Insta-Friday #17

Welcome to Insta-Friday #17 - My week in pictures!

Last Friday, I had an errand to do downtown. I plugged my meter with an hour's worth of time & then finished my errand in about 10 minutes. So, I took the rest of the hour, & walked around downtown by the river, enjoying the wonderful weather & our beautiful city.

Saturday morning, I was up bright & early to go out to a town wide garage sale. This house had a ton of homemade baking for sale as well as fresh (she pulled them out of the frier while we watched), homemade donuts! My friend, Vanessa, & I couldn't resist trying them!

Button Baby Card

Is there anything more sweet than a new baby? I think God makes them so adorable so that we want to be around them & take care of them. :)

And because babies are so cute, we want the things around them & the things that celebrate them to be cute too!

Asian Mandarin Salad

Eating healthy can be hard for me sometimes. I find that when I have a meal plan, even if it's just in my head, that works the best for me. This is one of my favourite lunches to throw together - easy, healthy, & delicious! It's on my meal plan often! I first got the idea from a salad I had at Appleby's. 

If you want to make this into an entree, add a grilled chicken breast = yummy!

Insta-Friday #16

Welcome to my week in photos!

I think I say this every week, but it's been an exciting, fun week. You know, keeping track of my life on Instagram makes me really appreciate the small things in life. Even the seemingly meaningless errands & chores take on a new meaning when you can see a bit of beauty in them.

Last friday was spent doing doing some thrifting & errands with my friend, Sarah. I was on the hunt for some fabric to sew a window valance for my son's bedroom makeover. We discovered a fabulous quilting shop & I found the perfect fabric!

While we were out thrifting, we each found a large treasure! I found the blue trunk & she the great chair. We think a hotel was redecorating & got rid of a bunch of these chairs. It was in fabulous condition!

We also enjoyed seeing the cheery flowers at the Home Depot even though it's still a bit early here to be planting. Give it another week or two & we'll be good to go!

On Saturday, my husband, daughter, & I went garage saling for a bit. This pink elephant sadly was not for sale. :(

Doily Congratulations Card

Oh man! I totally blanked on yesterday's post & forgot all about it! Sorry!

So, a day late (but you know what they say, right? Better late than never & all that.), here is my Doily Congratulations Card with a splash of spring color & some chevron thrown in for good measure.

We are in the midst of baby shower & wedding shower season, right? It's an exciting time, with all kinds of preparations for new babies & new lives together. 

This pretty card is perfect for those special occasions. 

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

How was your weekend, friends?

Ours was really good... we were able to get outside & go to a huge community garage sale on Saturday as well as do some yard clean up. On Sunday we spent some time with friends after church. It was a wonderful weekend.

Spring is finally here! We've had two beautiful weekends in a row & it feels like summer outside today!

Insta-Friday #15

Welcome to my week in pictures. My opportunity to share with you some of the more behind the scenes moments of my life...

Last weekend started with some beautifully warm weather, so I gathered all the spray painting projects on my to-do list & started exersizing my trigger finger!

You'll see them all in a few days. Stay tuned!

My current Saturday morning routine includes going to swimming lessons with my little fishies. 

They're doing great!

Treat Bags for Teacher

Next week is Teacher Appreciation Week!

We absolutely appreciate the teachers in our children's lives. Don't you? Their hard work, patience, & love do not go unnoticed.

Why not brighten up the day of the teachers in your life with a gift of appreciation & package them up in a sweetly decorated paper bag?

Boy's Room Makeover (Part 1): The Art Work

The month of May holds a fun DIY project for me — to makeover my son, Parker's bedroom. 

My to-do list includes:

• Create artwork
• Paint dresser
• Paint walls/trim
• Update window treatment
• Bulletin board
• Paint chalkboard one section on wall
• Update bedding

I'm done the first thing on the list, so that's a start!

While we were on our epic summer vacation last summer, we picked up some memorabilia with Parker's room decor in mind.

We got these coasters in Cars Land at Disneyland & the Lego minifigures at Legoland (you'll see them below).

After picking up some frames from Michael's, I simply backed the openings with cardstock, then mounted these coasters on with some permanent adhesive squares.

No-Bake Haystack Cookies {Revisited}

Today, I have for you a recipe that I've posted before. 

Like a few of my other early recipe posts, the photos were less than stellar or even appetizing.

I'm working on re-takes for those recipe items. 

My most recent recipe retake projects were these delicious, unbaked chocolate cookies, called Haystacks.

You can whip them up in a few minutes, chill them to set & have them ready to serve in hardly any time flat!

Insta-Friday #14

Welcome to another Insta-Friday! 

Spring has finally decided to grace Saskatchewan with her presence & I must say, 

I for one, am loving it!

I had almost forgotten what warm sunshine felt like...

Last Friday evening, I went to a local handmade market with a friend of mine. These custom made dolls tickled my fancy.

The old man dolls & the bears with glasses were my favourites.

How can you not smile when you look at them?

Confetti Birthday Cards

This time of year, there sure seems to be a lot of birthdays! The kids seem to be invited to more birthday parties & our extended family has quite a few spring birthdays. 

Why not make some fun, handmade birthday cards for the special birthday boys & girls in your life?

Supplies Used:

• Cardstock -  Core'Dinations & Michaels
• Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye
• Sequins - Martha Stewart
• Happy Birthday Sticker - American Crafts

Supplies Used:

• Cardstock -  Michaels & Colorbok
• Patterned Paper - My Mind's Eye & Stampin' Up!
• Sequins - Martha Stewart
• Happy Birthday Sticker - American Crafts

Make your birthday cards shine with a handmade touch.

