The Thoughts: Remembering

It has been such a long time since I have posted. Lets just say that life is passing me by so quickly. That inspired me to stop and take a minute to share something. Today is Remembrance Day, and as decades go by I'm saddened to think that new generations of people may not know what that is about. It is so easy to get busy doing things that are not really important that we easily forget why we get to live in abundance. Today my Grandmother pulled out my Grandfather's medals of honour that he received from his service in the Canadian Army and Air force. She read the poem "In Flanders Fields" to our family. It was a very special moment for me as I thought of what he did so that we can live as we do now in freedom. He served in World War II on the front lines. My Grandfather was actually the soldier that ran to the front lines with a stretcher and carried the wounded amidst flying bullets to safety. If only we really knew what true servant hood and sacrifice was like, perhaps our priorities would be much different in our lives. I hope and pray that I can teach my children about his legacy and how important what men and woman like him went through for our future.

Lest we forget! 

In honour of my Grandfather, one of my heroes.

Missing you always.

Stella and I holding Grandpa's medals.

The Eats: Pulled Pork & Kale Slaw Sandwich

This is a healthier version of the family classic; pulled pork sandwiches. Even tho it is healthier it is as tasty as can be. I used whole wheat buns toasted with a slice of melted marble cheddar. I made the pulled pork in the slow cooker, which is so easy. Just slow cook pork tenderloin in chicken broth and sea salt and pepper. When finished, pull apart then toss in BBQ sauce. For the slaw I chopped up Kale and shaved carrot with a potato peeler. Then tossed in olive oil, plain greek yogurt, and lemon juice with a touch of sugar. This mixture takes some trial and error depending on how tart you wish it to taste. Start with the olive oil as your base, then add the lemon juice and greek yogurt a bit at a time. You don't need that much to toss the Kale and Carrot in. It should be very lightly coated. You can also serve with sliced Dill Pickles. So, so yummy. Enjoy!

The Eats: Fresh Corn Salad

Sadly, Summer had officially come to a close as far as the calendar says. Luckily we have been enjoying some summer weather still. This allows me to feel like its okay to make some of my favourite summer recipes still. We had a fun Mexican food night at one of our friends houses the other day. I brought along some Fresh Corn Salad. I absolutely love this salad. It is everything summer to me. It goes great as a side with so many different meals. Fresh Corn Salad is always a hit at a BBQ as well.

There are many variations you can do with this salad. Your base is always fresh corn. When I say fresh corn, I actually mean it. I buy corn on the cob (husk on). Peel it, boil it (sometimes I even grill it), cool it, then cut it off the cob. It is definitely more work, but so worth it. Be sure not to over cook it so that it still has some crunch to it. I usually put the corn in a pot of water, bring to a boil, and let it boil for a few minutes. You can tell as the colour turns more yellow that its ready. When I cut if off the cob I usually leave some of the chunks of kernels in tact. I love the way it looks in the salad. To make the corn easier to handle I break the cobs in half before I cook it. In this variation I added black beans, diced red onion, sliced grape tomatoes, chopped cucumber, diced red pepper, diced avocado, and fresh chopped cilantro. For the dressing, I used a little under a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil, 1 squeezed lime, a couple dashes of chipotle chili pepper, sea salt & pepper. This salad is really made with simple ingredients. The best way to describe the way it tastes is: Fresh! Until next summer, when we will enjoy more fresh salads just like this one. Enjoy!

The Fun: River Valley Golf

Oh Boy! All of the sudden I feel like I am sharing a lot of golfing pictures. My husband is really into golf, so I have gone a couple of times with him now. Yesterday we went with our good friends to a course in the River Valley. It was absolutely beautiful. The weather was fantastic and the fall leaves are really coming into colour. What I like about golf is the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors. Especially if you are at a beautiful course like this. I can't even imagine how beautiful some of the courses are around the world. I am really just starting to get into this lifestyle, but so far I am really enjoying it. I don't even keep score yet because I have to hit the ball so many times! Hopefully I can share more beautiful golf course pictures as time goes on.

The Eats: Loaded Pulled Chicken Nachos

Tonight is movie and nacho night. These nachos are loaded with pulled rotisserie chicken, black beans, black olives, diced bell pepper, marble cheddar cheese and Parmesan cheese. Then after being taken out of the oven I topped them with fresh chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, and diced avocado. We of course sided our nachos with salsa and plain Greek yogurt (instead of sour cream). To keep the baking sheet free from hard stuck on cheese, I sprayed it with olive oil spray. 

