#Obsessed

Just a few things I'm obsessed with lately.

[1] This gorgeous blue parka I got on sale for $50. It's basically everything I wanted (and needed) in a new coat, and had a great price! I'm trying to save it for next Winter, but if Spring doesn't come soon I might have to wear it!

[I know I've already blogged & tweeted about this, I am really excited!]

[2] Orange Juice. I know it's probably filled with sugar and terrible for me, but it is delicious and so satisfying. 

[3] This creative marketing I see daily on my travels. It's encouraging people to donate hats, mittens, etc to the Ottawa Mission. I think it is a brilliant way to attract attention for an important cause.

[4] EOS lip balm. I jumped on this bandwagon late, but I love these little balls of fun. My lips are no longer dried and cracked and it is way easier to find a ball in my purse than a skinny tube of lip balm. 

[5] Being able to see Parliament Hill whenever I want. I don't want to get into the politics, I know there isn't good stuff happening there everyday but I just think the buildings are gorgeous and that it is cool to live so close to the centre of government in Canada. *Sorry for the grainy picture, it was foggy and snowing and I took it from quite far away. 

[6] Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate and this adorable cozy, courtesy of one of my best pals, H-Mac. I only recently discovered Vanilla Bean Hot Chocolate but it is seriously delicious. I'm hoping it's not a seasonal item. 

[7] & [8] Space. Galaxies. Planets. My kiddos at work are so curious about space and this is one of the first topics I've really felt like I was able to teach them about while involving them in the whole process. Everything we're learning is driven by their interest. We made galaxies and suns last week, and are making space stations and solar systems this week. So fun! 

[9] This butternut squash mac & cheese recipe. K-Fran turned us onto it when she lived her last year and it is still one of my favourite dinners. I tweaked the recipe a little this time, adding breadcrumbs and basil and baking it in the oven. It's so fantastic, I highly recommend you give it a try, you can hardly notice the squash, especially if it's mashed! 

What are your current obsessions? 

Keep Smiling :) 

Monday Already?

This weekend flew by, which I guess is a sign that we had lots of fun. It's also a sign that weekends are too short! When I become princess of the universe I will instate four day weekends for everyone. Yes, princess of the universe is a real thing. 

Two weeks down, only twelve weeks to go between now and placement. The past two weeks haven't been too bad, so hopefully this is a pattern that continues. I just want to make it through to the end and get that piece of paper!

As is becoming the norm, I've taken a few photos to summarize the awesomeness that was my weekend. 

We kicked the weekend off with a trip to Menchies to introduce K-Fran to the awesomeness that is self-serve fro-yo. It did not disappoint! 

Jay and I continued on the plan to eat less processed food by making our own Apple Sauce. I didn't take enough photographs, so these will have to do for now. We made three varieties, berry-apple, cinnamon-apple and mango-apple. They are delicious and it really didn't take us that long, though it did take a bag of apples! 

I've been reading this Sweet Valley High "grown up" book that I rented from the Library all weekend. Sweet Valley high books were my favourite when I was younger so I am mildly amused by their escapades as adults. When I finish this I am going to focus my mental energy into reading some non-fiction though to rebuild my brain! 

Saturday we got some snow, that quickly melted into an icy mess, this picture is less about showing the icy mess though. Mostly I wanted to showcase my adorable (though not warm) little red riding hood jacket. This beauty was $12 at Old Navy. 

I am so spoiled sitting in the car while Jason cleans the car off! In my defence there was very little snow  on the car this time, I usually (ok, sometimes) help! 

K-Fran and I also made a trip to the mall, it's fun to have my bestie around all the time. She also makes the most delicious pasta dishes, butternut squash mac and cheese and lasagna this week. I don't even like squash and I loved the mac and cheese. 

We also spent way too much time watching Netflix. There are just so many brilliant shows to watch, I can't help myself. Sometimes we watch documentaries at least! 

To finish this up, I'll leave you with my unimpressed face as I prepared to trek out in the -28C joy that is Ottawa this morning. Oh and you can't walk fast because the sidewalks are mostly ice. Awesome. But I'm not bitter or anything, haha.

Oh, and the long term forecast doesn't predict much warmer weather in the coming days. Let the unimpressed faces continue. The only bright side to this cold, is skating and snowshoeing are feasible options! 

I know the photo quality is lacking a little, I am going to stop being such a lazy butt and take pictures with a real camera in the near future, try and make this a little easier on the eyes ;) 

Hope you had a fun-filled weekend, and that this week holds lots of fun (and warmer weather!) for you! 

Keep Smiling :) 

Living Simply

This is the first year in recent memory when I didn't set and post a lengthy list of resolutions or goals for myself. I did brainstorm a few ideas (the usual: spend less, eat healthy, work harder, etc) but I am trying to let change happen more organically rather than putting unnecessary stress on myself. 

One of my loosely framed goals, even prior to the new year, was to be more mindful about what I am eating. Not to lose weight as much as to eat less chemicals and think a little more about what I am choosing to eat. 

Since we've been back in Ottawa we've been trying harder to make better choices and cook more from scratch. Having K-Fed living with us is also helping to expand our standard meal rotations, we've eaten something new and exciting every night for the last two weeks. 

I made one delicious pasta dish from scratch that I am proud of, check out the pictures below. Chicken, veggies and noodles tossed in homemade lemon basil garlic sauce, served with homemade garlic bread. It was quite the undertaking (it might not sound like it, but it really was!), and turned out delicious! 

This weekend I also made some Superfood Chocolate Cupcakes from a recipe in Chatelaine. Again, far greater an undertaking then it sounds, and I even made a meringue style icing to go on top. I'll be honest, I didn't love them (due to the flax-seed), but Jay and K-Fed enjoyed them. 

I also made homemade fruit snacks (fruit leather), which tastes delicious but didn't photograph well so until I make another prettier batch you will just have to imagine it. I just pureed cranberry sauce, peach slices and a little bit of honey. Then pour it thinly on a baking sheet and baked at 170F for about 7 hours, until it dried out. Really easy and delicious! 

This cooking thing isn't without flaws, I made another pasta dish with steak and veggies but it just wasn't as delicious. Tonight I also tried to make some oatmeal cookies but my experimenting nature led to them being a little unbalanced (too thick instead of gooey). I am enjoying having more control over what ingredients are in what I am eating though so expect many more stories about my (mis)adventures in the kitchen over the coming weeks. 

I am hoping to extend this simple living thing to other aspects of my life. I want to clear the clutter in my life and try and be less of a consumer, buying more of what I need and less stuff I want for superficial reasons. This is a more difficult aspect of my master plan, so it's something I plan to work on over the next few months. I've seen a lot of great ideas in the blog world the past few days, one is Kate's Seven In Seven idea for eliminating clothing she no longer wears, found here.  Another idea I loved was one shared by Bekuh at Secondhand Sundays. She is getting rid of 100 things by donating, recycling and throwing away what can't be reused. 

We haven't had a chance to start our one 100 Things list just yet, but when I do I think I'll share it. What's the fun of making a list if it isn't being shared, right? 

Speaking of sharing I do have a few pictures from the past few days and some of my yummy creations! 

The picture is a little smokey but it smelled too good to wait for a better picture! 

Homemade garlic cheese pitas 

Jay modelling some fab new glasses I picked up at Nans.

Seriously, I made this, all of it, and decorated. I think this is my best work yet :) 

Hope you are having a wonderful week, only two days until the sweet glory of weekend! Yay! 

Keep Smiling :)