Saturday, April 30, 2011

Awesome Clothes of a Call Girl

Much like all the girls I know, I am in love with the show Secret Diary of a Call Girl.
Now, I watch a lot of TV and I have a PVR so what I choose to watch is usually something I choose to watch. It has to be something interesting and throughtful and pretty and fun.
Secret Diary is all those things. It's my television soulmate. Style and substance.
I love that Hannah/Belle (Billie Piper) is not ridiculously "pretty" in the conventional sense but is quite lovely in a human way. I absolutely love the design of her apartment and I am beside myself about the fashion. This is one hot prostitute and she inspires me (fashion-wise) every episode. Whether it's the casual clothes of Hannah or the over-the-top sexyness/roll-play costuming of Belle, I just can't get enough.
Hopefully you all enjoy it as well!
Roxanne

Friday, April 29, 2011

Congrats, You Crazy Kids!

Almost makes me want to get married! I shed a few tears and clasped my hands to my chest. What a moving ceremony.
And how can you not say YES to the DRESS! Very classy, very beautiful, very Grace!
Cheers, Roxanne

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Food Blogs

I have been writing about food a lot lately. I guess, to paraphrase Willy Nelson, it's always on my mind.
Here are some of my favorite foodie blogs to date.
I am trying this recipe at top of page tonight from Atlantis Home. I'll let you know how it works out.
Omlette picture was a DIY project of my own last weekend. Look at poor Jack in the background. Sorry, no eggs for you yet buddy. :) Fav Food Blogs:
1) http://www.tastespotting.com/ These guys have compiled all the best recipes from all over the net and organized it beautifully with awesome pictures. Everything looks delicious. Especially the deep-fried Oreos. Naughty!
2) http://purplefoodie.com/ A recipe and story to go with it. And almost all of the recipes are sweet. Yum!
3) http://girlswholiketogorge.blogspot.com/ Girls who like to gorge? Need I say more?
4) http://www.epicurious.com/ Epicurious: they have all you need to know about anything. And their homepage always has a topical theme (Royal Menu, anyone?)
5) www.grocerylists.org I put this on here because not only do they have hilarious found grocery lists (Superplus Tampons, Cupcakes & Snickers) but also ready-made list templates that you can check off and print out so you never leave anything behind. And who knows, maybe someone will find your list and laugh?
Bon Appetit!

A Taste of Vancouver

Our clan packed up and shipped ourselves off to Vancouver to visit Dallas' mom and to see the sights. We thought we would do a bunch of educational and interesting stuff (Aquarium, Science World...) but Ava was sick so we went to restaurants and the movies. Just as well.
Top picture is Ava demonstrating her own special headdress to represent her Island heritage.
Next pic is an amazing visual representation of impending summer. Doesn't it make your heart skip a beat?
3rd pic is the delicious new Korean appy wraps at Cactus Club. Totally worth getting!
4th pic is the curry fries at New York Fries. We just had to try them. Not that great. They have better ones at fry trucks and The Dog House Restaurant in Duncan.
5th pic is from Potter's Garden Korean Restaurant in Vancouver. It was the Kimchi, vegetables and potatoes that came with our meals. I love all the little tapas type things that come with Korean food.
6th pic is Dallas' Bulgogi. It's served in a hot-ass dish and it continues cooking at your table. Delish!
7th pic is the vegetable pancake that everyone shared. Pancake? Need I say more?
Not pictured: The Bipimbap that Charlene (my mother in law) and I shared. Also served in fired dish so the rice gets all crispy. Yummers!
We all ate for under $35. Go Potter's Garden!

