End of July

Here we are nearing the end of July already.... I swear July just started and Hubs and I were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary.

My best friend will soon be married a month already!

One of Hubs good friends will be a first time dad in just under a month now.

Even though summer is half over, I feel like it is just beginning. We haven't had any super hot weather here really, other then the odd day or so. The days already seem to be getting darker earlier, even though I feel it doesn't stay daylight until very late anyway.

We haven't even been camping yet this summer! We are hoping to go to the local airshow in mid August. We looked at camping then, but campsites are super booked up already. We have been to the Butchart gardens and hope to get back for the night illuminations before the summer is over.

I'm also hoping to get up to see Hubs family. I haven't seen them since just after Christmas. We have seen his dad and step-mom at least. Was nice to get away and visit for a couple days.

Right now we don't have to much going on. Hubs is nearing the end of the requirements for his next ticket at work. Work for me is same old as usual. At least now we have some staff!!

We are also getting our gutters replaced. We had roof vents put in last month, and now we are just waiting on the guy to come and replace our leaky old gutters with nice new ones. We are also hoping to replace our bathroom fans as 1 doesn't work anymore and the other one is so noisy!

Other then that, we aren't really planning a trip away in the fall (decided to be more responsible adults and save some money...) We said that the last couple times and it didn't work out so well but we really mean it this time. We still hope to get away in the spring to somewhere warm. We would also like to plan a trip out to see my parents sometime soon as it has been a while since we have been out there (6 years since Hubs has been out there, for me it was last summer).

My mom is doing really good. She had another MRI done a couple weeks ago and everything is looking great (So thankful that she has her health and for the wonderful doctors who have done so much for her these last couple years).

School is going great. I am in the downward slope of my practicum with only 2 weeks left to go!! I have to do 100 hours of practicum time and have already completed 61 and a bit hours. Then it is 1 more final exam and I will graduate. It is hard to believe that a year has gone by already. I remember debating whether or not I wanted to take the course and finally bit the bullet and signed up. I remember in my first couple weeks being so nervous about being back in school and wondering how I would manage working full time and school full time.... but somehow I have managed. Certainly there have been lots of late nights, early mornings and tired weeks just trying to fit everything in. I will be so thankful for the doors this course will open for me, but at the same time I can't wait to get my life back and go back to having days off again where I'm not burning the midnight oil, but can actually relax and do odd things around the house without worrying that I am taking away from school. I'm sure Hubs will be glad to have me back (as much as he supports me taking this course and working for a better job, I know he misses being able to spontaneously go places and do things).

Now that I wrote a mini novel, I must sign off for now and get back to the school work as it won't finish itself.

2nd 101 in 1001 Days

I almost finished this list so I started a new one!

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 (33/33)

2. Have a baby

3. Celebrate 2nd Anniversary (Completed July 2012)

4. Talk to home every weekend (114/132)

5. Visit Halifax for my brother's grad (Completed June 2012)

6. Buy a 2nd house (not buying a second home anymore)

7. Get pregnant

8. Celebrate our 1st Christmas in our New House (Completed Dec 25, 2011)

9. Go on a vacation with family (booked)

Mind, Body & Soul

10. Lose 10 lbs (Complete July 2013)

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 (25/33)

14. Give up soda for a week (Completed May 2012)

15. Learn a new recipe and cook it at least once a month (28/33)

16. Get a hobby (Does going to the gym count??)

17. Have a bubble bath (Completed Dec 21, 2011)

18. Get a library card (Completed July 2012)

19. Spend a day at the ocean   (Completed May 2012)

20. De-clutter (Completed Jan 2012)

21. Go on another trip (Completed May 2012)

22. Do something for myself at least once a month (33/33)

23. No dessert or cookies at work for 2 weeks (Completed March 2013)

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  (Completed August  2012)

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 (Completed April 2013)

36. Defrost freezer twice a year (5/6)

37. Repaint shed

38. Buy blinds for the house (Completed March 2013)

All Work, No Play

39. Get a new fridge (Completed April 2013)

40. Get a new dishwasher (Completed April 2013)

41. Stay on top of the house cleaning (33/33)

42. Start a wedding planning business

43. Help Hubs achieve his work goals

44. Get a new job, closer to home or clerical (Completed March 1, 2013, even if its only 4 months to start)

45. Take another course at work (Completed August 2012)

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 (3/3)

52. Have a picnic in the park we got married

53. Visit the Buchart gardens in the winter

54. Visit Hubs friends in Alberta (Visited with Hubs friends in Cuba)

I ♥ Food

55. Update my recipe book with new recipes (At least once a month (30/33)

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 (Completed November 10, 2012)

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 (70/146)

63. Send Christmas cards each Christmas (3/3)

64. E-mail friends at least once per month (28/33)

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 (Completed January 2013)

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 (September 2, 2012)

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 (2/3)

85. Buy a new Christmas tree and decorations

Hobbies & Skills

86. Blog once a week at least (33/33)

87. Learn to cook more things

88. Get some family tradition recipes

89. Make a scrapbook

90. Read a book a month (24/33)

Capture the Memories

91. Get wedding album (Completed May 2, 2011)

92. Print photos of each year's events and put in photo album

93. Get photos printed to hang in home (Completed September  2012)

94. Take more pictures

95. Complete 101 in 1001

96. Send more pictures to family

No More Procrastinating

97. Lose some weight

98. Weed garden (Completed May 2012)

99. Start an exercise 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

Congratulations

Congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the much awaited birth of their son, the Prince of Cambridge, today, July 22, 2013 at 4:24pm.

