Blue Monday

Anyone else have the Monday Blues?
I dedicate this song to you!

This song is also for you if, like me, you love 80's music. I know it's not really about having the Monday blues, but come on, it's called Blue Monday.

Hopefully the day will fly by for you (and me)!

xx E.

ps. This song is also for my old roomie Mel, we used to rock out to this one in second year :)

Comic Vision

The other evening, I attended an event called Comic Vision. It's a fundraising even supporting the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Family friends of ours support this charity, and invited my parents to go. Lucky for me, my mom had to work, and I got to go in her place.

me and my dad :)

It was a really fun event, with both a live and silent auction, games and solid prizes (Samsung galaxy tablet anyone?) great refreshments (unlimited wine and beer, apps, and yummy snacks) and hilarious comics. This event tours the country (6 cities, I believe) and it's definitely worth checking out.

any event that gives away popcorn gets an automatic endorsement from me

The only disturbing part of the night? When an acquaintance of my parents [not so] quietly asked our friends what had happened to my dad's wife, and was I his date? Awkward, and horrifying. I mean, we look related! That was quickly cleared up, but I made sure to introduce myself as his daughter for the rest of the evening.

Have you got that Friday feeling? I sure do. Have a great weekend!

xx E.

ps. the only thing worse than people thinking you are your Dad's gf, is people who think that you and your brother are bf/gf (which has also happened)...hello? we look like twins.

These are a few of my favourite rings

There are endless numbers of cocktail rings that can be found in stores like Forver21 and H&M, and they are all very fun (and I do own some), but for me, I prefer jewelry that has some meaning.

I have inherited all of these rings from my grandparents.

The first is from my granddad. This one has a story. When my grandparents first immigrated to Canada, their neighbours, Robert and May, became very close friends of theirs. Many, many years later, when Robert passed away, May gave his monogrammed ring (with the initials RG) to my granddad.

The second is from my Grandma Peg. I have many different things from Grandma Peg, including a box full vintage scarves. I love cameos, so this ring just spoke to me.

The third was given to me from my mom, but it belonged to her mom (Grandma Jean). Grandma Jean and I share a birthstone, and this is it. My mom offered to have it reset, but I love the vintage setting and chose to keep it as it was given to me.

The last ring was also my granddad's. He wore both of his rings every day. I wear this one the most. It's just my way of keeping him with me.

The blue-eyed little pup in the top is this...

my (wiener dog!) ring holder 

xx E.

ps. I really hope you got the Sound of Music reference

Rain Gear

All this ugly rain has got me thinking about a little pet peeve of mine.

I like wellies (rubber boots) just as much as the next girl. I own a pair, and I wear them. I think it's really nice that finally, women don't have to walk around with wet feet, just because rain boots aren't stylish.

Here are a couple of my favourite pairs:

Hunter Wellies - short

Hunter Wellies - Tall

Tretorn Boots - find them here

Now these boots are fantastic for rainy weather, walking/hiking, playing in the mud, jumping in puddles, gardening, walking on the beach, digging for clams, digging for worms, fishing, going to the market, walking the dog, playing in snow, catching frogs, going to festivals, do I need to go on?

However, there's one thing that they are not for. Going out at night. These are not 'going out' footwear. I think people may get confused between things being expensive, and things being fancy. Yes, the Hunter Wellies cost $200. No they do not look right with your bar outfit. See my point?

Just a little fashion insight for this rainy Tuesday :)

xx E.

ps. remember these?!

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Garage Sale-ing

So I don't know if I'm way beyond my years on this, but I LOVE garage sale season. I'm pretty sure I am too young to be this happy about them...

There's something so satisfying about being up super early on a Saturday morning, grabbing my favourite coffee, and hitting the road for garage and estate sales.

I went to my first garage sale of the season this past weekend. It was brutally cold, but they pulled through and the sale was a 'go'.

Friends of mine were trying to reduce some of the 'things' in their place. This was a gold mine for garage salers everywhere because they had a ton of great stuff, coin collections, records, and antiques (to name a few). I scored an antique croquet mallet.

just waiting to be hung up

Funny enough, my brother had also been to this garage sale, a little bit earlier than I had. He texted me to let me know he had bought me a present earlier that day. It turns out he found a vintage suitcase, which I collect, and picked it up for me.What a sweet little brother he is!

new addition to...

my vintage luggage collection

I know I speak for husband when I say we have quite a bit way too much 'stuff'. So I'm trying to be really careful at my garage sale purchases. Either way, I'm still going to be visiting more garage sales this season - you just never know what you'll find!

xx E.

ps. In the UK, it's called a Car Boot Sale (the truck of a car is called the boot, they all pull into a parking lot and sell things out of their cars)

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

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Today is a day to honour our Earth, but just as we love and appreciate our mother's every day (not just on Mother's Day), we should care for the Earth that same way.

