I'm baaaaack. . .

 

I'm baaaaaack bitches! . . .  half assed  back anyways. . . still not entirely back into a routine yet and not quite certain all of the alcohol I consumed has left my body yet  but I am back. . .

 

Mexico was AMAZING!

 

We stayed at Las Brisas in Ixtapa . . . GORGEOUS hotel

I couldn't have asked for a better vacation

 

I promise I will post more details later but like I said I'm not fully functional yet so some pictures of the trip will have to do for now . . .

 

 One of many margaritas . . . until I ordered one for breakfast (no judging! Its Mexico people. 5 o'clock somewhere) and it tasted like ass straight tequila and ocean water. After that I decided to stay off them for awhile

 Joce, Me & the Twin right after the wedding ceremony . . . I don't think I have ever been that hot in my entire life . . . it felt like we were sitting on the sun . . . too bad its "frowned upon" to wear bathing suits to a wedding . . . Whatever

 

The 90+ guests that made the trek to help Taigan & Courtney celebrate their big day. Lets play a game called "Where's K?" . . . I am in there somewhere, I promise

 

Wedding reception. . . . Stay tuned for a seperate post about the wedding that included the most heartfelt 1st dance, a performance of T-Swift's 'We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together', beer pong, dancing in fountains, and even beer bongs. Us Saskatchewan folk keep it classy . . .

 

We ended up eating at this reservation only restaurant twice . . . It had the most beautiful ocean view and the food was to die for. . .

 

  Sunset view

 

 Our 'date night' at Las Brisas II

 

 We took an excursion to Ixtapa Island and went snorkeling . . . I have a phobia of fish touching me but it was still awesome to experience . . .  

 And of course a trip to Mexico wouldn't be complete without a stop at Senor Frogs for souvenir cups and Blue Tequila shots being poured down your throat without your permission!. Again, a story for another post

 

 It was SO hard to say goodbye to this beautiful view from our room. . .

 

And then this is what I came home to:

 

 

WHOMP WHOMP

 

It was -30 and snowing the day we arrived in the Queen City . . . and we still had a 2 1/2 hour drive home to O-town on shitty highways . . . then there was an accident on said shitty highway which re-routed us down completely covered backroads . . .

 

But we did make it home in time for Christmas :)

 

Hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and got to spend it with loved ones! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!



Freaking the EFF out. . .

I am running on a total of 3 hours of sleep. . .

I've drank so much coffee today I made my co-worker concerned. . .

I went to bed at 12:15 and was up at 3:15 to continue wrapping presents packing and organizing.

I leave TOMORROW for 7 glorious days in Mexico. . .

Sounds great, right?

So why the eff am I freaking out?!?!

I have been feeling so anxious today. . .  I keep worrying that I don't have all my work stuff done,  that I forgot to wrap a Christmas present, that my Mom and Sister will forget to put Candy Cane (aka Elf on the Shelf) out while I'm gone, or that I'm forgetting to pack something super important.

I've went on many, many trips before and never felt this much anxiety. . . I think it must have to do with Christmas. Christmas is my absolute favourite holiday. . . the music, the lights, the decorations . . . just all of it. I can't get enough of Christmas. But this year is so different. I have never traveled around Christmas before and now I know why! The Christmas season is already busy enough without taking 7 days off from the whole thing.

We don't get back until the 23rd and I keep worrying that something is going to go wrong weather wise and we are going to get storm stayed somewhere and I will miss Christmas with my family. So please send positive thoughts my way on December 23rd to make sure I make it home in time for Christmas!!

And of course because I just love Christmas THAT MUCH I leave you with some Christmas questions:


Tis the season for traditions!

Have you started your Christmas shopping?

Had to! I have no other opportunity to as of today. I do have a few stocking stuffers left to grab on Christmas Eve so hopefully everyone else will have their shopping all finished and the stores will be mellow (cross your fingers and toes)

Do you travel at Christmas or stay home?
Christmas has always been spent in O-Town. The majority of both my parents families live in the small town I grew up in so we get to have big family get togethers without having to travel

What is your funniest Christmas memory?
I can't remember how old I was but my Grandpa Ken told us all that Santa fell off his roof and died. Of course at that time we were so upset but looking back now I can't help but laugh - it was such a Grandpa Ken thing to do

What is your favourite Christmas movie of all time?

