I'm a wife to an amazing man, mom to a tuxedo cat and I'm rapidly approaching 30. Now afternoon naps are replacing late nights out, brunches are replacing early morning breakfasts, and yoga pants are replacing tight jeans. This is my niche, a place to document our memories.
1 - Friday night started off with celebrating my uncles last day of work after nineteen years, before he relocates and starts his own business. After that, Justin and I went for supper with my parents, which involved a lovely bottle of wine.
2 - And deep fried pickles. Yum!
3 - My niece Mackenzie was two months old on Sunday.
4 - A Caesar from Justin's and my patio date Sunday afternoon. It was amazing!
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Dear beginning of today, how were you so much better than the second half of the day! Dearglass of wine tonight, please do just the trick. Dear friends, although no plans are set in stone, let's have a blast this weekend! Dear date night err Sunday lunch, Justin - let's have fun! Dear food, be tasty!!
It seems this past weekend was the start of summer, the start of something fabulous, and the start of a new life. Last week I celebrated achieving my goal weight, and let lose a little bit this weekend. I relaxed, had a few drinks, ate way too much, and enjoyed life a little bit more than I have been lately. I finally feel like a butterfly, after being a cocooned caterpillar for the last three and a half months. If that's not a reason to celebrate, and the perfect story for this Click Chicks Challenge Photo, I don't know what is!
1 - I had Friday off from work, but Justin had a work meeting. When we finally left around 4:30, it was wide open space we were heading for.
2 - Breakfast Saturday morning consisted of a lot of fruit, and a little bit of french toast! I really like strawberries and blueberries with sugar and cinnamon. Yummy!
3 - Our second camping trip of the year, and it's only May!
4 - I could get used to this view!
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My parents are back from Vancouver, and I couldn't be happier. They tried to surprise us when they stopped by last Thursday, but I had already figured out that they were back in town. My mum is who I go to with all my problems, who I share all my secrets with. Lately, she really has become one of my best friends, and I love our relationship. I depend on her for so much. Especially this week: we visited at lunch Monday, Tuesday I had her run something home for me, today she held my hand at my doctors appointment while I had a mole removed, and tomorrow she's kidnapping me for another lunch date. I love her!
(ETA I'm using this post for my Click Chicks Challenge this week, I didn't realize that this weeks topic was mum, so I was a day ahead this time!)
Sometimes plans change. Sometimes compromise has to happen. Sometimes I come home and my husband is so stressed out. Sometimes I figure out the route of his stress, and come up with a plan that can alleviate a lot of the worry for him. Sometimes I decide that going to Oregon isn't as important as seeing my husband happy. Sometimes I change our summer plans. Sometimes I decide that instead of our week long vacation, we'll break up our holidays. Sometimes it's more important to spend a holiday relaxing than to spend it rushing from point A to point B. Sometimes we make sacrifices. Sometimes we change our summer plans to involve a lot of camping, instead of standing at the edge of the ocean. And sometimes, this change of plans has us looking forward to our summer more than ever before.
Another weekend when I didn't take a lot of pictures. Actually, I only took one, and it was just before we headed for home. Weekends out camping when I soak up the sunshine, savor the food, and enjoy the company are my favourite camping trips. Next weekend we'll be spending our time the same way. Except with the addition of a couple cocktails in the mix, so it can only get better!
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I'm not really sure how another week has passed, and how we're back at Thursday again, but here we are. Our weather has been so beautiful lately, putting thoughts of camping and vacations in my head. It's this time of year when I start reminiscing about every vacation Justin and I have been on together. Our week long trip last year to Idaho wasn't much fun while we were vacationing, but looking back it was full of amazing moments. Priest River was a big highlight, and this bridge photo was taken at the dam, and is perfect for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge.
The weather this past weekend was amazing; filled with sunshine and warmth, it was really easy to find a patio and a couple cocktails! If this weather keeps up, I'll be thinking that summer is right around the corner. It's this warm weather that has me longing for summer food, and right now those cravings revolve around fruit. I had this recipe in my sights to make (they call it a crustless pie, but it's really not very pie like to me), and since the weather was so nice, it was calling me to make it. I changed the recipe a bit, and created what I'm calling a Gelled Strawberry Pudding.
