I Could Live Here: Mostly White Living Room

It wasn't until I came across this stunning white living room did I find myself fantasizing about painting my entire house white. White walls, white trim, white doors... all balanced nicely with hints of black and natural & rustic woods... it's all so dreamy. I wish I had enough guts to pull it off. I love my stripes, neutrals, and pops of colour too much. That said, I could definitely live here...

chandelier | clock | orchids | ladder | gold frame | print | terrarium | candlesticks
couch | chair | tables | lamp

All white interiors... love 'em or hate 'em?..

Project Grow Our Own Food: Raised Garden Bed Reveal

It took 2 wheelbarrows, 5 people, and 4 hours to move 7 yards of top soil from our driveway to the raised garden bed in our backyard....

As much as I would love to take credit for this beautiful garden, 'J' was definitely the project manager for this large undertaking. From doing the engineered drawings to ordering all the materials, 'J' spent a lot of his spare time getting this garden ready over the past month.

How Much Did it Cost?
I am going to be honest - this garden was not exactly cheap. We estimate we spent close to $500 on all the materials + all the time a labour we put into it. But, it's a small price to pay in order to get the freshest, healthiest vegetables possible. Nothing excites me more than the idea of being able to walk out to the backyard when I need a pepper, or tomato, or some fresh herbs!

Next Steps + An "Oopsie"
With the structure built and filled, we still need to plant our seedlings, which you might remember we started back in April. After a little mishap earlier this month (exposing the plants to direct sunlight for too long - oopsie), we lost a lot of the seeds we started germinating, so Saturday morning 'J' and I also headed to a local, organic seedling sale to purchase some plants that didn't germinate... peppers, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, dill, chives, cilantro, parsley, and asian lettuces - just to name a few.

Now that we have almost everything we need, I can't wait to get these things planted & growing!
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A Dream Breakfast in Bed with Chocolate Philly

I'm sooo looking forward to this long weekend. I'm going on work day #11 here... yes, that's almost two weeks straight. The fact of the matter is, I could use a little break. Maybe some time to sleep in. Maybe even breakfast in bed... Now that's an idea!

Of course my mind goes straight to chocolate and strawberries. I can't think of any other flavour combination I would want to wake up too... If you love chocolate, you're going to want to try new Chocolate Philly. It just might be what breakfast in bed dreams are made of...

With Chocolate Philly you get the dairy goodness of Philly plus the deliciousness of pure milk chocolate – with half the sugar and calories (per 1 tbsp. serving) of the other guys. Combine that with sweet and juicy strawberries, and you might just end up with this Strawberry & Chocolate Philly Stuffed French Toast...

Strawberry & Chocolate Philly Stuffed French Toast
This sweet, stuffed french toast comes together quickly on a early Saturday morning. Easy enough for the husband to pull together, and delicious enough to enjoy together... in bed.

Ingredients
3 eggs
1/4 cup milk
sprinkle of cinnamon
dash of vanilla extract
3-5 pieces of thick cut french bread
5-7 strawberries, sliced thin
3-4 tbsp of Chocolate Philly
Maple syrup

Method
1. Heat a large pan on medium heat. Spray with non-stick spray (if needed).
2. In a shallow-wide bowl beat together eggs, milk, cinnamon, and vanilla.
3. One by one, soak each piece of french bread, about 30 seconds on each side, in the egg/milk mixture.
4. Place egg bread in pan and cook on each side for approximately 2-3 minutes, or until the bread becomes toasty and browned. Remove and set aside.
5. Once all pieces of french toast are cooked, start assembling. With one piece of toast on the bottom, smear it with about 1 tbsp on Chocolate Philly followed by sliced strawberries. Repeat until you have 3-4 layers of french toast stuffed.
6. Top with strawberries and drizzle with real maple syrup. Enjoy in bed with your loved ones.

Feeling like you could get in on some Strawberry & Chocolate Philly Stuffed French Toast breakfast in bed action? Well, Chocolate Philly has come up with a simple yet highly effective way to convince your loved ones to serve you breakfast in bed. You work hard every day. So how about a delicious reward?

In just 3 quick and easy steps, your loved ones could be serving you Chocolate Philly in bed. C’mon – you deserve it! By using the power of social media and some friendly peer pressure, breakfast in bed with Chocolate Philly can be yours. Head on over to Philadelphia Cream Cheese Canada Facebook page to learn more about the "Breakfast in Bed" challenge.

Don't forget to "Like" Philly Canada on Facebook - they will be rolling out an exclusive Facebook coupon on May 21st. Now your loved ones will have no excuse not to include Chocolate Philly when they serve you breakfast in bed.

Have you ever been served breakfast in bed?

Disclosure: This is a paid post through SheBlogs Media. I purchased Chocolate Philly to try it personally before writing about it. All opinions are my own.
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My Top 7: Napa + CIA Edition

1. Video at CIA // As mentioned before I left, my reason for travelling to Napa was to shoot some cooking videos at the Culinary Institute of America. I am happy to say, this was one of the most exciting experiences of my career to date! The Chef was knowledgeable and great on camera. The production crew was beyond professional.... and although the shoots were a grueling 10 hours, it was extremely fun.

2. Target // Call me crazy, but whenever I'm in the US I always stop at Target. After a quick 15 minute shopping trip, I walked out with this summer dress. Can't wait to wear it.

3. Saturday Night Dinner // Most people who visit Napa, or the CIA for that matter, don't know that the CIA has their own restaurant run by the students. Saturday evening, after a long day of shooting, we headed to the rustic patio to enjoy a gourmet meal. I had the ricotta filled ravioli, and of course the flourless chocolate cake for dessert.

4. BottleRock in Napa // Little did we know when we booked our video shoot three months ago, there would be a very large concert in town that weekend. With 60 incredible bands and a dedicated gourmet food garden, BottleRock was just what my colleague and I needed Sunday night. With beer + fish tacos in hand, we relaxed while taking in the last set of the night, the Zac Brown Band (who, by the way, did an incredible cover of Metallica).

5. Django Unchained // Can you believe there was not a single movie on the flight that I had not seen... expect for Django Unchained. So I watched it. It was pretty damn good.

6. On the Roof // Friday night we found ourselves at The Thomas - a rooftop patio restaurant that overlooks Napa. We sampled the Mushroom Mousse (which was delicious) and the Salmon Tartar with Tarro Chips... I then proceeded to eat a very large burger... which I finished, completely. #SoFull

7. Allergies // My allergies kicked my butt this trip. Sneezing, sniffling, watery eyes... the whole 9 yards. Not ideal when you are trying to be quiet on-set and all your body wants to do is let out a sneeze...
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