Christmas Cheer

Christmas time is here &I love it. The lights, the food and the overall joy most people give off are what make this particular holiday my favorite. Here are some ways I am celebrating!

 

1. Cut down the Charlie Browniest tree you can find.

We went out in the bush and cut down this beauty. Is it pretty? No, far from it. It is however quirky, just like Jordon and I, and we will now always remember our first Christmas tree.

2. Drink your weight in Hot Chocolate.

I really enjoy Rolo hot chocolate and it makes going out to shovel much easier.

3. Watch your favourite Christmas movies!

This is a great time to include the hot chocolate. So far we've watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, Elf, and The Grinch but I have to say Elf takes the award for most laughs.

4. Celebrate lost loved ones.

My dad passed away about 6 years ago and I always like going to his grave during the holidays. It's such a happy time that it allows me to celebrate his life and the memories instead of being sad. We're planning on buying slurpies (as they were my dad's favorite!) and driving out to the cemetery. 

5. Spend time with family!

Our Christmas is jammed packed! Christmas Eve is at my Baba's, then Christmas morning is with Jordon's parents, then my mom, and then back to Jordon's family for dinner. We are definitely making our rounds!

6. Spend time with eachother.

Since Jordon and I now live together, we see each other everyday. We still believe it is important though to have a nice evening to ourselves. That's why this New Year's Eve, we booked a reservation at The Creperie (we have a ton of spare change to roll and bottle money that is going towards this nice night out) and are picking up a bottle of champagne and bringing in the New Year just the two of us.

So make sure you do your Christmas favorites, or any winter favorites!

-Vanessa xo

DIYs for Your Sunday Evening

So after a full Saturday of perogy making, I am finally getting around to posting the two DIY's I did last weekend. With Jordon doing real important stuff (engineering homework and what not) my crafty side came out.

1. Maps in Frame

 If you go to my traveling post you'll hear all about the road trip I took this past summer. We moved into our new place in August and still have no art on the walls... except for this beaut. I printed off maps of the states that we had visited and the put hearts over the cities that were most memorable for us. You can find the website I printed the maps from here. They have a couple different styles but I  liked the look of all the roads and lakes. I think it gave some extra colour for a pretty simple photo. The frame is from Ikea for about 10$.

 2. Christmas-y Paper Balls

The students in my classroom had created these for a math project and I really enjoyed the look of them. 

You can download the PDF templates here:

 Large Ball- print 12 sheets

Medium Ball- print 2 sheets

Small Ball- print 1 sheet

I didn't want them to all be white, so I added red designs on the small and large ones.

All you do is cut out the flower shapes and use the slits that you cut to join the petals together, making sure each petal is joined to a neighbouring petal. It's best to start with one at the top, attach 5 petals to form a circle, attach the next row of 5 petals and finally your bottom one. 

Two very simple DIYs to keep your crafty brain going over the Christmas holidays.

-Vanessa xo 

Good Music

I have had quite the dancing urge lately that I will finally be curing on Saturday. I tend to listen to music on repeat when this happens. My music taste bounces all over the place. I also tend to really like one song by an artist. Here's some of the songs that I either find super catchy, really love the lyrics, or just find the song wonderful in every possible category.

I Cry- Flo Rida

(Im usually not a fan of this type of music, but I really like the chorus)

Home- Phillip Phillips

Ho Hey- The Lumineers

Home for a Rest- Spirit of the West

Mountain Sound - Of Monsters & Men

Swoon- The Chemical Brothers

You were the Last High- The Dandy Warhols

Hope you found a new song, a song that you thoroughly enjoyed, or a song that you just wanted to dance or sing to.  If you have any music that you think I may like, leave a comment! 

-Vanessa xo

Good Eats

Going Out?

I wish I was. There are just some nights I do not want to cook anything, and tonight is one of them. I've already made supper but if you need a place to eat, here's some awesome Edmonton restaurants. These are not chain restaurants (at least I don't think so) and they range from a regular night out to a special occasion.

 

1. Dadeo

Down on Whyte Ave, this is one of my favorite places to eat. It has Cajun cuisine and a fun little atmosphere. It is an 18 plus restaurant though, so you can't go for a family night out. Every Monday and Tuesday, I believe they have 9$ Po-Boys, which are delicious sandwiches. Their yam fries are probably the best I've ever tasted. It can get noisy in here so you might want to save your intimate date for another time. If you're planning to go on a Friday or Saturday night, make reservations. It's a hole in the wall so they don't have a lot of space. I really enjoy their Grilled Veggie Po-Boy, and the bowl of gumbo (which is only 8$) It's a great place to go if you're planning on going out on Whyte after or wanting to grab dessert at Block 1912.

2. Free Press Bistro

If you work near 104st and 100 Ave downtown, hit up Free Press Bistro for lunch. They are open for dinner as well, but paninis are more of a lunch thing. You want to get there early though, probably 11:30, as it fills up quickly. They have a ton of different paninis that come with your choice of side (they do homemade potato chips that are really tasty.) This was actually the topic that Jordon and I first talked about that brought us together (get to a man's stomach kinda thing.) The price is a little high, I think it's about 12$ for a sandwich (which are really filling.) My personal favorites are the Pulled Pork, Vietnamese Chicken, & Thai Chicken.

3. Back Street Bistro

Another downtown lunch location. It's kind of hidden at the back left side of a building (I can't remember which one) on Jasper Ave between 105th and 106th street. Luckily we have google so you can just find the address. Anyway, it's another hole in the wall kind of place. Again, you want to get there early especially if you want a table. The serve Vietnamese cuisine. I usually go for the Lemon grass chicken combo which is 9$. DO NOT go here if you are planning on having a regular supper at a regular time. I usually have to snack on crackers and fruit just because I'm so full. The owners are super friendly and whip out the food like no tomorrow. Definitely one of my top lunch spots. 

4. Gini's

So this is the special occasion restaurant. Now I know what you're thinking, it looks like an everyday neighbourhood bar. Jordon and I were thinking the same thing when his grandparents wanted to go here for their anniversary. Boy did we ever under dress. You walk in there is someone there taking your jacket, and tables with perfectly pressed linen. It is pretty pricey, like 35 dollars for an entree but they served the most delicious French food I've ever had. I'm planning on heading back there sometime for a nice dinner.

I may have to do a Part 2 because there are a couple more excellent places to try but hopefully this gives you some new supper dates.

-Vanessa xo