Archive for December, 2011
Hiatus For The Holidays
With just five more sleeps until the jolly man in red arrives with his eight tiny reindeer, all I’m wishing for Christmas is that Santa Claus would take away a bit of this pre-holiday stress I’m enduring.
Photo: Miss604 on Flickr
A full plate is inevitable at Christmastime, and I’m not talking turkey dinner here. It seems as though there are always 100 more things to get done and almost no time in which to do them. As of Friday I’ll be off for a much-needed 10 days, most of which will be spent with family and with J in between his shifts.
I’m looking forward to a classic Comox Valley Christmas and hopeful for a bit of snow too. Until 2012 I’ll be taking a brief hiatus from the blog, but feel free to follow along on Twitter. Until then, here’s wishing all of you a very merry Christmas and a blessed time with your loved ones.
Ho-Ho-Home For The Holidays
Someone as the BC-SPCA has gotten mighty clever with their new holiday campaign. For 2011 they’ve done away with tear-jerkers and brought in some humour.
Everyone likes to be home for the holidays and that’s exactly the message that the BC-SCPA wants us all to remember.
As you read this, there are currently over 4,000 pets sitting in shelters across British Columbia. Dogs, cats, puppies, kittens, bunnies and guinea pigs just to name a few. While the shelters are full of staff and volunteers who happily care for and nurture these pets all year-round, the holidays are an especially difficult time of year. Lorie Chortyk, general manager of community relations for the BC SPCA, says that “What better gift to give a homeless animal than a caring family and a warm home? …It’s sad to think of animals spending the holidays at a shelter.”
Bear in mind that both the BC-SPCA and I personally discourage giving animals as gifts at Christmas or any other time of the year. But because many people are home for an extended period of time over the holidays, it’s an optimum time to acclimatize a new animal into your family. However, here are a few things to keep in mind before you get swept away feeling sorry for that puppy in the kennel…
- Having an animal join your family should be a joint decision between everyone that lives in your home. Visit the shelter as a family, adopt as a family.
- Formulate a game plan for caring for your family’s new companion animal and decide when you will all take turns to feed, walk, play with, groom and nurture the animal.
- Caring for a companion animal is a 24/7-365 job. Apart from daily care, sometimes your animal will get sick, injured, require an extra bath or just need a few more cuddles than usual. There are no time-outs with an animal.
There’s nothing more these animals would love for Christmas than to be part of a warm, loving and permanent home. You can search for animals in the BC-SPCA’s database by type, breed, sex, age and even colour. Below is a list of shelters on Vancouver Island.
- Alberni-Clayoquot Branch – 4936 Broughton Street, Port Alberni [website]
- Campbell River Branch – 490 Merecroft Road, Campbell River [website]
- Comox Valley Branch – 1668 Ryan Road East, Comox [website]
- Cowichan & District Branch – 7550 Bell McKinnon Road, Duncan [website]
- Nanaimo Branch – 2200 Labieux Road, Nanaimo [website]
- Parksville-Qualicum Beach & District Branch – 1565 Alberni Highway, Parksville [website]
- Saltspring Island Branch – 540 Lower-Ganges Road, Ganges [website]
- Victoria Branch – 3150 Napier Lane, Victoria [website]
Shopping Local: Bonny Baby Blankets
Always a fan of shopping locally, I was pleased to hear that my friend Amber recently started a business in Victoria catering to mamas and their newborns. Bonny Baby sews charming and cozy swaddling blankets to keep babies warm and moms happy.
Photo: © Bonny Baby Blankets
A two-sided combination of smooth quilting cotton and fuzzy flannel, Amber’s Bonny Baby blankets are both functional and entirely sweet. To accompany the blankets she has also created coordinated burping cloths. Featuring charming prints, Bonny Baby blankets are quickly becoming a hot commodity in the Victoria region.
Photos: © Bonny Baby Blankets
While you can purchase Bonny Baby blankets both on their website and at the uptown location of Lil’ Sweet Nancy’s in Saanich, Bonny Baby wants to give one reader three opportunities to win a swaddling blanket and matching burping cloth. Whether you’re expecting or you know of someone who is, a Bonny Baby blanket would make both a beautiful – and local – gift this Christmas season.
Here’s how to win…
1. Leave a comment below telling me who you would swaddle your Bonny Baby blanket with. (1 entry)
2. Visit Bonny Baby on Facebook and “like” them. (1 entry)
3. Follow Bonny Baby on Twitter and post the following: (1 entry)
I will select one lucky winner at noon on Monday, December 19th! If you’d like to order a Bonny Baby blanket for yourself, you can e-mail Amber directly. Blankets are sold in pairs for $60 (including shipping within Canada). Burping cloths are sold for $16 per pair.
The contest is open to all residents of Canada. Winner cannot have won a prize on Keira-Anne.com within the last six months. Prize has no cash value and is non-transferable.
Free Santa Photos At Woodgrove Centre
In honour of the mall’s 30th anniversary celebrations, Woodgrove Centre in Nanaimo is ensuring that it’s a “Scrooge-free” Christmas with free Santa photos this year!
Photo: Scott Schrantz on Flickr
From now until 3:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, visitors to Saint Nick in the mall’s Christmas Wonderland will be sent home with a free 5″ x 7″ photo. Packages from Freeze Frame Photography will also be available for purchase.
Santa Claus will be visiting Woodgrove Centre from 11:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 11:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sundays.
For more information this event, please visit Woodgrove Centre online. Woodgrove Centre is located at 6631 Island Highway North in Nanaimo.
Slicing And Dicing With KitchenAid
There is perhaps no better call to receive at work from your office’s receptionist than “Keira – there’s a courier package here for you.”
