a gift with meaning...the birthday book.

i am a lover of birthdays.
love them. always have. always will.
they all deserve a mention. a hug. a cake. and a present - no matter how big or how small.
they all deserve to be celebrate whatever the number.
and as sometimes we all DON'T want to say the number out loud, some are worth more of a mention than others.
this summer my mom turned sixty...what you didn't know??
and for her i wanted to do something special. really special. breathtaking. memorable.
yeah yeah i know i know - we all went away and spent a week together. but now that been and gone. a memory.
i wanted to do something for her that she could have. hold. stroke. cherish.
this is where the idea came from about the book.

yes i could have bought her something: a scarf. some perfume. an antique.
yes i could have bought her that, saved myself the time and commitment, collected my hug, kiss & thank you and been on my way.
but that's not my style.
if you have hung around here long enough you will know that THAT is not me.
i always go that extra "martha stewart" step that seems to alienate people.....or so says my husband.

so these are the crazy thoughts that had me come up with the idea of the keepsake book i made for my mom filled with cards and emailed well wishes for her from friends and family to help her celebrate as she danced her way into her 60's.

months before my mom's birthday i sent out the s.o.s. to the few friends of my mom's that i could find that i wanted to get this going. they put me in touch with this person and that person and soon i had a great big list and the quest was on! i already had all the family contacts so that was the easy part.
i sent out an email to people - some people got letters as i did not have their emails - detailing my project and then i waited. fingers crossed.

soon something great happened - people joined in!! i was so excited. the book was taking shape. old friends. new friends. family. they were all so happy to help. also i had requested old photo's as i do not have much myself and i couldn't very ask her! and those came to me as well!!

i am so happy that this worked out and i was so happy to be able to present this to her.
she was truly touched by all of you. your words, your stories, the gift of friends and family.

and i was too.
the fact that you would take the time write.
the fact that you had some fantastic stories to tell. memories to share.
the fact that you find her as special as we do.
.......for that i thank you.

thank you for helping me give this gift to my mom.
xo.

ps - if you were meaning to send something but either lost track of time or forgot, don't worry - happens to me all the time!! you can still send me something and i can still put it in her book. she's is sixty for the whole year!!
:)


 

soccer mom.

last night was the first day of summer soccer.
for my kids..not me. ha!
last night was also a big thunderstorm and record flooding in town - luckily not for us.
{when we heard about it on the radio this morning we stared at each other and were like "what?". thankfully he left work early yesterday to help me out last night or he would have been home super late.}
i'm so excited for the kids. i really think they are going to love it. they are on different teams which is great so they will make new friends and coop will not hang in his sister's shadow.
there is just one wrinkle to this bliss.
they are at different fields. on the same night. at the same time. twice a week.
and 9 times out of 10 - the husband will have to work late.
gulp.
thankfully last night he was there.

i am worried.

i know i shouldn't be but i am.
i will have to split my time between them and pray that the kid on the field that i am not at will not get hurt.
and that i won't be too late to pick the other up at their field.
fingers crossed.

but back to last night.....
the rain was dropping and aydan's group was cancelled as they play on a regular field. mud.
coop, on the other hand, get's the new artificial field and it was a go.
he. had. a. blast.

i don't think he quite got it but he ran with all of them and had a huge grin plastered on his face the whole time.
and he's excited to go back. so excited.
that's what it's all about, no?
i'm sure i'll fill you in on all the fiasco's surrounding this through the summer!!!
{pray they are minor!}

my awesome.

my sunday was awesome.
i felt truly loved.
the day started with amazing cards and pictures from the kids.

don't you love the checklist? i didn't get cute but i cleared pretty. and i am not smart but wise.
but i did get "she is so good at: huging! and i'll take it!
plus i guess i love disney trivia pursuit! was on the gazette and the card.
and coop did his all on his own!! way to go buddy!
what aydan wrote | who is the best mom? my mom! my mom likes flowers and the game trivia pursute. she has glamorous turquoise eyes and marvelous bland hair. she likes to dance and cook.

i also go a wonderful surprise of lululemon dollars from the whole gang. THOSE will be put to good use!
the day was filled with brunch with my kids. {the husband had to work. :(}
the soccer tryouts for aydan - in an all of a sudden gorgeous day. {we are not going to talk about the five minutes i lost cooper at the garden center - why ruin an awesome post with that?}

hanging with coop at the soccer field and kicking around the ball.
freezies and a dog/bike walk.
finished off with a steak and scallop dinner - outside!!
so wonderful.
so perfect.
so much love.
happy mother's day!
xoxo.

in good company.

hello all.

i have some explaining to do. i have been a wee bit absent but it's all for good reason. my mom's here - she came at the last minute last week and we are thrilled! we haven't seen her in a year and we are soaking up as much judy time as we can!!! it's for this reason that i have been absent and will be for some time to come. i will be posting now and again but between her here and aydan starting school soon we are just so busy!!!

