the boo and the boy

Hooray for long weekends! No work tomorrow. Gosh I wish all weekends were 3 days...

This past week was a rough one.

We were having issues with our car keys (damn those 'intelligent smart keys'. Intelligent my ass.) so we took our car in to the dealership to get the keys fixed. Turns out our antenna is broken and one of the two keys is completely dead. A new key is around $240 (?!?!?). That was Thursday. I was supposed to pick up the car after work Friday but guess what? They ordered the wrong antenna and now, due to this being a long weekend, we won't get our car back till next Wednesday. UNREAL. And they don't do loaner cars (?!?!?). Thankfully, my parents have a spare car (my dad's winter car) which they were kind enough to drop off. The total bill to fix the antenna and keys is somewhere around $650. Ridiculous.

It's looking like we might have to do the painting of the main floor of our house ourselves. Crap. I have so little free time as it is and work is so busy for the next little while that I might have to do some overtime to catch up. Not sure how this will all get done...

We're really trying to work on potty training Simon. It's a BIG job. Girls are SO much easier...

My younger sister had to put her cat down this week (blogged here). Very sad. The little guy had cancer and meds weren't working. I was so sure our cat was going to go before this guy.

We ended up ordering pizza one night this week, leftovers another night and dinner at my parents' place too...but I did manage to make a few yummy meals:

pineapple pork kebabs

These kebabs were so freaking good. We barely had any leftovers. I am for sure making these again during BBQ season.

grilled chicken pasta in tomato cream sauce - kevin and amanda

I love a tomato cream sauce but jarred tomato sauce made this bland. I wish I would have had some of my mom's tomato sauce... (hint, hint mom!). Not bad though but next time, I need to make it with good tomato sauce.

Started baking today. I'm making chocolate chip cookie brownies and the kids were disappointed in the muffins from last week so this week I'm making blueberry, white chocolate and lime muffins.

black and white

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 17 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

camille over the rainbow

lucitisima

frassy

camille over the rainbow

all photos from my fashion pinterest board

my new marc jacobs bag!

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 17 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

I am the new proud owner of a gorgeous Marc Jacobs multi pocket hobo bag in cream. This bag is so fantastic and I got it for a STEAL! My sister Kim had heard from a woman named Tatiana through her fashion blog, closet rivalry. Tatiana is from Ottawa but is moving soon. She wanted to sell some of her designer bags and Kim and I couldn't resist. Kim bought an Alexander Wang Devere bag and a Marc Jacobs pocket satchel in maroon from her. I decided to go for this lovely cream bag since it will probably be the only designer bag I could ever afford. Ain't she pretty?!?!?!

kids' desk spaces

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Wed, 15 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

i am momma hear me roar

my lovely things

ikea family live

bolig magazine

eclectic kids' rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Mon, 13 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

recipes I've tried this week

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sun, 12 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

Happy mother's day to all the moms out there! Happy mother's day to my mom and a big thank you to her for all the help she gives us. We're heading over to my parents' place for dinner to celebrate. We ordered some pasta from a local Italian place so that none of us moms have to cook. Smart aren't we? LOL!

Just when I was getting used to the warm, summer weather, temperatures dropped. Back to pants, sweaters and jackets. It's too cold to even eat outside on the back deck. Dammit. We still use the BBQ though thankfully! I tried a few new recipes this week and they all turned out pretty darn good. The first was delicious and even though Pablo wasn't home to BBQ, I improvised and it turned out yummy:

shrimp boil kebabs - cook au vin

Pablo is allergic to shellfish so we omitted it and used just the baby potatoes, sausage and corn. I boiled the corn and fried the sausage and potatoes. I'm looking forward to trying this on the BBQ next time.

We are huge fans of flank steak and this next recipe was probably the best marinade I've tried for flank steak:

grilled balsamic flank steak - point-less meals

Made with roast potatoes and green beans. Yummmmmmmmmm. A keeper for sure.

