Author: Nikki

I've been writing since I was in kindergarten where I Crayola-markered an epic tale of a tiger and a balloon on a stack of lined papers folded into a booklet and stapled along the edge (carefully, and by my teacher). I love DIY, sewing, folksy music, animals and getting out to look at and listen to nature.
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Quick tip: How to soften hardened brown sugar

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If you don’t keep brown sugar locked in an air tight container (or if your brown sugar-loving husband leaves the canister open often enough after spooning some into his coffee), you’ll find your delicious sweetener gets thick and hardens up fast.     I came across a great way to re-soften the stuff — no need to buy a new bag when you come across a hard one in the cupboard that you didn’t use soon enough. You just need an airtight container, a slice … Continue reading

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Recipe: Butterscotch & peanut butter haystacks

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I’m in the mood for treats lately — and let’s hope I passed my glucose test because I want to continue eating deliciousness for three more months — so I thought I’d share one of my favourite recipes. It’s easy, fast, and requires only three ingredients. Four if you have peanuts on hand.     Mmm! There is nothing better, or easier! Unless you’re allergic to nuts, then there are probably a lot of better things for you. Recipe after these pictures! About this recipe: … Continue reading

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DIY rustic end table for less than $10!

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After we brought the Christmas tree out a couple weeks ago, we needed to rearrange (and remove) some of the furniture. Wouldn’t have to, really, but Junior’s tendency to eat everything in sight means we still need to crate train him a while longer. We have two of these simple LACK tables from Ikea. When the tree came back, we had to put one of them away, and replace our loveseat with an armchair we put away when Junior’s crate came along. Needless to say, it … Continue reading

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Best Soup for Winter: Lasagna Soup

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Holy mother of Abel, is this soup good! I happened to find this recipe on my Pinterest feed the other day (if you haven’t already, you can follow me here). I expected good things, but I did not know just how good. I am lasagna obsessed — another of my favourites came from Pinterest a few months ago… I have my own take on it which maybe I’ll write up one day — so I had to try this. Unfortunately when I was going to try … Continue reading

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DIY: Upcycle regular jeans into skinny jeans!

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Upcycle old jeans into skinny jeans

If you have access to a sewing machine, you can turn some spent old jeans into skinnies. I mean, it’ll probably turn out better if you have some sewing experience, but given that I did this as one of my second or third sewing experiments ever, I’m proof positive that it can be done. Background: I don’t mind jeans with a wider leg, but in the dead of winter, I love to wear my boots. Wider jeans + boots just don’t work together very well. … Continue reading

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Flashback to March 2013 — Junior & Casey

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Our little brown dog is now taller than Casey. I can’t believe how much Junior’s grown since we got him this past February. He’s not even a year old. Love this guy, when I don’t want to wrestle him for being bad.   Looking through their blog today and feeling the pregnant feels.  (Yep, every member of our family has some kind of web presence. Except two of the cats. They’re too busy hiding or stealing pens to blog.)   Share the post “Flashback to March … Continue reading

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Sew Interesting

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Yep, I’m hoping to move right along into the year 1818 and grab me up a sewing machine next weekend. Why? Have you heard of maternity clothes? They’re hundreds of dollars if I want to wear more than a couple of outfits for the next 6 months. Have you heard of my closet? It’s full of jeans and tanks I don’t wear anymore due to maternity fatness and general lack of interest. Yes, I figure with a little effort, I can put together some good … Continue reading

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Best Soup for Fall: Homemade Cream of Broccoli (& Everything Else!)

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I enjoy good homemade soup any time of year. I’m lucky enough to have in-laws who love to cook family lunch every Sunday, and most everyone who’s tried it agrees, their chicken soup is top notch. Come fall, I like to cook and enjoy my own soup-er hearty meals. Who doesn’t? If I only had an enormous pot (what’s a witch without a cauldron?), I could make a giant batch and freeze enough to have it once a week without all the choppy-choppy. But the … Continue reading

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