lewis when she was 34, Everett was a fisherman who delivered his catch to the villagers of Marshalltown in Yarmouth County. Maud accompanied Everett on his rounds and during the holidays she'd bring along Christmas cards that she'd drawn ( a hobby she and her mother previously shared) and sold them for 25 cents. Her neighbours looked forward to buying her cards and encouraged her to make more art. Everett also encouraged her talent by bringing home the old boat paint with which she began her career as a prolific folk artist. In their little tiny house Maud spent her days painting everything in their little tiny house. She also made work to sell to the locals and passersby who came to the door to enquire about the 'Paintings for Sale' as advertised outside. Maud suffered severely from rheumatoid arthritis, no movement was easy to make, but her slow colorful process of painting gave her a creative outlet that cured the harsh realities of life.

2010-11-23T05:21:00.000-08:00

Z is for Zodiac

Scorpio Zodic Sign - Ruled by Pluto : [Oct 24 - Nov 22]

Positive Traits

• Determined and forceful
• Emotional and intuitive
• Powerful and passionate
• Exciting and magnetic

Negative Traits

• Jealous and resentful
• Compulsive and obsessive
• Secretive and obstinate
Scorpio Likes: strenuous activity, the unraveling of mysteries, winning at any cost, being acknowledged the undisputed champion of anything, and the comfort of their own homes.

Scorpio Dislikes:being analyzed, being asked personal questions, new acquaintance, and having to trust a stranger with anything that they consider important enough to keep secure.

Sagittarius - Ruled by Jupiter : [Nov 23 - Dec 21]

Positive Traits

• Optimistic and freedom-loving
• Jovial and good-humored
• Honest and straightforward
• Intellectual and philosophical

Negative Traits

• Blindly optimistic and careless
• Irresponsible and superficial
• Tactless and restless
Sagittarius Likes: unlimited freedom, alternative or unusual ideas, being on the move all the time, plentiful food and drink, perfumes and beauty aids of any kind, gambling, raffles and lotteries, and recreational flirting with those aforementioned people.

Sagittarius Dislikes:disapproval of others, inclined to keep in the end, being too safe, secure, or confined, administrative details, and above all having their basic honesty doubted by others for any unmerited reason.

2010-11-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Y is for Yarn

photos courtesy of Chantal Tardiff

Knitting is not something one desires to do in the summer , in my imaginary thesaurus its a synonym for winter.

Chantal Tardiff's knitted installations do not try to convince you otherwise. Snowcapped mountains, red toque shelters, scarves and gloves working as a car wash, all remind us of the inevitable cold of Canadian winters and the warmth and comfort provided by two needles and a ball o' yarn.

Tardiff's latest installation Winter Wash is currently part of Eye Level Gallery and Centre for Art Tapes joint exhibition: I/O Electronic. The entire exhibition is worth a visit, but hurry, the closing reception is Thursday November 25th.

Winter Wash is a series of mechanized objects, an interactive curiosity that draws inspiration from the automatic car washes I remember so vividly from childhood. There’s a sentimentality associated with the car wash, and in combining the memory of these exciting, terrifying machines with iconographic elements of Canadian winters such as scarves and gloves, I hope to evoke a feeling of nostalgia and childlike wonder in the viewer.

2010-11-07T04:40:00.000-08:00

X is for eXhibition

____ & _____ is the latest art show at Lost & Found featuring the work of 43 local artists. I've gathered some photos here for your viewing pleasure, it's just too bad I'm not good at taking photos ; )

2010-10-27T12:15:00.000-07:00

W is for Website

I've been working on a new blog (since yesterday) for the shop (Lost & Found) and I am having a good time!

2010-10-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

V is for Virtuoso

Erik Satie composed Trois Gymnopédies in 1888 at the age of 22. He was trained in piano but never excelled within that training. His work defied classical compositions, they were short, ambient, dissonances against harmony.

With the compositions were instructions for how each piece was to be played: Gymnopedie No. 1 - Lent et douloureux (slow and mournfully), Gymnopedie No. 2 - Lent et triste (slow and sad), Gymnopedie No. 3 - Lent et grave (slowly and solemnly).

But they are not all tears a slouched shoulders. The sound is calm, unpretentious, and compatible with bath time, bed time, and suppertime.

2010-10-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

U is for Used

Here are some random photos of used things in my livingroom.