Last night I made honey garlic pork chops with grilled zucchini and mashed potatoes (with hidden cauliflower added - SHHHH). The pork was really, really good.

honey garlic pork chops - blog chef

And lastly, today I need to do my weekly baking and I'll be trying sugar donut muffins and oreo cheesecake bars:

sugar donut muffins - stylish cuisine

oreo cheesecake bars - table for two

I am making an appetizer to bring to my parents' place, fresh corn and avocado salsa:

fresh corn and avocado salsa - a cozy kitchen

Completely, totally unrelated to cooking, here is the best you tube video I've ever seen:

spring style

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 10 May 2013 11:00:00 +0000

stockholm streetstyle

long overdue changes around the house

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Thu, 09 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

Since it looks like we aren't moving any time soon, we've decided that some changes are in order. First of all, we hardly use the main floor - the living and dining room that is, so we are going to make the living/dining room one big living room and the tv that is in our bedroom is going to be moved to this room. In the eat-in kitchen, our table for four will be replaced with our current dining room table and chairs. We are repainting the new living room and the downstairs hall and the hall going upstairs. The wall going up the stairs has never been painted since we moved in, due to the fact that it is 2 stories high and impossible to reach without special equipment. Pablo knows a painter so he is going to come and do the painting for us.

At the top of our staircase, we have a gorgeous boob light (said with major sarcasm). I just want to thank our builder for putting the dumbest, ugliest, cheapest light fixture at the top of the staircase. One that is unreachable. One whose stupid lightbulb burnt out about 4 years ago making it an utterly useless light fixture. On the list of new things we need - a chandelier. One that we can reach to replace the lightbulb when it burns out..

Right now we have a brown faux leather Todd Oldham couch in the living room. This couch is going to find a new home in the basement family room and my parents are selling us their Ikea Karlstad sectional for the new living room (my mom wants a new sectional). I'm excited because I love this sectional and it is big enough to fit all of us. My large teak dining room buffet will also remain but will be moved to the other end of the room, by the window.

Our front hall closet is tiny. A good size for 2 people. Very inadequate for 4 people. The solution? - a Pax Ikea wardrobe for the wall opposite the hall closet.

I think that about sums up the upcoming changes. Now for some photos to explain everything.

The green in the living/dining room (BM's Oregano) will be repainted in Benjamin Moore's Pink Bliss:

My inspiration for going with this colour is the living room below:

sf girl by bay

I just love that pink couch and the overall colour scheme of the room. Then I remembered Nicole's living room:

making it lovely - walls painted in BM's Wild Aster

Wild Aster is a bit darker and a bit more on the taupe side than Pink Bliss. Here is a room I found with Pink Bliss on the walls:

architectural digest via red papaya

And here is the Karlstad sectional we are getting from my parents (with the dark grey colour below):

Ikea's Karlstad sectional

I think this dark grey cover will look great against the wall painted in Pink Bliss.

We also bought 2 LAPPLJUNG RUTA pillows from Ikea to go on the couch:

LAPPLJUNG RUTA cushion cover

And 2 STOCKHOLM cushions:

STOCKHOLM cushion

Here is what our living/dining room looks like currently:

the sectional will be along the far left wall and along the long wall - where the dining room table is now. the tv will be mounted on the wall to the right of the black floor lamp. the teak buffet from the dining room will go along the wall where the couch is.

We're going to paint the main floor hall, stairwell and upstairs hall, Martha Stewarts' Nimbus Cloud:

Martha Stewart - Nimbus Cloud - Home Depot

Couldn't quite find the combination of PAX wardrobe that we are getting so picture the photo below with a dark brown-black frame instead of white:

Ikea PAX wardrobe

Here is the wall where the PAX wardrobe will go:

this wall will be painted the Nimbus Cloud grey

And here is our staircase and the useless light fixture:

walls will be painted the Nimbus Cloud grey

For a chandelier, we got the Modernica Hanging Cigar Lamp from the Modern Shop:

Now we just have to find someone to install the light...

What do you all think about the changes?

Helena's room

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Wed, 08 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

all photos from my full house

boys' rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Mon, 06 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

recipes I've tried this week

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sun, 05 May 2013 12:43:00 +0000

Sunshine and warm weather is finally here. Amen. Winters here in Ottawa are so damn long and this year we basically went from winter to summer within a matter of a week it seems. Now our average daily temperature is in the 20's (celsius) and the BBQ is going to get used often. If anyone has any good grilling recipes, send them my way.

