Friday 28 June 2013

Happy (Pre-Long Weekend) Friday

I have been so 'go go go' lately that I haven't taken the time to revel in the little things that make my day. So now is as good a time as any to sit down and think about the things that have made me happy this week.

I found one of my grandmother's scarves that is long enough to make a turban

~ The first one's easy. It's the Canada Day long weekend! Nothing better than a 3-day weekend (except maybe a 4-day weekend).

~ My co-worker really helped me get stuff done yesterday. Being still fairly new to this division, it's nice to know I have people on my side.

~ We went for (all you can eat) sushi for our friend's 30th birthday this week. Nothing like a good case of the sushi-sweats to make you happy.

~ We're finished cleaning our old place and just have two boxes left to pick up. And. It's. History!

~ After a really long day and an hour-long drive home, Nick made me one of my favourite dinners (and even let me eat it curled up on the couch - he's a big fan of eating at the table).

~ I had a lovely little lunch date with one of my colleagues from my previous position. Sometimes you just need a familiar smile and a chat.

~ I even heard my happy-maker song on the radio, twice. That's definitely a good sign.

Have a fabulous long weekend my friends.

Thursday 27 June 2013

Summer Screams for Country Music

I'm not what you would call a die-hard country music fan. I'm a little more selective. But when the warm weather rolls along, I crave the sound of country music. Something about it just aligns so well with the summer.


Some of these are new, some old, but here are my top country music picks to add to your cottage/camping/backyard playlist this summer.

Summertime - Kenny Chesney
Long Hot Summer - Keith Urban
Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
BBQ Stain - Tim McGraw
Summer Nights - Rascall Flatts
Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band
Alan Jackson - Chattahoochee
Kiss a Girl - Keith Urban
Secret Smile - Rascall Flatts

Get yer boots on!

Wednesday 26 June 2013

Somebody Call the Doctor...

'cause I've got baby fever. Real bad.
It doesn't help that my friends all have the cutest (and, according to Nick, the coolest) kids.
And that everywhere I turn, another friend is expecting.

our furry baby

We've had a couple weekends in a row where some 'cool' babies were present (I'd use the term cute, but you get the idea). Last weekend, while at a fairly loud event, Nick was talking to a couple of people and was yelling (over the music) then, there was the awkward moment when the music stopped and he was still yelling. The phrase he yelled? "I'm totally stalking your baby!" Good thing his lovely accent tempered the scariness of that sentence :)

Looks like I'm not the only one with baby fever.

Tuesday 25 June 2013

Mediterranean Orzo Toss

It's no secret that I love pasta. Nick's feelings on the stuff? Not as in love with it as I am. Unless we're having orzo*. Not sure what makes it so different to him, but I'm not going to question it. So, the other day, we weren't feeling a real 'dinner' type meal, so we opted for some Mediterranean flavours mixed into some orzo.

All you need to do is grab your favourite Mediterranean ingredients. I used: onion, red pepper, cucumber, chickpeas, olives (kept those separate but added them in for Nick), & feta cheese.

Chop the ingredients into bite sized pieces. Toss with the cooked pasta (I like it served cool, so if you can, make the pasta in advance and let it hang out). Then add olive oil (enough to dress it without leaving a puddle at the bottom), balsamic vinegar or acid of your choice (lemon juice, red wine vinegar, etc), a little dried oregano, and salt and pepper.





It's a perfect summer supper for those hot hot days.

*orzo is pasta, but it kinda looks like rice  

Monday 24 June 2013

Weekend Bits








What a wonderfully busy weekend. We celebrated our dating anniversary on Friday night with sushi and beer (the original first date menu) in our back yard. I also learned how to use the new instavideo for instagram and am now slightly obsessed.

We spent Saturday getting ready for our lovely friends' stag and doe which was a great success. And by success I mean Nick won a pair of TFC tickets! I jumped up and down like a giddy child until someone said "are you sure he's going to take you?" Turns out, he is :)

Sunday was mainly spent recovering, although the closet is in good shape and the dresser is built and filled. House photos to follow in a later post. We still managed to have a couple beers and enjoy the hot weather.

Hope you all have a great start to the week!

Friday 21 June 2013

Five Years

Today, the beautiful first day of summer, also marks Nick's and my dating anniversary. The infamous sushi and Guinness date. It wasn't our first date, but it was one of those special dates where we just knew this was something special. It was also the date where we had our first kiss (awwww).


Cheers to five amazing years and many more to come, my love!

Thursday 20 June 2013

Bits & Bobs


Good morning, from the forest behind our new place.

+ It's really nice to have a little forest trail so close to our house. Although it has crossed my mind that when I'm back there at 6:30am, there may be a creeper waiting to kidnap me.

+ I used to think I was a pro at assembling Ikea furniture. Not so much today. We still aren't finished the dresser because after several hours of assembly (and finding out which part of the instructions I read wrong), I ran out of energy. Maybe tonight...

