June Sponsor Farewell!

If you haven't checked out my June Sponsors yet, now is your chance! Tomorrow, along with a big celebration here in Canada, there will be a whole new sponsor crew.

It is also your last day to enter the June Giveaway! :)

Any big plans for Canada's Birthday?

In the Garden: Planting Gifts (and other catch-up:)

No, I'm not claiming that I am gifted at planting, but I was gifted some lovely plants and have finally found the time to plant them. :)

So my garden is coming along nicely, and soon some of my gifted plants will be blooming, and Then I will be really excited!

I have this morning off, which is wonderful seeing as it is day 10 of 12 straight days working. I enjoyed sleeping in just a little longer, eating a leisurely breakfast, drinking almost an entire pot of tea, and catching up on some blog stuff.

I have to run into town quickly to get a couple things, and I am hoping to finish off this up-cycled shirt I started a couple nights ago. Then a friend of mine is coming over, and I think we are going to cut my hair before going to work.

I hope your day is beautiful where ever you are!

Sliders and Sponsor Call out! :)

Remember I mentioned that we were headed to Orillia to get our new patio furniture (here). Well since we brought it home, and it stopped raining, we have been thoroughly enjoying it!

Last night we enjoyed some sliders! I never really realized why people got so excited about them... Until I ate them. You can dress them so many different ways, and eat them all without getting totally stuffed. And how cute are they!? (In my humble opinion, anything miniature is cute!)

And on a totally separate note. I am still looking for sponsors for July. Sponsor spots are still free. If you are interested in sponsoring Newfoundlander at Heart, please see here or e-mail me for more info!

Thanks lovelies!

Sponsor Spotlight June!

Here are a few of my lovely sponsors for the month of June. Please take a moment to spread some blog love!

 

 Blog : Pinterest

Hi everyone! My name is Sarah and I hail from the perpetually cold and foggy Newfoundland. I am a twenty-something lady with a penchant for crafting and creating! During the day you can spot me meandering through the halls of my university. And when I'm not writing papers, I'm happily writing blog posts! Please stop by and introduce yourself - I like to read as much as like to write! ♥

 Blog : Shop : Twitter : Facebook

i am a creator.  i am a freelance designer, window display coordinator, photographers assistant, jewelry maker and shop owner.

i am a dreamer.  i have always had a wild imagination and try my hardest every day to make all my dreams come true.

i am passionate.  i recently quit my full time office job to pursue all i have ever wanted to do.

 Blog : Shop

 Hi, I am Chrissy the writer of Whimsical Poppysmic the blog and the creator of Whimsical Poppysmic the shop! My family and I moved to the suburbs of Chicago almost 3 years ago from the south of Germany, and it's almost time to go back! Our big move will be in August, so in the midst of preparing the move with our family (the hubs, the kid, the pup, the kitty, me, myself and I and our complete houseold) we are trying to enjoy the last few weeks here in Chicago!

 

Receive 20% the Whimsical Poppysmic Shop with code: BIGMOVE20

Blog : Shop

I consider myself to be a little bit of everything: a writer, a knitter, a sewer, a feltmaker, a bread baker, a gardener, a traveller and a lover of slowing things down.  The Raw Edge is my attempt to put all my passions into one.  The things I make focus mainly on two things: playing outdoors and treading lightly on our planet. When I was 24 I can remember sitting in a tent in the mountains sewing little stuff sacks out of second hand nylon I scrounged from a local shop; I spent endless hours dreaming of one day having a table with a sewing machine...and now ta-da!  I'm living the dream!

 

Aren't they lovely? Go on, hop around and make some new friends!

