Fashion Friday: Office Party Edition

Well I'm back home once again. I have to get prepped for this weekend, because it's my office Christmas Party. I haven't decided what to wear yet, so I turned to polyvore.com for some inspiration.

Just as everyone in your office has their own day to day style, the same goes for the holiday party. That being said, there are a couple things to keep in mind when deciding what to wear.

Style: Judge the style based on the formality of the party. Is it a simple get together at someone's house? or is it a big dinner/dance? (Mine is the latter). I'd say it's always better to be a bit over dressed than under-dressed, so err on the side of caution.

Length: Leave those mini's at home, unless it's the perfect dress. If going for a shorter number, keep the top conservative. A good example above is the Alice + Olivia red rose dress.

Top: If you're going strapless, make sure it fits well so there are no surprises (if you know what I mean) and keep it longer in length.

I'll try to snap a shot of myself tomorrow night to show you what I ended up choosing!

xx E.

Ps. another quick tip for the office party - take it easy on the drinks to avoid being 'that guy/girl' :)

California Highlights

Two people, 500 miles, six hotels, six cities, one amazing trip and we're back from the Golden Coast - sigh. We left beaches and sun for cold cold weather.

To sum up the trip in one word? Incredible. I would recommend taking that trip to anyone and everyone.

See/read more about it after the jump!

California here we come!

Later Skaters! We're off to Cali for our road trip! We've got our official California soundtrack (thanks Katie!) and we're ready to go :)

via

I couldn't be more excited. Thanks so much for all the great suggestions of things to do, places to see, and what to eat. We've got all of our stops booked, and we'll take the rest as it comes.

I won't be posting during the trip, but I'll be posting pictures on Instagram, so if you want to keep up, follow me here.

Have a great weekend/week/weekend!

xx E.

Bachelor Canada Women Tell All Recap

Maybe it should have been "some women, and some bitches tell all" some of those girls are quite mean!

I tuned in specifically because Whitney was making an appearance and I wanted to see the back and forth between her and Gabrielle. It wasn't as dramatic as I thought it was going to be.

'so i tell the truth. so what?'

Whitney came on with the 'I'm the bigger person' attitude. Not sure I (or anyone else) bought it. After being grilled by the girls about her bad attitude, she apologized, tears included. Not sure I bought the tears either.

I found it odd that she was allowed on this show, because usually that would be a give-away (one way or the other) to the outcome. The smug little smile that she had made me wonder...

On a positive note, Whitney looked much prettier than usual.

It was entertaining to watch Brad squirm. That's what you get when you date 20 women. Some of those ladies earned the right to grill him.

'hey, come on now ladies, go easy on me'

Brad teared up (again) when giving a little pep talk to Laura B. It was really quite sweet. Although, having been on the receiving end of such lines as "you're an amazing person, and any guy would be lucky to have you" it's not quite right, is it? If she was THAT great, he would have picked her. Just sayin'...

listening intently...or plotting against him...could be either

I have to be honest - I can't wait for this season to be over. My obsession with completing things is making me watch each episode, but I'm really not diggin' it.

xx E.

Ps. Next week, during the finale, I will be in Santa Monica, far far away from the happenings of the Bachelor Canada - poor me ;)

all photos via city.com 

New Specs

When I posted about ordering new glasses yesterday, I had no idea that I would be getting them the same day. So pumped! I even braved rush hour traffic in the rain to get them. You can see some before photos here and here.

And now for the After:

the professional pair

the hipster pair (although i'm no hipster, don't go thinking i'm trying to pretend to be one)

So, what do you think? Well actually, I only want to know if you like them. If you don't, it's best to just spare my feelings since I'll be rocking these bad boys for the next couple years.

xx E.

Ps. Two pairs is better than one (and since they're from 3 for 1 Glasses, it means I can still go back for a third pair...for free!)

Weekend Snaps

How was your weekend? Mine was jam packed, but great.