I can't pick just one - it is a tie between Love, Actually and Home Alone. I could watch both of them over and over and over again and never get tired of them. I watch them all year round just to get myself excited for Christmas (I'm a total freak for Christmas)

Do you do your own Christmas baking? What's your favourite treat?
Of course I do my own baking. I spent 13 hours in the kitchen on Monday slaving away to get my Christmas baking done before I left on holidays. I make a variety of things but my favourite is Caramel Popcorn and Pecan Squares. MMMmmm

Fake or Real Tree
Gotta be a fake tree! I can't stand the smell of real trees AND I am a perfectionist and would never be happy with the look of a real tree

Are you still wrapping presents on Christmas Eve?
This year will be the first time ever (and I will only be doing my last minute stocking stuffers). I LOVE wrapping so I usually wrap as soon as I can. If I am wrapping on Christmas Eve it is because I volunteer myself to finish up (or start!) my Mom or Sisters wrapping

What is your favourite family fun time at Christmas?
Games! My family loves playing games and we usually have a family game night every few months. At Christmas when the WHOLE family is together we play all kinds of games. . . My mom's side of the family plays beer pong and flip cup at weddings and funerals so Christmas is no exception. . .  I can't wait!

Christmas music, yes or no? And if yes what is your favourite song?
I listen to Christmas music all year round. Not all the time or anything but whenever I`m in the mood. I`m into the celebrity covers of Christmas songs but I also love `Rockin`Around the Christmas Tree` by Brenda Lee . . . I think its a Home Alone thing . . .

Now I`m feeling so much worse about leaving at this time of year :(

HOWEVER, I think I`ll change my tune tomorrow when I am on a beach with a drink in my hand. . .  :)

I`ve scheduled some posts for next week so hopefully they work out but if not I`ll be back in action on Christmas EVE!

Who Invited You, Flu?!

I've been MIA for almost a week . . . with good reason

The stomach flu hit me like a ton of bricks Saturday night. One minute I felt fine and the next minute I was lying on my bathroom floor begging people to 'please just kill me'. Stupid asshat stomach flu showing up all uninvited. The upside: at least I got it before I was stuck on a plane for 5 1/2 hours! So theres that . . .

I was SUPPOSED to spend all day Sunday finishing up my Christmas baking (LOVE this tradition) but instead I spent my Sunday on the couch, covered up by the heaviest blanket possible, drinking gingerale and eating crackers, while watching every single Christmas movie ever made. (It felt like it anyways. . .  and this is coming from someone who loves Christmas movies).

I was still sick as a dog on Monday so I missed the day of work. I finally managed to drag myself to work yesterday but even today I am not at 100%. Whoever calls it the 24 hour flu can kiss my ass!

It also meant no working out . . . but was balanced out by the fact that last night was the first time I had ate anything more than crackers and gingerale since Saturday afternoon. I'm curious to know if there is any change weight wise but unfortunately a certain mischevious 2 year old broke the scale at home :(

Meet Candy Cane & A Recipe Link-Up . . .

 

Meet Candy Cane - our Elf On The Shelf. I finally got to introduce her to the girls last night. She was hiding with some furry friends waiting for the girls to notice her. Rae noticed the candy canes she was holding first and didn't even realize she was there - but when I finally pointed her out her eyes lit up

 

The girls with the book just after we read it. I wasn't sure if Graycie was old enough to understand what it meant but she walked up to the Elf and wagged her finger at it saying 'don't touch!' so she at least got that out of it!

 

I'm still trying to decide what idea to use to hide the Elf tonight - there are so many good ones its hard to pick!

 

Seriously, how cute are they?!?!

 

And finally I am participating in a Recipe Link-Up  by Lora at Raising Steppe Sisters 

 

These are my version of 'Volcano Nachos'

 

If you were looking for some super healthy meal you're about to be disappointed

BUT if you are looking for something to serve during a football game or any kind of sport-y gathering then you have came to the right place!

 

I 1st tried 'Volcano Nachos' at Margaritaville in Vegas in April of this year. They were like a little bit of heaven in my mouth and I dreamt about them for weeks afterwards because I'm an idiot and accept stupid bets and challenges from my brother *.

