What the Heart Sees 05/31/2010
 Why is it that sometimes we let things get in the way of what our heart sees? Have you noticed that with your heart you can see much more than is visible to the eye? Hear much more than the words that are said. Feel deeper than any touch could ever give. Our heart steers us. It is capable of much more than we usually give it credit for. It is capable of healing even when broken into infinite pieces. We are all vastly resilient even when we don’t believe it. When you realize the power within your heart, the world opens up in the most incredible way. Instead of thinking we have limits, our heart tells us we can do so much more; give so much more, love so much more. Our potential is greater than we usually allow ourselves to see. It is time to think big, give big, love big and instead of shielding our hearts, allow it to lead the way. How extraordinary life can be when you give your heart permission to be your guide. What does your heart see? 
2 Comments Champagne Celebration 05/30/2010
My last day in Vegas Jessielynn, Sue and I woke up at a leisurely pace, put on our bathing suits and headed down to the Terrace Pointe Cafe in the Wynn. It was beautiful and sunny. We enjoyed our breakfast on the outdoor terrace overlooking the pool. I had a delicious latte, fresh fruit from our shared fruit platter and Irish steel cut oatmeal. It was a wonderful way to start the day. After breakfast we walked over to the pools for some relaxation. The pools were very crowded, so it was hard to find a seat. At first we had taken someone else’s chair that had left the pool, but they came back so we moved. With nowhere to sit we put our towels down on the side of the pool by the stairs. A nice group of gentlemen who were going back to their room for an hour said we could borrow their chairs. Perfect! As it turned out we were seated next to a friendly gentlemen and lady in Vegas on a business trip. After chatting away it came up that we were in Vegas celebrating my birthday, and the kind gentlemen asked where we were dinning that evening. He said he was going to leave us a bottle of champagne for our celebration, and then he said to enjoy our trip and went on his way. I’m not going to lie, I was very excited but I didn’t want to get my hopes up. We had only talked for a short while, and after all he didn’t really know us or have any reason for doing such a nice thing for us. A bottle of champagne is a pretty big gesture from a stranger. Champagne happens to be one of my absolute favorite drinks, but something I rarely get a chance to drink, especially because it can be very expensive at restaurants. After an hour at the pool the three of us headed over to the Fashion Show Mall, which was right across the street from the Wynn, in search of some souvenirs to bring home. Then it was back to our room to shower and get ready for dinner. We meet up with our friend A who had flown to Vegas that day to celebrate our last night with us. Our dinner reservations were at Bartolotta restaurant in the Wynn. Bartolotta offers Italian Coastal cuisine with shellfish flown in from the Mediterranean daily!   Sue, myself and A After being seated, sure enough, true to his word, out came a bottle of champagne for our celebratory dinner.  Remember when I took a picture of the champagne slots the day before?  It definitely was a sign (figuratively and literally)! I had champagne in the back of my mind for this special trip and it was like a wish come true! *~*never stop wishing! *~* Funny enough about 10 years earlier my husband and I were treated to a bottle of champagne from a stranger when visiting my future in-laws at a champagne bar in New York City. That was the moment I fell in love with champagne. It really can be an amazingly beautiful world when you choose to see it that way! I’ll always carry with me a smile in my heart remembering both acts of generosity. It is incredible the impact we are capable of having on one another with acts of kindness.   Beautiful tiny bubbles  Cheers! Needless to say my dinner was amazing! What is not to like about delicious seafood from the Mediterranean? For an appetizer I ordered one gamberi – tiger shrimp. *Food descriptions are from the Bartolotto menu.  It was every bit as good as it looks! Also for a shared appetizer for the table we ordered cappesante dorate con porcini - seared sea scallops with porcini mushrooms.  Divine and cooked to perfection! For my main course I ordered lasagnette con ragu di crostacei - “rags” of pasta, lobster, shrimp, crab, white wine, tomato.  Honestly, it was unbelievable! The whole dish was super fresh including the pasta. It tasted as though the pasta was just made. The flavors were light and delicious, and the seafood, oh my the seafood, it was heavenly. I wish I could eat it again just looking at the picture. And as if all that wonderful food wasn’t enough, the server brought out a surprise dessert.  I don’t think I have to tell you how yummy this chocolate creation was!  What a birthday!!! Bartolotta was such a special treat! It is a fine dining restaurant perfect for a special occasion. My meal and experience were unforgettable, and I believe it is a restaurant worth saving up for.  