Appalachian Mojito

This is the first time I have ever blogged from the iPad. Michael took the Mac to Vancouver out of necessity so I am left to be judged by autocorrect. Sometimes super helpful but most of the time not. I also find myself sans streaming video and switching to the web version of everything. I am too much of a luddite to store my photos offsite so this will be a pretty bland week in terms of delicious photos. Perhaps I will cheat and add them later :)


Anyhoo, I recently came across an article in my April 2011 subscription of Style at Home magazine with a mouthwatering recipe that I immediately tore out and instructed the husband to make for me. Fast forward a few days to when we had the actual ingredients and make it he did! Soooooo delicious! A little bourbon, mint, Limonata, sugar and crushed ice felt like heaven after the week we had and it has turned my thoughts to spring. 


The drink itself had some blasé name that I cannot remember and when I dig out the recipe I'll add it along with pics so we have dubbed it the "Appalachian Mojito". Much better. I think I'll go have one now and try to forget how lackluster this post is versus how offing long it took to write. 


Pucker Up from Style at Home : 
Crushed ice, 1 1/2 oz Bourbon, 
1tsp granulated sugar (I also used simple syrup), 
2tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice, 
2 Sprigs Fresh Mint, Pinch Orange Zest, 
3oz San Pellegrino Limonata 
Half fill a tall glass with crushed ice. Pour in bourbon, sugar and lemon juice; add mint and orange zest. Use a muddled or a honey dripper to mash ingredients together to blend. Fill the glass with more crushed ice and top with Limonata. Stir gently before serving.

Ummm...awkward.

So, it was has been a while. A few weeks ago (6 weeks ago to be exact) I received the following message on Facebook from a friend and avid ag.gray.gate reader:

 "it's been 20 days since the last ag.gray.gate post... and 40+ days since the post before that! This trend cannot continue.".


But my absence has persisted. I feel as though I have fallen off the face of the planet. I am not sure exactly how it happened. I had no intention of my new endeavour into the small business realm completely kiboshing this blog. This blog that I love, and that I miss terribly. Truth be told, I would rather write here.


When I bumbled my way back to ag.gray.gate last night I realized I missed a couple important events.

Firstly, the designs I had used from Shabby Blogs was gone. They had sent out numerous messages, helpful hints and finally changed servers. Oops.

Secondly, ag.gray.gate passed the 10, 000 visitor mark. Wow. Thank you. I am humbled...and I am back.

I am excited - I have so much to tell you!

See you tomorrow. xo.

Toby goes for a Ride

Well, that was quite a hiatus! Thank you for all the kind words and support over these past few weeks as I worked, studied and researched. I loved hearing that ag.gray.gate's daily offerings were missed. For those of you who have been waiting...I handed in my completed business plan for the Boomtown Brewing Company last Monday and by Friday I had the news. It was accepted. Yay, for this Mompreneur and for this little family!!!! 2011 is gonna be a BIG year. I am equal parts excited and scared.
Other than me being fully engrossed in the brewing world, it has been life as usual. Since moving to Rossland six months ago my husband Mike commutes quite a bit back to Vancouver. On a good trip he goes to film something, on all the other trips he goes so that there is food on the table. Sometimes he crashes with friends and at other times he sleeps in the Cavallac. When he is able to take Toby (the Chihuahua) with him I am so grateful. Toby, our first baby, gets some serious one on one time with Mike, and I have only three beasts to take care of here at home.

One of Mike's most recent trips was for the explicit purpose of an audition. The audition was at 3pm. It takes roughly 7 and a half hours to get to Vancouver. Afterward, he would turn around and drive back to Rossland. He wore his costume in the car and didn't think to bring a change of clothing. Why would he? The trip was there and back again in 16 hours.

One of the things we have most enjoyed about life here in Rossland is the lack of traffic. Life here is super chill despite Forbes Magazine repeatedly giving us a spot on their top ten ski resort list. In fact, an article was written about our sleepy little town, labelling us the most laid back ski town in North America. Oh, and the Lonely Planet warns visitors about our erratic jaywalkers. Like I said, there is no traffic.

Anyhoo, 7 hours and 25 minutes into Mike's Vancouver trip, he was stopped in traffic two blocks from the studio. Suddenly, Toby begins to panic. Like, PANIC! He runs in tiny panicky circles in Mike's lap, pausing only briefly to put his paws on the window ledge and peer longingly outside, then resuming this frantic cycle. Michael barely has time to process that all three pounds of dog is in the throes of a man sized emergency. He says, "Just a sec Tobes and I'll find a place to pull over". Apparently Michael's reassurance was too little too late, for it was then that Toby placed his paws on the window ledge once more and shat helplessly all down the front of the only outfit Mike had.

Gagging, he found an ever elusive parking spot, and he struggled to figure out how to make this shituation better all the while managing to not strangle Toby. Mike went straight for the washroom inside. He washed out as much as he could which left little time for his still rank clothing to dry. Now he was wet and smelled like poop. Upon entering the audition room he says to the director, "Now, I know what this looks like, but it isn't pee. It's shit...but it's not mine". What an ice breaker.

