LEMON AND HERB COMPOUND BUTTER

This is my favorite topping for a baked potato or steak! So fresh and herby, definitely a must try!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup butter slightly softened
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
2 tbsp chives finely chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until smooth

2. Scoop mixture into plastic wrap and roll into a log, refrigerate until firm.

Use this yummy compound butter on steaks, shrimp, steamed veggies, baked potatoes or in soups and stews. The possibilities are endless!

MAY SHENANIGANS

May is always a super busy month for my family. We have two birthdays very close together, my hubs and my son. My son Myles was actually due on my husband’s birthday but he decided to make an appearance two days earlier. I guess he was set on having his own birthday party ha! Myles is ninja turtle crazy right now so of course I had to have a ninja turtle party! It was so much fun, I made a couple of games for the kids * and the kids at heart*, Pin the pepperoni and Mask Master. It was weird, the kids were all playing perfectly but the adults were having a hard time….hmm… so I tested the mask myself and you couldn’t see anything.. but the clever kids were tilting their heads back so they could see! Bunch of cheaters!

Here are a couple of pics from the party, there was a ton of pizza because that’s what ninja turtles eat 😉 and the ninja turtle cookies I made *cowabunga dude!!*

             

The hubs and I got Myles a bike for his birthday with no training wheels. We set off to the park to practise and he was so excited. He fell a few times and I just couldn’t look anymore! But after an hour he started balancing better and then he got it! I was so proud of him! My eyes welled up and I quickly wiped the tears away before he could see them. I’m so very proud of him, so very proud, he never gave up, even though he fell so many times. He said the best part was feeling the wind in his face 🙂

 

We’ve also done our fair share of kite flying, I am still the reigning champion, although my hubs would greatly disagree *what’s new there hahaha*

School will be coming to a close soon. My son is moving up to kindergarten and my daughter to preschool. We’ll be going on an adventure next month and they have no idea! I’m so excited and I can’t wait until we get back to share some awesome pictures with you! I hope you all had a wonderful May! and guess what? We’re that much closer to Christmas YAYYYYY! I’ve already started playing Christmas Carols 😀 😀

SUNSET IN VENTURA CALIFORNIA

Most of you know that I’m from the beautiful islands of Trinidad and Tobago and I’m no stranger to beautiful sunsets and beaches. But, I have to admit that Californian sunsets are nothing short of amazing!

Last weekend the hubs and I had a day out without the kids, we headed out along the 126 towards the beach. I love driving along the coast, it’s so beautiful and the air smells so clean.

We stopped at Andria’s seafood, ordered our favorite clam chowder bread bowl and fish and chips, stuffed or faces till we couldn’t move and then slowly walked across the street to watch the sun set at the beach.

I was told to make sure I got his beer in the picture *men!*

Here are my pics, I’m still in awe at how beautiful it was!

I hope you enjoy the pics and maybe catch your own Cali sunset brah!! 🏂🏄

LADIES NIGHT!!!

It’s Friday! Hoorayyyy *doing the running man*.:) after a hectic couple of weeks I was so excited to just relax! My amazingly talented friend Vivian invited me to ladies night at Paint A Dream. I was a bit hesitant as I have no painting skills and I’m not really artistic and I’m afraid of small crowded places and people… OK well maybe not people…sometimes 🙂 🙂

So I put my big girl undies on and said yes. She’s been helping me search Pinterest for ideas and there are so many beautiful ones. But I just know that when I try to do the same it will turn into one of those “Pinterest fails memes”. Wish me luck!

We all had an amazing time, the food was great and the painting wasn’t as terrifying as I had expected! I think we all pretty much finished our pieces and then the staff took them away to get baked and glossy! When we pick up our pieces I’ll update this post. Here are our painted pieces! They look a little dull and you can see the pencil marks, but the staff assured us that the heat would burn the pencil marks off and the colors will be bright and glossy! I can’t wait!

A TIME TO REAP AND A TIME TO SOW

I was comfortable, relaxing on the sofa, icy water in one hand and my phone in the other, playing scrabble and obliterating my competition * Yeah.. I’m calling you out Kirtney and Chad*. The kids were building a puzzle on their leap pad. All was going well until *BZZZ*, then darkness!

*kids start screaming* “OMGGGG THE WORLD IS ENDING SAVE US MOMMM!”

*Me* “Chill out dudes, the power is out! We’re gonna live.”

*Kids still whining* ” But now we’re gonna miss Paw Patrol on tv!!”

So I sent them to get dressed and announced that we were going outside! This power outage was a sign that we needed to be outdoors, because it was beautiful and it was also the push I needed to finally sow my seeds! The kids were more than happy to help, so we got all the things we needed and got to work.

How convenient is it that you can just buy these dried pellets, add water and fluff a bit and you’re ready to plant! So much easier and less messy than filling dirt into pots!. We planted a lot of seeds, a couple types of tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, carrots, jalapenos, pimentos, okra, eggplant, cucumber, zucchini and we have others that we plant directly in the ground like lettuce, beets, corn, onions, ginger, garlic, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and some other veggies.

Here are some pics of the kids working hard, and guess what!?!? As soon as we were finished planting, the power came back! ….*Cue Twilight Zone music*

I found this Jiffy Greenhouse at Green Thumb, but you can also get it in Walmart or any garden store really. I usually order the refill pellets on Amazon. com and just save the trays for next year’s plants. * Reduce, reuse, recycle right!*

My handsome son Myles ❤

Soaking the pellets with warm water, and waiting for them to magically grow!

My fireball Hailey Bailey ❤

Look at the concentration 🙂

Teamwork makes the dream work!

I did the fluffing!

We labelled the box and planted the seeds.

And now we wait… 🙂

What’s going on in your garden!? We’d love to know what you’re planting 🙂

HOW TO MAKE PLAY DOUGH

My daughter and I had a little free time this morning so we decided to make a fresh batch of play dough! Because somehow the last batch mysteriously disappeared! *The sock gremlin must be escalating!!* … dun dun DUNNNNNN!!!

Check out our Youtube video for the recipe and instructions! 🙂

http://youtu.be/_fm0a9PKCTM?list=UUzNn7eJbtdAxSaH5YjyeQ3A

Watch “HOW TO MAKE A COCONUT LEAF WHISTLE” on YouTube

HOW TO MAKE A COCONUT LEAF WHISTLE: http://youtu.be/5yLoZYvsVJg