Monday, December 30, 2013

Holiday treats!

Need a last minute gift? Or maybe you want to bring a snack to a party? Here it is! This is so simple, delicious and can be customized to suit exactly what you like!!

I used:
Dark chocolate (I used 70% chips)
Pistachios
Dried cranberries
Flaked Sea salt
White chocolate
Walnut crumbs

If these toppings don't appeal to you, change it up to suit your taste.

This is the easiest treat ever! From start to finish it takes about 20-30 minutes.

To start, melt the chocolate in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water. It gets so smooth and perfect this was. In the microwave the chocolate can get a bit crisp on the edges.


Once it is fully melted and smooth, pour onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Smooth the chocolate across the sheet.
You can smooth it out so it's very thin, or keep it thicker. It's your choice, but it will take longer to re-harden the thicker it is.


Sprinkle your toppings on. As much or as little as you'd like. Don't leave out the salt. It brings out the sweetness so the chocolate isn't overly bitter. 
Once you have it how you like, put it in the fridge or freezer until it's good and solid. 
Success!




Now all that's left is to break it up and give it to the people you love! 

Happy new year everyone!
xoxo

Friday, December 20, 2013

Workout

I'm hoping in the new year I can allow myself more time for more workouts. I have never been a gym person, so I have to find classes that I will actually enjoy and that have a teacher to keep me going.

That being said, I've made myself a list of classes or activities I want to try in 2014. 
Here it is : (and no, this isn't a stupid New Years resolution to be a better me. December is just to expensive as it is.)

I am really looking forward to starting the kickboxing class I did a trial for last month. It was an amazing workout, reasonably priced and self defence lessons all in one. 
30 minute hit kickboxing circuit 
http://www.30minutehit.com

Considering it was my life goal as a child to be a ballerina, how could I not want to try this?? The workout is based around a ballet barre and works the body in a way that dance, yoga and Pilates combined would. Low impact but effective. 
Barre body studio - ballet workouts
http://barrebodystudio.com

I would like to start running again, but that may wait until summer.. If I could run outside all year I would but I'd break my ankles on all the stupid winter ice. And let me just say, there are few things I hate more than falling on ice. 

I also do yoga all year round. Chad and I do a hatha class once a week near where we live and have been for a few years now. I think I might branch out and try some other kinds of yoga now. I would especially love to try aerial yoga...

Or aerial arts in general. Silks perhaps??
http://www.fireflytheatre.com


Continuing on, some other things, less for exercise and more for fun and getting out, I would love to do archery and rock climbing. 

Then let's put all these things together and I will be a super ass kicking machine.. Maybe I'll become a super hero or something.... 

Yes, I do love Arrow. I mean.. How could you not????

xoxo

Saturday, December 14, 2013

My toast is French.

Sometimes, for no real reason at all, It's nice to have something special for breakfast. French toast is where it's at today. With the day off, Chad sleeping in and me being (obviously) hungry, it's just perfect.


I used to make French toast with just egg. Bread dipped in egg, into the pan, syrup, done.
This time I put a little more into it.

For 2-3 slices of bread you need:
2 eggs
A glug of milk
Cinnamon
Vanilla extract

Mix, mix, mix
Give the bread a good soak in the mix and then send it off to a hot buttered pan.
It's all done when the bread has a nice brown crisp.


I topped my toast with Pure maple syrup and fruit. Blueberries, mango, strawberry and peaches. Nice and simple, but so delicious.
Whipped cream also makes a good topping but I don't keep that on hand.

And let's just be real, this isn't paleo at all. Sometimes you've just gotta live a little.

xoxo



Tuesday, December 10, 2013

1 year

Well, it's hard to believe for me, but 1 year ago today I was getting off a ferry that sailed across the sea from my Greece to Italy.  My last glimpse of beautiful Greece and huge anticipation for everything to come. Rome would soon be mine! 

When we did finally make it into Rome on the train and find a hostel, that was when the travel adventure really begin. That adventure stretched out for two of the best months of my life. Thinking back on them, some of those experiences don't even seem real. 
I went underground in the coliseum??
I stood in the shadow of the acropolis?
I visited Versailles, Eiffel and Arc de Triomphe.. Not to mention Disneyland Paris! 
We chased the stories of Jack the Ripper through London. 
Belgian waffles in Belgium and Swiss chocolate in Switzerland?! Yum. 
Followed the story line of The Sound of Music movie through Austria and learned about the real story. 
Plumped up on sausage and mulled wine at Christmas markets in Austria, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and France. 