 

Since I knew I wouldn't be going back to Vegas anytime soon (insert sad face here) I decided to make my own version. They may not be as  good as Margaritaville's but they will do until I can make it back there!

 

Recipe:

 

Make a simple pot of chili. I use:

 

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can beans w/ tomato sauce

1 can tomato sauce

Diced onion

Chili pepper to taste

 

Line some parchment paper on a cookie sheet and add your favourite

tortilla chips. When the chili has finished simmering add as much as you

would like to the  top of the chips. Finish topping it off with some grated

cheddar cheese (as much or little as you like). Throw in the oven at 350 F for

 about 10 minutes  (not to  long or  the chips will get soggy but enough to melt

the cheese). Add shredded  lettuce  and tomatoes (I omit the tomatoes because I

HATE them) and serve with sour cream and salsa.

 

They also taste AMAZEBALLS with some fresh guacamole

 

My mouth is watering as I look at this

Just don't expect to still step on the scale the next day and see the same number . . .



* The day after we got home from Vegas my brother and I made a bet that we could go a month without eating meat. We lasted two weeks (whomp whomp). People were begging us to start eating meating again because they couldn't stand how grouchy we were :S. The first thing we ate when we called the bet off : Volcano Nachos :)

 

What I'm Loving . . .

 

 

i'm loving . . .

ELF ON THE SHELF! It was on the top of my list for things to grab in Bismarck - Soooo glad I found one! (Some stores had sold out already!) I can't wait to start doing this with my nieces. I have found some great ideas on Pinterest that I am  excited to do (Check out some super cute ideas here). When we got home from Bismarck on Monday night my nieces were at the house. Rae had heard about Elf On The Shelf from a friend at school and was telling me about it that night without knowing I had gotten one. Stay tuned for pictures of all the Elf's crazy adventures :)

 

 i'm loving . . .

Remember when I posted about the EFC Tree Auction? I wanted these plush woodland animals sooo bad from our silent auction but they went for $110. I had posted then that I was hoping to find them at Kohl's when I headed to Bismarck - and I did!! The best part - these were $30 each originally- and I got them for about $5 each. #winning

 

 i'm loving . . .

 Mel has expressed her love for Swedish Fish many times which made me think that I definitely needed to try them. I found these holiday ones in Target and tried them out last night - delicious! I think they taste just like Sour Patch Kids but without the Sour-i-ness (if that makes any sense). I'm not sure if you can get these in Canada or not (??) but it's a good thing I live so close to the border . . .

 

i'm loving . . .

 Still loving SOA - can't get enough. Season 5 just ended last night so I can't wait to get caught up on it over Christmas

 

i'm loving . . .

  That I FINALLY got a Caramel Brulee Latte (YUM) at Starbucks. I have also came to realize that I have a slight obsession with their mugs - in my defense only three one of them is actually for me . . .

 

i'm loving . . .

Dry Shampoo. The Victoria's Secret kind is my FAVOURITE but I also grabbed some cheaper kind for my trip to Mexico (11 more days!). I have fine hair and I am constantly playing with it so Dry Shampoo can be my best friend somedays!

 

What are you loving?

Happy Hump Day!

Weekend Update . . .

 

 

 

What is it about weekends that makes them fly by, but weekdays take forever to end?! I was off work yesterday while I was down in the States getting some Christmas shopping done but I am sure this week is going to still drag on just as slow as ever

 

Recap of my (long) weekend

 

 

On Friday I went out for lunch with two close friends. We usually try to get together for coffee or supper once a week but hadn't had time to make it work for a couple of weeks so we had lots to catch up on. Somehow the topic turned to people who carry dogs in their purses. Mallory and I both have Yorkies and were talking about how ridiculous it would be to carry them around in our purses. Later that night I was cleaning out my purse to get ready for my trip across the border when I decided to test out the 'Puppy in a Purse' trend. EPIC FAIL! Kirby is normally around 5 lbs soaking wet and yet when I put her in my completely empty purse I felt like I was carting around a large toddler in there - definitely not for me!