Ingredients:
1 envelope no sugar added gelatin, strawberry flavour
1 envelope fat free pudding, vanilla flavour
2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and cut into bit sized pieces
2 cups water
Steps:
1 - Pour the envelope of pudding into a small pot. Slowly start adding the water to the pudding, whisking continuously, and stopping occasionally to make sure it's all mixed together. This will take some time, but is worth it in the end. You really want to incorporate the pudding evenly, otherwise it ends up looking like you have scrambled eggs in your gelatin. (Don't ask how I know this.)
2 - Heat the pudding mixture on medium heat, whisking constantly until the liquid is bubbly.
3 - Remove the pot from heat and slowly start sprinkling the envelope of gelatin powder into it. Whisk mixture continuously until it's completely combined, and pink throughout.
4 - Divide strawberries between four small serving bowls, and pour half a cup of the gelatin pudding liquid into each bowl, over top of the strawberries.
5 - Allow mixture to set in the fridge for about an hour, and enjoy.
Another option for this recipe would be to make it in a large pie pan, just mixing everything together, and not dividing it into individual servings. Normally I'm not a fan of fruit with gelatin, but this throws in that amazing vanilla flavour, which tastes so good with the fresh strawberries. It's like having ice cream with it, but a whole lot less calories!
Yesterday at work my hair was bugging me so much, so I told one of the girls, (who just happens to be my hairdresser), that I was ready to cut it all off. Immediately she asked if I really meant that, or if I was just having a bad hair day. Just a bad hair day of course, but I was long overdue for a trim, so I asked if she was free to cut my hair that night.
After making my appointment, I debated whether or not to get bangs cut again. Just before leaving work, I decided I wanted bangs, and printed off some photos of bangs that were rounded: longer on the sides and shorter in the middle. When I arrived for my haircut appointment, I knew I was making the right decision, and when Karen showed me how I looked, I was amazed by the reflection I saw! So happy I went with my initial thoughts, and went through with it.
1 - Waited more than nine months to crack into this bottle of wine. Justin and I bought it last year in Priest River, Idaho and gave it to Amanda for her birthday, then her and Lincoln told us they were expecting a baby in March of this year. Well, Mackenzie is now over a month old, so we busted out the bottle of wine Friday night. Would of been perfect if I would have chilled it, and it was drank outside on a patio!
2 - Justin and I participated in the Threads of Life walk Saturday, which raises money for those impacted by workplace tragedies. It was amazing to see all the yellow shirts out walking around the lake.
3 - After the walk, we needed some refreshments. For me a double vodka lemonade, followed by a Corona did just the trick.
4 - Saw the licence plate my parents should have! Both born on the thirteenth, and married on the thirteenth.
5 - Out BBQ shopping, missing my mum as it became a yearly occurrence for us a few years ago.
6 - IHOP breakfast to cap off the weekend.
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Today, the clouds have parted, the sun is shining, and it's warm outside again. Warm weather makes me want to go back to Vegas, and enjoy an ice cool drink walking down the sidewalk. Vegas makes me think of flamingos and the funny way they tuck their heads into their feathers and stand on one leg. I love them, and make a point to visit them each time we go back to Vegas. The perfect animal for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge today!
How is it May first already? April passed by in a flash, and it looks like that trend will continue into this new month. It went by fast, and was a roller coaster, but we made it through it.
I also thought I should bake more, so I made some muffins. I still need to make them healthier, but everyone said they were good. Either way they made for a great bokeh photo!
I celebrated my 28th birthday with a little trip down south with Justin.
Justin was unbelievably kind and understanding to me, and put up with my moodiness. He convinced me that everything would be okay, and told me to just trust him.
I died my hair a couple shades lighter (this photo is the after).
my husband. I've expressed how crazy I've been lately, and I'm still not sure how or why Justin has put up with me through it all. I love him; he's the icing to my spoon!
good friends. Old or new; online or in real life; text, phone or in person; friendship really is very important to me.
mint pants. I bought them this past weekend while Justin and I were out shopping, and I can't wait to wear them again (I wore them on our lunch Sunday). I'd wear them to work, except I'm terrified of getting them dirty.
small Mandarin oranges, aka cuties. I've been gobbling these things up lately; they are packed with flavour, and remind me of Christmas. Nothing gets much better than that!
the good things that are waiting around the corner. A fundraiser walk next weeknd, mine and Justin's weekend trip down south the following weekend, reaching my goal weight, getting out camping for the long weekend, and my parents coming back here. May's going to keep us busy!
