Went to a BBQ at my bestie's house and she made this amazing salad ! I ate a few servings, and could have continued, but I told myself to stop, to keep my taste bud under control :-) there are others who are coming and I have to save some of this goodness for them.

As one who loves to eat, of course I asked for the recipe.  And as any good person would, my friend shared her recipe with me :-P  her comment "its super easy" made this salad all the more appealing to me !  I like anything good that's easy to make.  Who doesn't ?

While planning out dinner for today, baked trout and prawn skewers, I needed a salad and naturally I thought of this !!! It took me about 15 min. to put them all together (SSScccore !!!) and boy, does it taste yummy in my tummy !

Here's how to make it:

- 2 cups of thawed frozen corn, cook for in boiled water for 3 min, drained (if use canned, no need to cook)
- 1 can of kidney bean (or if you have dried bean, soak over night and cook til soft (1 cup))
- 1 green english cucumber, cut cross wise, remove seeds from both halves, then cut into small cubes
- 1 red pepper (or orange or yellow), diced
- 1 avocado, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 of white onion, diced
- a handful of chopped cilantro

Seasoning:

- 1 lime (zest the skin and juice the lime)
- 2 table spoons of extra virgin olive oil
- sea salt and pepper to taste

* these are the estimated measurements I used, but you can add more of what you like, less of other or opt out completely !

Direction:

Mix the lime juice, olive oil, a bit of sea salt and pepper and the lime zest together.  Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients together then pour in the seasoning. Lightly mix together (don't over mix because it can break the avocado).  Test taste and add more lime juice, salt and pepper to your liking.  Refrigerate until serving.  

 

 

 

 

A friend of ours tried to take a family picture for us and it proved to be, not only time consuming (many views & retakes), but also impossible to achieved !!!  Thank God for digital camera or else we would be wasting lots of film !  We will try again once our baby is a little older.  I realized I have a lot of photos of my babies but only a handful of all of us.  Hopefully we can rectify that this year :)

 

The pictures were over exposed so I ran them under DBox's photoshop instagram action's "Nashville" filter.  It's a bit yellow to my taste but it has more to do with my orig. picture than the filter. 

I've always love love daybed.  I always wanted one but when I was young, we couldn't afford one (there was no craigslist back then :-) .   When I got married and moved out, there were no room in our condo.  Now that we have a house with a small family room, I'm really hoping to put a daybed in there !!!  Thing is, when I think of daybed, I think of a place of solitude !  a place for me to have some me-time, where I can rest, pick up a book and read, watch Korean drama on my ipad, sip on limenade and daydream.  Putting a daybed in our family room - a loud and busy place - some how defeat the whole purpose of it.  I will have to do some thinking and planning on where I can put it. 

Meanwhile, here are some beautiful photos of daybed for you to feast your eyes on and get decorating ideas from.  Most are from Pottery Barn and some from Ikea, for those who are on a budget like me !  Talk about budgeting, hubby and I are thinking of taking up wood working as a hobby (for us to spend more time together) !  I shall try to persuade him to give up our table project and instead, make a daybed similar to Pottery Barn Stratton bed with the basket space on the bottom.

I absolutely adore this Pottery Barn daybed style.  The baskets on the bottom add an element of charm to the overall look of the bed. 

If you have covered outdoor space or porch, or sun room, check these out:

Got small attic space ?  look at this ?

These are the Hemnes daybed from Ikea.  At $399, they aren't too shabby !

I wanted to get the Ikea daybed for my daughter but after second thought, I decided against it.  It's a bit high for her and I can't find side guard for it (don't want her to roll over and fall off).  If you have older kids, esp. if they are girl, daybed are wonderful to have & decorate !!!  It's perfect for reading time, napping, sleeping, and cuddling.

Once my second daughter outgrow her crib, I'm planning to convert it into a small daybed !