'Going Green' is a little too trendy (in my opinion), so my advice is just do what's right and respect the planet.

xx E.

ps. Enjoy your Sunday

Rocky Dog

I don't have any kids, but this little guy may as well be one. Husband and I are borderline obsessed with him.

this is just a smattering of our collection of rocky photos

When we decided to get a puppy, we didn't have a particular type in mind. We went to check him out at a breeder, and before we got there we said to each other that we were only going to look, not make any rash decisions. Then we saw him. Without even really talking, we decided he was ours.

We're such suckers. He started sleeping in our bed after about two weeks. When Husband leaves for work (which is at least 1 hour before I even wake up), Rocky migrates from the foot of the bed, up to his pillow, so I wake up facing the dog.

what i wake up to :)

Having a dog is like free therapy. When I come home at the end of a day to an animal (dog, not husband) that couldn't be happier to see me just puts a smile on my face. Everyone needs some unconditional puppy love.

Have a great weekend!

xx E.

ps. those who own dogs know, they're not all cuddles and love...Rocky has had his fair share of issues, including rolling in raccoon poop and running through the house while I'm getting ready for work (more than once)

Office Etiquette Q & A

After my office etiquette post, I received a question.

The Questioner was really hoping to have it appear on this blog, so here it is:

Q: Why is it that nobody discusses farting? Do you come clean, point to someone else, pretend that it didn't happen, or hold it in?

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A: This all depends on whether it's already happened or not.

Funny enough, my friend and I had this very discussion earlier this week. It can be especially dicey if you have your own office...pretty hard to shift the blame on that one. So she had the best plan. If you fart in your office and you think someone is coming, just get up and walk out, before they can walk in and bust you. Simple and effective. Alternatively, if you sit in cubicles, just blame someone else ;)

xx E.

ps. a funny saying about farting

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pps. clearly this question came from a man

Tomato/Tomotto

It's no secret: I'm married to a Brit. Seriously, who can resist that accent?

And although we both speak English, we've had our fair share of run-ins with our language barrier. I recently discussed one of them here.

Once I said I was using cilantro in a curry dish, and my sister-in-law looked at me like I had two heads (coriander is the only word they use for that).

Some of my favourite sayings from husband's repertoire are:
It's all gone Pete Tong - rhyming slang, meaning it's all gone wrong
It went a little bit pear-shaped - another way of saying things have gone wrong
Bits & Bobs - basically means bits and pieces, as in "I'm going to the grocery store to pick up some bits and bobs" I've really taken this one on.

Since Husband has lived in Canada for 5 years now, he is starting to naturalize his accent. He no longer says tomotto, he says tomato. He also says cell phone (not mobile), parking lot (not car park), and ketchup (not tomato sauce). When we go back to England for a visit though, his accent gets stronger and all his old sayings come out. I love it.

Even my voice gets different when we visit England. I emphasize different syllables. I am always worried that someone will notice and think I'm taking the piss (making fun of them).

The one saying that gets me every time is so simple. When you first see someone, instead of saying hello, they say "you alright?" I always say, "yes, how are you?" This is wrong. "You alright?" is basically saying hello. Even though I know this, I always feel the need to answer the question.

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I'll leave you with one final Brit-ism. They call crossing guards The Lollipop Man (or Lady). This is because the stop sign they carry looks like a big lollipop. That one just makes me smile.








Stay tuned for future Brit-isms. They come up almost daily.

xx E.

ps. a baked potato is a jacket potato

Office Space

My day job is a typical 9-5, in a very normal office.

I've always had a set of drawings that I display in my various offices. I think it's important to make your office space, just that, yours.

the drawings I take with me everywhere

There are lots of ways to add a personal touch to your office. Art, photographs, items on display. One thing to remember though, is that your office is not your house. It's not your living room. Personal touches are lovely. They give people an idea of who you really are, and make the space more comfortable for you. But too much personalization (ya, I made that word up), and people may not take you seriously. Remember, you're still at work.

Here's a few do's and don'ts to make it easier:
Do: display a photo or two of your family members
Don't: cover every surface with your entire wedding album, birth of your first child, etc.

