Wednesday, November 30, 2011

this week...

Last night was another victory for our dodgeball team! We tied with 2 other teams for 1st place with 9 wins. I was voted team captain which puts me in charge one money handling  and putting together the team shirts and finalizing a team name. So far, I have it squared down to 3 names:  Deathball, Spaceballs or "Wouldn't You Like To Know" (that one is because everyone keeps asking what our name is!) We're going to have an official vote this week. What do you guys think? Which name do you like better? (keep in mind the team is 4 guys and 2 girls. So, the first 2 names are pretty nerdy, but fun!)

I'm going Salsa Dancing tonight! I honestly don't know how I'm going to do that because I'm so sore from dodgeball and I'm pretty sure I hurt my elbow throwing last night. But, it should still be fun. I'm going with the ladies I met at the english meeting. This is the 3rd time we've hung out (cept for Miranda who I see at dodgeball everyweek) and it's really nice to do things as a group with these ladies. I'm still not 100% on what I'm wearing (nervous about heels and ice) but I'm hoping for something semi-sexy/semi/comfy, let's see how that works out.

Saturday is our first Christmas party. We're going to our friend Lori's house for her annual soiree and it should be quite fun. She' knows a lot of people in the english speaking community and her husband Glenn and Lee get along really well. Now, Lori and Glenn aren't our age. lol I believe Lori is 55 and I think Glenn is a little younger but they're such nice people. I consider them to be more of an aunt and uncle than friends. I'm not sure what I'm making for the party yet but I suppose I should probably get on that ASAP.

Sunday is going to be a busy day. We're going to the flea market with a couple we met through Lee's work. They're really nice and it should be a good time. We haven't really had a double date in a while and though, the flea market doesn't count as a date in my book it might lead to one in the future  :)
On Sunday we're also going to see the musical Guys and Dolls. I LOVE musical theatre and am even hoping to audition for their next production. I wanted to audition for this one but I was nervous and didn't know anyone so I chickened out. I won't make the same mistake twice.

As you can see, we've become quite the busy bees and It's great! I miss having a social life such as this one. I'm sure with the holidays it's going to become quite busy for us and I welcome it. It makes up for the days of sitting at home doing nothing.

I have more stuff coming up next week such as another christmas party and volunteering and a cocktail hour. I plan on having my camera on hand for the next couple of weeks and hopefully take lots of pics!

enjoy your week.


oh and just an fyi if you're still thinking about the dodgeball names. the other teams are as follows:

One Ball To Rule Them All...
Les V8  (not sure what that means.)
Anglophones Anonymous (AA)
Balls of Glory
Brewers

Sunday, November 27, 2011

chalk board walls.

this is my current obsession. i cannot wait to do this in our apartment (once we have one of course) i've been lusting over them in pinterest for quite some time. i'm determined to have one.






Friday, November 25, 2011

Home Sweet Home!

As of 2:23pm today Canada is officially my home. I couldn't help but have the cheesiest smile on my face when the agent shook my hand and welcomed me to my new home. It was EXCITING! So, next week my goal is to get my new SIN (social insurance number) apply for my Medical Insurance and set up a meeting with an agent to get me into French Classes and hopefully find a part time job close by. It's such a relief because I spent th last 6 months not knowing when i'd be able to start this and now it's here! I have it all at my finger tips. I cannot wait.

Other exciting news. We had our first team Dodgeball tournament this week. I'm actually a pretty darn good dodgeball player! lol Our team (No Name as of yet) won the most games i think like 15 or something like that. Leevan's team came in 3rd and I won 2 shootouts against guy and girl players! I'm really, really happy that we're doing this. It's so much fun and great exercise. You know what they say. A couple that plays together, stays together.

so yeah. exciting news and exciting future ahead. can't wait!

i'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

finally!

My Residency Card is in!!!! I'm almost a permanent resident of Canada. I just have to make an appointment to update my status (since i'm not coming through the border) and I'll be good to go! I can file for my health card, start getting info about french classes AND college along with getting a job!!!

I'M SO EXCITED!

photo fun








i had fun playing with pixlr-o-matic. i found it on google chrome and normally i use picnic to edit my photos but this was just a fun way to get different effects quick. i just kept pressing the shuffle button until an effect i liked came up! you should try it out!

o yeah... and this is my hair after not washing for 3 days....not bad!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

coming clean...

i shampoo my hair every other week.

