Public Market

Taking a much needed week off (from wedding planning, ugh!) to hang out in Milwaukee with my boys.  The last time we were here, the weather was bitterly cold so we pretty much stayed in the entire week.  Strangely enough, the weather is the same this time around.

The "I'm from Canada! Minus 40 is the norm" voice kicked me in the ass and I braved the cold on day #2 to visit the Public Market.  Happy that I did, because this place was utterly amazing.

There are only a handful of places where I would choose to be stranded in the event of an apocalypse. The Public Market is one of them.

Dining Room Mood Boards

The dining room is going to be the very first thing people see when they walk into our new house.  There's a lot of (self inflicted) pressure to make an impression with this room and I'm struggling to find the direction I want to go with decorating it.

The Furniture

- There's one piece that's going to play a huge role in the design of the dining room -- we salvaged it from Brian's grandfather's home, shortly after he passed.  It's a big, solid wood, ornate dresser that belonged to Brian's grandmother.  We'll be sanding it down, repainting it and repurposing it as our buffet.

- Another piece that we've already settled on, is a tufted banquette from World Market.  I really want to mix up the seating in the room, and am choosing to do so with this awesome sofa-looking piece.  

- Lastly, I am dead set on having a good old solid wood dining table.  Preferably big enough to seat 8-10 people.

Idea #1: Safe and Neutral

I like the idea of keeping everything neutral and just using accent pieces like artwork, vases and pillows, to pull color into the room (less commitment).
The table pictured above is from West Elm and is as solid as 'solid wood dining tables' can get (but it unfortunately comes along with the SOLID price tag). This look would be all about mixing up some old, some modern and some rustic... then hitting the space with a little hint of glam and sparkle.

Idea #2: Mature Navy
Recently, I've become extremely attracted to Navy blue. I feel like it would bring a nice addition of color into the dining room without being overly trendy:

I've been searching for a navy blue rug to anchor the room with.  I found one at Crate & Barrel but when I went to see it in person, it didn't quite have the 'richness' in the blue that I was hoping for (I do love the oversized Ikat pattern -- it's almost too big to make it out).
An alternative to the $1200 West Elm dining table, would be a cheaper ($449) table from Ikea -- definitely lesser in quality, but lighter on the pockets (I'm not exactly Mrs. Moneybags, you know)  I would settle for this table, as it has the capacity to seat up to 10 people and it still has the wood 'charm' that I'm longing for.
Opposite the banquette, would be 3 wooden chairs (also salvaged from Brian's grandparent's home).  They're originally from the late 50's and will need some TLC, but I love the idea of incorporating pieces with history. To know that my mother-in-law sat in these chairs as a little girl, is super sweet to me.
The more I look at this mood board, the more I'm liking it.  I just hope I can pull it off.

Other Considerations
A few other elements that I'm struggling with are:
- a chandelier - do I go modern? do I go classic?
- curtains - bold pattern or solid? 
- head table seating - I don't even know where to begin...
- artwork - want something with vintage flair, but has to be significant

Hopefully I'll find some solid inspiration soon.  I'm gonna have to get Pinterest'ing and Houzz'ing to get more ideas because this uncertainty is making me crazy!

I miss, I miss, I miss...

I've been away from 'home' for 3 months now and I think it's about time I blog about the things I really, really miss about Winnipeg.

Aside from the obvious 'friends and family', here's a list of the things that I've quickly come to realize I took for granted, having lived in Canada my entire life:

1) President's Choice.. particularly their Blue Menu.
In the 8 years that I lived in Royalwood, Extra Foods was my go-to grocery store.  I'm super sad that I don't have access to the Loblaw's brands.  The one product I miss the most is the instant packaged steel cut oats (I've searched high and low with no success). Anything that I can get in a 'healthier' variety, is good enough for me, and that's what the Blue Menu was good for.

2) Old Dutch potato chips
This is a common one among people that move away, I think.  I miss Ketchup chips and Dutch Crunch Kettle Cooked Jalepeño & Cheese, and Mesquite BBQ. *drooling just thinking about them*

3) Stella's

I have yet to find anything remotely close in comparison to Stella's.  Nothing beats the combination of Stella's atmosphere and menu.  Nothing.

   

4) Poutine

Yes, America has it's share of heart attacks served on a platter (Buffalo Wild Wings, I'm looking at you), but the fact that I can't grab a poutine at the closest New York Fries (or even Burger King if I'm desperate) kills me a little inside.