we are going to be spending our time soaking in the last rays of summer, gardening, hitting up the waterslides we have heard so much about, canning, baking, cooking, going to the movies, crafting, swimming, antiquing, going to dinner and playing tag in the garden. hope you all have a great last couple of weeks in the summer and i will see you all again regularly when my mom jet's off in a jet plane! (i know you understand!)

xoxo

they changed picture on me again. i'm going to be late.

famous last words. overtime strikes again. this means i get a lazy night. as you can rightly tell i love to cook and bake. passionately. but sometimes after everyone has gone, i just can't bring myself to make a chicken dinner or beautiful roast with all the fixings. if the husband will be home there is no question that a proper meal is in order but if he's not coming and eating at work, i take the night off. on these nights i try to be creative with the kids food to allow myself to enjoy it as well. as we have recently found a liking for cheese pizza i am taking the cue and running with it. here we have a pizza base - one part cheese (aydan), one part cheese & ham (coop) and one part asparagus, chicken & banana peppers (mine).

how do you jazz up a kids meal for to be enjoyed by yourself as well?

shortcut to shortcakes.

there are some posts that come easy and some that don't. this one did not.

i have been racking my brain trying to come up with a clever story to tell you about how growing up this was THE mother's day dessert with our clan. how that if we were at our house or at my grandparents that sweet sweet store bought angel food cake was present on the counter along side a carton of juicy sweet strawberries and a container of cream begging to be whipped. about how the cooks of the family wanted to get something foolproof for a 6 & 8 year old to assemble (as the husbands were utterly hopeless, outside having a cold beer and discussing business) so they would not have to bake and it be delicious. about how now as a grown-up when i see these cakes make their appearance around mother's day i remember my grandma, miss my mom terribly and get all teary eyed (as i am right now). about how this symbolizes spring for me and the bounty of fresh produce soon to come. about how three simple ingredients can make something so spectacular you wounder what you are doing with those yard long recipes with ridiculous instructions.

i have been trying to figure out a clever way to convey my thoughts and have been coming up blank.

hang on a minute....i think i just told you. xoxo


simple as one. two. three.

buy one pre-made angel food cake - the one in the black container with the clear top (my son calls these marshmallow cakes) typically found close to the fruit this time of year. buy a container of strawberries that are so sweet and juicy you smelt them from across the store and were hypnotized by them. head over to the dairy department and snag a container of whipping cream. then head home. have your celebratory meal. pour yourself a glass of chilled white wine & tell the others present how to assemble this dessert for you; hull and slice the strawberries - good sized chunks. whip your cream: place 1 cup of cold cold cream into a bowl (chilled bowl if possible) and begin to whip. once you start to see soft peaks add about 2 tablespoons of sugar and one tsp of vanilla. if you are a fancy gourmet and have a vanilla bean on hand, slice and scrape that baby up and add it in. adjust the sweetness to your liking (meaning add more sugar if you want). whip until firm peaks are achieved - don't go to far or you get butter, or do if that's your thing. slice the cake in half inch slices after removing from the container (did i have to tell you that?).  place a slice on the plate top with a dollop of whip cream, add some strawberries and repeat. then go ot to the patio, sip your wine and wait for your dessert. happy mother's day.


now if you have a willing husband or capable children here is an amazing recipe for actual shortcakes. i sold these at the abbotford strawberry festival years ago and they were a hit - sold like hotcakes, well i guess like shortcakes!

preheat your oven to 425f. in a food processor combine 2 1/2 cups, spooned and leveled, ap flour; 1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces; 1/3 cup of sugar; 2 and a half teaspoons of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of salt. pulse until it becomes a coarse meal. add the milk; pulse 4 to 5 times to moisten. do not over-pulse. turn out dough on to a well floured worktop. with floured hands gently pat the into a 4 by 8 inch rectangle. dust a large knife with flour and cut 8 squares. transfer to a baking sheet and press the squares down slightly.  sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar. bake until golden about 20 minutes - my first time i did 25 and found that too long for my oven but yours might vary. cool on sheet.
to serve split biscuits in half with a serrated knife and layer with berries and cream.

lovingly borrowed from martha stewart.

a case of nostalgia.

many of you might not know that i derive from a line of foodies. my father owned many a restaurant during my youth and my mother was a caterer, deli owner and food stylist for the movies. therefore my love of food and knack for it should be of no surprise. but what people may not know is that during the 80's, when big hair and shoulder pads reigned supreme, the kitchen in our home was turned into a rice crispie square factory. my mother decided to turn a branch of her catering business into the rice crispie square division and she sold her culinary treats to convenient stores in the suburbs of vancouver. now you see it all the time, but back then - revolutionary.

there's more to read here >>

sporty spice has left the building.

i am rather in love with today's mom uniform. feel quite stylish and not a sporty spice in sight! think i have to go this route more often!
foxy jeans dark blue, 100 year old old navy top with old navy tank top underneath, reitmans cardie and dr. seusse style slipper from joe fresh.

only full length mirror is in the hot tub room. mon dieu!!