A mix of emotions and laziness

Wow this week has been one for the books.  I think I have seriously felt every emotion that one can feel.  It is now Sunday night and I am so tired and I'm not sure if it was from the great day I had today or just an emotional burn out of this week.

Since I was still feeling the effects of my last two busy weekends it was a heavy coffee and candy week at work.  Fortunately on a walk with a coworker I found that my work is not all that far from Sugar Mountain (this could be a bad thing)

I LOVE the coffee sleeve my lil sis made me.  It makes me smile

After struggling though my week with both the good (got to help celebrate a friends birthday) and the bad (acupuncture and a doctor appointment) it was the blissful weekend which I had planned out for a super lazy "No Pants" Saturday. 

The Hubs and I bought a new 50' TV Friday night and on Saturday while I was away getting a massage he thoughtfully set it all up for my pantsless day.  After all his hard work he had a mini road trip with a couple of our friends leaving me to hangout and veg out all on my own. 

A little work reading since I slacked all week, and hey I'm outside

Where I was able to breakout my brand new Acti fryer (a housewarming present from the rents).  

I was really excited to use it and it made super yummy fries.  It only took a little longer than the traditional oven method and they taste just like deep fried fries.  mmmmmmmmmm the fat kid inside me is very happy. 

Yup I ate them ALL, and they were great

But as my luck has been going this week with the good comes the bad, and I couldn't get the TV to stream or connect to my computer.  After becoming super frustrated and almost crying (seriously I might just need a bit of a vacation) I decided to throw my towel in and watch my shows on my computer. 

The poor Hubs got a couple cranky calls from me about things not working out and since he was 1.5hrs away there wasn't a whole lot that he could do about it. 

I had been planning on going to church all week but when Sunday morning rolled around and my alarm went off get up for church time turned into cuddle time.  The Hubs and I laid in bed all morning and just cuddled it was great and just what I needed to turn my crummy week around.  Plus I figure God would understand and be ok with me skipping church for cuddle time.

After getting up and running a quick errand in the morning the Hubs and I had a great Sunday complete with our first (of many) "Family Dinner".  Since we don't have any family here in Ottawa a few of our friends came to help us eat and have a fun time.

A great end to a great day.

It was a great time and I really enjoyed family dinner.
 
Sunday was the perfect day that I needed to turn around my week.

How was your week?  Did you have a mix of emotions also?

Weekly Thought:

Before something great happens, everything falls apart. - Unknown

Two become One

Wow it has been a bit of a crazy week.  We had our housewarming party last weekend and this week I have been getting ready to make the 6hour drive to Orangeville one last time to standup beside my friend when she says her vows.

It was a short week at work where I tried to cram in enough work in only 4 days.  Then after work I had running around to do (picking up my dress, finishing touches for the present etc).

But on Thursday I left Ottawa after work and made it to Orangeville by 12:30am.

On my regular halfway stop I texted the Hubs (he wasn't able to get the time off work so he had to stay in Ottawa) to tell him the ride was going well.  At which point he told be I forgot the present at home.

After a short visit with K it was off to bed I go for a fun filled day of pedicures, swimming and fun girly time the day before the wedding.

Ahhhhh it was so nice having my feet rubbed

Pretty toes

Cheers!!!

The very happy soon to be Mr and Mrs

Once the big day arrived it was a lot of fun getting our hair and makeup done and just relaxing.

Me and the very talented makeup artist who was super cool, cause we have the same birthday

The blushing bride

A bridesmaid getting all fancy

Me all fancied up

 K and J walked down the aisle and professed their love in front of God and their friends and family.  It was a lovely ceremony.

But onto the best part.....the Party

The very happy groom

The bouquet toss was a little crazy

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The cupcakes were very yummy

Me and the bride right before it was go time.

 It was a crazy busy week and I am very tired from all the excitement.  However I have a relatively calm week ahead with a relaxing day planed for Saturday and my first "family" dinner being made on Sunday.


I am happy for the couple and hope they have a lifetime of happiness and joy.

Happy Canada Day!!!!

Happy Birthday Canada!!!! (July 1st)

I LOVE being a Canadian.  I love everything about it (except maybe the freezing cold winters) so that makes Canada Day a pretty big deal to me.

The hubs and I always try and do something on Canada Day, and with our new house complete with a backyard the Hubs decided that this year we should celebrate in true Canadian form, with a BBQ.

 I started the day off by relaxing on our deck, reading and drinking a tea.  It was the perfect start to Canada Day.

Such a beautiful way to spend my morning.

In true Canadian form we celebrated with a BBQ and some friends.  Now there wasn't any Tim Hortons present but I think we represented our Country anyways. 

Trying to cook 30+ sausages on our tiny grill was a challenge for the Hubs.

The hubs cooked up sausages and we all just hung-out outside and enjoyed the great weather, good friendship and yummy food.

It was an amazing day, relaxing and spent with friends.  A day that I think properly represents the Canadian Attitude that we seem to be loosing.  "Friendship, great times, and generosity"

How did you spend Canada Day?

Week of Lunches: Cracked Out Chicken & Rice

Each week I try and make the Hubs and I a weeks worth of lunches.  It takes a bit of work and I am still working out the kinks for figuring out how to work out 10 portions.  If you want to see my other lunch attempts, check out the Recipe section.
But so far it has been a big sucess and worth the extra work on the weekend.

Only 8 servings it's a short week

This week I made Cracked Out Chicken and Rice from Plain Chicken's blog.  You can find the original recipe here.  However I made a few changes to try and make it a bit more healthy and to make enough portions for our lunches.

For my changes, I didn't have any rotisserie chicken so I bought a package of chicken on sale, baked it beforehand and just shredded it so it was ready to go.  I also used brown rice instead of white.  Since I used brown rice I had to cook mine for longer and add extra liquid.  I also subbed in chicken bacon instead of regular bacon.

First I added 1.5 cups of rice to a baking dish with a tight fitting lid, threw in the chicken and some already cooked and chopped bacon.

Than in a separate bowl I mixed in 1 cup of chicken stock, with 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1 can of milk (I just used the soup can), and the package of ranch dressing.  Mixing till it was less lumpy.

Dump all that on top of the chicken and rice mixture and give a good mix.

Add a generous cup of grated cheese, mix again, slap on the lid and bake in a 375 degree oven for 60-75mins string a few times so the rice doesn't burn. 

I was very happy with the end result, and it made 8 portions for our lunches.  I just added some roasted asparagus and frozen broccoli to the mix.

It took me about 2.5hrs from start to finish this week to make all the lunches, but now I know no matter what that the Hubs and myself have a lunch for work.

My Recipe:

1.5 cups brown rice (uncooked)
6 skinless chicken thighs already cooked and shredded
6 strips cooked chicken bacon chopped up
1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 package of Ranch salad dressing
1 1/4 cup graded cheddar cheese

Combine cooked chicken, rice and bacon in a baking dish with a lid

In a separate bowl combine soup, milk, ranch dressing mix and chicken broth, mix to combine.

Pour liquid mixture over chicken and rice, add cheese and stir to combine.

Cover and bake in a 375 oven, stirring every 20 mins.  If dish looks a little dry or rice is still pretty crunchy after 40 mins add another 1/2 cup of broth stir and keep checking every 20mins.

Enjoy :)