1 - Friday I finally got around to dying my hair, which I had originally planned doing last weekend. I personally think it's lighter, but people really aren't commenting on it - so I'll take that as meaning it looks like that's what colour my hair should be! On the other hand, it could look horrible, and nobody wants to say anything!?
2 - Justin and I went clothes shopping Saturday afternoon. Justin was the one actually looking, but I ended up buying more than he did. Scarves are catching my eye lately, like this moustache one; cute, just not for me.
3 - The best kind of graffiti.
4 - A happy little face. I'm so happy that he likes the bed I bought for him!
5 - Ever since food trucks have been all the rage, I've been wanting to have my own. It'd be a crazy food fusion: comfort/pub food, with an Asian spin, and some Mexican flavour thrown in for good measure. Everything I love. With a side of dessert.
6 - A couple drinks might of happened with our lunch Sunday.
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Today is a new day; it is a day filled with lots of possibilities, and is full of opportunities to make today better than yesterday. Hence, why I'm bringing my A game today. I woke up early, got my stuff done around the house, then headed to this spot to capture a little bit of magic through my camera lens. This little spot holds a lot of memories for me, it's right by work, and a place to escape to during my lunch break when the day is crazy.
I think this photo captures the feel I wanted from a black and white photo for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge this week. It's also a lot better than what I envisioned the picture looking like; it has a lot more depth. I guess it's a kind of like how we are all, right. There's a lot more to us that how we appear on the surface, and what we chose to portray to the world.
This past month, I've been under a lot of stress, and I haven't been the easiest to live with. It all came to a head Sunday, and I kind of lost it a bit. Justin was there to pick up the pieces, to reassure me that everything would be okay, and to tell me to just trust him. It's always hard when he simply says, "it'll be alright, just trust me." He has no idea how things will turn out in this life, but I just have to trust that it all will turn out okay. I mean, none of us really know how our lives will be, but we can't live in fear, we just have to believe.
And, my poor husband should seriously get a huge hero cookie for putting up with my BS this past month, and especially this past week. He amazes me in so many ways, and he is so strong when times get tough. I think both of us are finally figuring out this whole relationship/marriage thing.
Talking to my Grandpa on the phone last night, who has been married for over fifty years, he informed me that he still doesn't have women figured out - and he's been married to two of them. He said no one could live long enough to figure women out! I've got to give it to Justin, as did my Grandpa, for having it figured out this past month.
Since I've had such a sweet tooth, I decided to come up with a healthier alternative to the goodies I've been consuming lately, in particular gummy candies. The part of these candies that I really enjoy is the texture: that rubbery, chewy consistency that makes my jaw ache after I've eaten too many. Candy and I go hand in hand; so much so in fact, that Fridays were reserved as a candy day at work, and I'd have a stash of gummy candies ready. Oh, who am I kidding? I'd randomly dig into my candy stash and get hyper, leaving my co-workers annoyed at my sugar high. If I'm going to get to my goal weight, I better kick my bad habits, and replace them with better ones. So, I found this recipe on Pinterest for an alternative, and I tried my hand at Gelatin Gummy Candies.
Ingredients:
2 envelopes no sugar added gelatin, any flavor
4 envelopes unflavored gelatin
2/3 cup water
Steps:
1 - Pour water into a saucepan, and sprinkle with all six gelatin envelopes. For a variety I made three batches: orange, raspberry and strawberry.
2 - Heat mixture over medium high heat, until gelatin is dissolved and mixture is thick and bubbly.
3 - Remove from heat and pour mixture into molds. I used a rubber heart ice cube tray from IKEA, but I'm sure you could find something similar at a dollar store. Even the ice cube trays designed to make long skinny ice for water bottles would work. It'd make gummy worms of sorts.
4 - Allow gelatin to set in the fridge for about thirty minutes. This could take more or less time, just depending on the depth of the candy mould. The thicker they are, the more time they'll take.
5 - Unmold the candies, and enjoy.
I made these for the first time last night, and they were a BIG hit. I had two batches already made and in the fridge by the time Justin got home from work. He didn't look directly in the bowl, but the bright red/pink colour caught his attention, and he just thought I had a bowl of beats on the go. I took the bowl out to show him my creation, and he was eager for taste testing. I told him he couldn't eat too many, since I needed to take photos for my recipe post. I then made a third batch, and was thankful we were leaving the house, so Justin wouldn't eat too many of the candies.
