Awesome Weekend

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!

 

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

The Solution

Dear beginning of today, how were you so much better than the second half of the day!  Dear glass 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!!

The Best Is Yet To Come

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!

Long Weekend

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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Mum's The Word

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

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.

First Weekend Out

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!

 

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

Ready To Get Away

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.

Gelled Strawberry Pudding

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!

Just Banging Around

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.

Walking For A Cause

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.

 

Find me on Instagram: juliemkeller, or just click the button on the sidebar.

They Make Me Laugh

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!

April Love List

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 decided I could create a recipe, and then tweaked it to create roasted red pepper sauce.
• 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.
• I made a crazy list of 28 things to do before I'm 29, and I've already started tackling the list.
• I had some weekends of relaxation, while Justin worked some long hours on a couple jobs.
• We got fed up with this crazy spring/winter weather, and started dreaming of camping.
• We had a weekend filled with sweets, sushi and cheesy bread.
• I decided to make healthy candy, and made gelatin gummy candies.
• 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).
• I discovered that Mandarin oranges are my new favourite snack.

Now that I have one month of craziness behind me, I know I can tackle another one.  Here we come May festivities!