life in kamloops

Summertime Salads

Summertime weather seems to be in full swing here in Kamloops. Has been for a bit now. With the warmer weather we tend to gear more towards easy meals that mostly include the BBQ and salads. We are also blessed to be living in an area that is extremely kind and fruitful to growing gardens. No joke, these garden beds are almost on steroids. Something about the dryer climate makes them flourish. Early. Everything is ready to start picking (and enjoying!) and we haven;t even hit July. This is my third year working on my gardening skills and I must say, every year comes with new lessons. The first year, only plant what you are going to eat. This is also the year I discovered I do not like kale. I hope the Food Bank did as they received A LOT of it. The second year, I learned the importance of spacing and seed quantity control. This year, it almost looks like I have a tiny idea of what I am doing out there. So far so good but one never wants to jinx themselves! Our crop this year includes peas, green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, radishes, carrots, a strawberry patch, a pumpkin patch, cucumbers, and a large variety of peppers. We are big salsa and ‘mexican night’ people so it’s important to have a nice selection of peppers ranging from sweet to mild to burn your booty off. With all of these fresh veggies it of course leads me to looking at new recipes and different ways to use them. Enter Pinterest, as usual. So today I want to share with you not only some fantastic summer salad recipes but also some dressings – many of these can be used as a marinade too. It’s kind of a let your senses guide you situation in my kitchen with very little rules. I often go with my gut and maybe I just have a husband that loves all of my cooking, but things tend to go over pretty well. Now if I could just get my extremely picky children on board. If you have a toddler that eats salad, applause to you mama!

Garbanzo Summer Salad with Creamy Dill Dressing – I can’t wait to try this one! It looks like a hot mess with all of my favourite friends. Perfect to compliment any meal and looks like a great potluck option.

Honey Mustard Chicken Avacado & Bacon Salad – Ok this one is amazing. My mouth is watering just reading the ingredients. This link has a huge collection of healthy recipes to try out but number one on the list is the one I am referring too.

Cranberry Almond Spinach Salad – I am not crazy about spinach but I like the sounds of this one. Cranberries are the best addition to salads.

Tomato Basil Avocado Mozzarella Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette – YUM. That is all.

Thai Noodle Salad – I often forget salads don’t have to be composed of lettuce. This is a great ‘side salad’ for asian infused meals.

The End Of Summer

Somehow we have gotten ourselves into the middle of August. Normally I am a glass half full kind of gal and would be thinking we still have lots of summer to go, including a nice September! This month however seems to be a huge downer. The BC Wildfires have taken over the province. Not only is it super smoky but it also seems to bring the temperatures right down making it feel very fall-like. Of course the bigger issue here is for the people in the dangerous areas closer to the fires. My heart goes out to the evacuees who have been forced to pack up with very little notice and stand by waiting to see if their home survives mother nature’s rage. It really is heartbreaking. The community I live in has been outstanding with supporting evacuees which I have to say makes me so proud to live where I do. Unfortunately there is not an end in sight for ending a lot of these fires, but we pray for all of those effected by it and hope for the end soon. Perhaps maybe we can claim back a little of our summer too! We certainly plan to pack as much into the last few weeks of August. This week is a busy one as I have the Farmer’s Market tomorrow for my business which always makes for a hectic week. I am also getting all aspects of family life ready for the end of the week…. parent’s vacation weekend! Yes. We are leaving for three whole days. Gramma has a friend joining the toddler battle field and they are taking care of the two little rascals all weekend long. I know right now I am going to miss my babies like CRAZY (no FaceTime calls allowed, lesson learned on a previous trip – drunk momma talking to babies = ugly crying in the bar). Hubby and I are headed down to Vancouver to see some friends, do some shopping, eating and drinking, AND to see Zac Brown Band! I find it slightly hard to contain my excitement for this show as I have been hoping to see them live for maybe the last five years. So bring it ZBB, this momma is so ready! Once we return we have to pack right up again and head out to see family in Grand Forks, kids and all on this trip. Here’s hoping for a couple winery pop-ins on the way there. And back. We’ll see! Then once we get back from that trip it is right out again in the trailer for a weekend on the lake. Funny how all of this vacation time may just exhaust us. As long as no one gets sick I am going to be happy. Germs ruin the best of times in this family lately. All of this busyness and thinking about the fall season approaching really just leaves me wanting watermelon, sprinkler jumping, sticky popsicle kisses and wet grassed sweaty babies. Summer is so wonderful here in Kamloops and we are totally feeling shafted with it being cut so short. It actually even started late after the longest winter of all time. Time to get out as much as the smoke allows, and soak up all the last sunshine filled summer moments that we can, am I right? So as I catch up on the first Bachelor In Paradise episode (Can I get an Amen for the classiness of all these fabulous people!) I toast you – cheers to the end of summer and all we can cram into it without losing our minds!

