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?

One Year Anniversary!

One year ago today was by far the most amazing day of my life!

It was a cold, bright day and everything went off without a hitch. We decided on a December wedding because I hate the rain. Thankfully our wedding was last year and not this past weekend with all the rain we had.

Here are a few pictures from the over 3000 we have!

My gorgeous parents walking me down the aisle!

 



My little cousin Nicholas! He is so sweet.

 



 

Getting ready for our first dance to At Last.

 

 

 

 

Man Cave

As I mentioned on Monday we're finishing our basement. Half of it is going to be a work area for the mister and the other half I'd like to make a man cave. The basement isn't big so I need to make sure it doesn't feel cluttered and cramped.

We already have a Foosball table and I hear rumours that a dart board has been bought for the space too. I would ideally like to buy him a poker table for Christmas and possibly a comfy chair.

Side note, the mister doesn't know I'm thinking of doing any of this for Christmas and yes I realize I have less then three weeks to complete this project!

Ideally I'd also like to have a mini bar cart in the basement with his favourite drinks and some glassware.

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I thought I'd post some man-cave pictures for inspiration. Let me know what you think.

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I'd love some man cave tips and ideas if you have any!

Powder Room Renovations

Sorry for being MIA over the last week. The last week has been a crazy ride to say the least. Thankfully it's a new week.

In the matter of a couple days we decide we were going to finish our basement and the renovations are happening fast, very fast, The framer started on Friday, the plumber and electrician are there today and the drywall is starting tomorrow. This said, we have to make very fast decisions. I bought lights and picked out floor samples on Saturday.

One of the big things I need to tackle in the next day or so is the powder room. We are going to move the toilet and sink from our main floor powder room to the basement and buy nicer pieces for our main floor. I've seen a few vanities that I like but nothing that's knocked my socks off.

Let me know what you think about these pieces.

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Which is your favourite and why?

Don't be shy, I need suggestions!

Christmas Pots & Stockings

Christmas decor has hit my house! Over the weekend I did some shopping and decorating. Being that it's our first Christmas in our house we needed a lot of stuff.

One of the things I was most excited to tackle was the pot on our front porch. I bought the greenery from a local nursery. The birch is from Wal-Mart and the branches are from mother nature herself!

I saw these stockings a few weeks ago at Chapters and just new I had to have them. I bought an extra one of our baby for next Christmas too.

Have you started decorating yet? What's your favourite decor piece in your house?

One Of A Kind Show 2012

Last Thursday I was lucky enough to attend the One Of A Kind Show media breakfast. I was so excited to walk the floor and see what all the talented artisans had to offer.

The morning started off with a delicious breakfast put on by Glory Hole Doughnuts. These doughnuts were like no other doughnuts I've had before. She had so many different flavours and options, it was fabulous!

Another great feature about the show was the great Christmas decor. There were so many wonderful trees and planters, all a great inspiration for my own house.

My first purchase was from Olive. I bought a men soap bar for the mister's stocking. They have  huge arrange of bath products. I strongly suggested checking out their booth.

One of my favourite One Of A Kind finds are these. I've bought them before and they're one of my favourite kitchen necessities. You take these powders and mix them with plain yogurt and serve with a delicious crackers or some veggies. It's honestly the perfect snack and much healthier then the store bought dips.

Another thing the mister and I cannot live without is delicious spices. This spice from The Garlic Box is perfect for pork chops, veal chops and chicken. I cannot wait to make a delicious meal with this!

Some of my other favourite booths were the children clothing booths. I saw more adorable onesies then I could handle. I didn't buy any, I'm going to wait a few more weeks to buy baby stuff but boy they were adorable!

I also loved all the wooden salad bowls, cutting boards and pepper mills. I wasn't in the market for any but if you are I certainly suggest checking them out.

I hope you have time to check out the Christmas One Of A Kind Show before it's over on December 2nd.