4.26.2011

tuesday links

 I love seeing pictures of other bloggers' homes. So here's part of my kitchen! (Yes, that was while the boys were away. I bought myself some tulips and kept a table cloth on the table the whole time.)

I have a bazillion great links to share!

These clean white spaces totally hit my happy sensor today.

A new-to-me blog: Root Cellars Rock! From Newfoundland. Get it? Rock? All kinds of homesteady Atlantic goodness.

The value of art for kids. Great stuff.

Rotating toys and books so kids enjoy what they have.

A soap sliver saver scrubber tutorial.


The Happiest Mom. Love it!

A plantable seed paper tutorial. Fun, fun, fun!

This is looking like a pretty tasty meal.

Speaking of tasty, isn't this a gorgeous breakfast?

Continuing on with tasty, these spicy kale chips sound divine.

New blog! New blog! A gardening one, from some of my favourite blogging ladies.

Found another new blog that is gorgeous. GORgeous.

Hope you're having a nice, quiet evening. Good night!

4.24.2011

hoppy easter and a tip

 I was kind of a lazy Easter bunny this year, and had no firm plans of what we would do to celebrate until 6:00 this morning. (The Easter bunny had delivered a book to each boy overnight, but that was it.) I (thankfully) read The Artful Parent's post about colouring hot, boiled eggs with crayons soon after I got up with T. The heat from the egg melts the wax as you colour, resulting in beautiful, easy, not-nearly-as-messy-as-dye-which-I-am-slightly-afraid-of, lovely eggs. She then dips them in dye, and with gorgeous results, but we skipped that step.




 Then the eggs can be easily peeled and eaten. I picked up those sweet little nest bowls a few years ago on clearance at the Superstore. I have three, and love, love, love them.

Things I love about this project:
1) no waste - we ate some of the eggs for breakfast and the others are in the fridge
2) no messy dye - today was one of those days that P and dye would have equaled a disaster
3) no supplies required that we didn't already have
4) beautiful, vibrant results

One tricky thing was that when the eggs were hot enough for the crayons to melt really well, they were really too hot to hold. (Did you see my lovely ceramic egg holder? It's for when I have my hens and a perpetual supply of eggs.) When they cooled a bit, the wax didn't go on quite as smoothly. Other tips: regular Crayola crayons (we had some fresh new ones with sharp tips) worked the best; the thick Crayola ones for little hands didn't seem to melt as well.
One last tip for all of you who love glass jars, as I (ahem, yes, I have a problem) do.  I have seen these plastic lids on several blogs (Food In Jars is AMAZING!) lately used on standard and wide-mouth canning jars. Not used for the canning process, of course, but for freezer jams, and storage of pantry items. I asked one blogger about them, and she said that they're made by Ball in the US. Anyway, after a bit of digging, I found out that Bernardin (the Canadian equivalent of Ball) makes them as well. I hadn't seen them in person, but decided to look when I was at Canadian Tire a few weeks ago (so much more than tires, for you non-Canuks!) and they had them! I bought almost all of the ones they had left, since almost all of my pantry staples are stored in them, and they're much nicer as lids for lotions, honey, and the like, when your hands might be goopy, or they're in the shower. LOVE.
I have some cookbook reading to do! Kitchen Express is amazing and written exactly as I would write a cookbook, and I want to spend some time cuddled up with it. The Family Dinner was a birthday gift, and I borrowed Feeding the Whole Family, both from Ingrid. The cover illustration is by Nikki McClure!

Hope you had a lovely weekend!

4.22.2011

happy earth day

Happy Earth Day. Of course, every day should be Earth Day, and all of that. But today was gorgeous. The first sunny day in a long time, and it was welcomed with open arms.
And so were my boys - they finally came home yesterday after the ferry they were taking finally resumed service. I'm very glad to have them back. I'm also very glad to have the card reader and camera back.

For Earth Day, Phillip and I went for a little walk around our neighbourhood with a garbage bag, and made things a little bit tidier. Of course we had clothes on the line, and we also spent a good part of the day outside, raking up the yard, playing, and planting our first seeds of the season! Adam took this picture of our work in progress. P doesn't like to get his hands dirty.
And here's a trick that I think I came up with the first year that we set up these beds. Neighbourhood cats are keen on using freshly fluffed soil as an al fresco toilet experience. Which I loathe.  After planting the seeds, I take some of the recently thinned (thanks, Adam!) raspberry canes (ours happen to be thornless, which is amazing) and lay them all across the beds with the freshly planted seeds. Light, water, and air can circulate freely, but cats are deterred by the canes. Score one for the vegetables!

