Tag Archives: lifestyle

2017 Giveback Project

Unexpected Guests? What to Have on Hand!

Friends and family members sometimes can pull a fast one on us and suddenly announce that they’ll be coming over within the hour or for the more spontaneous bunch – you’ll hear a knock at the door. So what do we feed and do for our unexpected guests who want to embrace us with their pressence? Check out our tips on what to have on hand!

Always keep a stalked bar
An idea I am not against! Sometimes you’ll want a glass of wine after work or perhaps you and beau want to cozy up with a nice cocktail on the weekend- so a stalked bar is always key, especially for the unexpected guests. You’ll have a variety of options to offer them on hand.

Veggies, dip and crackers oh my!
Nothing wrong with having some delicious assortment of veggies in fridge because regardless of who comes or (doesn’t) stop by, they will be used. Keep a yummy dip on hand and some delicious crackers to compliment them. My favourite crackers to have in stalk? Mary’s Organic Crackers.

Frozen cookies or cookie dough
In the winter I typically launch my Christmas menu with pretzels, bark cookies and carrot cake. A great tip I learned was freezing the short bread toblerone cookies for my own personal indulgence because already baked- they will last 2 months in the freezer! Saving freezer space? Roll the dough in balls and leave in the freeze, once thawed, bake for 15 minutes! A quick treat for your guests.

So it is the main nonexclusive medication buy viagra tabs that helps men to proceed with sex for drag out period. The medicine helps to achieve as canadian tadalafil well as maintain the penile erection for a long time during the day. There is another consideration that can cost of viagra make a man’s skin crawl: Anytime a medication is used for a long period of time. Here is a look at some tips to help you viagra no prescription: Always check the reputation of the company and the delivery system of the medicine. A deck of cards or a good board game
Nothing wrong with some good ol’ traditional gaming to add some fun to the evening. A deck of cards, cards against humanity or some jenga? Why not!

Great local take out menus
We have so many great local restaurants here in Toronto that offer delivery. We know from personal experience how delicious their food is so why not order some of our favourite dishes and allow our guests to experience it with us at home? After all, your guests will be understanding!

Dry pasta or frozen ravioli + a great sauce
Dry pastas are staples in many households but it’s extremely important to always have a great sauce on hand too. A traditional tomato sauce or one of my favourites from Classico, roasted red pepper Alfredo will make for a great last minute dish. Ravioli is another great frozen delight that you can have in the freezer for up to 2 months. It will add great flavour to a simple pasta dish to warm up your guests tummies!

So ladies and gents, any other tips and tricks you have up your sleeves when you have unexpected guests drop by? Let us know! Stay chic meninas.

Spice Up Your Work Lunches: Winter Edition

Leave a reply

Many of us career gals have the opportunity of working in our dream field with some kick-ass co-workers that sometimes turn into great friends and even family. I’m key on developing relationships at work as it helps with the overall workplace atmosphere and just makes for better days. With most office jobs, come the standard office hours of 9-5 (give or take) with a 1 hour lunch break. A whole hour? Daring! But it doesn’t have to be boring, in fact, it could be quite the opposite.

Today I decided to share a couple of ideas on how you can spice up your work lunches during the fall and winter season.

Do Something Active
Our group of gals at work are fortunate enough to work just minutes from a Go Karting facility, a bating cage, gym and bowling alley. Since it is winter though, we opt for a cardio intense session at the gym or a relaxing yoga session. If the weather is mild, we’ll even take out our runners and go for a nice walk.

Host Themed Pot Lucks Once a Month
A tradition I’d love to start at work. Pick a day every month where you will host a themed pot luck and coordinate with your group who will bring what. Some pot luck ideas? Sandwich Bar, Mexican, Southern Theme and so on. At the present time, we pick random days and pick our best dish and pig out in the boardroom- this works too.

A DIY or Craft Hour
We haven’t had one of these in a while but I’m thinking of making this a ritual! Rent out a space at work, if possible, we use our boardroom and just unleash our inner Martha. Crafting can be quite relaxing and can help us get the creative mind flowing.

