.European Style.

With our Euro Trip only 2 months away now, I have travel style on the brain {along with all things baby of course!}.

I've never been across the pond and am entirely intrigued by what those trendy Europeans are wearing. They just elude class and sexuality, and I am simply wondering what can this Canadian girl get away with?

I will be 5 months pregnant when we arrive, so positively showing a baby bump which will grow extremely the month that we're there. 

So what do I wear? Any suggestions from some stylish momma's out there?

We're travelling around a little, stopping in Ireland, England, Greece, France, and a top-secret stagette location {which i can't share because i know the bride reads Fancy Napkin! Sorry!}. We expect to do some shopping, eating, relaxing and basically soaking in all the sights and culture that we can.

Here are some ideas I'm loving lately that I think I can still work even with a baby bump.
--------------------------

GREECE: I'm thinking hot weather and relaxing times. Breezy, colorful summer dresses in both short and long maxi styles. Light tank tops, loose waves, floppy sun hats and gladiator sandals.

[breezy colorful dresses. comfy and gorgeous]

[colorful, short with a skinny belt. love. via]

[loose waves and an open, breezy short jumper. sexy and comfy even with a bump. via]

[utter perfection. via]

FRANCE: I'm thinking lots of food and culture. Shopping and sightseeing. Stripes {stripes, stripes,  more stripes!}, black skinny pants, ballet flats, dainty jewellery and fitted dresses {gotta show off that bump!}. Also working in some wedges somehow.

[stripes and baguettes. via]

[a pencil skirt and a baby bump is one of the cutest things around. I think this would work great for a chic cafe stop! via]

[the most perfect dainty studs to go with everything. melanie auld. via]

[stripes, bows and ankle pants. nothing says french chic more to me than this! via]

ENGLAND: Wedding stop! I'll be needing a couple tea and cocktail type of dresses for various weddings events, so a few sweet, chic, and proper dresses come to mind. On the flip-side, casual jean shorts, sandals, and flowy blouses will be needed for a little castle visiting and lovely walks. Also can work some maxi skirts into the mix.

[flowy chic dresses, proper for a luncheon rehearsal. via]

[perfect and proper for a bump. via]

[prim and proper garden party dress. via]

[stylish, easy and perfect for castle visiting. via]

IRELAND: This is one of our 'fun' stops. I love that Irish accent and I can't wait to see some of that vibrant history with some castle visits, pub stops (sadly no brew for me), and beautiful seaside views. I'm thinking more casual attire will work, perhaps some colored jeans, casual tees and chunky necklaces. A few scarfs and blazers if the weather gets cold, and a maxi dresses and skirts with skinny little belts.

[earth colors, maxi skirts and loose waves. via]

[mint jeans, a casual shirt. easy and comfy. and maternity too! via]

[chunky layered necklaces and a casual tee. via]

[maxi skirt and casual tank. relaxed perfection. via]

Now, how will I lug all this around? 

"Oh Honey......" 

.Weekend Highs and Lows.

This weekend was filled with some high and lows, but lets start off with the highs, because that's always the happy part.

The Highs.

::A slap of red-orange lipstick and a pair of ray bans while driving with the windows open. Feeling refreshed and a little sassy.
:: I discovered a new addiction in the show Downton Abbey. Have you seen it? Wow, I was hooked after the first episode. Entertaining and such wonderful style.

::Bought a couple items from a maternity sale. Yep, I made the plunge and am feeling [surprisingly] good about it.
::Devouring these deliciousness on a cold Sunday morning.
::Then followed up the pancakes with staying in bed all day after that.
::Sat on our patio for the first time this year drinking some beers [non-alcoholic for me, of course!]

::My friend, Danielle, came for a overnight visit from Vancouver. This girl [and her family] are truly a second 'home' to us. Our mothers have been best friends since high school and each year we've managed to get together some way or another. 

::The coconut gelato ice cream from Block 1912 just off whyte avenue. If you're in Edmonton, check in out and get some ice cream. Heaven in a bowl.

::A big clean up around our house that made it look sparking clean.

The Lows.

::This snow. Really Alberta? Another big dump? I could have done without, thanks [update, it is now almost gone!]

::Watching husband crush a 40oz bottle of vodka with his buddy without blinking an eye. Not so much of a low for me, but the hangover he had sure was a low for him. Ha.
::A big clean up around our house sucked in actually doing the process.

::A misunderstanding that has escalated into a complete fallout with one of my oldest friends.