I know. That must sound completely absurd but it's true. I used to shampoo almost more that I conditioned my hair because I was convinced my hair was too oily. Then I started reading in on how to properly take care of my curly hair. I found a video on Girl with Curves and she explained her hair routine and how she's able to keep her girls so gorgeous and lush. What she said about shampooing once a week made sense and I figured I'd try it out. The first week was a little hectic because the oil continued to build up because it was so used to being cleaned daily! By shampooing my hair 3-4 time a week I had actually trained it to produce more oil. of course!

fyi: i only shampoo/condition sulfate and paraben free. i use Trichomania by LUSH and also Soft and Silky Vanilla Silk by Organix for conditioners I use American Cream and Jungle by LUSH and  (i alternate shampoos and conditioners)

So, by week 2 my hair had only been washed once. It was so happy to have that shampoo in and didn't want to oil up as quickly that week. My curls were luscious and I had one of my best hair weeks! lol Week 3 proved even better and for the past 3 months I've only washed my hair once a week. Well... up until 3 weeks ago. 
3 weeks ago I came across this post via Pinterest and though it wasn't the first time I'd come across a "shampoo free" way of life. It was definitely the first time I'd considered it. The  post talks about everything I already know. Parabens and sulfates and all the chemicals that are in everyday shampoos conditioners are bad. It's is why I convinced myself that paying $20 for an 8oz bottle of conditioner was worth it. I was protecting myself. Well, 3weeks ago I used a mixture of 1.5 tbsp of baking soda and 1/2 cup of water. I poured it on my head and rubbed it in as you would shampoo. The mixture doesn't lather it doesn't even feel like it's in your hair anymore but it DOES work. My hair is so shiny and so clean and I have no more dandruff  (yeah ew) It was like the light shined down and showed me that this is the way! So, basically I've been converted.
 If you're on a budget and looking for a healthy and cheap and effective way to clean your hair just TRY it. give it 2 weeks just so you know for sure and I'm positive you'll be convinced. So, here's my schedule

sunday: baking soda/ conditioner
tuesday/thursday: conditioner
sunday: shampoo/conditioner
tuesday/thursday: conditioner
sunday: baking soda/ conditioner
etc...

The shampoo and conditioners I use are not cheap and using them as sparingly as I do hasn't certainly been helpful on our pockets.So, when I run out in the next year or so (lol) I won't buy anymore and will just use the baking soda solution. I haven't tried the condition treatments she offers yet. I need to try it...maybe after the holidays.

ciao

This week is going to prove to be our busiest week since we've moved here! It's mainly to do with the holidays being right around the corner but it's still exciting. 
Yesterday I went with Lee's friends girlfriend to see Breaking Dawn. The movie was by far the WORST installment yet and that's not saying much. We did have a good time rolling our eyes and eating our sneak in snacks! (<---yeah, im that person) Yesterday evening I hung out with the ladies I met at the english speaking group. We went to a massage class that was being offered at the English Community Centre. We didn't realize until we got there that the class was being targeted to seniors!!! We laughed about it though and went on. It was actually a lot of fun and we learned how to give ourselves a full body massage! We went out for glass of wine afterwards and then headed home. 
Tonight Lee was invited to attend a Volkswagen event, there's going to be cocktails and the unveiling of some new models. I'm a good wife so of course I said I would go. lol
Thursday we're playing dodgeball and Saturday I'm hosting a turkey dinner for some friends. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal EVER. So, I decided that even though they do not celebrate it here, I would not go without the meal.  :)
So, yeah. That's our week. It may not seem like much, but to 2 broke people it's going to be quite an adventure! LOL

ooo speaking of broke people. I of course LIVE for thrift stores and I scored the most awesome set of spice bottles ever yesterday! I got 12 bottles for $1.00!!! I couldn't wait to get them into shape so today I spent the afternoon cleaning, sanding, taping and painting. 


i think they turned out great. I'm now looking for the perfect shelf to put them on.

till next time....


about time...

I've been meaning to do this for a while now. This hasn't exactly been a fashion blog for a couple of months. It's kind of  become more like a journal. I know it's not the most interesting for you readers but my life hasn't been the most interesting lately. So, I'm changing the name and officially changing the whole outlook and calling it my "whatever" blog. Welcome.


Thursday, November 17, 2011

girl time!

i haven't had SERIOUS girl time in about 5 months. I know, it's sad but true.  I mentioned last week that I met some girls at the English Meeting I went to and we were going to meet up. Well, today we got together in Old Quebec and spent the afternoon walking around and just enjoying the freezing cold day we had. After walking around the city we went to Miranda's apartment and watched Sex and the City reruns while drinking tea. It was such a simple day but it was needed so badly! I really like these ladies and we've already made plans to hang out again on Monday! I'm super excited and definitely starting to have a more positive outlook on everything.