5) A&W Mozza Burger and Onion Rings

Come on. This one is a no-brainer.  A mozza burger served with hot onion rings with ketchup for dipping?  Pretty close to heaven, in my opinion.  America has A&W... but I have yet to come across one.

So those are just some of the obvious foods that my inner foodie misses the most.  There are a few more places that I miss because of the familiarity, but I know that I can eventually find places similar down here, it might just take a little time (and an open mind):

- Noodle Express for Dim Sum

- Ken's and North Garden for Chinese food

- New Hong Kong for Peking perogies

- Cora's for breakfast

- Unburger & Kawaii Crepe for Village food

- Parlour for coffee

Businesses that I miss:

6) BULK BARN!  Canadians, count your blessings that you have Bulk Barn because this type of business is unheard of down here. There's ONE bulk food place down here and it's a 30 minute drive from my place -- plus it's not even good.  I miss everything about Bulk Barn -- the variety of snacks, candies, spices, etc. The buttercream frosting, honey and molasses.  The organic food and quirky products. I miss, I miss, I miss it soooo..

photo cred: bargainmoose.ca

7) Gale's Wholesale

Oh what I'd do to walk the long, dark and dusty aisles of my favourite wholesaler in Winnipeg.  It was always nice to go there just for something to do on a day off or to kill some time.  I'd always find something to spend my money on whether it was for my business or for personal use.  I mean, who doesn't need a 5 lb. bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans?! 

8) Vantage Lounge 

Even though I had my share of ups and downs with my print jobs, I still miss having a business that I could trust to get the job done.  Business relationships take time to develop and I felt like I had finally gotten to the point that I was comfortable working with them.  I have yet to source out a printer down here -- I'm kind of dreading the process of looking for one :S

That's a pretty long list... I guess I'm missing home more than I thought.  I recognize that I just need a little bit of time to become familiar with my surroundings and get used to what's available to me.  I'll be sure to update my blog as I come across any gems.

In the meantime, feel free to send me any of the products mentioned above ;)

Pantry problems

I got a call from the designer yesterday.  She said that the construction manager came by the office and chatted with her about some concerns that he had about our kitchen plans.

Back story:

The wall that the fridge is supposed to go on is 59".  The full fridge and full freezer, measure 60" wide, side-by-side, so we knew that we would have to remove the cabinet and make a slight adjustment to the pantry wall, in order to make them fit.

Early on, our designer confirmed with construction manager, that we would be able to push the pantry in by a couple of inches.  After purchasing the fridge and freezer plus trim kit we realized that we would realistically need to push the pantry in by FOUR inches, rather than the 'couple inches' that we originally anticipated. EEK!

for the sake of consistency, this diagram is the reverse of our floorplan, but I'm showing it this way is because all of the blueprints that the designer and construction manager send me are in this format

Back to now:

When I got the call from the designer, she said that the concern with pushing the pantry in by 4 inches  on one side, is that he would have to push it in from the other side as well.  I don't know if this is to maintain the angle of the wall that the door is on? They didn't really clarify.

They brainstormed and tried suggesting that we get rid of the walk-in pantry all together and just have the cabinets wrap completely around the kitchen:

I spent the day humming and hawing about that idea, looking at the pros and cons of losing my walk-in pantry.. but I just couldn't do it.  

Instead, I came up with the following drawings to present to the construction manager, to try to make it work:

this is the original pantry configuration

OPTION 1: re-angle the door

this option would maintain the size of the wall that the freezer would be up against, would push the pantry in by the necessary 4", and would still allow us to keep a 2 ft. wide door to the pantry:

OPTION 2: lengthen freezer wall and shift door to center

- this option would maintain the original angle of the wall, but would lengthen the wall that the freezer would be up against

- my reservation with this option is that the added length to the wall might affect or limit the swing of the freezer door

I guess I just wait to hear back from them... 
I imagine him looking at the drawings and thinking "if it were only that easy"! I know that I have ZERO technical skill, but I figured that presenting these options couldn't hurt.  I'd rather exhaust every effort and brainstorm every idea, before being so quick to give up!

Hopefully, I hear from them soon! 

What are you in the mood for?

Contrary to one might think (based on my lack of updates) I've been really busy with the interior planning of the house that we're building.

So much is involved in picking out finishes and furniture and appliances, but I'm glad to report that we are approximately 65% done with the process.

Within the first week of moving down here, Brian and I had already gone out and bought all of our major appliances: fridge / freezer, dishwasher, stove, microwave / hood fan, washer and dryer.

Within the first two weeks of moving down here, we had already pre-picked most of our finishes, and within the first month, we solidified those choices at our initial interior design meeting.