Of course we did and saw so much more, but it would take me ages to relive it all right here for you. Go back to the very beginning of my blog and you can read all about it! 
Every bit of this trip, the whole 5 months, not just the last 2 have changed things for me so much. I have such a thirst for the world. I want to see it all, bury my toes in the sands, swim in the seas, climb the hills. Visit the temples, ruins, monasteries, cities, villages.. I want to meet the people, hear their languages and taste their food. I want it all. 

Can we go now??
xoxo

Monday, December 9, 2013

The season is here!

And just like that, a tree grew up in my living room!


I was shopping at Target the day before black Friday and they had some great deals already on so I picked up a Christmas tree and some lights for the condo. Chad wasn't up for putting it up that night when I got home but I convinced him to do it the next day! We also ended up going back to Target to get another string of lights, some garland and a few ornaments.




I just love our little tree! It took a minute for it to grow on me, but now I think it's just darling. It's a bit skinny and the branches aren't super strong though so we couldn't put to much on it. 


To add to the seasonal feelings we also got a massive dump of snow and some seriously ridiculous cold weather. Like -30 ish and feeling like -45 with windchills. Gross. 


To add to my festive feelings, I've been working on my stockings. One each for my nieces and one for my oldest brother. And you can have one too!! I have an etsy shop for them!!


xoxo

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Wish list

I swear I've been a good girl this year. 


Skinny Will Pant


















PCF1 coverSinger Gray Medium Adjustable Dress Form
Discover Japan travel guide


Pants, iPad air, Adjustable dress form,  Paleo cookbooks, Travel books,

And now, just as a bonus, in case Santa really loves me.
I would just LOVE this little man. He was the cutest sweetest little thing. A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. 





Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Flashing lights


It happened. I got my lightsaber. Chad has had one for a long while now and he loves it and he decided I should have my own so we can battle in the living room.  I told him I only wanted it if it was pink.
IT'S PINK!!!!

Well, technically it's clear/silvery, but I also got discs to change the colour. I can pretty much make it any colour I want. Pink, green, blue, purple, yellow, orange, red... I can even make hybrids by mixing discs. Some sabers make sound but that costs significantly more so we opted to order ones without. 

Very quickly after opening the package and choosing my colour we got right down to the battling. Naturally, I kicked his ass... Maybe.. Or maybe not......

Chads green and mine without a colour disc. 
The colour here isn't quite true to what it looks like but it'll do. 

Xoxo









The sabers came from ultrasabers.com, check it out!

Monday, November 25, 2013

Winnie the Pooh Bear

One of the most ridiculous things I've read in a long time right here. Chad stumbled on it during one of our pointless and ridiculous debates about Rabbit's gender and him trying to prove me wrong. I personally have always seen rabbit as a female. Like the cranky granny of the group... Apparently she is actually a he.. 

Anyway, here is the article.
**
11 things you may not want to know about Winnie the Pooh 

There are many ways in which one can read literary texts. One can interpret them at face value, or one can read various things into them. For instance, did you know that the stories about Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends comprise an allegory of male sexuality; in fact, a very old-fashioned one. With the exception of Kanga, all characters are male, and they each represent different aspects of male sexuality and associated desires, inhibitions, fears, prejudices, etc. The stories also include a typically male (albeit ancient) bipolar view of female sexuality: the caring Madonna (Kanga) and the always-accessible whore (the honey pot).

1. Winnie-the-Pooh is the personification of male (adolescent) sexuality. He is not quite sure what he wants, or even who he is. His actions are often hampered by his fears or his ignorance. Winnie-the-Pooh is in fact a symbol for the penis.

2. The Honey Pot, Winnie-the-Pooh’s favourite thing, represents the male fantasy of a vagina. It is the ultimate objectification of female sexuality. It is passive, will-less, and locked up in a safe place until male lust (i.e. Winnie-the-Pooh) wants a piece of it. As such, the Honey Pot is also a symbol for the whore.

3. Piglet is the unwilling virgin. He is the little kid who wants to be a big kid, like all his friends. Piglet represents the young adolescent’s frustrations and insecurities about never being sure if the others think he’s a grown-up or if they know he’s just a kid pretending to be a grown-up.

4. The Owl represents pretence. He wants to be wise. He tries very hard to appear wise. In fact, he has come to live the image he has created for himself. He is the guy who wants wants everyone else to think he knows all about what to do with the girls, but in reality he is just the same fumbling fool as the rest of us.

5. Eeyore is downbeat, cautious, self-pitying. He is always holding himself back, never allowing himself to enjoy things. He wants new experiences (i.e. date girls), but he is never likely to do so, because he fears what it might lead to. Eeyore is the personification of repressed sexuality.