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Bibimbap

In celebration of Ava and Jack's Korean cousin, Erin, here is a delicious recipe that is very popular in Korea annd very deicious and easy to make in Canada. (recipe originally from from Today's Parent Magazine)
Bibimbap (or bibimbop) is a popular Korean dish that means “mixed rice.” This easy version has all the flavour of the original and can be whipped up in less than an hour.
Ingredients: 1 cup (250 mL) long-grain rice 1 lb (500 g) steak, such as strip loin or rib-eye 1/4 cup (50 mL) low-sodium soy sauce 2 tbsp (30 mL) toasted sesame oil 2 tsp (10 mL) granulated sugar 8 shiitake or cremini mushrooms 2 carrots 3 green onions 1 tsp (5 mL) vegetable oil 4 eggs (optional) handful bean sprouts Directions: 1. Stir rice with 2 cups (500 mL) water in a large non-stick frying pan with a lid. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed, 20–25 minutes. 2. Meanwhile, slice beef into very thin, bite-sized strips. In a bowl, whisk together marinade of soy sauce, sesame oil and sugar; add beef and toss to combine. 3. Slice mushrooms, shred carrot and thinly slice green onions. When rice is done, push to sides of pan. Increase heat to medium high. Add oil; when hot, add mushrooms. Stir-fry in centre of pan until softened slightly, 2–3 minutes. Add beef and marinade. Stir-fry until no longer pink, 1–2 minutes. Crack eggs overtop. Cover and cook until egg whites are cooked, 4–6 minutes. 4. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover bean sprouts with boiling water, let stand for 3 minutes and drain well. 5. Spoon rice and beef mixture into bowls, keeping the runny egg on top. Sprinkle carrots, onions and bean sprouts on top of each dish, and serve with hot sauce on the side. If you’ve used eggs, slice them open to let the runny yolks add sauciness to the dish! Makes 4 servings. In a serving: 413 calories, 33 g protein, 6 g fat, 55 g carbs, 4 g dietary fibre, 49 mg calcium, 4 mg iron, 45 mcg folate
Bon Appetite!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Mini Post

I LUUURVE getting mail. And the only person who loves it more than me is my daughter Ava.
She usually walks away from the mailbox in a funk (or with a pizza coupon I lie and say is for her) so the fact that today she got 2 pieces of mail addressed to her and one for her brother (who is too young to open his own) made her nearly beside herself.
I think the art of the letter (and good old snail mail) is dying. Let's keep it alive!
(On the other hand-if you read the letter it's some kind of pyramid scheme for children-guess I'm buying stickers and envelopes at Dollarama tomorrow!)
Roxanne

Ground Control to MAJOR Turquoise!

Can I just say how happy I am that turquoise is having a major fashion moment right now?
I love turquoise, I look great in turquoise, I feel it goes with everything and I always gravitate towards it in any jewelry store (be it real or fake).

The shot on the left is from the great blog Atlantis Home. They are actually selling the peices through their online store Atlantis Dry Goods (as well as some pretty amazing shoes) for a GREAT price. Check it out!

Atlantis Home and Atlantis Dry Goods are sister sites to another blog called Sea of Shoes (collage pic). If you are in any way interested in vintage fashion, or fashion at all, you must add Sea of Shoes to your favorites list. This girl (Jane Aldridge) is AH-MAY-ZING!

Another great turquoise moment happened on What I Wore this week (girl in skirt pic). How great does this outfit look? Loving! Denim and turquoise forever!

Speaking of whick-how gorgoeous is this month's Marie Claire spread (featured here on Denimology). I cut it all out of my subscription for my inspiration journal. It excites me so much to look at! It inspired this post and the dynomite jewelry that I wore to Ava's ballet class today (top picture-sorry about the quality). Totally rocked the waiting room! Take that stay-at-home moms!

Bisous, Roxanne

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Kids Room

Enjoying the finsihed product! Crib set from Babylicious, baby clothes by Zutano.
Bed from Ikea, sheets (Sleeping Beauty) ordered on eBay, comforter from Korea (commisioned), white throw from Ikea and fluffy white pillows from nood.
Thrifted change table that I had Green Barn Gallery re-finish. Baby: my very own DIY project! And what a great way to store our much-needed bibs: right at hand!
Organization bins from Dollar Store adn hanging organziers from Ikea.
Picture was a gift from grandparents and butterfly from Coombs Country Market.
Flowers from Kotini, Princess frame from Disney store, other frames were thrifted. This is one of the dressers from Green Barn Gallery . Oh and awesome luggage from Heys. Now we need to get Jack one!
Betty Boop picture from Daily Planet in Duncan. Butterflies from Kotini (also in Duncan).
Frame from Black's Photography. Collage by Ava.
Bird decals from Army and Navy.
Crib is Stork Craft Ariel Stages from Sears (thanks dad and Lori!)
Hello all! I've been busy:
We live in a 2 bedroom condo so space is limited and I am CONSTANTLY rearranging furniture.
Yesterday, my mom came over and we finally set up my 7 month old's crib (he has been in a cradle and travel play pen in our room).
So now, him and his sister are sharing a room and I had to make all their toys, clothes, furniture and "ambiance" work. I hope I succeeded.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

