Hello friends, here we are at the second Friday Five. And I'm actually posting it on a Friday this week! I started this new series here on the blog last week, but didn't get around to posting it until Sunday. (Sunday Five doesn't have the same ring to it). You can catch up on the first post by clicking here. The Friday Five is a casual diary-style post featuring more lifestyle type content and a way for me to consistently show up here on the blog! So let's dive in!
It's been a wild week over here, and it definitely didn't go like I thought it would, with a few curve balls thrown my way-but we will get to that!
No. 1
Volleyball Tournament in Seattle
Last weekend I was in Seattle (actually Tacoma, 20 mins south of Seattle) with my daughter and her volleyball team for a tournament. I drove my daughter and 3 of her teammates down on Friday afternoon and we did a TikTok foodie tour. All of the chains that Tik Tok has deemed to be cool that we don't have in Canada. If you are a parent of a teen, you know what I am talking about! Crumbl Cookie and Wing Stop were top of the list for the girls! Our hotel was conveniently located beside a Target and Trader Joes, and I got to squeeze in a little browsing. The Canadian dollar is so low right now, it put a damper on the shopping, but I did come away with a few little treasures! A pajama set, a favorite candle, a dryer sheet organizer and some tea towels from the dollar section made their way home with me.
Love watching Stella and her teammates compete together. We have a wonderful team of girls and great parents!
The tournament itself went pretty well but we were thrown a curve ball with the weather on Sunday...that's when the snow began. Our drive home was fine until just before the US/Canada border and then it was white out conditions and I drove about 25 KM/hour. Driving in bad weather is one thing but being responsible for the safety of other people's children really adds to the stress. We made it home safe and sound, and just in time before the real snow front moved in!
No. 2
Snow
I realize I have no right to complain considering we get about one snow event a year here in Vancouver. But oh my gosh, we got a dumping of snow! Monday was significant but it kept on coming so Tuesday was a snow day for the kids/teens. It's pretty exciting when that happens But you know who was most excited about the snow at our house? The dogs! They just LOVE the snow. Ginger in particular was living her best life in the trails and on walks this week. Here are some photos i snapped over the week!
No. 3
Sick
Unfortunately just as I was recovering from the busy weekend and stressful drive home on Sunday, I started feeling a little off on Monday. I was hoping I was just worn out from the weekend but by bedtime, I was in full on virus mode. It took me down pretty hard and I spent as much time in bed as possible both Tuesday and Wednesday. Can I just say, when mom's are sick, we still manage to keep the ship running. Loading and unloading the dishwasher, throwing in loads of laundry and making dinner. I did make sure to rest as much as I could. I brought my laptop to bed to stay on top of emails etc, and tried to limit my chore output to the bare minimum. I am improving every day but my energy is still low. I was grateful for my two trusty companions that kept me company while I rested in bed.
No. 4
Mexican Chicken Bowls with Cilantro Rice
My go-to, super easy, crowd pleaser of a dinner around here is Mexican Chicken Bowls - think Burrito Bowls from Chipolte. This dish is so easy to prepare yet so delicious. I originally found the recipe in this cookbook, but I have augmented it a little, making it super simple. I use my crock pot for the chicken and my insta pot for the rice.
Here's what you do:
Mexican Chicken
empty a can of Rotel (or a cup of salsa) into the crockpot with a package of fajita seasoning, a cup of chicken stock and 2-3 chicken breasts. I also added about a teaspoon of cumin because I love it's smoky flavor but that's optional.
cook on low 6 hours, until chicken is well cooked; pull it apart with a knife and fork and let it continue to simmer in the sauce a bit longer.
Cilantro Lime Rice
saute 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 heads of garlic in the insta pot
add 2 cups of basmati rice and continue to saute, be careful it doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot or you will get that annoying burn message
zest one lime - I use this to do the zesting - and add it to the pot
add 2 cups of chicken stock
set pressure to high and set to cook for 4 minutes
while the rice is cooking, finely chop some cilantro
when the rice is done, add the juice from the lime and the chopped cilantro, and mix it around, fluffing up the rice
At dinner time, I put out the Mexican Chicken, the rice and some toppings (cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole) out on the counter and everyone assembles their own Chipolte style bowl. It's so delicious, and the leftovers keep will and make perfect lunches/dinners on the go all week long.
No.5
Online Canadian Home Decor Favorites
I have been so saddened by the climate that President Trump has created between Canada and the USA. Our family has major ties to the US - our son was born in Chicago, we own property in Washington and we have lots of friends south of the border. The anti-American sentiments currently being expressed make me so sad. The threat of these tariffs hanging over our heads is causing so much distress and unrest. I think the next few months are going to be very interesting and I don't love the uncertainty.
While I can't commit to buying Canadian goods exclusively from here on out, I am always a fan of supporting Canadian companies and local products as much as possible! I decided to round up a list of Online Canadian Home Decor sources that I shop from and love:
Tonic Living - my favorite pillow source!
Etsy Shops: (I should do a whole separate post on Etsy shops alone)here are two faves: Neptune Print Shop and Maren & Firth
Lighthouse Co has lighting, furniture and accessories from my favorite vendors
Indigo - my source for beautiful coffee table books but great pillows, candles and vases too!
Canyon Candle Co - a local candle maker in my neighborhood, this is my fave scented candle, but they are all gorgeous!
I am sure there are more I could add, this topic really does deserve it's own post I think!
That's a wrap
Have a great weekend!
Kerri
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