Royal Visit and Pancakes

So we here in Canada have had a thrilling few days with the visit of Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge or as I like to call them, Will and Kate. Because, well...it's just quicker to say and easier to type. ; ) I think they'd be fine with that.

They even visited the very city that I LIVE in! I, like many people around the world, have fallen for their charming ways and was thrilled that I caught a glimpse of them. Well, her.

And here it is....

Yep, it was quick. But so thrilling!

My sister and her 2 kids and myself and my 3 kids, got up at 4am. That's right peeps, 4am! We already had plans to attend the parade but when we found out Will and Kate would be there as well, we figured we needed to leave extra early to beat the crowds. Downtown at 5:30 am and ALREADY so busy! It was worth it though.

My 5 year old said to me 'Mommy, Kate smiled and waved at me!' Who am I to tell her otherwise?! : )

I watched a lot of the coverage of

their visit, she sure has style. And Will is pretty cute too.

My favourite outfits were her gorgeous Canada Day dress, also worn in her engagement photo and the purple dress she wore Canada Day evening. LOVE!

The Maple Leaf brooch borrowed from the Queen is stunning.

So now they have left Canada and we are left with our annual Stampede and free pancake breakfasts of which I will be partaking. A few anyway. That means lots and lots of pancakes!

For those of you unfamiliar with the Stampede, you can eat free breakfasts around the city every day of the 10 day Stampede! As well as head down to the Stampede grounds for loads of fun. After 10 days, I'll be done with pancakes until at least Christmas. : )

Yaaaahoooooo!

Happy Stampede!

Calgary Stampede

Camping and Canada Day!

Happy Canada Day! We just got back from a couple days camping trip to the mountains. We had a lot of fun! Here is a cake to wish Canada a happy birthday! I love my country! Off to see the fireworks tonight!

For the recipe, visit Kraft Canada

Happy Canada Day!

School's Out! Summer's Here!

Today was the last day of school. Summer vacation! I remember last days of school, being SO excited to stay up late, playing outside until after ten o'clock and it was still light out but getting a bit chilly. Who needs a sweater? The dew felt good! Doing handstands on the front lawn with my sister and waving to cars as they go by to see who would wave back. Playing with my friends, riding my bike to the park, going on vacation in my Grandma and Grandpa's motorhome, playing hide and go seek with the kids on our block and we used the ENTIRE block so it was harder to find everyone.

The summer seemed ohhh so long. Heavenly. Now summer is about figuring out how to keep the kids entertained and before we know it, it's time to start back-to-school shopping. Oh boy, sorry I said THAT! Let's not think about that today! Today is about a summer that awaits us, playing in the sprinklers, going to the park, riding bikes, amusement parks, camping, crafts and movies on rainy days and just generally hanging with my girls. I am not working this summer for the first time in forever so I actually get to spend the summer reliving those days through the eyes of my girls. I can't wait!

~ Cookie photo from sweetsugarbelle.com

Lucky 13

This Monday is my and hubby's 13th wedding anniversary. I didn't know it was possible but I love him more today than I did the day we got married. He is so good to me and is a wonderful Daddy to our girls. He always always ALWAYS knows the right things to say and has an amazing outlook on life. He has made me better and I love him for that.

We are spending Sunday together, without the kiddies and I can't wait! I am hoping to go out for a yummy dinner. Will update to let you know.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful guy. I love you so much!

Special Moments and a Frozen Pizza

Let's face it. There are days when you either don't have time to cook a decent meal or you really just don't feel like it. Today was the latter for me so frozen pizza it was! We bought some thin crust pizzas that are really delicious! This one was Buffalo Chicken. I did make corn on the cob too. That took a teeny bit of effort.

And maaaaybe the reason for my lack of supper-making motivation was because I had my head buried in my computer. I do that way too often and sometimes I feel that I need to do it less so as not to miss out on special moments. Like this one.

I caught one of my girls out on the deck reading to her imaginary class. So sweet. She is so excited that she can read better and better everyday and I LOVE that. I love to read and I want my girls to have the same passion for a really good book. I'm so glad I came up for air long enough to see that. Must do that more often. ♥

Tell me about one of your favourite reads!

Followers

Ok, I'm really not following myself but I am trying to figure out this Friend Connect thing. So when you see my own face in my sidebar, you know why! ☺

Colourful Destinations and Summery Cupcakes

As you know, if you have joined me here before, I am a big fan of colour. I saw an article on MSN the other day with these gorgeous photos of colourful destinations. I would love to visit each and every one of them!

Punda, Willemstad, Curacao

Miami Beach, Miami

Manarola, Italy

La Boca, Buenos Aires

I would especially love to visit Curacao. A friend of mine said it was one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Sounds heavenly...

Oh and it's summer! Today! And our weather here sure is living up to the first day of summer. I sat in the warm sunshine with my baby girl today (ok, she is a preschool graduate, not my baby anymore). I can't wait until my twin girls are done school too and we can all hang out in the summer sunshine.

