Five on Friday!

Hello friends! Happy Friday to you! I have a day off from work today so the day is already looking good. Let's get to it shall we?
{ONE} We had family photo's this past weekend at beautiful Paletta Mansion in Burlington. A full blog post will be done on this but here is a sneak peek. I am so happy how they turned out!

{TWO} I have been back in full swing with my blog and I think I have finally found a common scheduling ground with everything else I am doing, so I'm extremely happy that it seems to be working so far.
{THREE} I created an Everyday with Lisa Facebook Page. Please like and join the fun!
{FOUR} Monday was Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. We hosted Doug's Aunt Pat and his two cousins, Scott and Amber, for dinner on Sunday. I went all out with turkey, potatoes, carrots, my Nana's famous broccoli and cauliflower carousal, and of course, homemade gravy made from the drippings. I also made homemade apple crumble pie (recipe to be posted soon!). It was all so delicious.

{FIVE} We went for a small hike this week up to the Devil's Punch Bowl. Sounds awful, but it's a trail that leads you to one of the best vies of the city. I caught this cute picture of Doug and Eric while we were there.

How was your week? Be sure to link up with Lauren Elizabeth and Carolina Charm.

Have a wonderful weekend loves!

Hey - it's Friday!

Well didn't this week just fly by!
Seriously though, where did this week go? I guess having two long weekends in a row makes time fly, but who's complaining?
Here's how my week went.
1. My husband threw me a surprise pre-birthday dinner get-together at Canyon Creek Chophouse. It was really nice to have dinner and get to chat with some friends; some who even came from out of town. We then had people back at the house for some cards. Overall, it was just a great night with friends.
Oh, and if I haven't said it before, you should check out Canyon Creek - they have the best steak around.
2. Michael Bublé. 
Honestly, I love him. Each time I see him, I end of loving him even more. He's funny, charming, he knows how to entertain, and of course, that voice of his. Me and some girlfriends went to see his concert in Toronto this past Saturday and it was such a fun girls night out.

Megan, Nita, Melissa, and I

Melissa and I (with a cellphone shadow)

3. My family headed up to our cottage on Sunday for a few days. We had some amazing family time playing outside, swimming, going to the beach, playing mini golf and so much more.

3. I turned 30 on Tuesday; and I feel fabulous!

4. My sister and I had a movie night last night. We went to see the Fault in our Stars. It was a great movie that probably hits home for a lot of people out there. Have your Kleenex ready.

How was your week? Please comment and tell me about it!
And don't forget to link up with Lauren!

High Five For Friday

Happy Friday! I am so glad the weekend is here, but what an eventful week it has been! 
Here's a look back at some exciting things that happened this week.
1. I went to Chicago last weekend and came back on Monday! My Aunt and Uncle live in Chicago and my relatives from England were visiting, so my mom, brother and I took a road trip to visit everyone. It was amazing; Chicago is truly one of my favourite places to visit. I just love visiting and spending time with family.

2. I did my first ever guest post! Be sure to check out my Summer Healthy Chickpea Salad recipe on Tattered to Taylored. You should also follow her blog - it's pretty cool.

3. Work has been very busy this week and that has made the time time just fly by - sometimes that is a wonderful thing!

4. I have been making a dent in my son's fourth Hot Wheel's birthday party decorations and I'm so happy with them so far. I can't believe Eric is turning four; crazy!

5. My husband and I are heading out for my birthday dinner tonight. My actual birthday is next week but we'll be up at our cottage so we're celebrating tonight. I can't wait for a date night; it's been too long!

How has your week been? Be sure to link up with Lauren Elizabeth to tell us about it!

High Five for Friday!

Wow, it's been a while since I've done a HF4F post! I guess time flies when you're having fun, so let's get right to it!
{ONE} Sean & Robin's Wedding! My friends got married this past weekend and I am so honoured I was able to be a part of it and serve as 'Best Woman'. It was a great night and I am SO happy for them both. 

Me and the Groomsmen, Travis and Chris.
{TWO} Wine, Sweets and Vendors. Tuesday night was full of just those things at an intimate event at Le Dolci, in Toronto. I was able to taste some sweets, sample some wine from Rosewood Estate Winery (which is delicious by the way), and meet some lovely vendors from the wedding industry. The night was pretty good and ended with a really sweet story that involves the Ronald McDonald House of Toronto. You can read about there here. 

Part of our WGx team.

{THREE} We took Eric to the RBG this past weekend too. Their current exhibit is Savage Gardens, which feature carnivorous plants such as the Venus Fly Trap. Eric loved making the displays come alive and really liked seeing all the plants and flowers in the greenhouse. It was such a nice family day.

