A Weekend Full Of Girl Time!

 

Happy Monday everyone! Remember last Friday when I told you all that I was so excited for the weekend ahead? Well, I had good reason to! Because this weekend pretty much ROCKED! Literally! And there was on reoccurring theme…girl time!

Friday night, Jilly and I headed to the city for night one of Bluesfest! Both of us were Bluesfest virgins and were a little nervous of the unknown! We started off with supper at one of our favourite places and then headed down to the Bluesfest grounds to get our spots before Zac Brown Band started!

I have to say, out of all of the talent that we would be seeing over the course of the 5 days, Zac Brown Band was the show that I was MOST looking forward to! I had always had an appreciation for their talent and the show was AMAZING! They did not disappoint! 

It was a late night on Friday but after getting to sleep in a bit on Saturday, I was up and packed to go on a bachelorette overnight trip! Amanda is getting married in less then 2 weeks and this Saturday we got to take her out for her “last fling before the ring”!

The morning started out at the Nordic Spa where we all got to relax by using the spa’s famous baths and saunas. We were so relaxed after a wonderful morning of pampering.

We settled into our hotel room and then the party got started with a Fantasia party for the bride! The bride (and the groom too, ha ha!) got lots of nice goodies!

After the Fantasia party, all the girls got gussied up for a late night dinner at the Japanese Village.

We got to enjoy a great show as the chef made our supper right on the spot! Not to mention the food was delicious as were the Saki Bombs!

It was a great night celebrating an amazing bride-to-be! I am so looking forward to Amanda and Josh’s big day!

The next morning, the girls checked out of the hotel room and then headed to McDonalds for a quick breakfast! We got home fairly early so I unpacked and settled in for some T.V time. Within 5 minutes I was fast asleep and 2 hours later I woke up! Felt like a million bucks after that great sleep!

I jumped in the shower to get ready to head back to the city for day 2 of Bluesfest! Jill found another pass so friend Josee joined us!

First stop was The Works for wacky burgers and beverages out of measuring cups!

My burger was the San Francisco Treat with is basically a burger topped with Kraft dinner! Yum!

We got to Bluesfest in lots of time before Hunter Hayes (the act that we wanted to see) started. The only odd part was that Wu-tang Clan were the act before Hunter Hayes. So, as these young country music fans came in to get their places for Hunter Hayes, the gangster rap fans were just finishing their show…quite the mix of people.

But the girls and I laughed our heads off at anything and everything! Between giggling at the spinning umbrellas or Jill being enchanted by Hunter Hayes’ Elvis leg moves.

It really was a blast! In fact, the whole weekend was one for the memory books! I saw Ryan for about 1 hour on Saturday morning and that was it all weekend. Yes, I did miss him but there is something about girl time with some of your best friends that is good for the soul.

It was a weekend full of music, fun, laughing, celebrating and just being a girl! Another perfect summer weekend!

How was your weekend?

xo

A Year Of Dates– June

 

Happy Friday everyone! This week DRAGGED on…even if it was a short one! How come the shortest weeks seem to last forever? It’s not like the days were not busy because they most certainly were! I guess when you are lacking in the sleep department and looking forward to activities ahead, the days last even longer.

Ryan and I fit in our June date on the 29th of last month! Talk about calling it close! But, it’s been a busy month. Work aside, the weekends have been full of activities for an upcoming wedding that Ryan and I are both involved in! So, when we opened the June date envelope, I was a little worried that we would have to completely toss it aside since it was a little bit of an ambitious date idea.

This month it was Ryan’s turn to plan the date.

Blogger fail, I forgot to take a picture of the description. It read, “A weekend away camping in the Algonquin Park.”

SAY WHAT? I kindly reminded my husband that although I loved the date idea, EVERY weekend in June has been booked since wintertime with wedding activities! He was so sad, he had completely forgotten about the wedding when planning the date. After MUCH discussion, we decided that we didn’t want to throw this date to the wayside. With a little bit of alterations, we could still have a fun night “camping”.

