Happy Birthday

At this moment 26 years ago I was born. I'll be celebrating my birthday with my Hubs, who luckily has the weekend off with me.

Graduation Day!!

Congratulations to my brother who graduates high school today. May you enjoyed continued success in whatever endevors you encounter.

Happy Birthday

Happy 6th Birthday to my Stepdaughter Clara.

Wedding DIY

To help cut costs for our wedding, I DIY'd a bunch of items, or purchased items that weren't considered wedding-y, but still worked with our theme.

I found our initials and last name initial at Michaels, and thought it would be cute to put them on our candy table, blinged up a bit.

Decorated with white and chocolate brown stick on half pearls

                                       Decorated with white and aqua stick on half pearls

                                  Tealight holders I found in our wedding colors for a buck a piece

 I bought the girls a crystal pin with their first name initial on it to be placed on their bouquet. I paid $3 for each one from Walmart.

 I bought these earring and necklace sets from walmart for each of the bridesmaids. The necklace had each girls first name initial. It made them extra special to wear on the wedding day.

 I bought these cards in the discount bin at Michaels for $1 (per pack of 10) and used them for table numbers and menu cards. The aqua trim matched our colors and I printed the menu and table number in chocolate brown. The starfish holder was bought at the dollar store for 2 for $1.

I found these travel makeup bags at Superstore for the girls, they matched our colors perfectly and were $5 each.

Hubs found this cake cutting set at a little shop set up outside his work. They are made local and the colors in the stones matched perfectly.

I bought these Shoes at Le Chateau for $20 and decided to bling them up on my own

I bought these at Michaels Craft store, had to have one to keep and one to toss, paid ~15 for both

 I bought these little bags from Michaels (again going with the chocolate brown color), and personalized the stickers with our names, wedding date and last name in the big letter. I bought ribbon that said "thank you" ($1 a thing for the ribbon) for guests to use to close the bags

Used crystals to add my new last initial to the bottom of my wedding shoes

Bridesmaids used the crystals to add something blue to their flip flops. Flip flops were less then $5 at Old Navy for the girls.

Name brand of the crystals I used on my shoes and the girls shoes. I believe I paid around $8 for the pack, but there were a ton of crystals in it.

                                     I added our wedding date to the bottom of my other shoe

For our candy table, I hand made chocolate pretzels with light blue drizzle on them

I found iron on decals of "maid of honor, bridesmaid, and bride" for $1 a piece in the Michaels clearance bin. We picked up black and a white tshirt at Walmart for $5 each, and wore these to my bachelorette party.

Wedding Invites

When Hubs and I first got engaged I started looking for wedding invites. Boy was I suprised to find out how expensive they are. I looked into professional companies (way way to expensive), online companies (wasn't comfortable with doing everything online), and some local businesses (looked a little to cheap in my mind). I started looking into the idea of doing my own wedding invites (thanks The Knot for the idea) and started looking around. I decided to check out Michael's Craft Store, since the girls on the Knot were always using Michaels for all sorts of wedding DIY. They had a huge selection of wedding invites to choose from and at a decent price. I was lucky to come across 2 different sets (1 chocolate brown and 1 light blue), that fit my wedding colors so I bought one of each (unfortunately I can't find them on the Michaels website anymore).  They were from the Bride collection and cost $55 each (for 30 invites I believe). I bought them with 50% off store coupons, so I was able to get 2 boxes of invites for $55.

I was a little worried about doing the invites on my own but they turned out pretty good. The invites came with instruction on how to word various parts, as well as how to run them through the printer. The first 1-2 invites I did ended up working out the kinks and after that it was smooth sailing. I loved that I could customize the font color and style and word the invites however I liked. I ended up mixing and matching both boxes of invites to get our wedding colors in each invite. I also hand addressed the envelopes as I found it easier then typing and printing each envelope. I was also pleased to find out that my invites could be mailed with a regular postage stamp.

The brown invite set

Here is a pic of one of our finished invites, sorry its on its side, I can't seem to turn it around.

I would definitly recommend the Bride collection of invites to any Bride. They are easy to use, inexpensive and a fun way to DIY part of your wedding day

Up, up and away....

Later today I'm catching a flight home to visit with my family and friends for 10 days. I'm so excited, its been a year since I've been home and seen anyone, and I'm excited to watch my brother graduate high school. I just wish Hubs could have gotten the time off work to come with me.

Sad day....

