Sundays with Sophie

Hello lovelies!  It's fall y'all - and we have been having some great weather in Vancity.  Today, Sophie discovered how much fun it is to rip up colorful fall leaves in our backyard.

Daddy's out of town for work, so I've been keeping myself busy - making party supplies for Sophie's upcoming Winter ONEderland birthday party!  This weekend, I made her snowflake ONE glitter banner, and completed the tags to name the food with. Here's a sneak peak at what the tags look like.

Since Nick is out of town, I've been taking advantage of the fact that I don't have to cook!  Lime/cumin/chillies edamame for the dinner win.

 

 

Lastly, Sophie made her debut on the Flash this week, as baby Iris - so just wanted to share a few quick photos from when we shot on set.  Her TV mom was on Melrose Place, and also was in Candyman, New Jack City and Soul Food.

 

 

Hope you all had an amazing weekend. xox

Five on Friday! September.

Lets get this five on Friday started!

 

1. Sophie's First Seawall.  Nicholas & I used to frequent the seawall every weekend or so pre-Sophie, but since having her, we had yet to introduce her to one of our favorite spots in Vancity.  Since we had the last long weekend of summer, we decided it was a must.

I must note that we also found a baby friendly patio (we weren't even the only family with a baby), and it felt so great to be able to bring Sophie out with us, and not only order a drink - but food too!  I think Sophie was so caught up with the boats going by, to get fussy on the patio.

2. Sophie's First Wave.  Don't get me wrong, we bring her to the ocean every week; but where we have visited don't offer ocean waves.  This weekend, Sophie got her first dose of real waves.  Daddy was there to keep her warm, as we strolled along the seawall.

3. Merics BBQ Bash.  Meric, one of my best friends, held his usual end of summer dominoes/ Jamaican backyard party bash this past weekend, filled with reggae music and home cooked Caribbean food.  Nick snapped this pic of Sophie assisting me in holding my beer, which I think is priceless.

4.  Sophie's First Lionel Richie Romper!  I'm more than excited that I ordered a custom locally made Lionel Richie romper for her.  It's 12-18 months, so its still quite big on her, but I'm so excited for this addition to her wardrobe.  Now the 3 of us can be Lionel dorks and all go out in our Lionel outfits :)

5. Texas Food.  I've Been living off of nachos and cowboy caviar all week.  And whisky.  I haven't been to Texas in about a year, but seriously.  I'm all about them tacos.

6. My Backyard.  I know it's five on Friday, but seriously - our drought just went from stage 4 to stage 2 and we have greenery again.  I'm kind of exited to just chillax in my backyard again, while Sophie explores all things green.

Family Reunions, Summer Livin and Rainy Days.

Hello darlings.  Hope everyone is having an amazing August so far!  Last weekend, Nicholas, Sophie & I headed over to the Sunshine Coast for a mini family reunion at Katherine Lake, where a few of my family members manage the campsite during tourist season.

 

 Katherine Lake in the summer.

 

Katherine Lake is one of the smaller lakes up near Pender Harbour, and a perfect fishing spot for trout.  It's also a great place for swimming and paddle boarding - however, the Sunshine Coast wasn't really sunny on the weekend, and it down poured the whole time. 

Sophie's first ferry ride! 

I also got to catch up with one of my second cousins who I haven't seen in ten years.  It was great to see her, and introduce Sophie (and Nick).  She also runs the paddle board rentals/and ice cream shop for tourists during camping season.

We also hung out at my Grandma's house quickly (before we all drove down to Pender Harbour).  Here, we discovered how much Sophie loves wind chimes.  Clearly, we need to get some for our house.

Aside from our amazing road trip for the coast, the last week has rained quite a lot (which is good for our drought) - so we stayed home eating comfort food, binge watching Netflix, and having dance parties to Otis Redding & The Righteous Brothers.  I made the most amazing Chicken Soup (avocado/green chillies/fresh corn/black beans/carrot/onions/bell peppers/tomato/lime/brown rice/cheese/chicken stock).  Almost everything was organic.  This was a winner for days.

I also made the most amazing summer salad which is great on its own, and packs great for leftovers.  (Quinoa/Mixed Greens/Fresh Basil/Red Onion/Cucumber/Tomato/Avocado/Feta/Lemon Juice/Sriracha/Black Pepper).  For both recipes, I removed the watery/seedy inside part of the tomato and didn't include it.  I also minced up all the ingredients pretty finely (even the mixed greens).

On the days that it actually was sunny, we spent it in our pool teaching Sophie baby swim lessons.

We even went shopping on Main St for some hipster baby clothes for Sophie.  While there, she was so well behaved (she's teething now so it can be a hit or miss), that we decided to quickly stop in a bar for a drink since it was so nice out (and we haven't been in a bar, since last year).  We were too scared to order any food en case she got fussy, but it definitely felt nice being able to go somewhere with Nick (and Sophie), and actually have a drink.

We've also made use of daytime park visits on those sunny days, as it's the perfect place for some shady nap times for Sophie, and Chess/Backgammon for Nicholas & I.

Five on Friday - Goodbye July

Can you believe July is done!  That means I only have 4 months left of maternity leave, before returning to work :(  I feel like I've been so absent from the blogging world - so lets recap what's happening in my world lately :)

1. Winter Onederland.  Yes it's still July, and yes it was 34.5 degrees here today - but I seriously can't stop thinking about Sophia's first birthday.  Maybe it's because I'm an event planner, or maybe it's because I don't want to scramble last minute with all the party prep/baking/diy/invites last minute - but this momma is getting a head start on her birthday early.  Below is my inspiration!  Cake pops, snowflake cookies, macaroons, melted snowmen cupcakes, and an adult hot cocoa bar filled with all our fave liqueurs (and home made marshmallows)!  I cant wait for December :)

2. Daddy's Out Of Town.  For the first time since before we had Sophie, Nicholas had to go out of town for work.  It's been pretty hard on Sophie, But luckily he is back tomorrow as I know she misses her daddy.  We tried to facetime on the first day of his travels, but Sophie just ended up crying (since she could hear and see her daddy - but couldn't actually 'see' him).  It was so hard to watch.  We definitely cant wait to have daddy back - and Sophie can have her daddy cuddles again.