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

Enjoy your day,

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Wow, looking through the recipes I've posted here on Silver Boxes, it's been a long while since I've posted anything other than a dessert or some kind of sweet!

We do eat foods other than sweets. I promise. 

Now that the days are longer I'm starting to have better light around supper time to take better photos.

So I've been doing just that - taking photos of our favourite meals. 

Yay for variety!

One of our very, very favourite side dishes are these lemon roasted potatoes.

With garlic & oregano, they're a perfect side dish to souvlaki & Greek salad!

You can even do them on the BBQ if you want! (Just see my notes at the end of the recipe.)

Lemon Roasted Potatoes  Print recipe
serves 6

4 lbs. potatoes (8-10)
1 cup water
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 cup lemon juice (or 1/3 cup if you don't like a strong lemon flavour)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Preheat oven to 325º.

Cut potatoes into wedges. Place in 13x9" baking dish. Whisk together remaining ingredients. Pour over potatoes. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 2 hours, basting often, until most of the liquid is evaporated.

**Notes: If you're in more of a hurry, you can still make this. Reduce water to 1/2 cup, heat oven to 350º, & bake for an hour. Still super yummy!

To make on the BBQ: Make sure you use 1 cup water - no less. Use a disposable aluminum baking dish, cover with aluminum foil & BBQ on medium heat for 30 minutes. Baste often.**

Have you been barbecuing already this Spring? We sill have snow on the ground here in Saskatoon, but I have promised myself that I'm barbecuing this week anyway!

Thanks for reading. If you like what you see here on Silver Boxes, I'd love it if you would become a follower on Google Friend Connect, subscribe by email (sign up on the right sidebar), 

or follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, or Twitter. 

And please leave a comment when you do so I know who my new friends are! :)

God bless you,

Check out the great parties I link up to!

Plus The Country Cook

Insta-Friday #13 {Even Though It's Saturday}

We started off last weekend with... you guessed it... Snow.

My friend & I started our #nosockrebellion just to stick it to the snow. 

We must have hurt the snow's feelings because it's now quickly retreating.

Finally.

Have I told you that I'm in love with washi tape? It's true! It can be used for so many things. One of my favourite being a great way to dress up a plain brown paper package. And topped with a little felt pinwheel... the ultimate cute factor.

Diaper Box Upcycle Tutorial

Hello, friends!

Today I have an extra special treat for you... my beautiful friend, Darlene, is going to share with you how she made these fun "baskets" for her baby's change table. 

Aren't they super fun?

Darlene & I have been friends for many years - since our college days! 

She is a SAHM to her 3 adorable children. She makes divine bath & body products. 

(Her bath bombs are the BEST!)

In the last year or so, I've started to see Darlene share some of her other creations & home decor on Facebook. I asked her if she would like to share a project with my readers & I'm thrilled she said yes!

She's put together a fabulous tutorial on how to upcycle diaper boxes into storage baskets!

Enjoy!

Strawberries & Cream Trifle

On Friday evening, I had the pleasure of attending a baby shower for a dear friend of mine. We were celebrating the birth of her precious little boy. 

The night was full of delicious food & desserts, cuddles with the new baby, & laughter with friends. Perfection.

I was asked to bring a dessert of some kind 

so I was thinking through some of my favourite things to bring to a party, 

& this trifle popped into my mind.

It's a wonderful thing for a spring party. After all, strawberries just scream spring, don't you think?

Just look at the yummy layers of angel food cake, strawberries, custard, & jam... **drool**

Insta Friday #10, #11, & #12

***WARNING: This is a very photo-heavy post. Proceed at your own risk.***

In the business of the last few weeks, blogging has mostly fallen by the way side for me. 

I'm looking froward to getting back to a more regular schedule. I've been working on some recipes & projects this week so I'll have some brand new stuff to share with you next week!

Because blogging has taken a back seat, my weekly update - Insta Friday - has also not taken place, although I'm still posting on Instagram when inspiration hits.

Let the epic update begin...

Week 10:

My husband, James, & I started the weekend off with a bang - date night at our fav Mexican joint here in Toon Town, La Bamba. I drank an apple pop in honour of our last trip to Mexico when I was introduced to apple pop. It's yummy!

After supper, we perused a favourite home decor store - Urban Barn.

Never-Fail Chocolate Cake

When I was a beginner in the homemaking profession, a big goal of mine was to build up a repertoire of great recipes that I would go back to & use time & time again.

One such recipe I wanted to find was a great basic chocolate cake that I could use for birthday cakes & such. Ever since I first made this chocolate cake years ago, it's been my go-to recipe for chocolate cake. You can use it for a sheet cake, a layer cake, & it also makes great cupcakes! Just adjust your baking time accordingly.

Another great thing about this recipe is that you can reduce the fat & it tastes just as good if not better! (See my notes in the recipe.)

Spring Break

Hello, friends!

I just wanted to let you know that I'm taking this week off to spend time with my kids on their...

Have a wonderful week & I'll see you back here next week!

Spring Coconut Cake

What kind of recipes do you like to make for Easter? One of my favourite flavours for Spring is coconut.

This past weekend, we had an early Easter/birthday celebration with my family. It was the first opportunity we had to celebrate my husband's 40th birthday with them & since we're all busy people (plus some of us will be out of town next weekend) we also decided to have our Easter get-together a week early.