It's with great sadness that I share that Hubs grandfather passed away Saturday night. He had been home in palliative care for a little over 2 weeks before he passed. We were lucky enough to get the chance to go visit him a couple weeks ago, to say our goodbyes and see him one last time. It's hard to believe he is gone and I know its going to be hard to visit Hubs grandmother and not have his grandfather around. Even though I've only known Hubs grandfather for 4 years, it feels like he was my own grandfather. He was one of the nicest, family oriented men I have ever met. I became an instant part of Hubs family when I met his grandfather. He welcomed me with open arms and was so excited when he found out Hubs and I were going to get married. He will be greatly missed by all his family, and I wish our future children would have gotten the chance to meet him. He loved all his grandchildren dearly. I'm glad that he went peacefully and at home where he wanted to be with his loving wife with him. You may be gone but you'll never be forgotten. You'll be the peak a boo of sun on a cloudy day, the rainbow after the storm and the brightest star in the sky.

We love and miss you dearly,
xoxoxo

Updated 101 in 1001

This is my second version of 101 in 1001. I finished most of the things on my original list sooner then I had expected and so I decided to make another list.

Not familiar with the 101 Things in 1001 Days project? Check out this website.
The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of effort on your part).

Start Date: November 14, 2011
End Date: August 10, 2014

Marriage & Family
1. “Date night” with Hubs once a month (23/33)
2. Have a baby
3. Celebrate 2nd Anniversary
4. Talk to home every weekend (45/132)
5. Visit Halifax for my brother's grad (Completed June 2012)
6. Buy a 2nd house
7. Get pregnant
8. Celebrate our 1st Christmas in our New House (Completed Dec 25, 2011)
9. Go on a vacation with family

Mind, Body & Soul
10. Lose 10 lbs (Hope to do so by July)
11. Learn to cook a new healthy meal
12. Complete some form of exercise at least 3 times per week (Completed Jan 2012)
13. Read at least one book per month (16/33)
14. Give up soda for a week (Completed May 2012)
15. Learn a new recipe and cook it at least once a month (10/33)
16. Get a hobby (Does going to the gym count??)
17. Have a bubble bath (Completed Dec 21, 2011)
18. Get a library card
19. Spend a day at the ocean (Completed May 2012)
20. Declutter (Completed Jan 2012)

21. Go on another trip (Completed May 2012)
22. Do something for myself at least once a month (21/33)
23. No dessert or cookies at work for 2 weeks
24. For one week, go to bed at 9:00 p.m. just to read
25. After baby, get back to pre-pregnancy weight
26. Go for a walk with Hubby every night for a week
27. No eating after 8:00 p.m. for a month

Home Is Where the Heart Is

28. Get spare rooms organized (Completed April 2012)
29. Buy a dresser for spare room
30. Hang wedding pictures
31. Cook our first turkey (Completed December 24, 2011)
32. Get a new dresser set
33. Reno the main bathroom (Completed March 2012)
34. Empty entire fridge, clean it, then put everything back in (Completed Jan 2012)
35. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
36. Defrost freezer twice a year (2/6)
37. Repaint shed
38. Buy blinds for the house

All Work, No Play
39. Get a new fridge
40. Get a new dishwasher
41. Stay on top of the house cleaning (29/33)
42. Start a wedding planning business
43. Help Hubs achieve his work goals

44. Get a new job, closer to home or clerical
45. Take another course at work
46. Learn to speak Spanish

Hit the Open Road
47. Take a spontaneous road trip
48. Travel to Hawaii
49. Visit Newfoundland
50. Visit friends in Winnipeg
51. Go camping at least once each summer (2/3)
52. Have a picnic in the park we got married
53. Visit the Buchart gardens in the winter
54. Visit Hubbs friends in Alberta

I ♥ Food
55. Update my recipe book with new recipes (At least once a month (19/33)
56. Try a new restaurant (Completed December 19, 2011)
57. Try making a new cultural food (Completed Feb 2012, Made Vietnamese Pho Soup)
58. Don't eat out for an entire month
59. Make homemade pasta
60. Put new recipe's on the blog (3/3)
61. Make tapas

Friends Are Forever
62. Email/text my best friend once a week (10/146)
63. Send Christmas cards each Christmas (2/3)
64. E-mail friends at least once per month (3/33)
65. Catch up with an old friend
66. Have a party or dinner party
67. Send birthday cards to all friends/family in 2012

Pinching Pennies
68. Save for another house
69. Set up retirement savings

Cha-Ching
70. Make a budget
71. Put more money on the house
72. Put more money on the car payment
73. Save for a rainy day

Pay It Forward
74. Donate to charity
75. Volunteer for a good cause
76. Buy something from a thrift store that supports a charity
77. Donate money to a children's charity (6/6)