We decided to celebrate the completion of our new pool area. We would set up a tent and spend the whole afternoon/evening camping in our own yard! This would include the basics of camping. No use of the house. Sleeping in a tent. Camp tire. And the biggest one, NO TECHNOLOGY (minus the camera to be used only as proof).

So, last Saturday we set up camp right in our pool area! First was the tent. We blew up the air mattress and set up our sleeping bags! It actually looked like a pretty cozy set up and it was really nice to sleep in. Thankfully, the night was pretty cool and we didn’t over heat!

The night consisted of cooking food entirely outside and 100% relaxing, no interruptions. We were so excited to make our first fire in our new fireplace! 

Literally, for hours all we did was chat, listen to music, rest, swim and play games! Not once did we have technology. It must have been the longest time we had been apart from any technology in a LONG TIME! But, it was some of the best “us” time that we have had yet on any of these dates! I have not felt that completely relaxed in a long time either. 

I wish that Ryan’s date could have happened just like he had hoped. But, very important obligations meant that we had to change things up. And truthfully? I think it ended up even better than he had planned! We had been DYING to use our new pool place but life has been so busy that we have hardly had any time. This new date allowed us to use our new space that we had been wanting so badly to use and still get to “camp”. The date allowed us to un-plug from the world, completely relax and visit with each other.

Kudos husband on a great date for June!

Have a great weekend!

xo

Canada Day Weekend 2013

 

I survived.

To say that this weekend was jam packed would be an understatement. I feel like I collapsed in bed last night (at 7 PM). It was a big weekend for us Canadians as it was Canada Day! Friday evening was spent with fellow Canada Day Committee members setting up for an epic weekend to come.

Saturday morning I went to a shower for bride-to-be Amanda who’s wedding date is getting VERY close!

The day was very gloomy but Ryan and I hit the road anyways to go for the yearly pick of fresh strawberries. The farm that we visited had such a great supply of berries that it only took us about 30 minutes to pick 3 giant baskets of berries!

Since we were only a short drive away from Johnston Lake, Ryan made arrangements to go and visit friends Rebekka and Josh, who were staying in a cottage there for the weekend! We had a great time catching up with friends and then headed for a quick bite to eat in Ladysmith.

Sunday was the big day! Quyon (my small town) celebrates Canada Day the day before the actual holiday. In the morning I cleaned my strawberries and then finished making Jell-O shooters for the party ahead!

It was finally time for the big event to start! We loaded up the car with supplies and got decked out in our red and white attire!

We arrived at the hall to finish some last minute prep with other committee members and start the day off with a BBQ!

The BBQ was a huge success but it was time to rush down to get ready for the parade!

The Quyon Canada Day parade was always a highlight of mine as a kid! Now that Ryan and I are official Canada Day Committee members, we get to be in the parade every year! We finish off the parade carrying the giant Canada flag.

Ricky and Ryan getting all ready for the parade!

There were big floats full of people…

And little floats as well! But one thing was clear, Quyon had lots of Canadian pride!

The parade finished off at the docks for the national anthem and flag raising ceremony. The kids headed off to the park for a reptile show and the band started inside the hall!

Here are some of the committee members at the base of the flag. Such a great group of people to work with!

At 10 PM the fireworks started and it was what we had all been waiting for. After a year of fundraising it was time for all of that hard work to pay off. To hear the reactions of all the spectators is what it is all about. Basically the whole town got to enjoy such a beautiful display of fireworks. The excitement continued on till early in the morning as the drinks were flowing and the band was rocking! Such a great party!

Monday morning was rough as we had only had a few short hours of sleep. But we headed down to the hall to clean up from the night before! It was great sitting around laughing and reminiscing about the night before!

The rest of the day Ryan and I puttered away to try to stay awake. Gardening, laundry and general cleaning took the better part of the day. We also got to use our new BBQ for the first time with some homemade pizza.

I was also able to fit in making my homemade jam as well! Recipe found here.