What My Kids Eat

Now that both my kids are eating food. Well, the 3 year old has been eating real food for a while but my little guy has been on solids for about 2 months, food around our house is scarce and somewhat stressful. What are the kids going to eat?
Like any good kid, my toddler loves "junk" and like any good mom, sometimes I find it's just plain easier to give it to her. But, I do also love love love serving healthy options. And I love when they enjoy things that I love.
Here are some snack I've served recently. The cheesies in the one pic were for my toddler and the healthy stuff was to make me happy. We ate this with grilled cheeses on a Sunday night after we had just finished driving 2+ hours home from a weekend with the in-laws. Mommy wasn't in the mood to cook.

The second was from breakfast this morning. My daughter may have her father's pallete (prefering salty over sweet) but she still digs my side of the family's fav breakfast : cheese and jam on toast. She likes it because the jam makes the cheese stick. Hey, I'll take it.

Friday, April 8, 2011

The Perfect Snack

I just finished reading A Year in Provence by Richard Mayle. It is a glorious read and through him (ex-patriot Brit) we learn the joys of Provencal French cuisine and way of life. It inspired me to write about one of my yummy favorites to eat.
My delicious snack/lunch came to me today at 10:45. I have to grab food while the baby is sleeping so I never quite know when that will be. And since we will be going to Whales Tales this afternoon I wanted to make sure I was fortified for the journey.

My mom has recently lost a bunch of weight in the past month and a bit (20+ lbs! Go mom!) and she did it through regular workouts at Curves and watching what she eats (not really counting calories...but kind of).

She is the one who introduced me to the glories of Wasa bread and with the addtion of low-fat herb & garlic cream cheese, sliced dill pickles, avocado, tomato and a sprinkle of pepper I have created a delicious treat.

The whole glorious gourmet moment makes me think of Adam Sandler's amazing sandwich in the movie Spanglish. The one he doesn't get to enjoy because of his kids, etc. Hmmmm...sounds familiar.

And what could be better than a sweaty bottle of San Pelly? I read in a magazine that Gwyneth's favorite trainer/friend Tracy Anderson always carries a bottle with her as she hates regular water and has a big appetite. This way she gets her 8 cups and curbs her appetite. It just makes me feel fancy!
Speaking of fancy, aren't my R table by Rosanna plates amazing. They have little cupcakes on them and say things like "sweet cake" and "doll cake" and most importantly they don't get brittle in the dishwasher. Hear that IKEA?
Bon Appetite!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Cookies!

My 3.5 year old daughter and husband went to the movies today and left my 6 month old son and I with nothing to do at home.
After watching Phantom Gourmet I needed something sweet and baked so opened the freezer and pulled out the packages of Terry's White Chocolate Orange and white Lindor balls left over from Christmas and got to stepping. (Somewhere along the lines my mom found out that I didn't mind white chocolate and since then I've been the happy recipient of every line of chocolate that comes in white...love ya mom!)
I found an easy chocolate chip cookie recipe and just substituted my chopped up white chunks for the semi-sweet tollhouse. And I added some yummy walnuts I had laying around. (Now I kind of have a hankering for trailmix cookies...especially since the day before I tried to get one in the Tim Horotn's drive-thru and they were out).
Basic Cookie Recipe (add what you like...or have lying around):
3/4 cup sugar
2/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup softened butter
2 large egs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 tsp. salt
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350
Mix first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl (no need for electric mixer)
Stir in remaining (but not your "special ingredients")
Now stir in chocolate/nuts/whatever bit by bit to ensure they really get mixed in well
Bake 7-10 minutes depending how soft you like them (keep your eyes on them or they'll get over-baked fast!)
Let cool
Enjoy!