When we arrived back at home, he was very impatient as I took the gummies out of the mold and took my pictures. I delivered the candies to him on the couch, and he gobbled them up. When he asked where I got the recipe from, I told him to take a guess. He's catching on to my love of Pinterest!
1 - When I got home Friday night, I changed into my favourtite dress, and got my dance on. Streaming YouTube music videos on my phone meant an instant Much Music Video Dance. Please say I'm not the only crazy one that has crazy little dance marathons alone!?
2 - When Justin got home, we decided we'd go out for supper. So an outfit change was in order.
3 - I might have been a little hyper.
4 - Justin's been wanting to go out for sushi for months, and I finally gave in to his wishes. We went to the sushi bar that we haven't been to in years, and we actually ate at the same table where Justin and I had one of our first dates. Thankfully, this date didn't end in a trip to emergency. (On that date back in 2005, Justin was suffering from welder's flash, and I insisted he go see a doctor.)
5 - After sushi I was craving dessert, so we each enjoyed small double fudge cookie dough Blizzards, if you ever get a chocolate craving - have one of these. So good!
6 - Saturday I headed to the mall for some new work clothes. Two pairs of pants, two tops and two cardigans should make my work wardrobe a little fuller. As a treat, I had a frozen yogurt. Yup, I have a sweet tooth lately!
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Dear weekend, I am more than ready for you. Although I've only been at work three and a half days this week - I need a break. Dear cheesy bread, be as amazing as you were two weekends ago! Dear frozen yogurt or ice cream or fudge or brownie, (I don't know what I'll have!) please be extra tasty tonight! Dear hair, I think I might dye you this weekend, get ready for a new look. Dear tomorrow's shopping expedition, please let me find some new work pants. As it is now I only have one pair that fit, and I can't keep wearing jeans to work!
It snowed Saturday night, and all day Sunday. When I left for work Monday, I slipped on ice walking to my vehicle. I didn't think too much of it, until I started to driving, then realized how much pain I was actually in. I mustered through the day at work, and Justin and I went out for supper to help take my mind off of everything. Tuesday I woke up in a lot of pain, wanted to stay home, but remembered that my boss had a dentist appointment and I needed to cover for him. I got to work, and immediately burst out crying from pain, I suffered until my boss came back from his appointment, then left work. I got a massage, which brought me relief, and took it easy at home the rest of the day. Yesterday, I was also house bound, relaxing with my heating pad. Thankfully, today my back is feeling lots better, and I'm back putting my nose to the grindstone!
Anyways, a trip out camping, spending time with my husband away from the stress of life, and no ice would bring a smile to my face! This photo is from two summers ago, on one of my favourite camping trips. Our best friends and my parents came out to spend a couple nights with us, and it was a blast! So fitting for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge, and with everything that's been going on in the world this week, we could all use some happiness.
Once again, I only took one photo this weekend. But really, you can't get a much cuter photo! Lowie and I bummed around the house this weekend while Justin worked; I left only once to see my niece Mackenzie (and her mum). Yesterday Lowie and I treated as a snow day, getting caught up on laundry and cleaning. It was a good weekend, but I'm itching to head out of town again!
green grapes. This is our new favourite treat: cut the green grapes in half, and dip into a mixture of lime and raspberry Jello powders (other combinations would be good too). It almost tastes like Sour Patch Kids, and that's right from Justin's mouth! We ran out of grapes last night, so I dipped a granny smith into cherry Jello powder, which was also oh so amazing.
little weekend getaways to the States. Justin and I are dreaming, and longing for our next trip. I think we'll bump up our original plans, and head back down the weekend after this one.
new jeans. My mother in law gave me money to spend on whatever I wanted, and I chose a pair of Suki Surplus Silver Jeans, at my new favourite US store, Maurices. They were a birthday splurge, and I love these jeans.
a weekend at home. As much as I'd totally head back to the States this weekend, Justin and I need a weekend at home to get caught up. Altough he's working, I'll putter around the house and catch up on life; you know, laundry, dishes, cleaning. Such glamour!
exercise. I'm working out five days a week, sometimes I push myself harder and longer, other days I do a seventeen minute Pilates DVD. Although I don't always love doing it, and I often try pushing it off, I am in love with the results I'm getting. I'm seeing results in my appearance, my mood and my stress level. All things that contribute to a healthy life.