OHYA! Did I mention how excited we are about potty training. Public toilets (she thinks its the best…..) Pirate Pack dates. Oh and our new funny faces.

Who looks like they ate FOUR pirate packs…. it’s my one sitting on the floor haha! Oh Jackson . … . .

Hello March!

Well it’s a little out of the ordinary for Kamloops lately but we have a wet and dreary day on our hands today. There was even some wet snow this morning! Come on people it’s March! Yep, March 1st. I can hardly believe it. Spring has finally arrived. Well except for the crap weather today; I feel like I am back in Vancouver, honestly. just took a look at the weather app though and looks like the sun is back tomorrow. Just as well because we had a taste for it on the weekend and need back outside in that sunshine stat!

This week has started off busy and slow a the same time. It was month end yesterday for my side business with Rodan + Fields so I was busy trying to wrap up any sales that I could. The hard work paid off as I made my first promotion with the company and hit Executive Consultant Level for the month of February! Yay for me. Of course a new month means a new start so the hard work must continue. I have some exciting things going on for the business though this month including a girls night out and a girls night in spa-party! Should be a great turn out for both! Month end magic was all the craze last night but fizzled off quietly this morning of course. Combined with the weather, it felt like a day to stay inside, keep warm with coffee and donuts, and get in lots of snuggle time with my little girl. She has been sleeping through the night and getting up at 7am (as opposed to waking up once at night and sleeping in until 8:30) so we had a long morning of playing and watching Paw Patrol. There is something about that show that really zones this kid out. Read this article! It is bound to give you a good chuckle about those crazy pups. Not even going to pretend that I don’t sing along to the theme song. With these new-found sleeping habits of hers, she has also been NAPPING! It’s crazy. This is what all of you lucky moms brag about, a child who naps consistently at the same time every day for the same length of time, every time! I must say, it has its perks. I get a lot done in that time and sometimes, even get a bit of shut-eye myself. It is a bit strange though having to stay home all afternoon when we would usually do whatever we wanted. Both work for me though, no complaints at all here.

Since it is a relatively quiet start to the week, we are taking advantage of that. I am taking many moments to sit down with a cup of coffee, plan our month ahead activity wise, and finish up my meal planning for the month. I think a discovered a thing or two last month when I completed the ‘month of meals’ challenge. Even though I had the meals planned out and was completely stress-free when it came to dinner decisions, I still went over budget and made too many trips to the grocery store. This month I plan to avoid those mistakes and most of all, save some money! Feeling pretty positive but it is only the first of the month. I see my darling hubby has already made a large dent into the cheese allowance I bought for March! Maybe I helped…

Things are going to get busy near the end of the week too as I leave for Vancouver on Friday. Grandma is moving here and I am taking the bus down to keep her company on the drive back. I can’t believe it is already time for her to move in downstairs! Hubs has been working on the basement suite since September and it is finally almost finished. It looks amazing too! Many aspects about it are much nicer than the level we live on! I do hope she likes it. Most of all, she will love being so close to her granddaughter. Oh and grandson on the way! We are close, my mum and I, so I am hoping we have no issues in establishing our boundaries. Fingers crossed it is a smooth transition and everyone is happy with the new living arrangements. It will be pretty fun to have her here though. We already have a craft fair booked to take part in and HUGE plans for the backyard garden. So many things to look forward to – all you can do on a rainy day like today!

Looks like I am missing out on some serious stuffed animal playtime now too so I am going to say goodbye until Friday. Friday Favourites For The Boys coming then!

It’s A…. BOY!