It makes it so much easier to clean.

Do you ever notice when ordering nachos at a restaurant that they are usually pricey. Then when they arrive at the table they totally skimp out on the toppings. Well you can make better then restaurant quality nachos at home. Plus you can use organic ingredients which makes it even better.

This is definitely a get your hands messy kind of meal that tastes fresh and delicious. Enjoy!

The Fun: Golf Tournament

Yesterday we went to Josh's golf tournament for work. It was lots of fun. I haven't golfed in 10 years so my skills were definitely lacking, but that didn't matter much. It was just nice to be outside enjoying one of our few days of summer that we have left before winter hits. We enjoyed our time with our friends Jeff & Jessica. We only played 9 holes and by the 7th my arms were already tired from swinging the clubs. Maybe we will get one more round in before the snow falls.

The Fun: A Perfect Day for a Perfect Little Girl (Stella's Shower)

I am so excited to share some photos of this very special day that occurred a couple months ago to celebrate Stella's arrival. My dear friends Sabrina and Jen organized, prepared, and styled this perfect day at my home. Everything was in Stella's room colours, pink and yellow. The food was wonderful and the best part was sharing this day with some great friends. 

Thank you so much girls for making this a perfect day for my perfect little girl. Love you all!

A star for Stella!

Fun homemade poufs hung from our ceiling.

Sabrina made a fun yogurt bar with me in mind.... I love yogurt!

Cute little hand sanitisers for guest favours, as I am a clean freak!

A few of my dear friends...

Thank you all once again for such a wonderful day!

(Photos taken by Julie Rice www.papercastle.ca)

The Eats: Blended Sauce Pasta

This pasta doesn't look like much, but it has incredible taste and has a healthy load of vegetables in it. Lightly cook 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 can of artichokes, 2 tomatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1/4 a cup of extra virgin olive oil. Once everything is tender, pour into your blender. Add 1 cup of milk (I used Almond milk, which tasted excellent), and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Blend everything until smooth. Be careful when blending as sauteed ingredients are hot. Pour blended mixture into saucepan. Add into the saucepan a little more extra virgin olive oil and a 1/4 cup of starchy water that you cooked the pasta in and heat. The starchy water helps the sauce stick to the pasta. Once sauce is heated add cooked pasta into the sauce and toss till pasta is coated with sauce. To garnish add some basil on top of pasta. To make it even healthier you could use whole wheat pasta. I was feeling like white pasta for a little treat. Always be sure to cook your pasta one minute less then the box suggests for al dente, unless you like mushy pasta. This meal would be great for kids that are picky about vegetables, you don't even know they are in there. You can experiment with all sorts of veggies for this one. Hope you enjoy!

The Fun: Girls Day Out

Gotta love a girls day out. Today my dear friend Sabrina and I had a nice day of shopping, lunch, and finished it off with some dessert from pinkberry. We had such a great time. Of course instead of shopping for ourselves we couldn't resist making some cute purchases for the kids. That is all part of the fun though. Thanks Sabrina for such a fun day. You are a great friend my dear.

The Eats: Yogurt Parfait

Unfortunately summer is soon coming to a close. Gotta get some of my favourite summer treats in before its over. For a simple summer dessert, how about some yogurt parfait. I can remember my mom making us this when I was younger. This is so easy to make and its fun to eat out of a nice glass. Just layer your favourite yogurt, then granola, then fruit. I used blueberry yogurt, pumpkin flax granola, and blueberries. There are so many combinations you can do and its also more on the healthy side, 

which is great. 

This is going to sound a little weird, but another yogurt snack that I enjoy is spreading lemon or coconut greek yogurt on a graham wafer cracker. Give it a try sometime. It is really good.

