Friday 21 December 2012

Happy Holidays!

It looks like we survived the end of the world!

2012 has been an incredible year. An engagement, a new home, travel, and lots of time with family and friends. Thank you for sharing it with me!


With all the craziness going on in the world, cherish the time with your loved ones and have a wonderful holiday.

See you on January 2nd.

Hockey is Ours

The NHL has cancelled all games through January 14th and the rest of the season isn't looking good. This commercial made me smile.



Wednesday 19 December 2012

Wantful

Have you heard of my new obsession, Wantful? It's a website that helps you shop for the hard to buy for (Dad, I'm lookin' at you). You say who you're buying for, answer a few questions about them, and it gives you a big list of products that person might like.




If you can't decide, you can make a catalog of 12 items and the recipient can choose an item for themselves. I love that the gift suggestions include donations to organizations the person might like. Very cool.

Monday 17 December 2012

Ahh the Weekend...

Such a great weekend! We celebrated Charlie's first birthday. Where did the year go?!


Eric's parents came over for dinner on Saturday. I made braised short ribs which turned out perfectly. Phew! We ordered some wedding invitation samples to take a look at. I never thought picking invitations would be so hard, but there are so many styles to choose from!


On Sunday, a few girls got together and celebrated Michelle's (of Toque Girl fame) birthday and the holidays with a spin class at One Cycle, sweatpants, and pizza. Our favorite things gift exchange was a huge success. We all walked away with amazing loot!


This Anthropologie gift wrap made for some fun (albeit frustrating) wrapping for my favorite thing: the Corksicle.


I hope you had a great weekend. Can you believe that Christmas holidays are only a week away?!

Friday 14 December 2012

Twinkle Twinkle

I love Nails Inc. polish. It's so saturated with glitter, it only takes one coat to completely cover your nails.

Glitter polish in Chelsea Square

It'll be perfect come New Year's Eve.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday 12 December 2012

Favorite Things Exchange

As a fun alternative to a Secret Santa, some girlfriends and I are doing a Favorite Things exchange. Instead of drawing one person's name, you pick one of your favorite things between $10-$20 and buy it for each person involved.  This way, each girl walks away with more than one gift and probably something they had no idea they'd love. Here are a few under $20 gift ideas in case you'd like to do the same:




Monogram Mug- Anthropologie $6
Paddywax Candle- Stealing Home $16
Slippers- Old Navy $12
Magazine Subscription- Elle Canada $14.95/yr
Nails Inc. Glitter Polish- Sephora

Monday 10 December 2012

Ahh the Weekend...

We were in Banff for a Christmas party and to celebrate our friend Rando's birthday.



We may have had a bit too much fun.


Eric and I picked up our very first real tree on the way home and spent the evening drinking hot chocolate and decorating for the holidays.


Friday 7 December 2012

Blogger Bake Sale

We're off to Banff for a Christmas party, but if you're sticking around the city, make sure to check out the Food Blogger Bake Sale on Saturday.

Jen, from Food Three Ways, told me what she'll be making and it sounds delish!

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday 5 December 2012

Homemade Holiday Gifts- Eggnog

Truth be told, I've never been a fan of eggnog. Every year someone buys it for my brother's sake and I always think 'This is the year. This is the year I'm going to see what all the fuss is about,' only to mix it with milk and choke down as little as possible while still being polite. But 2012 really is the year. It's a Christmas miracle!



Homemade eggnog is a holiday changer. It's like- if you could make ice cream using all the joy of Christmas and then let that ice cream melt, mix it with rum, and top it with nutmeg- you'd have this stuff.

I know some people are squeamish about raw eggs so I made a cooked version. You could also add more rum (at 3 oz. you can't even taste it) or omit it entirely to make it family friendly.

Eggnog
adapted from Alton Brown
4 egg yolks
1/3 c. sugar, plus 1 tbsp.
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. milk (fat content optional. I used 1%)
1 c. heavy cream
3 oz. rum
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 egg whites

In a mixer, beat egg yolks until they lighten in color. Add 1/3 c. sugar and vanilla until dissolved.
In a medium saucepan, heat milk, heavy cream, and nutmeg until just boiling. Slowly temper the hot mixture into the yolks. Return everything to the saucepan and heat until 160 degrees. Remove from heat, stir in rum and chill.
In a separate bowl, beat egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar and continue to beak until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into chilled mixture.
Keep refrigerated and shake well before serving.

Monday 3 December 2012

Ahh the Weekend

Our first day of skiing didn't go quite as we planned, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. The drive to the hill was foggy, but the sun came out for a few runs before it turned into a complete blizzard. We could barely see the people in front of us! We left a bit earlier than planned and headed into Banff for dinner and a look around the shops. We were surprised to hear that the Santa Claus parade was only an hour away so we stayed and watched for a bit.




Sunday was the annual lefse making extravaganza. Six hours, five potato ricers, and forty pounds of potatoes later, we came home with a healthy pile that might not make it until Christmas.


Hope you had a good one!