Left to Right: Sue, Me, A, Jessielynn Thank you for celebrating with me lovely ladies! On our way out of the hotel we stopped in some of the high end shops the Wynn has to offer. I think we were feeling pretty good after the champagne, but just the right amount because none of us splurged on any purchases.       There were lots of weddings going on that day.  This display reminded me of home with all the umbrellas (we get our fair share of rain in Vancouver ;-). We looked around the beautiful hotel, and then tried our hand at the slot machines.  My husband specially set aside a few dollars for me to try blackjack for the very first time. He said it was a must-do, and who am I to argue? J It was actually a lot of fun! Much more fun than I expected. Fortunately my friends and the nice people sitting beside me at the table were there to help teach me. It was a memorable experience AND I didn’t lose all my money, whoohoo! Jessielynn and I had to get up nice and early for our flights the next morning. I think we may have slept 2 - 3 hours?! It was well worth it. This trip is forever going to bring me many happy memories. To say I had a blast would be a complete understatement. I am pinching myself at how fortunate I am! I’m extremely grateful to my husband for planning this whole surprise for me, and for loving me so much to give me a spectacular birthday and a much needed break. Also, so grateful to my friends for coming to Vegas to celebrate with me. I’m one lucky girl to have such amazing people in my life! Au revoir Las Vegas!  I miss you already, but I couldn’t wait to get home to my family who I missed even more!!! Is there a birthday celebration you’ve had that you’ll always remember? Please share in the comments. Love Stack 05/27/2010
Our evening on day 2 in Vegas was just as spectacular as the day. Lisa from Modern Mom gave me the most incredible suggestion on how to spend a night on the town in Vegas, The Beatles Love Cirque du Soleil followed by dinner at Stack restaurant. Jessielynn and I headed over to the Mirage, home to both the show and restaurant. After picking up our tickets we had a little bit of time before the show started. We decided to pop into the Beatles Lounge for a pre-show cocktail (I may have had a little -I mean a lot!- to drink on this trip ;-). It is a good thing we did tons of walking ;-)  Jessielynn in her fabulous new wrap dress we found on the strip. My lovely friend Sue flew into Vegas to meet us that evening, and even with a delayed flight Sue made it just in time for the show.  There were no photographs or videos allowed in the show, but let – me – tell – you, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! The three of us LOVED it! The music was fantastic, the dancing simply breathtaking, and it’s Cirque (enough said!). If you never been to a Cirque du Soleil performance you don’t know what you are missing. I can only say it is worth every penny. Watching the show you felt as though you were caught up in the whirlwind of the Beatles, and a part of their history. You don’t have to be a Beatles fan to LOVE this show, and you may walk away becoming one! My only wish is that I had purchased the award winning CD on my way out so I could relive it again and again in my head. I would definitely go to see this show again! After leaving the show we were all on a little bit of a Beatles/Cirque high and we had some time before our dinner reservation. With 2-for-1 drink coupons from 8pm to 10pm that came with our show tickets it was back to the Beatles Lounge we went. For a drink I was hoping for something not too sweet. I could already feel my indulgences adding up, so Jessielynn introduced me to a drink I had never tried before called a Gimlet- a combination of vodka and lime juice if I remember correctly. It was good. The drink had a sour kick and was not overly sweet, which was just what I wanted.   Sue and I at the lounge.  The Beatles Lounge  A close up of the ceiling. From there we headed over to Stack which was really close to the lounge and theatre. Stack describes itself as a fine-dining, cutting-edge American Bistro. We loved the food selection on the menu. While making our final food decisions I ordered a “New” Cosmo from the cocktail menu. It was hard to choose because everything looked so good, but in the end the three of us decided on getting 4 small plates to share: *Descriptions from the Stack Menu "Lettuce Cup" Sesame Chicken, Shitake Mushroom, Hoison Dipping Sauce Lobster Tacos Grilled Mango, Cilantro Miso Black Cod Lettuce Cups Adult Tater Tots Bacon & Brie How could we possibly resist something called an Adult Tater Tot?!? The food was simply incredible. Each and every dish was unforgettable. When we finished our meal we were perfectly satisfied but not overly stuffed, which was a great feeling. The lettuce cups and wraps made the sesame chicken and black cod dishes light and crunchy.  Miso Black Cod  The lobster meat and flavor combination in the lobster tacos was delicious.  The tater tots were a nice crispy indulgence.   Oh Yeah Baby!  And as if the food wasn’t good enough all on its own, we had great service and they brought us limoncello shots for our celebration. If – I mean WHEN J- I’m in Vegas again, I will make it a point to visit this restaurant again. I highly recommend it! Thank you Lisa for the wonderful suggestions! This fantastic evening would not have happened without you. Question of the day: What is your favorite Beatles song?