Just for Fun
78. Go skiing
79. Go to a hockey game
80. Go to the fall fair
81. Buy a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and carve it
82. Rent a hotel room for a night to get away (We spent 2 weeks in a hotel so this is counting)
83. Take more pictures
84. Have a Christmas cookie exchange (1/3)
85. Buy a new Christmas tree and decorations

Hobbies & Skills
86. Blog once a week at least (26/33)
87. Learn to cook more things
88. Get some family tradition recipes
89. Make a scrapbook
90. Read a book a month (16/33)

Capture the Memories
91. Get wedding album (Completed May 2, 2011)
92. Print photoes of each year's events and put in photo album
93. Get photos printed to hang in home
94. Take more pictures
95. Complete 101 in 1001
96. Send more pictures to family

No More Procrastinating
97. Lose some weight
98. Deweed garden (Completed May 2012)
99. Start an excercise routine (Completed Jan 2012 with gym membership)

101 in 1001
100. Start a new 101 Things in 1001 Days list once this one is completed
101. Get friends in on this project

NYC Nail Polish Review

I'm not branded to one particular type of nail polish. I've tried OPI, Essie, NYC, Wet & Wild, Rimmel, etc etc, and don't seem to find a huge difference between them, other then price (I know some of you girls would beg to differ). For me, its more about the color, then it is about the "how long will it last", "what top/undercoats are built in", etc etc. I've got my fair share of the standard colors (pinks, reds, blues) and have wanted to start branching out with some less common ones (i.e. I recently purchased "Little Brown Dress" from Essie). Since the summer is fast approaching, I wanted to find a summery color.... something bright, something that speaks summer.

While in Walmart the other day, I decided to have a quick peak at what colors they had. I came across a display of NYC polish, and there it was.... a bright, sunny yellow called "Lexington Yellow". Normally I'm not one for yellow nail polish, as I find it washes me out, but this one had the right undertone to it. And who could beat the price at 2 for $3.00! I came home and tried it right away and was happy to find it wasn't too translucent. It take 2-3 coats to get it looking opaque depending on how thick you apply it, but its fun and bright, and inexpensive.

I also happened to come across the NYC "Matte Me Crazy" Mattifying top coat.

I haven't really explored to much with textures other then a normal top coat, with the exception of the OPI Turquoise Shatter polish so I figured what the heck. It's actually quite a fun clear coat. It removes the Shiny finish of any nail polish and makes it Matte (gives each polish 2 possible looks) and you can even use it to give your natural nails a matte finish. I tried it over the Lexington Yellow and it toned it down a little bit. I think as we move into the fall and winter I'm going to have a lot more fun with this topcoat.

Happy Father's Day

Wishing my Hubs, my dad, father in law, and all my grandparents a wonderful Father's Day.

Update on Spanish Flan

I finally decided to make the Spanish Flan the other night. I was a little worried as to how it would turn out since I've never made one before. Lets just say, the reviews were right. This was such an easy flan to make, took minutes to put together (other then melting the sugar), and then off to the oven it goes for 1hr. It's so delicious and both my bosses at work loved it (they are both professional cooks).

The only suggestion they offered was to bake the flan in a water bath (meaning place it in a shallow container of water so it cooks more evenly). The flan was cooked, but their ended up being bubble holes (thats what they looked like) throughout it. They also said to try and beat the mix a little more before baking. Other then that the recipe received 2 thumbs up.

Our Wedding Photographer

Choosing a photographer for your wedding day can be such a daunting task. The photographer you pick will be capturing all the memories and moments of your special day that you will look back on for years to come. In looking for a photographer, I wanted someone who gave me the rights to my pictures (many photographers make you buy your prints through them only). I wanted to be able to use my pictures however I wanted, and print them where I wanted too.

I started looking for photographers by searching the web. I'd look through galleries of photo's of wedding days, engagement shoots and any other work the photographer did to get an idea of their style and whether or not I liked it. My next step was emailing for pricings as many photographers didnt list their prices on their websites. Once I received pricings, I compared what you got in the package to how much the photographer charged. It was quite easy to narrow down my choices in photographers as some charged way to much for a basic package, and others I didn't feel like they captured the day very good (at least in the style of photography that I liked).