Somethings Gotta Give...

I have some fantastic news...wait for it...wait for it... I am officially enrolled in the Self-Employment Program here in Rossland (well, Greater Trail I guess)! Now I have kept fairly mum on this whole subject but with this latest development the cat is out of the bag. This is the news we have been waiting for!

Both my husband and myself have long dreamt of owning our own business, we just never knew what that was going to look like. Then just over six months ago, in the few days between putting an offer on a house here in town, but before listing/selling our Vancouver home, we decided to start a brewery in Rossland. Then we packed up our old life in Vancouver and began our new life here.

Here is how the idyllic dream looks: We (me funded through Community Futures and Michael as my unpaid man servant) establish Rossland's first brewery since prohibition put the Le Roi Brewery out of business at the turn of the century. Then we are on our own. We have a smallish store-front, on-site craft-brewing, retail and tasting room on Columbia (Main Street). Our little Company begins to support and sponsor all the fabulous events that the wonderful people of Rossland create, host and attend. Investors come out of the woodwork to throw money at such a fabulous idea enabling us to grow and prosper. We build an entirely green, zero waste, incredibly efficient brewery which truly reflects Rossland and our communal values. We even employ some local farmers to grow our hops which is mutually beneficial. The Brewery garnishes heaps of local support, and because it is easily one of the best beers anyone has tasted word spreads like wildfire and our Brewery becomes a tourist attraction as well. From there it is all up.

Currently I find myself writing, researching and developing a business plan under the tutelage of the Program. Michael is in Vancouver again this week, (hopefully he'll have and audition and book a another part before Christmas!) which means in addition to business planning I am the sole parent here for a week. YAY! Sarcasm, that was sarcasm. Which brings me to the point where I ask your understanding and allegiance. Please bear with me if I miss a day here and there over the next few months, keep coming back - I will not be going anywhere!

Thank you all so much for your love and support, for your readership and comments. Oh, and if you have a half million kicking around, I know just the place for you to invest it :)

Technical Difficulties...

It is Monday and I am feeling overwhelmed and under-researched. We were away all weekend (in the car mostly) and Mike has gone back to Vancouver to work for the next week and a half.

Not usually one to get a case of the Mondays I am finding this day particularly debilitating thus far. I have one baby to the left and one to the right - both are spewing a constant barrage of verbalization at an unreasonable volume, and being especially demanding... about EVERYTHING. I think they need some concentrated attention.

What I am saying is I will be back tomorrow guns blazing and my wits will be functioning at full capacity, so thanks for stopping by and I hope you'll be back in the morning! For now I have an arse to wipe and it is not mine.

Wordless Wednesday - And the Nominee...

...is me!!!!!

So not really a Wordless Wednesday at all, but instead, after my extended weekend I was thrilled to find the following message in my inbox:

"I just wanted to let you know that ag.gray.gate has been nominated in the Best New Weblog, Best Written, and Life categories of the 2010 Canadian Weblog Awards!"


YAY!!!! Great news, right?! How fun! Thank you soooooooooooooo much!

Who Me?

I know that there are a million of these that float around in the Blogging sphere, but I must admit it feels pretty darn special when someone passed one along to me. Because, despite there being a gazillion Blog Awards out there, there are even more blogs that they could be given to. So thank you to Jamie at Avant Garde Parenting for gifting me, whom you have never met, based solely on the content here at ag.gray.gate. I am glad I was able to make you smile!

Here are the 5 blogs that I choose to pass this award forward to:


Jessa@ La Belle Vie : This talented designer, surrounding herself with pretty things on her journey into motherhood, bares soul as she her invites you into her home, her hopes and her dreams.


Leah@ Keepin' it Leal : Also an immensely talented designer is dangerously hysterical puts the best face possible on the "women are funny too" campaign that we are unfortunately fighting (I know that you could never post this award on your blog, but I am giving it to you anyway. You more than deserve it!)


Marzena@ Babies and Bruschetta : This brave Momma, for having the courage to move your family half way around the world and share it all with us!


Wendy@ Give Love Create Happiness : Because you inspired me to write this blog in the first place.


The Ladies of 'R' Town@ 'R' Town Stories & Blogs : A communal blog by the wonderful moms living in community. Thanks for your candour. Keep writing ladies!


Please take a minute to stop by one or all of these fabulous blogs - you will not be disappointed! 


Now, last but not least, I the final part of winning this award is to answer the question: 
If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?


There have been times when I would have been hard pressed to choose just one thing. But I have come to realize the answer is nothing. I would not change a thing. I am my choices. I am my experiences. So yes there is embarrassment, guilt, loss, anger, and (gulp) unforgiveness, but I am still learning. I am the best me I can be. I am the sum of my parts, even the ugly ones - and I am not finished. 