A Day of Photography and Margaritas 05/26/2010
Hi friends! Day 2 in Vegas was amazing! I decided to break the day and evening into 2 different posts. Jessielynn and I had an amazing day with lots of photography, and a few drinks (when in Vegas, right? J). We really enjoyed ourselves and listened to the click of our cameras all along the Las Vegas strip. I hope you’ll sit back, grab a drink (margaritas were our drink of choice for this journey) but if it is not a good time for that consider a cup of tea or a big glass of water, and come along with us. Before I get to the photos from day 2, I completely forgot to mention in my previous post about the trip down to Vegas, I was fortunate to be seated next to a mother- daughter duo on the plane. The two women were on their way to a wedding, and were incredibly warm and friendly. These two Canadian women are part of a family owned business Fashion Addition 14 Plus. 23 years ago Mom, Marilyn, and her husband Bill set out to fill a void in the plus size fashion industry and give women more choices, thus Fashion Addition 14 Plus was born. They have had much success and there is something about starting a family owned business that really resonated with me. I think in the back of my head I’ve always imagined that for my husband and I, and an open ended option for our kids should it be something they want themselves. I love getting a sense of the heart of a business, really for me it is about the people behind it. So if plus size fashions are of interest to you, or those you hold dear, check out their website, and pop in one of their stores. On to Vegas! Pictures taken right outside the Wynn, leaving the hotel to frolic in the gorgeous weather. J   We headed over to Paris hotel in search of brunch.  I particularly liked some of the names on the slot machines in the Paris.   My favorite slot machine name! I guess I have champagne tastes, or maybe it is a sign of things to come... I thought this next sign was pretty cute too.  The decor in the Paris had a romantic feel, and there was something very sweet about it at the same time.    We stopped at le cafe ile st. louis for a bite to eat where Jessielynn enjoyed the Nicoise salad and I had a turkey club on delicious sourdough bread. The highlight of the meal though was our Baileys and coffee. It was the perfect indulgence for the start of a day in Las Vegas.  Next we left the Paris hotel and walked along the strip where we passed the Harley Davidson Las Vegas Cafe.   The Hard Rock Cafe  And ESPN zone. I had to snap a picture of this for my Hubs!  We made our way over to Coca-Cola and M&M world.    I love the old fashioned glass Coke bottles and vintage signs! Following that we visited the New York New York hotel.      Look at all those jelly beans! I wonder how many it took to make that. The New York New York hotel is where we decided on a drink for the road. A wonderful icy cold margarita was the perfect addition to our day of photography and walking in the warm weather.     I thought this sign was cute. I’m sure we have all experienced that at one time or another.  Here we are approaching the City Center.  The architecture was beautiful. Take a look at this striking and unique restaurant.   After popping in the city center we continued on to the Bellagio.   If I had to pick one, I would say the Bellagio hotel is home to my favorite displays. The lobby ceiling is adorned with stunning blown glass artwork.  The awnings in the hotel were gorgeous as well.   Thousands of exquisite flowers made up the display in the Bellagio, along with giant displays of art, including glass flowers and huge mushrooms.       It truly felt like I was walking amongst the most beautiful nature brought inside with sunshine pouring in the glass ceilings.  Hot air balloons were a theme throughout the hotel. After the Bellagio we went into Caesar’s Palace, and followed that by another look through The Forum shops.    It was the perfect day in Las Vegas! Jessielynn and I had a blast! Stay tuned for what the evening brought... What is your favorite kind of salad?