Do: keep a cardigan on hand for those days when the air-con is just too cold
Don't: wrap yourself in the crocheted blanket that used to sit on the back of your grandmother's couch

Do: display a couple objects or decorations on your desk
Don't: bring all your chachkas, Faberge eggs, and the entire contents of your china cabinet

I'm pulling these don'ts from personal experience. Trust me. Your co-workers will talk about you (not in a good way).

Since clearly I have mastered the art of personal office touches, here are some examples of my current office:

tea cup; husband on our wedding day; photo of my fortune on our wedding day

the fortune reads: you will be successful in your work

pretty (looking and smelling) hand cream

a girly notebook

novelty post-it notes to make me (and other people) smile

So what do you think? Too much/too little?

xx E.

ps. feel free to send any office etiquette questions my way.

Ninety-Five

Today would have been my Granddad's 95th birthday. He had been planning his 100th birthday party since he turned 91. There were days where we all thought that he may actually live to see that birthday.

Sadly, he passed away just shy of his 95th. Even though he liked to think he would live forever, he was humbled to have lived such a long and happy live (with my grandma by his side for over 60 years).

So cheers to my good old granddad, on his birthday, for teaching us all to celebrate and love every minute of your life.

xx E.

Sunday Mornings

It's a gloomy Sunday morning today. I popped out for groceries early, and on my way home, I was looking at all the houses. Each one quiet, dim lights glowing through the window. It's such a nice feeling, Sunday morning. Everyone can relax, drink coffee, curl up on the couch.

cricket coffee mug c/o my lovely in-laws

Just thought I would wish everyone a happy, relaxing Sunday.

xx E.

ps. I got to the grocery store before it even opened. Loser.

Feature Blog

Every once in awhile, I come across a new blog that I think everyone would love.

Enter: Little Green Notebook

This is a collection of an interior designer's projects and inspiration. I could 'pin' everything she does.

There's endless DIY's (some easy, some a bit more difficult), and beautiful rooms. She is one talented lady. She's even done rooms for other bloggers I follow - check out an example here

It's definitely anything but pretentious. She doesn't pretend to be superwoman; she offers great tips and tricks to save money too!

Happy decorating!

xx E.

ps. I'm attempting a DIY upholstered headboard - results to come (if it looks any good)

Cooking Lesson

So for my birthday, Husband got me a cooking lesson at a local restaurant called Paradiso.

At first I was like, what, you think I'm a bad cook? Kidding. I'm obsessed with cooking (read: watching people cook on TV). This gift is perfect for me.

We made an Italian feast, complete with antipasto, gnocchi, and braised veal! Since Italian is my favourite, I'd say Husband knew exactly what he was doing while planning this birthday event.

menu, sitting at the chefs table, lesson in action

There were 8 people in our lesson, which we were told was great, because typically they have 16+ people. We really got a great lesson. They divided us up for tasks. When they announced gnocchi, I called out that I wanted to do it, but so did another woman and her teenage daughter. We stood at a stalemate for a few seconds, and then I thought, screw it - I'm going in. So there you have it, I won! Nick and I got to make three things: Gorgonzola stuffed dates, focaccia bread, and gnocchi.

rolling out the gnocchi dough

cutting the dough into the gnocchi pieces

Some of the finished products:

focaccia, gnocchi, and the best tiramisu I've ever had.

That was one of the most fun things I've done. I would recommend that to anyone and everyone.

xx E.

ps. Sorry the pics of the food look a little dicey; I ate it as soon as it was placed in front of me (forgetting that I wanted to document the beautiful plating) so I had to take pics of it in the take out boxes :)

pps. not to brag, but they said my gnocchi was so good that they were going to serve the leftovers to the regular patrons...just sayin...

Wibble-Wobble, Wibble-Wobble, Jelly on a Plate

For my birthday, one of my lovely sisters in law gave me the sweetest Jelly molds. She also wrapped up jelly cubes, which I opened first, and was a little confused. Once I got everything opened, it allll came together. She wants me to be an even better housewife to her big brother, by creating perfect, individual-sized jellies.

So I did.

This is how jelly powder comes in the UK. I thought it was already done, but it's not. It's some kind of freaky jelly concentrate. Husband admitted to eating a whole pack and getting very sick, once, when he was a little bit stupid younger.

So here's how they turned out.

Aren't they cute? Seriously. They are so cute. I am afraid to eat them.

One snag - they are a bit difficult to get out of the mold. There I was, gently coaxing these delicate little jellies out of their hard shell. Along comes husband, with all his jelly-wisdom, and picks up one of the molds and instructs me to just squeeze it out. Immediately the mold cracks. I have three now.