I made some really yummy dinners this week. The first was chicken with honey beer sauce. I made roast potatoes and green beans as sides. DELISH.

chicken with honey beer sauce - daydream kitchen

I was craving a good pasta dish and this tuna noodle casserole did the trick. I had it for dinner and brought it to work for lunch twice. YUM.

tuna noodle casserole - can you stay for dinner?

The next recipe I tried was on a night when the kids wanted to stay outside so by the time I started dinner, I had less than a half hour to get it done. In comes BBQ chicken quesadillas. Easy and scrumptious.

BBQ chicken quesadillas - iowa girl eats

I feel the need to bake a batch of cookies this afternoon after our weekly grocery shopping and these banana pudding cookies caught my eye. I hope they are yummy.

banana pudding cookies - two peas and their pod

And for the 50th time, the kids want me to make these white chocolate blueberry muffins. Double batch.

Have a good week y'all!

kids' room art by LittleCollector

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Check out the cool artwork below by Matthew Carden for LittleCollector. Perfect for a nursery or a boys' room. The folks over at LittleCollector would like to offer all of you a 20% discount sitewide from now until May 10th (use code SPRING20). Happy looking and happy shopping!

mixing patterns

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:00:00 +0000

where did you get that

lella victoria

the blond salad


where did you get that

where did you get that

kendie everyday

lovely by lucy

stockholm streetstyle

frassy

all photos from my fashion pinterest board. see another mixing patterns post here.

shared kids' room

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:00:00 +0000

eclectic kids' rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

recipes I've tried this week

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 17:14:00 +0000

This week was insane (as are most weeks around here). On Wednesday, Pablo had an appointment in Toronto for his pacemaker. It hasn't been working quite right for the last few weeks. Thankfully, all that was needed was some fine tuning by a pacemaker technician and it's as good as new. Pablo was worried that it needed surgery to fix. I took Wednesday off work to look after the kiddos and that broke up the week nicely. Isabella wasn't feeling well Thursday so she stayed home from school and Friday was a PD day so again, no school. I spent alot of time this week figuring out some redecorating details for our house which I hope to blog within the next few weeks....just need to find some spare time...

Anyway, I did cook a few meals this week. The first being this yummy beef with broccoli:

beef with broccoli - rainy day gal

It was yummy but definitely use low sodium soy sauce. I had regular soy sauce and added more sugar but it was still a bit too salty.

Next I made oven baked chicken fajitas.Fajitas are Isabella's favourite meal - one that she is guaranteed to eat whenever I make it. I had never made them in the oven and this turned out great. A little runny due to the tomato juice from the can but next time, I will just add the tomatoes and not their juice.

oven baked chicken fajitas - real mom kitchen

I made meatloaf Saturday night for dinner. I love meatloaf and have tried many different kinds. This one was a winner - honey barbeque meatloaf. The kids loved it too. I had to make it with mashed potatoes and lately my mashed potatoes are a combination of cauliflower and potatoes and THE KIDS HAVE YET TO NOTICE! WOOHOO! I make sure to add the cauliflower to the pot when they aren't looking...

honey barbeque meatloaf - can you stay for dinner?

For dinner tonight, I am making crockpot korean short rib tacos. The house smells so freaking yummy as this is cooking. Thanks Collette for the recommendation!

crockpot korean short rib tacos - tasty kitchen

UPDATE ON THE PHOTO ABOVE - OMG we just ate this and it was A-MAZING. So amazing that our neighbours tried some too and loved it. Definite keeper and will be made VERY OFTEN. Collette - I love you for recommending this recipe.