{FOUR} Thursday night I joined my sister and and her colleagues in the MacKids Bowlathon in support of the McMaster Children's Hospital. McMaster Children's Hospital is home to 159 acute care beds and 10 day beds, 40 subspecialty clinics, a Children's Treatment Centre and one of the largest and most impressive Neonatal Intensive Care Units in Canada. Each year MCH has over 210,000 patient encounters in our subspecialty clinics, diagnostic areas, emergency department, inpatient wards and operating rooms. 

At the bowlathon, 21 team's dressed up, had pizza and pop, and bowled their hearts out, all while raising over $15,000 for this great cause. I am so happy I was able to be part of it again this year. Our team were very moderate cheerleaders! Here is my sister Shannon and I.

{FIVE} Last but not least, and this will not seem like much, but despite my busy schedule this week I have been able to get caught up on a lot of housework! It makes me laugh the I'm including this in here, but I do have a sense of accomplishment! 
I hope your week has been just as fabulous!
Don't forget to link up with Lauren Elizabeth and Carolina Charm!

It's Friday!

Another week has gone by, which means we're one step closer to Spring right? Don't I wish! It has been so cold this Winter I honestly don't think I can take much more. It is -19^oC right now (almost -30^oC with the wind chill). Brrr.
Anyway, I'll stop ranting. Let's get to my top five for the week.
{ONE} My sister Shannon and I went on an overnight trip to Niagara Falls this past weekend. It was so much fun! We went to the Aveda Spa for some rest and relaxation and then once we checked into our hotel we went for dinner at the Keg, hit the casino and of course, went to the obligatory visit to the Hershey Factory store. At the spa we each had a massage, facial and a pedicure. It was absolutely fabulous. Why I have never had a facial before is behind me - it was incredible. If you haven't gotten one before, I highly recommend! Here are a couple of pictures from our trip.

This is us (sans make-up), after our facial and getting a pedicure.

 

Photo-op at the Hershey Store.

{TWO} I had another meeting with the lovely Mary from WeddingGirl, as well as a handful of other inspired ladies. We had the opportunity to learn more about WGx and what the future might hold for us. I am excited to take the next step and meet one-on-one with Mary to really get a sense of how I can fit in within the realm of WeddingGirl. I am so excited.

{THREE} I was able to spend Thursday at the Human Resources Professional Association (HRPA) Conference. I got to meet some new people, learn and listen to HR though leaders on some trends within the field of HR. It was a great day all-in-all.

{FOUR} This week I spent some time scoping out different venues from my work's 2014 Holiday Party. Planning early is key, my friends. I just love this part of my job.

{FIVE} My friends and I had our monthly 'Fooding Hamilton' event. It's a group we put together where each month we go and try a new, local restaurant. No chain restaurants allowed, only local. This week we went to the Purple Pear. It is a hidden gem in my opinion. Location isn't great and the outside was very deceiving, but it was a pretty elegant place with amazing food. If you're ever in the Hamilton, ON area I would recommend this one.

I hope you had a great week too! Enjoy your weekend!

Linking up with Lauren and Carolina Charm.

High Five for Friday

It has been a couple of weeks since I've done a Friday Five, so I am very happy to be linking up with Lauren and Carolina Charm today! 

This has been quite a week for me. It started off with something pretty exciting, but then my husband and I were sick for part of the week (not fun). I'm hoping to be back to normal by tomorrow so my sister and I can go on our weekend excursion to the Falls! But without further adieu, let's get started.

{ONE} I mentioned earlier this week that I had the opportunity to meet Mary, the woman behind WeddingGirl.ca. You can read about my night here. She is having a follow-up event next week and I am hoping to join her to learn about this exciting opportunity. Here's what was on the other side of the cupcake tag:

{TWO} We took Eric bowling for the first time this past weekend! It was super fun family time and he LOVED it!

{THREE} The same day we took Eric bowling, I went out on a movie date with my friend Melissa. It had actually been a long time since we hung out together and it was a lot of fun. We went to Second Cup for a drink, bought our tickets to the late show (because the first one was sold out), and then we went for dinner. There was a lot of girl talk, kid talk, and fun. I'm hoping we can do it again soon. Oh, and the movie was good - I really recommend it!

Photo from Google Images.

{FOUR} My brother Michael and I just booked an overnight Haunted Hamilton Bus Tour on March 1 to Rolling Hills Asylum! We'll have a chance to tour the 117 year-old building and to perform our own investigations throughout the night of our trip. Further details can be found here. We are both beyond excited and scared at the same time! I'm really looking forward to it though and I will definitely be bringing my camera! Here is what the asylum looks like.

Photo from Google Images.

