Sandy Lee Style: August 2011

31.8.11

kiss me till your drunk and I'll show you...

I am loving this song right now! It could be because I am in the middle of reading Life by Keith Richards and think Jagger is a cool cat, or because I am a huge Maroon 5 Fan. Either way I did a lot of car dancing to this tune from Ontario to Nova Scotia!

driving calms

30.8.11

Strawberry Daiquiri Jam

Strawberry Daiquiri Jam
2-1/4 Cups Crushed Strawberries
3/4 Cup Drained juice-packed crushed pineapple
2/3 Cup Freshly squeezed lime juice (use REAL limes, not the stuff from a jar)
1/2 Cup Rum
6 Cups granulated Sugar
1/2 tsp unsalted butter
1 pouch (3 oz) liquid pectin

TIPS:
For a uniform texture, cut strawberries into pieces before gently crushing them with a potato or vegetable masher.
For 2-1/4 cups crushed strawberries, you’ll need about 2 lbs or 5 Cups of strawberries.

1. Prepare canning and jar lids and bring water in the canning bath to a boil.
2. In an 8-quart stainless steel pot, combine strawberries, pineapple, lime juice and rum. Gradually stir in sugar and butter. Bring to a boil over medium hear, stirring constantly until sugar is completely dissolved.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin. Return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1 minute.
4. Remove pot from heat and skim off any foam. Let jam cool in the pot for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving a 1/4 inch head space. Remove any air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and thread with a clean, damp paper towel. Center hot lids on jars and screw on bands until fingertip tight.
6. Place jars in canner, making sure they are covered by at least an inch of water. Cover and bring to a gentle boil, process 4-oz jars and 8-oz jars for 10 minutes; process 1-pint jars for 15 minutes
7. Remove jars from canner and place on a cloth towel. Let cool for 24 hours, then check seals. Wash and dry jars and store in a cool, dry, dark location.

Source

I made two batches of this lovely jam:) One the same as the recipe above, and one I substituted a half a cup of bananas for a half a cup of strawberries in to make Strawberry Banana Daiquiri Jam. They both turned out lovely!!! I can't wait to give them away to my friends and family:) and of course have some for my breakfast! Who says you can't have strawberry daiquiris for breakfast?!?

Images taken by SandyLee

help yourself

I love this idea! I should start something like this...

29.8.11

Ashram Life

View from my tent

My leaky tent that I stayed in for two weeks

A present from a friend! I could only have a piece a day...

Daily Chant

AM Satsang in the Yoga Hall

An example of supper one day

Yoga platform

Ganesha

Yoga Hall

Daily Schedule (mandatory)

5:30 am: Wake up
6:00 am: Satsang (or Silent Walk)
8:00 am: Yoga class
10:00 am: Brunch
10:45 am: Karma Yoga (selfless service)
12:00 pm: Optional activity (e.g. coaching class, walk or seasonal activity)
2:00 pm: Lecture, activity or free time
4:00 pm: Yoga class
6:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm in summer: Satsang
10:00 pm: Lights off

Here are a few pictures and my daily schedule from the Ashram I was staying at near Montreal. I did 4 hours of asana class everyday! It was insane! I learned so much from the two weeks I was there but I don't know if I could do it again for that length of time, it was so long and really hard to keep up! I will be writing more about my experience and the Ganesha Fire ceremony on my Yoga blog in the next few days if you would like to learn more!

Something to think about....

27.8.11

I'm Back:)

I took this while driving... Welcome to Nova Scotia:)

I have finally returned to my home after my road trip! I have so many pictures and stories to share with you! I had many new experiences including my first earthquake, being part of a parade downtown Toronto, being stalked by a clown in Montreal, getting a hotties number on the 403, and of course my first experience at an ashram to name a few! I will try to post as much as I can in the next little while to keep you updated.

I also just found out that I am heading to Newfoundland for a week in September with my family! I am super excited because Newfoundland is the only province I have never been to! So that leaves the Northwest Territories and Nunavut left of my exploration of Canada!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend my Lovelies! I will be busy unpacking, organizing and hopefully fitting in some blogging here and there! As well as preparing for a hurricane... yes that's right, I get to experience an earthquake and a hurricane in the same week! Lucky me;)

25.8.11

Best ice cream EVER!!!

Montreal, Quebec

24.8.11

Being stalked by a clown...

How have your Summers been going my Lovelies? I have been having an amazing Summer! The two weeks at the Ashram were eye opening to say the least! 2 weeks of 4 hours of yoga a day was insane! I ended up injuring my neck the day before I left while doing shoulder stand... but I should have assumed there was going to be an injury with that much yoga!!! I will write a post later about that adventure! There is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo much to share!

Montreal was super fun! My friend Simon flew in from NS to hangout with me for 3 days:) We ate and we ate and we ate and we ate! We also took a few pictures that I will upload once I get a chance:) Have you ever eaten at a Raw Food resturant?

After Montreal I got the chance to have a short stop in Ottawa for about 15h to see my friends who are moving to Belgium at the end of the month. This is their beautiful daughter Taylor!!! I also got to see China in the fireworks competition! I have never seen fireworks like that before, they were so beautiful!

I am now in Guelph, Ontario, after surviving my first road trip on the 401! That highway is a GONG SHOW! I think I was going less than 50km most of the way here because the traffic is so insane and there is a car crash every few exits. Which left heaps of time to listen to fun music and car dance:) I really missed doing that when I didn't drive for two weeks while at the Ashram. I will be staying here for 2 weeks then back to Ottawa for my friends going away party/Taylor's birthday party! Soooo very exciting:) While here I will be staying with my friend Jess and her wee one Hunter, and visiting a few other fun friends! I do have access to the internet so I will be uploading some 3'oclock photos and perhaps a few blog posts here and there!

Hope you are enjoying your summer as much as I am my lovelies! I would love to hear what you are up to!!!