Ballet Flats

I'm a late joiner to the ballet flats club but I'm happy to say I've joined and I'm in love. I'm typically a heels person since I'm only 5'2 but with being pregnant and my feet hurting, flats are just the way to go.

Flats can be super trendy without looking grandma-ish and go with a lot of outfits.

Here are a few great pairs that I think every women should have and enjoy!

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How great would these be with a pair of skinny jeans or in the office with a grey or black pant?

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I'd love these for the spring and summer. They'd be perfect with a white pant, shorts or an above the knee dress / skirt.

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So tell me, have you jumped on the ballet flat bandwagon? Which pair is your favourite?



Valentine's Day Table Setting & a Recipe

I know some people may think it's a tad early for a Valentine's Day post but oh well!

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday night and I opted for simple yet pretty place settings.

 

 

I bought the cookies from Longo's. They aren't very good but they're cute.

 

 



 

The wine glass shown here were apart of the swag bag from Blog Podium. I think I've used them more as vases then I have to drink out of.

 

 

 

Unfortunately we've broken almost all of our wine glasses so I had to use stemless glasses. I really need to buy some more!

 

 

My menu on Saturday had a bit for everyone. One of things we made for the first time was flank steak. I don't know a lot of people who have made this but I found a great and simple recipe on Canadian Living.

 

 

Here is the recipe from Canadian Living:

Ingredients

• 1 tsp grated lemon rind - Note: I just grated the rind of a whole lemon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic , minced
• 1 tbsp minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1 lb beef flank marinating steak 

Note: I didn't really go by those measurements, I eyeballed it based on the piece of meat I had. It was rather large so I increased my portions.

 

Preparation

In shallow glass dish, whisk together lemon rind and juice, oil, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper; add steak, turning and patting to coat. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or for up to 4 hours.

Place steak on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill until medium-rare, about 6 minutes per side. (Or broil for about 4 minutes per side.)

Transfer steak to cutting board and tent with foil; let stand for 5 minutes before carving thinly across the grain.

Note: It was delicious and super easy to make. The piece of meat I bought was large and took about 22 minutes to BBQ to medium-rare. The mister told me yesterday that he added a bit of soya sauce before he bbq'd the meat.

Also, we didn't tent with meat after it came off the bbq, we just cut it and served it.

 

Now tell me, do you like Valentine's Day themed tables and two, do you have a good flank steak recipe to share?

 

Quick & Easy Centerpieces

I don't know about you but I'm always trying to find ways to jazz up our table. Whether it's just to keep it looking nice during the week or for a weekend dinner with friends I love a well dressed table.

Keeping the table dressed for the season is a big thing for me. Seashells in the summer, gorgeous tulips in the spring, gourds and small pumpkins in the fall and frosted pinecones in the winter.

 

 I love this idea, the limes in the vase. I've done it before with lemons. It has such a fresh feel to it.

 

 

 

Candels and / or flowers that extend the length of the table are gorgeous too. I also love place cards. Not neccessary for a small dinner party of 4 but can be fun for a party over 6.

 

 

 

How amazing are these flowers? I love how vibrant and warm they are. And how amazing is the notepad place card. This would be perfect for a bridal or baby shower.

 

All of the images are from HGTV.

 

Now tell me, does your heart melt when you see a gorgeous table like mine? Do you have a go to centerpiece theme?

Gold Glitter & Parties

Do you love gold as much as I do? There are few instances where I see gold and don't like it. It's such a fun addition to parties and can really girl it up!

My best friends bridal shower was pink and gold themed and it was amazing to say the least. You can check it out here.

If you don't believe me that gold is a great addition to a party check out these examples.



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Are you sold, will you be using gold at your next girly party? If I still love gold this much in a few years and if Baby P is a girl I want to do her big-girl room in gold and pink.

Tell me, what is your go to girly party addition?


Little Girl Nursery

I have obviously been crazy excited for the arrival of Baby P since August but I've reached the part of my pregnancy where I'm just overjoyed and cannot wait!

We've decided not to find out what we're having. I love the idea of not knowing and keeping everyone, including us, guessing. I've thought since we found out I was pregnant that Baby P is a girl but who knows.

We I have decided that the nursery is going to be finished pre-arrival gender neutral and we'll add a few gender specific pieces once our baby is here.

Since I think Baby P is a girl I'll share my baby girl nursery ideas first.



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The walls are going to be painted like this no matter what - boy or girl. I just adore stripes and love this for the nursery.

  



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I love the idea of having a few of her pretty little dresses on display like this. Isn't is just precious!

I also love this idea too.

 

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I'm not sure of the original source for this image, I found it on Pinterest. I really like how simple yet feminine this lighting is. I'm a bit nervous to hang it over the crib, I think I would do it in the center of the room.

 

 

I'm still working on bedding, stay tuned!

 

Tell me, do you like where I'm headed with this room so far?

 



Emerald Green for 2013!

Are you loving Pantone's colour of the year as much as I am? Emerald Green is one of my favourite colours. When I was in Italy and France last December I saw it everywhere and fell in love immediately.

This is a great colour you can incorporate into many aspects of your life - fashion, decor & events!

Here are some fun examples of this fabulous colour.



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Have I made you fall in love with emerald green? Will you be adding it to your life this year? I sure plan on it!



Homemade Pasta & A Family Cookbook

One of my biggest accomplishments of last year, aside from making a baby that is causing me crazy back pain, was making homemade pasta for the first time. We hosted the mister's family for Christmas dinner and homemade pasta was the first course.

My parents offered to help but being the stubborn person that I am I refused and was determined to make this on my own. Five years ago I could barely boil water, this was a big accomplishment.

I borrowed my parents pasta maker and went to work. It's a multi step process that took about 2-3 hours. In pasta making lingo, I made 6 eggs worth of pasta.

For the full recipe and how to click here. My family has a cookbook, First You Steal A Chicken, and that's where most of my recipes and ideas come from!

Step 1: Make the balls of dough with a food processor

Step 2: Spread the dough and make the sheets of pasta. Take the balls and put it through the pasta maker until you have thin sheets.

 

 Step 3: Cut the pasta



 







 

 

And finally... eat up!

 

 

 

If you have any questions or are confused at all by the recipe I'd be happy to help. Just shoot me an email.

 

So now I ask, what's your biggest cooking accomplishment?

Neon, Neon, Neon

I'm back! Sorry for the long hiatus but December was one very busy month. With the basement renovation and the holidays, the month just got away from me. I did have a 1.5 weeks off over the holidays and it was amazing, exactly what the doctor ordered.

I've tackled quite a bit over the last month all of which I'll share over the next little while but today I thought I'd share something I saw a lot of on Pinterest over the holidays, NEON! Yes I know it's not 1985 but I was seeing it everywhere.

Let me know your thoughts.

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Sorry, I can't find the original link for this image but how gorgeous are these flats.

 

 

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Some might say this is too much but if you can pull it off I say go for it. Did you notice her nails too!

 



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The mister bought me this purse for Christmas and I adore it. I think it's actually supposed to be an iPad case but I'm using it as a purse. The strap is one side pink and the other orange.

 

 

So tell me, have I converted you into a neon lover like myself?