 

 

I spent the majority of Saturday baking cookies and other goodies for a Cookie Exchange taking place tonight at a friend's in 'the city'. I made my usual Pioneer Woman Monster Cookies (in Christmas colours of course), Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, Rickity Charlies, Cake Batter Cookies AND some Eat More Bars (YUM). In the end I had a dozen goodies for each person to take home tonight and three dozen cookies leftover for my family. I am SO glad that I am not a big fan of sweets- out of all those leftover cookies I will maybe have one and the goodies that I get tonight are completely for my family's enjoyment. I LOVE to bake so it works in my favour that I don't actually like to eat the baking :)

 

 

Saturday night was my work Christmas Party. We were on the ball this year and had everything planned in November so our Christmas party could take place before Christmas for once instead of closer to February like usual.  A locally owned Ukranian restaurant closed down for the night to accomodate us.The inside of this place is so cozy! We ate some good food, exchanged Secret Santa gifts, played some Minute to Win It games and then butchered sang some Karaoke before calling it a night

 

On Sunday my Mama Bear, Baby Bro, SIL, and I headed down to Bismarck, ND to get some Christmas shopping accomplished  (pretty much my ONLY chance to do so since it is now only 12 days until I leave for Mexico!)

 

We shopped until our feet ached on Sunday and then had a relaxing supper (and a few drinks of course) followed by some time at our Hotels pool

My baby bro and his $8 pitcher of Beer. (It made his entire weekend to be able to drink that cheap).  The hotel we stayed at had an indoor 'waterpark' - we were even able to convince Mama Bear to take a whirl at the waterslide - something she hasn't done since I was probably 12 years old

We stopped in Minot for supper on the way home on Monday - no trip across the border is complete without some Deep Fried Pickles from Badlands :)

(Heaven on earth, but soooooo bad for you!)



I went waaaaaay over budget on my Christmas shopping and the weekend was a complete write off for working out (although I did whip out some of my old aquacize moves in the pool on Sunday night) but it was a good weekend so I am okay with it (as long as it doesn't become a habit!)



Celebrity Sightings . . .

 

 Living in SE Saskatchewan doesn't give me many opportunities for celebrity sightings. But thankfully I have done my fair share of travelling and had some pretty awesome celebrity encounters

 

Me and Captain Jack Sparrow (aka Johnny Depp) on the set of Pirates of the Caribbean . . . cuz you know, I've been to the Caribbean . . .

While attending a party at the Playboy Mansion I was hand picked to hop in bed with Hef and pour his champagne . . . cuz you know, I've been to California. . .

Little known fact about myself : I am a direct descendant of JFK. True Story. I also traveled back in time for a picture with my Granddaddy. . . cuz you know, that's possible and shit. . .

 

Ok so maybe I have spent a little too much time at Wax Museums on my vacations . . .  but a girl can dream!

 

I did however have an ACTUAL celebrity encounter on one of my many trips to Vegas

 

While in Vegas in June of 2011 for my 'Twin's' 21st birthday we partied at Gallery Nightclub at our hotel, Planet Hollywood

 

It turned out that Christopher Mintz-Plasse (aka McLovin) was having his birthday party at the club

 

Here he is telling one of his handlers to pick me and my girlfriends to dance with him in the VIP area keep an eye on the crazy chicks that kept yelling 'McLovin' over and over . . .which definitely wasn't me and my friends . . .

Then that same night we had another celebrity sighting:

 

The Pussycat Doll Burlesque Saloon is attached to Gallery and we headed over to check out the show. We spent most of the night over there because it wasn't as crowded as Gallery. Later on in the night I see none other than the founder of the Pussycat Dolls herself, Robin Antin, walk in. I started freaking out right away (lets remember I'm from a small town, I don't see 'celebrities' very often, even the D list ones), saying 'OMG, that's Robin Antin! Robin Antin is here! We NEED to get a picture with her'.  This is what I heard back from my girlfriends :*Crickets*  Followed by: 'Who the hell is Robin Antin?'

My response: 'shecreatedthepussycatdollsandshehadtheshowsontvaboutfindinganewdollandthatgirliciousgroup... OMGIcan'tbelieveshe'shere!!'

 

My friends had to ask me to repeat myself a few times because I was so excited my words were coming out so fast and were all jumbled together

 

They finally understood me enough to realize this chick was semi-famous enough for us to want to get our picture taken with her. . . and then the next day they kept having to ask me 'what was her name again?'

