2012 & A Blog Year In Review

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of 2012! The year has dragged on, seeming never ending. The year has also gone quickly, needing it to slow down so I could get things accomplished. It was a year of ups and downs...not just for myself, but for a lot of people. 

 

The end of the is often a time of reflection and goal setting. We look back on the past year and see what we learned, experienced and gained. We also look at losses and things that maybe didn't go exactly as planned. We take this time of reflection to also figure out what goals (or resolutions) we'd like to set for the coming year. What we'd like to do differently, what we would like to improve on and what we'd like to accomplish. 

While 2012 was a bit of a struggle, I'm happy that I'm ending it on a good note. I'm lucky to have some amazing people in my life who are nothing but supportive and a source of laughter and happiness. 

 

(Not to mention, Canada went undefeated in round robin and got a bye to the semi-finals at the World Juniors and that Canada won the Spengler Cup!)

 

Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book.
Write a good one. - Brad Paisley

 

Wishing everyone nothing but happiness, health and laughter in 2013!

 

 

 

Here are my favourite posts 2012:

January: Favourite Thing- Pregnant Coworker

February: LOL- Divert Your Course

March: Make With Me- Yogurt Dots

April: Favourite Thing- Bible

May: Favorite Thing- Family

June: Make With Me- Pink Flamingo

July: Favourite Thing- Muskokas

August: Grandpa, Favourite Thing- Dilshad Vadsaria

September: World Alzheimer's Month- Facts & Stats

October: LOL & Sunday Social- Canadian Autumn

November: 5 Questions- Brittany Toll

December: Shall I Play For You?

 

 

 

Secret Santa #2 & Christmas Recap

A little while ago, I signed up for the Secret Santa Swap that Paige from Eloping Stethoscope hosted. Today is the day that we reveal what we got. Sadly, I have yet to receive my package, so I can't show what I got.

I got to play Secret Santa to Karen over at Ramblings of an Otter Wifey.

Head over to Karen's blog to see what she got!

The second part of this link up was to do a Christmas recap. I did take a lot of pictures, but failed to bring the cord needed to upload the pictures from my camera to my computer. 

I started Christmas celebrations Christmas Eve, with meeting my longest friend (20+ years!) for breakfast followed by meeting two high school friends for lunch. They had lunch, I had iced tea, as I had just come from breakfast.

Later, that evening my family headed to my grandmother's house for hors d'oeuvres. My uncle and one cousin were there, my other cousin was missed, but she was in Toronto. We took our annual cousin Christmas picture. Afterwards we went to my other grandparents house for a visit before heading home. 

Once home, my dad and brother started cooking dinner, which was really just seafood (yuck) and I took the opportunity to wrap some presents before heading out to a friends' house. I've spent Christmas Eve with her family for years. We exchanged gifts (chocolate and shower gel from her, Tim Hortons gift card from her parents, and Candy Cane Mudslide from a family friend) and had dinner. Add in laughter and it was the perfect night!

I went home around midnight, had a visit with my dad and sister before finishing wrapping my gifts. After my gifts were wrapped and under the tree, I helped my dad/Santa and filled the stockings.

As a Roman Catholic, we went to 9am Mass and celebrated the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

After Church, we went home and did some some stuff (make coffee, etc) before opening gifts. We always start with our stockings before moving on to actual presents. 

Some of the things I got:

• Stuff for my apartment (I made a list on Bed Bath & Beyond for my parents)- slow cooker, dust buster, door mat, silverware, coasters, lamp, etc
• Starbucks gift certificate
• Movie pass, including popcorn, for two
• Pomegranate tree (well, the seeds to grow a tree)
• iTunes gift card
• Cash

Around 1, my extended family (both sides, minus the uncle and cousin from Christmas Eve) came over. We had soup, salad, crepes, steak, chicken, potatoes, peas & mushrooms, stuffing, cheesecake, tiramisu, cookies...and I think that's it. And Christmas crackers!

After everyone left, we had some down time before going to my grandma's to open presents. We then headed home, to watch The Big Bang Theory marathon. It was an early night because we (dad, sister and I) would be up at 4am to watch Canada play Germany in their opening game of the World Junior Championship.

All is all, it was a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Sunday Social

Before moving on to Sunday Social, I just wanted to take a minute to remember Julia, who passed away one year ago today. She was so amazing and inspirational, leaving a huge mark on the world and a great legacy. You can read about Julia here.

