Monthly Archives: May 2012

Surprise Trip to Seattle, WA with my #1

Just a few weekends ago Hubby whisked me away for a surprise trip down to Seattle, WA.  I was floored!  I ♥ going to Seattle.  We both do. We just always seem to have such a good time there.  Plus there is something about staying away from home in a hotel.  It’s just fun.  We have gone quite a few times now and always stay at our favorite hotel in Beltown or close too.  It’s quite close to Pike Place Market!  Not only do we stay in the same hotel but we always manage to get the same room on the 18th floor.  From the king size bed you can fall asleep and wake up with a full unobstructed view of the Seattle Space Needle.  Truly a pretty site.  With water visible on the left side as well as the right.

This hotel is close to many many restaurants and bars.  So it’s perfect us.  This time we checked out Icon Grill for dinner. it’s on Fifth and Victoria and features Executive Chef, Nick Musser. Loved it. I enjoyed Cupcake Prosecco wine with my dinner and it was lovely.  I don’t think they sell this type of Cupcake wine in BC… Boo…  next time I head to Bellingham for gas I’m going to try and bring a bottle home.   It’s sparkling and pink and tastes divine!  After that we headed back to our room to finish off a bottle of Rum before heading out for some dancing.  We may be getting older but we still like to get our groove on together!  I was in a new purchase… a bright orange dress!  The great thing about this dress is that it matched my new hand job/nailpolish that GalPal gave me just the day before.  See Sound Lounge is where we ended up… It’s too close to pass up, so we just walked on over and danced and had some really potent highballs before making our way back.

That’s when it happened…. he got the hiccups again.  Every time we come her he starts hiccuping and they don’t go away.. some times for days.  I can’t believe it.  I immediately start thinking about how we’re going to be up all night and how we were going to feel like hell in the morning and stressing out… he hiccupped so much and was shaking the bed each time that my stomach began to reject all my lovely wine and delicious yummy rum… ugh… I pulled through while he slept through… hiccupping in his sleep.  Thankfully I did fall asleep a while later and when we woke up they were gone.  Yeesh…..

Breakfast at IHOP, ( really must find a great breakfast place in Seattle… suggestions please)  I wanted to go Sephora and there is no parking around there except underground and the truck has been jacked so we don’t fit.  He pulled up to the curb and I had 5 minutes to shop.  5 minutes is all I need if it’s all the time I’ve got.  I made out nicely and off we went.    Finished our shopping, picked up some groceries and of course filled the truck and all 6 jerry cans of gas!  Picked up a nice bottle of Bacardi 8 Year Rum at the Duty Free and home we were.

What a great trip!  Thanks Hubs!

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NEW MOM REGISTRY ~ for new moms in Vancouver, BC

I just wanted to share with the new moms in Vancouver, BC…

http://www.newmom.ca
Register with ID# 15377892

If you go to www.newmom.ca and register for free you will have a chance to win a $10,000 nursery makeover.  Who wouldn’t want that?

Also, by registering you will receive coupons, samples, and information about government grants and parenting tips.

To start receiving your goodies you must enter the promo ID # 15377892 near the bottom portion of the form.

http://www.newmom.ca
Register with ID# 15377892

What a great idea!  Share it with a friend Please!

Good Luck & Congratulations

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CARIBBEAN DAYS FESTIVAL 2012

YES!  Caribbean Days Festival is soon approaching.

Caribbean Days is an event put on by the Trinidad & Tobago Cultural Society of BC every July.  It’s held in North Vancouver, BC at Waterfront Park.  It’s a weekend of culture, colour, costume and fun!

My girlfriend knows that I’m a huge fan of Jamaican music, reggae, and all Caribbean music actually.  I just ♥ it.  I put on my smallest shorts and crank it up when I’m cleaning house!  Dance and sing and love, oh and clean…. all at the same time.  Of course hubby doesn’t mind it.  He does think I’m crazy sometimes but aren’t we all just a little bit?  She told me about this annual festival last year and unfortunately I was unable to go.  She made sure to text me and leave me voicemails from the party tho….. ♥ her!