Thank you so very much for being here, I appreciate it more than words can say. Have a wonderful weekend. 

Homage Monday - Brandie Weikle

via parentcentral.ca

Today I have the honour of featuring one of my favourite artists, Brandie Weikle. Brandie is an immensely talented and ambitious writer, the fantastic mother of two young boys, helplessly beautiful,  a gifted painter, foodie, design guru, and brilliant as all get out. Brandie is also my sister, I simply adore her.


In Brandie's own words,"I am an online and print journalist with specialties in parenting and health. Currently I'm the editor of two of the Toronto Star's specialty websites, parentcentral.ca and healthzone.ca. I decided to be a journalist in about grade 10 or 11, after I started writing for my school newspaper. But the very first thing I ever wanted to be when I was a wee girl was "an artist." In high school I discovered that I didn't have the drawing skills for art or architecture as a profession, but I continued to have an aesthetic yearning for the whole paint and canvass experience. I think it runs in the family. As you know my Grandpa Weikle painted landscapes. So did my mom's mom, Edna, who died before I was born. I started buying canvasses and painting them as what I'd call "decor art" about 10 years ago and then in the last few years, started dabbling in abstract landscape and realism, particularly as I became interested in birds.".

Regarding the yellow bird image: Birds are my current favourite thing to draw and paint. I guess it was my interest in birds that interested me in spending time drawing and painting for the first time since childhood. This image is the other kind of multimedia in my life. The branch the bird sits on is created using cutouts from a magazine. The pieces are from a picture of a long full skirt by Coach. The iconic print is kind of deconstructed here and - if you blur your eyes - it kinda mimics the black and white colour contrast of a birch branch.

I selected the colours of this picture so I can hang it next to this landscape, which is painted from a photo I took on a drive from Calgary to Drumheller, on the way to the dinosaur museum, of course! People go all the way to Provence to photograph the sunflowers against the blue sky, but the same colour combination is available right on the Canadian prairies every summer with fields of canola against all that big sky. It was a windy day, and I liked the way the grasses in the ditch were moving in the foreground.

Later, I got the idea to paint a bird cage with the door open, over two canvasses, to hint at the idea that this might have been someone's domesticated canary gone free.
-Brandie Weike

Brandie lives and works in the Greater Toronto area. You can read her insightful and informative online blog at the Toronto Star. 

To Whom It May Concern...

This blog began as an experiment.  I have never been a journal keeper, though I have always had much admiration for those who keep regular thorough account of their lives. My husband maintains the most wonderful travel journals. The last trip Mike and I took together I did make a point of sending the kids a postcard everyday. Almost all of the cards arrived after we returned but it really felt like some sort of accomplishment for me, they catalogued where and when we were and the minutia I surely would have forgotten otherwise. Apparently, for me, being culpable keeps me focused.

Despite my inability to reliably keep a journal, I have always loved to write. My family has imbued me with a legacy of actors, teachers and story tellers. In my youth I wrote prolifically, I have no idea how good it was or not because when I wrote I never kept it. Young and passionate, I wrote very personally, and the thought of someone else reading my stories, plays and poems sent me running script in hand to the bin.

ag.gray.gate is actually my second blog. A few years ago I posted my first and last entry on a blog entitled "The Everygirl". It went a little something like, "Well we'll see how this goes". It didn't. My former Twitter account also mirrored this lack of zest and is now defunct. These two failures hung heavy over me whenever I thought about starting a new blog. A few of my friends had started writing blogs of their own and I wondered if, maybe this time, I could do it too.

A little unexpected and unsolicited encouragement from a family friend set me in the direction. I put the idea of ag.gray.gate (and myself) out there, guns blazing and both feet in, actively telling people that I was writing and risking rejection every time I asked a friend to follow. Amongst fantastic family and friends who follow this blog, I am also blessed with patronage from those whom I have never met. They follow because they support others in this blogging community or better yet simply because ag.gray.gate is an enjoyable read!! Somehow, it never ceases to amaze me that I meet with resistance about reading or following after having known someone for years. It is as though for some it is giving away too much to participate in another's journey toward success. Life lessons I remind myself.

The process of keeping this blog has been full of lessons for me. First: I have really come to love it and 3 months in am taking it quite seriously. Blogging has been a wonderful outlet. When I sit down to write I am disembarking from the mundane while at the same time drawing upon it and focusing in on it in order to find the humour and my gratefulness. I look forward to writing. I keep an idea log in my new moleskin journal just like Hemingway would. I ordered business cards for pete sake! Second: I have slim to no tech prowess so this has been a steep learning curve (despite how relatively easy it has become over the past few years with designers creating forms, tutorials, and free stuff) what with buttons and banners and headers and layering. Third: Albeit not entirely unexpectedly (apparently being a blogger makes me an inherent comment whore) I love hearing what you have to say!

So thank you for all of your love, thank you for your auspcie, and thank you for taking time from your day to escape with me! Until tomorrow...