AND so it goes …

My intention was always to come back to this Blog!
But alas, life intervenes…

New blogging about to happen on all things design in Home Decor over at: Studio West Designs (aka “the DAY job”) – stay tuned this year for tips on re-decorating your home as I take on our own cluttered mess this year. I’m also working on multiple Interior Design projects (including 3 Penthouses) coming up, so all I learn and see, as well as shops visited in town and on travels (San Fransisco, Vancouver, Paris, Seattle, Portland this year) will be passed on!

New business! My partner, Cindy, and I are into our second year of Joue Design, a Home Decor company based on a combination of our own artwork and textiles. It’s looking like a crazy year ahead already and we’re SO excited to be finalizing our SP/SU line in the next few weeks!! Don’t forget to sign on with your email to receive early sneak peeks of our new line, as well as VIP-only Sale Codes. Our blog can be found on our website, or at Joue Design Blog, and touches on all things design-related. We’re constantly being influenced by everything we see and do.

New – and old – businesses have brought us to journal all the ups and downs of being a startup over at our Shoestring Moguls blog. It’s a light-hearted commentary about starting a new business where we fess up on all the good, bad and ugly. And we also fess up to how much wine may be being consumed in the process…

With grown girls and new homeschool reporting for the boys, The Kent Chronicles and Tt’s (Boo’s) Adventures are no longer running. In their place, Tt (now almost 11) has started his own blog, the Junior Food Dude. He seriously loves his food, and this was a great tool for getting a lazy boy to actually write stuff! He’ll even be posting from Greece this Spring on what new foods he finds, and will definitely document the big Truffle Dinner we’re doing for his #11 Birthday.

AND, being the crazy person I am, a few more things are also in the works for this year, so stay tuned!
Great to still see so many followers here on Kent Chronicles, even after all these absent years 🙂

XO Alison

P.S. While you’re browsing, don’t miss my Joue-partner Cindy’s new blogs, the Vancouverite Blog about all things local and her online vintage shop Handsome + the Duck!

 

Adieu

A day I knew all along must come, is here.

I bid the bloggy world GOODBYE! I’m pleased with myself to be writing my 198th post! And, although I still have 30 or 40 “post ideas” written in my little journal, the time has come to put my energy into other things. Like sleep ;).

I’ll miss all you bloggy friends out there! I’ve enjoyed watching more and more people come by to visit in my “stats” log. I’m happy to have gotten to know some new people through this blog with continued email chats, and I hope to continue those relationships.

I’d end it all with a photo, but I can’t even muster the energy for that today – sorry! lol.

Anyhow, I’m off to water my tomatoes, wish my daughters well on exams, feed the boys breakfast and get outside, dig into some great devotionals, meet with friends and – gasp – perhaps even start a book!

Peace!
Alison Kent, aka Momma.

p.s. For the heck’of’it, I posted the rest of my poems below ;).

Lovin’ Vancouver! Our favorite places : the Secret Garden

It’s a restaurant, it’s a shop, it’s a destination, it’s an event – the Secret Garden!

Every year for the past 5 or so years, I have taken the girls to the Secret Garden for “start of summer” lunch. Well, ok, I’ll admit we go a lot more often than that… But we love it! It’s quaint, it’s pretty, it’s YUMMY. What more do we gals need??

They do serve “high tea”, which you MUST rsvp for. It’s a real treat, but don’t let those tiny little sandwhiches deceive you – it’s filling. We have never – ever – finished the entire thing. We generally order breakfast : french toasted croissants or apple pancakes; lunch : shrimp salad on croissant with roasted tomato soup; or demi-high tea : a smaller sampling, also very filling, of the yummy tiny creations.

Yum.

The tea is a pleasure, too. Lots of great flavors, although I must say I always order the same thing. I’m a real creature of habit – either vanilla or strawberry rooibos. Hmmmmm. It comes in your own individual little pot and they refill your hot water frequently.

Their wall of teas – you can go sniff ’em out before you order your flavor. Or take some to go, like I did – Buckingham Palace and Secret Garden teas. Hmmm.

My favorite part?? THE SHOPPING, of course! Throughout the middle of the store and the cash area (of course) are alllll kinds of cute little things TO BUY! Especially handy if you know or have any wee girls, but I always seem to find something pour moi. Oui!

We were stuffed and had to take our desserts to go. The puffy thing w the gooseberry on top is TO DIE FOR YUMMY! Well, maybe not, but it’s super super yummy.