Ryan and I were discussing all that happened this weekend over supper last night! We squeezed so much into those last 3 days that we wanted to make sure we didn’t forget anything! It was an amazing weekend making lots of memories and celebrating Canada!

xo

Cowan’s Grad–All Grown Up…The Benefits of Having A Nice Camera

 

Happy Friday everyone! I hope your week has gone by quickly. Mine has actually kind of dragged on but I think that is because there is so much fun stuff to look forward to this weekend!

There are a lot of great things about the business that my family owns and that I work in. But one of those items at the top of the list is working with such great people. There’s many people who have seen my grow up through the years. One of those people is a guy named Wayne. Wayne has worked here for over 20 years and has basically watched me grow up. As I got older, Brenda (his wife) and Wayne were always part of many things in my life. I have been lucky enough to watch their own children, Brittany and Cowan, grow up.

Their son Cowan has worked on the farm here as a summer student for many years. We even threw him a little birthday when he turned 13.

This year, Cowan is graduating from High School! It’s been exciting to hear all the excitement through Brenda, Wayne, his godmother Jill and through Cowan himself. This past Wednesday was the day that the grads got all dressed up for dinner and a dance to celebrate this big milestone!

I was asked to head out to where all the grads were meeting to take a couple of shots of Cowan and his date! I have to say, this is one of the best things about owning a nice camera, being able to be there for people to snap memories of the special events in their life! For that, I am so thankful for my beautiful camera that was given to me a few Christmas’ ago!

It’s hard to believe that the little boy in the pictures above has grown into such a wonderful and handsome young man. I think very highly of Cowan not only for all of the hard work he does at the farm but because of such an exceptional man he has grown up to be.

Congrats to all the grads of 2013! 

xo

Garden 2013–Part 2

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! Summer has arrived and slapped us in the face with temperatures that feel like 40+, humidity hair issues and thunderstorms almost every day…nice!

But, JILL PAY ATTENTION HERE, I’m not wishing it away. I’m loving all the memories this summer has and I am fully enjoyed every moment, even the crazy work days!

If you have read here before, you know that I have a wee bit of a green thumb. I love to get my hands dirty and grow some fresh food! The only issue with this is that I have limited vegetable garden space. Yes, I have a lot more then most, but I also love having flower garden’s and I love having grass yard!

When we first re-did the gardens around the house, I had plans in mind for a bunch of new plants. The only issue with order so many new plants is that it can be expensive! Sure, the flowers are beautiful and they would bloom year-after-year but it was a lot to spend all at once.

So at first, the gardens were sparse. One year I had bought/grown too many vegetable plants to fit my tiny patch and I didn’t want them to go to waste. Without any hesitation I knew what I wanted to do…plant them in my flower garden!

My flower gardens have some of the best soil and light. So that first year I took note at how good things grew in the flower beds. The next year, instead of ordering a certain amount of flowers, I filled that extra space with even more vegetables. Again, they flourished.

So began my obsession with having an edible garden. Even though I have a beautiful spot to grow vegetables, there are traces of edible fruits and vegetables all over the property.

12 tomato plants in the flower beds

Apple tree orchard (5 trees) behind the pool

Chives in the flower beds

Strawberry plants in the flower beds

Plum tree’s, crab apple, other herbs and raspberry bushes along the bush line!

Lavender in the flower garden bed. Which I bring into the house as a natural “febreze”.

I love to use every space available to grow and plant things that not only look beautiful but that can also be a benefit to us!

What do you grow in your gardens?

xo

Amanda’s Bridal Shower and Sunday School Picnic

 

Wow! Now that was a busy weekend but one that I was so looking forward to. The only problem with super busy weekends is that they go by way too fast!

The weekend started out by going to a liberal fundraiser supper! Not ideally everyone’s idea of a good Friday but I love politics and I didn’t have to cook supper! Bonus! And I ended up being at a table with family and friends so it was super fun!

Saturday morning started out super early as I had prep to do for a very important day! The fellow bridesmaids and I were hosting a Bridal shower for Amanda! We were so looking forward to the time together to celebrate this special girl in our lives! It was a friends shower so we knew it would be fun!

The food spread! So many yummy treats! 