2010-10-13T13:38:00.000-07:00

T is for Tea

Yesterday I wanted to be tea, so I steeped in an impromptu herb bath, it was very relaxing, next time I will use cheesecloth or a tea bath ball to contain the mess of relaxtion.

Today, I attempted the craft of t asseography aka tasseomancy which, for a symbolism junkie like me, is the cats meow.

My earl grey leaves revealed a dead rat or mouse (on right) and an owl on a branch that has a flame that is lighting a cigarette (on left) and I'm afraid that there is a devil head underneath the owl. Wow! my first attempt at reading tea leaves and I see a devils head.....daunting!

2010-10-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

S is for Sew

I'm a new Mom! Before the little one arrived, I was sewing a lot in preparation for her: toys, blankets, collars...now I am so busy cuddling with lil' Agnes that I haven't even thought of Mr. Kenmore.

2010-10-04T05:11:00.000-07:00

R is for Read

I really liked these books, based on this sample, what novellas would you recommend I read next?

2010-09-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

Q is for Quirky

Only one jar left of my dill pickle people! They went fast , mostly because Ira comes over everyday saying " mo pickle peese Nalalee"

Thanks to Jessica Ross for the recipe, my only addition was a bit of personality!

2010-09-28T04:09:00.000-07:00

P is for Poem

The Man Hunt

My name is "Miss Matilda Ann"

And I am looking for a man.

He can be thin, fat, short or tall,

Size doesn't matter much at all.

It matters not what shade his hair

Or if there isn't any there.

As long as he is neat and kind

His looks I really do not mind.

Someone's who's there through thin and thick,

Who'll wash the dishes when I'm sick,

And when the winter snow is gone

He'll gladly help me mow the lawn.

He'll help me plant the garden seeds,

And even pull his share of weeds.

I'm sure I'd make a first class wife

And we would live a happy life.

With someone honest, kind and fair

My worldly goods I'll gladly share.

I had a friend, his name was Jim,

I really thought a lot of him.

I hoped he'd ask to marry me,

Then very happy we would be.

He called on me most every night,

We'd watch T.V., he'd hold me tight.

One night he said "Matilda Ann,

I'd really like to be your man.

If you consent to marry me

We'll live together happily."

I didn't know just what to say,

It sort of took my breath away.

But then I thought it would be best

To put him to a little test.

So I said:

"Jim, there's a mouse caught in the trap,

It's tail still has a little flap,

It makes me nervous as can be

Will you please take it out for me?

And there's some junk I wish you'd take

Out to the dump down by the lake.

Will you rid of it for me

Before we sit and watch T.V.?"

Then Jim said:

"But I have on a brand new shirt.

I don't want it all over dirt.

I really think Matilda Ann

That you should get a handy man.

I will not do each little task,

And you best learn not to ask."

Then I said, "Jim you'd better go!

The answer to your question's 'No!'

I really can not marry

If little chores you will not do.

If you can't do a little chore

Please don't come 'round here any more."

And as he left I heard him shout

"I'll take the mouse and garbage out!"

I shouted back "You're just too late!

And don't forget to close the gate."

I'm glad his lazy streak I found,

Don't want a lazy man around.

So now again I'm all alone,

No one at all to call my own.

I'm getting lonelier every day,

I want a man and right away.

Don't mind if over you I scan,

I'm only looking for a man.

-Jean Simpson (Grandma)

2010-09-22T16:58:00.001-07:00

O is for Ocean

These wonderful photos by Valerie Salez were taken the evening I went for my first ocean swim of 2010(Sept 6th I think). The ocean was warmer than any memories I've had of it, and though the pictures make the water look calm, the waves were pretty powerful. After an hour of jumping around like a fool I was very tired and refreshed.

I was lucky to go to the ocean two more times that week and then bam! tropical storm and no more tropical water!

2010-09-22T05:39:00.000-07:00

N is for Nan

Nan Goldin was introduced to me three years ago by the Göteborg Art Museum. As I viewed the exhibit my heart jumped into my throat and stayed there almost choking me, death by heart, an end for so many of Goldin's subjects.

Her subject matter and rawness overwhelm me and teach me a lesson in consequences.

Her exhibits and slideshows are a silent narration of the photographers life, I was happy to find the following interview that adds a voice to the images.