The kitchen is so important to me -- it's where I'll cook meals for the people I love, it's where we will all gather.  To me, it's the heart of the home.

Here is a mood board that I've been working on for the kitchen:

1. Overall paint in the house: Sherwin-Williams Techno Gray - this wasn't my first pick, since it seemed to have more of a green undertone to it, but the more we stared at it and put it against other finishes, the more I fell in love with it

2. Main Kitchen Cabinets: 42" Merillat Spring Valley Square on Maple - Chiffon - my first choice was to go with a super clean shaker door, but this option was way out of our price range.  We went down one level, but I'm still happy with the look of the door.  These will be the main upper and lower cabinets along the perimeter of the kitchen.  We chose to go with an off-white colour, so that they aren't too bright

3. Main Kitchen Countertops: Corian in Medea

4. Island Cabinets: Merillat Spring Valley Square on Maple - Kona - we wanted our island to pop and almost appear like a separate piece of furniture in the room (see inspiration photo in top left corner).  The island is somewhat of a custom piece in the kitchen (doesn't come standard in the configuration that we requested).  Will post something about the island in the future.  

5. Island Countertops: Corian in Sagebrush - this countertop pulls a little bit of the green from the paint, off white from the cabinets and a little bit of the brown from the Kona espresso cabinets also.  

6. Faucet: Kraus commercial-style faucet - this is going to be my pride and joy... love how it looks, and it's 2 feet tall!

7. Kitchen Sink: Farmhouse Stainless Steel Apron Sink - haven't solidified the brand yet, but we're certain that we're getting this style, in 33" wide, single-bowl

8.  Dishwasher:  GE stainless steel - nothing very exciting about this appliance, lol. 

9. Microwave / Range hood / Convection oven: Viking Professional

10. Range: Viking Professional, 30" 4-burner, Gas 

11. Fridge / Freezer: Whirlpool full-sized 

12. Table: we haven't decided on the table yet, but we know that it will have to be espresso and no more that 36" wide, as we'll be extending it from the island to look something like this

13. Floors: Solid Hickory Hardwood, 4" planks, hand scraped -  we love the warmth and versatility that these floors will bring into the space.  Hand scraped means that they aren't a smooth finish, therefore, less pressure to keep them perfect!  Each plank will be a different colour and will have different grain and character.

So THAT'S the kitchen!
I can't wait to see it all come together -- I'm super stoked about finally getting in there and making magic!

The Christmas season

This season was filled with parties galore!

We went to the city to visit with Brian's old friend, Wojtek, who was visiting from Iceland with his fiancé

I was so stoked to spend Christmas in Chicago.  We spent the season with friends and family and got to see people that we hadn't seen in a long time.  

Gift exchange at Rocky and Lucille's place

 We started new traditions and got to hang stockings with Xander for the first time

We spent Christmas Eve with the Schmid's

4 generations : Great Grandma & Grandpa Schmid, Grandpa Larry, Brian and Xander

My first attempt at making creamed spinach, and it was a HIT! 

Christmas Day
Headed over to my in-laws house for an over-the-top breakfast, and gift opening

wait... we need SNOW to be able to use this!

Mama got her pro series mixer!!!

Since the only thing missing this Christmas, was Xierra, we FaceTimed with her and watched her open all of her gifts from us and from all of the Schmid's.

 We headed over to our aunt's place for a delicious italian dinner in the evening

Like father, like son

Although much of our time was spent EATING, fortunately, I managed to survive having gained zero pounds over the holidays :)

Visa Received, USA entered!

My interview was on a Thursday, and on the following Monday, I received a call from the Loomis office, saying that my package had arrived!

Loomis in Burlington

the 'package'

WOOOOO-HOOOOO!!!

I had already booked our flight for Tuesday evening, and was packed and ready to go.  The next day was just spent hanging out and making sure that we had everything we needed for the big move.

bye kuya Tyler!

The day of our flight was long -- we got dropped off to the airport SUPER early because I wanted to give us plenty of time to go through immigration to settle our paperwork.  We got through security and headed through customs with no issue.  We were directed into the Immigration Office, where an officer took our sealed package and went through it.  It didn't take more than 15 minutes.  He welcomed us to the States, and we continued on our way to our gate.
We had a couple of hours before our flight, so we got some food, kicked up our feet and got comfortable:

The flight was nice and easy.  We landed in at O'hare with no issue.  Xander was super awesome on the plane and was so excited to see his dada

We made it!

And just like that, we were landed immigrants -- the 6 month journey was finally over, and we were together as a family again!