Senegal Part III – Mini Adventure 05/25/2010
Here is a great update from my wonderful in-laws about a one day excursion they had in Senegal. Who needs books when you can read what this adventurous couple is up to?! I’m happy to report they are now joined by an amazing woman and friend, Barb. Happy Reading! ♥Wendy Irene Senegal Part III – Mini Adventure by Patricia It seems hard to believe only 2 days ago our adventure of the day was Barb and I sitting on the beach, contemplating the various 6 packs of the beach boy/men as they were doing multiple push up sets, sit ups, stretching, jogging in place and what have you. Let me tell you, today’s adventure was a little more out there. We were off to Lac Rose the home of some of the world’s most famous salt and the finish line of the Paris to Dakar car rally. Sounds innocent enough…. Our driver Maum was at the wheel as we journeyed up the only road toward Dakar comforted by the sights of multiple car wrecks littering the way….(only three police stops this time) As we pull into Lac Rose a young kid about 25 jumps up on the running board and declares himself as our guide. “If you like – pay, no like -no pay. Okee dokee. “Me I’m speaking the 4 languages, Very good Francais, very good Italian, very good Spanish, and ok English. Hmm the light bulb should have gone on then. Off we go driving around the lake looking at the salt harvest and being hounded big time by vendors whipping out their wares with the speed of light, then packing them up and running after the car as we go along only to set them out time and time again. We reach the end of the lake and our young guide asked if we wanted to go in the desert with the jeep and Aaron said “No”. Somehow or another the guide missed that part of English class because we ended up smack in the middle of Sand dune hell and 5 minutes later we were hopelessly bogged down. The guide said “this is small problem – we let out small air in tires and then we go no problem”. So he did and back in the car we go and drive 10 yards…. Problem…. Aaron gets out of the car and realizes the guide has let all the air out of three tires and they were completely flat and buried in the sand. Our guide now says “big Problem”. Its 300 degrees out, (ok low 100’s) we are in the middle of the desert Lompoul and kind of hooped. For some reason I had on my only pair of cute shoes complete with fake diamond buckles, a skirt, no hat, sunscreen or water…I thought I was touring around in the car with small shopping stops along the way for goodness sake. Barb and I slog through calf deep sand to find some shade while the guys try to figure out how to get the car out. I ended up holding Maum's cell phone for him which would end up being a very good thing. They send the kid off to get help (hoping he will actually come back). Finally he does and is happy to report that a truck will be on the way to rescue us shortly. Voila! The truck arrives and the guy looks impressive as he pumps up the tires and wields car tools. At last we are ready to go. Barb and I are sweating it up big time in the back seat, the kid is driving and Aaron and Maum are with the rescue guy. Off we go, gunning up the first hill and zipping down the back side of the dune and we keep going, afraid to stop lest we get stuck again. The kid is starting to enjoy this (somehow his English has dried up and he can’t figure out we are telling him to slow down) and he floors it and we burn through the desert at breakneck speed four wheel drifting through the curves, whipping over bumps getting so much air Barb and I are screaming and hanging on for dear life. I feel like I am IN the Paris to Dakar Rally. Finally we burst out onto the beach and now he really goes for it. The speedometer is inching up and up and I have given in to whatever fate awaits. Finally the village is one sand hump away…… then….RING….RING…RING…...I still have Maum’s cell phone and I am not sure if I should answer it. I shakily pull it out and a voice on the other end is calling for help. You must come back!! Guess what? The rescue truck has broken down! Jeeze! We pull a quick four wheel drift turn and hurtle back down the beach and there’s Aaron and Maum waiting yet again for help. Not to be believed some vendors spotted us and rushed over to try to sell us hats and fake ivory tusks at “very cheap prices!” Aaron and Maum jump up onto the back bumper African style and off we go leaving the rescue guy to his fate. We hot foot it past the two huge French tanks poised on the beach and finally we zip into the village, head to a local restaurant guzzle beers and have lunch. Interesting day. Cheers, Pat and Aaron     If you did not get a chance to check out Part I and II of the trip you can by following the links below. Senegal Part I Senegal Part II Have a wonderful day, friends! J First Night in Vegas Baby! 05/24/2010
