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About me
I am a work-at-home mom to my daughter and two sons, and wife to Tobin who is my amazing and supportive husband. We live in the suburbs in Calgary, Canada, but my dream is to one day move out to a tiny little place in the country…that’s where my heart really is.
And in my spare time (ha!) I am also the editor, director, creator, chief, main cook and home decorator here at ‘A Pretty Life’! Back in October 2011, I created this site as a way to share my love of a simple home life through uncomplicated home tips and fresh & easy recipes. Since that time it has grown into something I am quite proud of and am so happy to be able to share with you. And it is my hope that by spending some time with me you are inspired to add some simplicity and deliciousness into your home and life!
Home Life Made Simple
That’s my motto. I hope you have a chance to browse around and find some inspiration!
If you are interested in working with me, you can find out more about that here, or request a copy of my media kit by sending me an email at:
jo-anna@aprettylifeinthesuburbs.com
Don’t forget to follow along on my blog adventures!
23 Comments
Sarah
March 13, 2016 at 12:27 PMHi Jo! Just sitting here at work thumbing through chatelaine on my break and I saw your pretty picture!
Miss you dear friend!?
wilma
June 13, 2016 at 7:45 PMyou have a post for wheat berry cereal. i loved it as a kid but don’t know what to buy. i remember the cereal my mom made looking just like your post. can you tell me where to buy it & what brand, type wheat berry you use;, i.e. arrowhead mills (brand my mom used to buy), hard red winter wheat, soft white wheat, cracked wheat, hard red spring wheat….etc.? i looked on arrowhead mills website but didn’t see it offered for sale there & lots of other AM products offered under the store finder but nothing for the wheat berries. there seem to be many different types & i’m unsure which to buy. there is not a whole foods near me which seems to be the only bulk store listed. my mom used to put the wheat berries in a thermos & simply pour boiling water over them & let them set overnight. she never cooked hers & simply heated the cereal the next morning for breakfast. i loved it.
Jo-Anna@APrettyLife
July 15, 2016 at 9:21 PMHi Wilma! Apologies for the late response to your comment…I didn’t see it until now! For my wheatberry cereal I usually buy the wheat at Bulk Barn and it’s the winter wheat variety. I love it so much too! Enjoy!
Francisca
November 22, 2017 at 4:39 PMHi Jo Anna… According me you always give amazing recipes, its not only for canadian user, but there are many people in the world need know your site. Thank you
Jo-Anna@APrettyLife
November 22, 2017 at 5:39 PMI’m really happy you enjoy my site! I have many visitors from around the world, and it makes me feel very lucky! 🙂
Paula Bildson
January 21, 2018 at 2:21 PMHello Jo-Anna, I’m making your cabbage roll soup for dinner tonight. The house smells amazing and I’m sure the soup will be delicious. I think the consomme will give it a richness that I have not seen in many other recipes. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Paula (former Calgarian who moved back to Muskoka ON to be closer to family – I miss the mountains and the Chinooks 🙂
Jo-Anna Rooney
January 22, 2018 at 10:18 AMHi Paula! I hope you enjoy this soup…it’s such a favourite of mine! And how nice to see a Calgarian (former one, but still Calgarian!)!
Courtney
January 23, 2018 at 12:39 PMHi JoAnna!
I attempted to bake the Cheddar, Zucchini & Chive Buttermilk quickbread … and failed miserably lol! I think I know what happened… I think the zucchini was too moist (and I may have used a little more than I was supposed to). I baked it for an hour and it baked on top and bottom beautifully- centre was still raw batter. I was wondering if you had any other tips or tricks for this recipe because it smelled SO good… I want to nail it! I will squeeze out moisture from zucchini- but I was wondering if lining my non-stick loaf pan with parchment was necessary? Could that affect anything?
Also I wanted to mention that when I added my buttermilk/egg/melted butter mixture to my dry mixture it was very sticky. Is it supposed to be sticky?
Any help or tips would be awesome! Thanks!!
Courtney
Emily
January 27, 2018 at 10:39 AMHello from Bismarck, ND, USA!