On Friday night, I was able to catch up with some girlfriends in the city. Sadly, it was to say goodbye to one of them (she's moving away) but we definitely made the most of the night. The ROM hosts events each week, and it was fantastic. Nothing like drinking wine, eating gourmet french fries and looking at mummies!

top: an entire wall show piece made from wine labels; inside/outside the pharaoh's tomb; wine and dino bones 

best salted thyme fries; friends

On Saturday, Husband and I went to the afternoon showing of the newest Bond flick - Skyfall. I'm going to make a bold statement: this is by far the best Daniel Craig Bond film and probably the best one of the last 10 years.

On Saturday night, I got together with my girlfriends to celebrate two birthdays. We ordered take out, opened wine, chatted and had a great time.

On Sunday, the gorgeous weather was begging for us to go outside. We took the pup for a hike at a local waterfall. It was such a nice day to be outdoors.

Usually we have dinner at my parents on Sunday nights, but since they ditched us already had plans, we were on our own. I have been obsessively reading the newest edition of Food & Drink magazine, and was inspired by the Halibut burritos, so that's what I whipped up for our lonely supper :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

xx E.

Ps. I also managed to order two new pairs of glasses this weekend...I'll share them later this week!

Fashion Friday: Remembrance Edition

You know what the coolest thing to wear in November is? Nope, not a mustache. A Poppy.

This weekend we will celebrate Remembrance Day. It's really important to honour and remember our veterans and also honour our troops. Let's not forget how lucky we are.

xx E.

Ps. I tend to save my poppy from year to year (I stick it in the ceiling of my car), but my friend reminded me that when you buy a poppy the proceeds to go the veterans. I guess I better stop being such a cheapskate!

Bachelor Canada recap Ep. 6

Another week, another episode, another step closer to Brad finding true love (or at least a girlfriend for the time being, until the glow of the honeymoon period wears off and the media torments them into breaking up).

Obviously, Bianka's date was my favourite. They took a kayak around a stunning glacier off the coast of Newfoundland. Even though she was scared of the deep water (who wouldn't be? it looked pretty rough), they persevered and made it back. Continuing to use her head, Bianka gave Brad the gears about going to the fantasy suite. After a long discussion, they ended up going to the fantasy suite (honestly, who doesn't?) and it was so lovely, I wanted it to be my house.

Then, on Kara's fantasy date, they went to a resort in Nova Scotia to shoot at discs.

Seems familiar, no?

bachelorette - emily & jef via

Anywho, as usual, their date wasn't overly interesting. Brad had mentioned wanting to get past the 'friendship' stage...by the sheer mention of being in the friendship stage, I didn't have a good feeling about her making it much further. I wasn't surprised when she wasn't chosen at the rose ceremony. I'm not worried about her though, she's a cool chick, and she's stunning. She'll hook another.


Finally, Brad took Whitney to PEI. She's too icky for lovely little PEI. And speaking of icky - her bathing suit was awful, just awful. I'm pretty sure it was borrowed from a stripper. Despite her icky-ness, their date was absolutely adorable - lobster fishing and a romantic dinner. I'd really like to have a romantic lobster dinner overlooking the Atlantic ocean one day... *hint hint hubby ;)

When Whitney pulled Brad aside after the rose ceremony (to tell him she's unsure of their relationship no less), I was really impressed when he told her off for being selfish and for disrespecting Kara. His credibility went way up in my books for that one.

So now we're left with a girl who isn't sure if she wants Brad, and Bianka. Hello - no contest.

xx E.

Ps. Next week's preview has finally got me excited!

photos via citytv.com

Do You Believe in Ghosts?

Until recently, I would probably say no - although I do have one very strong memory of seeing a ghost in my next door neighbour's house when I was younger, but that's another story.

I am usually very skeptical, and (sadly) believed that when you die, you're gone, and that's it. I sometimes even hated believing that, because I didn't want that for my family and friends who have passed.

Now not to say that I believe everything I see on TV, but recently I started watching a show called Long Island Medium. I was avoiding it because it seemed a) unrealistic and b) the Medium seemed annoying.