The day finally arrived and now I am very excited to both share with you and re-live my first night in Vegas baby! Stay tuned for the winner of the Maple Leaf Giveaway! The trip started with a direct flight from Vancouver to Las Vegas on West Jet.  The solo flight felt like a nice break. Nothing to worry about but what I was going to watch on my individual TV (love that!)  After I clued in that I could change the channel ;-) I chose to watch The Doctors of course! I had lots of room and a great view sitting by the window in the exit row. The flight actually went by very quickly, and soon I looked out my window and became very excited as we approached the strip.  I could even see my hotel!  Where did my wonderful husband book me for my surprise birthday trip?  The Wynn! :-D This is where I met up with Jessielynn, truly one of the dearest people in the world to me, my beautiful friend for life. I’m a blessed girl to know her.  She is so much fun to hang out with! The room was beautiful, and I especially loved the bathroom. What’s not to like about a television in the bathroom on vacation?!  OK, so with all the amazing activities we were doing I didn’t actually have time to use it, but it was sure cool having it there. J The view from our hotel room was great! There was a view of the hotel’s pools.   The entire golf course.  I couldn’t help but dream of coming back again even though it was only my first night, and watch my husband golf at the course while I chill in the room...before my spa treatment of course ;-) Hey, you never know if you don’t dream, right?!  You could also see the beautiful mountains in the distance. I liked how even the candy reminded us ‘to behave’...he he J After catching up in the room, putting luggage away, and a few pictures, Jessielynn and I headed out. The chandeliers in the Wynn were beautiful.  Especially these colorful ones.  Photo opp!  Jessielynn  Me That is a gorgeous waterfall fountain outside the window in the background. Breathtaking flowers were everywhere in Vegas. These beautiful balls of flowers were hanging from trees inside the Wynn.  Here is another stunning waterfall outside the Wynn.  The weather was perfect for an evening walk; warm with a light breeze.  Jessielynn and I headed over to Treasure Island to catch the pirate show called Sirens of TI. The cab driver told me about the free show during the ride from the airport.  We watched the show from the outdoor section of Christian Audigier the Nightclub at TI.  It was a great place to sit outside, have a cocktail, and absorb the Vegas night life.  Photo taken by Jessielynn  We both agreed the show was NOT for kids. There were some girlie giggles between the two of us, skimpy outfits (on the performers that is) and singing “a whole lotta sugar, and you shake it, you shake it!” (Not an exact quote...I was drinking a rum and coke J) The fire and water spray were pretty cool. Following the show we headed over to Caesar’s Palace and spent some time in The Forum Shops at Caesar’s.  This is where we ran into Zoltar who gave Jessielynn her fortune. The exact words I’ll never tell but if you run into him be sure to get your fortune.  One of my absolute favorite ♥shops in The Forum shops at Caesar’s is Peter Lik. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the photography in there and highly recommend you check it out if your travels take you to Vegas. My plan, come back to this store if I hit the jackpot because my home could definitely use some of this photography hanging in it! I could go on and on gushing about it, but I think you get the point ;-) ♥♥♥ By this time it was getting pretty late and we were about to chew our arms off. We ended up at Sushi Roku for dinner where we thoroughly enjoyed california rolls, spicy rock shrimp with asparagus rolls, spicy yellowtail rolls, and assorted vegetable tempora. Yum! Look at the great view of the strip from my seat in the restaurant.  After dinner we headed back to the Wynn  And on our way to the elevator we gushed over our favorite window display raining shoes; Manolo Blahnik shoes that is. We may or may not have picked out every show from the display we liked. ;-)  Then it was back to the room for some girl chat where we reminised about our second grade sleepovers together and how happy we were to still keep them going. What an amazing first night in Vegas! Now for the winner of my first giveaway! I wish I could send one to everyone, thanks for the love. Drum roll please.... To pick the winner I used Random Integer Generator from Random.org And the winner is Random Integer Generator Here are your random numbers: 1 Timestamp: 2010-05-25 03:26:56 UTC Amber Smith Congratulations Amber!! Thank you for entering. I can’t wait to send it to you J Please email me at wendy@givelovecreatehappiness.com with the address you would like the package sent to. Question of the day: Do you have any favorite Vegas memories? Dad’s Blueberry-Banana Pancakes 05/23/2010