While it's always sad when someone dies, especially someone so young, I take comfort in my faith. Knowing they are luck to be called home to our Heavenly Father, that they have fulfilled their purpose on Earth. 

So wrap Your arms around her Lord and give her special care.

Make up for all she suffered and all that seemed unfair. 

Rest in peace Julia.

         What is your favorite ice cream flavor? I have so many flavours that I love. But, because I'm being sentimental today, I'm going to say Pralines and Cream, which I do like, but was my grandpa's favourite. 
What is your favorite smell?
The beach! I love the smell of fresh air, water and sunscreen mixed together.
What is your favorite TV commercial? (Past or Present)

The second one if only funny if you understand French.    What is your favorite day of the week? Saturday! I love being able to sleep in and know I don't really have to do anything that day. 
What is your favorite way to waste time? Read Twitter feeds (my own and the ones that are trending). 
What is your favorite article of clothing? (Feel free to show a picture) Sweatshirts! They are so comfortable. I also love cardigans, I wear one almost everyday. 

Christmas Style- Tag! You're It

Earlier this week, Nikki from The Crafty Side of Sarcasm tagged me to play this Christmas inspired game of tag!

This was created by Lanaya from Raising Reagan and it’s similar to when you win a blog award and then you nominate new people. When someone tags you, you answer their questions and then tag 5 new people. It’s a great way to learn how other people celebrate Christmas. 

1. What is your favorite holiday movie & holiday song?

My favourite holiday movie is Elf...So funny! My favourite song...It's hard to pick just one! So, I'm just going to say the three I blogged about yesterday... Santa Claus is Comin to Town (The Sing-Off), I Pray on Christmas (Harry Connick Jr) and Angels We Have Heard on High (Pentatonix)
 

2. What did you want for Christmas but you never got?
A pony! *fingers crossed* I think this might be the year!

3. Who told you about Santa or did you find out yourself?
This is horrible... I was really, really little, maybe  4. I was at the mall with my dad and I overheard two people talking. The girl said "I hope Santa's good to you to you this year." and the guy said "My parents are always good to me." I was devastated.

4. What’s your favorite holiday drink?
Peppermint Mochas from Starbucks

5. What’s your favorite ornament?My baby ornament. It says Baby First Christmas with the year. I believe my godmother gave it to me.

Okay, now it’s my turn. I tag:
1. Amber W
2. Breanna
3. Amber M
4. Jenn
5. Terri

Here are your questions to answer:
1. What's your favourite Christmas song?
2. What's your favourite Christmas tradition?
3. What's your favourite Christmas story
4. Who's your favourite reindeer?
5. What's your favourite gift that you bought for someone this year?

Answer these questions and tag five more awesome bloggers. After you’ve done your post, come back here and leave me a comment with the link to it because I don’t want to miss it! Instruct your tag-ees to do the same for you. Don’t forget to link your post back to Raising Reagan

Favourite Thing- Christmas Music

I can't believe it's Friday already! I had a super busy week and today is my last day of work until 2013! Our staff is going out for lunch today and doing our own Secret Santa. I bought Christmas crackers for our lunch- I love those things!

Anyway, this week I thought I'd share some of my favourite Christmas songs!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town ~The Sing-Off

I Pray on Christmas~ Harry Connick Jr

Angels We Have Heard on High~ Pentatonix

Secret Santa Swap #1

A couple of months ago, I signed up for a Secret Santa swap hosted by Messy.Dirty.Hair, Perception is Everything, and My Cliffnotes.

Today is the day to link up and do our reveal! My package hasn't arrived yet, so I can't do my reveal, but I can say that I was Secret Santa to Terri from Rambling Momma! I had so much secretly getting to know Terri and I hope she likes the package I sent her.

Thanks to Kelly, Janna and Tabitha for hosting!

Oh So Social- Christmas Social & Play

I've had the chance to participate in several holiday social gatherings, with more to take place in the coming days. But, I did want to highlight two events from the past week. 

I work for a non-profit and our executive director arranged for the staff and board to have a Christmas social. ED asked me to come up with something fun for us to do at the social. So, we decorated gingerbread people!

 

A co-workers gingerbread person

Two board members...the one the right had never decorated a gingerbread person before!