And, you still have a few days to enter the June Giveaway :)

 

Guest Post: A Beautiful Shower Cake with Caitlin

Did you notice that when I posted this about my shower, there was no photo of a cake? Well this is why: Caitlin is my maid of honour. She has been one of my best friends since 1st year university, she is understanding, fun, organized (good traits for a MoH, don't you think?), and lastly she is an AMAZING baker (sorry for the yelling). I wish you could taste through the screen. When I told her I was getting married I first asked her if she would be my maid of honour, and second if she would bake my wedding cake. Well after the beauty you see below, I can tell you I am super excited about the wedding cake! mmmmmm!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Margot asked me to be her Maid of Honour, I was ecstatic.  One task of the MoH is the wedding shower.  This past weekend we had the shower on a gorgeous day in Margot’s parents’ backyard.  I did a ton of baking to get ready for it but the pièce de résistance was the cake.  I was really proud of it and so in love with the flavour combo.  I did a lemon poppy seed cake with raspberry curd whipped cream filling and a cream cheese lemon frosting.

Lemon Poppy seed Cake (this recipe made two 9x13 layers)

Slightly adapted from Annie's Eats – Lemon Poppy seed Muffins

Ingredients:
For the muffins:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tbsp. poppy seeds
3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
16 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
Zest of 3 lemons
2 tsps. vanilla extract
2 cups yogurt (plain or vanilla)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Prepare pans by lining the bottoms with parchment paper, greasing and flouring all sides.

2. Combine the flour, poppy seeds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.    

3. In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.  Mix in the lemon zest and vanilla extract.  With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients in two additions alternating with the yogurt, beating each addition just until incorporated.

4. Bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes outs clean.

Raspberry Curd Whipped Cream Filling

From Big Fat Baker

3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 oz frozen raspberries (thawed) – or fresh if you can find them!

2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

1/3 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1.  Defrost/heat  raspberries in microwave until juicy.  Slightly mash with a fork. Press the raspberries through a strainer to separate the seeds.  You want about 1/2 a cup of juice.

2.  Using your electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar. Slowly pour in the egg yolks, and mix until everything is combined. 

3.  Add in the fresh raspberry juice, and salt. Mix together then pour into a small saucepan.

4.  Set the burner temperature to low, and melt the butter.

5.  Once the butter is fully melted, slowly increase the temperature to medium while constantly stirring. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the temperature has reached 170º F.

6.  Once the mixture is fully cooked, remove from heat and continue to stir for about 5 minutes while the curd cools. Refrigerate curd to cool completely for at least 2 hours.

7.  Just before putting the cake together, whip about 1 cup whipping cream until it forms stiff peaks.  Fold in curd and spread onto cake.

Lemon Cream Cheese Buttercream

2 8 oz. packages cream cheese

1 cup butter

6 cups sugar (approx) – add it until you’re happy with the flavour

2 tsp vanilla

1 tbsp lemon zest

1 -2 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1.      Whip cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2.      Add some sugar and beat.

3.      Add the vanilla, lemon zest and juice.

4.      Continue to beat together, adding sugar until you are happy with the taste.

I'm not sure why I am so angry at that cake!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Got that? Sure, no trouble at all! See? This is why I asked Caitlin to be my Maid of Honour. I know, I'm spoiled! Have you been over to Cait's blog, Bake What your Momma Gave ya yet? If not you should go. In fact go now, I can wait.
<elevator music>
Pretty incredible! I get sucked in over there at least once a week! And I always swear (but not with bad words) that I am going to make everything she posts - I usually only get to the easy stuff. There are soooo many tasty treats! Anyways, I implore (too strong?) you to check it out.


Also, if you haven't heard there are two giveaways going on at the moment.
Here, and for Canadians only (Sorry) Here

Through my Lens: Canada Day in Newfoundland

Looking for the Giveaway? Scroll down! :)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As we Canadians are gearing up for a National Holiday I thought I would share some shots from one of my most memorable Canada Day experiences:

During the day we hiked over a large hill (small mountain) towards Chimney Cove. What a view! Definitely worth the 4 hour round-trip hike!

  

All of the animals from near-by towns pasture here during the summer.

Not a bad place to summer, if you are a cow, horse or perhaps... me?

The provincial flower: The Pitcher Plant

And in the evening I had the opportunity to watch some fireworks overlooking the bay at Trout River.

 

 

What are you planning for Canada Day?

If you stumbled upon my blog from the Great Canadian Blog Bash, Welcome! For the giveaway I am offering one 5x7 from my Newfoundland Photography section of my shop.

