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!

Randoms

• 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!

Weekend Happenings

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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My A Game

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.

Just Trust And Believe

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.

Gelatin Gummy Candies

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!

Silliness And Sweets

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!

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

Just Go With It

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!

Our Happy Place

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.