3. Mommy/Daughter Time.  Since daddy has been away, it's been extra hangouts for Sophia and I.  Sometimes, I forget to grab shots when we're out - so here's one we took for daddy this week.  Patio chills after a day of shopping and park strolls.  Yes I have an iPhone 4s where as Nick has an iPhone 5 & Galaxy Note 4.  Sometimes I realize the selfie cam really lacks clarity - so I'm definitely going to upgrade soon.  A quality selfie cam is definitely a must have!

4. Edibles.  My summer nights have revolved around cheese plates and wine.  So this is what I indulge in after a core workout.  Local cheese, wild smoked salmon nuggets, local organic fruits, organic crackers, organic local turkey/spinach farmers sausage, and everything in-between with some VQA Merlot.  Hello easy dinners.

5.  The Flash. You have a baby.  Everyone tells you how cute your baby is, and how they should get into acting.  So that's what we did.  A few days later, little Miss Sophie is part of the cast for season 2 of The Flash.  I've never seen this show and I 'had' no idea who was who.  My super hero knowledge was Thor, He-man, Hulk... but not the Flash.

We arrive on set at Vancouver Film Studios (we are considered Hollywood North) and I really had no idea where to go.  Once passing clearance, I was directed to a film lot - and then advised to head to a tent area to find my wrangler to escort us to our private trailer.  I was pushing my baby jogger, and Sophie was filled with spit bubbles of excitement.  So I strolled on down to the tent city - which had about 6 people.  I asked about the wrangler, and all these people wanted to do was come baby admire - and Sophie was more than happy to show off her spit bubbles and big smiles!

I had no idea this was the cast.  Like not even the extras - but the actual main cast.  It was pretty amazing having "The Flash" and "Detective West" go all goo-goo gaga all over Sophie about how much they love her on set.  We had a great time, and I'd totally post photos but cant leak anything encase of season 2 spoilers - but Sophie will be playing young Iris West on episodes 2 & 3 this fall!  It will probably be airing when we are in Maui - but I'll keep everyone posted with dates!

Recipe Time - Coconut Veggies For Your Burger

It's summer time baby!  And if you have a BBQ - I'm sure you've already started it up a few times this season.  With Canada Day, and Independence day only a week away - I thought I'd share one of my favorite summer burger toppings, that will have all your guests raving about your burgers.  It's super easy, mighty healthy, and definitely delicious.

 

Wild Salmon Burger loaded with a tropical vibe.  Jalapeño greek yogurt,  avocado, coconut veggies, grilled pineapple, wild salmon burger, havarti & a pineapple habanero sauce.  Clearly I Texas size my burgers.

Coconut Veggies
Coconut Milk to sauté veggies in
Red Onion strips about 1/4 inch thick
Bell Pepper strips about 1 inch think

Feel free to switch up the veggies or the thickness.  The idea is just to have an abundance of fresh veggies that sauté easily, to soak up all that coconut milk in the process.

I also added dried cilantro and dried jalapeño, and Himalayan pink sea salt to taste.

Sautee your veggies on medium heat until you've soaked up the coconut milk - and BAM - you have the most amazing tropical veggies to pile on top of your burger (or smokies).

Get ready to become addicted to these, as you will be making them all summer long.

Bonus Recipe - Watermelon Coconut Lime Coolers!

Incase you need a new hydrating summer cocktail to go along with all that summer heat and patio fun - try this super easy cocktail out.

Frozen Watermelon Cubes (I placed 1 inch pieces on a parchment lined plate in the freezer for 2 hours).
Coconut Cream (if you cant find coconut cream, just grab a can of coconut milk and steal the cream from the jar - and use the watery milk for your veggies)
Coconut Water
Lime Juice
Booze of your choice (I use whiskey)

Add all ingredients to your blender and blend for about 10 seconds.

Warning - you will probably become addicted to this also.  At least now you have a new excuse to stock up your pantry with coconut milk this summer :).

5 on a midweek in June

Can you believe we are already half way through June - and on top of that, summer officially starts this weekend!!  I have hardly spent anytime in front of my laptop lately, as we have had such wonderful weather - so my five on Friday post is kinda delayed - but better late than never :)

 

1. Daddy/Daughter time.  These 2 have my heart - and I just love watching them have fun together.

 

2. Patio Nights.  Right now, this is where we spend all our evening nights when we are home until the sun goes down.

3. Sophia turned 6 months!  Nicholas and I got Sophie a big girl chair for her 6 months - which she loves so much.  She's a little too small for it right now, but I can see many fun years for her with this chair :)

 

4. We got a new BBQ!  We got ourselves a new propane BBQ, and seriously that thing is my new best friend.  A - Nicholas does the cooking, and B - I don't have to cook.  I have no idea why I waited so long to invest in one.



5. My Latest DIY Project is done!  Sorry for the bad reflections - but every angle seemed to have window/wall glare.  These were boring black and cream frames, that I turned into little ocean themed inspiration quotes for Sophie's room.  I painted the frames, and created custom messages for all of them.  The messages I had printed on pearl in 5x7.  This was seriously so much fun :)