My daughter loves apple.  Me on the other hand, don't care for it !  While preparing her apple the other day, cutting all the skin off it, I remember reading somewhere that the skin  has the most nutrients.  But I also remember the skin has a lot of wax & it doesn't taste very good !  hence I always peel the skin off.  I used to use a natural fruits wash but I'm skeptical about the ingredients in it so I stopped.  Any who, I decided to google on how to clean the wax off apple and after reading a whole bunch of tips and suggestions, I play around and found one that works for me.  Here it is:

- Rinse each apple under running water, put aside
- Fill a container with water, enough to cover the apples
- Put in 2 table spoon of baking soda & squeeze in 1/2 of a lemon, swirl around to mix (I would say to use this amount for every 4 cups of water)
- Put the apples into the mixture, let it sit in there for a few minutes
- Scrub each apple with your hand (or use the squeezed lemon peel as a scrubber and rub it all over each apple with the mixture)
- Rinse the apples again to clean the baking soda mixture off them

* IF you don't have baking soda or lemon on hand, use apple cider or white vinegar to wipe clean it.  Rinse clean after.

What I noticed after cleaning the apples is that the water gets a bit sandy in color !  which is telling me that the wax or whatever is coating the apples are falling out.  You will also noticed that the apples are now not as shiny was before (which is a good thing :-)

After cleaning the apples, before I can cut them up, Honeybee got hold of one and starts chopping down on it !  the apple was so big she only finished half of it and gave the rest to me.  I took a bite and immediately noticed the different.  The skin is not bitter at all !  It was so tasty.  I shall try to enjoy one of this red fruit a day with my baby girl ! 

So, why do they wax apple ?  the shiny coating (wax) on the apple are for aesthetic (to look good) and preservation.  It looks like this is done on both organic and non organic.  If you buy organic apple from local farmers market, I don't think they coat them.  If unsure, just ask them.

If you're interested in reading more about this wax business, check out this site (there are many sites talk about this but this one seems to be straight forward, informative).

Wax Coating Apple > healthy or unhealthy
http://www.arimifoods.com/wax-coating-apple-fruits-healthy-or-unhealthy/

Here's an excerpt from it:

Ways to know if apple is coated with wax:

Normally if you pick an apple from a tree and rub it with your hands, it leaves whitish kind of powder on your palms. This is the natural wax on the surface. Similarly waxed apples if scratched slightly it is possible to notice a very thin layer peeling off. Most likely this is added wax.

If an apple fruit looks very glossy and shiny it should be a suspect.

Ways to minimise likely-hood of buying waxed apples:

The natural waxes applied on apples are not known to have any negative effect on health. However, for some personal reasons you may feel it is good to eat unwaxed apples. I would suggest simple ways to reduce the chances of buying waxed apples.

1. Grow your own (and after harvesting do not wax them).
2. Buy apple fruits from markets in locality where apples are grown. There are high chances that the farmers have not waxed their fruits after harvesting.
3. Buy the dull apples. However, this is not a guarantee that they are not waxed.

4. Check the label and buy un-waxed apples.


Thought of the day:  Jesus remains the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  He is forever faithful.  I take comfort in knowing that. 

ONE DAY ONLY !  Sunday April 28 !  Enjoy !
I didn't look at the date and thought it was today (Apr. 17) and went to pick up a few things !  Only to discover that the coupon is effective tomorrow :-(  I went ahead and paid full price on 2 items anyway, because I'm afraid my size might be sold out come Sunday !!!

 

 

disclaimer:  *Employees of Forever 21 and their friends and family receive 21% off regular priced merchandise (before taxes are applied) on april 28, 2013 only. No minimum purchase required. Maximum purchase of $360 CAD (before taxes are applied) qualifies for the discount. Valid in-store only. Not valid online. Offer cannot be combined with any other coupons, discounts, offers, or promotions. Offer cannot be used for gift card purchases, returns, and sale items. Valid in all Forever 21 stores in Canada. Employee 10-day return and exchange policy applies to all items purchased by an Employee with this promotion. Standard Store Return Policy applies to all other customers' purchases. Offer may be redeemed by printing out this coupon, presenting the coupon on your mobile device, or presenting an Employee badge before commencement of the transaction. Forever 21 reserves the right to modify or cancel this promotion at any time without notice. See store for details.         