My gingerbread person...I'm not as detail oriented as others!

Some people were, initially, more into it than other. In the end, everyone had a great time!

Last weekend, I was at my families second home, where I ended up visiting with my cousins. My little cousin was going to be in a play later that night and I was given a ticket to go. 

Mistletoe and Magic, an original play put on by the local Little Theatre, was set in 1908 at The Opera House- a stop on tour of vaudeville shows. 

A1 was the table I was at. Front row, centre...best seat in the house!

The play is basically about the Opera House being double booked for a local production and a professional company. After some discussion (showcasing of acts), the two groups agree to combine their shows into one. During this time, the professional company's owner's niece (played by my little cousin!), a recent orphan, is brought to meet her uncle. There's also a theft, which adds 'mystery' to the play while the characters try to find the missing pearls and catch the thief. 

An intimate setting, less than 100 people all seated at tables, the play showcased local talent...and they were talented! Mix in classic Christmas carols and real magic (or at least magic tricks)...this was a truly entertaining play!

Book Club- The Swimmer's Assistant

Book: The Swimmer's Assistant

Author: Amber Myers (Blog, Twitter)

Amazon Summary: Meet Jane Williams.

She doesn’t understand the popularity of Twilight, can’t walk properly in high heels, struggles to speak Starbucks (venti what?), and nearly drowned in the toilet when she was a baby.

Meet Brian Parker.

He’s a star swimmer with a temper and has just hired Jane to be his assistant as he trains for the London Olympics.

Enter the problem.

Jane has developed feelings for Brian which is ridiculous because he has a dog who hates her, he chews with his mouth open, and has a perfect Twilight-obsessed girlfriend named Vanessa who plays Cinderella at Disneyland. Surely her crush can’t amount to anything. Or can it? There was that time when they nearly kissed…..

What I have to say:  I LOVED this book! I've already twice since I bought it a couple of months ago! This is standard chick lit with a twist, making it fresh and hard to put down. There are several sub-plots, which keep the book interesting, yet easy to follow.

I liked the fact that the 'romance' didn't happen until more than half way into the book, with the plot focus on Jane's trials and tribulations of an assistant to an athlete in LA- a nice departure form NYC and the entertainment/PR industry. Jane's role as an assistant was much more realistic than other chick lit assistants. 

This is such a fun, entertaining and super enjoyable book. A must read for everyone, especially those who enjoy chick lit!

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time   To be excited about going home for the holidays. I can't wait to see and spend time with family and friends. It'll be hectic, but fun.   That I'm counting down the days until the World Juniors start! Which would be 8 days! I LOVE the WJC and can't wait to watch some hockey!   To I'm happy to be off from work Dec 24-Jan 1. The time away from work will hopefully be rejuvenating.   To think the series finale of Gossip Girl was meh. I was mildly surprised with who Gossip Girl was, but I figured it out at the beginning of the episode when Dan and Serena were talking. The best part of the episode was the cameo by Kristin Bell and Rachel Bilson.  

To be Canadian. Our country is pretty awesome. I am so lucky and blessed to live here.

Inspiration

I just realized this is my last Monday of work for 2012! Christmas and the New Year will be here soon. It'll be a busy work week, wrapping things up.

Here's a little inspiration for the week:

Sunday Social

December 16...We only have 16 days left to 2012! Not to mention, 9 days until Christmas and 10 days until the World Juniors start!

I spent the weekend in 'the country', where my family has a second home. I was able to finish up my Christmas shopping. Nothing big- couple boxes of chocolate, candy canes and Christmas cracker, etc. Zellers is where I go to pick up smaller and last minute Christmas items. 

I had a nice visit with some of my cousins. I gave my little cousin her Christmas present- a kit to make reindeer cake pops, a Where's Waldo Christmas activity book, and a Christmas book. I give her a Christmas book every year and this year it was 'The Christmas Story' about the birth of Jesus, done with art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

An unplanned weekend activity was seeing an original play by the Little Theatre. It was really great and a lot of fun. 

