This Dusty House

This Dusty Bookshelf: The Red Scarf

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

The Red Scarf
By Kate Furnivall

When I picked this novel up, I didn't realize that it was technically classified as a romance. In reality, the plot doesn't give away it's true nature at all. But, as I flipped through the last pages and felt the nausea finally subside, I was reminded why, exactly, I try to avoid romances.

I'm...

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Three Things for Thursday: Attics, Winter Fitness, and Books

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

One: Attic Bedrooms


I have talked about attics on this blog before and I can pretty much say at this point that you're going to hear a lot more about them in the future. If that's not clear enough for you, I'll just say it straight: we are returning to an idea hatched, like, a year ago, that involves a very simple attic...

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Wild Rice Chicken Pot

Authors: Jeanette deBoer


I haven't been doing such a good job of cooking for the past, oh, months and months. If you were to ask what we eat, I'm not sure I'd be able to answer the question. A quick soup with toast. Shepherd's pie. Um. I think I made random thing with quinoa and canned cream of mushroom soup last week? Every night has been a...

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Stay or Go: A Guide to Figuring Your Real Estate Shiz Out

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

Hello friends!

Happy Tuesday! Yesterday was my birthday. As long as I didn't think too hard about the number attached to said birthday, I floated through the day on a cloud of birthday happy and Facebook messages from good friends. Since I'm still kind of floating, I thought I'd settle in and talk a little bit about that...

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On Limbo: How it Sucks but Why it Might Be Important

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

Last night, I spent three hours or so with three crafty women, putting our needles and hot glue guns to work.

Correction: They put their needles and hot glue guns to work. I sat in a rocking chair and untangled two balls of yarn. Super crafty I am indeed!

The host of the evening and a good friend of mine is facing...

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This Dusty Bookshelf: Dear Life by Alice Munro

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

All of Alice Munro's work holds a special place in my heart. I know, that sounds really cheesy, but I'm not sure if there's any other way, really, to express it. I grew up just outside of 'Jubilee'. If you've read Lives of Girls and Women, you'll know Jubilee. Jubilee is modeled, and modeled pretty tightly, after Munro's...

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A doggy sweater for a real winter

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

I consider this our first real winter in Toronto. True, we moved here in 2010, but that year, we were living in a condo building with underground parking and an indoor pathway to the subway. We were completely cushioned from all the affects of snow. Last year, well, we hardly had any snow at all. Finally, this year, we're...

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An Early Three Things for Thursday

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

I know, it's Wednesday! Whatever. Today's Three Things for Thursday is dedicated to the things I should be thinking about, but that I'm not, not really.

One: My Garden



This time last year, I was jumping the gun on my seedlings because I was so excited to plant a garden. This year? Meh. Maybe it's because the end of the...

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Real Estate Doesn't Care That It's Your Dream House

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

If you follow me on Twitter, you already know that we put in an offer on another house last night. We're in kind of a weird place. If you were to ask us if we're officially house hunting, I'm not sure we would say yes. And yet... perhaps we are?

Image of one of our favourite neighbourhoods from Google Maps.

Anyway, this...

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Book Review: Every Day, Every Hour by Nataša Dragnić

Authors: Jeanette deBoer

I bring you this book review today in honour of Valentine's Day. I don't read a lot of romance, or at least, not a lot of romance in the traditional, Harlequin-romance, 50-shades-of-oh-my sense. I know I read one Danielle Steele book once when I was in grade 6 or so and there's plenty of romance in the books I read, but I...

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