Written by : Julie Cove

Oh my word!  I am losing my mind I think some days.  I should have been drinking an almond milk latte from Fresh Cup Roastery when I wrote the last post  to perk up my brain a little!  I made an ooops on the date.  It should be Friday, May 28th for the Feed The Soul Cd Release Event at the Mary Winspear- see poster here. So, if you thought you couldn’t make it on the Saturday, now you can on the Friday!

While I have you here, I thought I might as well share something pretty with you–would you like that on this very windy day?  These are a few photos from the gorgeous tulips that Ingrid and I enjoyed at Butchart Gardens one evening last week.  I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.  There were still plenty that looked ready to open so they may be just right now for viewing if you thought you might venture there this long weekend.

I hope you have a lovely week.

Julie

Written by : Julie Cove

I can’t believe that it has been a year since we launched our product line with Maxwell & Williams.  Time flies when you find a great dish line, hey!

Don’t you love Maxwell & Williams dishes?  We sure do!

The selection of items that they produce is mind boggling.  You haven’t seen the half of it if you haven’t peeked at the Maxwell & Williams website right here. We can order most any thing but if it is not something we stock we ask that you take the minimum quantity that we need to order.  This number is determined by the catalogue details that we have in the store so just give us a buzz and we can work it out for you.

To honour all of you Maxwell & Williams fans we have a special offer for 1 week only.

Get 15% of your purchase back

in Gift Cards when you buy Maxwell & Williams dishes.

Redeem your gift card with your next purchase on anything in our store or on more Maxwell & Williams dishes–your choice!

NOW  Thru  Thursday, May 27th

If you are not a fan yet you might want to check out these affordable lovely white dishes that are sold open stock in a myriad of designs to please and complement your daily recipes or your special entertaining menus.  I chose the coup below for it’s large plain surface and our family loves using these new fresh super white dishes.  Food looks even yummier on it too–bonus for the chef!

Thank you to all Maxwell & Williams fans for supporting us this past year.  Because of you we have grown–we offer you the largest Maxwell & Williams collection in Victoria!  If we don’t have your favourite items,  we’ll get them for you!

Last year when I wrote about these dishes I featured the coffee cups and at the same time I hinted at Jim from Fresh Cup to carry almond milk for dairy free Lattes.  He took the hint, brought in the product and he still serves it.  Yeh!  Thanx Jim!  I guess I buy enough of them to keep the almond milk on the shelf!!  They are honestly quite delicious–if you haven’t tasted one yet for a change, be sure to ask.  For some reason there isn’t an obvious sign (unless I missed it)  but he does have it hiding back there!

Jim and his gang are preparing madly and selling tickets for their up coming launch of the 2nd volume of Feed the Soul, a music CD called “Second Helping” that has stemmed from his successful Thursday night live music events featuring local talent.  The drive behind this project is the Sidney Lions Food Bank.  Jim is passionate about contributing and supporting the local food bank and has been very successful in doing so with the last CD.  At The House Dressing we too have focused on the needs of the local community and share a passion for contributing like we did with our Decorating Contest this past December.  We gladly support Jim in his efforts to make a difference by sharing this event with you.

If you are looking for some fantastic musical entertainment for a good cause this event at the Mary Winspear Centre on Saturday, May 29th Friday, May 28th is sure to deliver.  Tickets are $45 and include a CD ($15 value), an Appetizer Buffet and over 2.5 hours of Live Music!  With a variety of 20 Musicians performing there will be no shortage of energy.  Tickets are available at Fresh Cup on Beacon Ave or in Saanichton.

Get your tickets before this event sells out like it did last time!

Have a great week and we hope to see you in the dish department!

Julie

Written by : Julie Cove

Life is full of wonderful people that we meet and some of them make the world a better place.  They live life to the fullest and embrace the people in their lives with love and sincerity. Peter Shewring was one of these kinds of people and if you were lucky enough to have met him or better yet, get to know him well, you were blessed.  He was a wonderful man and I was very fortunate to have enjoyed many wonderful times with him and his family over the last 19 years.  His daughter Leslie, her sister Diane and their mother Akiko all worked with me for 3-6 years when I first opened The House Dressing Company.  Peter and his family were instant friends and kindred spirits.