This year the party is on Saturday, July 28th and Sunday, July 29th.  There is also a Caribbean Days Boat Cruise on Sunday July 22nd on board the M.V. Britannia, boarding at the foot of Denman.  Tickets are $30 and I believe they can be purchased here.

Basically what this means is, I am pumped up to get my booty bouncin to some great tunes, be part of that awesome chill vibe, eat incredible food and meet alot of people.  Most of all, I’ll be rockin it with my GalPal…  and Hubby if he’s down.  I’m definitely wanting to hit up that boat cruise!  I ♥ boat cruises!!

Maybe I’ll see you there?  The website for all the facts and details can be found here.

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CAKE BATTER CRISPY TREATS

**Note:  Some of my friends on Facebook will have seen some of these recent entries as I’m going back a bit.  My new blog must have all the good stuff in it right?  So there will be this recipe and more to follow!  Some are mine, some are others.  I will do my best to give credit where credit is due.

Oh wow!  I’ve never heard of these and of course I saw them on Pinterest and had to go to the source.  The original recipie can be found on the back of some cake mixes or I found it at www.howsweeteats.com

“Cake Batter Crispy Treats”
Photo by House Of Haley Photography

Just think of all the fun you can have with cake flavours like Strawberry or French Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge!  Sweet but good!  Choose sprinkles that match your flavour… or not!

 

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SOUTHWESTERN AVOCADO & BLACK BEAN SALAD

One thing you should know about me is that I’m a 30 year old female and up until the age of about 25…. I wouldn’t eat anything that wasn’t plain jane.  Mommy has always cooked the best food.  I know this because everyone says so, and of course she made many of my favorite things.  My tastebuds or desire for food must have been broken because I didn’t like much and didn’t want to try anything new.  When I was growing up we ate as a family at the dining room table… I was always the last to finish and I was only allowed to be excused after I had  hid my food for safe disposal later.  I liked noodles with no sauce, sandwiches consisting of a slice of cheese and pickles.  I had never even tried a hot wing for fear of the spicy sauce.

Then I grew up!

I’m not sure what changed my mentality but it became quite a challenge for me in my quest for new yummy foods.  This salad is something I would never even look at before let alone eat or even make for my Hubby for dinner.  I’m quite proud of myself in this new change… The only downfall is that my waistline is growing like my recipe collection…

Hubby has always said “Move more, Eat less”  and it’s always made me angry and laugh all at the same time.

” Southwestern Avocado & Black Bean Salad “
Photo by House Of Haley Photography
Recipe from http://www.pauladeen.com

 Servings: 4  |  Prep Time: 15 min  |  Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 2 or 3 dashes hot sauce (recommended: Tabasco) 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce 2 avocados, peeled and diced 2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels, thawed and drained 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes About 3/4 cup (3-ounces) grated pepper jack cheese Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, whisk together the cilantro, oil, lime juice and hot sauce.

**Note:  I like my salad dressing light so I used more lime juice, less oil and of course more hot sauce.  The hotter the better.


In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce, avocado, corn, beans, tomatoes, and cheese. Add the dressing and toss well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

**Note:  I added grilled chicken breast to the top of mine and I layered the salad, then a sprinkle of cheese, the grilled chicken and the dressing over top.  Please see the photo below!  I just love adding grilled chicken or fish to a salad.  Yum!

” Southwestern Avocado & Black Bean Salad with Grilled Chicken “
Photo by House of Haley Photography
Recipe found from http://www.pauladeen.com

This is the image from http://www.pauladeen.com

RECIPE FROM PAULADEEN.COM

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Hello Blog World

Hello Everyone.

This is my first blog, and my first post.   Please bear with me as I attempt this.  My blog will be a place always changing and filled with all fun things I come across in life.  I hope you’ll stick around and follow with me on my journey.  If you have a topic or something you’d like to share… please leave me a comment below.

Thanks!

Haley

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