just percolating...
When I shared the recipe for the Orzo salad, I promised I would also share this easy summer salad with you as well. This one was actually even easier and quicker to make. 10 minutes, I swear. I definitely wouldn't count ramen noodles in the "healthy basket" but they add great crunch to the salad and heh, it's full of broccoli, so how bad can you go wrong? … [Read more...]
Hubby and I promised our lives to each other under a couple of century-old gum trees on one of the hottest of summer days in Australia. It was a day and a night that I will never forget, and will always be grateful for because we simply could not have done it without all of the help of our parents on both sides of the family. We were young and broke, and short on time. But so many family and friends pitched in with the planning and it somehow … [Read more...]
Gah! I was away in the woods with no cellphone access this weekend and this post was scheduled to publish on Saturday am. No idea what I did wrong but here it is now ... Stella and I have decided we should rename "Saturdays with Stella" to "Highly Sporadic Saturdays with Stella." It does not surprise or disappoint me that she no longer wants to write something each week. It had been her idea in the first place. But she's busy. She's got … [Read more...]
So, listen, it's been almost a full year since I shared the Cold Quinoa Salad recipe with you. Since then, I have circulated this one salad in my repertoire so many times in the last year that even I'm sick of it! On Tuesday of this week, Hubby and I had my parents over for a belated Mother's Day and early Father's Day celebration and I decided to try out not one but two (!) new salad recipes. To everyone's mighty surprise, they both turned … [Read more...]
A fellow Ottawa blogger kindly invited Coffee with Julie readers to take part in an awesome giveaway! Or at least I think it's crazy awesome because my kids are crazy about Little Ray's Reptile Zoo. They've met the Little Ray's crew at their school and even at friends' birthday parties and the excitement never seems to fade. I personally have a tender heart when it comes to Little Ray's because of they are a rescue organization. Sandy from … [Read more...]
In response to my post "3 Books that Changed My Life," I received so many fantastic suggestions for "must read" books that I don't want to forget them. They came in via Facebook, Twitter, and in the Comments section of the blog. In no particular order, I am listing them here for handy reference. 1. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Path - suggested by @ReadyDressedGo 2. The Philosophy of Andy Warhol by Andy Warhol - suggested by @ReadyDressedGo 3. … [Read more...]
Last week, I treated myself to two magazines (oh, how I still love my printed magazines!). One of these was Real Simple. In it, there was an article "50 books that will change your life." It had been mentioned on the cover, and was one of the reasons I chose this magazine over the many other beckoning covers. Once I got home, I flipped right to that article. I felt oddly disappointed. As an avid reader, I had expected that many of my favourite … [Read more...]
As part of a social shopper insights study, I was compensated to write this post. Yes, that means I got paid to go shopping. It's tough work if you can get it, but I'm definitely grateful for the opportunity to pick up some outdoor sports gear for my family. Thanks Collective Bias! My daughter is a book worm. My daughter is the smallest kid in her class. And my daughter wants to play football. Hubby and I aren't sure where the interest in … [Read more...]
This will be our third summer in our new home, and each year we (er, correction: the "royal we") put in a small veggie and herb garden into a bed that's on the side of the house. The kids love the entire process -- planting, watering, watching the growth, and then picking their own food from their own garden. Here's how ours is looking so far. We've got red peppers, cabbage, tomatoes, green onions, beans and all sorts of herbs … [Read more...]
Last Saturday, Stella and I ran in the 2K Family Run at Ottawa Race Weekend. It's an inclusive race where strollers, wheelchairs, walkers, and toddlers are all welcome. Have you heard of "chickenpox parties"? It's when a group of parents hold a party and intentionally invite a child with chickenpox to hang out with their children in the hope that their kids will catch it. Well, this is sort of how I imagine I might be able to catch … [Read more...]
There's a whole lot of talk lately about kids and their low fitness levels in Canada. This week, as example, Healthy Active Kids Canada just released their annual report and gave Canadian kids a grade of "D minus" (yikes!) for overall fitness activity levels. I've been working with a client who focuses on this, so I've had the opportunity to read into some of the research investigating the roots of this issue and, needless to say, it's a complex, … [Read more...]
As I mentioned in my post on henna hair colouring, one of the most difficult things (for me, at least) has been trying to transition from mainstream deodorant to more "green" options. Over the past few months, I've tried quite a number of different alternatives and none of them worked for me. It was during this period when I was feeling a tad, er, concerned about body odor that I was offered samples of Lady Speed Stick to review (as well as … [Read more...]
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is just so darn cool that he has my kids shooting for the stars. I love it because it gives me an excuse to remind them to study hard in their maths and sciences if they want to be an astronaut. p.s. Is it just me or are you secretly developing a crush on him too? … [Read more...]
So far, my "cosmetics quest" (an effort to minimize the number of toxins I willingly apply onto my hair and skin each morning) has been a combination of hits and misses. The two most challenging items I've been trying to source to date are deodorant and hair dye. As you can see in my blog photo, I like to keep my hair red. But not long ago, I liked to keep my hair blonde. And before that ... well, you get the picture. I've liked changing up my … [Read more...]
1. Wake up, but pretend to keep sleeping so I don't ruin the breakfast-in-bed "surprise." 2. Start to develop caffeine headache while pretending to be asleep, consider ruining the "surprise." 3. Surprise breakfast-in-bed arrives! With pancakes made by Stella herself. 4. With it, a sweet little face handing me a handmade card and a flower he has been growing at school. 5. Also, a sweet little face handing me a diamond ring. Oh, … [Read more...]
It feels strange to put the words "blogging" and "business" together. But that's what it has turned out to be in many ways. It's a labour of love since I put far more effort and energy in than I get out in dollars and cents. But there are dollars and cents involved now (you can read details here, I try to keep things as open and transparent as possible) and that means, by definition, that it's a business. Like all businesses, there are some … [Read more...]
First things first, I don't enjoy games. I think it's because I'm too impatient ... I don't like the time involved in reading through all the rules, nor do I like it when a game drags on and never ends (I've been known to lose on purpose just so a game would end!). My daughter, who is almost 11 years old now, has a mild interest in games. And since this interest is mild, I only feel mildly like a bad mother for not engaging her more in … [Read more...]
Okay. I’m the dragon that you all know from St. George and the dragon. Or you think you know. First things first, my name is not “the dragon”, its Clive Harmonia. My life’s ambition is to save the wandering albatross, and to find out if knights taste best deep fried or microwaved on “popcorn”. As for the princess, her name is Mud Ash-Felt. I don’t eat princesses because they are gross and high in cholesterol. Anyways, a while ago, a … [Read more...]
This is crazy. But apparently Britney Spears and I have something in common. Unfortunately, it's not her insane wealth, nor her bikini-worthy body. (Although fortunately it's not her bad taste in men or suppliers of hair extensions.) What I've noticed lately is that when it comes to Britney, what people are talking about is this: That she makes funny faces. I never thought that much of them. But if you google "Britney Spears + … [Read more...]
Continued from last week's first 5 not-so-awesome things, here are the last 5 I have to share with you. #6: When my little brother opens up the bathroom door when I’m using the toilet: I’m trying to go to the washroom like a normal person, and then he barges the door open and announces that he is going to brush his teeth. #7: When you hear the sound of crinkling cellophane and when you go to see what it is, it turns out to be something … [Read more...]
This week, France legalized gay marriage. Last week, it was New Zealand. The week before that, it was Uruguay. Marriage equality. It's Time. Julie xo … [Read more...]
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