 What is it about Dads and their special weekend pancakes? Or at least it is weekends in our house J I don’t know, but I certainly enjoy it! I thought I would share with you my husband’s recipe for weekend pancakes. Dad’s Blueberry-Banana Pancakes Ingredients: 1 ½ cups all purpose flour (for a change up sometimes we do ¾ white flour & ¾ whole wheat) 3 tablespoons sugar 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 2 large eggs 1 ¼ cups milk ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract Butter for skillet Frozen Blueberries (or fresh if you have them) Sliced Banana Directions: Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, and then mix in the milk and vanilla extract. Heat a skillet or griddle. If needed add butter to prevent sticking. Combine the egg mixture with the flour mixture and whisk until it is the consistence of a thick batter. Ladle batter into the skillet to make pancake. After about 30 seconds when the pancake starts to slightly firm sprinkle with blueberries and banana slices. When bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake and the underside is golden brown flip the pancake. Cook about 1 – 2 more minutes until browned on second side and cooked through. If needed add more butter to the skillet in-between pancakes, and repeat with the remaining batter and fruit.  Dad’s Blueberry-Banana Pancakes Birthday Style Our favorite addition to these pancakes is maple syrup.  Groceries for a family can be expensive; however there are a few pantry items I feel are worth splurging on. Good maple syrup is one of them. Some maple syrups are not even actually made of maple syrup, just flavoured sugar. Good maple syrup goes a long way so I find you use less, meaning more flavor and often less calories. Another pantry item I splurge on is vanilla extract. Having a love for baking I ♥ a wonderful quality vanilla extract! *Don’t forget to enter the giveaway; you have until Noon Monday when a winner will be picked randomly! It is my first one so I am excited about it :-D Have a great day, friends! What special ingredients do you splurge on? Maple Leaf paired together with Matchstick - a Toronto based word of mouth marketing company that is a member of WOMMA (Word of Mouth Marketing Association) and put together the Maple Leaf Roundtable event. It was wonderful meeting so many lovely new people including my email buddy Sumaya from Matchstick, as well as Jeanette Jones Vice President, Communications for Maple Leaf and Sharon Beais Senior VP, Food Safety & Quality Assurance, and some fantastic Vancouver bloggers!  Everyone was so warm and friendly, I immediately felt comfortable even though I did not know anyone prior to attending the event. The dinner was held at Quince Cooking School. It was a cute place.  We started the evening with some mingling and appetizers. This appetizer included a slice of Maple Leaf’s Natural Selections Oven Roasted Turkey Breast.  The re-sealable packaging on the Natural selections was a crowd pleaser. J One less baggie in the garbage is definitely a good thing! Next we sat down and Sharon talked with us about Maple Leaf’s commitment to becoming a global leader in food safety as a result of what occurred in August, 2008 and the Listeriosis illnesses and tragic deaths that were linked to their products.  What stood out most to me was the commitment Maple Leaf has made to become a transparent company, and in their words do what is right. They take the deaths linked to their products seriously and are looking to reach out to the community, admitting mistake, and wanting to do everything in their power to prevent an outbreak from re-occurring. We were able to learn about the length of what they have gone through as a company in terms of replacing $20 million in infrastructure, intensive cleaning practices, piloting new food safety programs such as Sistem, and working towards their goals of becoming GFSI and BRC certified.  It is my hope that in their transformation they are successful in educating others, both individuals and companies, to be as safe with food as possible and prevent future deaths. While Sharon talked with us and answered the group’s questions we enjoyed a loaf of Dempster’s vacuumed sealed baguette.  It was served with garlic, butter, and asiago cheese, yum! We also learned about Maple Leaf’s Think Food program and the $12 million investment in their culinary division, rendering a stunning place to collaborate recipe testing.  For dinner we enjoyed Maple Leaf’s Prime stuffed chicken breasts.  Here are a few group shots   It was a great time and my favorite part of course was meeting such delightful people!  Erica Co-Author of The Survival Guide for Rookie Moms and myself  There are so many new blogs I look forward to checking out and sharing with you in the near future! Thank you for a fun evening Maple Leaf and Matchstick! Now, on to the giveaway!!!  This giveaway bag that Maple Leaf has provided for one of you includes Dempster’s Baguettes in both white and multigrain, an apron, coupons, a digital meat thermometer (no more under or over cooking your food!), an apron, and my favorite part, the bag itself! It is a cute insulated bag great for helping keep food cold. I think you’ll enjoy using it this summer the next time you want to make sure the ice cream makes it home safe from the grocery store ;-) To enter all you have to do is leave a comment! Are you a Multigrain lover or is it White Bread that has your heart? The giveaway will be open until 12 noon (Pacific Time) on Monday May 24, the winner will be picked randomly and will be announced first thing Tuesday morning, so be sure to check back and see if you have won! Decor Made Simple 05/18/2010