Way back when, I used to post photos to a Flickr account, and in doing so, I started participating in some photography challenges. This photo was for Sunday Confessional, which will work perfectly for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge today: silhouette. I took this photo back on March 30, 2008 before my appendicitis on July 18, and before Justin proposed on December 24. Back before I realized just how much I love him. I pray for health, happiness and more than fifty years of marriage for the two of us.
Here we go again, another list of items I'd like to accomplish before my next birthday. Normally I write this list a couple days before my birthday, and have it completed no later than midnight on the sixth. This year, I just didn't plan it into our weekend getaway, and I wasn't into letting it stress me out. So, today I sat down to complete my list of 28 things I will do before I'm 29:
Get to my goal weight, and stay plus or minus five pounds of it.
Create three new recipes each month.
Lay on a sandy beach, soaking up the sunshine.
Travel to three cities I've never been to.
Go on ten walks with Sandy.
Enjoy a couple drinks out with Justin once a month.
Travel to Toronto.
Head down to the States at least six times.
Eat at five never been to restaurants in town.
Go to a brewery.
Read ten non-fiction books.
Travel by myself out of town.
Stay in Waterton for a weekend.
Go ten pin bowling with Justin.
Find a duvet cover I like and buy it.
Tube down a river.
Go on ten day-trips around Southern Alberta.
Take up knitting.
Travel to Vegas (again).
Enjoy breakfast out with Justin once a month.
Go on a little weekend vacation to Banff.
Travel to Vancouver (again).
Head out camping for ten different weekend trips.
Go on a little trip to the States with my parents.
Eat on restaurant patios at least five times this summer.
Try twenty different brands of wine.
Create a solution in our closet for hanging my scarves and hats.
Go on a wintry vacation, and actually enjoy the beauty of winter.
There we have it. I really think most of these, if not all of these, can be accomplished. At the very least it gives me something to strive towards. Really, I just threw that Toronto one in on a limb! I love how most of these things are what I loved doing this past weekend with Justin, just relaxing and enjoying each others company. Stay tuned to see how many I can get crossed off my list this year.
Somehow our little weekend get-a-way to Kalispell, Montana was the best trip we've ever been on. Neither Justin nor I can really pinpoint why, but we enjoyed ourselves during ever second of our trip. It also didn't hurt that our little vacation revolved around one of my favourite birthdays ever!
After celebrating a friend's 50th birthday in town Friday night, we left for the States Saturday morning. Justin and I didn't set the alarm, just got up and got ready whenever we naturally woke up, and for me that was right around seven. We took our time driving down, and enjoyed just being on a road trip.
This weekend I losened up a bit on my diet, relaxed and savoured every minute of eating out at restarants. Although Justin and I both ate too much food, we ate at some amazing restaurants: Cafe Jax, Famous Dave's, IHOP, HuHot Mongolian Grill, Brannigan's Irish Pub, and the Sizzler. We always love eating at restaurants in the States; we try to always eat at ones we don't have at home (although we now have an IHOP), and it's so cheap - we love it!
After my birthday supper, we headed back to our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn (if you're in the area - we give them a huge recommendation), and had drinks at the attached restaurant, the Blue Canyon Restaurant and Tavern. I haven't had a martini in a very long time, and figured my birthday would be the perfect time to celebrate and indulge. I ended up having the best martinis I've ever had: Cowgirl Punch martini, and Huckleberry martini.
As we walked to our room from the restaurant, we passed the front desk and a platter of sugar cookies. I grabbed a few on our way past, then as Justin and I started walking away, he looked at me saying how amazing the cookies were. I immediately went back to grab more. When we got up to our room, Justin realized he forgot the key, so back I went to the front desk, to get the room key - and more cookies! Without fail, Justin and I always manage to have a little adventure on our trips.
By far this was one of my favourite birthdays! The only downside Justin and I could pinpoint was that our trip just wasn't long enough, so we're planning another little trip back down at the beginning of May. Can't wait.
Dear tonights bowling festivities, I just want to look classy; please don't let me trip over my own two feet with the deadly combination of slippery floors and bowling shoes. Dear our extended long weekend, please be the fabulous trip to Kalispell I am expecting. Dear birthday (this Sunday), please treat me kind, and don't make me feel like I'm actually turning 28! Dear Twisted Bliss Frozen Yogurt, be the nice little birthday treat I'm hoping you to be! Dear celebratory glass of wine, please don't let me wake up with a headache Sunday morning. I haven't had a taste of your nectar in over a month, so don't punish me for it!