The Thoughts: In Memory of Macy

'Macy's Journey' Painted by Marcie Rohr www.papercastle.ca

Today marks the third anniversary of the passing of our first daughter. It is so hard to believe that she would be three years old today. This beautiful painting was created in honour of her journey by our dear friend Marcie Rohr. It hangs in our bedroom. Every morning I wake up looking at this picture and ask God to give her a kiss in heaven for me. Wow, how I wish she was here and yet I know she is safe in the arms of Jesus. The unique thing about this painting is that a week after Macy's passing, Josh and I drove to Kelowna to get out of town. As we drove through the foothills, I could picture Macy as a little girl, dancing in fields of flowers. Awhile later, Marcie sent us this painting. I was so amazed at it. It reminded me of that moment driving in the car, having this vision of her. Thank you so much Marcie for this beautiful painting. It is part of keeping the memory of Macy alive for us daily.

Stella with 'Macy's Journey.' Photo taken by Julie Rice www.papercastle.ca

It was definitely difficult going through another pregnancy after what happened with Macy. I went through more stages of grief. During that time I wrote the following about our dear Macy.

Butterfly go free

Have no fear

Don't look back

In my heart you are near

I will dream of what could be, if only you were here

God's plan for you is different

One day it will all be clear

Fly free

We love and miss you so much Macy.

The Trips: The Okanagan Valley

We just returned from a wonderful road trip to the Okanagan Valley with my Dad. It was so beautiful and the weather was hot, hot, hot. We spent some time with my Grandma, Aunt & Uncle, and cousins. Stella definitely enjoyed some first experiences in her life. She was wonderful on the trip. 

Here are some pics...

Stella on her first boat ride with Daddy. She was in a life jacket that was so cute too.

Okanagan Lake

Stella's first dip in a salt water pool.

The beautiful Rocky Mountains on the drive back.

Hope everyone is enjoying summer and taking some time to get away.

The Eats: Chipotle BBQ Quesadilla

Oh yummy!

This is a great summer meal. Roasted chicken, avocado, mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, shredded marble cheese, and chipotle BBQ sauce fill this whole wheat tortilla. Heat everything together in a pan except for the cheese and avocado. Put the cheese down first on one side of the tortilla, then add the avocado. Finish off by adding the heated mixture on top, fold tortilla and heat. I always toast each side of the filled tortilla on the griddle. This can be done in a pan as well. To ensure that the filling doesn't fall out, use a large flipper to turn over and keep the closed side down when flipping. Instead of using sour cream we use plain greek yogurt on everything. I rarely ever buy sour cream anymore because the greek yogurt tastes so good and it's healthier for you than sour cream. Side these quesadillas with a fresh summer corn salad and you are good to go. Enjoy!

The Fun: Moroccan Masquerade

This past weekend my friends Nella and Andrea hosted a Moroccan Masquerade. It was to celebrate our dear friend Julie's 30th birthday. Everyone dressed up and wore a mask. There was Moroccan music filling the air and a fabulous six course Moroccan themed dinner. This was the best 30th birthday party I have ever attended. These girls had every detail nailed down. The food was impeccable. Thanks girls for a great night out. All the best to you Julie for the big 3-0.

Julie and I wearing our masks.

The fantastic menu.

'Jewel of Kashmir' was the main course. It was ginger-infused chicken tagine on a pumpkin waffle, topped with yogurt and sprinkled with pomegranate and pistachio confetti. Absolutely fabulous!

The Fun: Pretty Presents

I attended a beautiful wedding shower the other evening. As I was wrapping the gift I was thinking about the level of effort we put into a gift. Some people really take time to make a gift special for someone. Every last detail is personalised for the present. I really wanted to do this for this special friend of mine. It was my mission to wrap this gift with intention. So I took my inspiration from the wedding shower invitation main colour of gold. Even though the paper gets all ripped off, there is just something wonderful about a pretty present. To give a very clean appearance, I used double sided tape so that you wouldn't see tape anywhere. I also folded all the edges under so that there were no rough paper edges. It made the gift look like an envelope.

(The two pictures are of the same gift. The lighting made the colour look different.)

I wrapped each part of the gift with different paper and ribbon to make it a little more unique. I decided to off centre the gifts to change things up a little from the common stacked set. Then voila, I had something special for my dear friend. I hope she liked it and felt special opening it.

