Cold Weather Calling

It's coming!....



The weekend weather for MOA was fab! Plus 15 over in MN this weekend. Unreal for November. Made the shopping and hauling bags to and from the shuttle much more enjoyable. The weekend was a great success and I FINISHED (yup, completely) my Christmas shopping!

But, back to reality on Monday morning- no more shopping vacay. Actually, the reality of Winnipeg weather set in on our drive home as the last 2 hours was spent driving through a fairly heavy snow fall making the visibily pretty low. Only 7 hours away it was +15 and we were welcomed at the Canadian boarder with an hour long line up and a fresh snow fall. Ohhh Winterpeg!

The MOA is beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations and the carols were blarring (literally!). It really got me into the Christmas mood. I'm starting the apartment decorating this evening and hoping to start the holiday baking this weekend with a few recepies I plan on sharing later in the week.

Winter Relaxing

Its currently snowing here (either though I begged and pleaded with Mother Nature to ensure the roads were snow free and safe for my long haul to MOA this weekend- there’s still time for it to clear out).  Snow always makes me dream of warm cozy winter evenings.  There just something about a cold winter night cuddled up by a fire with full bellies and a warm tea in hand watching a good movie.

Although I basically dread EVERYTHING about winter; however, I find cold winter evenings make me slow down and indulge in a nothing planned relaxing evening. Relaxing and taking a night off should be easy but, I think most would agree it’s not.  There’s always something to be done. And if you’re not doing it, guilt sets in.  Tonight I will enjoy the colder snowy evening and relax with the bf- guilt free!



(Don't) Let It Snow

Its official! The snow has fallen! It doesn’t appear to be here to stay but, nevertheless, it has snowed and that means I can officially start showing off my Christmas decorations.  Living in a place that has had snow EVERY Christmas since I was born makes prepping for the holidays sans snow rather difficult. Snow brings out the holiday spirit!

Nothing helps the holiday spirit grow like Christmas shopping.  Unlike most, I actually enjoy Christmas shopping for my family and friends.  Mainly because I start EARLY and plan out well suited gifts throughout the year as ideas come to my mind.  I already have plans for everyone and now it’s just a matter of purchasing the items.  

My Christmas shopping will be kick started with a weekend trip with the bf to the Mall of America! No better way to start (and most likely finish) holiday shopping! Hopefully the snow/ice can stay away for the next couple days to make our 7.5 hour drive painless.

Waiting on the Weekend

One of my best friends is in town visiting this weekend and I can’t wait to catch up with her.  We have known each other since we were 5 and even though she lives quite far away, we still manage to see each other 2-3 times a year.  Each visit feels like we have never spent any time apart.  Friends like that are irreplaceable and I can’t wait to see her!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. 

goodreads

I’ve never been a huge fan of reading.  I blame it on my long career as a student.  Reading always seemed to be a huge chore while in school and having time to read something that I actually wanted to was next to impossible.  Now that I am finished school, I’ve found it hard to accept reading as just a hobby, rather than work. 

My wish list for Christmas has quite a few books on it.  I am hoping that over the holidays* I find more time to read and find myself enjoying it (if I don’t,  I might end up with multiple gifted books start to a library that I never read). 

I’ve had a few people tell me about the site goodreads.  To be honest, I was completely turned off from the site when I signed up.  My attention span is small and if I can’t figure out a website/app/anything within the first 5 minutes of navigating I usually give up right away (maybe this temperament explains why I dislike reading so much…?).

What is the best way to get started on goodreads and find some, well, goodreads? Any thoughts?

*I am actually taking my first PAID holiday over the Christmas break!

Waiting on the (Halloween) Weekend

Although I'm not the biggest fan of Halloween, I'm excited to head out and see the creative costumes!! It really is amazing what some people can think of for a costume*.

My favorite part about the festivities HAS to be the little kids all bundled up in the cutest little costumes.  When I was a kid, my Mom had my costumes made 3x too large so it could fit over my snowsuit and sorels!! Kids do not realize how lucky they are these days to have above zero tempatures for trick or treating.

Happy Halloween (weekend) everyone!

*Maybe it isn't so much a dislike for Halloween in general but, rather, a dislike for how much more creative people are than I am when it comes to costume making.

Fajita Fridays

The new health kick requires new experiments in the kitchen.  Last Friday I decided to make Fajitas.  Mainly because they are quick to make and at week end I'm just too tired to care what I eat.  On top of easy,  Fajitas are basically impossible to screw up and can be quite healthy (minus the cheese and sour cream...but, those can be limited). I didn't use any particular recipe rather, I threw together a mash (and it literally looks like that as you eat it) of ingredients* and called it a fajita.

1/2 green pepper
1/2 red pepper
1/2 of a small onion (I originally thought red onion would work best however, I used white as I already had one in my fridge and it worked just fine)
1 jalapeno
Just over a cup of sprouted beans
2 chicken breast
A bit of oil, spice and lime juice to marinate the chicken in

Once I had everything cut up and the chicken cooked, I sautéed everything together until it was just the right texture and full of flavor.  I threw it all into a flax grain tortilla, put a BIT of cheese, sour cream and salsa on top and enjoyed!!!



*Ingredients and amounts can vary