Can someone identify this weed? It tastes pretty good, kind of bright and fresh, but I don't know what it is. I'm just wondering if it can be safely eaten in larger quantities than I dared to. Don't worry, I didn't feed it to anyone else. And I'm fine.
So, happy Earth Day. I hope that you were able to spend some time outdoors as well! How did you celebrate?

4.18.2011

score (another) one for the chicken lady!


A little bit of the chicken story's background: I approached a Town Councillor in December, asking about having backyard hens in town, and whether or not that was covered by any existing by-laws. The matter was brought to Council in February by the Councillor, then it went to the Planning Advisory Committee, the meeting of which I attended a few weeks ago, and tonight was the public participation meeting at which the public can present whatever information they choose. At the last meeting, several members of the PAC voiced their complete opposition to having hens in town, but it was agreed to have a public participation meeting, which is what took place tonight. And here's what I said:

"Good evening,

My name is Sherrie Graham, and I am the town resident who made the initial inquiry about keeping backyard hens within town limits.

While I agree with many of the proposed draft amendments in the February 28 report, I disagree with the reasons listed for which the town should refuse to allow hens within town limits.

There are five key concerns listed in the report along with the recommended refusal, and I would like to briefly address these.

1.    Rodents: The primary situation in which rodents would be attracted to a coop would be if chicken feed was stored or left in the open.  If hens’ food source is kept in an impermeable container, rodents will not be able to access it. If coops are required to be built in such a way that they are raised up off of the ground, rodents will not live under them. There are already rodents in the Town, yes, but permitting backyard hens would not increase their numbers at such as rate as to significantly increase the total population. As far as the Town’s proximity to the water, backyard hens are successfully permitted in many waterfront cities, namely Victoria, BC and New York City.

 2.    / 3. Chicken waste / health effects: With a small limit on the number of hens permitted on a given property, which I fully support, the waste matter from 3 or 4 hens would not be of such a volume that during cleaning of the coop, it becoming airborne would drift to nearly the extent that open burning would. Those two situations aren’t really comparable.

Yes, some residents of the Town are allergic to dust, feathers, and certain smells, but the hens would be kept in an outside coop and run in open air at a regulated distance from other residences. This combined with proper care and regular cleaning would reduce any adverse health effects on neighbours to virtually none. As stated in the the ‘Residential Urban Chicken Keeping” paper attached to the Town Planner’s report, “Chicken keeping alone does not cause the nuisances listed above [noise, smells, etc.], but rather they result from improper care and maintenance which can sometimes occur.”

It is also stated in the article that ‘4 to 6 birds can provide enough eggs for a family and does not highly increase the potential for nuisances’.

4.      Disposal of chickens: The concern listed in the report says “There is a high rate of overturn associated with chicken egg production.” That is true in the case of industrial chicken farming, but in a backyard context, hens are often kept for several years, as opposed to several months in industrial settings. Requiring the slaughter of chickens to be off-site, even at a provincially inspected abattoir, would be a reasonable recommendation.

The concern is also stated that “Chickens are also noisy causing noise pollution that will impact the quiet enjoyment of adjacent and nearby properties.”
Roosters are, in fact, noisy. Hens, however, are not. They are certainly no more noisy than a neighbour’s dog or children.

5.      Enforcement of such provisions: Portland, Maine is described in the article attached to the Town Planner’s report as having pro-chicken regulations on a 1-year trial basis, with a set number of permits issued until the yearly re-evaluation. Given the concerns raised in the recommendation to refuse the proposed changes, this appears to be a reasonable way to ascertain in practical terms if the concerns would be validated.

After visiting hens on other properties, online research, and reading the ‘Residential Urban Chicken Keeping’ article attached to the Town Planner’s report and its conclusion that “cities can allow citizens the right to keep chickens while also addressing the concerns of other stakeholder groups” I am convinced that the Town of Yarmouth could be a place where urban hens could be successfully permitted.

Thank you for your time."