I swear that before starting the Click Chicks Photo Challenge, there was a day in between Wednesday and Thursday when I used to get stuff done; it seemed I used to have more time during the week before it was coming to an end again. Now it seems I'm scrambling at the last minute to complete everything I need to get done. I realize we all have busy lives, and I really should just stop complaining and get stuff done! We only have twenty-four hours in a day, and it's what we do with those hours, right?
Since I've wanted to bake for awhile now, I finally decided to make time for it; so after aquafit last night I pulled out my supplies. While my pretty little banana cinnamon muffins were cooling, I suddenly realized I needed a picture for the challenge. Please be kind towards my attempt at bokeh (or a blurry background)! It's really not the greatest, but I'm hoping you won't really notice that as you wipe the drool from your mouth! (Once I make this recipe a little healthier, I'll add it to my recipe stash. Until then, if you want to make it the way it is, head over here for the original recipe).
I must be in a roasted vegetable kind of mood lately, because this recipe came to me shortly after making the Spiced Cauliflower Poppers. I wanted to come up with a spaghetti sauce that was healthier than the jarred varieties, and I created a sauce that was pretty tasty. I had meant to write a post about it, but never got around to it. I'm glad I didn't though, because I made the sauce again over Easter and tweaked the recipe, making it even better. I present to you my Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.
2 - Cut peppers and onions into large pieces. They'll get pureed later, so it doesn't really matter the size, just chunky bits.
3 - Put the peppers and onion into a bowl, and spray lightly with cooking spray. Toss, then
spray again.
5 - Put the peppers and onion on a parchment paper lined
baking sheet, and pop in the oven.
6 - Bake for a total of half an hour, taking them out of the oven after fifteen minutes to rotate them, so each side gets
a little caramelized.
7 - Once the peppers and onion are baked, place in a food processor to puree to a chunky salsa consistency. Add the canned tomatoes with juice and puree again, this time creating a nice sauce texture.
8 - Next add the garlic, Italian and salsa seasonings to your sauce, and puree once again to mix thoroughly.
9 - If the sauce has cooled down, heat it up in a pot over the stove. Serve and enjoy.
This recipe makes enough to share between two people. The first time I made the sauce, I ate it with spaghetti squash and added it to pre-packaged ravioli. When I made it again over Easter, I put it over spaghettini and enjoyed turkey spinach meatballs with it. Once I have the meatballs perfected, I'll share that recipe too!
Let me know
what you think of the sauce. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
in Seattle. This was the first official day of our honeymoon, somewhere around nine in the morning on August 23, 2010. If we looked dazed we had good reason; we were riding on an adrenaline high from our wedding, and a lack of sleep.
1 - While driving home Thursday night, I decided I needed to get out in the sunshine. A 45 minute walk around the neighbourhood did me the world of good. I'm going to soak up as much sunshine as I can while it's here.
2 - I'm always craving dried cranberries, so this spinach salad did the trick. That slice of banana bread was a-mazing!
3 - Supper I made for my cousin Brittany and I. I perfected this roasted red pepper sauce, now I just need to get it posted. The turkey spinach meatballs are next on my list to perfect, then share.
4 - My amazing niece. Those cheeks and pouty lips. Eeep! I love her!
5 - Hoppy Easter.
6 - While my cousin Brittany was down we decorated eggs at our aunt and uncles. Surprisingly, my uncle created some of the best eggs! It was a lot of fun, and took me back to being kids.
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Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the
sidebar.
Another week has come and gone, and I'm not going to attempt to make any excuses for myself, I'm just going to tell the truth. I've had little to no energy and motivation this past week, maybe even for a week and a half. I've woken up basically every morning feeling hung over; I've had headaches, I feel like I'm moving through water, and that I'm not making progress in life (and to clarify I haven't had a drink since the second of this month). In the afternoon I start to feel a bit better, but now I've noticed that my evenings are starting to become like my mornings. It's hard for me to wake up, I feel tired in the mornings, but it's difficult for me to fall asleep at night. I apologize for not being as active in life, the blogging community, and with my exercise plan. Hopefully this feeling will pass as quickly as it's come on, and my life will be back to normal again.
