My Life In Photos

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you might have noticed the bombardment of photos of our garden and yard. We've been planting some new things alongside the perennials that the previous owners planted.

Between working on our gardens and planting our vegetable garden, I've spent so much time outside in June. It's been nice and it's weird to see tan lines from being out in the sun. We're working hard to get the gardens looking nice and also fixing up the rest of our yard.

We didn't plant these strawberry plants but a lot of flowers bloomed so we were excited for strawberries. However, not many strawberries are growing now that the flowers are gone and the few strawberries that are getting to be a decent size are being watched by chipmunks. 


Another plant that came back on its own this year. It's called Herman's Pride and it's very pretty. 


We also had a Bleeding Heart plant show up in the front of the house this year. It's very pretty and I'm hoping it survives its transplant.  


I pretty much squeed when I saw these flowers in the garden centre. They're so tiny and adorable. So we got some for our planter out front. It's a Lantana plant and I plan on buying them every year since they come in a wide range of colours. Some plants are even multi-coloured.


These are two of the chipmunks living in our yard. There is a third one too. They're monitoring the strawberry patch. 


My new favourite perennial - the astilbe. They're so pretty and I bought another one for the backyard in a salmon colour. We're learning they need TONS of water however or their little leaves curl up, like in this photo. I'm hoping once they're established, they won't be so needy. 


We have a few plants that we're waiting for to bloom - lillies mainly. I cannot wait to see them open.

Sorry if you're getting sick of my flower photos! I never realized how much I'd enjoy gardening.
xo Jen

Dinosaur Brownies

In the spirit of Jurassic World being released this month, I decided to make another dinosaur-themed recipe. Not long ago I spotted adorable dinosaur sprinkles at The Bulk Barn and I knew they had chocolate rocks there too.

So for something different than cake or cookies, I decided to make a pan of brownies. The recipe I used turned out OK but honestly, brownie box mix is always so good in comparison to from scratch recipes. I was actually planning on buying a brownie mix to achieve the ooey-gooey brownies they make but I forgot to buy a box while at the store. So I made brownies from scratch, which Adam calls chocolate brownie-cake because it's very cakey.

I whipped up some easy chocolate buttercream - butter, cocoa powder, icing sugar and a bit of water. Then onto the decorations! I'm not going to lie, these brownies are almost gone. They've been the perfect sweet treat this week.




I hope you're having a great weekend!
xo Jen

Etsy Crush

Lately I've been finding a lot of items on Etsy that I just adore! The emails Etsy have been sending out with recommendations based on your current favourites have been spot on. 

These are a few of my most recent Etsy loves:


MovieCat - Ghostbusters by Movie Cats
Animal Crossing Leaf Pendant by The Bird The Bee
Cute Boba Tea Pinback Buttons by Beagle Cakes Art
Coffee, Cats, Video Games Poster by The Pink Fox Designs
Arrow Washi Tape by Mailbox Happiness
Kittens Against Cat Calls by Danny Brito

Have you found any items you love on Etsy recently?
xo Jen

Tea Wish List

I've always been a big fan of loose leaf tea and I'm a sucker for all the fun and crazy flavours Davids Tea puts out. I also moved within 5 minutes of a Teavana and they have numerous samples in store and I've completely fallen in love with a few of their teas.

Currently, I have a fairly large tea wish list for both hot and cold consumption. I've set little goals for myself for when I can buy new tea for myself. Basically my cupboard is exploding with tea containers and I need to drink it up!

Davids Tea Wish List:

Sangria


The thought of making a batch of this iced and adding in some red wine makes my mouth water.

Pink Lemonade
When life gives you lemons, reach for this zippy hot pink blend. One sip is enough to turn any frown upside down. Not only is it packed with rooibos, hibiscus and other good-for-you stuff, it’s also unbelievably delicious any way you drink it. Served hot, it’s a tart and tasty throat soother. On ice, it’s an addictively tangy summer refresher. And if you really want to take it to the next level, freeze it into ice cubes and blend them up with some agave and a splash of vodka. Hello, grown-up slushie. 

I'm a sucker for anything pink lemonade and this tea is no exception!

Strawberry Colada
Picture it. You’re sitting poolside, basking in the sunshine and sipping something cool and refreshing out of a coconut. Okay, so maybe the pool is a bit of a stretch. But with this sweet and fruity, retro cocktail-inspired tea, at least we’ve got that exotic drink covered. With strawberries, pineapple and coconut, it’s like a perfect summer getaway in a cup. Try it over crushed ice with a splash of rum. The only thing missing is the little paper umbrella.

I received a sample of this tea in my last order and it was SO good. Very fruity and summery and it's a must for my tea cupboard!

Green Popsicles Nordic Mug
Umm how cute is this mug?! 

Teavana Wish List:

Pineapple Berry Blue Tea Blend
Dazzingly delicious blend of Blueberry Bliss + Pineapple Kona Pop that bursts with the tangy-sweet flavor of hibiscus, citrus and bold berry. 

I've purchased this tea blend before and it's amazing as iced tea. I have sadly finished my container of this tea and desperately need to fill it back up. 

Raspberry Limeade Tea Blend
Cool off with Teavana's unique herbal tea take on refreshing raspberry limeade, a Summer favorite. 
Beautiful balanced myriad of berries with an elegant balsamic finish blended with a burst of lime.



They have this tea blend as a sample in store often and it's one of the best iced teas I've ever had. If you enjoy limeade, this is such a nice twist on it. I plan on buying a huge container of it very soon. 

