Part of rebooting the blog meant consciously carving out time to bake delectable delights. Pre-kids I baked all the time. Someone popping over for coffee in the morning meant fresh blueberry muffins. Entertaining friends for dinner would always guarantee a homemade dessert. Hosting my fabulous parities, which have literally been non-existent, equaled a carefully executed culinary experience that always had a baked good or two crammed in there. I would often bake cookies just so I could send them to work with my man for him and his coworkers. When the kids showed up I lost all desire and motivation to bake. I had a very short lived experience trying to involve the kids, but have you tried corralling a one and two year old whilst baking?!? It wasn’t pretty and it was so defeating I declared a hiatus.
The solution to this predicament eventually became evident. I now take the kids up to my parents so I can bake away while the grandparents get some quality time in. Which also means I have two extra taster testers who can not only help devour the baking, but can give honest opinions on whether it’s worthy of being shared with all of you. In honour of this arrangement I decided to kick off the first baking post with this unreal Root Beer Float Cake, as root beer is my Mom’s favourite flavour. It’s from one of my favourite bloggers and her baking book, The Sweetapolita Bakebook. She also has a slightly altered version online, which is incredibly similar to the recipe in the book. If the pictures look delicious, the cake itself is exponentially that in taste. It took me a while to track down the root beer emulsion, which I ended up ordering on Amazon. If you love root beer, I’m telling you my friends, this cake is for you. Rich, moist, with that distinct root beer flavour. The icing in-between the layers has actual vanilla ice cream added to it, as do the scoops of icing assemble on the top of the cake. My mom has already declared this is the cake she would like to have served on her birthday, forever more. You really can’t argue with those results, now can you.
It’s been so long since I last put together a proper blog post that I feel as though I’ve forgotten how to do it. As I picked out my ensemble, as I styled my hair and applied my makeup I thought, can I do this? As I posed for photos with my talented and trustworthy blogging buddy I said, was I ever good at this? It feels as though I’m starting over, and in a huge way, it’s true, I am. It’s been nearly three years since I last did this on a regular basis, and since then everything has changed. There literally isn’t a single day to day occurrence that looks the same today as it did three years ago. I’ve had two babies, I’ve moved homes, I said farewell to my beloved dogs, my entire immediate family moved away, and the physical changes of having two babes within 15 months of one another has left me wondering whose reflection is in the mirror. I’ve personally confirmed it, the only thing constant in life is change.
As I slowly start adapting to this change, and as life seems (dare I even speak the words) to settle into a welcomed aura of peace, I’m able to start pondering what it is that fills my bucket these days. Being a mom to two small children, when you’ve abruptly had to say goodbye to an enormous portion of your support system, has been challenging at best. It’s a delicate balance of feeling lost in the day to day slog, while reflecting, sometimes hourly, on how quickly the time seems to be slipping by. This I know though, posting on my little place on the internet has always helped fill my bucket. It’s allowed and encouraged and celebrated me in immersing myself in fashion, food, and entertaining, all the things that excite my soul. So while I struggle to feel relevant in a blogging world that has completely changed in the past three years, I can tell you this, Centre Street will always be a place to come to find a recipe, for hosting and entertaining inspiration, for fashion tips, tricks and finds, and an abundance of openness and transparency. The sky is the limit and as the haze starts to lift I have infinite ideas that I can’t wait to manifest. I invite you all to come along for the ride.
We celebrated our sweet Oscar’s 1st birthday last weekend, and while it’s taken a solid week to recover from all of the planning and executing, I’m just now reminiscing over the past year. Sometimes I think it’s such a shame that you’re so sleep deprived during those precious few days, weeks, even months. I look back on that time when he was so little, time was so fleeting, and most of it I don’t even remember. It’s all a blur of caffeinated, zombie-like existence. It wasn’t until about six months when I began to feel slightly more human, that life felt like it went from survival to enjoyment.
I always questioned, judged, rolled my eyes at the mention of boys and men who were so-called Mommy’s boys, like please, pull it together people. And like so many other conversations, judgments and attitudes I had pre-children, I’m eating my words big time. I hope Oscar is a Mommy’s boy always! His sweet hugs, cuddles and coos that he reserves for me and only me make my heart feel like it will literally explode. He’s so kind and good natured. He absolutely adores his older sister and follows her around like a little puppy, just hoping that she’ll play with him, look at him, push him out of the way. While I desperately want to keep him this little forever, I also can’t wait to see him grow, to see who he’ll become, and for all of the milestones and experiences to come.
