Friday, December 19, 2008

alive and kicking

I'm here!

Alive and kicking!

Did you miss me?

I know. I know. I have been truant from my blog.

After my head cold went away, I just decided to focus on getting the new house in better shape i.e. organized. I'm still plugging away at it - little by little each day. Thankfully, the living room and dining room are in better shape now:


The kitchen on the other hand, still needs work. I have a third less storage space in my new kitchen than I did in the previous place.


I don't have a lot of counter space. Many of my baking and cooking things are STILL in boxes. Which means less ambitious cooking for the holiday season on my part. Although, I did manage to make these tasty chocolate coconut snowballs the other day.

Jubilation! My final OCAD course is done and OVER with. I received a final grade - an A! I can now upgrade my existing design diploma to a Bachelors of Design degree. Hip hip hurray!

Christmas is quickly coming up. I have not really decorated the house aside from a few baubles hanging on some branches in the living room. We have decided to not get a tree this year. You know, in an attempt to keep the household expenses down.


I much rather put my money into one of these kitchen islands from Ikea:

And then there is my new-ish job. Did I mention that I found a part time job? Well, I did. It has also been keeping me occupied for a month now. I work for a kitchens and bathrooms retailer as a junior design associate. There is plenty to learn and a LOT of job training involved. I'm enjoying the novelty of the job, learning all about kitchen cabinetry, wood joinery, different surface finishes, faucets, plumbing, kitchen counter tops, bathubs, sinks, toilets, tiles...whew! That is a lot!

Also, in an attempt to get back to designing things in the new year, I have been eager to get my workshop space functional. It's still in disarray. Right now it looks like this:


Speaking of designing, I haven't decided yet if I will stop entirely with jewellery making and switch to designing another product. I was actually thinking of designing housewares and making accessories for the kitchen.

All that being said and done, I think we're ready to take the plunge and get a new pet come Spring. I had talked about it here on my blog. Starting this coming Monday and for the next 2 weeks, I will be cat-sitting for a friend of mine. She has an exotic breed of cat called a 'Cornish Rex' and I am going to be put to the test...having to clean up after another creature besides my husband. Yikes! I have a sensitive gag reflex so the mere sight of animal scat is enough to send me hurling LOL!

Before I sign off, I also need to mention a new addiction that I recently acquired.

It's called Mad Men.

I hope you know what I'm talking about. I wasn't too keen on this show when it first watched it on DVD but now I am finding that I like it more and more. Being a late comer to this show, I am now trying to catch up by viewing the episodes on-line at ctv.ca

I'm really looking forward to the new year. New beginnings. New inspirations. New projects.

A new season of Dexter.
A new season of Mad Men.
And a new season of Weeds!

Perhaps a new flat screen TV too? Right now I watch ALL my TV shows on-line on my 12-inch laptop.

What are you looking forward to in the new year?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Just recently discovered Mad Men too! It's definitely addicting. Caught up with season 1, now watching season 2.

Secret crush on Don Draper...

Another show I love is The Closer with Kyra Sedgwick.

kickpleat said...

oooh, mad men is the best! i just finished season 2 and i can't wait for more. sounds like you are making great strides with your new home...the pictures look great! glad you made the snowballs :)

Joanne said...

kalliope: Yes, Don Draper is cute! He's also an enigma. There is definitely a darker side to him that we have yet to discover :) I haven't heard of 'The Closer' - I should check it out.

kickpleat: There's just so much that I want to do to the house but have been told to take it easy and let inspiration unfold naturally over time.

Yes, I already knew you were a 'Mad Men' fan based on some of your blog posts. I really like making the distinction on how social mores have changed between then and now...i.e. women in the workplace, drinking and driving, smoking during pregnancy, littering in the park, etc.

cserdan said...

the house is coming along!!! your living room looks great. I also think your kitchen has alot of potential. I'm going to have to come to you for kitchen advice if and when we get a new home. Still up in the air!

I've only watched a couple of episodes of mad men and really liked it. It hasn't been on my radar lately but I should rent the dvd to get fully caught up.

Joanne said...

hi C!
I agree that my kitchen has great potential, it's just a matter of finding a) the time and, b) the cashflow LOL!

Sure! I can certainly assist you with product advice and suggestions for your new kitchen :) Kitchen "college" training is coming up in February.

Yup, Mad Men is the new show to get caught up on. They've done a remarkable job in re-creating the 1960s era.

Anonymous said...

Happy Holidays Bijoux! Just added the recipes you asked for to my site, sorry for the delay. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

http://ichkalliope.typepad.com/ich_kalliope/2008/11/on-the-side.html