Now this bottom bit is going to get really serious. So for that I apologize. I try to keep things fun and fresh on here, but this is a topic that I feel everyone may have or will go through at some point in their life and I believe that it's important. I even struggled if I should mention it or not, but it makes me feel better to write things out so here goes.....
I should also note that it's regarding the last 'low' topic above, and as I touch on this sensitive subject, I do have to remind myself that I am pregnant and overly emotional as it is, so not the best time to be having to deal with something of this matter, but the point of my story stays true.
People get older, and we change. As I start to move into the more serious and meaningful parts of my life [marriage, kids, and family] I find that I no longer feel as lost as I was in my early twenties. I feel more grounded, more sure of myself, and am starting to realize the things that really matter in life. Things like how important family really is and how friendships, no matter how long they have been, can change and if you aren't getting what you need from each other anymore it's sometimes best to let those go.
And that's what this weekend made me realize.
I am getting to old for drama. I want a simpler life. I want truth and love and happiness. I want to be surrounded by people that care for me and want to be cared for back. That is what's important, not all that other fluff.
Now, I say this with a sad heart, but this weekend I said goodbye to one of my oldest friends. We went through everything together as teenagers and although he is still a very nice person, I just felt that we had moved in different directions. I also want to note that I am not here to vent my dirty laundry, just to simply say that in life we sometimes have to make tough decisions. I would [and always will] support my husband, family and friends through anything, and I am known as one of the most loyal people that you will ever meet. I didn't earn the nickname"the lioness" for nothing, and when it comes to people attacking others for reasons unknown, I have to take a step back. I do not want any part of that.
 It is so easy to get sucked in and react to situations that you know to be false and unfair, and I simply do not want to be involved in any of it. I am just not that girl, nor do I have the energy or tolerance to surround myself with people like that. I cannot deal with all the drama. Frankly put, I am just too old for that shit. Ya know how I feel?
So I just want to close this post by saying, hopefully over time we grow into the person we are trying so desperately in our early twenties to be and hopefully those friends of ours, the ones that we made as a child, will mature with you, support you and want nothing but the best for you. Sadly, sometimes this doesn't happen, but after this weekend I realized that that's perfectly okay. You grow, they grow and things change. It doesn't mean you are bad people, you've just outgrown each other.
And again like I said, that's perfectly A-okay.

.Baby Things: Baby Essentials.

The other day husband asked for an 'essential's' baby list. I think it really hit him that this thing is happening and we soooo need to plan for it. And pay for it. 

We have t-minus 6 months left and only a box full of books, sleepers, and toys, which I'm fairly sure won't cut it in the new baby department [i should mention we have a hand-me-down crib as well, but i'm pouting about using it. it's brown and just doesn't go with the theme of our baby room that i'm dreaming up. so the crib here aren't really an essential.....and speaking of which, can you paint a crib??]

So I put together this little list for him. With mostly my dream items.

And then husband had a little heart attack.

one] bugaboo cameleon stroller [dark grey/ dark blue or dark grey/black or dark grey/off white] $900

two] tommee tippee bottles $10

three] monte joya rocking chair [white] $895

four] sleepers various sizes and styles $32 each

five] joovy room2 ultralight playard [black] $215

six] tripp trapp high chair $300

seven] skip hop pallet plate $33

eight] medela breast pump $300

nine] cloth diapers [various colors] $20 each [and we'd need approx. 30 of them!]

ten] zara body suits/sleepers 2pack [white] $16 [and we need lots of these!!]
eleven] monte ninna nanna bassinet [white/wood] $395
twelve] slim & secure video baby monitor $300 [my momma actually purchased this beautiful video monitor for us recently, so we can actually scratch this off the baby list as well! Thanks Mom!]
thirteen] bloom coco stylewood baby bouncer [coconut] $200
fourteen] babyletto modo 3 in 1 crib [espresso/white] $350

fifteen] eco sleeper contour change pad $29
sixteen] advent soothers $6 each
seventeen] dresser ikea hemnes $300

Approximate 'get-started' TOTAL: $4881! Phew, now that is one expensive little critter.

.Homemade Chicken Stock.

Yesterday I posted about cooking the best damn whole roasted chicken.

Bones and All.

Well, today we're going to do something with those bones. See the great thing about cooking a whole chicken or turkey is that leftover carcass. It enables you to actually make two{!} meals out of one.

