One Man's Trash....

We all know how the saying goes, but around here we might really believe it.

You could not imagine the stuff we find on the side of the road, from dressers, old chairs and couches
to baby swings, ride on toys and big wheels.

But when Dr. Nails came home with this even i was impressed.

Note the chains on the tires; unlike most of the Little's toys, this bad boy can handle our back road terrain...

...ahem...among other things. (hi uncle K!)

Now we just have to convince Jakie's little girl friend from up the road to come over for a ride : )

The Costco Gods Have Spoken

For some reason every time i go to costco i am inexplicably drawn into the produce fridge.

It's like a black hole or a tractor beam or some star-trekkie thing like that,

and i simply can't escape it's magnetic pull, even though i know it may compromise my mission.

( i spent a lot of time watching captain kirk's shenanigans in my youth, thanks dad : )

and every. single. time.  i buy these monstrous bags of fresh produce.

I simply cannot help myself. 

I am terribly cheap ( thanks again dad ) and i cannot walk away from a deal.

5 heads of romaine lettuce for 4 bucks? sold!

3 pints of raspberries for $5? done! 

 After a costco run we eat mushrooms every day for a week

and my mouth burns as i attempt to eat an entire pineapple by myself before it goes bad.

Lawrdy lawrdy please make it stop!

I am slowly discovering a solution however, one ingredient at a time.

So the next time costco gives you zucchini....

...make zucchini muffins!

{ recipe here }

My father would be so proud ( hi dad! )

Now if only i could figure out what to do with that jumbo-sized container of spinach : )

Tasty Tuesday

The best part about having your family visit is all the junk you get to eat.

(Come on, you know you do it too!)

Let's face it, it's the best excuse, and you can always get back to eating right when they leave. 

So while my Mom and Dad are out visiting us for a few weeks,

 there is a huge NEED for all things baked.

Chocolate Chip Pretzel Cookies

{recipe}

The other great thing about having your family out?

baking with your mom : )

It's always a good day when...

.....someone brings you flowers : )

That is all.

Tasty Tuesday? Because we can't be trendy all the time...

After a disappointing (read crappy) spring where the rains never ended and the temperatures barely 

rose to normal heights, summer seems to finally have reached the Maritimes.

Time for bbq's, smores and salads.  In no particular order : )

BB (before babe) i used to go to the farmers market often, and the spring and summer it was always 

busting with fresh goodness from all of the amazing farms in the region.

These days we don't get out so much, 

but fortunately our local grocery store carries some local products, 

and we can get yummy strawberries!

Strawberry Salad w/ the best vinaigrette EVER

The ingredients are simple and can be whatever you want:

i used strawberries, almonds, spinach, red onion and i think i put goat cheese on it too, or feta.  

If i didn't i certainly should have! 

Maple Balsamic Dressing:

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. dijon mustard

s & p to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

The recipe says to put everything but oil into a blender, then slowly 

add the oil in a steady stream with the motor running.  

Pshaw i say, put it in a bowl and whisk.  But that's just me, i HATE dishes. 

(yes, i do have a dishwasher, i think it's a lingering pet peeve from my dishes-heaped-in-the-sink days....)

This dressing is so friggin good. And easy. like sunday morning used to be before it became 

just another day around the way with the babes.

Seriously, you should try it.

Think apples, walnuts, cheddar, dried cranberries, candied pecans, fancy greens, pears, pinenuts.......

Have a Delicious Day!

The Shopping Monster

All of this STUFF just followed me home the other day...

While I can honestly say i was not alone in this shopping madness,

i have to also tell you that there was actually (alot) more on the kitchen table too.

Seriously, who does this?!?

In our defence i can only say that it was raining.

I have no idea why that matters, but it's the only excuse that i can come up with.

It's sheer insanity, but dammit, i'll happily reside in the madness,
and i WILL shop again : )

Sweet Summertime

This. Is. It.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Favorite Friday

Oh Hannada?

It's the Hannah Dog's birthday! 

She's the big six this year, which is 42 in doggie years.

( i sadly report that i had to use a calculator for that, oh wow )

Bawhahah! she kills me...

But it's also Canada Day, the sun is shining, Dr. Nails is home, the baby's smiling.  

Life's good and sweet like strawberries and cream.