:)

Saturday, November 12, 2011

it's snowing!

we've had an awesome morning so far! i made us homemade brown sugar pancakes while listening to some bob marley! we were given some awesome old windows by the gentleman upstairs (he know's i've been looking for some to do crafts with) and now we're sitting in our favorite coffee shop enjoying the first snow in the cozy comfort. :)
just thought i'd share. <3

Friday, November 11, 2011

back to black.



my hair is black again! it' been a while and it's such a nice change. the red was fun but it's definitely a lot of up keep. 


fun news: this tuesday we're playing dodge ball with some people we met at the New Comers meeting we went to last night! it's kind of random but one of the girls was part a league in Vancouver and she's hoping to start a league here in Quebec! it should be lots of fun  :)

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Glass Half Full.

I've been in Quebec for 5 months. I know!!! Time flies. lol. It's been rough, the honeymoon stage has pretty much come to an end and now I'm realizing that there is so much more to Quebec than the history, food, scenery, etc... There's a whole culture that I'm responsible for adapting to. That's A LOT to ask of a person! I mean, I  have friends that won't move out of their hometown in Florida because they're so used to their little "bubble" and here I am getting ready to learn, not only a new language but a whole new way of life. It's intense and I know now that I really hadn't thought it all the way through. I was EXTREMELY  naive to think that I'll have the language down in 5 months and ready to go to work and do whatever I needed to do to when my papers came in.
 I went to a meeting tonight hosted by The Voices of English Speaking Quebec (VEQ) and it was a meeting for newcomers and gave a lot of insight on "Finding Your Niche" inside of Quebec. There were 2 guest speakers and both of them had completely different experiences.One man came here for love and studied hard to learn the language, found a job and adapted. It took him 7 years but he feels that now Quebec is as much his home as it is someone that has lived here all their life. The other lady moved here to kind of find herself. She's been here 3 years and knows the basics of the language, she works as a english-speaking tour guide and just loves it here. I guess it just shows me that no matter if I learn the language next month of in 7 years I'll be able to find my place.I was seriously worried about that but now I know that it's possible and it makes me feel so much better.

oooo! i also met some girls my age!!! we're talking about getting together next week for drinks and I'm hoping that goes through. I've only made 1 friend here and we haven't hung out since I've stopped working. :( 
it'll be nice to have girl time again. 


Wednesday, November 9, 2011

who to drink!?


this is a GREAT site that suggests drinks by which artist you're currently listening to!

my husband owns a Record Label and we laughed so hard when we saw what they suggested for one of the bands he owns!


terrariums

i LOVE terrariums.










like seriously i cannot get enough of them. i think they are the coolest little things ever and i've been DYING to own one or two or three! lol 

i first discovered terrariums at the Brooklyn Flea. There was a stand called Twig Terrariums and they had so many awesome designs that i stood there talking with the lady for a while. the starter kits were only like $15-$25 but i had only credit on me and didn't get one.  they've always stayed in my mind and finally i decided it was time to own some! I bought and found everything i needed to create these little gems. the only i'm missing are the little figurines that i'm picking up this weekend at a local hobby shop. 
I found my tutorial at kokokoKids  via pinterest  and went from there.


here's what you'll need:

bottles: with or without lids
craft moss, live moss, pepples/gravel, carbon rocks(fish tank cleaning), spray bottles, decor

you can buy moss or you can do what i did and go into the forest and just dig some up.

usually you're going to start by putting a layer of gravel in your container. (i skipped that step because i ran out.)


next you'll put a thin layer or carbon rocks to help with the filtration in the container  (to avoid mold)



after the rocks we'll put a layer of soil

take your craft moss and drench it in water

squeeze out all water leaving a damp clump of moss

evenly disperse moss in container

add a some more carbon rocks to increase filtration
*not pictured* add another fine layer of soil you'll need this so the moss has something to cling on to


take your live moss and place it in the container.



add rocks and other decor.
et voila! your terrarium!!!!
please note that all measurements are up to YOU! it's your piece of art and you can put however much of whatever you'd like. 

caring for your terrarium. 

if your terrarium has a cover than you will only need to spritz it once or twice a week. if uncovered with a wide mouth probably spritz once a day. 
the moss will pretty much take care of themselves and does not need direct sunlight. 

enjoy!







Monday, November 7, 2011

christmas cards.


christmas card? 
i'm thinking about being cheesy and making a christmas card this year. i've become obsessed and crazy in love with chalkboards and think it's be great to just have 2 boards with the words Merry Christmas on them. 
I'd really like to wait until the first snow but if by the end of November we haven't had any then I guess we'll just have to live without it.  

do any of you make christmas cards? what ideas do you have for me?

Sunday, November 6, 2011

buttons, buttons, buttons!


i'm in the process of replicating this amazing belt. i haven't sewn a button since my freshmen year of high school and it turns out i'm a little rusty! it's going to take a while but it's going to be GORGEOUS when it's finished! i'm excited.  :D

along with sewing buttons i've also decided that i'm going to learn how to crochet! i have WAY too much time on my hands and figured i'm going to make good use of it. i'll let you know how that comes to pass when the time is right.  :)