We ended up going with Pete Snell from Pete Snell Photography. He charged us around $3400 (can't remember the exact price now) which included:

-2 hr engagement session
-50 Save the Date Cards
-CD of engagement pictures
-All our wedding pictures on a CD
-A second photographer
-Both photographers for 12hrs (they were able to capture everything from getting ready to us cutting our cake and our dances)
-An amazing Bon Match Album
-Prints of our wedding pictures
-An 11x10 picture of our choosing

Pete was excellent to work with. He was willing to meet with us anytime to answer questions or make changes. He was also quick to reply to emails and phone calls. He meet with us countless times over the course of the year before our wedding to discuss details and show us albums, pictures, save the date cards, etc. If we weren't happy with something he worked quickly to fix the problem and make us happy. 

One of the things I enjoyed most about Pete is that he isn't an invasive photographer. I've attended weddings were you see the photographer more then the bride and groom during the ceremony and special moments. With Pete, I hardly seemed to notice him and often wondered if he was even capturing some moments (not only did he capture every moment, there were moments he captured that I had no clue how he managed to get them).

Guys Attire for the Wedding

For the guys attire I had them all wear black suits from Moores. I felt tuxedos were too formal for an outdoor wedding in the summer, yet khakis and short sleeve shirts were a little too casual for the look I was going for. To match the girls, the groomsmen wore aqua and white stripped ties, while my Hubs wore a white stripped tie to match my dress. The guys all wore pink boutonniere's, to match the flowers us girls were carrying. My dad wore his military dress uniform to walk me down the aisle. I always wanted him to walk me down the aisle in his military uniform and he obliged after a bit of persuasion. He later changed into dress pants and shirt.

                                            Don't the guys look sharp!

Here are all of us together:

Working with Moores was great. We walked in without an appointment and one of the associates was quick to help us. She walked us through the different styles of suits, colors and options we had available to us. I was a little worried that because all the groomsmen didnt live close, how sizing them would work (not all of them lived near a Moores for sizing either). This never became a problem. We were able to get a sizing sheet emailed to each of the groomsmen, have it filled out by a local store who provided sizing,  and all they had to do was email it back to Moores who took care of everything. Moores even provided my Hubs with a spare white shirt in case something spilled on it and he needed to change. I would definitly recommend working with Moores for any wedding, prom or special occasion that needs a suit or tux.

Updated 101 in 1001

This is my second version of 101 in 1001. I finished most of the things on my original list sooner then I had expected and so I decided to make another list.

Not familiar with the 101 Things in 1001 Days project? Check out this website.
The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable, or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of effort on your part).

Start Date: November 14, 2011
End Date: August 10, 2014

Marriage & Family
1. “Date night” with Hubs once a month (22/33)
2. Have a baby
3. Celebrate 2nd Anniversary
4. Talk to home every weekend (44/132)
5. Visit Halifax for my brother's grad (Completed June 2012)
6. Buy a 2nd house
7. Get pregnant
8. Celebrate our 1st Christmas in our New House (Completed Dec 25, 2011)
9. Go on a vacation with family

Mind, Body & Soul
10. Lose 10 lbs (Hope to do so by July)
11. Learn to cook a new healthy meal
12. Complete some form of exercise at least 3 times per week (Completed Jan 2012)
13. Read at least one book per month (15/33)
14. Give up soda for a week (Completed May 2012)
15. Learn a new recipe and cook it at least once a month (9/33)
16. Get a hobby (Does going to the gym count??)
17. Have a bubble bath (Completed Dec 21, 2011)
18. Get a library card
19. Spend a day at the ocean (Completed May 2012)
20. Declutter (Completed Jan 2012)

21. Go on another trip (Completed May 2012)
22. Do something for myself at least once a month (20/33)
23. No dessert or cookies at work for 2 weeks
24. For one week, go to bed at 9:00 p.m. just to read
25. After baby, get back to pre-pregnancy weight
26. Go for a walk with Hubby every night for a week
27. No eating after 8:00 p.m. for a month

Home Is Where the Heart Is

28. Get spare rooms organized (Completed April 2012)
29. Buy a dresser for spare room
30. Hang wedding pictures
31. Cook our first turkey (Completed December 24, 2011)
32. Get a new dresser set
33. Reno the main bathroom (Completed March 2012)
34. Empty entire fridge, clean it, then put everything back in (Completed Jan 2012)
35. Reorganize kitchen cabinets
36. Defrost freezer twice a year (2/6)
37. Repaint shed
38. Buy blinds for the house

All Work, No Play
39. Get a new fridge
40. Get a new dishwasher
41. Stay on top of the house cleaning (28/33)
42. Start a wedding planning business
43. Help Hubs achieve his work goals

44. Get a new job, closer to home or clerical
45. Take another course at work
46. Learn to speak Spanish

Hit the Open Road
47. Take a spontaneous road trip
48. Travel to Hawaii
49. Visit Newfoundland
50. Visit friends in Winnipeg
51. Go camping at least once each summer (2/3)
52. Have a picnic in the park we got married
53. Visit the Buchart gardens in the winter
54. Visit Hubbs friends in Alberta