We were going with a mason jar theme! Mason jars were used in every possible spot including as drinking cups and flower vases! We also made cute cookie mix favors in mason jars for the guests!

The plan was to have the party outside but mother nature had other plans! Instead we all sat in the sun porch to eat and open gifts!

The beautiful bride-to-be!

I really enjoyed this shower because I got to visit with some new and old friends! We all stood around the kitchen island for a couple hours just chatting away! Great girl time! I have also really enjoyed getting to know the girls in Amanda’s wedding party! Some of them I knew and some I was only acquaintances with. But now I can call them all friends!

Ryan came by later and visited with the girls and helped clean up and load up gifts into Amanda’s car! And how adorable is little Paisley in this picture?

Sunday morning after sleeping in a bit, we headed off to church. Expect it wasn’t the typical church service as it was held outside at a neighbour's home! It was time for the annual Sunday School picnic! 

This service was extra special because we got to present Nancy, our newly ordained minister with some special tokens of congratulations.

Nancy with her thumb print plate from the Sunday school kids!

Nancy with her new quilt!

It was also a special Sunday for the kids as they were celebrating a year of Sunday school completed! They all received new books and enjoyed looking at them for the rest of the service.

A pot luck lunch and hot dogs were served after the service and then it was time for some old fashioned games!

First, the potato sack race! The big kids even got to participate and I was pretty excited as it was my very first potato sack race ever!

We then picked partners and played a egg/spoon relay race! We got up close and personal in a suck the card and pass it along game! Boys against girls!

After church Ryan and I headed to the city to get some pool supplies and groceries! The rest of the afternoon was spent puttering away and enjoyed the rest of our weekend!

As you can see the weekend was JAM PACKED with so many fun things! I had an absolute blast this weekend during all the events, even though it passed by in a blink!

How was your weekend?

xo

Joint Banking Account and Budgeting

 

Happy Friday everyone! Do you ever have those weeks where you feel energized and enthusiastic? No? Is that just me? Some weeks, I feel like crud and all I do is just go through the motions of day-to-day to get through the week. Then other weeks, I am full of pep and feel as though I can accomplish anything. This is one of those weeks. I wish Ryan felt the same. Someone is tired and needing a weekend break! I’m so use to this crazy time of year. It’s something that I’ve grown accustomed to. But, I’ve had 25 years of practice.

As you are aware, Ryan and I have now been married for 1 year! A lot has happened in the last year and we have really grown as a couple. One of the things that we discussed before getting married was money. Never an easy topic to talk about. We decided before we got married that at least for the first year we would keep our separate bank accounts.

For the last year, it has worked out. We kind of threw caution to the wind and for the most part (on everything except groceries) we didn’t really budget our money. With the big pool renovation happening and a future wedding down South, we sat down and started figuring out our budget as a married couple.

This spread sheet really helped!

Sitting down and figuring out expenses and savings as married couple was different but not overly difficult. What was difficult came later when we started enforcing the budget.

The issue with being married and having a budget is that it is very difficult to figure out your spending when the other person has a separate account! I would have to constantly go back and forth between both of our accounts to figure out where our money was going.

Not to mention it was very difficult to make things fair. Because I looked after most of the financials (aka paying bills, balancing cheque boots, etc.), most of the costs would come out of my account leaving me with little spending money and Ryan thinking he had lots! The balance just wasn’t there.

Finally, shortly after we celebrated 1 year of marriage we were also at the bank signing up for a joint account.

There was always something very “unromantic” to me about a joint account. The thought of seeing ALL of the spending between one another would make holiday time not as much fun. That is why we opted to keep our separate savings account and have a joint chequings account.

Now that is has been over a month with our new system and things couldn’t be better for me as “the family banker”. Keeping track of spending is so much easier! Not to mention we both seem much more cautious with our spending because now it is “our money.”

I feel kind of more “grown up” now that we have a joint banking account. It seems silly to say but it feels far more responsible then what we were doing before. I wasn’t sure if we would ever have a joint banking account. Like I said before, something about it seemed so unromantic. However, we bit the bullet and now we can officially say that things are “ours".

Have a great weekend!

xo