Except, perhaps, when she finishes the call by saying: “I think it’s from KitchenAid.”
Just in time for the Christmas entertaining season, KitchenAid has made culinary dreams come true with its 13-Cup Architect Series Food Processor featuring the ExactSlice™ system. To showcase the incredible things this machine can do, KitchenAid provided me with one of their new food processors.
After unpacking the box with the food processor and its myriad of accessories, intimidation instantly set in. This food processor is big (as in probably bigger than my head). The manual is thorough and helpful but there were blades and egg beaters and bowls scattered across the length of my counter top.
First things first…
After pouring a glass of leftover birthday wine from the previous week, I washed the parts and started to assemble the food processor. My first attempt would be using it to chop vegetables for vegetable stock – a must-have in my freezer over the winter months.
Despite its many parts, I had the food processor figured out and assembled within only a minute or two. Most of the pieces snap into place and safety measures taken by KitchenAid ensure that the system won’t operate unless every piece is in its proper place.
The KitchenAid 13-Cup food processor comes with three rotary blades as well as an egg whipper, dough hook and multipurpose blade. You can slice, dice, julienne, chop, puree, mince and even shave ice for frozen festive drinks. The ExactSlice™ system allows the user to also adjust how thick or thin the slices are, a system I probably should have made use of last night.
There’s nothing like a new appliance to make me feel like a rookie in the kitchen. Being practical, I chose the multipurpose blade to chop vegetables for my stock. I ended up with minced onion and chunks of carrot and celery. The ExactSlice™ function with the slice blade would have been more suitable for the task at hand, but there’s always next time to try again.
Despite my minced mishap, using the KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor could not have been easier. My soup stock was simmering in half the time it would have taken had I been chopping by hand. Plus, for an onion-sensitive girl like me, it works wonders for keeping my mascara firmly in place.
Unlike a coffee maker, the KitchenAid 13-Cup Food Processor is not an everyday item in the kitchen. However, much like the KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer I treated myself to last year, this food processor will get much use when preparing big meals or hosting parties. My next attempt will be in the form of cake pops for a festive fiesta this weekend, so stay tuned…
Disclaimer: I was not paid nor contractually obligated to write about the KitchenAid 13-Cup Architect Series Food Processor. I did, however, receive my food processor at no cost from KitchenAid.
In The Know: An Islander’s Life
A few weeks ago, one of my Toronto-based readers left a comment and told me that they’re making the move to Vancouver Island in early 2012. Life on Vancouver Island is a unique experience. As such, here are a few things any would-be Islander needs to know:
1. Wild Weather
While Vancouver Island doesn’t experience extremes in the way the Prairies do, any day can surprise you. Rain, hail, snow and sun – we have seen it all in the same 24-hour span.
2. Elemental Attire
With the unpredictable weather, it’s important to always be prepared. Dress in layers as your rainy day may end with a big dose of sunshine. Be sure to add an umbrella, mittens, rubber boots, sturdy flip flops and something made of Gortex to your wardrobe.
3. Take Your Time
Many Islanders have called Vancouver Island home for their whole lives because everything moves at a slower pace. It’s not a bustling metropolis and few people are ever in a hurry to get somewhere. Take care when on the roads, watch for strolling pedestrians and take things slowly. “Stop and smell the roses” has never been truer.
4. 100-Mile Diet
Spanning 460 kilometres, there’s a lot of room for growth on Vancouver Island. The Island produces everything from beer and wine to honey, bread, vegetables and fruit. It’s easy to comprise your diet of the Island’s bounty, so try our food on for size.
5. Abounding Beauty
Rugged shorelines, craggy peaks, lush forests, sculpted gardens and sandy beaches make up only a fraction of the Island’s backyard. Get out and play, explore, hike, surf, swing a golf club, hit the road and tote your camera. You’ll never run out of places to play and see, but make the most of it!
Photo: Evan Leeson on Flickr
While I’m admittedly biased, Vancouver Island is one of the most stunning places on our planet. Those that do or have called it home simply know, and some of those people have added their two cents on Twitter and Facebook. Here are a few more tips regarding Island life…
- @brian_pat “Lucky Lager is equally delicious at room temperature, as it is frosty cold.”
- @speciaplacesvi “On #VancouverIsland, you need not seize the moment, for the moment seizes you.”
- @finniganh “One thing for people to know about #vancouverisland would be the #bcferries are expensive and you need a good pair of rain boots.”
- @mythicmusings “Get ear muffs/warmers! Just moved to Nanaimo last December and it is windy and cold here – my ears were always sore!”
- @microjanet “Never run for the ferry: if you make it, you’ll feel sweaty + stressed. If you don’t, you’ll feel sweaty, stressed + frustrated.”
- @mojaveband “Know the road conditions – not just of where you are, but also of any mountain passes you’ve got to drive through.”
- @1loriking “A sense of humour, and network, network, network – here on the Island it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”
- @pipnmilly “Buy a good rain jacket. Be prepared for a ‘leisurely’ time frame. Know that you’ll never want to live anywhere else.”
- @shannonmar “Layers, raincoat, umbrella, fleece, toques, laptop for the ferry rides. Explore the island! It’s spectacular!!”
- @MrsHutchCanada “Survival tip: always be ready for a change in the weather…:) Could be sunny in the morning then raining in the afternoon.”
- Ryan (Facebook) “Change the insurance on your car first thing. Way cheaper on the Island. Don’t be like me and wait eight months only to discover I could have saved 30 bucks a month!”
- Rebecca (Facebook) “When walking your dog, especially this time of year, bring something – whether it’s bear spray or a cell phone – with you. We had two days where bears were wandering around our property looking for food!”
Do you have something to add? Chime in with a comment below!