I also have some baking to do today. I'm going to make blueberry muffins and mega stuffed oreo s'more magic bars.

blueberry muffins - zoe bakes

mega stuffed oreo s'more magic bars - lauren's latest

I also want to make this pb & j yogurt for my breakfast for work this week (minus the peanuts because I hate peanuts...maybe I'll add raisins):

pb & j yogurt - skinnytaste

new stuff around the house

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 12:50:00 +0000

Isabella had to make something for school out of 100 items. end result was this framed art for her room made out of 100 paint chip squares.

we needed a new duvet cover so picked up this inexpensive one at Ikea

new Ikea print over the dresser in our bedroom

my mom brought this vase back from Puerto Vallarta for me. I had bought one but it broke into a million pieces in my carry-on once I got home. Thanks mom! The smaller one I had brought back - in one piece.

the vases on the dresser in our bedroom

neon pumps

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

atlantic pacific

pink peonies

closet rivalry (my twin sister)

closet rivalry (flats not pumps I know...)

stockholm streetstyle

punky b

keiko lynn

pink peonies

all photos from my fashion pinterest board

3rd craniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:00:00 +0000

3 years since my husband Pablo had brain surgery. He was diagnosed with a Grade II atypical BENIGN meningioma (bordering on Grade III) on April 15, 2010 and this changed our lives completely. Even after 3 years, it affects our lives daily. Pablo hasn't been able to work since early 2010. Pablo still takes alot of medication to control his chronic pain and headaches. The brain tumour caused neurological damage and now Pablo has a pacemaker for his bladder.

Not only did Pablo overcome a brain tumour but now he is well enough to spend his days looking after our kids while I work and he couldn't be happier about that. (I must admit I am a tad jealous). The last 3 years have been incredibly hard and trying on all of us but Pablo has come a long way and has stayed so strong and positive through it all.

Pablo - you amaze me. Lots of hugs and kisses from the kids and I. We love you very much.

this sign is in our bedroom - in memory of April 26, 2010

For a run down of the last 3 years, check out Pablo's brain tumour page and here's my 1st and 2nd craniversary posts.

bunk beds

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

liz carroll interiors

eclectic kids' rooms

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 10:00:00 +0000

dti (my sis is going to kill me for not putting full link but I couldn't find it...)

darling things

escarabajos bichos y mariposas

bang bang

recipes I've tried this week

noreply@blogger.com (Julia @ thebooandtheboy) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 10:41:00 +0000

I'd like to thank mother nature for completely screwing with us this week. what does this have to do with food you ask? - BBQ season. and BBQ season means I get help with dinner. I make hubby BBQ because I don't BBQ. but this week's weather was insane, with below zero celsius temps and then BAM, on friday it got up to 26 degrees celsius. then saturday morning, I look outside and there is a blizzard. what the freaking hell. so needless to say, I was hoping to break out the BBQ friday but we ordered pizza instead because I came home from work exhausted. due to the heat outside and the fact that the building where I work still has the heating system blasting, it was 30 degrees in my office. BLEH.

anyway, early in the week I made classic spaghetti and meatballs. this turned out DELISH and I ate it for dinner and twice for lunch at work. Probably the best spaghetti and meatballs I've made in a really long time. I think it helped that I used Unico's San Marzano canned tomatoes...

classic spaghetti and meatballs - she wears many hats

next was pork tenderloin with pan sauce. this turned out quite good. i made it with potatoes (roast potatoes for us, mashed potatoes for the kiddos) and some corn.

pork tenderloin with pan sauce - chef mommy

and because I had bacon leftover from last week's sweet & spicy bacon chicken, I MADE IT AGAIN THIS WEEK. I'm crazy like that. it was that freaking good. here it is again, looking so delectable:

sweet & spicy bacon chicken - diary of a recipe addict

I still find it painful to come up with lunch ideas for Isabella for school. gives me a headache just thinking about it. I did get slightly excited when I came across this recipe for cucumber tea sandwiches. Isabella loves cucumber and she loves cream cheese. I am going to attempt these for her this week and we'll see if they get eaten or make it back home in her lunch box...

frog prince paperie - cucumber tea sandwiches

I found this salad which I am going to try this week for my lunches - autumn chopped salad. I love fruit and this has chopped apples and pears. feta too = YUM. dried cranberries and a mixture of balsamic vinegar and poppyseed dressing...SOLD!

autumn chopped salad - iowa girl eats

for a little snackeroo (since I doubt my fav ice cream will be on sale), I am going to make golden oreo cheesecake bars this afternoon. they look heavenly, don`t they?:

golden oreo cheesecake bars - cookies & cups

the kids insisted that they wanted white chocolate blueberry muffins again this week (this is probably the 15th time I will have made them) so I will oblige and make them today too:

white chocolate blueberry muffins - pinch of yum