Buy Canadian First - Your destination for good shopping

What are you doing January 30, 2010? I sure hope the answer is TIM HORTONS HOCKEY DAY IN CANADA ! Oops I didn't mean to shout, I am simply very excited! This is the event's 10th year and is hosted in Stratford Ontario at the historic William Allman Memorial Arena . A 13-and-a-half hour extravaganza with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry on hand for the whole event including a triple header with all 6 Canadian teams.

"This day shows our love of hockey in Canada," Cherry said. "I don't think there's any other place in the world that can do this with any other sport. You people are just going to love me when I do Shakespeare (impersonation) during the broadcast. I'm going to be dressed like Henry VIII -- I look dynamite.

"The thing I enjoy most is seeing the look on kids' faces; it's like Christmas -- that's the biggest thing for me."

Host Ron MacLean is thrilled to be a part of the festivities, something he sees is becoming a family affair and the event itself has grown beyond his expectations.

"You really notice around the country that people are setting aside these 13 1/2 hours to celebrate the day and that's one of the features we love," MacLean said. "And to think, we were fearful at the get-go that we would gag ourselves with syrup when we came up with this idea (10 years ago), but it's proven to be just the opposite. We love the game and it shows through HDIC. The smiles will be nationwide. We didn't believe we could do it, but it's just gotten better."

Town of Stratford

Festivities begin January 26th in Stratford Ontario with the CBC TV event commencing at Noon January 30th. There are 6 satellite locations in St John's, Nfld., Ottawa, Gimli, Man., Estevan, Sask., Auburn Bay, Alta. and Victoria, B.C.

Canadians will be able to enjoy a host of community events taking place across the country during Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada:

St John's, Nfld. (Satellite Location) - P.J. Stock and Rob Zamuner will be on hand with the NHLPA Goals & Dreams fund to donate 50 complete sets of hockey equipment to young, underprivileged hockey players.

Ottawa, Ont. (Satellite Location) - CBC News' Evan Solomon will brave the elements to host the Senators' alumni team shinny game on the famed Rideau Canal.

Gimli, Man. (Satellite Location) - CBC's Mitch Peacock will be rink side covering all the action from the Gimli Minor Hockey Pee Wee Tournament

Estevan, Sask. (Satellite Location) - Karin Larsen follows the Estevan Atom and Novice girls hockey tournament being played over the weekend.

Auburn Bay, Alta. (Satellite Location) - Scott Oake and Kelly Hrudey report live from a local 3-on-3 tournament on the lake of a relatively new community trying to forge a sense of community through hockey.

Victoria, B.C. (Satellite Location) - Scott Russell hosts from the Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play-On 4th annual National Championships, as 30 teams compete for the Redwood Cup and the title of "Canada's Greatest Street Hockey Players".

Since this is the Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada you will need the proper beverage to begin your day. Start January 30th with a great cup of coffee perked by the Canadian-made Tim Hortons Home Coffee Brewer by Bunn! As for coffee, it just doesn't get better than that, except for 13 and a half hours of hockey on CBC!

Saturday, Jan. 30:

12 noon ET Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada on CBC: Celebrating the Game
2 p.m. ET CBC's Hockey Night in Canada: Montreal at Ottawa
5 p.m. ET Tim Hortons Hockey Day in Canada on CBC: Celebrating the Game
6:30 p.m. ET CBC'S Hockey Night in Canada: Scotiabank Hockey Tonight
7 p.m. ET CBC'S Hockey Night in Canada: Vancouver at Toronto
10 p.m. ET CBC'S Hockey Night in Canada: Edmonton at Calgary
1 a.m. ET CBC'S Hockey Night in Canada: After Hours

Will YOU be watching?

Image sources: William Allman Memorial Arena, CBC, BuyCanadianFirst.ca

One of my favourite moments and joys in life are when there's a chill outside, but the sun is beaming and you just know that if it wasn't for the cold front, it would otherwise be a hot day. The sun is warming your face when the gusts of wind subside, yet your nose and fingertips stay cold. A day like that, whether it's winter or early spring, is a day when I love to be outside. Dressed warmly, walking alone, or with my boyfriend, or my dog (or both) and I'm in no hurry to get anywhere fast. All I do is walk, appreciate the moment and enjoy the now rare sight of a perfectly blue sky and the feeling of the bright sun's heat while sipping on some home brewed coffee that I made just for the outing. My senses are heightened on days like that. Suddenly, the sound of crushing snow underfoot is amplified, colours seem brighter and sharper and my taste buds are just loving the hot coffee as it goes down my throat. It's like it's the bestest cup of coffee I ever had in my life. Every time.

I don’t drink a lot of coffee. Typically one cup a day, yet as I get ready to go out on days like the one I just described, having my travel mug filled with my own hot brew sweetened with Quebec maple syrup, that warms me with every sip, brings comfort to me. It fits with my mood and my plan of the perfect afternoon I’m about to embark on.