2010-09-20T14:48:00.001-07:00

M is for Movies

After many recommendations, and a coupon to cancel out late charges(which I didn't even have) I rented Das weiße band aka The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke (2009). Set in a small village in Germany, we are given the historical account of strange occurrences that lead to unrest in the village just as Germany was about to open conflict known as WWI.

Haneke was quoted as saying the film is about "the origin of every type of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature."

I assume after watching the film that the origin he is referring to is Repression. The Baron owes the land which most of the villagers must farm for a living, the Priest reigns rights & wrongs over the congregation and his family, the children follow a leader, the teacher and his fiancee must wait a year to get married (by order of his father-in-law-to-be) ,and the Priest's son internalizes his sins only to exude an anxiety that is spotted by his father and corrected by tying his hands to the side of the bed each night .... so many examples of repression.

Innocence is expected of the youth in the village, from their corrupted elders who continually take that innocence away.

The film is heavy with anxiety brought on by the fore-shadowing narration and by the position Haneke puts us in as an audience, the jury, where the guilty are innocent and the innocent are guilty. But we never come to a final verdict we are just happy the film is over.

* I had to include photos of the red carpet opening of the film at Cannes 2009, because I couldn't get over the juxtaposed transformation of the young actors, kids just aren't how they used to be!

2010-09-16T12:13:00.000-07:00

L is for Little

I like to devote a little time everyday to perusing the internet in search of interesting art.

Here are three artists I've come to like of late:

Daniel Gordon, Sofia Arnold, and Bobby Doherty

2010-09-15T11:41:00.000-07:00

K is for Kitchen

Tomatoes! Tomatoes! Tomatoes!

Last year everyone was complaining about what to do with all their unripe tomatoes, and this year they are overwhelmed with their surplus of ripe tomatoes.

I am not complaining... I am eating!

Sliced tomatoes have become a side dish for every meal, I eat them like an apple and suck out the seeds, I've already made a hefty doze of gazpacho and roasted tomato sauce. Tonight I will make this tasty dish.

The images above depict tomato based recipes perfect for this time of year:

Top image :Fresh Tomato Sauce via Smitten Kitchen

Middle image: Tomato Paella via The Wednesday Chef

Bottom image: Cherry Tomato Pizza Margherita by via Make Something . Everyday.

2010-09-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

J is for Japan

The Japanese term 'zakka' (many things) applies to anything that improves the appearance of your home or yourself. It consists of attention to detail and product design, placement and usability. Sure maybe its just a consumerism catchphrase but zakka enthusiasts see it as a form of self expression and finding beauty in the mundane.

I am a big fan of the Japanese lifestyle/interior magazines that are Zakka to the core, having them in your home makes your home a better place. The above images are from teaSpoon, Ku:nel, and Come Home magazines all which can be shipped from Japan via this great site!.

2010-09-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

I is for Interiors

My friends Bree & Bob just flew back into the city after living in Victoria, and their nest is coming along very nicely. I stopped in last week for a coffee and peak at the apartment I had been endlessly thinking about after my first visit. Bree is a collector of all things beautiful, like the antique mourning pillow and an abundance of crystals, which she artfully displays throughout her home. Everywhere you look there is something interesting to look at, yet it's arrangement is so well placed, there is never a sense of clutter. I am so happy to be able to visit such an inspiring home, and thank you to Bree for letting me take photos of the living room in progress!

2010-09-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

H is for Happiness

Growing up my brother and I watched The Simpsons everyday at 5pm.

It was just the best.

Now I have found free online, non-downloading episodes on the internet of all the new and old Simpsons episodes so I am happily indulging on mindless viewing. I haven't watched any for the last 8 years so I have a lot of catching up to do!

Woot! Woot!

2010-09-09T17:13:00.000-07:00

G is for Goods

Atelier Solarshop is an amazing contemporary concept space in Antwerp, Belguim. The space is utilized as an art gallery, studio space, and a temporary retail pop up shop.

2010-09-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

F is for Fashion

Kudos to Hilary Beaumont and Aaron Ward on the launch of their new Halifax street style blog, Bohemian Town,which was inspired by the effervescent Helen Hill.

2010-09-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

E is for Embroidery

I don't know how after finding beautiful embroidery inspiration like that of Susie Cowie, I still end up stitching ...

...clouds with faces?