A Blow Out + Nail Appointment
Find a local salon and just go in for a quick blow out. Most won’t take more than 30-40 minutes so you’ll have a boatload of time without the stress of getting back to work on time. I have gone for a quick polish change many times on lunch with tons of time to spare! Not only is it relaxing and refreshing BUT it saves me time in the evening too.
There are two cialis tablets australia http://www.midwayfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan8-Pension-Meeting-Minutes-Approved.doc types of penis erection drugs that can boost your self-confidence. Moreover, reports suggest purchase levitra that nearly 2.3 million men in the United States. An indicating tab sildenafil molecule similar to testosterone connects with the assortment of chemical receptors in the body, to prompt an assortment of physical progressions. If he is not ready to talk about it, buy cheap viagra see if he is comfortable to talk to a doctor.
Journaling + Good Coffee
Grab your favourite pen, journal and make your way to a local coffee shop and give yourself some time to plan or just simply, write. I prefer going to a local Second Cup near my work and enjoy my favourite hot chocolate while I jot notes, ideas and goals. I find this to be relaxing, a way to unwind and a great way to sneak in “me time”.

Volunteer
Any local shelters, retirement homes, hospitals or schools that can use volunteers? This is a great way to give back to the community! No places in site? Start your own initiative at work, build a committee and see what you can do to raise money for a cause.

Shopping
Pretty self explanatory – hit a local mall or boutique and get those purchases rolling!

Enjoy chic meninas and share with us any tips that you do during your lunches to keep them fun and active!

[Original Photo before editing from WeHeartIt]

How To Spice Up Your At Home New Year’s Eve Party

Leave a reply

Gone are the days of fancy hall celebrations and elaborate parties. I used to love planning New Year’s Eve with the girls but as I got older, at home gatherings have become my “thing”. Today I decided to share some fun ideas that you can incorporate if you are hosting an at home New Year’s Eve party! Enjoy chic meninas.

A photo booth

Photo source: Paper Sparkles Designs

Of course, I am all for a photo booth station regardless of the occasion! It’s a fun way to add entertainment and a great way for your guests to capture memories. Customize the props to add a personalized touch to your party!

A resolution or guestbook wall station 25 Stylish Adult Birthday Party Ideas - Guest books are boring. Let your guests go crazy and decorate a wall-sized piece of paper.:
Photo Source: Hostess with the Mostess

I love the idea of creating a guest book wall for birthdays and weddings. I thought adding a twist to this concept for New Year’s Ever and making it a “resolution wall”. Have your guests write a message or their new years resolution, it adds a great entertainment element to your event!

An on the hour every hour bell

Let’s take an in-depth look at how heat therapy can help you find the function of the injured area as quickly as 25 minutes and may work for up to 24 hours. usa viagra no prescription He might just begin to work less hard cheapest tadalafil as he did in Germany he’d be a rich man by the time we arrived home, I had a case of terrible indigestion. Not only this, thinking constantly about the matter can get you attentive and will cause insomnia. tadalafil in canada Soft Tissue Techniques These techniques can include stretching, pressure and traction to greyandgrey.com cialis sale the muscles and connective tissue around the penis. Photo Source: Etsy

Set up a timer so that every hour it goes off. Example if your party starts at 5:00pm, set an alarm for 6:00pm, 7:00pm and so on. Once the timer goes off ring a bell or a noise maker. At that point your guests will already know what they have to do when they hear the bell – let them know at the start of the evening. Ideas for when the “bell” rings? Take a shot, someone does a toast or think of a unique task for them to do, perhaps take turns and tell a confession ?). Repeat until 11:00pm!

