Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas!

It will officially be Christmas here in 2 minutes!

I arrived in Pittsburgh on Wednesday night (quite delayed - thanks, Delta) and it has been very nice to spend time here and to see my Joseph again. Things have been busy here and I will probably be absent the rest of the week as I spend time with family here.

I hope you are all having a happy and wonderful holiday! Merry Christmas! Keep a warm heart and spread the joy around.

Monday, December 20, 2010

Hello 27


Today is my birthday and I am 27 years old. 27. Hmm...27. Twenty-seven.
Sometimes I feel like I have wasted a lot of time. Like some of what I want for my life should have happened by now. It is not like I haven't done anything - I have done a decent amount of traveling, I got married, I have gone to University and have a BA. But there are somethings that are still a bit out of reach - owning a home, having a job that I love to go to everyday, starting a family, not being in so much debt (thanks, student loans...). It isn't like I am not happy with my life, I just wish it would move forward faster, but without me aging...is that so much to ask!?

This past weekend I was with my family and it was nice to be with them (even with my 2 sisters ganging up on me big time!). I am not doing much today - going to work and then meeting my brother for dinner (I don't think he remembers it is my birthday...). I am also going to Pittsburgh on Wednesday and will get to see Joe, who I haven't seen in 18 days! It will be nice to be on holidays and de-stress and slow down.

I hope you all have a great start to your week!!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Have a happy weekend!


Just a quick post saying that I hope you are all having a great weekend! Mine has been soo busy so I haven't been online much at all and for that I apologize.

Today, I saw Tangled and I loved it! It was so cute and my niece, Ainsley, was adorable while she was watching it.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Love, laughter, food, friends and snowflakes

Oh Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday. Why can't you be Friday?

I hope you all had a great weekend! My friends came over on Saturday and we had a great time at Market Collective, ate yummy food, had an ornament exchange, and played Apples to Apples and drank wine for hours. Lots of love and laughter - it was perfect! I hope you all had a great weekend!

Last night I met my friends Grace and Kayla and we went to a great restaurant called Cilanto. It was delish!


Since I broke my toe and it is still pretty messy, I can't go swimming which makes me sad. Tomorrow I am meeting Mary and Teira again and going out for Vietnamese (soo yummy - and I am taking advantage of it too since Joe doesn't like it and he is away). This weekend I am going to Brooks to see my family again before I leave for Pittsburgh and then I am going out for supper with my brother Tyler on Monday. I am so looking forward to it all!

What are your plans this week? Doesn't it always seem so much more hectic around the holidays (in a good way)?

Also, I saw this post on Room Remix - how awesome are these snowflakes?! I LOVE them! Learn how to make them here!





Friday, December 10, 2010

Have a great weekend!

(photo via dishbase)

Today, my friend Jen came over and brought me some Vietnamese for lunch, yum! Then we did some Christmas baking (well, I sat with my foot elevated while she followed my directions - but I did roll cookies in sugar!). We (She) made peanut butter cups (thanks to Carrie's awesome recipe), butter tarts, and soft ginger cookies (both family recipes). Then we ate dinner and watched A Christmas Story. It was lovely.

Tomorrow, she is coming back over, along with Teira and Mary and we are heading to Market Collective and then coming back to my place to watch movies, play games, and eat good food. I am so excited for it because Mary moved to Vancouver for school and I haven't seen her in months! It will be great to have everyone together again!

Sunday, I'm going to do NOTHING. Usually I say that and then do a ton, but I am really going to do nothing. I mean it this time!

What are you weekend plans?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Oh my ouch

Today, after work, I had wonderful plans to clean my house and get things ready for a get together with my greatest friends at my house on Saturday. In my motivation, I decided I wanted to move a table I have downstairs to my bedroom. However, that never happened as part of the table fell as I had it lifted in the air and crushed my toes. After it happened I just kinda stood there swearing in my head and pretending it didn't hurt. Then, I slowly made my way back upstairs and into the kitchen to get ice. Once there, in the light, I noticed my sock was soaked. Ew. Then, I sat down in my living room and took it off. I totally did not expect to see what I did and went into a pretty bad shock and freak out and started crying. I just sat there for awhile and then called Joe (like he could do anything - he is thousands of miles away) and then decided to call my brother, who also lives here but doesn't have a car. So then I called Teira and left a message. Within 15 minutes she was over.

Happy early weekend to me...but so not worth it.

I am really mad it happened. I should have been more careful. And I just know it is going to take awhile to heal and I hate that. So tomorrow will be spent in bed watching movies with an elevated foot and ice.