Looking at this list makes me want some fresh iced tea... I think I'll go make a jug of it for tomorrow!
xo Jen

*All tea descriptions are from Davids Tea and Teavana sites*

To Do List: Summer

It's hard to believe tomorrow is the first day of Summer since Spring went by so quickly. I'm really looking forward to Summer this year. It's our first entire Summer we're in our house and it's incredibly nice to have a yard for barbecuing, gardening, relaxing, and bonfires. I have plans for toasting marshmallows and sipping sangria during Summer evenings.


Summer To Do List:
- day trip to North Bay
- picnics at Moonlight beach and Bell Park
- lots of swimming
- camping
- bonfires and s'mores
- ice cream dates
- shop at the local market


What do you have planned for the Summer? I just want to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather as much as possible because Autumn creeps up fast here.
xo Jen

Cookies And A Starry Cake

Peanut butter cookies are a classic cookie that are super easy to make. Well, not always. I find sometimes the peanut butter is too wet or sticky and the cookies won't roll into balls or the cookies come out too crumbly. 

I've learned a trick - refrigerate the dough! Yes, this isn't some new sciencey-tip. A lot of cookie recipes call for chilling the dough. But the cookie recipe I follow on Kraft Peanut Butter containers does not say to chill the dough. I started doing it though. And it makes a huge difference!


The cookies roll into perfect balls and you can make the cute fork indents in the top. Honestly, try chilling your favourite peanut butter cookie dough and see if it makes a difference.


I shared some adorable cupcakes I made recently. Well, we had lots of leftover frosting. I decided to mix both of them together and it came out this amazing mint colour! To add to the adorableness of the cake, I topped it with some star sprinkles. I pretty much want to make this cake over and over again. It's too cute.



Have you made anything yummy recently?
xo Jen

My Life In Photos

Spring has gone by way too quick! It's been fun but time is going by too fast. This is what I've been up to lately...

What I wore to see Avengers: Age of Ultron.


New Pop! figures for my collection.


We have dinosaur stamps in Canada! They make me happy.


Game night


Cats being cute and hanging out with me.




Ramsey Lake was filled with fish babies during our last walk at Bell Park.



There's always Loons in the lake but this one stayed close to us. 



We have guests all week which will be fun. I'm hoping we'll make our way to Bell Park again.
xo Jen

Jurassic World Dino Bone Cookies

When I was brainstorming recipe ideas at the beginning of the month, a recipe I had seen years ago popped into my head while thinking about a themed recipe for Jurassic World - meringue bone cookies from a Martha Stewart Halloween magazine. I've made meringue cookies before so I knew they were easy enough to make. 


A quick search online and I found the Martha Stewart recipe, which you can find here.

Martha's Cookies:


Jurassic World Dino Bone Cookies (Recipe):

The meringue was easy enough to make, though it took me an entire tray of cookies to finally get the 'bone' shape right. Even then, Martha's cookies look much better. 


The little hearts were to use up the meringue.  



The only adjustment I made with the cookies is I baked them for 2 hours instead of 1 hour. I had two trays in the oven at the same time and after an hour they still didn't feel hard enough. 

I decided to place the bones in some dirt (aka cocoa powder) for pictures and the bits of cocoa powder that stuck to the cookies added a nice taste. 


We haven't seen Jurassic World yet, but as soon as we have a free evening we'll be heading to the theatre!

Have you seen Jurassic World yet? I'm hearing mixed reviews but it doesn't matter because I'm excited to see it. 

xo Jen

Graphic-Con Recap

Last Saturday was Graphic-Con, a local comic convention here in Sudbury. It was the first year and they had it in Vale Cavern inside Science North. I didn't know what to expect, how many people would show up, and how well my items would do. Well, the show blew me away and surpassed all my expectations.



Almost 2,000 people came through the cavern and there was a constant line up to get into the room. I met some amazing people and I sold so much. The atmosphere was high-energy and incredibly positive. I packed up my table at the end of the day feeling exhausted but inspired and motivated. 


It was a pretty cool room that we were set up in. Vale Cavern is a cave blasted out of solid rock. It was a nice back drop. 


The walkway down to Vale Cavern.


They did a fantastic job putting on this convention. It was organized well and everyone was helpful and on the same page there. I can only imagine how much this show can grow if they keep doing it yearly.

My Etsy shop is back open and I'll be adding new stock over the next couple of weeks once I get a sunny day to take pictures.

If you stopped by my table last Saturday, thank you!
xo Jen

iZombie Season Finale Menu

Tomorrow marks the season finale of iZombie. Thankfully the show has been signed on for a second season which makes me quite happy. I've really gotten into the show and I love the writing. Each episode leaves me liking Liv more and more. Ravi has quickly become one of my favourite characters on the show and a recent story line with Peyton has me more interested in her character too.


We recently watched last week's episode and it was so good! It left me wanting to see the season finale bad because there's so many unanswered questions.

I made a season finale-watching menu for IGGPPC which you can check out here.


Personally, I've always been curious to try Mexican Hot Chocolate, maybe without liquefied brains mixed in though.


And I have to admit that even though I'm not a huge fan of spicy foods, the Hellfire Cheezy Puffs Liv eats in a lot of the episodes make me crave Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Weird.

Will you be tuning into the season finale?
xo Jen

Crafty Updates


This Saturday is Graphic-Con, the local comic convention here in Sudbury. I'm pretty excited for it. It'll be fun to be set up inside the Science Centre and to see all the other vendors. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures. 

Here are some of my finished items that I'll have at the show:








This is my to-finish pile for today - pillowcases!


Whatever I have leftover after Saturday I'll be sure to add to my Etsy shop so watch out for those updates!

xo Jen