  What is the wallpaper on your cell phone? It's a beach scene- sand and water.
What do you keep beside your bed? Depends what bed!  At all three- My cell phone, reading material (book/Kindle/magazine), lotion. Other things include, depending on the bed,- lamp, flashlight, plastic cup, writing material, make up, jewelery, fan....
What is your least favorite chore? All of them! I've always had a housekeeper, so besides cleaning my room and emptying the dishwasher and laundry, I haven't had to do many chores. Now that I live in a small apartment, I don't have a housekeeper and have to do everything myself. It's not much fun, 
If you could eliminate one thing from your daily routine, what would it be? Work! But I still would like the paycheck. 
What do you do to vent anger? Talk it out with a close friend.  Write. Crawl into bed and watch funny movies/tv shows.
What is your favorite Holiday of the year and why? Such a hard question!  Christmas is a natural choice, although it's more the holiday season that I love opposed to the actual day. Canada Day is also a favourite because it celebrates the founding of our nation and what it means to be Canadian. Plus there's fireworks.  Victoria Day, which is the unofficial kick-off to summer. Another long weekend and there's fireworks. Boxing Day (Dec 26) is also a favourite because it's the start of the World Juniors.  While I really have no idea and it's hard to pick a favourite, I'm going to go with my standard answer to this question: Valentine's Day, because it's my birthday.

Favourite Thing- Christmas Cards

Oh Friday...I didn't think you would every arrive this week! I've had a crazy, busy, hectic week and I think with the holidays (and World Juniors!) quickly approaching, everything just seems crazier/busier/more hectic. I have one more work week left and then we are closed until January 2. I'm looking forward to the break, but I know I'll be busy.

On to this weeks favourite thing...Christmas Cards!

For the past couple of years, I've ordered my cards from Vista Print. Vista has so many cards to choose from and you can get a great deal. Last year, I got 10 free cards and this year my cards were 50% off!

I love that, with Vista, you can really customize your cards. You can pick the images (or upload your own), the finish, paper type (including recycled paper), colour, greeting, font, etc. 

These are the cards I got last year:

 

And these are this years cards:

 

I even got matching mailing labels this year!

A number of years ago, I worked with a girl who actually make card (we went to high school together too!) and I always order some cards from her. Her cards are handmade and absolutely beautiful.

 

She just makes a pile of cards and I pick out the ones I like. She always asks if there's anything specific I want (ex all Christmas trees or only using green and white) but I always say no. She's the designer, I totally trust her and I know that I'll love what she comes up with.

I send out over 50 Christmas cards, so it takes me forever to sit down and write them all...but I love doing it.

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

Make With Me- Short Bread Cookies

Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 4 cups all purpose flour

To Make:

• Preheat oven to 325
• Mix butter and brown sugar, adding in flour as you mix
• Roll doughe into balls
• Use a fork to flatten the balls a bit
• Bake 20-25 minutes
• Enjoy! 

Notes:

1. Shortbread are one of my all time favourite cookies.
2. Press the fork vertically and horizontally into the dough. 
3. If you press too much, making the dough thin, you'll have shortbread snaps (as my grandma says) instead of cookies. But they still taste good!
4. I will sometimes add chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, etc to the dough just to mix things up a bit. 

Apartment Sweet Apartment- Smoke Part 2

About 2 months ago, I wrote about the fact that my apartment smelled like smoke and I was having difficulty getting rid of the smell. Original entry can be found here.

The sales associate at Yankee Candle suggested that I try Just Plain Clean, which is a product specifically to eliminate odours. 

As I mentioned in my original entry, my front closet had a strong smoke smell, even after the vents were taped. My bathroom and kitchen (the rooms with vents) went from always smelling like smoke to sometimes smelling like smoke. And while I had originally placed the Just Plain Clean sachet in the front closet, I also added one to my bathroom and kitchen.

Each sachet is supposed to last 30 days. 

The verdict?

The smoke smell is gone! It's been almost 60 days and the smoke smell is eliminated. 

I plan on using it again, if needed. 

I will say that it did take a couple of weeks for the odour to disappear, it doesn't work overnight. Also, it did not mask the odour- I had the sachets out and could still smell smoke. This product seems to be a longer term fix (unsure how long it will last) opposed to a quick fix. 

Basically if you have an odour you need to cover asap because people are coming over, this isn't the product.  But, if you have a long standing odour you would like to eliminate, give this product a try.

It was believed that the smoke smell was coming through the vents, which have been taped up and has helped with the smoke smell. This has helped, but there was still a linger smoke smell which, I believe, Just Plain Clean helped eliminate.