Two wonderful things happened:
1. The recommendation went forward for the matter to be brought to Council, meaning that my little talk and that of another resident drastically changed the minds of several members of the committee. The general thought around the table was that having some sort of trial basis to see if those issues would, in fact, be issues, would be the best route. The way to go about that, given the structure of the Town's by-laws and such, is one thing that Council will need to look at.
and
2. The whole discussion was so very civil, kind, respectful, thoughtful, and progressive. Everyone was looking for ways to make this work and to talk about it. That was enough to make me love my town even more; one of the committee members wanted to chat with me afterward - it was just lovely. So I am going to bed happy. And feeling all civic-dutily proud.

Of course, I'll keep you posted on what happens at the next meeting on May 12!

4.17.2011

lucky lady


Mwah! That's (a blurry) me. I am indeed a lucky lady. A very lucky lady. I have had the whole weekend to myself. The whole thing. If I read that on someone else's blog, I would be seriously envious. "A whole weekend? Think of the things I could do!" And do you know what I've done, for the most part? Missed them. And cleaned. And had tea. And missed them some more. And cleaned some more. And made more tea. I made some soap and lotion, but I haven't felt particularly crafty. Went to the market yesterday (and had my first local greens this season, yay!) and visited a bit today. All in all, a lovely time. But I miss them! And I'm realizing that really, they're my motivation for getting things done. Why bother making cheese if there's no little hands to help make it? No hurry to vacuum the floor once it's cleaned up if the threat of toys piling up isn't imminent.

As soon as they left, though, I bought some tulips and put a tablecloth on the table. It is still clean, and is still on the table. That's kind of nice.



I did manage to find some pussy willows! They're so lovely.




I don't think I'm a particularly girly-girl. I am terribly practical when it comes to most things. But I do wear a bit of makeup, pretty much every single day. Not much - most days I just wear mascara, eyeliner, and a bit of blush. Some days, some mineral makeup, and a bit of concealer. I found a new lipstick a few weeks ago that I love. Not drying at all, and it lasts. I came across Lisa Eldridge's site this weekend, and I am smitten. Not only does she sound like Kiera Knightley, but she is down-to-earth and is willing to be seen with no makeup, and 'spots'! Her site is full of video tutorials for various makeup techniques, and I've learned a tonne of stuff. I also love that she's a professional and does makeup for covers of Vogue and Glamour (i.e. she knows what she's talking about), but also recommends store brands and using what you already have. I heard Maria Menounos on the radio this week, and she suggested that one of the best time investments that can be made is to take a little while to watch video tutorials for makeup techniques. You know what? I think she's right - you get to enjoy the benefits every day. And it's fun. So there you go!

A light and fluffy note on which to end your weekend. Hope it was a good one!

4.15.2011

friday finds

It won't be long before the apple blossoms are, well, blossoming! I've had a busy week (what else is new?)  and am happy to be looking forward to some quiet time spent catching up on my favourite blogs this weekend. It seems like everyone starts to get really busy at this time of year. I'm judging that by the number of community notices posted on the bulletin board at my office. And by the number of unread items in my Reader feed.

So, on to an assortment of things that have caught my attention this week.

My new running mantra: No matter how slow you go, you're still lapping everyone on the couch. I say that not because I want to feel better than anyone else, but because it reminds me that I'm actually doing something. Yay! I'll never look like her; I'm just not built that way. And although she's beautiful, that's fine with me.

Pssst. Have a look at this. It's true!




It's definitely worth taking twenty minutes to watch this (and I don't usually say that.) So mark this post as unread if you need to, and come back later, when you have the time. If only to feel like you're in a conference room with those nice water glasses with fresh ice in them and those cushy chairs with the rounded back and brushed bronze finish. Really, though - it's about vulnerability and how it relates to happiness and feeling fulfilled. Great stuff.

Look at these. Yes, it's worth clicking through. The prettiest, sweetest-looking treat.

This looks like it would be a potatoey hit in our house. Easy, and pretty, too!

Need to make a giant pom-pom? Or two?

I'm not a doctor, nor a scientist, nor a researcher. Nor a conspiracy theorist, for that matter. I do have a lot of sense, though. And I think that fats like butter have been made out to be evil, probably for the most part by companies standing to make gobs of money selling margarine. And I think that diets in general and reducing foods to their components is a bad thing. I'm with Michael Pollan. All of that to say, here are some thoughts on fats. (I don't use lard, but butter and olive oil are the other, less-mentioned permanent residents of our home. Incidentally, they're also pretty much the only ones that A can digest.)