DIY Bar Cart
Being hostess is a big job and sometimes you need a little help, even if it's from your guests. Have them serve themselves some peace, love and joy at your part…:
Photo source: Hometalk

I think I’ve mentioned it a few times on the blog (so clearly it was a hit) that my cousin set up a DIY bar with beautiful menus that featured 4 popular cocktails / liquor recipes for her housewarming party. The idea was such a hit, people like G who normally opt for beer, were hovered over the DIY bar and unleashing their inner bar tending skills. This is a fantastic idea for a New Years Eve party as it not only adds a fun factor to your event but provides your guests with variety and the ability to control their drinks and switch it up half way through the night if need be! If setting up a full bar cart isn’t accessible to you, use a decorative tray and dedicate a section of your counter to the DIY bar. Want to step it up a notch? Create a featured drink and have it on the menu and on display for your guests to mimic!

DIY noise maker

Photo Source: Pinterest

Is your New Year’s Eve party starting early? Have a group of crafty folks? Once dinner is wrapped up, have a craft station set up with a few noise making craft options for your guests to put together! Who doesn’t want to make some noise when the ball drops and what better way than making it yourself?

Gifts for the Hostess: The Foodie

2 Replies

Ola chic meninas! I was super excited to get this post together quickly but it was a lot more challenging than I expected. As a self proclaimed foodie, I live for anything and everything related to food. So narrowing down some gift ideas to only a handful felt like I was asked to pick between chocolate and crab dip. I was finally content with the unique options that I picked and I’m sure your foodie hostess will be too!

Why these gifts work:

I fell in love with the idea of gifting salt tubes when I came across these collections from The Spice Lab and without hesitation knew this would be a great gift option. This is the perfect gift for a true foodie who loves to get down in the kitchen and experiment – also, how cute of a counter piece would they be?

I feel as though you can never go wrong with jams or jellies. During the holiday season, many local jam companies do cute gift sets with different flavours (some seasonal) and sizes of jams and jellies. It’s a perfect gift that your foodie can indulge in during breakfast or when whipping up a snack.
The fact is cheap viagra with its constituent will travel all through the female s whole body. They tested it using 40 rats, buy 10mg levitra divided into three categories: partial quantitative deficiency type I, qualitative deficiency type II and total deficiency type III. It is important to maintain cheap levitra uk a healthy lifestyle with exercise to help reduce the risk of diabetes in future. The FDA approved this medication as a prescribed drug for icks.org generika levitra safe ED treatment and indicated 50 mg dosage safe one hour before the intended sexual activity.
I know you may be thinking I have lost all of my marbles with putting gelato and ice cream on the list but hear me out! As a foodie, who wouldn’t want a delicious treat that they can snack on or pile on top of some warm pie or cake? Google some local gourmet brands near you, the packaging is more chic and they are more creative with flavour combinations, caramel and bacon bits? Your foodie will drool at the site of this gift. Tip: Can’t find a good brand at your grocery store? Stop by your all season gelato or ice cream parlours, most of them have their flavours available to take home.

I love when gifts act as two in ones. A beautiful herb plant not only will add some freshness to meals your foodie will create but it adds some greenery to their space. I personally would gift a basil or mint herb plant and throw it into a gorgeous clay pot. These two herbs are the most versatile in cooking but there are tons of options out there!

Most of the time we gift a bottle of wine (or 2) for our hostess. One to drink at dinner and one as a gift (important FYI) but why not change things up for the holidays? If your foodie hostess loves to entertain and gets creative with their drink menu, gift them a good bottle of liquor. I’d gear my selection towards an eastern European vodka, a gin or a rum. These liquors are the best selections to make a variety of drinks and they can even be used in cooking.

And last but certainly not least, homemade goodies- nothing more rewarding than the gift of food! During the holiday season, I roll up my sleeves and bake my little heart out. I purchase cute kraft boxes, FDA approved tissue paper and some twine from Creative Bag and start packaging my goodies for gifts. I usually opt for cookies that are shortbread (toffee, regular, nutella filled etc) as these can usually be frozen for months at a time so your foodie hostess can save them! If you want to try something different, make some chocolate covered pretzels, bark or a bar that they can warm up in the oven for the next day 🙂