So today I found you some awesome things to do on Canada Day, 

and i'm happy to inform you that none of them have anything to do with the Royal Family, ugh...

Take a minute and go HERE to read some of the funniest (and truest) Canadianisms:

Make Maple meatballs:

or maple anything for that matter, that stuff is the bomb!!

Put it on everything and i guarantee you will be a happier person for it...

Make an easy banner from cardstock and newspaper:

How about some Strawberry Ninjas? They're red and white...

Put candles in jars: so easy, so pretty. These will be at my party for sure:

Watch fireworks

Make Nanaimo Bars (super Canadian, super yum):

Laugh your ass off:

Go to the beach:

Make super easy red and white desserts:

And above all don't loose your sense of humour!

Canada Rocks so hard : )

Happy Long Weekend!

Let it Grow

Dear summer,

now that you are officially here we can finally break out our summer to-do list:

bbq, drink lemonade, roast marshmallows, watch satellites, blow bubbles, go camping, wakeboard, watch for whales, beach it, eat outside, string lanterns, swat bugs, swim, go on road trips, lay in the grass, sniff flowers, wear flip flops and shorts and tanks, drive with the windows down, breathe deep, feel free, tan, spit watermelon seeds, watch sunsets, go island hopping, smell like coconuts, shell hunt, dip toes in the ocean, eat ice cream, visit friends, have bonfires, play washers, spend all day outside, 

garden, shoot fireworks, walk further, play harder, sleep better, dream bigger,

and watch things grow.....

Please tell your friend Spring that it sucked and it can take its rain and shove it.

Oh wait, Jake's already called....

( Can you believe this kid is seven months old already? )

Favorite Friday

Today i'm taking you to one of my favorite childhood places.

When I was 5 or 6 my parents started building a log cabin just outside a little town called 'Water Valley'.

It's about an hour's drive northwest of Calgary, in the foothills of the Rockies.

I spent much of my childhood breezing through the forrest, building tree houses, catching frogs and floating down the river in life jackets or inner tubes ( whichever we could find first. )

It was is the bomb.

Soooo Pretty!

The Liquor store and the Saloon (neither of which i have ever been to of course)

There's still an old-fashioned general store.

Tons of stuff in an antique/junk store called 'Feeling Used' in a nearby town.

The coolest tub in the hills!

(This photo was b.b. - before babe, hence the lack of cuteness...)

In short, it is one of the coolest places around,

and i love the fact that i grew up out there with the beavers and the frogs and the horses.

I'll always remember those starry starry nights roasting the perfect marshmallow

and spotting satellites with my mom and dad.

It's totally my happy place.

It's Friday!  Now go find your happy place...

It's a reset day on the top baby blogs, please vote for us today to keep us in the top 100!!!  

Thanks so much for all your votes, you guys rock our socks! xo

Oh those Swedes....

There is a wonderful wonderful place where the furniture comes
in a box and the lamps are cheap.

A place where 587 square feet can be a perfectly cosy 2 bedroom home.
A place where functionality meets style for cocktails.
A place where dreams come true...

(cue uplifting arias, birdsongs and exclamation points)

( i {heart} storage. for real. i wish i was joking )

( light up my life...)

( the best freaking hooks i have ever found! )

(wall decals turned art in frames-neato)

Dr. Nails is certainly thankful we don't have one within a thousand mile radius;

Sigh, our house would be beautiful but his wallet would be empty...

To those of you who have an ikea in your town:

you. are. so. lucky.

and i am so insanely jealous....

Things I Love Thursdays

- i love that when you read this we will be on an airplane

- i love people watching in airports

- i love that my mother and father will get to see Jake again, and my brother finally gets to meet him

- i love frozen yogurt.  i eat it every. single. day. 

- i love that i am so predictable

- i love opening a new jar of peanut butter, there's something totally rad about the first scoop

-i love early mornings when the world is new and still, and all my own

- i love making something cool.  artsy is not fartsy anyone?

- i love sheets fresh off the clothesline, on laundry day i can't wait to go to bed

(most days i can't wait for bed, who am i kidding?)

- i love shiny things.  yep, i said it.

- i love watching things grow.  the grass, a flower, my son.

- and finally, i love this:

We'll talk soon......!

Linking up with Melissa over at 'days filled with love'!