+ Is this week moving a the pace of a 100 year old tortoise for anyone else, or is it just me?

+ Should I try watching Game of Thrones again? I mean, everyone is always talking about it, but I wasn't hooked after the first couple of episodes...

+ Tomorrow is the first day of summer! And my dating anniversary with the hubs ;)

+ Remember when I tried drinking lemon-water? I'm totally over that now. Morning coffee all the way. In fact, I'm drinking one riiiight now.

+ After yesterday's post, Rocky seems to have improved (thanks for the support/advice Ali). I even spoke to my next door neighbour (who works from home, I found out) and she said he was quiet all day. Relief!

+ One of my new year's resolutions was to read a book a month. I've fallen behind one month (chalking it up to the move) and I need recommendations please and thank you.

Wednesday 19 June 2013

Dog Problems

What to do with an over-anxious dog?

My dog, who I’m totally enamored with, is a little bit crazy. Crazy in the sense that he has serious separation anxiety (trust me, I know, I majored in Psych).

how can something this innocent be so insane?
So you can imagine my concern when we moved into a new place, a condo for that matter, and he barks like banshee when we leave him alone. Luckily, Therapist Dad to the rescue with a plan. Knock on the neighbours’ doors, explain the scenario, and ask them how long he barked for. Then brace yourself for a tongue-lashing because his bark is so loud/ear-piercing. I’m literally losing sleep over this.
I could barely concentrate on my drive to work, just picturing him barking all day, and my neighbours trying to have us kicked out. Overreacting? Not really, it has actually happened once before.

Nick was so sweet. He was testing different things, including reading up on the dog whisperer’s website.

Anyone else have a slightly crazy dog? Any advice (beside moving into the middle of nowhere)?

Tuesday 18 June 2013

Life Lessons from Saved by the Bell

Semi-recently I found out that all the Saved by the Bell episodes are now on Netflix (American Netflix, people). How did I find out? My adorable little brother said to me "did you know, that in the first season of SBTB, there was no Jessie, Kelly, or Slater?"
Yes. Yes I did. There was Zack, Screech, Lisa, Max and Nicki. And Miss Bliss, of course.

I am quite sure I know every single episode. I used to watch it every day after school. My mom would bring me a snack of choice - either popcorn with extra butter, or nachos made with cheese whiz (and we wonder why I'm addicted to popcorn and fake cheese).

via
Anyway, Saved by the Bell provided so much more than after-school entertainment. It was the source of many life lessons, like these:

+ In school, like in life, there are distinct groups: The jocks, the nerds, the dweebs, the rich kids, the cheerleaders, the cool kids, etc. Except in real life, the nerds turn out to be the cool (and subsequently rich) kids.
+ Caffeine pills ARE habit forming, and taking too many can take you from 'so excited' to 'so scared'.
+ If you want tickets to that amazing concert, it's ok to hideout in a mall and sleep in the camping store in order to be first in line the next morning.
+ It's totally creepy to wear scuba gear to take pictures of girls at swim practice. Especially if you're selling the pics.
+ If you aren't going to graduate because you're one credit short, chances are, you can join the school ballet and dance your way into your cap and gown.
+ Never date the principal's daughter.
+ Speaking of principals, you should be his/her friend, after all, the last three letters spell 'Pal'.
+ Kicking the tv isn't a good way to express anger over a discontinued nail polish.
+ You can get way more dates if you learn to drive.
+ There's no cooler outfit than spandex shorts (just above the knee), denim shorts on top, a cropped sweatshirt, slouch socks, sneakers and a matching scrunchie.
+ If you're lucky enough to have a wildlife pond/area on your school's property, you should do whatever it takes to stop the big bad oil companies from drilling on your schoolyard.
+ If for some reason, you can afford to go to prom, having to wash your hair is a really good excuse.
+ The best way to display your old jeans is on a bulletin board, on the back of your bedroom door.
+ There's no hope, with dope.

I could go on all day, but instead, I'll leave you with this (which I just typed, without looking up any words, because I'm that much of a loser cool)

When I wake up in the morning and the alarm gives out a warning, I don't think I'll ever make it on time.
By the time I grab my books and I give myself a look I'm at the corner just in time to see the bus fly by!
It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the bell.
When the teacher pops a test, I know I'm in a mess and the dog ate all my homework last night.
Riding low in my chair and she won't know that I'm there if I can hand it in tomorrow it'll be alright!
It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the bell.
{electric guitar bridge}
It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the
It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the
It's alright 'cause I'm saved by the bell!

Ps. Zack and Kelly's wedding anyone?

Monday 17 June 2013

Learning to Share

This past weekend was our big move. We are officially home-owners. There will be lots of new things that come with this new adventure.
I would say that on the whole, I'm good at sharing. The only thing I know I don't share well is popcorn.