Link to coupon:

 

http://ebm.e.forever21.com/c/tag/hBRe01DB8cUOiB8yIyJAAHoLY95/doc.html?t_params=EMAIL%3Dtracyntran%2540gmail.com%26PASSWORD%3DB8cUOiAAHoLYBRe01D8BdxVf0YDEzq

 

What I brought today:

 

 

I am not sure if I'm too "old" for tulle and especially tiered :-S  but the sea foam color is simply just too beautiful not to covet :-)  I might save it for my daughters :)  or not :P



By happenstance, I discovered a host of niffty local shops.  These are vintage or home businesses that sells home decor accessories and upcycled/repurposed/ restored furniture.   Each piece is unique and one of a kind.  Some of the shops also offer custom made furniture from reclaimed wood.

Lately, rustic and industrial design are taking cover of all home design magazines .  I really like what I'm seeing.  My only wish is to have a room to call my own, to decorate it with all these beautiful treasures.  Each room in my house is spoken for and all of our furnitures are still somewhat new.  My kids did put a scratch here, a dent there, but they're not bad enough.  I need to speed it up :-)  I hope in a year or 2 we can refurnish our home with new pieces of furniture.  While waiting for that "plan" to come into fruition, I pass time by browsing these and other restorative sites; to feast my eyes upon pretty things, and to daydream :-) imagining the house, the room, the space where the furniture will live in.  Yes, my other favourite pass time is browsing realtor.ca, for character houses :-)  I will write a post on that later !

Below are some local sites worthy of a stop by, check out, and buy from:

4 the love of wood : vancouver

http://www.4theloveofwood.blogspot.ca/

 

attic treasures : vancouver

http://www.attictreasuresvancouver.com/

 

chimney hill : south surrey

https://www.facebook.com/pages/CHIMNEY-HILL-CUSTOM-FURNISHINGS/144245188921517

 

hand painted furniture : maple ridge

http://handpaintedfurniture.ca/

 

j&s reclaimed wood : vancouver

http://www.jsreclaimedwood.com/

 

the heights : vancouver

http://www.theheightsthriftandboutique.ca/

the rustic collection : chilliwack

https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Rustic-Collection/309278042420229

urban treasures :  new westminster

https://www.facebook.com/urbantreasuresbc

 

white wave vintage : surrey

http://whitewavevintage.com/

today's highlight:  The sun was out since 6am and the weather is warm, not hot.  Kaila and I planted our vegetable garden.  We planted peas, green beans, and spinach. 

Since as long as I can remember, I'm a clean freak ! I hate the feeling of people's germs in our house (it's one of my neurosis :) so all of our furnitures are either wood or leather for easy cleaning. I try to 'deep' clean my house at least once a week. I don't want harmful chemicals in my house since I have a baby and a dog who both like to lick everything in sight and are spending a lot of time on the floor. So I went and googled around for non toxic and green cleaning ideas. Below is a list of recipes I found and used in our home:

All-Purpose Cleaner
- 1/2 tsp washing soda
- A dab of liquid soap
- 2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Tip: If you're out of washing soda, use 2 1/2 tsp of borax, instead.

Creamy Soft Scrubber
Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit.

Tip: Add 1 tsp of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise, just make as much as you need at a time.

Window Cleaner
- 1/4-1/2 tsp liquid detergent
- 3 tbs vinegar
- 2 cups water
- spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner
- 1 cup or more baking soda
- water
- A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface it totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top, then let the mixture set overnight.
You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn't work for you it is probably because you didn't use enough baking soda and/or water.

Natural Drain Declogger
Pour about 1/2 of a cup of baking soda down the drain
Then pour about 1/4 cup of white vinegar or vinegar concentrate down the drain (foaming action will form to help clear the pipe)
Let stand at least 20 minutes and rinse with hot water.

* I also use this mixture (cut down portion in half) with some salt to clean and deordorize my kitchen sinks !

Mold Killer
- 2 teaspoons tea tree oil
- 2 cups water
- Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse.

*Vinegar is also a natural mold/bacteria/mildew/germs killer. I use it to disinfect baby K's toys and our kitchen. You can also add 1 cup of vinegar in your rinse cycle to remove odors.