{FIVE} As I mentioned yesterday, my blog was being redesigned and now it's live! I am SO exited, can't you tell? I hope you like it!

Hope your week has been great - enjoy your weekend!

Five for Friday

Time for the top five of the week. It's actually been pretty quiet around here so this week I decided it was all about the little things.

1. The holiday's have caught up with Eric this week. With all the hustle and bustle Christmas had to offer, Eric has been one tired boy (not to mention he's fighting a minor cold). The other day he fell asleep on me; so after a while when I tried to put him upstairs, it was a no-go on his part, so I put him back on the couch and this happened.

Is that cure or what?!

2. Eric shaving. Yes folks, my three year old likes to shave! We put a little kid shaving kit in his stocking, complete with shaving cream and a fake plastic razor. He literally wants to shave everyday.

3. I've been off work the past week and a half and have been finally able to get caught up on some freezer meals. I've made spaghetti sauce, chili, and minestrone soup this week.

4. My sister has asked me to make party decorations for my nephew's fourth birthday in April, so I've been busy designing and putting together Dinosaur Train themed cupcake toppers, water bottle labels, food tents, and a birthday banner. Here's a sneak peek at his birthday banner.

5. We celebrated New Year's with our friends and family. You can read about our festivities here.

How has your week been?

Linking up with Lauren and Carolina Charm today!

It's Friday!

It's Friday - time to celebrate the weekend! I hope you had a great week. It's actually been pretty busy this week, but luckily for me I am off today! I have an late morning appointment then am hoping to go get a manicure. Doug will be at work and Eric in daycare so it will be nice to get a little me time.

So, thanks for joining me as I link up with Lauren and round up my top five moments of the week.

1. I had a coffee meet up with one of the local mom groups in town. There were four of us in total and it was my first time meeting everyone. It was so nice to meet new people and we ended up staying for two hours chatting away about work, life, weddings, and of course, our kids! It was a great night out and I'm looking forward to a lot more meet-ups and play dates.

2. I'm counting down the days to my work's Christmas party. We're just over a week away and things are going pretty smoothly. I love planning events so this will always be high on my list. The vase in the picture is our centrepiece prototype. We're doing that concept, but with more blue. The photo just does not do it justice.

3. We went to one of our favourite places last weekend, Springridge Farms. They have a huge play area, a cafe and bakery, and such a wonderful gift shop. Eric had a blast, plus I was able to pick up a few Christmas decorations from their shop. It was a win-win situation.

4. I got to sleep in today! Doesn't happy very often, folks.

5. This red cup. Need I say more?

High Five for Friday

Wow, this week has been a lot busier then usual. However, it's still been a good week. Here's my top five for the week.

1. Last Sunday my sister and I did a craft day with my son Eric and nephew Logan ('the boys'). It was so much fun. You can read about our day here.

2. I just bought Michael Buble concert tickets for his show in June in Toronto. I can't wait! There are four of us ladies going so it is sure to be a fun night (even though it's so far away!).

3. I have been attending the Canadian Society of Training & Development (CSTD) Conference since Wednesday. I work as an HR Specialist in Training & Development full-time, and the conference has been very informative and engaging. I'm really learning a lot and am looking forward to putting some of my new knowledge to use and my workplace. I am also connecting with some great people, and that's always a plus.

The only downside is, of course, the commuting from Hamilton to Toronto. I am been taking the training, but it just means I have to be up by 5 am. Not fun, folks.

4. Going along with the above, tomorrow is Saturday and that means I get to sleep in! The weekends are actually really good in that regard. My husband and I each have a sleep in day on the weekend. A little give-and-take does a family good.

5. Last but not least, I bought my dress for my works Christmas party at the end of the month. It's so pretty! I will post a picture soon!

Hope you enjoyed your week!

Don't forget to link up with Lauren!

High Five For Friday!

Happy Friday, friends! 

After the week I've had, I am so happy that today is Friday!

I say this of course because my husband has been travelling all week so it has just been Eric and I. I absolutely love him to pieces, but this week has been way more challenging than I expected! Having said that, this week has had it's highs. Let's get started with my top five.

1. My first one is a two-in-one for me. Since Doug was away this week, Eric and I really have been spending some awesome quality time together. This includes reading stories, cuddling on the cough, colouring and crafting together, and playing with his toys, among other things. I absolutely love spending time with him. 

On the other hand, bedtime has been a nightmare lately so I am so glad Doug is coming home tonight!

2. My cat Inca has been extra cuddly with me this week. I'm so happy he takes Doug's spot on the bed at night; for some reason it makes me feel safer than if nothing was there at all. He's just so cute, soft, and cuddly. 