2010-08-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

D is for Dance

*I recommend turning the volume off for this:

There will always be original

2010-08-19T04:39:00.000-07:00

C is for Collaboration

Just because you live there and I live here doesn't mean we can't be together.

1st photo: is a web collaboration called 3191 Miles Apart. The web site is a meeting place for two Portland woman,

one in Oregon and the other in Maine.

2nd photo: Hanna and Hana collaboration art show called Making Home at biotope in Japan.

2010-08-17T06:52:00.002-07:00

B is for Black Dog

If I wanted to make myself cry when I was a kid, I would look at these photos.

They are of my folks and their first baby, Bruno.

Bruno died when I was 3, I have fond memories of hiding underneath the deck and sharing milk bones with him

"One for me, one for you."

The day he didn't eat his milk bone I knew he was sick so I told my worries to mom.

We all cried on the green furniture of the livingroom when dad came home from the vet, and though Bruno's death was devastating there we were, a family, united in the loss and love.

2010-08-17T06:52:00.001-07:00

A is for Art featuring Laura Dawe

Laura Dawe is a local legend, who, last year studied full time at Dal (where she was the arts editor for the Gazette ) as well as wrote and directed her first feature film. The film was made at the lowest cost possible with the help of an amazing crew who worked for free, funding raised by the sale of her paintings, and by insane parties she and friends like Chris Foster threw.

Laura Dawe stuck a needle in my arm, repeatedly, over three years ago leaving me with an inked heart on my wrist that represents a lot to me including the beginning of our beautiful friendship.

It's the hardest and the easiest thing to be friends with Laura. No mater how socially anxious I am, she, the host of the biggest party, will stick by my side making me laugh till it hurts to breath and then... we DANCE! She is a doer and does everything she sets out to do whether it ends well or not, it was all meant to be. And as a friend you stand there in awe as she weaves her magic, both inspiring and intimidating. Inspiration pours out of her skin and walls of her house and you get surrounded in the haze of ideas and productivity. Her drive is intimidating for anyone lacking, she accomplishes more in a month then most do in a year or two or three. There is no separation between artist and work, her fantasies become a fictional reality she reenacts through words that either stick to the page or are played out on screen. Her friends become paintings, her stick-and-poke subjects become friends. The more you know Laura the more you see her work as an ongoing visual diary and even if the subjects in some paintings are from found photos you know she would say 'Hey' to everyone of those people if they were to pass her on the street.

Laura is currently hard at work completing post production on her film Light is the Day which is premiering at The Atlantic Film Festival September 24th, 9:25pm at Park Lane. I am SO PROUD of all her accomplishments (this one may be the topper) and I am so happy to feature her on this blog.

Dear Laura,

The spectrum of your creations is wonderfully broad, it seems you have no limitations. What elements visible or invisible connect your body of work?

No painting, poem, video or photograph makes sense to me until the colours figure out. After that, in one way or another, it's all just composition: placement, amount, repetition.

I hope that the invisible connecting element is apparent, but who knows....?
It's appreciation. We (you and me and everyone we know) are the luckiest people in history. We won the craps shoot through no real merit of our own. The worst thing we can do is take it for granted that we work so little for so much while everyone else has worked so much for so little. I try to paint the beauty, or to capture it on video. We should cup it in our eyes and hands. It's fleeting. It can't last. Rainbows (or, orgasm arches as I call them) over disillusioned crowds, portraits of my friends with their eyes covered by gorgeous messes of masks, these are, pathetically, my attempts.

xoxo thanks Laura!

2010-08-11T08:05:00.000-07:00

Z is for Zodiac

Leo - Ruled by Sun : [ July 23 - Aug 23]

Positive Traits

• Generous and warmhearted
• Creative and enthusiastic
• Broad-minded and expansive
• Faithful and loving

Negative Traits

• Pompous and patronizing
• Bossy and interfering
• Dogmatic and intolerant
Leo Likes: speculative ventures, lavish living, rich food, children, drama, pageantry and grandeur

Leo Dislikes:doing anything safely, day-to-day living, small-minded people, penny-pinching and mean spiritedness

2010-08-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

Y is for Yarn

Yarn't you glad there are designers out there like Marie-Louise Vogt ?