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time   To be happy that Amazon.ca FINALLY offers Kindle books!   That I am super behind with reading and commenting on other blogs. As well as replying to the comments and e-mails left for me. I will get caught up soon...I promise!    To have sent out all of my Christmas cards yesterday. I was only 9 days behind on this but all 50+ cards have gone out! I'm also almost done my Christmas shopping! Just need to get something for my building manager and half of my brothers gift!   To be excited that my boss gave me the go ahead to organize a regional meeting for my colleagues. I'm excited to be able to plan something on a regional level, even if it's just a meeting.  

To realize everything happens for a reason, everything will fall into place and I will be ok. I have so many blessings in my life, which I am thankful for. I also have struggles, worries and stresses...but at the end of the day, everything will work out the way it's supposed to.

Inspiration

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had a great weekend. 

Some inspiration to start your week:

 

Sunday Social

Dec 9...the holidays are quickly approaching! I'm basically done my Christmas shopping (half a gift left to buy), we put our tree up thins weekend, Christmas cards should go out tomorrow, work Christmas social on Wednesday...busy, busy but so much fun!

    1. Favorite Holiday Movies/TV Specials? Elf!
Charlie Brown Christmas
Christmas with the Kranks
2. Do you do any volunteering during the holidays if so what? If not what would you do? I actually work in non-profit fundraising so I don't have a lot of free time and the volunteering I do, is usually with my organization.  In the past, I've volunteered at a soup kitchen and with Toys for Tots. Would love to do either again some day. 
3. Favorite toy received as a Child for the Holidays? I received so many great things as a kid...'Santa' totally spoiled me! Making it hard to pick a favourite. So a random one (and def a top 3 favourite)...a toy horse.    It was kind of like a rocking horse, but on springs so you could bounce up and down as well as rock. It was like riding a real horse. I'm sure I gave it a name, but I can't remember. I did used to ride it and say 'Hi ho Silver!'. It was a brown horse and I loved it...LOVED IT.
4. What was your must have item in high school for the Holidays? I'm not sure I had one...I never really asked for anything. I also don't recall never getting what I wanted or something I didn't love.
5. Item you begged for the most and never got? A real pony/horse.
6. What do you do on Christmas Eve? If you are Jewish what does your family do for Hanukkah? I love Christmas Eve! We (parents, siblings) have dinner as a family. Visit grandparents, both sets, and go to my aunt & uncle's (mom's sister) and my other other aunt & uncle's (mom's brother). I go to a friends house and celebrate Christmas with her and her mom's family- music, food and laughs. Around 11:30 or midnight I head home where my cousins, siblings and I hang out in our basement, playing pool and having a great time, until my aunt calls looking for them.

Favourite Thing- Advent Calendar

Ever since I was little, I've always had an Advent calendar. Always. 

Because I was late in getting my Advent calendar this year, and when I finally got around to buying one, they were on sale, I ended up a Lindt Advent calendar:

I think I love Advent calendars because it was part of my childhood...I had a great childhood and the holidays were always a special time in our home (thanks mom and dad). 

 

I have two favourite Advent calendar stories. 

1. The first year I lived on my own (no roommates), I was 3 hours from my hometown. I came home from work one day and there was a package in my mailbox. The return address was my dad's office and I recognized the handwriting as his, not his secretary's, which was odd. I opened the package, and it was an Advent calendar.

I called my dad to thank him and he told me that he had always bought me an Advent calendar and he didn't want this year to be any different. Just because I was far from home, didn't mean I was going to have to miss out on a Christmas tradition. 

I was touched that my dad thought of me, especially all the trouble he went through! His secretary was off, so he had to wrap and package the calendar, find my address and go to the post office himself. This was a big deal! The postage was more than the actual calendar...but I was so happy, everything he had to go through didn't matter to my dad. 

2. My parents had bought me my annual Advent calendar. They had also bought one for my little sister, who has no patience. She wanted chocolate, so she ripped open her calendar and ate it all. 

After awhile, my sister wanted more chocolate, so she ripped my calendar open too. She didn't open the individual windows or even the top of the box and slip the try out...no she, ripped the front off. My sister started to eat the chocolate. My mom saw her and told her to stop because it was my calendar. My sister told my mom that she was going to pretend she didn't know it was mine. My mom said 'Ok, but give me one.'

