A Gardening Weekend & An Ice Cream Treat

 We are just coming away from a gorgeous long holiday weekend where we enjoyed a weekend of relaxing, gardening projects and barbecuing. My husband and son spent a good part of the last 3 days in the yard...getting our flower beds cleaned up from winter and preparing the vegetable garden for planting. My son was great about helping his Dad all weekend.

Easy Homeade Peanut Brittle For Father's Day {Gift Idea}

Before I share this post about how to make easy peanut brittle in the microwave,  I have to say that while I was working in the kitchen today, I was also watching the news about Oklahoma and my heart just breaks for all those people. I am feeling very grateful tonight for my family, a roof over my head, food and a warm bed to sleep in.

This recipe comes from my Aunt Nannette, who is my mother's youngest sister, and an amazing cook like all of my mother's siblings. She shared this recipe with us about 10 years ago and I often make it for Christmas and my husband loves it. So I thought I would make some for him for Father's Day and share with y'all just how easy it is to make.

Making Time To Get My Sweat On

One of the hazards of being a full-time blogger is the amount of time spent sitting in a chair... just like any other office job. And it puts you at risk for what I like to call 'blog butt' and 'blog gut'. Yes. The lack of exercise can do that to a girl. So I recently made the decision to re-commit to daily exercise and get my sweat on. And the easiest way to do that is get my runners on and get outside for a brisk walk.

And these two little girls are my trusty companions. They are great walkers and get so excited as soon as they see me get my walking shoes on. I could not ask for more enthusiastic fitness partners.

Recently I was asked to give these two Lady Speed Sticks a try, but honestly, it took no convincing because I have used Lady Speed Stick for years. I trust Lady Speed Stick to help me stay dry and fresh all day and have for a long time. I have really sensitive skin, and Lady Speed Stick has been my go-to antiperspirant for years. And I like how it doesn't leave stains on my clothing. Lady Speed Stick Power™ offers long lasting superior protection, tough invisible 24 hour protection and is available in 4 fragrances to keep you feeling fresh from morning until night.  Here are two products I tried:

Lady Speed Stick Power in Cool Breeze 

Lady Speed Stick Gel in Fresh Fusion

And as I have been getting my sweat on recently with walks with my girls, I don't worry about Lady Speed Stick keeping me dry....I know it will and it has for years.

So, please tell me, what makes you sweat?

You know what makes me sweat beside my walks?

Getting lost when I am already late for something because I put the wrong address in my map app! 

{And it happens more often than I would like to admit!}

Don't sweat it! HANDLE IT*!

Would you like to try it for yourself? 

Visit HERE to find a downloadable coupon to use on your NEXT purchase of Lady Speed Stick™.

{Coupon expires May  25th}

See how other women wearing Lady Speed Stick* antiperspirant stay cool when faced with sweaty situations in this clip:

And how about a chance to WIN 1 of 6 Gift Baskets of assorted Lady Speed Stick products?

Visit HERE to sign up for your chance to WIN!

6 lucky winners will be chosen at random on May 31, 2013.
Good Luck!

{Disclosure~I received this product as part of a sponsored post for Colgate Canada. However, all opinions are my own and I really have used Lady Speed Stick for 25+ years.}

Italian Pasta Salad Picnic Lunch

{To celebrate Summer as part of a sponsored post for Collective Bias, I made this Italian Pasta Salad from ingredients found at the Bulk Barn Canada. #cbias}

Summer is here! And that means it's the season for one of my very favorite summer activities...picnics. Our family loves taking picnic lunches to the park,  beach or outdoor concerts & events, so I created this cool & fresh  Italian pasta salad that is a great travel trooper and will satisfy any appetite on a hot summer day.

Encouraging Kids to Eat Well & Get Active with Alberta's Healthy U 5&1 Experiment...

Here at Echoes of Laughter, I have written several posts in the past on packing healthy lunches and healthy drinks & snacks for kids, and often written how my son loves hockey and my daughter figure skated for many years. Needless to say, we are like most families and have a busy sports schedule during the week.  One way I encourage my kids to have several servings of fresh fruit & vegetables is to have them cut up and bagged in individual portions and stored in a special bin in the fridge for snacking at any time.