So here is my mother's recipe for Homemade Chicken Stock {which can then turn into Homemade Chicken Noodle or Rice Soup.....so does that make it 3 or 4 meals out of 1?! Anyways, I digress.....}

Homemade Chicken Stock

Ingredients:

1 Chicken {or turkey} Carcass

6 Carrots, grated

2 Onions

1 Bay Leaf

2 - 3 tbsp Dried Chicken Stock Powder

 3 Celery Sticks, chopped into bite size pieces

Pepper, Freshly ground
2 - 3 sprigs Fresh Sage, chopped
2 - 3 Sprigs Fresh Thyme, chopped {without the stem}

Fresh Parsley, chopped. About 1/2 a cup

Directions:

one] Place your chicken carcass in a very large pot. Add enough water so that it's a couple inches above the chicken bones. Cut up 1 onion into really big chunks. Chop up 3 carrots into large pieces {I usually just cut each carrot into 3 big pieces} and add the onions and carrots to the pot. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a boiling simmer for 2 Hours.

[note: the reason you want the veggies in big pieces is because you'll be fishing them out and the bigger the pieces, the easier it is to collect them. We'll be adding fresh veggies later]. 

two] After the 2 hours, give the broth mixture a stir. Collect as many of the carrot and onion pieces as you can and throw away. Scrape as much of the meat off of the carcass as you can and throw away any fat chunks. Once you've cleaned the carcass of it's meat, you can throw that away too.

three] Now to make it taste good! Add a couple more cups of water to the pot as the previous cooking time will lower the water level quite a bit. Then add the dried chicken stock powder to help those freshly added cups of water have some flavor {fyi: I like to add 3 tbsp, as I like saltier soups}. Add the bay leaf to the pot. Cut up the last onion into small chunks and add to the pot. Cut up the last 3 carrots into thin slices and add those to the pot too. Same for the chopped celery. Give it all a good stir. Now add freshly ground pepper, and lots of it! Taste as you go. You probably won't need any salt as the chicken stock powder can sometimes be a little salty. Now add your fresh herbs, Sage, Parsley and Thyme. Give that all a good stir and let simmer for another hour.
To make Chicken Noodle Soup: Cook your desired noodles in a separate pot as per the instructions. Drain and run under cold water to get rid of the starchy water. Add cooked noodles to your chicken broth. You can also add some frozen peas if you desire, and cook for 15 minutes. Serve warm.
Note: If you want to freeze your chicken noodle soup, make sure the chicken broth is cold when you add the cooked noodles as this stops the cooking process and the noodles don't get all mushy. Then add to a freezer container and freeze.
To make Chicken Rice Soup: Cook your rice (I like to use wild grain rice) in a separate pot as per the directions. Add cooked rice to your chicken broth. Serve warm. 

.Roast Chicken Rotisserie Style.

This recipe has become one of our most loved {and eaten!} recipes.

And I only found it a couple years ago!!

It's from my gal, Gwynie's cookbook, My Father's Daughter.

And this my friends is the real deal. This chicken has never failed me. It's always juicy and tasty with the right amount of crispiness.

It's so simple. I swear. And you'll never be buying those store bought cooked ones again.

Roast Chicken Rotisserie Style

{recipe by Gwyneth Paltrow via My Father's Daughter}

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tbsp Unsalted Butter, room temperature

3/4 tsp Garlic Salt

3/4 tsp Sweet Paprika

1/4 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground

large pinch Coarse Salt

1 Organic Whole Chicken (3 - 4 pounds), washed and dried

Directions:

one] Preheat oven (preferably a convection oven) to 400F.

two] In a small bowl, mix the butter together with the garlic salt, paprika, pepper and a very large pinch of coarse salt. Gently separate the skin from the breast by inserting your fingers between the skin and breast and breaking the facia. This will lead to crispier skin. Now rub the butter mixture all over the chicken, including a bit between the breast and the skin. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and tie with one piece of kitchen twine around them to secure them (note:  I just use the rubber band that the chicken comes with and tie both the wings and legs down). Tie the legs together with another piece of kitchen twine.

three] Put the chicken on it's side {resting on it's thigh and wing} in a large heavy roasting pan and roast for 25 minutes. 

four] Turn it onto it's other side and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of water. Return chicken to the oven and roast for an additional 25 minutes.

five] Turn it on its back and roast for 10 minutes. 

six] Turn it onto it's breast and roast for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest breast side down for at least 15 minutes. Carve and Serve.

***NOTE: SAVE the Chicken Carcass if you want homemade chicken stock/soup {will post recipe tomorrow!!}. Just place the chicken carcass in a large pot with lid on and keep in your fridge overnight.