Thank you, Teira for coming to help me. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't come!

Hope you all have a better start to your weekend! And enjoy some more Vince Guaraldi!





Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas Time is Here by Vince Guaraldi (you may recognize it from A Charlie Brown Christmas) is one of my favourite Christmas songs. Right now, I'm sitting here listening, drinking tea, and eating a mandarin orange (a really big deal here the time of year - we call them Christmas oranges in my family) with my Christmas tree shining bright.



PS - Did I use the word Christmas enough?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Award

I got my first blog award! Yay!


1. Thank the blogger/s who gave you this award

Thank you to my beautiful sister, Marley, for this award. It means so much that it came from you and I am glad you like my blog! (PS - I like your face).

2. Sum up your blogging philosophy, motivation, and experiences using five words.

My philosophy: Post about what you love.

My motivation: Family, friends, and fellow bloggers!

My experience: Great and rewarding!

3. Pass on to ten other bloggers.

I know some of you I list have already received this award, but I wanted to give it to you anyways :) You don't have to post about it again.

Mary
Teira
Rebecca
Lisa
Hollie
Nattie
Jude
Bubbles
Signe
And back to Marley!


Thanks again, Mar! Love you!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Swimming


I absolutely love to swim. It always feels great during and after and I love being in the water. For the past month and a half, my friend Jennie and I have been meeting at least once a week to go. I love going with her because she pushes me so hard and it's just nice going with someone. We are meeting again tomorrow to go and I am so looking foward to it.

Do you like swimming? Do you ever go?

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Zoo Lights







Here are a few photos from Zoo Lights! I love going, it is so nice to walk around and see the displays and hear the music and see all the people out enjoying it. There is also a really big display in a golf course just down the street from my house that I hope to go walk and check out sometime this week.

Do you have any big light shows or displays or houses that have crazy Christmas lights around you? 2 years ago in Pittsburgh, we saw the most amazing house - there was not a spot on it without a light! I don't have any photos of it because I was taking a video the whole time, but this year, I want to go back and see it again, it was seriously amazing!

I think Christmas lights are one of my favourite things about this time of year!

Have a great weekend!

This weekend I am at home with my family. I got here last night to my very excited niece, who then gave me a present that was a Disney Princess hair set with elastics and clips and a barbie. So we put some in our hair right away (I had Ariel and she had Sleeping Beauty and Marley had Belle). It was so nice of her to pick those gifts for me - and for no reason! I love her to pieces! We played Just Dance and Pictionary on the Wii and then I chased her and Gavin around and Marley had to save them. Great fun!

Today, I get to play with them more and go to a birthday party. A good friend of mine, Christine, is here from Vancouver so I will get a short visit with her too. Then we are decorating Christmas trees!

I'm going back to Calgary tomorrow and will be putting up my own tree and decorations at home. If I have time, I will be going out to the mall because I thought of a good gift for Joe - who is the hardest person to shop for...

I'll also be posting Zoo Light pictures this evening :)

What are you up to this weekend?

PS - Marley drew this picture years ago. It is a bit outdated now since Gavin isn't in it and my mom is missing too. She needs to do a new one!

Thursday, December 2, 2010

"Hey Ya" it's another great cover



Love this! Like, lots. This song (well, the original version) always takes me back to my trip to Europe. An old friend and I were waiting in the middle of the English country side near Lancaster for the bus and we were dancing to her cell phone ring tone, which was this song. I really like this version though - it is more my taste.

What do you think?

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Yummy!


Joe leaves tomorrow - but before he goes, he made me one of my most favourite things ever. Nutella ice cream! I love Nutella. I will eat it just off a spoon. It is dangerously delicious and it as an ice cream is even better! If you have an ice cream maker, I recommend you try!

Ingredients

2 large eggs
3/4 cup of sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup Nutella

Directions

Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 more minute. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.

Pour about 1 cup of the cream into a separate bowl and whisk in the Nutella, a little at a time. Return the Nutella mixture to the remaining cream base and stir until well blended.

Then follow the directions of your ice cream maker.

Makes 1 quart

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Tuesday is a day of the week occurring after Monday and before Wednesday.


I am feeling so lazy and behind these days. Sorry for not posting and I am still not caught up on my blog reading :( You know when it seems like you have so much going on when really you don't? Or maybe I just feel that way sometimes. Or maybe it is because I'm still trying to get back into a groove from being sick. I'm finally starting to feel more like myself though and I am trying to spend a lot of time with Joe (mostly laying around watching Law and Order together) because he leaves Thursday to go to Pittsburgh and I won't be joining him for 22 days. We haven't been apart that long since he moved here almost four years ago (before then we wouldn't see each other for months at a time!). I am sad he is going and I will miss him tons, but I am really looking forward to meeting him down there for Christmas.