Peter left us by surprise on March 20th.  He is looking down on us I am sure.  My 4 year old daughter just said the other night, as she sat on my lap, ” I see Peter”  and I said “where sweetheart?” thinking she was seeing things in the dark, she said, “he’s that really bright star right up there mommy, he’s watching us”.  It brought a tear to my eye. We miss him dearly and it’s hard to say goodbye.  She’s comforted knowing that he is twinkling over us and so am I.

This Saturday, May 1st, we will celebrate Peter’s life with his family and friends.  He would have wanted us to gather and make merry in his honour.  If you would like to join in you are welcomed by his family.

This aviation inspired event will be held at 3pm in the Shell Hanger, Victoria Airport, 101-1962 Canso Road, North Saanich.

They look forward to seeing you there and if you have any questions please email Dan at: dansheehan@me.com

Here is a lovely quote that I think we all strive to achieve and to which Peter certainly did.  I miss you Peter.

xo Julie

To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better
whether by a healthy child, a garden patch,
or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because
you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Written by : Julie Cove

This month is a great time to think about some new possibilities for your furniture needs.  Slip covers are on Sale starting Monday April 112th with many choices of washable fabrics.  What I love the most about these is the easy care and the ability to have a 2nd cover to swap mid year if I wish- a bit of a luxury but really, it will double the life of your slip covers!!  Can’t argue here!  You can check out the myriad of styles available right here at Rowe Furniture. The girls love helping with fabric choices so bring your decorating swatches or your memory and they can assist you with selecting the right fabric for you.  Take the fabric samples home and make sure you love them and we’ll do the rest.  Ohhhh and I almost forgot- we decided to include upholstered furniture styles in the sale too!

Oh, and the last major detail is…. You can also get a free $100 gift card for our store during the sale when you purchase furniture by paying for your order in full upon ordering- don’t you love free stuff?  Let the girls know you wish to do this and they will charge up a card to be used for your next purchase.  Just think you can choose some great new accessories to go with your new furniture purchase!

We look forward to seeing you in the store soon especially if you need a new furniture!

Happy Sunday,

Julie

ps- Today, Sunday is the last day for our “buy one accessory and get the 2nd one half price”.  We are open 11-5 today:)

pss- one more day to leave a comment on the blog here and enter for a chance to win 1lb of Fresh Cup Roastery Coffee Beans

Written by : Julie Cove

Hope you had a lovely holiday weekend!  The weather was a bit tricky, wasn’t it?  We were up at our cottage without power for a number of hours, thank goodness for the wood stove and my hubby’s continuous efforts to stoke it.  We even had snow– the mountains and tree tops were white capped!  It’s supposed to be April for heavens sake!  Crazy hey!  All in all, it was a treat to escape and snuggle by the fire, play games and drink tea!  How was your weekend?

Birthdays are so fun especially when it’s mine-Hee!  I like making it last, like spreading lunches with friends or spa days with a girlfriend long after the actual day- a good excuse to pamper thyself I think!  What’s your favourite thing to do on your birthday? Do you drag it out a little like me?

One of my gifts was a new lens for my camera from my family that I have been eying for some time.  It is a 50mm f1.4 lens with greater light gathering capabilities than my stock lens so I was trying it out inside and took this snap shot above for you!  I love how nice and light the photo is without the use of a flash even though it was a dull rainy day outside- you would never know.  And the tulips–soooo pretty.  I picked up the vintage embroidered table cloth & vase at a lovely antique shop in Duncan called Belongings on Lois Lane. My sis and I poked around in Duncan on my special day–what a treat since I hardly take the time. Boy oh boy, there are some cute shops that I didn’t know were there.  You must take the time and wander thru the downtown core, you’ll be pleasantly surprised like I was.  We were also thrilled to find a country market going on right around Lois Lane that is on every Saturday, rain or shine!

I wanted to remind you that our “Coffee and a Shopping Spree” promo is on until this Sunday, April 11th.  By leaving Ingrid or myself a comment anywhere on our blog before Sunday you will be entered to win a pound of coffee from Jim at Fresh Cup Roastery.  Nothing like a nice weeks supply of fresh locally roasted coffee if you win!

Below is the promo once again in case you missed it!  Buy one accessory, get the 2nd one 1/2 price!

Have a great week, lets hope the sunshine visits again:)

Julie