How to Enter:
- You must be Canadian (sorry to all my out of country friends, a rule for the link-up).
- Make a comment below telling me your favourite place in Canada!

Additional Entries (please leave an additional comment for each):
- Follow Newfoundlander at Heart via GFC
- Follow Newfoundlander at Heart on Bloglovin'
- Blog about this Giveaway (please leave the link)
- Tweet this giveaway (please use @NfldratHeart, and comment here)

You have until Friday July 1st, midnight EST to enter. The winner will be drawn on Sunday July 3rd.
Good Luck and Happy Entering!

June Giveaway!

Yay! Today is the beginning of the June Giveaway! 

Two of my lovely sponsors have offered up some goods, and to sweeten the deal I am going to add something to the pot!

Blog : Shop

A sweet handmade cellphone cozy.

Blog : Shop

Your choice of print from the new Scenic Glory Shop! 

Remember these?

Well they turned out so nicely I decided to give them away!

 You know my blog : Shop

Set of 4 reversible veggie placemats!
*Please note, the banana waffles with homemade peach jam are not included ;)

One lucky person will win all of these!

How to Enter:

Visit the Whimsical Poppysmic and Scenic Glory Shops and leave a comment telling me your favourite item/print.

Other Entries 

(please leave a separate comment for each):

1.  Follow Newfoundlander at Heart via GFC.
2. Follow Whimsical Poppysmic via GFC.
3. Follow Scenic Glory via GFC.
4. Blog about this giveaway.
5. Tweet this giveaway (@NfldratHeart)

You have until 12:00am EST  Thursday June 30, 2011 to enter.

Good Luck and Happy Entering!

Interested in being a part of this next month? See here or e-mail me for details :)

In the Garden: Weeds

In any garden, weeds can be a difficult thing to contend with. And as you can see in the photo below, even the small weeds when left unattended can overtake a garden.

source

I find the crucial time for weeding is early, right after you have planted and your seeds have yet to sprout, or when your seedlings are still quite small. Generally at that point in the season you are watering daily in order to germinate the seeds (and checking frequently to see if anything has sprouted!). It is good to spend 15 minutes pulling out weeds, while they are small and have yet to develop a strong root system. Of course you need to continue weeding throughout the growing season... or do you?

source

Some gardeners will let the weeds grow tall, harvest the crop, and turn the weeds under. This can be good for your garden too. The weeds will help the topsoil from eroding, and when they get turned under they will decompose and will provide nutrients for the soil. I will caution you, however, if you are planning on adopting the low maintenance style, then ensure your seeds germinate and become established before you let the weeds grow up and steal the nutrients and block the sunlight from your veggies or other plants.

What are your experiences with weeds and weeding?

For the Love of Friends and Family!

So I mentioned on Saturday that I had a shower to go to. It was at my mother's house in Orillia, and jointly hosted between her and my maid of honour - Caitlin. And I have to say, I had such a lovely time. There were ladies there from all parts of my life - elementary school, high school, university, teachers, sports, music, friends, family. It was was amazing! Everyone went in together to get us some patio furniture, and Reggie and I will be going to pick some out tonight (I will be sure to share what we get).

 

I was a beautiful day! I wore a party dress (something that doesn't happen all that often).

 

I was gifted so many wonderful things, thank goodness Caitlin was there to write them all down for me. And my mom gave me a chocolate rose - that woman knows the way to my heart! xox

 

 

Because I like to bake/cook and garden Caitlin asked everyone to bring a plant from their garden, and a recipe to share. I received more recipes than I could bake in a month, and enough plants to fill all the gardens in my yard (and most are already full). So in-between thank-yous I am going to have to find time for some recipe trials and some gardening!

Also, I took Caitlin to see the Wedding ceremony (photoed above) and reception locations. We had a great time admiring all the flowers and frolicking in the sunshine!

Thank you everyone for such a lovely afternoon!

First Family Fish

So Reggie, Gunner and I went out last night for our first family fishing adventure. We had a busy weekend, so it was nice to relax and watch the sunset across the river.

 

 

 

 

I don't think Reggie actually caught anything. But talked about what we are going to say to each other at our Wedding - we are getting closer to having things organized!