This is him on Doug's office chair while I was working on the computer. He likes being in the same room as me. I'm definitely his favourite :)

3. I am planning my works Holiday Party for 500 employees and last Friday we had our food tasting event for our sub-committee. It was amazing. We were treated to the full meal of Wild Mushroom Bisque, Apple Pancetta Stuffed Chicken with Roasted Potatoes and Vegetables, and Hazelnut Chocolate Crème Brulè. Simply Delicious. I cannot wait for the party at the end of the month.

You might not know this, but I love to organize and plan events. This will be my second year in a row planning the Holiday Party and I'm actually currently taking a course on Wedding and Event Planning. My dream job is to be an Event Planner so I am working to make that happen.

4. I organized my utensil drawer. I know, not really that exciting but I am just so happy with it. I have a problem I know, but you can read about what I did here.

5. Tonight my sister and I are going for pedicure's and appetizer's. A much needed break for me and not to mention much needed quality sister time. I just love nights like that.

Hope you had a good week too! 

Linking up with Lauren!

It's Friday!

Well, it's Friday. Time to link up with Lauren!

Sorry for the lack of posts this week. With all the Halloween activities we've been doing, time just hasn't been on my side. But here's my top five for this week.


1. Halloween Storey Time. Now, we're not all that huge on Halloween, but we do have a lot of fun with it. Eric absolutely loves it and that's what does make it great for us. Aside from our pumpkin carving, my sister and I took Eric and my nephew Logan to a Halloween themed storey time at our favourite library. The boys absolutely loved it and they were able to wear their costumes. Eric was Thomas the Train and Logan was a Witch Doctor. At the storey time they sang, danced, read stories and did some small crafts. It was so fun to watch them participate.

2. I have a serious thing for cupcakes - and baking in general. Baking is a very good stress reliever for me and I really enjoy doing it; and to be honest a holiday isn't a holiday unless I bring in cupcakes to work - it's a tradition really. So I ended up baking chocolate cupcakes. They were very 'bewitching'; and oh so delicious.

3. Trick-or-Treating. Eric was beyond excited for trick-or-treating this year. I absolutely love watching his face light up every time we walked up to someone's front door. It's very cute to watch him inspect every piece of candy that gets put into his pumpkin basket. Aside from the wind and rain, it was a great night. 

4. This past weekend we had a babysitter on both Friday and Saturday Night. We typically don't do that, but it was lovely! I love Eric to pieces, but sometimes you just need a break, right? We tried a local restaurant on Friday night, which I mentioned in last weeks HF4F post, and it was pretty good. On Saturday night, we went bowling. I can't remember the last time I went bowling, but we had such a blast. It's so nice to go out every once in a while with no kids. I loved having the adult time.

5. I got my car detailed and it is fantastic! I took it to AutoHub, a local shop here in Hamilton. My car is absolutely spotless and I am trying really hard to keep it that way. They cleaned my entire interior; shampooed the seat, cleaned and vacuumed my trunk, wiped down the doors, dashboard, knobs, everything - it is wonderful. They were even able to get the milk stains out of my back seat! I honestly don't remember my car ever being this clean. Let's just hope I can keep it that way!

Enjoy your weekend!

High Five for Friday!

What a week! I'm not sure about everyone else, but this week has just flown by! I'm very excited for the weekend so let's recap my five favourite things that happened this week shall we?

1. I made homemade Vanilla Extract last weekend. You can view the post here. It's coming along really nicely and the colour is really starting to turn. After a week, this is what it looks like.
   
   
   
   
   
   2. I got my hair cut! When my hair starts bugging me; that tells me it's time for a cut. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures yet, but it's basically a shoulder length bob. I absolutely love it.
   
   
   3. I spent some much need quality time with my sister. It has been a while since we have just simply hung out or went shopping and it's so nice when we're able to get together. It's hard in our daily lives to keep up with the one's we love, so I am so happy we got the chance. I have a three year old, and she has a three year old and a 4 month old so she's got her hands full! 
   
   
   (Yes, we were pregnant at the same time during our first pregnancies - it was awesome!).
   
   
   4. I spent some time organizing some of my laundry room cabinets. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish something like that, and it did turn our great if I do say so myself. I'll be blogging about organizing different spaces soon, but here's a sneak peek at  what I accomplished in my laundry room. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   5. Tonight we are going out with friends to try a new local restaurant; it's called Shenanigan's. This is the time of month I look forward to quite often as we have a monthly outing where we go to a different local restaurant (no chains) to see what it's like, get a feel for it, try something different, etc. It's been a fun experience and we've certainly found some amazing places. We call ourselves, 'Fooding Hamilton'.
   
   
   Besides, who isn't up for a little shenanigan's every now and then?