6. Rabbit is that annoying acquaintance we all know, who is convinced that he is more experienced and mature than anyone else. He is different from the Owl, who knows his limitations but hides them, while Rabbit has no self-awareness at all. He wants to be in charge of all things around him, because he knows best, even when he doesn’t. In the bedroom, Rabbit is the one with the whip, always in fear of loosing control.

7. The Heffalump represents everything that our mothers warned us about, such as bad company, unhealthy living, strangers in cars, etc., as well as their consequences, like unwanted pregnancies, naughty diseases, and so on. Still, we’re all curious animals, and we’re strangely drawn to the Heffalump, perhaps because it is so taboo. The irony of the Heffalump is, of course, that it is no independent danger at all, but a part of our own beings. In fact, the search for the Heffalump represents all those trials and errors we make as young adolescents looking for love, identity, and adulthood. Hence the Heffalump is a symbol of puberty, or more specifically, an escalating awareness of our own sexuality.

8. Kanga represents the teenage mother. (Roo is her child.) Kanga is a mother because she wasn’t afraid of the Heffalump, or at least not afraid enough. But even so, she is a responsible mother. In fact, Kanga is a symbol for the Madonna. Her main role in the story is to control Roo’s unlimited lust for life, clearly in a vain attempt to stop him from repeating her mistake(s).

9. Roo, Kanga’s baby, is the fearless, life-enjoying optimist. He is totally without inhibitions and fears. He represents all our desires for constant adventure and joy. He is like a stereotypical hippie advocating free, boundless sex. He is always willing to jump into anything, as long as it looks fun. And if it doesn’t look fun, he’ll jump into it anyway.

10. Tigger is a wannabee adventurer who wants to enjoy life, but is too dumb to understand what or why things happen the way they do. As he lacks Roo’s naive self-confidence, he also lacks the courage to go all the way. He is the insecure boy who wants to hit on the pretty girls, but always gets cold feet in the last moment (eminently exemplified in stories by Tigger climbing into the tree and freezing). Tigger represents unfulfilled sexual desires, which makes him the eternal masturbator (symbolised by his constant bouncing up and down).

11. Christopher Robin is the only genuinely asexual character in the story. In a way, he is God. He gave life to all the characters. He is the moderator of their lives. He feels for them and cares for them. He is the benevolent, respectful leader we all wish we had.

I hope you can still enjoy Winnie-the-Pooh.

(Apologies to Bruno Bettelheim.)


All the characters and elements have been related to sex in some way. I personally am not ok with this. Winnie the Pooh is a story for children, about a child. There is no sex, no sexual references, no innuendos, nothing. Anyone who sees a honey pot as a vagina/whore is reading WAY to far into things. And really, why is a vagina a whore??? 
Crazy people. 

If you ask me, which by reading this you kind of are, I would say that the characters have as much to do with sex as a wall does. They show no sexuality whatsoever, there is almost no opposite sex to speak of and nothing happening outside of good old fashioned childish friendships. Not to mention they are all imaginary friends based off stuffed animals..

Stop trying to ruin my childhood!!!

Xoxo




**reference

Sunday, November 17, 2013

So, I can put the tree up now, right?

Well, it has arrived. Winter to be specific. I feel like it usually arrives in October, cold and ready to make some changes. We have been fortunate and it didn't arrive until November this year.
As lovely as that first snow can be, glittery, crisp and just perfect for snowmen, it will inevitably lead to more miserable days.

Most notably, the arrival of snow, and November means I can start with Christmas!! I love Christmas. Everything about it. The music, decorations, gifts and being with the whole family. I especially love that. Anything can happen when we all get together. Seriously, anything. I've seen some crazy things in my day..

Since I'm living away form home for the first time, this also means I get to decorate my own home and have my very own Christmas tree!! Thrilling!! I have already pulled out the boxes of Christmas stuff that Chad and I collected on our travels through Europe and I was so excited to put them out. I decided to leave a few things in boxes for now though because even though Chad loves all our stuff too he thinks it's too early.
Our collection goes in 2 directions, but came form the same places. Woodland creatures in ornament form, and mugs (several of which are shaped like boots!) We got everything from Christmas markets, except for a few things.
Most came from the markets in Salzburg, Austria and Nuremberg, Germany. Other bits came form Rome, Copenhagen, Lucerne and Venice among others.

Let me introduce you!






