Musical Monday: The Like - He's Not a Boy

ummmm....

Like?? no, no, LOVE!!!!

another band found through the wonderful Katie, that girl's got excellent taste in music!

Date Day

While on vacation, in Ontario, the hubbs and I managed to get away for an entire day... all on our own!

It's kind of an annual thing for us... one date a year... no pressure but it has to be awesome!!

Our first stop was to the little village of Westport. There was a delicious bakery there and we stocked up for a day of no whining, runny noses or sticky fingers. It was fantastic.

After Westport we headed to a village just outside of Ottawa called Perth. It's really cute and was the best time. We ate lunch at this fantastic mexican restaurant right beside the water.

After we finished eating the hubbs surprised me by taking me up to a huge fabric store and letting me take my time and spend all kinds of money! It was fantastic, he didn't pester me at all with his boredom!

We wandered around the village for a while and then discovered a beautiful park hidden behind the main street. It was so quiet and peaceful. We sat under a tree facing a little creek that ran through the park. It was just so lovely!

There may have been some kissing... hey! once a year people, it's allowed!

We were home by dinner to two little boys that seemed extra adorable after a full day away.

We're already making plans for next year!

Final Wedding Words

I don't have too much left to say about my brother in laws wedding, I feel like I've already shared a bunch, but wanted to show some final pictures of everything.

As mentioned here I made cookies as the place markers and favours for each guest.

It was a boat load of work, consisting of about 3 days of baking and decorating 210 (or so) cookies.

Once they were all written and ready to go, I put 2 cookies (one plaque with the guests name and one heart with the happy couple's initials) into a cellophane bag and topped it with a thank you note from the couple.

To make the topper tag, we purchased some scrapbook paper in their colour and printed a note on envelope labels, then used the same method I used here to finalize the packaging.

It turned out really nice and all the guests seemed pretty impressed. I think they looked really professional once everything was completed.

And who can forget about the cake! Let me just say, making a wedding cake in some one elses kitchen while all kinds of family floats around you is no easy task. I think I did pretty well, but I will not lie, there were some moments I wanted to pull my hair out. That said, I think everyone around me felt the same way.

It turned out pretty well and although I still see some issues with it I was generally happy in the end. Could have better, but it also could have been so much worse. I kept reminding myself that it has been over a year since I last made a wedding cake, so all in all, I gave myself a high five.

The boys wore their ties, mentioned here, and looked to handsome for words.

Eli was a bit of a challenge getting into his suit but, provided you didn't bring any attention to it by mentioning how handsome he was, kept it on all day. By dinner, he wouldn't let you touch his tie out of fear you would take it off.

It was a beautiful day and the couple could not have been happier!

Congrats guys!! Married life is awesome!

Strawberry Picking & Rustic Strawberry Pie

I have always loved strawberry picking.

There's something about it that just makes me sigh and breath in summer, because of that,

I was so excited to take the boys berry picking for their first time this year.

It was too cute to watch them select their berries as they had very different styles.

Every berry Eli picked was saught out with near perfection. He would push his way through all the leaves in the bushes to make sure he choose the best looking berry in the cluster that he had found. He would then stand up, pick every bit of green stem off it and pluck it into his mouth. Once his berry was chewed and swallowed he would squat down and start the process over.

Zac, however, preferred to pick anything that was red and plunk it into his basket, his primary objective was filling his basket as full as he could. It took close to 30 minutes to convince the boy that it was ok to taste one, "no mommy, it goes in the basket not my belly, silly!"

It was great fun.

I know I've said it before but I love pie.

So with berries on the mind I made this delish Strawberry pie that really couldn't be simpler!

Open Strawberry Pie

1 pkg of puff pastry

5 cups strawberries, cut into halves and quarters

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup corn starch

1 egg

1 tbsp water

2 tbsp (roughly) of apricot jam

Preheat oven to 475.

Mix the berries, sugar and cornstarch together and allow to sit while you roll out the puff pastry into a rough circle and place on a cookie sheet. Dump the berries into the middle of the dough (it's ok to pile them pretty high as they will cook down in the oven and spread your pie out a bit), and fold the edges of the dough up over the berries.

Beat the egg with some water and brush over the edges of the puff pastry and sprinkle sugar over the egg wash.

Place the pie into the oven and immediately turn it down to 375. Allow to cook for 30-35 minutes until the pastry has puffed up and is golden.

Heat the apricot jam in the microwave and pick out any chunks. Brush over the berries, it will give it a nice shiny finish.

Cardboard

I like to consider myself a crafty person... that said I have no illusions in thinking I am awesome at crafting.

You see, I have my limitations in what my brain can come up with as far as supplies are considered. Which tends to limit me a bit creatively.

A plastic bottle is pretty much always a plastic bottle to me... pop cans once served a purpose but once empty I have very little use for them. I tend to like to start with a blank canvas, if you will, so a yard of fabric has endless possibilities for me, but if it's a preexisting object I have a hard time seeing it as anything but it's original use.

It really amazes me to see the things people come up with using recycled objects and I'm discovering most of the options are limitless!

While staying with my parents I purchased this pattern for a cardboard kitchen that I loved!! My dad put it together for my boys and it worked out great.

We had some troubles with the door for the oven, as it kept falling off, but the boys knew no difference and still played with it a tone, more then I think my dad even knows!

My brother is a pretty environmentally concious guy and while visiting him I was absolutely in love with some cardboard furniture they had!

It has since been pointed out that cardboard may not be the most practical material to build a night stand with ("what happens if it gets wet?") but I still love it.

I'm Home & Musical Monday: Beatles - Twist N Shout

I'm home!!

Well... ok, I've been home for a week now, but it still feels so wonderfully new and comfortable. Is there really a better feeling in the world then coming home from a long vacation to your own house, filled with all your own things? I think not! and I plan to relish in this comfortable feeling for as long as I possibly can!

The boys and I have been in Ontario for a whopping 8 weeks, 3 of which my mister was with us and the last 5 with him in Newfoundland doing house renovations while the boys and I stayed with family in Ontario.

I know I've been posting pretty irregularly over these past few weeks, but that should hopefully all come to an end now my friends!! And if you've been checking in and stuck with me all this time THANK-YOU!! It makes me feel so special to have people care and get excited to see what I have to say and share!

What a more fun way to start posting again then with a Musical Monday!! I love this song; it always makes me want to get up and start dancing, which seems fitting at the moment, since all I want to do is dance around my house.

I must say though... watching this old video, it puzzles me that the Beatles were considered icons to the ladies... a different time perhaps...

Musical Monday: Shania Twain - Today is Your Day

I'm really not a Shania fan, but I must say I do enjoy this song very much!