Mimi Takes Five - #308

ONE // Floral Focaccia

My husband requested a bread last weekend, so I obliged. I decided to make a focaccia because I wanted something easy to whip up as I was busy deep cleaning and didn't have much time to dedicate to baking. Once it was ready to decorate, I passed on the baton to my husband who got very creative with cherry tomatoes and green onions, making a lovely flower pattern. He's a lot more creative than I am when it comes to decorating food. You should see the decorations he makes to top my pies! We each have our strengths, ha ha! This focaccia turned out perfectly golden, lightweight and with plenty of air pockets - a true culinary masterpiece, if I say so myself!

TWO // Bow Hat

I had omitted to pack a hat with me on our weekend getaway in May so ended up buying another straw hat. These things happen sometimes... It also just happened to be the perfect excuse to add to my straw hat collection. We were at Homesense and I spotted this darker tan straw hat with black trim and adorable bow detail. I had nothing like it, so it was meant to be! The straw hat gods were looking down on me. I take my sun protection very seriously, just as seriously as I take my bows! This hat was meant for me so I obliged and purchased it! Took one for the team, ha!

THREE // Puppy Grotto

My dog loves a really cozy spot for her naps, the darker the better. She will burrow her head in the blanket to make sure it's pitch black. She's always done that. We'd seen these little felt caves awhile back and had been shopping around ever since to find just the right little cave-like bed for her. We finally found this one at Homesense and it's just the right size for her. I think it's meant for cats, but our dog does display quite a few cat-like tendencies, so this tracks. The grotto itself did not come with a cushion, but I know my dog and knew I had to figure something out. I decided to upcycle an old sweater that happened to be a super-soft eyelash knit. It was the perfect softness! I made a cushion out of the sweater and used the stuffing from a cushion I was getting rid of to fill it. It's a perfect fit and the white totally works with the black and white felt. She's very happy with her new napping spot and seeing her peeking at us from her dark cave makes me smile! The things we do for our pets!

FOUR // June Ipsy

Well this month's Ipsy glam bag took forever to arrive... I got it on June 30, not exactly a speedy shipping. Not sure what the hold-up was this month, but I was worried for a second there. Once the bag finally arrived, there was water inside the bubble mailer and the box of one of the products was completely drenched. From what I could tell, it wasn't product but really just water. Again, not sure what happened, but not impressed with this month's shipping. Thankfully, the pouch was not wet or damaged and it really is a super cute print in a neoprene fabric. Super adorable and great for a beach bag! I'm happy with my products for the most part, too. The cleanser is great, even though the packaging could be improved. It's hard to get product out of the bottle. The liquid liner is fine. On the one hand, I like how skinny the tube is, making it great for travel, on the other hand, it might be a bit harder to hold and apply my liner. The JLO serum is nice, but the product is so small, it feels a little stingy... I'm loving the heat hair serum! A little goes and long way and is great for keeping the frizz down in the summer. The mascara is fine - it goes on smoothly without clumping, but I find it flakes when I try to take it off at the end of the day. Not the worst, but could be better. The moisturizer is a fave, you really can't go wrong with FAB! Finally, I'm liking this serum. I put it on at night and I find it leaves my skin so soft and fresh. All in all, I suppose the bag was worth the wait in the end, but I don't think it should have taken this long to begin with. I skipped July, so we'll see how August goes.

FIVE // Birthday Dessert Board

We celebrated by husband's birthday with a small gathering of friends the other day. He didn't want a birthday cake but rather opted for a dozen cronuts! We recently discovered this local place, Holey Confections, and it's been on our minds ever since. He wanted to get a dozen of these delectable creations and we decided to cut them into quarters and display them on our massive cheese board. It was a fun way of displaying the dessert but also provided opportunities for our guests to sample as many different flavours as they wanted, or to only have a tiny piece. By cutting them, we could also see which had fillings. It was a real hit and everybody loved them! I highly recommend doing this for your next party, it was so fun and changed things up from a regular birthday cake! Oh, and I have yet to pick a favourite flavour, each was as delicious as the next!