So much for my theory on having two girls in tutus! We had our ultrasound and appointment on Monday and got the big news that baby number two is a BOY! Of course we are so happy and excited! It was a bit of a shock to me, only because for so long I envisioned another little lady joining us. I am getting used to the idea of a little gentleman though. I am hoping with the warmer weather coming soon (fingers crossed!) that some cute boy outfits start presenting themselves in stores. Right now it’s a little lacking. It is probably better that way though, one can get carried away shopping for newborn baby clothes! I started going through Hallie’s clothes to sell consignment or give to goodwill. What an emotional process! I have definitely shed some tears over her tiny onesies and adorable outfits. It is hard to believe my little girl was once so small! Where does the time go?! I blame a lot of the tears on pregnancy hormones too. Hubby has allowed me to keep TWO storage bins worth of my favourite baby girl clothes – I think he just felt so bad when he saw me on the living room floor over tiny pink Minimocs. So I have kept all my faves for baby number three…… yes I just said that! But for now, eye on the prize. Little man is joining us in four months! How quickly did that time pass?! We have had some real sunny days lately so all I can seem to think about is summertime, baby boy’s due date and how much fun we are going to have as a family this summer. With Hallie, I spent so much time planning her room and making sure we were getting everything we need. This baby doesn’t even have a room yet I am not too worried. I know there are a couple things I want to upgrade or get for this time round with a newborn. I just know that even if I don’t have everything or his ‘space’ (no room of his own so he get s space in my room hah) isn’t ready, we will be fine. We will be overwhelmed and it will be crazy for a little while but really, we will all be fine. We will all be loved. There happens to be a lot of love in this house!

Just for fun, I thought it would be fun to share some highlights and lowlights of this current stage in my pregnancy. I am a little over five months pregnant so well into the second trimester.

Cravings: Granny Smith Apples, Strawberries (actually any berry will do), Pepsi – all the time! So bad for you I know. Eggs with avocado and fresh ground pepper. WINE. Not that I indulge. But as soon as it’s sunny, I am salivating over thoughts of a chardonnay. As soon as it’s nighttime and I am sitting down to dinner, OR completely overwhelmed by the day with my cray cray toddler, I can’t help but envision a large glass of red wine. Overall I am really quite hungry all the time with this baby. Now that all of the morning sickness has passed!

Feeling: Good! Again, now that the grossness of the 1st trimester has subsided, I am feeling quite good. Some daily exercise and stretching has proven to be a key factor in feeling good but so far that has been pretty easy to achieve chasing Hallie around. Oh and lots of water! I have been drinking a TON of water and I believe that is playing a huge part.

Daily Challenges: Sleep. Pregnancy insomnia seems to settle in every few days. Which is the worst when you are exhausted. I seem to wake up at three in the morning and think about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! It’s not necessarily worry or stress but that hamster sure is running on his treadmill at the worst possible moments. How I long to sleep. All the time. I guess I will when the kids are like 18 years old.

Skin/Hair/Nails/Etc. : All women that I know have had exceptional luck during their pregnancies with hair growth. I am not in that circle of the lucky ones. My hair does not grow. In fact since my first baby, my hair seems to have thinned drastically at the sides. Hellion postpartum hair loss, lovely to meet you. You can piss off anytime! Nails seem to be doing okay. Skin is doing AMAZING! Though I do not thank pregnancy for that – I thank my daily regimen from Rodan + Fields with the weekly microdermabrasion facial for that. Oh and my eye cream! The results have been amazing so far and I have only been using the products since Christmas. LOVE! Thank goodness I sell it and get a good discount. So overall, looking like a glowing pregnant woman I suppose. Chubby middle and all! The downfall is this time round, I really have to make an effort to dress nice and not wear leggings EVERYDAY. With Hallie, I was managing a store, Anthropologie, and looking stylish was mandatory on a daily basis. Now I am working as a mom and there is no one here to raise an eye brow if I am still in my pjs at noon. I do try to dress up for most of the week. Not saying the ‘mom bun’ doesn’t present itself almost daily! Can’t win em’ all.

Looking Forward To: More baby kicks! He has really started moving in there and each time I feel kicks I get a huge smile on my face. I am also SO EXCITED for sunshine and warmer weather. I have some very cute dresses that will show off this bump perfectly but I am gonna need that warmer weather to wear them. Not to mention a bit of a tan!

Next week I am excited to share some Friday Favourites that will be entirely tailored to baby boys so be sure to check back. Have a wonderful weekend with your loved ones and don’t forget to count those blessings. XO

IT’S A BOY!

We are early but we broke out the Easter Decor!

Time With Tiffany

Motherhood, Lifestyle & Design