A super-comprehensive post with links to recipes for making all kinds of kitchen staples for yourself. I'm going to really dig into that one tonight.

Love this kitchen sink. Modern, clean, and farmhousey. And those backsplash tiles are gorgeous.

I have some minimal Easter decorating that I want to accomplish this weekend. It involves ditch-searching for pussy willows. I saw some on the highway last weekend, but it's too far to drive just to find them. I have another spot to look, and I think I'll head there after supper.

I am lucky enough to have some time to myself this weekend, and I have a long list of things I'm hoping to tackle. But I'm also trying to convince myself that I don't need to spend every minute 'doing'. Which is so hard for me to do! (Or not to do, I guess.) I have 29 (just thought of something else - 30!) things on my list, and most of them have more than one component. Let's be realistic, Sherrie.

I hope that you have a fulfilling, relaxing, happy weekend.

4.11.2011

mayflower monday and brooklyn homesteader

We went to visit some friends yesterday, and D was sweet enough to suggest that we look for mayflowers. And also sweet enough to send me home with a bag full! I couldn't be happier. Mayflowers are the provincial flower of Nova Scotia, and I think that they are perfection. If you've never smelled them, they have a soft floral scent, but not in a heady, overpowering way. They're the first wild flowers to be found around here, and when I was a kid, my sister and I would go with my dad to pick them. I remember spreading them out all over the kitchen floor, gathering them into little bundles and delivering them to neighbours.

I'm doing some guest posting over at Brooklyn Homesteader for the next little while, and I'm jumping in with my Meyer Lemon Vanilla Jelly recipe. Pop on over and have a peek! Megan's best known for her bees (she's writing a book on beekeeping) and her blog has tons of info on all things homesteading.

Happy Monday!

4.09.2011

the sweetest thing(s)


Of course with that post title, I have this song in my head. This stunning as-local-as-is-possible maple syrup was a very sweet (small pun intended) gift! (Thank you soooo much, T!) I am terribly impressed that she and her husband tapped 275 trees - I saw the buckets several weeks ago when driving for work, and wondered who was tapping them! (That's the kind of place this is - chances are high that I either knew them or was related to them.) I was even going to blog a picture of the buckets then, but didn't have my camera with me. This whole event makes my insides smile. Not only because I ended up with a gorgeous bottle of maple syrup that I can't wait to try, but the thought of people just making amazing things because they want to thrills me. And to share it! Sigh.
I made some yogourt yesterday. Strained it a wee bit too long, and it is thick.Yum. 
I have a budding gardener on my hands.

Run update: How's everyone making out? Week 1's done, and I've completed three runs! I know you hear it all of the time, but really and truly, if I can do this, anyone can. And I mean anyone. And if you decide to start, let me know, and I will be your biggest cheerleader. It hasn't been nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, and I find that if I pay attention to whatever is difficult, pop my collar and own it, it helps. Tonight, I was feeling it in my legs, but my lungs weren't complaining, which was really nice. The best and most wonderful thing that has made it go so easily is the Get Running app. Best $1.99 I've spent in a long time! And certainly the most healthy. You can have your music or podcasts playing in the background, while the app runs and a lovely (Australian?) voice gently tells you what to do. She sounds quite lovely, and you can hear her smiling when you're almost done. I love the story of how I found out about it - I donated blood earlier in the week, and was chatting it up with Cindy, who was doing the collecting. (I didn't feel a thing - it was great.) It seems that we have a lot in common (crafty, make-y things) and she's a runner. She started a year ago with this app, and recommended it. A HUGE thank you, Cindy!

More music! Abby recommended The Magnetic Fields. I started to listen to some of their songs on YouTube while doing some office work, and had to stop because it was so distracting. Love, love, love.

Violet jelly. P likes to eat violets in the yard, just because he can. I might have to wrestle him for some in order to make jelly. It is SO pretty.
It was a perfect day to hang diapers on the line. I kind of love this picture.

Easter / spring ideas - au naturale (no, I do not mean in the nude). LOVE some of these suggestions. I think P would especially like having his own beeswax candle to light at meal times. The things he's most interested in are the ones he isn't allowed to play with - I think that teaching him how to safely light, watch, and blow out a candle is pretty important. And he'll be so proud to do it himself. Right up there with pouring his own drinks, something we're also working on.