What kind of dog do you have? We have an Airedale Terrier and looking for a friend.
Jo-Anna Rooney
January 27, 2018 at 5:25 PMHi Emily! Ours is a Labradoodle…she’s the best family dog. Great with kids, doesn’t shed…we just love her!
Amy
February 7, 2018 at 11:29 AMHi from Salt Lake City, Ut. USA! Thanks for the chicken enchilada casserole recipe- going to make it tonight! I just found your blog and love your pics and philosophy. I wish we had whatever a “Chapters” store is after seeing your pillows! I’ll be keeping an eye out for your basement photos. Great job!!
Jo-Anna Rooney
February 8, 2018 at 1:50 PMHi Amy! Thank you so much for your kind comment! I’m so happy you found my blog too! xo
Mrs. Kyle Cannon
July 23, 2018 at 5:14 AMJo-Anna,
From Connecticut and want to make your spaghetti sauce. In the direction for the contents i’m unsure of how much tomato paste, sauce & diced tomato to purchase (can size and amount).
thanks.
Jo-Anna Rooney
July 24, 2018 at 2:29 PMHi Mrs. Cannon!
Here are the amounts:
1 – 14 oz can tomato sauce (plain (no spices))
1 - 19 oz can diced tomatoes (plain (no spices))
1 - 5.5 oz can tomato paste
Hope that helps!
Jo-Anna
Sherry Smith
November 20, 2018 at 7:16 PMHello, I am reading your recipe for peanut butter cheesecake and I am very excited to give it a whirl! I have a question, though. Do you remove the cream filling from the Oreo cookies?
Jo-Anna Rooney
November 20, 2018 at 10:52 PMHi Sherry! No, I leave the cream filling in the Oreos. Enjoy!
Jennifer
January 1, 2019 at 10:58 PMHi Jo-anna, from another Calgarian foodie living in the ‘burbs. We’re about as far south as you can get and not be in De Winton. Lol!
CATHY WESTGATE
January 3, 2019 at 8:01 PMI saw your recipe for homemade blueberry jam. I want to make enough for 20 people or so for baby shower gifts. How can I double this recipe? Can I make a week before and leave at room temperature? Any hints would be very helpful as I have never done anything like this before.
thank you
Abiko
March 2, 2019 at 5:11 AMHi Jo Anna,
May I know on your recipe eggless waffles, i understand you did link to the place’s where you have bought the waffle maker, but it’s quite different shape and mould compare with your pictures shown. I really hope that I can get exactly the same size, shape and look as your pictures(it’s really nice and beautiful). Do you mind to share with me please? Thanks.
Jo-Anna Rooney
March 2, 2019 at 11:12 AMHi Abiko! I updated the link to the correct waffle shapes, sorry about the mix up! You can find it here —> https://amzn.to/2SFzb3w
Yvonne Williams
March 6, 2019 at 1:02 PMHello Jo-anna,
I can across your site while researching recipes for candy cane spread. What a beautiful website you have. I love the countryside also, I live in a suburb of Toronto.
I was wondering how did you get started with your site and what were the challenges you faced.
I am a knitter and crocheter and have been thinking of creating a website for awhile.
Would you mind sharing how you started and any tips on getting a new site going ?
Thank you,
Yvonne
Adelina Graham
March 19, 2019 at 12:26 AMHi,
My name is Adelina and I am outreach manager for caviar.bc.ca. We are the first company in Western Canada to import and distribute a fine selection of sturgeon and non-sturgeon caviars from around the globe. Our caviars are frequently purchased by catering companies who serve them as a luxurious delicacy to wedding parties, international diplomats and celebrities.
I came across your blog post “CRUSTLESS QUICHE” and loved your style and content so much so, I had to reach out! As you’re within my niche I was wondering if you’d be open to any content collaboration with me?
I’ve been brainstorming some topics I think your readers would get a ton of value from, but definitely open to any suggestions you may have after reading a few of my previous articles.
Let me know if you are interested.
Cheers,
Adelina Graham
Outreach Manager
Caviar.bc.ca