potluck #2...

i can never remember how long we've been doing this now, but i think my girl friends and i are on our 10th or 11th year of having a potluck. i remember last year being so incredibly hard to pick a date because we were all busy. it must have changed 3 or 4 times. this year, i started an event on facebook, offered to host, and picked a random date as a placeholder just so i could make the event. it was a christmas miracle because the first date i picked worked for the 5 of us. 

the best scalloped potatoes. (i use this recipe)

my friend did a mighty fine job on the meat and cheese plate.

trying to use the timer app and set up my phone results in one person being cu off! 

a night on the town afterwards.

having trouble keeping my eyes open. swear i'm sober.

how is christmas just days away??! i can't even wrap my head around it. unfortunately, i'm still at work this week right up to christmas eve. the office closes at 1, but i'm hoping to just go in, stay for maybe an hour and head home since neither of my bosses will be in.

potluck #1...

two weekends ago we hosted a potluck with 4 of our friends. we were so busy on saturday - cleaning, getting groceries, cooking, setting everything up (making the perfect christmas playlist;)), etc. you look around thinking, "is everything perfect? did i get that last dust bunny that's hiding in the corner?" but then you realize that's it's likely only you who notices that stuff. we covered the turkey, ham, wine, and dessert, while the others covered stuffing, potatoes, salad, buns, and cranberry sauce. we basically had a traditional christmas dinner covered. everything was absolutely amazing.

 the only picture i have of the red velvet cake i made.

 we even turned on the fireplace for our guests!

 ready.set.go. 

dinner is served.

we basically used every utensil, serving dish, plate, bowl, etc in our kitchen. it's safe to say it was a complete disaster the next morning. no doubt it's a lot of work hosting a small dinner, but it's definitely fun.

dinner party...

i'm happy to report back that our first dinner party went off without a hitch and all of the food was great! Dylan bought some of the biggest chicken breast i'de ever seen and we made chicken parmesan,  garlic bread, and (store made) fresh pasta. the wine was flowing and we had ourselves a good time. sadly, the friends we had over are heading back home to england at the end of april after only two short years here. we'll probably see them once more, but this was likely the last big hurrah.

preparations begin. 

all ready.

dinner served.

after dinner board games.

while the preparations were slightly stressful, the end result was great fun. time to plan our next one!

resting bitch face + live tv...

yesterday afternoon, my mom, my best friend, and her mom all came down to toronto and we went to a taping of the social. the doors open right at 12 with the show starting live at 1pm. after waiting in a small room for about 45 minutes getting the rundown and what to do (have fun! laugh! smack your knee! look to your left and right when laughing! use your phone and be 'social' on social media to interact with what they're talking about!) and what not to do (stare right in to camera, creep in your friend's screen time if you see them). the show started with guest co-host kevin o'leary, mega canadian businessman and also on the shows shark tank and dragon's den. then there were segments on products to make your life easier, shark week, and finally, it ended with the team that was eliminated on amazing race canada the night before.

now let's talk about being on live tv for a sec. holy nerve-wracking. my anxiety went through the roof and i had a hard time enjoying myself, to be honest. i was super tense and felt like i couldn't sit still. about half way through, i checked my phone during the commercial and dylan had started sending me pictures of us that he was taking while watching us at home. i'm telling you, we all looked awful!!! so uninterested, miserable, really tired (those bags under my eyes are wild), and just all around not good. and hilarious. you laugh and smile when they say something funny, but it's quite a challenge apparently to look engaged when you're just listening to a normal conversation. i shared the pictures with our little group and we all had a good laugh. thankfully, that loosened me up slightly for the rest of the show.

the much music/ctv building.

 on set!

our blue ensembles were not planned!

 commercial break.

 amazing race contestants.

and this, my friends, is how excited i looked on tv. there were a few shots of me laughing and smiling, but more of me looking like this. awesome.

we all needed a drink after being so tense so we went to a nearby mexican joint.

the audience received kevin's new book.

if i ever do go back to sit in an audience again, i've got some major practicing to do.

picnicking in the park...

this weekend we got together with a group of friends and had a picnic in trinity bellwoods park, along with hundreds of other people doing the same thing ;) i don't think we could have asked for better weather - 27 degrees, no humidity, and pure sun with not a cloud in the sky. we brought all the fixin's to make a greek salad, while others brought some fruit, chips, and other snacks.

 strolling through the park.

after leaving the park, we took a short walk over to a new ice cream place that recently opened and i had been dying to try - bang bang ice cream and bakery. i would say the focus is on ice cream sandwiches, but you can skip the cookie and get just ice cream, too. or, you can get a macaron instead of a cookie, or maybe a nutella puff? whatever floats your boat. just know that everything is homemade and the options are a plenty. i went with one ginger cookie split in half and got captain crunch ice cream ($4.50). dylan got 2 peanut butter cookies with banana pudding ice cream for $7. honestly, i found the prices to be more than reasonable, considering the size and quality. you best check this place out!

 the absolute best.

more please.

and what's better proof of having a great day in the sun than a little sunburn? my legs got a slight burn, but it's already turned to a minor tan (score!) and dylan walked away with a nice burn around his sunglasses, leaving him with white eyes which makes me laugh whenever i look at him. at least i was smart enough to cover my arms/back/face with spf!

slam dunk...

as i've mentioned before, i'm not big into sports, but since moving to toronto i've now been to a few sports games. on friday, i got to add another 'first sports game' to my list - a basketball game. a friend had asked if we wanted to go with her and her boyfriend and we made it into a good night out. we went out for dinner and drinks then headed over to watch the raptors play. afterwards, we came back to our place and had a few more drinks before deciding where to go. on the suggestion of another friend, we headed to a place called "the boat". when we walked in, i immediately noticed there a lot of men there. turns out that it was "pride disco" night. i read afterwards that the second friday of every month is pride night, or something. regardless, the music was fantastic and we danced the night away until we couldn't anymore. we then headed back to our place and we all kicked off our dancing shoes and passed out.

and of course, the raptors won. go toronto!

a fiesta...

last week, my bff turned 27 (crap, we're getting old!) and a bunch of us got together for a fiesta. lots of friends, lots of food, and a lot of mustache pictures. unfortunately, me and dylan had to peace out early since there was a snowstorm (and an hour drive) and he had to leave for work at 3am. but no worries, we still had a good time.

 ready for movember.

 a few condiments for tacos. and now i know i need to plan a taco night week for dinner.

 we got the birthday girl some patron. drink up!

 friends for 25 years.

 i don't even know...

why hello.

happy birthday to youuuu.

and no, dylan certainly wasn't the only boy there. there were plenty others. happiest of birthdays, girly!