Finding Kenard: My Favorite Things (at the moment)

Taking a cue from my fabulous cousin Ricky (check out his blog here) I've been inspired to blog about a few things that I absolutely love and cannot live without and a few things that I love and wish I could incorporate into my life more!

1. Cooking & Baking - I LOVE anything to do with creating food. I never used to and was actually quite afraid of cooking but once I moved out on my own and had to fend for myself a whole new side of me emerged; this new me had a yearning to learn anything I could on techniques and flavors and recipes. I would spend hours watching the Food Network and trying to duplicate the tasty dishes that the pro's were serving up, I would scour the Food Network website daily for ideas of what to make with what I had on hand, I spend my extra pocket change on cook books and would read them cover to cover like a novel!

Becuase of this love I have a few things that are my kitchen must haves:

A good quality chefs knife (and sharpener)

Fresh herbs & spices

Good cookware

Cookbooks

My favorite cookbook is actually a beautiful collaboration of my Grandmothers (handwritten) recipes that were put together for me as a gift from my Mom and Auntie for Christmas. It is my most cherished item in my whole house!

2. Tea - I used to be addicted to coffee and would drink up to one pot a day (and that would consist of my liquid intake, shame on me for not drinking water!) But after getting pregnant and eliminating caffeine from my diet completely for those 9 months I couldn't bring myself to drink it like I did previously and replaced my habit with tea. I've always loved tea and it has always reminded me of my Grandma & Grandpa 'Nick' as it tea was always followed with every meal so before it was always a sort of comfort for me to have a cup. Now I start and end every day with a cup of tea. I love most kinds but my favorite is Chamomile, I bought the most wonderful loose leaf chamomile tea from the Farmers Market a few years ago and sadly have never came across it since! I do enjoy the chamomile citrus tea from Mighty Leaf (below).

3. Camping - there is something about spending a whole weekend (or longer) living mostly outdoors that I just love! It is so refreshing to take a break from the daily routine and shut off the cell phone and spend some quality time with your friends and family. We go every long weekend of the year and any other time we can fit it in, I really do look forward to those times the most and it's no doubt my favorite thing about summer!

4. Yoga - there was a time when me and mom had a routine of going to yoga 2 or more times a week together and I have to say I have never felt better in my life! We went to Hot Yoga in Calgary and the combination of the poses and the heat of the room were amazing. Unfortunately, and for some reason I don't recall, we stopped going and returned to our lazy un-motivated state and we often sit and reminisce about it and one of us will throw out a 'we should go next week' but so far next week hasn't arrived...

5. Painting - I am no Van Gough but I do enjoy painting with acrylics. I am however a perfectionist when it comes to my work which creates one problem and I am also impatient which creates another, I tend to start projects and don't finish them because these two contributing factors.

A few years ago I started a painting for my mom that was supposed to be her Christmas gift - it never got finished. And I do admit it was turning out pretty good but as I was in the process of painting the birch trees I got frustrated and quit because they weren't - in my opinion - good enough and I 'didn't want to give my mother a piece of S#!T' for her present...

Anyways I would love to get back into this hobby!

6. Reading - I have always loved reading, I will read anything and be content with it from cook books, magazines, novels, poems, you name it! There are times where I fall behind and don't pick up a book for a few months and then other times where I devour a book in a matter of days! Fortunately my Mother in Law has a love for reading as well and we have begun to trade books as we finish them which has helped me keep up. I recently finished reading Envy by Sandra Brown which was very intriguing!

7. Lulu Lemon - Maybe it's being a Mom, or maybe I'm just using that as an excuse to be lazy but I practically LIVE in my Lulu Lemon pants!! They are by far the most comfortable and wonderful pants in the entire world and I think everyone should own a pair! I am also lusting after one of their hoodies so I can complete my ensemble!

8. Crafts/Scrapbooking - I started scrapbooking after Aiden was born and I really enjoyed it. I decided it would be a more personal way to create a Baby Book for him. Also for our wedding I decided I wanted to make our invitations and programs myself and I was quite pleased as to how they came out as well - I definitely don't give myself enough time to do this more often (as the Baby Book hasn't been touched since 2008) but I am hoping to get into it again and finish off at least what I've started for Aiden!

9. Wine - I won't say that I am a connesuir or anywhere close to that status but I do love my vino. It adds the perfect touch to dinner or desserts and there are different kinds for every occassion/dish that you could imagine! We have a wonderful family member who makes home made wine that is not only delicious but dangerous (we are after all from Saskatchewan - we know a thing or about strong beverages) and I do have a favorite that I was introduced to at a previous company luncheon - Ripassa. It is a wonderful red wine with rich berry notes, vanilla and hazelnut scents with a hint of oak. (Plus it is at a great pricepoint of around only $20 per bottle)