Definately one of our absolute favorite places in Vancouver.
To get in on a weekend, you almost have to make a reservation or JUST happen to hit it between high tea sittings. They only take rsvp’s for high tea, so you  may as well just make one and have high tea ;-). Oh, the sacrifices.

Enjoy!

tuesdays for tea 09.06.02

Another tuesday, another chat over tea!

I had THE MOST incredible experience last night – I just have to share. It was amazing! It was… SLEEP! I fell asleep on the couch around 8:30pm and woke up just before 6am, and I DIDN’T WAKE UP IN BETWEEN!! I woke up feeling like I had actually slept! Amazing. Hubby asked if I felt “all better” after one night. Uh, not. But it’s a start. Now I just need about 2 more weeks of the same (please, Boo, please!!) and I’d be a whole new woman.

Otherwise, I’m dreading the passing of the next 12 days. The last 12 days of my eldest daughter just being home. *sigh*. I have special dinners out planned – nowhere fancy, just our faves – for our final two wednesday eve’s, and we have a big dinner event planned on our last Sunday before she’s gone for volleyball this and that for most of the first half of the summer, and again most of the last half of summer. Then she’s GONE! On res, studying, busy, working hard, living away, playing big vball games. Gone. *sigh*. I’m dreading it. MANY a photo will be taken over the next 12 days.

But, otherwise, I’m excited for summer because this is the first summer I can remember in a long time where we’re mostly at home! In my yard, picking tomatoes! Going on local outings to you-pick strawberries, aquabus adventures, afternoons at Granville Island followed by evenings cooking, BBQ’s, beaches, etc. I’ve heard it’s going to be a hot, sunny summer here, rather than our usual chilly rain until mid-July. Wonderful. I love to be home. Where do you love most to be?

Have a happy, sunny Tuesday.
I’m off to water my tow-maters.

Ahhhh, BBQ season!

May has been a gorgeous month for Vancouver, and we’ve been taking FULL advantage of it!
We have to – it usually goes back to crap and cold for June and even the first half of July… Ahhhh, Vancouver.

We’ve been hard at work on the backyard and getting everything pretty and ready.

This weekend the weather man had promised SUN and temperature in the 20’s, so we set up to host three big BBQ’s! Add friends and the odd glass of wine to eating outdoors?? BLISS.

The first BBQ was my Mom/Dad/Nana. Reeee-laxing.

Next up was A’s entire vball team – and parents – for an end-of-year celebration. Not so much on the relaxing, but a lot of fun.

Then we capped it off with good friends we hadn’t seen in awhile.

Who needs anything more in life.
Aaahhhhhh.

tuesdays for tea 09.05.26

We’re drinking a Cream Earl Grey today – ahhhh. With just a touch of added vanilla – ahhhhh. But I have been trying to drink more lattes lately, so I can have the used coffee grounds for my garden!

Things are GROWING! Yesterday someone came and measured our old window down in “the hot house” so we can get new, safer, tempered glass. It’s in direct line of back-yard play, which means it WILL get hit, and inevitably break. I also went out and bought 12 new TOMATOES to put in there! I bought “goldens”, “zebras”, “millions” and “romas”, all in different starter sizes. Am I the only one out there that gets this excited about tomatoes?!?

I also bought some small onions and shallots for our planter boxes that weren’t doing anything anyhow. We’ll see how they do, but at $3.00 per bag of bulbs, I may as well just buy ’em at the grocery. I do want to try my own garlic next year though…

Hubby and kids being tired of travelling, I got to take B down to her Seattle/Bellevue vball tournament over the weekend! My Mom/Dad/Nana came along and we did all the shops along the way. I was PRETTY GOOD, until we hit Banana Republic at Bellevue Mall. I-ya. I cannot resist that store! THEN I went for the first time ever into a Crate & Barrel. OHMYGOSH I love that store!!!!!! Kitchen supplies up the ying-yang! And affordable! Well, not for me right now, but in general AFFORDABLE! I’m sure everyone on the planet already knew that store, but I’d always assumed it was like Pier 1, which I don’t care for, so I never went in. Like I need another favorite place to shop.

Well, better get breaky going. Gotta take Tt to an Astronomy field trip today! How cool is that?? He still talks about making his movies (and commercials, and…), so we HAVE to get on that. Boo was up about 30mins last night with what I think were night terrors. FUN. Def have to turn off the TV more.

Over and out, bloggy buddies.