Another recommendation

Apparently when I find something new and awesome I like to share it with people...I'm sure you're not surprised! I appreciate when people recommend good things or places so here I am sharing some of my new favorite things. I've even set up a label for these "good ideas", you will notice a list of them on the left hand of the page.

Today's good thing is candles! Specifically Hartmont candles, made by a woman from Carman MB using all Canadian products and sold at The Forks. I came across the Hartmont Candle Company shop 2 weeks ago and have returned 3 times since then. At first I thought it was just a franchise owned by someone far away and mass produced in a factory. But after some investigating I found out that no, these candles were not produced in a factory but right in Manitoba. The scents are delicious and not "fakey" and the candles burn wonderfully.

My family is getting pretty tired of me going on and on about them (I can just see Nathalie and Annie Rose reading this post and rolling their eyes!) but it is exciting to see a small business (that started in a home) thrive and produce such a good product!

My latest purchases were a lemon meringue candle, a cinnamon heart candle, and an irish cream candle!

I also picked up on of the lip balms, paraben free and in crazy flavors (pizza and bacon!?!?). I am usually a plain ol' peppermint Burt's Bees lip balm girl but I have changed alliances now! Not only are they yummy flavors (I wasn't so adventurous as to get the pizza flavor but I did get the pumpkin cheesecake!) but they feel great on your lips.

You can find Hartmont Candles on the main floor of Johnson's Terminal at The Forks. I highly recommend going...you can't been natural, Manitoba made products!

Check out the website.

Have any of you readers heard of Hartmont Candles before?

A recommendation

For the past 6 years I have cooked Christmas dinner for my family, you can tell how far I've come by looking back at my stress level during past Christmas dinners! I am happy to say that 2011's was the smoothest and least tiring of all six years. I had great help this year from Zach and Stacey and was able to stay awake past 8:30!

I usually try do something else other than the classic turkey, my Granny has that meal down and I don't want to mess with delicious perfection, so we do turkey for Christmas Eve and something else for Christmas Day. This year Zach sourced us out some local pork from a farm in Springstein Manitoba. They raise berkshire pigs, which are a heritage breed and are prized for their flavor and tenderness. So we ordered 4 pork butts to roast on Christmas day...best decision ever. It was so darn good!

My parents raised us mostly vegetarian, except for our own chickens and occasionally my Grandpa's beef, and even when we began eating more of it we never really ate pork. Well, that is about to change! Last week I went back to the Zinn Farms website and ordered a family pack (a mixture of a bunch of their pork products) to try them out. Within a few days it was delivered right to my door! It pretty much made my day...

I highly recommend ordering your pork (they also sell chickens, goats, and rabbits) from the Zinn family. Not only is it delicious but you are also supporting a small family farm.

Happy Pigs = Nutritious and delicious pork = Happy Me (or you!)