Canada Day Party Guide- Ideas & Recipes

We love Canada Day at our house. We usually have a BBQ with friends and then enjoy the fireworks display put on by our city. When I was in my early twenties, I lived in Ottawa for a summer and had such a fun time celebrating Canada Day...the streets were filled with revelers and happy smiles, and I have always remembered that feeling of how lucky we are to live in this amazing country.

I have rounded up a whole lot of ideas from the Echoes of Laughter archives and a few other places to share and I hope that you find something here that inspires you! CLICK on the links to take you to the recipes!

Strawberry Shortcake In A Mug

Nothing says summer like berry desserts, and this Strawberry Shortcake is no exception.....except that it is....a sweet little dessert for  just one!

Feeding Hungry Teens With The New Fibre 1 Almond & Cluster Delight Cereal

 I have teens in my house and it seems that they are always hungry. Before meals, after meals, in-between meals....it just doesn't matter. My boy, in particular, seems to be eating us out of house and house lately, and at the rate that he has grown over the last year....I can somewhat understand why.  He has a sports activity almost every evening,, and he comes home famished....like he hasn't eaten all day. We try to encourage healthy eating here, so I often suggest that he eat fruit or cereal when he arrives home. {He is not a fan of veggies at the best of times.}

Maple Syrup Bread Pudding In A Jar For Canada Day

Delicious!

That is how I would describe this simple dessert in a jar.

And it is perfect for Canada Day with it's sweet maple syrup aroma and taste and served in jars!

You could even make these a day or two before serving if you tuck them into the fridge!

Canada Day Wind Sock Craft

Happy First Day of Summer!
Canada Day will soon be here, and I created this craft which is a super FUN project  for kids...and the best part for Moms? This craft should take up most of an afternoon and with kids finishing school soon, that is a GOOD thing!
This crafts starts with a recycled can and lots of bits and bobbles that you may even have around the house
Let's get started, shall we?

Organizing My Kitchen With The Frigidaire Gallery® French Door Refrigerator #testdrivemoms

Hello sweet people!

I have some VERY exciting news to share with you. Recently, I had the honour of being chosen  as a Frigidaire Canada Ambassador as part of an amazing program offered through Mom Central Canada and Frigidaire Canada. I cannot tell you what  a thrill it was to open that email a few weeks ago to learn that I had been chosen. I literally did a happy dance around the house!

Canada Day Cupcakes

Despite a week of rain, I have been working on some Canada Day projects to share with you! We love celebrating Canada Day with a BBQ with friends and then catching the fireworks in our city...it is such an awesome way to kick off the summer!

And it just wouldn't be Canada Day without mini-cupcakes!

Reading Blogs...My Daily Dose of Delicious

This post is part of the YummyMummyClub.ca and HALLS Vitamin Drops “Daily Dose of Delicious” program. HALLS Vitamin Drops has asked me to share my “Daily Dose of Delicious” with you. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. This post reflects my personal opinion about the product, provided by the sponsors.

Do you have a little habit of something that you do every day that brings you happiness, comfort and joy? Something that is just purely for yourself and not anyone else? I think that having a "Daily Dose of Delicious" is so important to inner happiness. In the midst of a busy life that might be filled with dirty laundry, bills, endless to-do lists, it becomes important to carve out some time, no matter how little, to do something just for happiness and fun. This could be: walking, baking cookies, running, calling a girlfriend, watching a favourite TV show, eating a little chocolate or drinking that amazing cup of coffee. We all have something in our daily lives that helps us feel joy and happiness.

I Am A Life Made Delicious Ambassador! #LMD Connector

Hello sweet friends!

I am so excited and thrilled to share with you that I have been chosen as a 'Life Made Delicious' ambassador for the General Mills Life Made Delicious program! This means that once a month for the next 12 months,  I will be sharing tasty recipes, ideas for home-cooked meals and product reviews for General Mills, which brings you such familiar products as Honey Nut Cheerios and Fibre 1.

As you know, here at Echoes of Laughter, I love sharing yummy and easy recipes for Moms just like me who are the home cooks for their families and want to make tasty, nutritious food without spending hours in the kitchen.