2010-08-06T10:33:00.000-07:00

X is for eXhibition

Stop by Lost & Found (2383 Agricola St.) to see artwork by the best person: Rachael Parsons

here's a bit of the press release I wrote for the show:

What You See is What You Get is the 3rd art show Halifax's Rachael Parsons has exhibited at Lost & Found. This show is an extension of the completely absurd yet totally familiar characters of Parsons' subconscious. The portraits evoke strange repressed memories of that guy you always saw at the bus stop and your friends Aunt that went out for cigarettes and a can of Pepsi and never returned. The show consists of Parsons' drawn/painted portraits and hand-puff-painted t-shirts. What You See is What You Get may imply simplicity, but there is a depth to the work and the artist that cannot be ignored, only imagined.

2010-08-03T13:11:00.002-07:00

W is for Website

I just made an internet discovery: Your World of Text is a grid of text on a webpage that can be edited and added to by any person who visits the site. I found it through Miranda July's links and after adding to her page I decided to create one for ABC de Natalie. So please feel free to go and write or draw things with letters, click anywhere you like on the screen to start writing and navigate around the infinite space by clicking and dragging in different directions.

* the photo has nothing to do with this post, it's from a Chanel shoot by Stephen Shore...it's weird when you see a favorite photographer shooting ads but it makes sense I suppose...

2010-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

V is for Virtuoso

Patti Smith for your holiday viewing pleasure.

2010-08-02T11:44:00.000-07:00

U is for Used

Some flea market finds of late: 1. new summer blanket 2. rose sushi plates 3. cutest sugar container

2010-07-29T16:53:00.000-07:00

T is for Tea

I was feeling down today so I bought myself a mini lemon meringue pie and made a mini pot of my Feel Well Balanced tea from the PEI Tea Company (aka The PEI Preserve Company).

Every summer when I visit home I go to the Preserve Company and buy lots of teas, Feel Well Balanced was my favorite from last year. Not only did I pretend it brought balance (just like I pretend Lady Grey gives extra woman strength) but it's chamomile/vanilla flavor just tasted so good.

This year, though, it seems they have added a fair bit of fennel seeds to their blend throwing off the balance I so loved and making it just taste like liquorice. I still bought some (and three other blends) because Michael likes liquorice, but I really wished they had changed the name along with the ingredients.

Luckily I had some of last years stock left to lighten my mood this afternoon :)

2010-07-29T16:28:00.000-07:00

S is for Sew

Been sewing up curtains for the house but what I really want to sew is a dress like Bardot's...

2010-07-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

R is for Read

Books are like love, you read the first sentence or page and then you evaluate your compatibility and ability to relate. I stop reading the majority of books I pick up after the first three sentences, we just wouldn't get along. I wouldn't be committed enough I'd lack an emotional connection and would continue my search for the "right" one.

This summer I've been lucky to fall into a wonderful relationship with two books by two Canadian female writers: A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews and Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O'Neill. (search wiki if you like but be prepared for plot spoilers)

The books pair very nicely together much like mint tea and dark chocolate. They are both narrated by teenage girls(Toews' Nomi and O'Neill's Baby) living alone with their Fathers during that loss of innocence stage of life where you start to notice that you and the adults around you are unhappy mainly due to repression by societal dramas (in Nomi's case religion, in Baby's poverty). There is a nice territorial juxtaposition where Nomi evolves in rural Manitoba and Baby in the city of Montreal, it complies with my idea that city girls grow up sexually faster then the country girls (unless they are unfortunately involved in incest), there is just more skin and sin in the city (though there seems to be plenty of soft-core sin in Nomi's Mennonite community).

Toew's writing in A Complicated Kindness is emotional yet contained, her Nomi is constantly questioning and analyzing her past but seems to live in the present moment without any pre-meditation.

O'Neill uses similes more than any author I've read and they become the most important aspect of Lullabies, no matter the how deep in shit Baby is she can instantly transcend into a imaginative state where everything is beautiful. This approach not only adds the most amazing quality to the character it highlights that of the Author as well.