I received a kitchen torch as a birthday gift (thanks, sister!), and I used it this morning! And here's what I'm did! (She also gave me tomato paste in a tube! I used some today. Love it.)

 Adam roasted some mini marshmallows on a skewer.
I think I need one of these. (This is my husband, after all.)

Someday when I'm feeling supremely ambitious, I might keep bees.

Whew! I feel like this post is an accurate rendering of how my mind works. A little nutty and all-over-the-place. Hope you had a lovely Saturday!

Susan's Cranberry Cake





See the beautiful light in the picture? I took it after 7pm! I love these longer days. This is a delicious, simple, quick cake. Just my style. The recipe was given to me by a friend (hi, CL!) and it's her friend's recipe. And it is soooo good. It's also a great way to use up those cranberries sitting in your freezer. P and I (and Adam, too) had a hankering for something sweet last night, so P helped me put it together.
I'm eating a piece with a cup of tea as I sit in a quiet house while T sleeps. Must type quickly.

Susan's Cranberry Cake
(Try not to drink the sauce. It's amazing.)

Cake:
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk (I used skim; certainly not because I was trying to make this healthy. Wait until you see the sauce!)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups cranberries (I tossed them right in, frozen)

Preheat oven to 325. Cream sugar and butter. Mix in egg. Add milk and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and add to liquid. Fold in cranberries, and spread batter in greased 9x9 baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, until cake tester comes out clean. (It took mine about 1 hr 15; I think I might try baking it at 350 next time.)

Sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream

Bring to a boil and serve warm over cake.

Enjoy your weekend!

*Edited to add: Sorry again if this appeared several times in your feed. Anyone have tips for blogging and resizing images using the iPad? And Photogene? I haven't spent a long time trying to figure it out yet, and my success (or lack thereof) reflects it. I end up just coming back to the laptop to do the pictures my usual way. Any tips would be great!

4.05.2011

cluck cluck


It's almost bedtime, and I'm tuckered out. But I wanted to pop in and say hi to all of you.

As you may know, I've been making inquiries about legally keeping backyard hens here in my beautiful town. It's not looking too promising at this point, but I attended a meeting this evening where it was decided that the issue will proceed to a public meeting in a month. On the flip side of that, we went to see a house today that was very interesting. And since it's outside of town limits, I could have my hens. And a couple of goats, too. On three acres (give or take) going back to the ocean. With a barn. And this stove. No, that's not a joke.  I know. And for a reasonable price. I'll keep you posted.
 
Found a new-to-me blog... and I'm getting the sense we have a lot in common.

Am looking forward to spending some more time browsing over here...

Some straightforward thoughts on jealousy.

Drying citrus in the oven.

A perfect way to make preschoolers very, very happy.

Just ordered a copy of this cookbook for myself (using a gift card bought with Air Miles, yay!) after borrowing it from the library. It's written exactly as I interpret every other cookbook, and how I would write one. Love it!

And one last thing for you parents - for the next three weeks, including this one, there is a free conference called Feed Play Love that you can virtually attend (i.e. you can listen online) featuring all kinds of great parenting experts. Dr. Christine Carter is one of them; I've mentioned her work and podcast before. It's free, and you can listen to each session for 48 hours after it's taken place. Did I mention that it's free? I'm hoping to get some more listening done this week - there are all kinds of great topics. Definitely check it out.

Hope your week is going well!

4.03.2011

blarter and other goodies

blarter widget
I just wanted to pop in and tell you crafty, make-y blogger types out there about something that I think is fantastic. The lovely, sweet and crafty Molly of A Foothill Home Companion came up with a great idea and ran with it. That's what I love to see - someone who not only has a terrific idea, but follows through with it.

Blarter is an online community of bloggers who barter, and it couldn't be much simpler. E-mail Molly with what you have to offer and what you would like in return. It gets posted, and anyone who is interested e-mails you directly. I've been looking for another Spring scarf, so I offered up soap in return, and someone contacted me almost immediately. Yay! I love the internet. Thanks to Molly for both coming up with the idea, and for allowing us all to benefit! Pop on over and have a peek.

A few other things that caught my eye recently:

Importance of play!

Love Rachel's dinnertime post. Am definitely keeping my eyes peeled for an unbreakable pitcher for P to start pouring his own water.

I want to do EVERYTHING. And there are supplies for it all here.

