April's Adventures

The biggest event in April was Greta's 5th Birthday. 

Grandma K sent a huge package to Greta.

Inside we found a beautiful handmade blanket. She absolutely loves it. 

Thank you Grandma K!

Here is Greta snuggling with both gifts from her Grandma's K and B. 

Because I have become obsessed with High Tea... that became the theme for Greta's birthday. I scoured the thrift shops for tea cups, saucers, kettle, lace, etc. Then we had a pre-party to celebrate Grandma B, cousin Tori and Greta's bday. 

How great is my mom! She even dressed up for the event :)

On Greta's actual birthday, we had a repeat party. Each of the girls had their own hat, gloves and made their own "pearls". 

And of course we had the bounce house set up.

Birthday cupcakes....

Teddy-bear tea party...

Necklace crafting station...

One of our big project for the month was putting in a new garden. 

Here are the before shots....

We even got the neighbour boy to come and haul rocks :)

I must have erased the final project after I posted it on Instagram. I will add it to my June update. ;)

I can't tell you how many hours it took to haul, shovel and mix all the manure, and the wood chips and make the boxes. It felt like forever! 

Some other stuff that happened in March

Cub car rally occurred as usual. Edwin was excited to participate this year. The funny story behind the scenes was that Joe had lost his cub car and we arrived at the rally hoping to find it in the lost and found. It was there. I quickly hammered on the wheels and Joe entered it into the race. Yup, no paint, no special greasing or anything. Joe's car came in 3 place!!! Ridiculous. 

Our good friends, the Davis Family, from the old Saskatoon days came out to Silver Star. We had such a great time skiing and catching up. We can't wait till we see each other again. 

I had to add this portrait Joseph drew of me during sacrament meeting. I just LOVE it! There is something Austen-esque to it, no?

Ryan and I had a few days away in Vancouver for a Dental Conference. We enjoyed hitting up all the great restaurants. 

And catching up with dear friends. Jac introduced me to High Tea. I have to admit I am an addict now. I loved the delicate spread and the delicious tea but most especially the 4 hours spent just talking. 

More food....

And finally, Greta performed in her ballet recital. Adorable as usual. 

Hawaiian Style Fish Tacos

4 ( four oz. each) Tilapia fillets
2 TBLS vegetable oil
kosher salt and black/lemon pepper

Citrus Vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp to 1 tsp hot sauce
1TBLS honey
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/3 cup vegetable oil

For the tacos:
White Corn Tortillas
Cheddar or Jack cheese
Shredded cabbage or recipe below
Pineapple salsa (recipe follows)
Avocado cream (recipe follows)

Heat grill to medium high. Brush fillets with veg.oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Grill fish for approximately 4 minutes a side or until flaky and remove to a platter.
Whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette and pour over warm fish. Allow fish to sit for about 10 mins. before serving.
In a hot frying pan or on the grill place corn tortillas, sprinkle cheese and top with another corn tortilla to make a cheese quesadilla. Heat on both sides until cheese is melted and tortillas are nicely warmed. Top quesadilla with chunks of fish, shredded cabbage (or slaw), pineapple salsa, avocado cream. Enjoy!

Grilled Pineapple Salsa
1/2 large pineapple, cut into spears
1 small red onion, sliced into 1/2 inch rings
2 TBLS, veg. oil
1 to 2 jalepeno peppers, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 limes, juiced
salt to taste
Heat grill to medium high. Brush pineapple spears and red onions with veg. oil. Grill 3-4 mins per side until grill marks are golden brown and pineapple is fragrant.
Allow pineapple and red onion to cool, and dice into small bite-sized pieces. Combine all the ingredients into a medium mixing bowl and serve.

Avocado Cream
1 large ripe avocado
1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lime
2 tsp. of your favourite hot sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. celery salt
Peel and seek avocado. In a medium mixing bowl mash avocado with the back of a fork. Stir together with remaining ingredients. Serve.

Cabbage Fish Taco Slaw
1 cup green cabbage, shredded
1 cup red cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 TBLS sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
black pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, stir ingredients together. Serve on fish tacos.

For your viewing pleasure...

Greta's photo shoot

My uber talented friend, Caylee Secretan, call me up one evening asking if she could take some photos of Greta. 

How could I refuse such a request? She was able to capture these great shots of Greta. 

If you are ever looking for an amazing photographer, I highly recommend Caylee at Image Studios.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Image-Studios/228528600617859

Over the Holidays

We started off the season with heading downtown to the Christmas light up, then to the Church for the Christmas party. 

The huge bonfire for marshmallow roasting is always a favorite. 

Ryan and I headed to the temple for the weekend and were caught in a snowstorm on the way home. We were FORCED to check into the Harrison Hot Springs Resort. This is what our room exited on to... 

Edwin's Christmas concert... (post concert picture)

We skipped out on Joseph's Christmas Concert and took him skiing instead. He was not disappointed. 

Greta completed another semester of ballet. 

We all headed out to Salmon Arm to visit Aunties Ardie and Sarah. They had the best sledding hill in their backyard. 

Greta was privileged to play Mary this year. 

Maria's Christmas Eve birthday dinner was a fondue at our place. 

We had Grandma and Grandpa Burnham, Maria, Ardie and Sarah join us for Christmas this year. 

Christmas dinner was delicious! James and I had our 'famous' turkey cook off. I won of course... just don't ask him the results. :)

Boxing Day was spent at the skating rink. 

Auntie Jen saved mom and dad's marriage by providing another ipad for them. ;)

More time was spent on the ski hill...

Greta was so excited to have a half sleep over at her cousins house while we were out late for New Years.