 

Some people need to watch more television or pick up an US Weekly a little more often . . .

 

We were also this close to being on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills that night. . . but that's a post for another day

 

Looking forward to reading about everyone else's 'Celebrity Sightings'. Make sure you check them all out over at Holly and Erin's blogs!



What I'm Loving . . .

 

 

i'm loving . . .

that the Canada Cup of Curling starts today! (I LOVE curling - it's a sport, fyi). My mom and I had planned on attending the event but life got in the way so we will have to settle for watching it on TV :(

 

i'm loving . . .

Sons of Anarchy. . . (Jax Teller has a loooot to do with it). I NEVER thought I would be interested in a show like this but I am in LOVE

 

i'm loving . . .

 

This holiday mug. . . I love Christmas and coffee almost as much as I love my

family (maybe more . . . jk!) so I love being able to put the two things together

 

 as always i'm loving . . .

Pinterest. . . If I am having a rough day all I need to do is check out the 'Humour' section and it makes my day so much better. This is EXACTLY how I feel right now about my current employment

 

What are you loving?

 

Happy Hump Day!

 

 



Intervention . . .

Today's post is going to be short and sweet

This weekend I fell in love . . .

With a TV show

I started watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix on Friday night because I was trying to put myself to sleep and thought to myself  'Hey, that show seems lame, just watch it and you'll fall asleep no problem'. WRONG. Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, Wrooooong!

I barely left my house all weekend because I was so wrapped up in it. The only time I stepped foot out into the great outdoors was to head out for drinks at the bar in town on Saturday night. . . And a couple of times I questioned why I was out having fun with friends when I could be watching SOA (my tweets are testament to this). Is there some kind of intervention for this?!?!

You may or may not hear from me again until I have finished the last episode of Season 4. . .  which actually shouldn't take me all that long at the rate I have been going

Of course I have other stuff to update on but my brain isn't pleased with the measly two hours of sleep it got last night and with the 6 cups of coffee I have chugged back today I just am not able to function enough to write out a detailed post

I'll hopefully be back tomorrow and back to normal

If you don't hear from me again it's probably because I headed south in search of a fictional town in California called Charming . . .

What I'm Loving . . .

 

 

i'm loving . . .

'Better Dig Two' by The Band Perry. I first heard it when they performed at the CMA's and ever since I have been OBSESSED! I would listen to it all day long if I could

 

i'm loving . . .

Fruit. I would eat fruit at every meal (if I could afford to. This shit aint cheap!)

Lately I have been having a fruit salad every morning for breakfast. I'm usually lazy and buy the pre-made stuff at Sobeys

 

i'm loving . . .

Pinterest. Every night before I go to sleep I browse Pinterest. It's also good for my lunch break where I am stuck in 'the city' with nowhere to go and nothing to do. Or for the times at the Dr's office (have an appointment today, boooo) when your appointment is pushed back TWO EFFING HOURS (yes, it really happens)

 

and of course

 

i'm loving . . .

my two adorable nieces. Don't know what I would do without these two

 

What are you loving?

 

Happy Hump Day

 



25 Days . . .

I JUST REALIZED IT IS ONLY 25 DAYS UNTIL MY TRIP TO MEXICO! Eeeeek. I think I am having a mild panic attack right now

I have always been a planner and a list maker - I get anxiety if I don't have a plan. Everytime I travel I make a list at least a month before I leave. Yesterday I started writing out my list of items to pack

After writing out the list I realized something: I am not the least bit prepared!!! I have exactly one bathing suit. ONE! For a 7 day trip. WTF I am going to do?!

I tried to order another swimsuit off of Victoria's Secret yesterday and the website was acting up. Don't they know I am in a time crunch here?!

It has also sunk in that 25 days just isn't going to be enough time to give me Heidi Klums body. (Dang). BUT I do have a plan to at least be down a few pounds before I hit the beach. I'll admit I missed a few workouts in the last couple of weeks with everything I had going on but I am not going to allow any more excuses! I am going to keep doing The Shred in the mornings but am also going to add some extra cardio in the evenings

I drank my weight in vodka on the weekend so that probably didn't help with anything. . . AND I have a stagette to attend this weekend so I am definitely going to have to come up with something extra to do to balance out the booze. The bride has already let everyone know that there will be plenty of Jello shots to go around (so expect another post about my massive Sunday hangover) and for some reason I just can't say no to free booze shots

At least I don't have to worry about a Turkey coma this week - Thanksgiving was over a month ago for me. Although I may or may not have tried convincing my family we should celebrate American Thanksgiving since we live so close to the border . . .  It's probably a good thing they said no . . .