Correction - it is AWESOME and both the husband and I are addicted to it.

There's no way I can describe it well enough, so I think you should just watch these clips:

Supermarket Reading

This first one is a random reading that she did in the grocery store (she doesn't have to have an 'appointment' to channel spirits, it seems to happen wherever she goes).

Halloween Group Reading

This second one is from Halloween when a group of people had her come to their house to do a reading.

I can't get over how much I'm into this stuff, and this show in particular. I pretty much cry on every episode (although that's no different that most of the shows I watch). 

I'm dying (get it?) to meet this woman and get a reading. What do you think?

xx E.

Ps. You can watch full episodes online here

all clips via tlc.com and photo via facebook.

Quest for the Best: Mac and Cheese

It's absolutely no secret how much I love all things macaroni and cheese. I even have a Pinterest board just for different mac and cheese recipes.

The other day I was reading through my macaroni pins, and realized I hadn't really tried any of them yet. So I  gave them all to Husband and he picked one: Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese.

After making it, I decided that I am now on a quest to find the best mac and cheese. Slowly, I will make the various recipes I find, until I find the best.

So here's my review of the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese.

After one bite, my husband said that it was one of his favourite meals. Like ever. After one bite, I decided I probably wouldn't make it again. Perhaps it's because the recipe called for 3/4 of a cup of Frank's Red Hot Sauce, and instead I used Sriracha hot sauce, which is no doubt much hotter. I also don't love blue cheese, so when I got a big chunk of it, I wasn't in food heaven.

I did like the chicken with it, and probably, if I did make it again, I'd make the buffalo chicken, and a regular cheese sauce, that way you'd get the best of both (in my humble macaroni opinion).

xx E.

Ps. Stay tuned for more on my quest!

Fashion Friday

When I saw (on Instagram) that one of my friends had scored some cute new mustache smoking slippers, I had to post about them. It's only fitting that for the beginning of Movember, I show my respects and appreciation for the mustache.

Alright boys: ready, set, GROW!

Have a happy weekend :)

xx E.

Ps. Another great mustache item

Bachelor Canada Recap Ep. 5

Last night we had the pleasure of watching the hometown dates - one of my favourite episodes of the series.

We learned that Bianka and Brad share the same taste in ice cream. Kara's dad would do anything for her. Gabrielle volunteers with local seniors. And Whitney still can't share her feelings.

I loved that Bianka told Brad that her parents only spoke Croatian. It was such a great joke - and Brad needed something like that to make him squirm (just this once). Bianka has a lovely family and the date seemed really real. It didn't seem like anyone had to go out of their way or make a big production, they just shared a meal and got to know each other.

Kara...not a lot to say here. I think she's so gorgeous and lovely, but honestly I think she's a bit boring. I noticed that I tend to tune out (ie. read blogs, shop online, etc) whenever her date is being shown. Sorry Kara!

I was very surprised to learn that Gabrielle volunteers at a Senior's Center. Well played Gabby - that strategic move really showed Brad another side of you. I would have liked to go to dinner at her house - belly dancing after dinner is a great way to burn those calories! Plus Gabby's cousin hitting on Brad was hilarious.

Whitney's parents were so expressive and positive...I wondered why that didn't rub off on Whitney. When her dad turned the tables and started questioning her (instead of Brad), it made me laugh. Betrayed by her own family - justice!





















Alas, we had to say goodbye to Gabby...I saw that one coming. It seemed like she was along for the ride, but was never really a front-runner.

Now we're down to these three ladies. My money's on Bianka. Not only is she normal, beautiful and down to earth, but also she lives in the same area that Brad does...the likelihood of that relationship actually getting off the ground is much better than the other two.

xx E.

Ps. Just near the end of this episode, I thought to myself, I can't believe I still watch this show after all the time it's been on. I feel like an old lady that's been watching the Y&R for 30 years.

all photos via citytv.com