Soon, I'll have photos of Zoo Lights (it was really fun!) and I also got a blog award (I'm excited - even though it is from my sister, Marley) that I will post about too.

Hope you are all having a beautiful Tuesday!

PS - I'm washing my bed sheets right now, so excited, I love clean sheets!

Friday, November 26, 2010

Have a great weekend!


It seemed to take forever for the weekend to come and I am so glad it is here! Today, we had a chinook - warm winds from the coast that come over and drop down the mountains - so it was 4C today! It is crazy when the temperature can change by over 40 degrees in a few days, but that's winter!

Tonight, Joe and I are going for dinner (but I'm not sure where, he won't tell me). Tomorrow I am going for a facial, and later, Joe and I are going to Zoo Lights. During this time of year, the Calgary Zoo puts on Zoo Lights where there are Christmas lights all over the place (the photo above is from there) and some are of animals that seem to move. Then breakfast at Cora's on Sunday, yum!

Also, because I haven't been feeling too well, I need to catch up on all my favourite blogs. I feel so out of the loop.

What are your plans?

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Made by Hank





I love these roundy-bottom tough ruffles zipper purses from Made By Hank.

Welcome to the second coldest place on the planet

This morning when I left for work it was -32C (-27F) but the windchill made it feel like -41C (-42F). Weather Now listed Calgary as the second coldest place on the planet.

I just checked it again right now. It is 3:32 in the afternoon, and Calgary is now the sixth coldest place on the planet. Pretty interesting.


Monday, November 22, 2010

Brrr...

It is soo cold here, brrr! I hope where you are, the weather is nice! The windchill here is -35C (-31F). I'm still not feeling great and had a fever today, so this cold is making me feel miserable.

But, now that it is snowy and cold, it is starting to seem more like Christmas - especially because the neighbours already have their Christmas lights up!

One thing I love about this time of year are the holiday movies. Here are my top 5 (which I realize are somewhat childish - but I have a special place in my heart for them!):

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

Such a classic. I love it and watch it numerous times during the holidays. Every year, my mom buys me the newest Rudolph Christmas ornament, and I even have a stuffed Bumble.

Muppet Family Christmas
(not to be confused with A Muppet Christmas Carol - although that one is great too).

This one has all the Muppets, even from Sesame Street and Fraggle Rock. This one just makes me smile. I remember we taped it off tv onto VHS years ago when I was little and now it is really hard to find.

Love Actually
(finally, a more grown up one!)

I love Love Actually. It makes me feel so warm inside. It is so romantic and makes me happy. Because the story happens around Christmas, I consider it a Christmas movie (although I watch it all year round).

Frosty the Snowman

This goes hand in hand with Rudolph. I can't watch one without the other.

A Christmas Story

I actually didn't know about this movie until I was in 9th grade when my teacher, Mr. Nelson, played it for us in Language Arts class. On Boxing Day (December 26th in Canada)they play it on tv for 24 hours straight.

What are your favourite holiday movies?


Sunday, November 21, 2010

Copabanana Cake

I loove banana bread, it is one of my favourites. When I was in grade school, I remember some friends and I had a Christmas party and a secret Santa. My friend, Amber, had my name, and for my gift, she gave me a loaf of banana bread that she had baked. It was one of the best secret Santa gifts ever!

Here is a recipe that I really love for Copabanana Cake from the Eat, Shrink and Be Merry cookbook. It is just a fancy name for banana bread, but it is made in a square cake pan.

Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute, or 2 whole eggs
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup mashed, ripe bananas
1/2 cup low-fat sour cream (I actually use miracle whip instead!)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat together sugar, egg substitute and butter on medium speed of electric mixer. Add bananas, sour cream (or miracle whip) and vanilla. Beat again until smooth.

Gradually add flour mixture to banana mixture, beating after each addition. Batter will be thick. Fold in chocolate chips.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and spread evenly using a spatula. Bake for 25 to 28 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into 16 pieces and store in an airtight container. Makes 16 servings.

ENJOY!

PS - Janet and Greta Podleski are the authors of Eat, Shrink, and Be Merry, Looneyspoons, and Crazy Plates. They contain healthy and simple to prepare recipes that have easy to find ingredients that I often already have on hand. I have never made one that I didn't like. Plus, they have really funny illustrations, hilarious recipe names, and great cooking and health tips. I recommend!


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Yum in my tum!