With that, I still wanted to post something for The Click Chicks Photo Challenge. This weeks challenge was window, so I dug up this photo from Vegas in 2009. The windows of the Bellagio, with the fountains in front. Done.
I've been in a grumpy mood lately, and when I get down and start complaining, Justin automatically has me look back and see how much progress I've made, how far we've come, and how much more comfortable our life is now. So, I thought I'd do a little of the same thing here, reminding myself that March was a great month!
we decided to take our Acadia on our summer vacation, instead of flying and renting a car. We also decided to stay out of the cities, and just enjoy the smaller towns - making memories along the way.
April holds lost of amazing things in store for us, including: dying Easter eggs, creating inside jokes with my family, hot tubing, my birthday and a trip down to the States. I'm ready for you!
my beautiful niece being born at about 1:30 today. I'm in love with Mackenzie, and I haven't even seen her yet! She has no idea how spoiled she's going to be.
two long weekends in a row. This weekend is Easter and the following Sunday is my birthday, so Justin and I have Monday booked off to celebrate. I can't wait to have some rest and relaxation.
Mio. Sometimes it's difficult to drink eight glasses of water each day, this "little or a lot" water enhancer makes it easier; it's a wonderful thing.
my parents being back home (here) in May. I literally can not wait!
the nice weather. Although the grass isn't green, and the trees aren't budding, it's still nice. It also makes me want to go on a road trip, so I'm excited we're heading down to Kalispell, Montana for my birthday. I hope this nice weather stays now.
1 - Friday night, I wanted to watch a movie with a healthy snack and instantly thought about those tasty Spiced Cauliflower Poppers. I had to make a run to the grocery store for ingredients, where I bought three heads of cauliflower, two red peppers, bananas, and grapes. It made me laugh that I used to buy a bunch of junk food on Friday nights, and now I buy a bunch of fruits and veggies! Oh, and I fabulously left my wallet at home, which I realized while at the checkout. The guys there were so kind, and put my order aside until I came back to pay - now that's customer service!
2 - I went shopping with my mother in law Saturday afternoon. We always have great conversations and I made a good haul: two tops, a cardigan, a pair of shorts, a lipstick, a blush/bronzer and a to-go mug.
3 - Spontaneously I came up with a yummy pasta sauce. So healthy, so good, and so easy! I'll share the recipe in a post soon.
4 - I woke up Sunday with a bit of a rats nest for hair!
5 - Justin had gone camping with his hunting buddies for the weekend, but when he got home we decided to head to Shelby, Montana for a beer run. It's always great when the border guard asks, "oh, you don't have beer up there in Canada?" Yea, we do - but not Coors Banquet.
6 - A quick trip down and back, but it was so refreshing. Justin and I decided we need to do that more often.
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When I decided to create a new blog, I wanted to come up with a name that had multiple meanings and that stood out. To me "soup" is the comfort part of life, and "laundry" is the every day stuff. But when I ran Soup and Laundry past my parents, my dad immediately said that if there's soup in the title, he'd expect to see recipes featured on my blog. Well, this one's for you dad!
I'm pretty much addicted to Pinterest; there are SO many amazing recipes, it's almost overwhelming. I found a great recipe for Baked Cauliflower Poppers, and then saw a recipe for Spiced Sweet Potato Chips that looked good, so naturally I got to thinking. I thought: self, what if I combined these two recipes and used the seasoning from the sweet potatoes chips to season the cauliflower poppers. And so we have, Spiced Cauliflower Poppers.
Ingredients:
1 head of cauliflower
cooking spray
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon sweetener
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Steps:
1 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2 - Chop up the head of cauliflower into bit sized bits.
3 - Put the poppers into a bowl, and spray lightly with cooking spray. Toss, then spray again, toss and spray one last time.
4 - Mix the spices together in a separate bowl, and sprinkle half onto the poppers. Toss the cauliflower, then sprinkle with the other half of the spice mixture.
5 - Put the poppers on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and pop in the oven.
6 - Bake for a total of one hour. Take the poppers out of the oven every fifteen minutes to rotate them, so each side gets crispy and yummy. They don't get burnt, they just get tastier!
7 - Serve with a side of ketchup to dunk the poppers in, and enjoy.