It is my goal to work with Life Made Delicious to bring you more of the content you love from Echoes of Laughter....easy and delicious food ideas that you will love to serve to your family!

Now I have a little peek to share of  eight brand new General Mills products where some of the classics have been jazzed up with some exciting new flavours!

Jalapeno Poppers

Last weekend, as part of our early Father's Day barbecue,  I made one of my husband's favorite appetizers to share...Jalapeno Poppers. With a spicy kick, cheese and bacon, what more could you ask  for in an appetizer? Although they do take some time to prepare, the reward is so worth the effort! I did not create this recipe, but use the recipe from the Pioneer Women's cookbook, "The Pioneer Woman Cooks", which is one of my favorite, all-time cookbooks. It`s filled with scrumptious recipes and incredible  photographs that are enough to make anyone want to don a cowboy, run away to a ranch, and live there. Forever.

17 Fantastic Father's Day Gift Ideas

With Father's Day just days away, I have rounded up several projects from Echoes of Laughter that would make great gifts for dads and grandpas for this upcoming Sunday. There is something here for everyone whether you like to make, bake, create or buy! Have fun with these ideas and many of them include a free printable tag too!

5 Great Tips For Hosting An Amazing Barbecue

We hosted an early Father`s Day barbecue for friends this past Saturday and we had so much fun! We enjoyed delicious food, played a fun backyard game and had a bonfire that lasted until almost 10:30 pm. We were having such a blast that we really didn't want the night to end, but one of our little guests had an early morning ball game and had to get some sleep. With Father's Day next week, I want to share 5 great little tips for hosting an amazing Father`s Day barbecue for that special dad in your life. {And a special thank you to Canadian Tire for providing the grilling tools and backyard game which helped to make our BBQ evening such a success!}

Father's Day Chaulkboard Frame

This is a super cute project to make with kids for Father's Day. It is so simple too, with only a few supplies needed. And if you have been on the 'chaulkboard' craft wagon already, you might even already have the chaulkboard paint hanging out at your house. Once the frame is painted,  kids can unleash their wild creativity with doodles and drawings for Dad! And the artwork can be changed at the whim of the little artist too...that's the beauty of a chaulkboard.

Father's Day Printable Straw Flags, Tags & Bag Toppers

I am so excited because tomorrow we are hosting a Father's Day barbecue for some friends and we are barbecuing yummy food and playing some fun backyard games! I was busy today grocery shopping for the menu and doing other prep work when I felt inspired to create some super cool tags for our little party. I thought I would share them with you too,  so if you have plans for a Father's Day celebration, you will have some tags, straw flags and bag toppers for your gathering as well!

Dad's Commuter Kit

 I have to say that this a Fathers Day gift that is near & dear to my heart...a Dad`s Commuter Kit. My husband was a salesman on the road for many years and I worried about him every single day. I was always so happy when he arrived home at supper time...especially on days when winter roads were very dangerous.  I created this kit with the travelling Dad in mind...those Dads that are on the road for work, whether it be long drives to customers or to the office.

Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip

For the May long weekend, we decided to invite friends over for an impromptu gathering for refreshments and fun and uproarious laughing! Even though it was a last minute decision, I managed to make this amazing Baked Jalapeno Popper Dip for us to enjoy with our drinks as a special treat.  It was creamy, delicious and hot...and paired with Triscuit crackers,  it became the perfect snack to serve to a hungry group.

Father's Day Collage

I had such a fun day playing with my scrapbooking supplies creating this collage for my husband for Father's Day. I used one of my favorite pictures of my husband with our kids taken about 6 yeas ago...but I think it is adorably cute & timeless. Although I have a ton of scrapbooking supplies leftover from 10 years of a hard core scrapbooking habit, as well as years of teaching scrapbooking classes, I know that you can find many of these supplies at the dollar store, so not to fear if you don't have a stash of supplies!

10 Great Gifts To Make For Teacher

June is here and that means that school will soon be over for the year! But before that happens,  there will be  a rush of end of year activities and class trips, and Moms will scrambling to fit it all in. If you are like me, the busier things get, the more I become overwhelmed with trying to think of gift ideas to make or buy for teachers as a thank you gift. So I have rounded up some of the most budget friendly & fun gift ideas from the projects here at Echoes of Laughter.