You ever go back for a second slice of cake and end up with a third? Because same. That’s the line I used for my current pregnancy announcement, as we patiently wait for baby number 3’s arrival. I just entered the third trimester, and I’m feeling all the baby kicks, while all the pregnancy cravings kick in. And of course, as the baby develops, so do the (cake) recipes. This week’s craving(s): (decaf) coffee + sweet almond cake…

Have you ever gone to do something specific and wind up completely fixiated on something else? Like going to the grocery store to pick up cane sugar, and somehow find yourself shopping for sugar scrub instead? Well, I’m notorious for these types of distractions, especially when it comes to shopping. However, today it happened at home... I went to the kitchen for a 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨’ 𝐜𝐨𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐞 and came back with a mouth full of (you guessed it) sugar from 𝐋𝐔𝐒𝐇 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬. Don’t worry, I didn’t actually eat it, although it certrianly smelled good enough to devour. When they say you can’t have your cake and eat it too, I suppose this is what they mean… ⁣

I’ve never been able to understand people who leave their Christmas trees up until February… Yet here I am, making “Christmas” cookies on Valentines Day, using leftover candy canes. Sorry, not sorry, but I couldn’t let them go to waste. I know my mom wouldn’t either, so it seemed fitting to slightly manipulate her chocolate chip cookie recipe in attempt to incorporate the candy canes…

Has anyone else ever bought a day planner just because it looked pretty, and let it expire on their bookshelf for 3 years, or just me?

⁣It’s officially been one month into the New Year, and I recently came across, not one, but two 2020 planners from Indigo that I bought, but never used. I could (obviously) never bring myself toss them, so instead, I decided to “time warp” them, so I can actually finally use them…

The 12 days of Christmas are long gone, so I decided to do 12 days of New Years (tea edition) instead… Over the last 12 days, I featured one tea a day from the best of 2022 collection by David’s Tea on my Instagram and now I’m going to rate them on here from my most favourite to my least favourite. And just so we’re clear, there wasn’t a single tea from this collection I didn’t like, I just liked some more than others. Below, I’m going mention each tea with a description, starting with my most favourite…

Christmas — the most wonderful time of the year (besides Summertime, obviously). At least my ice-cream wasn’t too quick to melt though…

Christmas Eve is here, but let’s be honest, I’ve pretty much been celebrating since November. Even still, there never seems to be enough time to enjoy all the festive lights and decorations. This year, we certainly went all out. My mother-in-law even surprised our girls by decorating their room with all kinds of coloured Christmas lights and it looks so magical! I know as soon as the New Year arrives, I won’t have the heart to take their Christmas lights down right away, but I also don’t want to be THAT person who leaves Christmas lights up all year round, even if it’s just in their room. Sorry, not going to happen. I love Christmas, but not that much. I did, however, figure out a way to enjoy some of the lights all year round without it looking like Christmas in July…

Some of my earliest and most cherished memories with my mother (aside of baking and cooking with her in the kitchen) was out in nature and/or by the ocean. Whether it was picking flowers in a field or throwing seaweed back into the salt water before heading to a dockside restaurant, it was always an adventure with her…

For as long as I can remember, the beach has been my paradise — a place to rise with the sun and tide, unwind with the wind, and ride the waves of the ocean and existence. One of my earliest memories was listening to the sound of my mother’s voice crash against the water’s rush. I can still hear that beautiful sound in my head, without even so much as lifting a seashell to my ear…

Just because it’s almost Winter, doesn’t mean cocktail season is over. While a lot of people are prepping for their mulled wine making (and drinking), I decided to do something a little different this year... Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all about the Christmas Sangria (as I like to call it), but I wanted to start celebrating early this year and didn’t have all the ingredients on hand. So into the pantry I went to see what I could come up with…

Just under two years ago, I broke the only pair of glasses I had at the time (both lenses and stemware). Needless to say, I needed another pair (or 2), and while I never did get new wine glasses, I did get two pairs of eye glasses from Zenni Optical, because I knew I needed to order something that wasn’t going to break or break the bank. This brought me to my very first Zenni unboxing, and because it was so much fun, I figured, why not do it again (with a few upgrades)…

Photographed above is the last bouquet I bought from Organic Acres market before Summer came to an end. For as long as I can remember, I‘ve tried to preserve my bouquets as long as I could, until they eventually withered beyond repair, to which I would then compost whatever was left over. Through several trial and errors, just last year, I was able to keep my florals looking fresh for over two weeks (which is a lot for me). However, this year, I decided to pour out the vase water prior to any major withering in attempt turn my Summer flowers into dried Autumn bouquets…

Last time I was on here, I was soaking up all the leftover sunshine that carried into Autumn. As of now, I’m inside with a scarf, watching the rain fall. And while it’s cool and refreshing, well, so is ice-cream… To be honest, I was originally going to post a warm sweet bread recipe for Fall, but much like Vancouver’s unwillingness to let go of Summer this year, I’m still not ready to let go of the cold desserts that go with it. And so, my plans changed, but my bread pan stayed, only it went into the freezer instead of the oven…

Last week, my daughter started school, and while I packed a lunch for her (obviously), I “forgot” to pack a lunch for myself. Well, okay, the first time I actually forgot, the second time, I purposely didn’t pack one, so I could find myself at the concession stand again... Why? Because I’m a sucker for concession food. Also, I was SO hungry and it was the closest thing to a restaurant I could get my hands on…

I don’t know where August went, but you can find me soaking up every last bit of sunshine (and caffeine) before this “raincouver” weather settles in.⁣ Needless to say, I’m not ready for Summer to end. So much, that I’ve thought of all the different ways I could make the most of my time spent outside, and all the ways I could make the most of my afternoon coffee. If you know me, you know I have at least 10 different ways to make coffee. One of my favourite ways is via French Press, but over the last few months, I decided to experiment in hopes to add another way to the list of all the ways…

30+ days of being 30 and figured I would celebrate by going to Starbucks AGAIN. I also figured I should share this “secret” (birthday) drink I created and love, because it’s just that good and I’m just THAT kind of person…

It’s been just over two years since I created this blog, and I figured it was about time to give it a makeover! Since doing so, I’ve received quite a few questions on how to convert banner text to custom logo on a blog site. While I can’t say it’s the same process for all blogging platforms, I can show you the simplicity Squarespace has to offer when wanting to add a personal touch (custom logo, etc) to your blog. If this is of interest to you, keep reading below…

Today I turned 30 and I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about it. My stomach, however, felt that I should share this cake with you all and help myself to a second slice to go with my second cup of coffee. I’m not going to argue. In my last blog post, I shared a buttercream recipe while happily eating it by the spoonful, but after about the 10th spoon, I thought to myself, “What is icing without the cake?” Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all for icing with or without cake, but it just doesn’t feel complete without that set foundation…

My very first food recipe is finally here! I mean, Buttercream counts as food, right? Whatever, Karen, it’s here and you can catch me in my kitchen eating it by the spoonful. I’m going to be honest though, I had originally planned on my first recipe post to be cake, but I had so many requests for the buttercream and figured, what is cake without the icing?…

One thing I have loved so much about becoming a Mother is the endless love that grows with every new tradition that begins to flourish.

Every year on Mother’s Day, my girls request to go flower picking and not only has this tradition served as a way for us to spend time together, but to also honour my Mother who is no longer with us…