So there you have it, a whole post about making jelly.

xx E.

ps. In Canada we call it Jello.

pps. The title of this post is some kind of English sing song nursery rhyme that husband kept chanting while I was making these.

To paraphrase everyone's favourite Bachelorette...

WINNER!

xx E.

ps. Take THAT hubby ;)

Easter for Adults

When I was a kid, Easter was such an amazing holiday.


I would wake up to a special Easter treasure hunt, complete with a jelly bean trail to the really good stuff (Chocolate bunny and other such things). After that, we would patiently wait while my dad went for a jog. On his jog, he often 'saw' the Easter bunny. He would secretly hide Easter eggs all throughout the neighbourhood. Then all the neighbours would gather at our house, and the kids would go on a huge egg hunt. This tradition continued on for years (long after I graduated from egg-hunter to egg-hider). My dad just has a way about him that all the kids love, and he loves seeing how happy it makes them to think that the Easter bunny visited the neighbourhood.



After the big hunt, everyone would gather back at my parents house for the biggest brunch you've ever seen. We would just graze and drink coffee and chat. It is one of my fondest childhood memories.

Since I no longer live at home, the Easter tradition has changed a bit. A few years ago, husband and I decided that we were not too old for a good ol' fashioned egg hunt. This time though, things got competitive.

Here's how it works:

• We buy a bunch of chocolate eggs. 
• We divide them in half. 
• We also divide our house into two sections. 
• We then spend 15 mins or so hiding the eggs in our designated section.
• Then we switch it up - we put on some egg-huntin' tunes and start hunting.

The rules are, the first person to find all their eggs, wins.

Husband has won the last three years in a row. I am not happy about this. Sometimes his hiding spots are what one might call unfair (ie. pushing an egg down between the layers of paper towel until it's completely invisible). BUT, if that's how he wants to play it - IT'S ON.

Happy Hunting!

xx E.

ps. I'll let you know this year's results (put your $$ on me!)

"Real" Drama

Guilty pleasure - any of the Real Housewives shows. Much to my surprise, Canada has jumped on the bandwagon.

The Real Housewives of Vancouver premiered this week, and yes, I watched it. Now of course they were nothing like the American Real Housewives.......Ya, right. They were pretty awful. 

The Ladies

The one who said her primary source of income is 2 divorces (did I mention she's only 29?) is a piece of work. She claims she 'worked hard' for her money...sure, if by working hard she meant lying underneath her middle-aged husbands for long enough to get a fair settlement in a divorce. Ew.

There's nothing like forcing 5 women into confined spaces, and making them pretend to be friends, only to watch them bitch about each other behind their backs. That's what I call 'real' ;)

All judgement aside, I find this show totally entertaining. Perhaps because it makes me feel so normal, grounded, humble, you get the idea. 

Cheers rich bitches of Vancouver, thanks for putting Canada on the 'Real Housewives' map.

xx E.

ps. Quote from the show: for two or three hundred dollars a month, f@*# the kids in Guatemala [when referring getting regular Botox injections] - lovely :s

Grown-up Cartoons

While blog surfing recently, I stumbled across this little beauty...

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This blog is jokes. It's basically celebrity cartoons with witty punch lines. 

Check it out:  http://www.butyourelikereallypretty.com/  

Happy Hump Day!

xx E.

ps. If you like Suri's Burn Book, you'll like this blog.

Weekend Snaps

Sadly, another weekend has passed. I definitely made the most of it though.

Friday night, I had a late dinner with Husband, and then had some wine with some girlfriends. Saturday I met up with a friend for tea. We must have sat in Starbucks for three hours :)

Saturday night was awesome. One of my friends will be moving from Toronto back to Burlington, so we decided to take advantage for her Toronto address before it's too late. She and her guy took us to a great little restaurant called The Bellevue, check their tumblr page out here.

Let me tell you, this place should be a must visit on everyone's lists. Great food, I had roast organic chicken, mascarpone polenta, with forest mushroom stew, great atmosphere, and everything is really reasonable.

After dinner, we went back to my friend's place where I was presented with my birthday cake:

complete with Tuxedo Strawberries!

It was such a great night :)

Sunday was equally great. I was treated to a manicure and did some shopping with another one of my girlfriends. It was as if my birthday lasted for a whole week!

Nail Polish - OPI Susie Skiis in the Piranese; Boyfriend Blazer - H&M  

Sunday, family dinner topped off the weekend.

Here's to a speedy week!

xx E.

Ps. one other thing I discovered this weekend, the show Lie To Me. Husband and I managed to get the entire first season under our belts :)