Dance Like No One is Watching

So I realize not everyone will be as entertained as I am by videos of my kid, but this cracks me up and hopefully it'll make you smile too. It's Friday, hope you all get your dance on this long weekend!



xoxo,
Christine

p.s. have you entered the giveaway for a hand lettered print by Justine Ma yet?

You are my Favourite Justine Ma Design (giveaway!)

Where to start? I love this girl. I've known Justine since she was a wee elementary school girl running around with my little sis and we've grown to become really great pals as adults (thanks for sharing her with me, Michy).

Justine is an incredible designer/calligrapher and runs Justine Ma Design. She is sweet, kind, inspiring and quite possibly one of the most talented people I know. I once told her she could make poop look pretty and that she did, ha!

I am constantly smitten with her work and my house is slowly becoming the unofficial Justine Ma Design gallery because I nearly own each and every one of her prints. I promise I don't work for her, haha! She also custom designed my 'just bella' logo up there. oooo, ahhhh.

My most recent love is her 'you are my favourite' print which has found a home on my vanity. The gorgeous watercolour background makes me swoon.



I used to say this to Mike when we first started dating and now say it to Alice too... can I have a 'you are all my favourite' print next, Justine ;)

My other fav is her 'hey. you're awesome' print that hangs out in my entryway. Apparently I'm a huge fan of leaning artwork, I love the casual look (or I'm just incredibly indecisive/non-committal).



I feel like an Oprah scream is in order for this because her prints are seriously one of my favourite things ever and Justine so kindly offered to give one away to yoooouuu! I was being super indecisive about which one to give away so the winner gets to choose between the 'you are my favourite' print (10" x 8") or the 'hey. you're awesome' (9"x9").

Thanks, Justine. You are awesome :)

Good luck!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Contest closes Wednesday, May 22.

Happy Day Indeed

I think I like mother's day more than my birthday. Sure, being born is kind of a big deal but being a parent is everyday work. I feel like I earned that day, that my mom earned that day and I am more than happy to celebrate mom's everywhere. I like the idea of sharing that day with so many amazing women and, I don't know about you, but I'm going to enjoy that sleep in for all that it's worth.

Plus, any day that starts off with bacon is A+ in my books. Hope your mother's day was just as lovely.







I totally considered posting a photo of my bacon (yes, I took one) but I thought that might be weird. Is that weird? It was seriously a super delicious brunch my hubs made :)

Also, I'm sorry for all the tears I induced from those commercial links in my last post. Here's a little something funny (and real) to make up for it ;)

xo,
Christine

Happy Mother's Day

Sometimes I count the minutes to bedtime and then spend my evening looking at videos/photos of her.
Sometimes I cry because I am tired, frustrated, overwhelmed.
Sometimes I cry at diaper and clothing commercials.
Sometimes I laugh till I cry.
Sometimes I wonder if my house will ever be clean again.
Sometimes I wonder how it's possible to love so much.
Sometimes I look at her and wonder where this last year and a half has gone.
Sometimes I wonder how on earth my mom did it with three kids.

Seriously mom, you are the best. Thank you so much for all you have done for me. I love you!

Being a mom is the hardest and best job EVER. To my mom, my mom in law, and all the other amazing mom's out there - happy mother's day.

My beautiful mom and the beautiful girl who made me a mom :)
photo by gulfportraits

xoxo,
Christine

Baked Cinnamon Sugar Tortilla Chips

Holy man am I having a hard time getting back into blogging since vacation. That beach sure does wonders for one's soul but not so much for the productivity.

In addition to being a slacker, I've also been having some serious food withdrawals. Those all inclusive resorts sure do keep you well fed! One of my favourite eats while in Mexico was the deep fried cinnamon sugar tortillas. This deep fried sugary bit of goodness was my breakfast staple. Yep, breakfast. 'Breakfast dessert' I called it (hey, I was on vacation).

I decided to whip up an easy, baked, semi-healthy "slacker" version the other day to satisfy my craving. 

I can't say I exactly have a recipe for this (I'm sure there are tons if you google it), really I just made this one up as I went along:

Ingredients:

- tortillas

- olive oil or melted butter

- 1/4 cup sugar

- 1-2 teaspoons cinnamon

(adjust to as little or as much cinnamon/sugar tastes good)

Literally you just slather tortillas in some butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 until golden. About 8-10 minutes, keep an eye on them so they don't burn.

That's it, enjoy!

I'm not going to lie, the deep fried version is better, but for a healthy, easy alternative these hit the spot. If you're looking for more authentic options check out this recipe.

Bonus points: you can make this for Cinco de Mayo this weekend!

Christine

p.s. also looking for delicious guacamole recipes for my mexican withdrawals, got any good ones? My pal, Dajana, whipped up this delicious mexican meal the other day that I'll promptly be getting my hands on.

Also, came across these margarita cupcakes via freutcake this morning!

Mmm, you hungry yet?

p.p.s coincidentally, after posting this I came across this amazing fruit salsa recipe that would be sooo good with these! Thanks, Sarah!

Just a Bowl (or two) of Cereal

Sure did miss this little face while I was away...



This little girl's love of food does not fall very far from the tree. Just a quick snap of everyday life around here, I'm doing my best to stay on track with my goal to take more photos.

Happy Friday!
Christine

Scenes from Mexico

As predicted, I took a little vacation from my vacation. Am I the only one who needs to ease back into reality after a week away?? Not that I'm complaining, it was an awesome week. Sun, sand and sleep do wonders for the soul, don't they? Ridiculous amounts of guacamole and fancy pineapple drinks can't hurt either ;)

I made the executive relaxation decision to leave my camera at home so here is the beautiful Cabo San Lucas from my iPhone.



Thank you so much to my pal, Janine for including me in your beautiful wedding and to my bestie, Taryn for a fun mom's week away.



I missed Alice like crazy but am so thankful for technology and our daily facetime dates, she gives really great phone kisses. As much as I love getting away there is nothing better than coming home. I'll file these photos away for when I need a dose of relaxation, feel free to do the same :)

Back to reality...

Christine