Saturday, December 19th, 2009

Holiday Lights at the Legislature

After another hectic day at work, I couldn’t think of a better way to relax then to wander the decorated grounds at the Legislature.

The Legislature grounds, all decked out
The Legislature grounds are one of my favourite places to visit during the holidays – it’s the perfect place to stroll with a loved one, cup of [...]

Friday, November 20th, 2009

Card-making 101: Holiday Stampin’ Up Workshop

Back in high school, I used to scrapbook. I think I made one scrapbook a year, filled with photocorners, glitter-glue page titles and magazine cutouts. Sometime since then, I’ve channelled that energy into other endeavours, but can still appreciate the tangible thrill of looking upon something beautifully assembled by one’s own hand.

Ornament card
My friend from [...]

Saturday, November 14th, 2009

Christmas on the Square Holiday Light Up 2009

I’ve been looking forward to the Holiday Light Up celebration for a while – with a fireworks show actually choreographed to music, and warmer temperatures than on New Year’s Eve, I wonder why it isn’t the city’s most popular event. And with family-friendly activities precluding the light-up, in addition to City Centre Market vendors, it [...]

Monday, January 26th, 2009

Happy Chinese New Year!

I can’t take credit for any of the food on our table on Chinese New Year – my Mum took care of everything, including honouring Mack’s request for spring rolls. I’ll let the pictures do the talking:

Spring Rolls

Deep Fried Egg Roll with minced pork

Shrimp and Vegetable Stir-fry

“Gold Coins” (deep fried pork)
[...]

Tuesday, January 6th, 2009

New Year’s Eve Downtown

Mack left it up to me to decide whether or not we would join the freezing masses gathered in Churchill Square on New Year’s Eve, and though the -30 weather could have easily swayed me the other way, the fireworks won out.
We took advantage of the free public transit offered that night, hopping on a [...]

Wednesday, December 31st, 2008

The Cooking Chronicles: Pulled Pork Sandwiches and Affogato

While I can’t take credit for making Christmas dinner, I did plant the idea into my Mum’s head of using the slow cooker this year. A recipe for Pulled Pork Sandwiches in the most recent edition of Inspired by Compliments magazine caught my eye; I loved the idea of minimal effort to produce the evening [...]

Tuesday, December 30th, 2008

Food Notes

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas! I took a bit of an unplanned break from blogging, and while it was relaxing, it’s nice to be writing again. I’ll be catching up on quite a few posts over the next few days.

I could not help but laugh and relate to Marty Chan’s account of attempting [...]

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

Volunteering with Santas Anonymous

Mack, always up for informal meet-ups with local Twitter-users, was all for an informal Tweetup at the Santas Anonymous warehouse tonight, and I was more than happy to pitch in myself.
We headed to the warehouse on the west end of the city, and after filling in a quick one-page application form, were led to the [...]

Sunday, December 7th, 2008

2008 Butterdome Craft Sale

After the great experience I had at the Holiday Stop and Shop a few weeks ago, I was looking forward to checking out the 18th annual Butterdome Craft Sale for the first time. Funny how I never thought of stopping by the event during my numerous university years, but no time like the present to [...]

Friday, December 5th, 2008

Bright Nights at the Legislature

After dinner at the Wildflower Grill, Mack and I grabbed a hot drink at the Starbucks next to the restaurant and walked to the Legislature grounds. Earlier in the day, the official light-up had taken place, but we were more than happy simply to explore the lights without the fanfare.

Approaching the Legislature
I have been to [...]