Notes from Nola Noreen!
Looking for some sketchy inspiration?
HOW TO USE THESE NOTES: These notes are dynamic. I’ll post a note and return later to add an additional sketch or a link to another post, as they are completed. It’s almost more of a bulletin board in that regard.
28 Coffee Shop Stops for your Canadian Road Trip!
Planning a cross-Canada road trip? From Fredericton, New Brunswick to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories (and back) the coffee shops you won’t want to miss…and not one of them was a Tim Horton’s. **Apologies to the Tim’s fans. Every good road trip begins with coffee....
How To Dress For A Canadian Winter (To Make Life Simpler)
Simple living in cold weather doesn’t mean you avoid the snow and the cold. In fact, you can’t avoid it. There will inevitably be snow to shovel and it is probably going to be you out there shoveling it! In addition, nothing brings on the winter blues like holing up...
6 BIG Reasons To Simplify Your Life in 2025 (Because Things Have Gotten Crazy!)
It’s 2025 and it feels like the world has gone crazy. I have never been more grateful than I am right now that I lead a simple life. For many, the appeal of simple living has never been stronger. This article explores why 2025 is the perfect time to embrace a simpler...
Cedar Cafe (Coffee Shop Review)
Cedar CafeRATING: 5/5Coffee shop reviews by Nola Noreen!Roses for LunchSweetie is (finally) starting to work on his retirement plans. We took a drive to Cornhill Nursery in search of grape vines. However, upon arrival the first signage we see is for the "Cedar...
The Landing Fredericton (Coffee Shop Review)
The Landing FrederictonRATING: 5/5Coffee shop reviews by Nola Noreen!Our Most Visited Coffee ShopThe Landing is what Sweetie and I consider our "local" coffee shop even though it's a 30 minute drive to get there. We're rural. Everything is a 30 minute drive! I think...
10 Reasons You Should Convert Your Van For Camping!
Vinny VAN Gogh at KOA in New Mexico, USAMy daughter wrote off my 2009 Honda Civic in 2022. I couldn’t even get upset because I had told myself that when it was time to replace my car, I was getting a van that I could convert for wild camping. What a grand opportunity...
How To Convert A Dodge Caravan For Camping
I get asked a lot about Vinny Van Gogh, my 2012 Dodge Caravan that has been converted for camping. Vinny has taken us from East Coast Canada to New Mexico, USA and everywhere in between. People love to come up to us and ask where we are from. The next questions are...
A Message To My Graduate (And All Of Us) About Daring To Do Life Differently
My graduate, ready to take on the world!I recently attended my youngest daughter’s university graduation ceremony. It put me in a reflective mood. Have you ever looked back on life and wondered where and when things start to get complicated? At what point do our...
How To Organize A Tiny Kitchen: Use 6 Zones Every Kitchen Has (Even Yours!)
A year ago, I gave up a huge Victorian kitchen to move into a cottage permanently. The photo above is my new tiny kitchen (sans appliances) AND my dining room AND my living room. The combined floor space for the living room, dining room, and kitchen in the cottage is...