Weekend Update . . .

 

 

Normally I feel stuck in a rut on Mondays, not sure what to blog about but for the next few weekends I have so much to do that I will actually have a weekend to update on. There's not usually much to do around these parts during the winter months so I am going to embrace it!

 

Friday was a complete whirlwhind. I was up at 4:45 am to get ready for work and was out of the house by 5:45 to make it to work for 6:30. My day sped since I was there so early (sometimes I wish I worked this early all the time) and before I knew it it was 2:30 and I was off. I went and got my hair cut and my hairdresser congratulated me for actually coming in for my 6 week trim when it had been 6 weeks and not 4 months - Seriously, my hairdresser had started to threaten calling ME to set up the appointments, that's how forgetfull I can be. So yay me for remembering! I then ran around 'the city' like a mad woman, picking up a last minute donation for the auction, grabbing dainties for the intermission, and getting last minute costume additions for Ladies Night. I sped home as fast as legally possible then headed 20 minutes in the opposite direction to grab my nieces from daycare. Then it was off to finish last minute details and get ready for the auction. We had so many awesome donations this year - the community support for our centre is amazing.

 

We haven't received a total yet but we did a rough estimate that night and came up with $11,500  which is wonderful!  



My favourite tree - It was called 'Merry & Bright' and had a 'Grinch-y' vibe to it. Would have loved to have been able to take it home- It went for $650 and is being donated to the local hospital

 

My SIL decorated this tree for her workplace - 'Black Magic' went for $800

 

 Some 'Jingle Table' items (aka Chinese Auction)

 A live auction item - a family game night - it's always a hit at the auction and goes for a high price. This ended up at my parent's house, bought by my Dad's company, to the tune of $800

 

I absolutely adore the plush woodland animals donated to our silent auction. They were bought at Kohl's and I am hoping I can head across the border one of these weekends and find something similar

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders mirror for the live auction. In our experience, anything that has to do with the Riders goes for a good price. I think this item went for $800

 

Sometimes I feel like I give so much to the community organizations that I am on and don't give myself enough 'me time'. But then after a night like this I feel so proud that I was a part of something special and was able to help my community out and ensure that our family centre is able to keep operating and offering such a great service to the small town that I call home

 

 

I didn't get to unwind at all on Saturday from my crazy week - I was up early putting last minute touches onto my costume for ladies night. Each table at Ladies Night came up with their own themes to dress up as - our table chose the theme 'Superheroes'. Rather than be a typical superhero, I wanted to be a Ninja Turtle. So me, my SIL, her cousin, and one of my BFF's

from high school made some awesome costumes and rocked the eff ouf of them (if I do say so myself . . .)

 

Getting ready to head to the event and my bro had to take a picture. He was OBSESSED with Ninja Turtles when he was little (confession: so were me and my sis). He uploaded it to Instagram and his caption says it all - he admitted before we left he was a little jealous he couldn't come to

 My friend 's tables theme was 'Gypsy's' - somehow I ended up taking a tambourine home that night

 

 I think I have these to blame for the massive headache I had on Sunday morning. It definitely wasn't the bottle of wine I chugged before we headed out or the shots of vodka I ingested. Nope, it was definitely all due to the jello shots. For future reference, 75 jello shots between 6 people is probably a bad idea

Me and the SIL

 

We closed the place down - a good night was definitely had by all

 

On Sunday morning my cousin and I were texting back and forth about our massive hangovers. I commented that I am glad Ladies Night only happens once a year - as much fun as it is I am definitely not as young as I once was. In College I did this every night AND went to class or practicum everyday AND was on the honour roll. Now I can't even handle one night out without staying in bed all day the day after. Go figure

 

We already have a theme for next year (if there is a next year . . . JK I don't buy into the whole the world is going to end). Any guesses what our theme will be??