Hope you had a great weekend!

4.02.2011

my goal and the giveaway winner!

Thank you all so much for your sweet birthday comments. They really, truly made my day about 58% lovelier than it would have been otherwise. Even just knowing that someone bothers to pop by here and read all of my blathering on - it makes me all warm and fuzzy. (I had three in-person "I read your blog!" encounters this week. LOVE it!) Thank you!

Some of the suggestions offered for things to tackle in my 30th year were to take up the banjo, or dive into fibre arts of some kind. Hide tanning was one of the more notable suggestions, and Teresa, I'll let you know when I find a safe way to do it. Tanya, I hope that your forsythia branches are cut and sitting in water. In no time, they will be gorgeous! Amber, if a banjo fell from the sky, I would jump right in there with you guys. I want to see a video of you playing! Al, I think there is much exploring to be done, and I already have plans for later this month. Lauren, a year of relaxing does sound kind of appealing, too. I might last for a week or two, but then I think I would get antsy. All of these are wonderful suggestions! I can't do everything at once. I would love to try all of these things (and more!) tomorrow, but that's just not going to happen. I need to pace myself, and hopefully I'll have a lovely, long life to tackle all of the new things there are to learn. Joanne, your suggestion of taking up running is going to be the one I tackle. (It's also one that I've been thinking about for awhile and fits perfectly with where I am right now.)

That cute little guy carrying the stool is extremely persistent, and he's my inspiration. He will try, and try, and try again. He's now walking very well and doesn't do this often anymore, but when he was learning, he would slide that stool along in front of him as he walked across the floor. After a lot of practice, when he would run into something, he would pick the stool up, look pleased as punch, carefully put it down again, and keep going. And it took him a lot of practicing to get to that point. He's like that with everything - he will not give up.

Several years ago I ran for awhile, and it felt SO good. I do plenty of things to make our food and home as healthy as possible, but I do very little to exercise this body that's taking me through life. Adam told me the kicker today, as heard on Quirks and Quarks: the jist is that in a study, regular exercise resulted in participants scoring 15 - 20% higher on cognitive functioning tests. That is significant! And of course, there are many other benefits as well. So with a healthy heart and smarter brain as goals, I'm going to start on a walk / run buildup-to-5k. And then we'll see what happens after I reach 5k again.

Who's with me?

Oh, and the winner!

The authoritative random number generator chose number 12, so Genevieve is the birthday giveaway winner! Genevieve, please send me an e-mail (grahamsherrie (at) yahoo (dot) com) with your mailing address, and I'll put some lovelies in the mail this week for you! I'm so glad that you came out of lurkerdom!

CSN review - Cusinart cordless electric kettle

I am now the proud owner of the cutest tea kettle on the block, the Cusinart Cordless Electric Tea Kettle (in chrome!). I was contacted awhile back by CSN stores, asking if I was interested in doing a product review. Since we were in the market for a new kettle, I gladly obliged. And I'm so glad that I did!

Our former kettle was plastic, and you may know that I'm not plastic's biggest fan. Especially when it comes to heating water for consumption in it. I was looking for something metal, preferably cute, with a large capacity, and efficient. This kettle fit the bill perfectly. We've been using it for a little while now, and I couldn't be much happier with it.

This kettle has a round base, so it doesn't matter which way you set the kettle down; it will be connected. Our former kettle had to be set down one particular way, which was a bit of a bother. Other things I love about the kettle: it boils water quickly and quietly, and it has a larger capacity than our old one. It also has a cool-touch base, so you can set it down on any surface, even when it's hot. The handle is perfectly designed for pouring without having to tip it so far forward that your hand ends up in the steam (also a problem with our old one), and it's easy to fill at the sink. It has a safety-shut off, and an indicator light on the switch to let you know when the kettle is on. Lastly, but certainly not leastly, it is CUTE! It also doubles as a fantastic (if slightly disfiguring) mirror.

The only feature that I wish this kettle had is a little glass window so I could see how much water is inside. And a little tiny maid to polish it whenever it's splattered on.

The verdict: I'm very happy with my new kettle, and I have nothing but positive things to say about CSN Stores' service - the kettle was shipped faster than expected, and arrived in perfect condition. So if you're unable to find something locally, I would absolutely recommend CSN Stores. And if you're looking for a new kettle, this one is fabulous.

Have a great weekend!