That being said, we are embarking on a new adventure in the world of sharing. We will be sharing the same closet and the same dresser. Can. You. Believe. This.??

For the entire time we've lived together, Nick's clothes have always had a happy home in the spare bedroom. That way, all the closet space in our room was mine (uh reading that makes me sound horrible). Now, our spare bedroom doesn't have much in the way of closets, so we're sharing the master closet. Plus we ditched our separate dressers and we're buying one for both of us.

I can only wonder how we are going to meet this challenge. I'm cautiously optimistic.

First things first, we have to put our clothes away.


Friday 14 June 2013

Happy Friday

Guess what today is? It's the day we close on our new place! We are beyond excited. Here she is:

We'll do a little moving tonight, and the rest tomorrow. I will add more pictures once we get a little more organized. I can't wait to just sit in our backyard (we haven't had one for awhile!) and enjoy it. Clearly, this is making me happy today.

We're also going to a bbq with friends and it's the Sound of Music festival (no, not like the movie. I could only wish!) in Burlington. I hope you have a great weekend too!

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Father's Day

Father's Day
There are tons of great gift guides for father's day floating around the blog world, like this, this and this. Here's my take on gifts suited specifically to my dad. 

+ He's a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so that usually must be part of any good gift.
+ He loves good quality skin care products.
+ His two sports of choice are golf and biking, so some brightly coloured golf shirts and golf balls are a must. Plus the iphone case is great and reflects his hobby.
+ He listens to a lot of radio and I thought the old-school portable one was pretty cool.
+ Last but not least, a favourite DVD. Sorry Dad, I've outed you on your very odd totally normal taste in movies.

Ps. Despite the fact that my dad likes to tease us about it being the cost of the gift that counts (not the thought), time spent together is by far the best father's day gift (deep down, I'm pretty sure he agrees!)

Tuesday 11 June 2013

On Last Night's Episode of the Bachelorette

It was never my intention to blog about this season of The Bachelorette but the contestants keep giving out material that I just can't ignore.

via
Take, for example, Brandon. Here are some lessons learned from his experience:
Don't tell her you're falling in love with her on the third week. Just don't.
Don't break down in tears, reliving painful childhood memories, during your on-camera interview.
Don't then recount those details for the girl, almost breaking down in tears again.
Why, you ask?
It screams 'emotional baggage!' and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that chicks don't dig that.

And he wondered why he didn't get a rose. He was actually surprised. He told her she was making a mistake. Then he cried about it, drawing a comparison back, yet again, to the painful childhood memories. The entire time I was cringing.

Poor guy. Up until the 'falling in love' statement, I thought he may have a chance at sticking around for another week.

Future applicants to The Bachelorette remember, if you have a full luggage set of emotional problems, this is not the show for you.

Ps. At least she kicked off the guy who's girlfriend/ex girlfriend/friend with benefits showed up to confront him. She may be smarter than I was willing to give her credit for...

Pps. Juan Pablo. Yes.

Monday 10 June 2013

Weekend Snaps: Wedding Edition

I made it no secret that it's wedding season around these parts. This past weekend was super special. One of my best friends married her best friend (and trust me on this, they are the perfect pair). The wedding was held at the Liberty Grand in Toronto and let me tell you, that venue is spectacular. True to its name, it is indeed grand. As with any wedding, there are always a few minor (or major, if that includes the bride running a fever) hiccups, but they were handled gracefully (from what I saw at least ;)). It was such a beautiful day and I'm so privileged that I was able to stand up beside them.

I tried to take snaps throughout the day, with the exception of not having a camera on me during the ceremony (duh) until after dinner.


More pictures, if you'd like to see...

Friday 7 June 2013

Happy Friday - How Sweet It Is

Among the things making me happy, this one is at the top. Two of my closest friends are being married tomorrow. Last night, we rehearsed, and then we ate. And ate. His parents cooked up an absolute feast. Unfortunately I was too busy eating and enjoying to capture the food, however I did make time to snap the sweets. Keep in mind, this is a spread suitable for a huge party, and there were probably 20 people there :)












The wedding party was totally spoiled. Wait - shouldn't that be reserved for the Bride and Groom?

I hope you have a wonderful weekend, I know I will!

Thursday 6 June 2013

Thirsty Thursday: Bar Carts

One thing that I'm constantly pinning on Pinterest is bar carts. Since we're moving to our first place as official homeowners, Nick and I are excited to truly make it our own. We are going to set up a bar cart of sorts, our name for it right now is an 'adult beverage station' (since we may not be using a cart per say).

I also want to see if I can like the taste of scotch. Scotchy scotch scotch :) It seems like a sophisticated thing to sip on. As my friend Amy (who loves scotch) says, "you didn't like the taste of coffee or wine right away either". Truth.

Without further adieu, here are some wonderful bar carts to inspire your liquor drinking on this Thursday.









1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7
Stay thirsty my friends.
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