Delicious Chocolate & Strawberry Breakfast Pizza

Here are Echoes of Laughter, we are proud to announce the birth of a favorite new breakfast....introducing the fast, easy & delicious Chocolate & Strawberry Pizza.

Oh! How I love this fabulous treat for breakfast! And is there anything better than the flavour combo of chocolate & strawberries?

Dad's Snack & Surf Kit +Free Printable Tag

This week I started projects and crafts for Father's Day and I am so excited to share this little idea for a 'Dad's Snack & Surf Kit'. Almost every Dad I know enjoys relaxing in front of the TV and what could be better for him than his own special treat of a caddy filled with snacks, a drink cup, movie with some room left for remote controls?

Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug +Free Printable Tag {Gift Idea}

I think that this is one of the cutest gift ideas ever....Chocolate Cake Hug In A Mug. It's a homemade single serving cake recipe that is cooked in a mug in the microwave.  It's super easy to make and  results in a tasty, fudgey chocolate cake. And to take it one step further, I created an adorable tag that can be printed and attached to each gift. This is perfect for any little thank you gift, teacher's gift or a party favor. {It just so happens that I found the adorable cake mug at Dollarama for $2}

The Journey To Motherhood

Yesterday as we celebrated Mother's Day, I couldn't help but to be keenly aware of how very lucky I am to have 2 healthy and wonderful children, and how fortunate we were to be able to conceive these children when we were ready to start our family. And although it was easy for me, I know that the journey to Motherhood is not so easy for others, as they must rely on medical science for help in creating the family that they so desperately wish to have.

15 Treats for Coffee on The Porch

I love this time of year as it brings weather that is perfect for visiting with friends & neighbours on the front porch, back deck or cottage. I often like to serve a little something sweet to my guests along with coffee, iced tea or lemonade. Here are 15 of my absolute favourite Echoes of Laughter treats to share depending on whether I am looking for something that is along the lines of breakfast, brunch, a seasonal fruit dessert.or just gooey!

27 Beautiful Mother's Day Gift Ideas

 With Mother's Day just a few days away, I went through the Echoes of Laughter archives to pull out 27 beautiful ideas for you to make, bake, craft or create for someone special on Mother's Day. I hope you enjoy these ideas....many of my favourite projects ever are here!

My Sneak Peek of Target At West Edmonton Mall +22 Stores Opening in Western Canada Tomorrow!

This morning I had the AH-MAZING opportunity to tour the brand new Target Store at West Edmonton Mall which opens tomorrow at 8 am{May 7, 2013}.

It looked like I was the only blogger there, along with  the local news outlets...I felt so lucky!

We were given a great store tour by Target Canada's Senior Vice President of Stores, Bryan Berg, of this beautiful new Target Store in Western Canada.

So let's get to the fun stuff, shall we?

Here are just some of the things that  I saw this morning that I am very excited about!

 Patio Furniture.

Front Porch Makeover

As I write this, we are just winding down from an absolutely gorgeous weekend. I am so happy because I was able put a plan for a front porch makeover into action.  Behold the newly freshened front porch makeover that is bright and cheerful and full of fun in the colours of pink lemonade.

Strawberry Rhubarb Scones for Spring

If you have been reading my blog for awhile...it's NO secret that I love scones.

My love affair with scones carries into all the various flavours there could possibly be...the tenderness of the said little sweet biscuits draw me in like super magnet every time.

Let's see...in the past I have shared Luscious Lemon Chip &  Lemon Scones, Gingerbread Scones with White Chocolate & Cranberry, Pumpkin Scones with Cinnamon Maple Frosting, & Chocolate Scones with Candy Cane Kisses Scones.

With spring coming, I wanted to make whip up some scones with seasonal flavours....like strawberry & rhubarb.

15 Inspiring Outdoor Spaces

With Spring arriving more than a few weeks ago, I have been itching to get outside to clean & freshen up my outdoor spaces. I have been looking at some beautiful inspiration pictures to help me get some ideas and I want to share with you my 15 favourite outdoor spaces in case you are looking for some ideas too!