Home, Furniture & Kitchen

I love heat and sunshine, but I still think summer desserts are one of the best parts of summer. Because we’re celebrating my daughter’s elementary school graduation this weekend, I’ve been in the kitchen with kids and up to my elbows in summer desserts. Here’s what’s been chilling out in my kitchen this week. 

Canada is considered to be one of the safest countries in the world, but that doesn’t make us immune to natural hazards like floods, earthquakes, landslides, power outages, or storms. That’s why it’s important to always be prepared for the worst, even if the worst never ends up happening. With a few essentials at the ready, you’ll help minimize the impact an emergency may have on you and your family. 

If you want to keep you and your guests warm this winter, just take a look at my list of great ways to heat up inside your home.

I don’t know what it is about wedding gift registries, but I’m not a big fan. I absolutely love the process involved with gift giving, so it’s just not as fun for me when I’m told what to buy. Especially when the only items left on the registry are an inexpensive corkscrew and a China set fit for the Duchess of York. That’s why I tend to skip the registry altogether and stick with my standby wedding gift – glassware. There seems to always be a need for glassware, and when you have the right glasses for various types of drinks, your bride and groom are guaranteed to love using them.

Today on Shelly’s Friday Favourites, I’m going to share my favourite sugar cookie recipe with you and show you how easy it is to decorate these cookies. If you get overwhelmed by roll out cookies because they’re too sticky or they don’t turn out right, you’ll love this recipe. The dough is light, fluffy, and rolls out like a dream.

I watched ‘Fat, sick, and Nearly Dead’ the other day. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from it. I really thought it was something similar to the ‘SuperSize Me’ documentary that had everyone running away from McDonalds.   Turns out, I couldn’t have watched a more timely documentary. This month on Shelly’s Friday Favourites I’ve been talking about smoothies and juicing, and I don’t think you could find more information about the health benefits of juicing anywhere else. I’ve been researching the topic and looking at recipes all month, but that documentary really demonstrated how you could turn your life around with juicing.

With warmer spring and summer days, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen cooking big meals? One way to make quick, light and delicious meals is to make salads into a meal. Here are some great recipes to please even the picky eaters in your home.

Like it or not, there’s no denying that back to school has arrived once again. Wasn’t it just yesterday we were all celebrating not having to come up with another lunch for kids who were sick of the ‘same old, same old?’ I know by the end of June I was ready to pull my hair out because my kids were sick of everything, but now that I’ve had some time away from the daily lunch grind, I’ve got some great ideas for back to school lunches. 

There are simple and affordable ways to update your home with everything from decor pieces to accent walls.

Out of all of the holiday traditions at my house, there’s one I look most forward to during the holidays. Making a Yule Log is fun, delicious, and can be really challenging if you’ve never done it before, but once you’ve tried one you’ll want to make one every year.