For my baby's 'graduation' I decided to make these cute summery cupcakes. The girls LOVED them. I only decorated enough for each of us to have one but that turned out to be a great thing because the girls were dying to decorate a bunch of their own. They did a great job! **sorry the photo quality isn't great**

I made the cupcakes themselves rainbow colours, just by dividing up the batter and adding food colouring. I used vanilla pudding and cool whip for a less sweet icing. Be sure to add the 'umbrellas' just before eating otherwise they will soften and fall over. : P

Welcome, Summer, I have been waiting for you. ♥

Cool Rooms and Lace Cookies

It's finally springy here, it's been nice enough to get outside and plant my flowers and tomato plants. Of course, spring also means rain and we are supposed to have it all week. I'm ok with it for now because it is greening everything up sooooo nicely!

I was blog hopping and found some lovely photos of both indoor and outdoor rooms that would be fantastic to lounge in for spring and summer.

This is my deck, we hung two baskets off the gazebo, it's fantastic to look out my window and see some green and flowers. You can also see some of my tomato

plants down below at the edge of the deck.

Here is what I WISH my backyard looked like! I love the hanging lights, I might have to look for some of those this spring.

This kitchen is fantastic! Drooling...

Love this backyard!

I love the white porch with touches of colour. So summery!!

I could totally hang out in this room on a warm summer evening with a glass of wine. This is Jennifer Aniston's home. Good taste she has!

This is also Jennifer Aniston's home. I LOVE purple and orange together. I MUST have a room like this. Not sure hubby would go for it. I'll have to work on him. : )

Hubby and I went out to a dinner theater with our good friends the other night and they had these lacy wafer cookies dipped in chocolate. I had waaay too many. Here is a version I found that would be lovely to have while relaxing in your favourite cool room. Enjoy!!

Chocolate-Drizzled Oatmeal Lace Cookies

INGREDIENTS: For the cookies: 1/2 cup oats, chopped in food processor 1/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup sugar 2 tablespoons corn syrup 6 tbsp melted butter (until the foam subsides) 2 tablespoons heavy cream Pinch of salt

For the ganache: 1/4 cup chocolate chips 1 tbsp heavy cream

DIRECTIONS: In a food processor, pulse the raw oats several times until they become small pieces. While that is going, melt the butter in a small saucepan.

Combine all ingredients for the cookies in a large bowl and stir to combine. Spoon onto baking sheets by the teaspoon, placing each cookie at least 3″ apart from others (they spread a lot!). Bake at 425 for 6-8 minutes, or until cookies have spread and are just beginning to brown around the edges. Let them cool completely on the baking sheets before sliding them off with a spatula.

For the chocolate drizzle, melt chocolate chips and 2 tbsp heavy cream for 15 seconds in the microwave on high heat. Stir to combine — if there are lumps, heat for an additional 5 seconds at a time. Spoon the ganache into a squeeze bottle and use it to drizzle chocolate onto the cookies, either on the cooled baking sheets or on a wire rack. Serve!

~ Photos courtesy of Pretty Prowler, Architectural Digest and Sugarlaws

Spring Picnics and Lavender Lemonade

Spring is very late where I am, today it is snowing and we are covered in a white blanket. Most times I would find this cozy and welcoming, however 5 straight months of the white blanket and I am ready for some colour.

So today I am dreaming of picnics outdoors among beautiful flowers, listening to the birds and my girls playing outside. Go find yourself a beautiful spot to set up your picnic, like a gorgeous field of wildflowers.

Or if you would rather stay closer to home, set your picnic up under a tree or gazebo in your own backyard. Can you see yourself under this beautiful victorian gazebo? I can!

The picture wouldn't be complete without some lovely picnic fare. How about sipping on Lavender Lemonade?! I HAVE to try this sometime! It looks delicious and so pretty!

Maybe you have a couple of girlfriends over for your picnic, or even just a family picnic in the backyard. I LOVE this idea of making each guest their own personal trifle. How pretty is this? Looks like they may be red velvet. Yummmm....

And these little mini melon cups. How adorable!

I can't wait until the snow has melted and I can have picnics again. Someday soon....

Herb Citrus Cordial (makes 4-5 pints)

Ingredients:

• 6 cup sugar
• Zest of 6 citrus, in large pieces of peel
• 4 cups fresh citrus juice
• 2 cup water
• 8 cups loosely packed fresh basil or 2 cups lavender or 20 stalks of rosemary or some other herb you want to cordialize.

Method:

• In a large pot bring sugar, zest, juice, and water to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add the herbs and let the syrup infuse for at least 15 minutes.
• Meantime prepare your canning jars.
• Strain syrup through a fine sieve, squeezing out as much syrup as possible from the herb leaves before discarding them.

Serve with vodka and a splash of soda water, or just soda water if you prefer!

~ Lemonade photo and recipe courtesy off InnBrooklyn via Loving Living Small

~ Photo of California Poppy Fields, courtesy of msn.com

~ Victorian gazebo photo courtesy of House Beautiful