While this is a funny story, I was so mad! Not that she ate the chocolate, but that she ripped the box! I ended up taping everything back together as best I could.

Yes, I'm a 20-something that still has an Advent calendar. But I believe the holidays are about tradition. Why would anyone want to let go of this one?

Make With Me- Bits N' Bites

Bits N' Bites

Ingredients:

• 1 box pretzel sticks
• 1 bag Cheetos cheesies
• 1 medium box of Shreddies or Chex cereal
• 1 medium box of Cheerios
• Nuts to taste
•  1 1/4 cups of cooking oil
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup butter
• 1/2 cup of worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp celery salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder

To Make:

• Combine ingredients
• Bake at 250 for an hour and a half, turning often
• Enjoy! 

Notes:

1. This recipe is from my Aunt Mary. This is a great Christmas recipe and is the perfect hostess gift. 
2. Use a large roasting pan to mix and bake ingredients.
3. Store in sealed containers. 

Shall I Play For You?

Last year, Sean Quigley from Winnipeg, Manitoba release a video of Little Drummer Boy, which went viral. At the time, he was 16. This video- and cover of this holiday classic- is amazing! 

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time   To love the movie Christmas Magic. I'm turning into such a sap.   To be happy that Kate is pregnant. I was getting tired of the whole 'Is she/Isn't she' debate. Now we know for sure.     That Christmas is only 21 days away! Where has the time- and 2012- gone?!?!? I'm a bit behind in my holiday preparations, but I'll get it together. It would be helpful if time slowed down a bit...   To be verified on Pinterest! Or my blog is verified on Pinterest. Thanks to Chelsea at Yours Truly...she helps me with all my tech stuff (she did my blog design and made a Christmas image for me too)...that lady is amazing!  

To hope my brother goes home this weekend. If he does, I will and since we both (and our sister) will be home, our parents will put up our Christmas tree! My mom has a rule that our tree can't go up until we are all home to decorate it. This usually ends up being Christmas Eve, so it'll be nice to put it up earlier.

That I have an Advent calendar. I've had one every year since I was a kid. (Friday I'll be posting two Advent calendar stories.)

5 Questions- Amber

A new month means a new round of 5 Question answers! 

This month, Amber, from Airing My Dirty Laundry, One Sock At A Time, was nice enough to answer 5 Questions. Amber's blog is one of the very first that I followed and is still a daily read. I had to stop reading her blog at work, because more times than not, I would burst out laughing while reading. 

Amber is also the author of The Swimmer's Assistant. If you haven't read her book...what are you waiting for??? It is a great read and one I highly recommend.

Here are Amber's answer's to 5 Questions:

1. Something on your bucket list: 

To go on a Henry VIII tour in England, which sounds cheesy, but I don't care. I love history.

2. Best piece of advice and/or favourite saying/quote: 

Love this quote from A League of Their Own: 

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard... is what makes it great." 

I say that in my head when I'm writing and struggling. 

 
3. Favourite place: 

I'd have to say Disney World or New York City. I have a blast in both places! Too bad both places are expensive.
    a) Where to stay:  

For Disney World, I stayed at Port Orleans and enjoyed it. For NYC, my friend and I stayed at the Roosevelt Hotel. Facebook Friend them and you can get discounts!
    b) Where to eat:  

At Disney World, there are so many good places. I loved the place in the Canada area at Epct. I believe it was Le Celier? Or something like that. Amazing cheddar beer soup! For NYC, holy crap, again, so many good foods to try. I so wanted to eat in the Plaza Hotel but it was too expensive. Grr.
    c) What to see/do:  

At Disney World I want to see it all. I highly recommend the ride Test Track. In NYC, I really enjoyed the movie tours where they take you around on a bus and show you were movies were filmed. I also love FAO Schwartz!

4. You're given $10,000 and 24 hours to spend it. You can't give it to other people, invest it or save it. What would you do: 

I'd go on a shopping spree at Target. I'm there every week ;)

5. Historical figure or fictional character you'd like to be: 

Anne Boleyn! Before she lost her head, that is.

Thanks Amber for participating! You can find Amber's blog here, her book here and on Twitter here.