My best friend Charity sent me her second copy of Lullabies for Little Criminals from Vancouver, our favorite past-time is book-talk so I wanted her opinion here as well:

Usually the books my father-in-law gives me sit on my shelf hopelessly waiting to be read (he seems to think I really like romance novels). When he gave me Lullabies for Little Criminals by Heather O’Neill I figured this one would suffer the same destiny as the others. I gave the soft cover my habitual once over, read the blurb, about the author, ran my fingers over the pages and gave the spine a good sniff (seriously, this is how I evaluate the readability of a book). Then I read the first sentence, which led flawlessly into the next and forty pages later I realized things were going to be different (my father-in-law is still sending me books I’ll never read, however).
Lullabies quickly became one of my favorite novels. This book was so compelling and so unrelentingly optimistic despite it being a dark and discomforting tale. Told through the eyes of Baby, a resilient 13 year old left to her own devices on the streets of Montreal, I immediately fell in love with Baby's sense of self-reliance, the deviants and misfits she collected along the way and the poignant and clever voice O'Neill created. Everything about this novel is wonderful.
I was lucky enough to meet O'Neill once at a book signing. My father-in-law used to work for a publishing company (hence the assortment of books) and he managed to get me an opportunity to talk with her . Unfortunately I was overwhelmed by her amazingness and managed only to mumble something about how much I loved the novel. She noticed my copy had the original CBC Reads emblem on the cover and I think she was impressed; everyone else had bought their copies at the signing.
Now that signed copy of Lullabies for Little Criminals, with it's coffee stains and marginalia, is one of my prized possessions.

p.s. Thanks Charity!

p.p.s. Charity is currently reading A Complicated Kindness

2010-07-22T17:38:00.000-07:00

Q is for Quirky

I love that there are people out there like Sayaka Minemuka whose Breakfast Project consists of these food faces :)

2010-07-21T14:45:00.000-07:00

P is for Poem

White Rabbit
I can make magic with my hands.
I can't tell you about it
Cause it just sounds bad
But I started showing some of the guys.
Neil first, he asked me if I knew any tricks
So I told him to meet me in the woods
And I showed it to him.
He was more surprised then I expected.
Neil told Josh, Shawn and Joel
So one by one I took them into the woods
And showed them.
They were all just as surprised
And they said I should keep practicing
So now we go into the woods regularly
And they all say I'm improving.
There's even talk about starting a club
And meeting in Joel's basement Tuesdays
While his mom is at her meeting.

This was a poem that did not get accepted in the last Her Royal Majesty quarterly art and literary online publication. Maybe you'll have better luck with the next deadline August 25th ... the theme is language.

2010-07-20T04:35:00.000-07:00

O is for Ocean

Dirty Projectors and Bjork have joined in the making of Mount Wittenberg Orca, a collection of songs inspired by a family of whales. Bjork and the girls from Dirty Projectors actually sing whale parts! All the money from the sales of the album (only available via download) go towards creating international protected marine areas, a drastically underrepresented cause to keep our oceans alive.

All this talk about whales reminds me of one of my favorite film growing up :

2010-07-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

N is for Nan

So I did that thing where you erase the past three years video files from your hard drive... sure I felt disappointed but also didn't care too much because it was a good way to finish a lot of unfinished work.

So now I am making new things like this choreographed video featuring two of my latest obsessions:

1. Ann-Margret dancing and 2. the band Long Long Long.

The song is called 'Its at Night that you Might' and I borrowed all the footage from YouTube so its super grainy but I also think its super fun!

2010-07-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

M is for Movies

My amazing friend Noah Pink does many amazing things. This past May, his film ZedCrew premiered at the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes film festival. Noah and cinematographer Christopher Porter shot ZedCrew in Zambia with a cast of non-professional actors essentially playing themselves in a hip-hop themed film where three young Zambian men aspire and conspire to be big time rappers in New York City.

I asked Noah to collaborate with this month's M is for Movies post by providing a retrospect of his (and my girlfriend Holly's) experience at Cannes...

In 2007, I bought a pair of Persol sunglasses that cost me 15% of my net worth. To be honest, I have no idea what I was thinking. I don't have a shopping problem, I almost never buy new clothes and I usually stay away from anything priced in Euros. But these glasses, well, they spoke to me. When I brought them home, nobody particularly liked them. Actually, I'd say 'hate' is a proper word in this case. So I had to defend myself, saying 'Imagine we were on the Riviera, driving a '68 Corvette and I was wearing these. Get it?!' Nobody did. After two years, I tried to sell the glasses, but nobody wanted them. I was stumped.

But then this past May, I had the opportunity to prove my Persol theory in flesh, on the Riviera itself! The convertible was replaced by a miniature scooter, but hey, it was enough. Off to Cannes!