Note - If you prefer crispier fries, like Justin does, I'd recommend chopping the cauliflower into smaller bits, and maybe cooking them for an additional 15 minutes. And although these have flavour, they are not spicy, just really tasty, and very addictive!
I made these last night while Justin was home, but he went over to a friend's before they were finishing baking. When they were done I sat down and had a couple, then a couple more, then soon enough the whole batch was in my belly. I did feel bad that I didn't leave Justin any, but then didn't because they are just that good! If you snooze you lose, right?
Let me know what you think of them, and expect to see more recipes popping up on this 'ol blog!
I'll be honest, I again thought I had another day to sneak in a photo - but it was already Wednesday at bedtime when I thought that! I need to get better at this, it's time to crack down! This weeks Click Chick Photo Challenge, sunset, left me in a bind; it seems sunsets just aren't something I capture often with my camera. I had to go back to a memory card from 2011 to find one, and at that it's not the best. As today comes to a close, I look back and wonder what happened to my day!?
It's the first day of spring, so that means it's time for the flowers to be blooming, the trees to start budding and the sun to be shining! And it is... someplace else. Sadly, we're still waiting for the spring weather to match the date on the calendar in Southern Alberta. Snow is actually in the forcast again for Thursday - yuck! Come on weather, please warm up and match the spring fever that I have in my soul!
Last night, I was running a bit late to aquafit, but I managed to get changed and was sitting on the edge of the pool five minutes before class started. I was sitting there, reluctant to get into the water, but I mustered the courage and lowered myself in. Less than a minute later a whistle was blown, and the lifeguard was telling everyone to get out of the pool. Everyone was in a state of confusion, but slowly made their way to the side of the pool. The lifeguard became even more urgent this time, yelling loudly that everyone needed to hurry and grab their stuff because there was a fire. Well, that put people in motion! I hustled, changed out of my bathing suit bottoms, put on my yoga pants and threw my two sweaters and coat over my wet swim suit top. Another lifeguard was now in the change room expressing her concern that we needed to hurry, and could change in the lobby if needed. I left the change room, and waited anxiously in the lobby with a swarm of other aquafitters. We were then told that there was a fire by the family change room, the fire department was coming to take care of the situation, and that we needed to leave the building, and get out to our vehicles. Out I went to the snowy night, thankful that I had worn boots and a winter coat, and not my normal light jacket and flip-flops. I waited until I saw the flashing lights in my rear view mirror, and then headed home.
The whole incident really got me thinking, no matter how we can plan our lives out, some emergency, or fire, can come and change the path we're heading in. Specifically I was thinking in terms of exercise, eating healthy and meal planning, but this really applies to life in general. Sometimes there is an event that comes up that is simply unavoidable, and we just need to come up with another plan, a Plan B. Last night, I needed to be the firefighter and find a solution to my unexpected exercise dilemma. Other times it could be needing a different meal option, because something unplanned took up too much time, or left you away from home. As long as we make another healthy choice, or the best choice that is now available to us, this new plan will work.
In life, it's far better, and a lot less stressful, to realize that an alternative is available, rather than just going up in smoke.
This is the one and only photo I took this past weekend! This was my supper before the portobello mushrooms decided to turn my pasta sauce into grey grossness. Oh, and as an added bonus, it also tasted like dirt. This was a major supper fail! (At least there's the green spatula and asparagus representing St. Patty's day!)
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Dear husband, let's have some fun tonight! We should start planning our little Washington, Oregon, California trip, and let's talk about throwing Vancouver into the mix, shall we!? Dear Lowie, please be extra cuddly to me this weekend, I could use some cuddle time with you. Dear my cousin Brittany, I can't wait for Easter weekend, and you coming down! Dear parents, I miss you more than you'll ever know, and I hate you living so far away. Finally, dear me, get some rest this weekend, and take a moment for yourself to relax.
Last night Justin and I went out for supper, and during the course of our conversation he said, "I can't believe it's Thursday again already tomorrow." Apparently I wasn't really paying attention, because as we were driving back home I suddenly realized that it was already Wednesday, and that I hadn't yet taken my green photo for the Click Chicks Photo Challenge. Oh poop! So, here's another photo from our honeymoon. For whatever reason, this trip is sticking out in my head lately. I'm actually wanting to re-do it, spend a little more time at the places we loved, and have a more relaxed trip. Maybe this August, to celebrate our third anniversary? I guess I'll leave it up to Justin, I hope he'll say yes!