We did a low-key party at the house with our village – grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends that are more fam than friend. While the party itself may have been low key, the cake situation certainly was not. I created a three layer funfetti vanilla cake from my favourite baking blogger, Sweetapolita. Then, because one cake clearly wouldn’t suffice, I made a cookie dough chocolate sprinkle cake from Sweet Bake Shop’s new cookbook. The morning of the party I realized I hadn’t made Oscar a smash cake. I had already stayed up until 1am the night before with my little sister (I think she’s forever required to spend the night pre-party for the next 17 years), and thought I could get by sans smash cake. But my parents and siblings all rolled in early and insisted Oscar couldn’t go without. It was iced just as the first guests arrived. We had the popcorn machine popping, pizza upon pizza, animal Rice Krispies, and a candy bar with take out boxes. All in all I’d say it was a first birthday win. Here’s to another year of great adventures with the sweetest little boy ever.
While department stores and boutiques are showcasing gorgeous spring fashion in florals, pastels and lightweight fabrics, I’m over here contemplating layers, warmth and wool. While ‘Snowmageddon’ is currently taking place in YYC, literally as I type this, I’m thinking more winter footwear than strappy sandals. Pre-kids I took a lot of pleasure in purchasing footwear that was both beautiful and on trend, but not always the most practical. My Valentino Chelsea boots can’t handle the gravel at the park, and my Jimmy Choo embellished combat boots don’t combat the snow. So this winter I’ve been getting a touch more practical, but no less fashionable (okay, maybe very, very slightly less fashionable). In light of the astonishing amount of snow we’re receiving I thought I’d go over some of my most recent and long-time tried and true winter boot choices, as well as some choices that I’ve heard first hand to be amazing.
- J. Crew Nordic Boots – I’ve been coveting these bad boys for a couple of years, and recently got my mitts (pun intended) on them. The look is so perfect for Aprés ski, but the shearling and the hiking boot soles get me to and fro the park in one piece.
- Woolrich Waterproof Hiking Boot – While I have yet to try out the Woolrich hiking boot, friends and online reviews rave about the quality, the performance and how lightweight they are. Not to mention how incredibly fabulous they appear.
- Frye Samantha Hiker – While I have not purchased a pair of these Frye winter boots, I have a couple of other pairs of Frye boots that I swear by. They are completely worth the price point, the quality is unparalleled, and the look is oh so winter-chic. You can bet that these beauties will be on my list for next season.
- Sorel ‘Joan of Arctic’ Waterproof Snow Boot – I’ve had these boots for years now, as well as a couple of other styles of Sorel’s too. The brand and the quality are tried, tested and true. I can remember my parents purchasing Sorel’s for us when we were kids in the 80s, I distinctly remember an all white pair as well as a neon pink/blue/yellow pair. These are the boots I pull out for those wicked storms we receive and I always pack them for the ski hill. I particularly love this style because of the height of the shaft of the boot.
- Kodiak Surrey Waterproof Boot – I’ve heard so many fabulous reviews on Kodiak boots and this pair is water resistant and slip-proof. There’s Thinsulate to keep those toes nice and toasty, and I love the red laces that give it some added oomph in the style department.
- UGG Fraser Genuine Shearling Water Resistant Boot – I’ve had the classic pair of UGG’s in the past, and they were so incredibly warm. I always found the problem to be the lack of grip on the sole and water stains on the boot itself. So I have high hopes for this pair of UGGs that offers water resistance and a thicker sole. I can feel the warmth just by looking at them.
- Blundstone Unisex THE WINTER Waterproof Boots – I just got a pair of these blundies this winter and I’m so in love. The Thinsulate soles keep my feet warm and toasty, they’re seam sealed and waterproofed, and with heavy duty tread on the bottom they allow me to run over ice and through puddles. Pairing them with some rustic cabin socks overtop your pants give an extra chic look.
Amongst all of the New Years resolutions of eating better, working out, getting fit, and losing the baby weight, it’s also the end of January. The weather is subarctic with no end in sight, and cravings for comfort food are at all an time high. I don’t know about any of you but every time I walk past the Cinnabon kiosk in the mall, I immediately start salivating. So it was on a particularly chilly day that a craving for something sweet hit and I came across this recipe for Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake. I can’t even begin to explain how decadently delicious this cheesecake is. It honestly tastes like a cinnamon bun in cheesecake form, more specifically, a Cinnabon cinnamon bun. So while my summer body is not on fleek right now, my tastes buds are in seventh heaven. And that’s what we call balance.
