Shoe of the Day

And so it begins.

On Sunday, I started documenting my daily shoe shot via Instagram. Every day, for the next thirty, I will post a shoe shot. In an effort to wear more of my footwear that tends to stay in the closet, I'm dusting off my heels and making the daily trek to school in as many different pairs as I can muster. It will be fun to see what tights/pants/shoe combinations I can come up with. The changing backgrounds should be interesting, too. Feel free to follow along - and join in, too! I'm polkadotsouper on Instagram.

Happy Shoe-day Tuesday!

Instagram Newbie

I've jumped on the Instagram train. Now I feel as though I think in Instagram - trying to capture a little square moment in my mind, looking for colours and textures that pop. There are so many things to learn! Feel free to follow me - I'm @polkadotsouper. I'd love to have you by my side as I start this fun new photographic journey!

Multitude Tuesday

Busy day yesterday - didn't get my Multitude Monday post up. After a crazy five day weekend, yesterday evening was spend prepping for the upcoming week, not prepping for the blog. Sometimes, you know, life gets in the way. Between making lunches, working on assignments and spending quality time with my husband and family, let's just say that the blog gets put on the back burner.

What am I thankful for this week? Thanks for asking! Today, I'm thankful for:

581 - a flat-out (but fun!) successful annual Bible conference weekend at our church
582 - the gorgeous waterfall at the end of our hike on Monday
583 - a brand-new iPhone 5 after our old phone bit the dust on Thursday - so long, waiting list!
584 - meeting new friends and seeing some of the old ones, too
585 - a four day school week this week!
586 - a presentation by a local business tomorrow afternoon - instead of class
587 - good marks coming in on assignments and quizzes
588 - a new facial cleanser and routine - here's to a new method!
589 - learning some skills in Illustrator; after spending between 4 - 6 hours between last night and tonight I better be learning something!
590 - a planned lunch date with a friend this Thursday

What are you currently thankful for? Do share!

Happy Tuesday!

Food File: Coffee Cake for a Crowd

Anytime that I need a recipe in a pinch, I pick up the phone and give my mom a call. That's what moms are for, right? I needed to make two desserts to bring somewhere and I was a bit short on time. To streamline the process, I wanted to make one recipe that had a large enough yield to provide two desserts. Mom to the rescue!

My mom has a lovely recipe for a versatile coffee cake - the yield is two 9x13" pans. You can add your choice of nuts, dried or fresh fruit. Here are some flavour combinations to get you started:

Ready for the recipe? Let's go!

Coffee Cake with Crumble

Cake:
4 c all purpose flour
1 c white or brown sugar
6 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/2 c oil
1.5 c milk
1+ c berries/nuts
vanilla/almond extract

Topping:
2/3 c all purpose flour
2/3 c brown sugar
1/2 c butter, room temperature
2 tsp cinnamon/nutmeg combo

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease two 9x13" pans and set aside. Mix dry ingredients. Mix wet ingredients. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Fold in whatever berry and nut combination you choose.  Crumble topping ingredients together. Spread batter into pans and sprinkle with topping. Bake for around 30 minutes, more or less. Once cooled, feel free to top with a drizzle of icing. Pack up the cakes and deliver one to a friend!

Happy Wednesday!

Thrifted: Seafoam Lamp

Two weeks ago, on a trip through the local thrift shop, I came across my best find in a long, long time. I was at Value Village to take photos for my upcoming newsletter and from half way across the store I spotted it: that pretty seafoam colour that floats my boat. I made a mad dash across the store (seriously, old man, get out of my way!) I reached the back of the store, waited patiently for an older man to finish looking at the bottom shelf, and then ended up saying "excuse me" and just snagging it off the top shelf. 

I checked the lamp over from top to bottom: no cracks or chips. It's art deco style was impressive - and the lamp was as big as the dickens. There was an electrical outlet to test your lamps, but no light bulb - huh? But, at $5.99, how could I not invest in the lamp of my dreams? Just look at it!

After purchasing my lamp, I drove to the Wally-world next door and found the perfect lampshade. Seriously, a match made in heaven! The shape was the perfect complement to the tall lamp and the linen fabric and colour went beautifully with the lamp. I brought the pair home and set them up in the living room. A quick wipe-down, a fresh bulb, plugged it in and voila! The lamp is the exact shade of minty green that I painted the stripe in the large painting. It doesn't translate perfectly on the screen, but trust me - it's a match! And, at about 18" plus the shade, it's a hefty lamp! 

How about you? Find any treasures lately? Do share!

Happy Tuesday!

Multitude Monday

My dainty new niece and I, the snuggle monsters

Can you believe that it's Monday again?! That means that it's time for Multitude Monday! Each week, I like to list ten things that I'm currently thankful for. I'm so spoiled by being surrounded by positive influences and I find that listing what I'm thankful for keeps me as grateful as the dickens. Feel free to chime in through the comments, a journal or diary, or your own blog.

This week, I'm thankful for:

571 - my little niece being born into the world
572 - getting snuggle time in with the cute little darling
573 - checking out three craft fairs with my mom on Saturday
574 - picking up a few handmade Christmas presents
575 - having a yummy bowl of leftover vegetable soup for lunch today
576 - looking forward to a five-day long weekend!
577 - a borrowed recipe book that I'm itching to try out.
578 - two new albums ripped onto my computer. Yay for new music!
579 - my Dad arriving home safely - and I got to spend the day with him on Saturday.
580 - trying out my gouache paint over the weekend

Happy Monday!

I can feel it.

Hey November, 

You're my birthday month. You're the month that I start on my new mighty life list that I'm itching to get started on. You're full of learning, of testing, and of celebrations like birthdays and holiday prep work. You smell like decaying leaves, which is nasty, but that's okay, I'll forgive you since it's just smells like change. You sound like new albums and windshield wipers moving the first snowflakes that I'm equally loving/dreading. You are full of delicious homemade cake that's balanced by lots of heathy eating and oodles, I mean oodles, of ice-cold water fresh from the tap. You feel like excitement and adventure. You just may be my favourite month (I'm a little biased, though.)

Oh, November, I know that we're in for a treat.

Love,
Katie