Sunday Social

Another weekend almost over...I really need my weekends to last a little bit longer. I had so much stuff I wanted to do this weekend, but didn't have the chance too. It was a great weekend though- I played Trivia on Friday, Christmas baked with my grandmother on Saturday and a visit and dinner with a childhood friend later today. 

1. What is your favorite Holiday season tradition?
I love so much about the holidays, it's hard for me to pick a favourite tradition. Since I did it this weekend, I'll say baking with my grandma. She only bakes at Christmas, and each year we bake one thing together (this year was shortbread cookies). We listen to Christmas music, talk and make a mess in her kitchen. It's so much fun and I see it as the 'official' kick-off to Christmas.

2. Do you have a certain Holiday movie you watch more than others? If so what is it?
Elf! I LOVE Elf and watch it whenever it's on tv. Also, my sister and I will watch it a bunch of times during the holidays too.

3. Show us your favorite decoration or pinterest decoration you wish you could have
I don't have a picture of it and it's in storage at the moment, but it's an ornament my godmother gave me. It says 'Baby's first Christmas' on it.

Another favourite decoration is a metal, decorative reindeer my little cousin gave me for Christmas a few years ago. It's actually on the mantel of our weekend house and stays up year round. According to my cousin, during the holidays it's a reindeer and the rest of the year it's just a regular deer. How cute is that???

4. Favorite Holiday song? 
I hate this question! I have sooo many favourites! Here are a few

• I Pray on Christmas (Harry Connick Jr)
• 12 Days of Christmas (Straight No Chaser)
• Hark! The Harold Angel Sings
• Silent Night
• Santa Claus Is Comin To Town (The Sing-Off)

5. Favorite Holiday dessert?
Peanutbutter balls, shortbread cookies, buttertart squares and cheese cake- all of the things my grandma bakes during the holidays!


6. What is on your wish list this year?
Ugh. My parents have been asking for weeks for my list and I've been dragging my feet putting it together. Yesterday, I came up with:

• Magazine subscriptions
• Dust Buster
• Gift certificates for Amazon, itunes, Starbucks
• Luxe Box
  

Project Pinterest- Magnet/Cork Board

I can't believe that today is the last day of November! This month has flown by and too quickly! One of my favourite things is that today is the last day of Movember- thank goodness!

Like every other person, I am addicted to Pinterest and I've decided to actually try and make some of my pins. My first Pinterest project was a magnet board. I couldn't find the original Pin, but you can find a similar one here (originally taken from here). 

I decided to modify the Pin and add a cork board as well. 

You will need:

1. Magnets
2. Fabric
3. Hot glue gun
4. Cookie Sheet
5. Glue gun sticks
6. Push pins
7. Cork

All material, with the exception of the fabric, was purchased at The Dollar Store. The fabric, I picked up at a local quilting store.

I started by cutting the cork to fit half of the cookie sheet (I actually got my dad to do this).

Next, I covered the bottom part of the cookie sheet with a piece of fabric, gluing the fabric to the inside of the cookie sheet. I covered the cork in a different piece of fabric.

I then glued the cork to the fabric covered cookie sheet.

The final, and most challenging, part of this project was the magnets. I would suggest just buying magnets you like, so much easier. But I covered the magnets in fabric. After several attempts and methods, I just cut circles in the fabric and glued the circle on top of the magnet.

The finished product:

I originally wrote about this project back in February, as one of my Favourite Things. You can find my original post here.

LOL- Politically Correct Christmas Carols

Earlier this week, a co-worker and I were talking about Politically Correct Christmas Carols. These are pretty funny and I just had to share. The last one is my favourite. Enjoy!

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time   That I watched the Grey Cup on Sunday. I knew someone who was playing. I'm happy that the Toronto Argos won.   To love the fact, after telling the guy at Starbucks yesterday, that my day had been horrible. He said 'At Starbucks, we don't make mochas. We make magic." It made me laugh.    To be a bit concerned that Christmas is less than a month away! I'm usually on top of this, but not this year. I still have to sit down and write my cards, arrange Christmas baking with Grandma, get a good chunk of my shopping done...so behind this year.    To be excited about 'Girl Meets World'. The sequel to Boy Meets World, and focuses on Cory and Topanga's daughter!  

That we had our first major snowfall over the weekend. Sure, the snow has all melted. But it was a pain to have to clean snow off my car. I'm not complaining...I do live in Canada and snow is part of the deal.