I was once one of those suckers people who spent almost $5 on a medium latté every week day. I truly did love the taste, which made the price tolerable in my mind but eventually, common sense kicked-in and I stopped that terrible daily habit cold. Instead, I invested in a French press (like a Bodum) and a coffee bean grinder (got both for about $30, but sadly neither are made here. Never found either made in Canada).

Even if you buy premium organic and free trade coffee beans, which I think in this day and age everyone should, it still only ends up costing about $1 per coffee. You can’t argue with that, right? My all-time favourite brand of coffee is Kicking Horse Coffee (isn’t that a cool name?). They’re a Canadian company that imports only organic fair trade beans and roast them to perfection, at their plant in Invermere, BC. They have been a around since 1998 but only recently have they gotten a broader distribution. You can now buy Kicking Horse Coffee in the organic section of your supermarket, in most Shoppers Drug Marts’ - Pharmaprix in Quebec, or you can stock-up from their website here. My blend of choice these days is their Three Sisters, which is a medium roast, but they have other blends that are just as delicious with equally cool names like: 454 Horse Power, Cliff Hanger Espresso, Kick Ass and Hoodoo Jo, to name a few.

If you come across Kicking Horse products at the supermarket, give them a try. If you don’t have a grinder, remember that you could always use the grinder right there in the coffee isle and reseal your bag. There is nothing like the taste of coffee when the beans are freshly ground!

Image sources: Flickr Creative Commons, KickingHorse.com

Author: Melissa Thibodeau

Both are not far from where I live...just under two hours make both destinations perfect day trips with the DH. Believe me, there are plenty of things at both places that he can enjoy too! Along with cool gardening equipment and tools, Lee Valley also carries hardware, books, toys and supplies for woodworkers, artists and crafters. You will get absolutely absorbed in any of their catalogues online , but don't forgo the joy of getting one in the mail either! They are beautifully photographed and the product descriptions are wonderful. Lee Valley is a family-owned business based in Ottawa and serving Canadian woodworkers, gardeners and crafters since 1978.

 

Richters Herbs, another fabulous family-owned business around since 1969, specializes in, need I say it? Not just any herbs either. EVERY herb is more like it! Like Lee Valley, Richters' catalogue, online and off, is gorgeous and an education in itself. The pictures only hint, though, at the reality of the plants. If you can, you must go to their green houses, for these are plants that must be inhaled and caressed to be fully appreciated! You can also find the most extraordinary vegetables there. They even have a great shop where you can indulge in all sorts of awesome herb paraphenalia. They also have free workshops from Spring until Autumn.

 

So do not bemoan the climate, my frozen friends. You know you can't beat it but you can use it to your own advantage! It won't be that long before the groundhog sticks his nose out of his burrow for a sniff at the air. You will be ready for it with your garden plans drawn up, your wish lists alphabetized and your gardening gloves hanging at your belt! Think of it! Before you know it, you will be exchanging your snow shovel for a garden spade! And I know just where you can buy one!

Image sources: Lee Valley, Richters Herbs

"Colour is my day long obsession, joy and torment!" said Monet. I know just what he meant! I adore colour and use it as a major component in my design work. Because of this, every January, I wait eagerly to be informed of Pantone's annual Colour of the Year announcement!

Pantone is acknowledged world-wide for having developed a language of colour that is universally understood. To designers, crafters and artisans, this language is an invaluable aide in communicating exact tones, shades and hues. A common colour language is necessary when one realizes how colour affects mood, productivity levels…even rates of healing in hospital wards! What is this year's colour? I won’t make you wait any longer! Pantone’s colour of the year for 2010 is......Pantone 15-5519 Turquoise !  

Beautiful turquoise! Immediately I think of the ocean and white sand beaches. The colour, not quite blue, not quite green, definitely NOT teal, soothes and energizes at the same time! I love how turquoise goes with so many other colours, too. This gorgeous, versatile beach dress from COVER ME World is a perfect example of the colour. Wouldn’t it look great on a winter getaway next to some turquoise Caribbean ocean? (I would settle for even a turquoise bottomed heated pool at a hotel!) 

In reality, I won’t be going anywhere too warm, too soon, so these fantastic turquoise moccasin slippers from  Canadian Outfooters, are really a more appropriate thing for me to want right now! I’ve never seen these kind of shoes in this colour and they look so bright and appealing! The red and white bead detailing makes the combination happy and full of energy. Just what you need to slip on your feet when you come home on a cold winter’s day!

Art is another way to bring turquoise into the house to be enjoyed and experienced. This exquisite tapestry by Cheticamp artist Yvette Muise predominates with turquoise and blues, complemented by rich tones of purple and pink, green and yellow and would look wonderful in my living room…but then the rest of the house would have to be brought up to its standard!

Perhaps I will start small with a card with turquoise tones. These cards from Everything Eco Enterprises are by designer Kal Barteski and printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and seed-embedded paper. You can plant them in the garden!

What do you wish you had in turquoise? A coffee maker? A sweater? A necklace or gloves? A car!? Luckily, all these things - and many, many more - will be available, graced by Pantone's 2010's Colour of the Year! Make a resolution to try it!

Image sources: Pantone, BuyCanadianFirst.ca