The Thoughts: Sphere of Influence

Have you ever stopped to think about the people in your life? Think about why the certain people are in your life that are. What can you learn from them, and how can you be there to encourage and enrich their lives. I have always believed in things having meaning and purpose. I also believe that we know the people we do for a reason. People can teach us good and bad, we have the responsibility of navigating what to allow and disallow into our lives from the influence of others. Perhaps you are having a hard time with someone you know right now. So ask yourself why is this person in my life. Am I supposed to learn something from them? Or, am I supposed to help influence them in a positive way? Sometimes it is so easy to take for granted the people in our lives. Just a reminder for us all to be thankful for who God has placed in our pathway to influence and be influenced by.

The Home: Afternoon Art Project

My friend Amy inspired me to create fun art projects using vinyl or painters tape. I am not that great at painting or drawing, so this is an easy way for me to paint a customised canvas for my home. It is super cost effective, so you can change the design or colours once in awhile. Here is my most recent canvas that I did...

How to:

Paint the canvas in a base colour and allow to dry.
Then use painters tape to create the design of your choice. Be sure to really push the edges of the tape down because the paint can bleed sometimes.
Then paint the exposed areas in a different colour/colours.
Remove the tape immediately and allow to dry.

This is what it looks like with the base colour and the painters tape.

Here is the finished product up on a book shelf.

You can also make some super creative canvases using vinyl which I will post about at a later date. Thank you Amy for this creative idea. The possibilities are endless with this project and it really only took me an afternoon to complete (except for drying time).

The Eats: Greek Yogurt Avocado Chicken Wraps

This is a yummy wrap that my husband Josh always says he would order at a restaurant. It is so easy to make as well. It is filled with shredded cheese, spinach, tomato, breaded chicken, hot sauce, and one mashed avocado with a tbsp of plain greek yogurt mixed in and a pinch of sea salt & pepper (enough to spread on 2-3 wraps). After I wrap them, I also like to heat them on the griddle/grill a bit to melt the cheese. We find them fairly filling, so we side it with some veggies or a salad. Enjoy!

Note...

Just a note to let my readers know that I will be offline for a little over a week. See you in awhile again with more posts. Take care and hope you are enjoying summer!

The Home: Looking Up

I have always dreamed of having ceiling details in our home. So when we got the opportunity to contract our own build, we decided to add a coffered ceiling.

The detailed ceiling spans through our kitchen and eating nook. My husband framed the beams in by using floor joists. We ordered the lengths that we needed and were able to install it all in one day (the framing). It was a lot of work to paint, however it was so worth it. Be sure to discuss the labour cost with your drywaller/ mudder/ taper, as this is much added work for their trade. This is also something that can be added to an existing home as well, not just new builds. 

There are also different ways it can be done (i.e. mdf). 

It can also have more detailing added, like mouldings.

By painting it the same colour as our walls, it gives us the clean modern look we love. We are so happy with this ceiling and would do it again in a heartbeat. 

The coffered ceiling gives us a reason to be looking up in our home!

The Thoughts: It's Raining, It's Pouring

Oh the rain! There is something magical about rain to me. I love the moodiness of it and how it enables all of my senses. I remember the way it tastes from childhood, trying to catch it in my mouth. The way it feels cool and refreshing as it touches my skin. Seeing how it cleans everything up outside and makes everything so green. The sound of it on the roof makes me feel all cozy. My favourite is the way it smells.... I wish I could bottle it up because it is so refreshing. I love the rain.

The Fashion (for babies): Baby Bling

My dear friend Amy gave us a super cute gift for Stella... a Baby Bling soother. In fact she makes these soothers. They look absolutely adorable. Thank you for the bling Amy.

Check more of them out at www.babybling.me

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Stella's Baby Dedication

Today was a very special day for us as Stella was dedicated. Thank you to everyone who came to support us on this special occasion. We are so happy to celebrate such an important event with friends and family. God bless you all for your prayers and support.

Here she is all dressed up for her special day!

The Home: Personalised Decor

Sometimes its nice to frame something other than a picture or photo for decoration. While I was pregnant with Stella I came up with this little song that I would sing to her all the time and still do. So I decided to write it out and frame it for her room. I accompanied this with two stars on either side for the meaning of her name. The colours of her room are pink and yellow, so I coordinated the colours to match as well. There are so many ways you could personalise this decor idea. Just frame something special to you.

It's hard to see the lyrics on the picture... here they are:

Oh Stella, Oh Stella

You are our little star

Oh Stella, Oh Stella

How beautiful you are

With all our hearts we love you

God's gift to us you are