love love love popsicles!

I love love love popsicles and so does Little Miss L. There is nothing better on a hot summer's day then a nice cold treat. With all the different products out there pumped full of the bad stuff, it's hard to find ones I would give to my daughter. I thought, why not make my own? It is cheaper and I know what is going into them. Little Miss L. loves sour things, so I opted to make her lemonade and strawberry popsicles. It only takes five minutes to prepare and you can make whatever your little heart desires.

Ingredients

• A handful of fresh strawberries.
• A carton of lemonade (or freshly squeezed) I like to use the juicer when I have time.

Preparation

• Pulled out my trusty popsicle mold. You can find them at your local grocery store or I was able to find some at our local dollar store. They are reusable, so great for the environment!
• Chopped up the strawberries into small pieces. Add them to the bottom of the popsicle mold.
• Then I poured the lemonade into the mold until it reached the top.

There you have it folks, it can't be much simpler than that! It is a great way to get the little ones to eat their fruit and the sky is the limit when making your own flavour. I also love adding my smoothies into the mold - they are a great snack for the summer. I will post my favourite smoothie recipes next week.

Enjoy this sunny weather, we can't get enough of it!

Oh, this popsicle is so good! Just relaxin' and soaking up the sun.

I could stare at those eyes all day long.

Nothing like watching the clouds roll by and enjoying a  yummy treat.

we love tulips

Last week, the hubby and I had the chance to take Little Miss L. to our local tulip festival. The weather was gorgeous, and the tulips did not disappoint. This tulip festival is known as the Canadian Tulip Festival, which is in its 59th year, and has grown to become the largest Tulip Festival in the world. It preserves the local heritage of Canada’s role in freeing the Dutch during World War II, and the symbolic tulip; a gift in perpetuity to the Canadian people for providing a safe harbour to the Dutch Royal Family at that time. You can learn more about it here http://www.tulipfestival.ca/history/.

Little Miss L. enjoyed every minute of it, pointing out all the different colours of the flowers, smelling them as she walked by, and she was in absolute love with interacting with everyone who passed by her. I love love love when the weather permits us the opportunity to get outdoors and enjoy the fresh air. I guess everyone felt the same way as the park was packed with people doing the same thing. For those of you in the Ottawa area, if you are looking for something to do with the kids this long weekend, then hit up the Tulip Festival because it closes after this weekend. If you haven't had a chance to get down and check out all of the different kinds of tulips...you won't be disappointed. You will be amazed with all of the vibrant colours, they have every colour of the rainbow.

spruce it up

Have you ever awakened one day and had the urge to spruce up a room in your home? The holiday season is upon us, I cannot think of a better time to make a beautiful floral arrangement without breaking the bank. Fresh flowers and live plants always add a nice touch to any room in your home. My mother-in-law went to our local grocery store and found a beautiful bouquet for only $7.99. This is a simple, quick, and easy way to spruce-up your home for those unexpected holiday visitors. Seriously, this process only took me ten minutes to complete from start to finish!

Making A Grocery Store Bouquet Into A Beautiful Centerpiece

 

1. First I gathered a clean vase and brown coloured marbles( marbles can be purchased at the Dollar store.) I had all of these items already in our home.
2. Then I cut the stems, making sure the stems could reach the water and the flowers could keep their head above it.
3. The next step was to arrange a circle of flowers around the edge of the vase.
4. Then insert the rest of the flowers in the center, creating a domed effect.
5. The last step is to add greens between main flowers. This is important because it helps keep blooms separated so they do not crush one another and helps to provide good air circulation to keep blooms fresh longer.
6. Depending on where you are placing your flowers, you can always add extra colour by adding holiday inspired ribbon around the vase.

 

The finished product

Remember you don't have to break the bank to add a little spice to your home!