Looking for a change of pace with your home’s decor? Here is a very simple painting I did myself and it cost very little to make.  I actually made this painting a long time ago and it was sitting in my garage collecting dust, and because I am trying to adopt more of a use it or lose it attitude with all the stuff around our house I was contemplating what to do with it. Then it came to me, these stripes would work well in my kids playroom with the bright colored teal walls, and stripped curtains.  To make the painting I used an inexpensive blank canvas, painter’s tape, and colorful acrylic paints (I actually just chose colors I already had at home which made it even less expensive). Using painter’s tape I simply created lines with different widths and filled them in with various colors. It was really easy to do and didn’t take very long. Another thing I do to add decor to my home, I started this one very recently, is hang personal photography. Printing a photograph you have taken yourself or one of your friend’s is an inexpensive option to add beauty to your walls.  This gorgeous photograph was taken by my very talented friend Rachel. She sent it to me as a Christmas gift when I told her how much I liked it. The great thing about using the photography of friends, family, and yourself is that it is inexpensive and really easy to change with seasons or when you are getting bored and want a new look. I’m one lucky girl in that two of my most dear friends happen to have mad photography skillz! They have a new blog named 4 eyes 2 coasts where you can check out some of their work. If you get a chance check out their cute profile picture, I am fortunate to remember them like that being the old friends for life that we are ;-) The Matchstick-Maple Leaf blogger dinner is about to happen. I’m very excited! If you think of any questions for me to ask I’d love to hear them. Check out Give Love Create Happiness’s first card.  It is a fun step for me. I’ll be meeting other local bloggers and was thinking about how I would love it if I came home with some cards of new blogs to check out, because it would be hard to remember them all in my head. There are 25 of us! This is why I decided to create a card last minute. There are a few things I would tweak. The flower from the website is a little too detailed for a business card I think, so I may be better off creating some kind of logo, and I would probably change the paper, but it’s not bad for a first card! It is a good chance for me to practice what I preach and not let perfectionism get in the way of production. Plus I was able to get it done in 1 hour at 1hrcards on East Broadway Street in Vancouver. From what I can tell getting business cards done in one hour is not easy to come by. I was happy with how willing they were to work with us to customize the card the way we wanted in so short a time. Today’s question: Do you prefer stripes or polka dots?
Two Sides of Convenience 05/17/2010
 Convenient does not always equal better in life. I am sure you can think of many examples of when it is hard to fight the convenience bug because doing things the old fashion way makes more sense. Hanging cloths outside, walking instead of taking the elevator or even a car, and preparing your own food instead of eating packaged are just a few examples at the top of my head. However, sometimes convenience can be the difference between doing something and not at all. Embracing this once and a while makes sense. Here are a few things that make my life a little easier and sometimes more enjoyable. Toothbrush Downstairs/Kitchen You know those mornings when you are rushing to get out the door. You’re running behind and you have not brushed the kid’s teeth yet, or maybe your own after having your morning coffee or tea, and we all want to cut down on the staining. J Having a set of toothbrushes downstairs sometimes makes all the difference in the world for me between getting it done or not on those hectic mornings. As well, with toddlers you can’t leave them long at all so if you need to keep your bathroom time short because you don’t have help watching them, at least when you have a toothbrush in your kitchen you can keep an eye on them. Who knows maybe you’ll even end up brushing your teeth after lunch too because it is so convenient? Fridge Marker On my fridge I have a magnet with a little hook on it where I hang a mini sharpie permanent marker. The mini sharpies come with a small ring on them for hanging. I use this marker for labelling food and dates when putting things in the freezer, or when I remove the original packaging from food but want to remember the best before date. Having the marker right there makes it really easy to label my foods. How many times have you wondered how old that fish or soup in the freezer really is? Starbucks at Home I keep a bottle of my favorite flavor syrup (toffee nut) from Starbucks at home. This has saved me a lot of $ over time. I love the lattes at Starbucks but they can really add up. Another great plus is that doing this has cut down on my sugar intake. When I make a latte at home I only add one pump of syrup, which is a lot less than what goes into the regular drink. Now the lattes at Starbucks are even too sweet for me, which I never would have imagined a year ago. It has worked out to be more convenient, a money saver, and better for me by cutting back on sugar. In what ways do you embrace convenience?
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