Any day now Chad will agree to go out and buy a tree, lights, wreaths, wrapping paper and all the other good Christmasy stuff! I can't wait!
xoxo

Thursday, November 14, 2013

The musical

Chad and I stayed up together last week to watch the CMA's, one of country musics biggest nights. We both love country music and it's fun to see people perform and present. For something a little different I decided to share some of my favorite music with YOU! It's not all country, but most is.
Enjoy!

Trust me when I say, this is a very small list. It is what I currently love. But there is so so much more.
For when you need to dance/Missing summer time...
Cruise - Florida Georgia Line
22 - Taylor Swift ........ Spent most of my birthday listening to this.. makes sense, no?
It's Friday - Dean Brody with Great Big Sea
Barefoot Blue Jean Night - Jake Owen
Jumped Right In - Dallas Smith

Feeling sappy/Romantic/Want something slower...
Crazy Girl - Eli Young Band
Underneath the Apple Trees - Dean Brody
Boston and St. Johns - Great Big Sea ......... Anything by GBS is generally great
Wanted - Hunter Hayes ........ I can listen to this song on repeat all day long!
Beth - KISS
Begin Again - Taylor Swift
Let Me Go - Avril Lavigne with Chad Kroeger
Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars
Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey
You Raise Me Up - Celtic Woman

Other...
Miley Cyrus - Wrecking Ball ........ Be real, the girl is talented. She just makes some questionable choices,                                                           but the choices leave everyone talking about her, so, she wins.

In General...
Country --> Anything by Keith Urban, Taylor Swift
Folk..? --> Great Big Sea, Celtic Woman
Rock --> KISS, Def Leppard, Motley Crue, The Beatles

Monday, November 4, 2013

The pumpkin patch

Horrible disaster!!

This post had so much potential to be cute and festive until I went over to look at our pumpkins and found that they had turned bad and furry in a matter of hours. And when I say bad, I mean bad. I tried to pick them up to put them in trash bags and they fell apart in my hands and made a nasty, mushy, wet, smelly mess. I then went into instant panic and clean mode. Damn pumpkins! And damn condo for ruining all produce!!!

Anyway, lets go back to the beginning.
I am a very festive person. I love all holidays. I love to decorate and spend time with the people I love most. At this time of year, that means carving pumpkins.


We bought 3, 1 for Chad to carve and 2 for me.. because I love it.
We also made a stop at the dollar store to see if we could find a cheap carving kit so we weren't using the good kitchen knives, and since we didn't find one, we bought cheapo pairing knives. They did just fine.

Best part first, cutting the top of and digging the guts out. I love it. Its like taking the neck, heart, etc.. out of a turkey... I like that too..
With all the seeds collected for roasting and the goopy stringy stuff discarded, we got to the carving.


Chad chose a Star Wars approach, naturally. It turned out good
I did Harry Potter for my first one. And Wonder Woman for my second.








Finale!

 


xoxo

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Tea party; 22nd Birthday!

Having fallen significantly behind in my October blogging due to a busy schedule and broken wi-fi I should have quite a few posts up soon!

Firstly, it was my 22nd birthday on October 23rd and to show the world just how much of an adult I am now, I threw myself a pink themed tea party. My best girlfriends and I piled into my little condo for cake and games, dressed in dresses of course.



Surprisingly, and disappointingly, I took very few photos of the day.

I spent a few days before the party putting up some cheesy decorations and making myself a cake, shopping for snacks, moving furniture and cleaning. Deciding which dress to wear and painting my nails was in there too..

A partially decorated room..



It was a good time. The baby played with balloons, the girls and I ate and chatted and played Cranium.. Chad hid upstairs.





To end the night off, 1 friend and I skipped over to our favorite pub for a few drinks and a game of darts. Our favorite game.
Waking up the next day didn't feel all to great but it was a good party!

xoxo

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

When it's cold outside

As our fall starts to feel more like winter it's time to get cosy inside. Some of the best ways to make that happen involve candles, décor and bath time.

Lets start with my  favorites. I bought Gourds and pumpkins to decorate with and I absolutely love them!! All different colors, shapes and sizes. And naturally I picked the weirdest looking ones...




Of course, I love candles all year round and have lots dotted throughout the condo anyway, but I've been burning them more and I've pulled out the cold weather scents. 
Cinnamon and clove buds, Leaves (which actually smells like apples), Cider lane, Fraser fir and Gingerbread is what's going on now.




The candles also make for a cosy warm bath time. Perfect relaxation. And naturally, bubbles, bath bombs and face masks make an appearance.. more on them another time!

Keep warm
xoxo


 

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