May he grow up to be strong, fearless, and kind hearted.

This little guy has a huge life ahead of him, but with his parents love, guidance, and support he will be able to accomplish anything.

Chocolate zucchini cake

I never made a chocolate zucchini cake before and decided to try one at work today as we had so much zucchini laying around.

I found the below recipe at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chocolate-zucchini-cake-iii/

Original recipe makes 1 - 9x13 inch pan

             
Ingredients:

* 2 cups all purpose flour
* 2 cups white sugar
* 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

Makes servings USMetricAdjust Recipe (Help)

*  2 tsp baking soda
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp salt
* 1 tsp ground cinnamon
* 4 eggs
* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil (can also substitute half for apple sauce)
* 3 cups grated zucchini
* 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the eggs and oil, mix well. Fold in the nuts and zucchini until they are evenly distributed. Pour into the prepared pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before frosting with your favorite frosting.

I really enjoyed this cake. It has a great flavor and a healthy aspect to it with the addition of zucchini.
I made it into cupcakes instead of a cake and it took 30 min to bake.

 

Watermelon Cake

I first was inspired by this idea on Pinterest. I decided to try it out at work one afternoon when it was super hot, and I felt the diners would enjoy something a little lighter for dessert during the summer heat.

You can Google search watermelon cake and get many different recipe's but here is my version. It really is pretty simple.

Ingredients:

* Watermelon
* Fresh Fruit
*Whipped Cream
* Coconut/nuts optional

Directions:

1) Take a watermelon and cut it in half width wise (I.e. around the middle).
2) Then cut off the green skin of the watermelon.
3) You can shape your cake however you want (i.e. circle, square, etc). I usually make mine octagonal shaped. Also, depending on how large your watermelon is you can cut the half into another half so its not so tall.
4) Next I place the watermelon onto a baking sheet or a fancy plate.
5) I then precut the watermelon into slices. Then push the slices together. (I did the first one without precutting slices and it was tricky to cut as watermelon is hard)
6) I pat the watermelon dry to remove excess water to help the whipped cream to stick to it.
7) Next I "ice" the watermelon with whipped cream. I usually make my own using whipping cream, vanilla and sugar to taste. You can use canned frosting, or coconut cream instead of whipped cream, but I like the lightness of fresh whipping cream. I then beat the whipping cream until it stiffens and forms peaks.
8) Once iced, I use various fruits cut up to make a design on the cake (See pictures below).
9) You can glaze the fruit to make it look shinier if you prefer.
10) You can also use a thicker coulis or chocolate syrup (or other syrups) to make neat designs on the sides of the cake (as in my pictures below).
11) Another version I have seen is crushed nuts or coconut stuck on the sides of the cake.
12) Keep in the fridge until ready to eat.

I recommend not making the cake more then 1 day ahead of when you plan on eating it as the water starts coming out of the watermelon.

7/11 Day

Today is 7/11 day which means free Slurpee's at your local 7 Eleven!!

 

 

Happy 3rd Anniversary

3 years ago today I married my best friend.

It's hard to believe that 3 years has already gone by! It feels like just yesterday we got married. In the past 3 years we have already:

- Purchased our first home
- Bought a new car
- Been to Cuba, and Mexico 4 times
- Renovated our home
- Been camping
- Traveled to Halifax
- Advanced in our careers

This list is only the major things we have accomplished in our 3 wedded years together. We have gone through many happy times, some sad times, met so many new people, tried new food, experienced new sights together, and have overall grown as a couple.

Here are some pictures from our day.

Getting my hair done at the hair salon

 

Mom and sister tying up my dress

Girls before the ceremony

 

The guys before the ceremony

 

First kiss as Mr & Mrs

 

 Walking down the aisle after the "I Do's"

 

Walking down the aisle after the "I Do's"

 

Married pics

Bridal party 

 

Our cake

 

Cake cutting

Candy Bar 

                                                          

Centerpieces 

 

Décor

 

Head Table

Menu for the evening

Food

 

First Dance

 

Father Daughter Dance 

Garter Toss

 

Looking back at these pictures brings back so many memories of our wedding day. I look forward to creating more memories and celebrating many more anniversaries. Love you to infinity and beyond Hubs.

X O X





Congrats Kathryn & Matt

Today is such a happy and sad day all in one.

My best friend is becoming a MRS. today, marrying the love of her life.

I was supposed to be there, standing by her side, but unfortunately, due to unfortunate circumstances, I was unable to get the time off work to attend the wedding.

I wish you both a lifetime of happiness, and may this special day stay with you for the rest of your lives.

I will be thinking about you all day, enjoy your day, have fun, and welcome to married life!

Happy Canada Day!



Happy Canada Day everyone!

I hope everyone has a great day. Enjoy the fun, festivities, fire-works and celebration, but stay safe!