Around here...

Cherry blossoms, from some'lucky'one else's yard.

My Herb Garden.

Mystery gnome found in my garden.



I think I'll keep him : )

Priceless.

Future Kat Von D?

Imagine, if you will:

The look on James' face lastnight when Ava so boldly announces to him,

'When she's all growed up, she's

going to get tattoos on her hands AND face.'

{Holy.Mother.Of.Pearl.}

{Insert small heart attack here}

After some clarifying...

she still considers tattoos to be temporary,

like the ones we use on Canada Day and such.

Nothing the wipe of a warm face cloth wouldn't fix.

Um, PHEW.

Soccer: Part 2

And in our spare time....

HA!  Right--

Spare time is a divine rarity,

at least for these next two months.

Welcome to Spring Soccer, friends!

When Ava's not busy with The Bumblebee's,

{her soccer team}

we're off to the field to watch the dynamo known as, The Blue Dragons.



And I realize that after my previous post, this may come off as being somewhatborderlinebraggy...

But.

Aaron has also proven to have quite the talent for soccer as well.

Yup.  He's a champ :)



Soccer: Part 1

Can we take a moment to talk about what a beast Ava is at soccer?

It's ridiculous.

Not only is she a tall drink of water out there (just like her daddy-o!)

but the girl is a force to be reckoned with.

100% Determination.

No fear.

And at the risk of sounding like a crazed hockey mom

{no offence fellow hockey moms}

just the right amount of aggression.

Which thrills me to no end, because... Well--

b-a-s-i-c-a-l-l-y,

she's everything I never was and wished I could be.

Athletic, brave & confident.

...Which makes living vicariously through her that much more satisfying (wink :)

Milestones

Life is good for Miss Ava these days.

Within the last three weeks

she has managed to accomplish the following 3 tasks:

Ride a two-wheeler

Lose her first tooth

&

Learn to make her own peanut butter & jam sandwich

(She thinks her sandwiches are, 'The Best. They are sooo good, mama!')


She hardly needs her poor old mum anymore :(

26 Things You Maybe Don't Know About Me?!

{Yes, I'm aware this photo has absolutely nothing to do with this post}

But also, maybe it does.

It's super springy out & I am finally feeling refreshed

after a lengthy abandonment from this dear blog of mine.

{I'm sorry, baby! I'll never leave you again!}

Moving on.

I've always wanted to do my own '25 Things You Don't Know About Me' segment.

All the celebrities do it!

Why shouldn't I?

Actually, what I was really thinking (and hoping I suppose) is that I may have some fresh faces just newly following, and some random 'did-you-know's' might just be the ticket to welcome this new year of blog-y goodness.

So, without further ado,

26 (just to be different) Things You Maybe Don't Know About Me?!

1. The only nick-name I had growing up was 'Raquely-Belly' or 'Raquely O'Belly'.

I was once called 'Raquelculator' by a fellow peer in math class... And.  I wish it would have stuck.

2. I make it my life's mission, not to be late.  If anything, I'm 15 minutes early.

3. I don't fart.

Although, my husband is convinced he's caught me a few times...

4. I wake up at 6:30 every morning, Mon-Fri.  The early bird catches the worm, or at the very least, enjoys a peaceful 30 minutes to herself before the day begins.

5. I keep an insanely impeccable calender.  The Mom's Fridge-Magnet Calender to be precise.  Appointment/activity/birthday.... you name it.  It's on there.  I'm certain I spend nearly up to an hour collectively staring at my fridge, daily.

6. I've never been stung by a bee.  Or wasp.  Or hornet, for that matter.

7. If I could choose which retired T.V. series I'd like to see do a reunion show, it would have to be Dawson's Creek.  Hands down.

8. My first job was working at a movie theatre and my first boss had a wooden hand.

9. When I was 20, I was accepted into hair college just a few weeks before finding out I was pregnant.  And so, I dropped the course and became a mom.  Ironically, just the change I was needing in life.

10. I have no desire whatsoever to visit outer space.  In fact,  I'm scared of space.

11. I have one, and one only, tattoo.  I got it when I was 16 with my dad's consent.  And yes, it's a lame-o butterfly.  Ugh.

Thanks Dad :/

12. I've always considered having my nose pierced, but am convinced I have too many freckles to pull it off.

13. I have a debilitating fear of snakes.

14.  You'll never catch me jumping out of a plane.  Ever.  EVERRRR.

(Unless there's snakes on it)

15. I see 20/15.  Astronaut vision.

16. The first horror movie I ever watched, back when I was in grade 7, seriously traumatized me.  Seriously.

17. I secretly had a crush on Prince William (Wills back then) when I was in grade 8.

18. I am, The. Worst. Video. Gamer. Ever.

19. When it comes to baking, I strive for perfection.  Taste and appearance.  Anything else is unacceptable.

20. I love to vacuum.  I usually do it at least twice a day.  Question is: Do I love it?  Or is it obsessive compulsive disorder.

(I always thought it might be neat to have one of those...)

21. The Office is the only show on earth that can cheer me up, no matter what.  I adore Michael Scott.  Even when he embarrasses me.

22. I am the oldest of 5 children.

23. I wish I knew how to use Photoshop like a champ.

24. I believe in a grey area.  Not everything is black and white.

25. I love the Fillet O' Fish from McDonald's.

26. (*See admission #25) I hope we can still be friends.

I.Like.Loaf.

If you're like me...

Sierra--  She loves loaf, too.

...you may occasionally find yourself asking,

'what-to-do?'

with the leftover half of zucchini

your granny gave you.



The answer-- clearly,

shred that bad boy up
and get your bake on.

Enter: Chocolate Zucchini Bread, loaf, surprise,
thing.

Delectable & moist, I promise you my friends.


Hence, today's recipe compliments of 'Joy of Baking'.


Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups shredded raw zucchini from granny
1 cup flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

*you may opt to replace 2 tsp of the unsweetened cocoa powder with the 'secret ingredient'
I'll be incorporating further on in the directions below.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F & grease your loaf pan.

Get started grating your zucchini.

Who knew grating could be so much fun?!

Set grated zucchini aside.


In a large bowl, measure out your flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon & allspice and set aside.


Now.

         Here's where I switch things up.

***SECRET INGREDIENT***

You may recall, way back when,
my uncontainable excitement regarding my purchase of McCormick's Cocoa Chili Blend?!

Well, I happened to be feelin' particularly adventurous this day and decided this would be the perfect recipe to add a little heat to.

Baker's Confession: I added way too much heat.

So much so, one bite of my loaf could put hair on your chest.

       .......Or burn it off.

Spicy.  Very spicy.


According to my 'newly revised' calculations, replacing 2 teaspoons of the cocoa chili blend with the unsweetened cocoa powder should make for the perfect subtle hint of warmth.
(so, 115 ml unsweetened cocoa powder & 2 tsp cocoa chili powder)

And there you have it.

Lesson learned.

The hard way.


Carrying on,

get all your dry ingredients blended together in a large bowl and set aside.

In yet another bowl (plenty of dirty dishes leftover after this recipe), use your electric mixer to thoroughly beat the oil, eggs, sugars, and vanilla extract until well blended. About 2 minutes.

Mm'yesss, a good time to get some reading under your belt...


Once well mixed, fold in the grated zucchini.

Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

And lastly, fold in the chocolate chips.

Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for about 55- 65 minutes.

Once removed from the oven, let the loaf cool on a baker's rack for 10 min and then remove from the pan.

Continue to let the loaf cool completely.

Other than the fact that my loaf was hotter than two goats in a pepper patch, it was deliciously rich and delectably moist.


I do say, it's good to spice things up every once in a while :)