I ♥ Food
55. Update my recipe book with new recipes (At least once a month (18/33)
56. Try a new restaurant (Completed December 19, 2011)
57. Try making a new cultural food (Completed Feb 2012, Made Vietnamese Pho Soup)
58. Don't eat out for an entire month
59. Make homemade pasta
60. Put new recipe's on the blog (3/3)
61. Make tapas

Friends Are Forever
62. Email/text my best friend once a week (8/146)
63. Send Christmas cards each Christmas (2/3)
64. E-mail friends at least once per month (3/33)
65. Catch up with an old friend
66. Have a party or dinner party
67. Send birthday cards to all friends/family in 2012

Pinching Pennies
68. Save for another house
69. Set up retirement savings

Cha-Ching
70. Make a budget
71. Put more money on the house
72. Put more money on the car payment
73. Save for a rainy day

Pay It Forward
74. Donate to charity
75. Volunteer for a good cause
76. Buy something from a thrift store that supports a charity
77. Donate money to a children's charity (6/6)

Just for Fun
78. Go skiing
79. Go to a hockey game
80. Go to the fall fair
81. Buy a pumpkin from a pumpkin patch and carve it
82. Rent a hotel room for a night to get away (We spent 2 weeks in a hotel so this is counting)
83. Take more pictures
84. Have a Christmas cookie exchange (1/3)
85. Buy a new Christmas tree and decorations

Hobbies & Skills
86. Blog once a week at least (25/33)
87. Learn to cook more things
88. Get some family tradition recipes
89. Make a scrapbook
90. Read a book a month (15/33)

Capture the Memories
91. Get wedding album (Completed May 2, 2011)
92. Print photoes of each year's events and put in photo album
93. Get photos printed to hang in home
94. Take more pictures
95. Complete 101 in 1001
96. Send more pictures to family

No More Procrastinating
97. Lose some weight
98. Deweed garden (Completed May 2012)
99. Start an excercise routine (Completed Jan 2012 with gym membership)

101 in 1001
100. Start a new 101 Things in 1001 Days list once this one is completed
101. Get friends in on this project

It's June!

I can't believe its June already, I know I seem to say that every month, but time really does seem to be flying by. We got back from Mexico 2 weeks ago and its been go go go ever since. 

On May 20th, we attended the wedding of one of Hubs good friends. It was held at one of our local golf courses. The ceremony and reception was decorated with chocolate brown and light pink as their colors, and bursts of cherry blossoms here and there. The bride's dress was gorgeous and they all carried pink daisy bouquets. Due to rain and a chill in the air, the ceremony had to be moved inside the clubhouse, but other then that the day went flawless. The food was delicious (based on wedding standards) and there was dessert and candy galor. A couple days after the wedding the happy couple were off to their honeymoon in Hawaii.

Hubs and I ended up making an unexpected trip up Island last week due to Hubs grandfather being quite ill. We spent 3 days with his family and grandfather (they sent him home Monday under palliative care).  As sick as he is, he had a great spirit while we were visiting.

On May 26th, Hubs best friend growing up, had a baby girl named Mila. We were all a little suprised when she weighed in at a little over 8lbs. She is happy and healthy and we're hoping we get to meet her today.

We finally started working on our front garden. It's been the bain of our existance since we moved into our new home. Having done so many other reno's inside, traveling and working, we just haven't had the time to work on it until now. I came home from work earlier this week and found Hubs started the garden demolition project. He dug out all the grass, weeds and plants we no longer wanted and trimmed the tree and shrubs we wanted to keep. We ended up on a quick trip to the local nursery and picked up garden trim, bark mulch and a couple of brightly colored Dahlia plants. Our garden was so large, we cut the size of it in half, and its still quite big. We started by spreading out some fresh soil and replanting a shrub, an astromeria, 2 rose bushes and a hydrangea. I bought some landscaping mesh last year on sale, and we used it around the plants to help prevent the growth of more weeds (or at least lessen the amount of weeding we need to do this year). We spread a little bonemeal around the plants and topped it with more soil and a bunch of bark mulch. The garden looks so much better, and makes our yard not look like its been neglected I'll be sure to post some pictures soon.

Coming up later in the month is my step daughter's birthday (She is going to be 6), my birthday, and I'll be heading home for 10 days to visit family and for my brother's high school graduation.

Next month, Hubs and I will be celebrating our 2nd anniversary.