In two words, Cannes was overwhelmingly special. It was especially special that we were able to get my lead actor, Alvin Fungo to come up for the screening as well. It was his first time out of Zambia and Cannes was his first impression of Europe and 'The West.' Just like the magazines and movies. Oops.

The festival itself is absolute mayhem. Thousands of journalists, thousands of film people, hoards of spectators and hopefuls. It was an exploding piñata of too many incredible screenings, too many late night parties (yachts? got onto one, though I had to sneak on), too many espressos and way too many producers promising nothing in their everything all day long.

The director's fortnight crew was so nice and accommodating all the way through. They even secured Alvin a couture tuxedo so we could walk the main red carpet the night after my screening. And my screening was pretty darn memorable. I was lucky because a young french film star, Louis Garrel, was screening his 45 minute film next to my own, which meant we could fill a theatre. That was nice. Holly fell in love with Louis, had lunch with him on a rooftop overlooking the croissette, heard stories of Georgio Armani and got Louis' e-mail address, so all in all, I think the trip was a success :)

* Amazing! Thanks Noah! xo

2010-07-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

L is for Little

"I have two sisters and two brothers and my mum is pregnant. This is the kitchen and that's all my family in one room."

"I like my woollen carpet and I like my computer, but the mouse makes eggs inside the house. Sometimes I feed the rats, although they keep coming and coming. Sometimes I find them and give them a comfortable place. I have marbles around the whole house. Near my TV I have some wonderful stuff, but there's poo so I just clean it as quick as I can. Sometimes they run away from my brother because he is tall. I am not afraid of the rats."

"I sleep on the floor. I am watching my baby brother so he doesn't fall out of bed. I cook his food. My mum is not lazy she is just teaching me. I like sleeping on the floor anyway. I made the rice for us, and if my mum goes out I change my brother's nappy."

Shoebox Living was an amazing exhibit created by 125 children aged 8-10 from a school in Peckham, one of London's most deprived areas. The children were given shoeboxes and tools to recreate rooms from their homes and write a description of the room, which gives intense insight into the vulnerable lives of the youth. A follow up exhibition and auction called Shoebox Art involves artists recreating shoebox rooms from their childhood which are then auctioned with all proceeds going towards Kids Company who work directly with inner city youth.

2010-07-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

K is for Kitchen

I am not a confident baker and I don't have a mixer so I beat everything with elbow grease, but when Susanna commented that I had not used the cake pan she bought me a year ago I shoved all my excuses aside and said to myself "It's time to make a f*#@ing cake!!"

Hankering for some poppyseeds I first looked to Smitten Kitchen ( aka 'ol faithful) for a recipe and was rendered aghast when I saw that her cake called for 8 freaking eggs! That's a few too many in the basket of a baker who's odds of screwing up are Huge. So I asked my baking friend Bethany about her recipe and she said she used the Moosewood Cookbook (ol' faithful before SK). Joy! It only had three eggs, odds we a little more in my favor...

Ukranian Poppyseed Cake - Moosewood Cookbook

Add 1 cup poppy seeds to 1 1/2 cups milk in a saucepan (poppyseeds are more expensive than I thought, ask around and see if a friend has a large jar they haven't used in a few years than borrow some - Thanks Holly!)

Heat to boiling point only. Remove from heat; let stand 20 minutes.

Meanwhile... cream 1 cup butter with 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in 3 egg yolks (save whites). Add 1 3/4 cups flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt.( I used 1/4 tsp.) Mix well.

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. (I have no idea what that means..I just beat the whites until my arm is tired of beating which is usually 30 seconds or so). Fold into butter mixture. Fold in poppyseeds and milk. ('Fold' also alludes me). Mix only until blended. Squirt in juice of 1/2 lemon.

Grease up your pan and make sure that oven is heated to 350

Bake for 35 minutes - if square 9" pan, 45-50 minutes if loaf pan, OR until toothpick comes out clean.

Et Voila!

Positive Traits • Generous and warmhearted • Creative and enthusiastic • Broad-minded and expansive • Faithful and loving	Negative Traits • Pompous and patronizing • Bossy and interfering • Dogmatic and intolerant
Leo Likes: speculative ventures, lavish living, rich food, children, drama, pageantry and grandeur Leo Dislikes:doing anything safely, day-to-day living, small-minded people, penny-pinching and mean spiritedness