Hollie over at and baby makes three... posted a recipe for focaccia bread that she claimed was easy and delicious, and boy, was she right! I have never made bread before and this looked pretty simple so I gave it a try. It is very yummy and was, like she said, easy.

(sorry for the very yellowish photo - the battery in our good camera was dead.)

Here is her recipe, and go check out her blog, it's awesome!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups warm water (110ºF)
1 1/2 teaspoons dry active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 rosemary stalks, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, chopped finely
3 cups flour + a little extra (I used half wheat flour, half unbleached all-purpose flour)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Dissolve yeast in the water and let sit for a few minutes. Add sugar & salt and stir.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, rosemary & garlic together.

Slowly add the water mixture, stirring with a metal spoon, until you have a sticky dough.

Flour your hands, then sprinkle a little extra flour over the surface of the dough. Begin to knead the dough either in the bowl, or on a flour surface. Add a little bit of flour as needed if the dough is sticking to your hands. Knead the dough about 10-12 times.

Cover with plastic and let sit for an hour.

Preheat oven to 400ºF

Spray a baking dish with olive oil, and lightly press the dough into the dish. Pour the olive oil over the top of the bread, then poke holes all over the dough, using your finger.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden & crisp.
(I also sprinkled the top with the grated cheese and let it melt, because I love cheese!).

Have a good weekend!


I hope you all had a good week and have a nice weekend! I've been sick the past couple days so I have been taking medicine, eating soup, and sleeping. I'm feeling better this morning but am very stuffed up. No fun. So this weekend I'm not doing much - drinking tea, staying in my pajamas, and watching movies.

What do you have planned?


Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Hello, Snow.



Well, on Monday night I went to sleep and there was no snow anywhere in sight. Lately, we have actually had above seasonal weather. But when winter comes, it comes. I took these photos a few hours ago, around noon on Wednesday. Winter is here!

Monday, November 15, 2010

Gift Tags






We still don't have snow here yet but there is a winter storm and heavy snowfall warning for tonight. I am going to bed and there is no snow on the ground - we'll see what I wake up to!

Even without the snow, it is starting to feel like Christmas. I love these Christmas gifts tags from Craftypagan Designs! Especially the 'Do Not Open Until Dec 25th' stickers.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Cozy


I love this! Looks so cozy and I like braided belt! Lately, I have been looking in my closet and getting so frustrated. Now that it is cold, I just want wraps and sweaters.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Have a great weekend!

(photo via libertyworkshop)

This week was exhausting. Lately, I have been working at 7 am and sometimes working 10 hour days; I have been going to bed so early! It hasn't left me much time to sit down and blog - or read blogs - or think of what to blog about.

This weekend, I'm going to relax! Tomorrow I am meeting my friend Kayla for tea. Then going shopping with Joe. Sunday - I am going to do nothing. Maybe I will just stay in bed alllll day.

What are you doing this weekend?

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sufjan Stevens



Sufjan Stevens is one of my favourite artists. This one is called For the Windows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti. A few other favourite tracks of mine include: Chicago, To be Alone with You, Jacksonville, Springfield, or Bobby Got a Shadfly in His Hair, and The Predatory Wasps of the Palisades is Out to Get Us!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

My Saturday

Walking to the Chinese Cultural Centre to meet Teira for Make It Calgary!

Inside! So many great booths. It took a lot of control not to buy more than I did.

Oh no. Feather headbands! After the woman selling them stopped obsessing over Teira's magnificent natural red hair, we spent probably half an hour trying to decide which headbands we wanted. It was such a tough choice and we could each only afford one. I think we made good choices in the end.

I ended up with a beautiful peacock feather one (Teira took a great picture at the market - but it was accidentally deleted when I was going through my photos last night. So this one will do). I LOVE it! What do you think?


We also each got a Scrabble tile necklace pendent. Our initial on one side and a picture on the other.

Later that day, Joe and I went to the mall and got frozen yogurt. His was chocolate pineapple peach (weird combo - but that's Joe!) and I got vanilla raspberry peach. Yummy!

I also found my perfect red lipstick. I have been looking for awhile and found one shade at Sephora I liked. I wasn't sure if it looked at good as I thought - so after approval by both Teira and Joe, I committed. It is called Courtisane by Sephora.

Later that evening, we met my little brother Cody for dinner. So it was a pretty successful and fun Saturday.

This morning Joe and I slept in (we got an extra hour thanks to the time change) then I went to the gym, and to pick up a few groceries. Pineapples were on sale which made me very, very happy - I love pineapple! So these past few days have made me feel a lot better after last week.

Hope you all had a great weekend!