Wedding Wednesday: Videos that make me cry

Call me lazy but it's John's birthday so I'd like to spend some of the evening with him (even though he's going to his hockey game tonight).
Also I have one more week til the big CRNE so I'm trying to study.
And I'm making pulled pork cause I'm an excellent procrastinator.

I saw this video on Saturday night on Perezhilton.com and proceeded to cry for a solid minute after it finished.

Proposal videos always get me deep in the emotional majority of my brain. I also cry at literally everything.

Enjoy this clever and unique proposal video.
I dare you not to get at least a little misty eyed.

Good Things: Hamburger Edition

Sorry I've been MIA for the last week.

I got back from the canoe trip late Monday night and have been working or busy ever since!

I had an interview for a nursing job on Tuesday morning (ahhhh!) and it seemed to go well. They've also been calling my references so.... fingers crossed they don't find someone better with more experience.

Of the things I love, hamburgers are close to the top. Nothing satisfies a deep hunger, or says 'hey, it's summer. Come have a beer in my backyard' quite like a burger does.

Last summer I saw an article ranking the best burgers in Toronto and I set out on a mission to get myself the #1 ranked burger in the city. When The Burger's Priest opened their Yonge St. location I was in there pretty shortly after to get my hands on ThePriest burger (which is a cheeseburger topped with a portobello mushroom stuffed with cheese then fried). I hate to say it wasn't the best burger I've ever had. It could be because I'm not a huge fan of mushrooms though.

Anyway, Toronto Life has ranked the best burgers in the city this year. Here are some of them.

#6. The Double Cheeseburger at The Burger's Priest ($8)

#5. Cowlorie at Holy Chuck ($12)

and the #1 burger in Toronto goes to....

Naturally Braised Beef Burger at The Harbourd Room ($16)

...Where you will find me at some point this summer.

Here's a link to the article if you're interested.

HAMBURGERS!

All photos from www.torontolife.com

Gone Camping!

In the early hours of tomorrow morning we're setting off for Algonquin Park. A long weekend canoe trip extravaganza. I even got my fishing license today so that I can give it a whirl (legally).

We've got the kebabs in the freezer (chicken, steak, and some cheese ones - mmm), the s'mores essentials, a thermos jug filled with fruit for sangria, and a 4L bag of wine which will be slapped and finished off before the sun rises on Monday morning. Hopefully.

All in the classiest way possible.

I'm excited to get going. We're camping with some of John's work friends and I can't wait. They're such fun people.

AND the weather is supposed to be beautiful so I've packed more bikinis than I'll wear.

It's just what I do.

Hope you all have wonderful long weekend plans!

A happy birthday this weekend goes out to my Aunt Wendy also <3

Here are some of my favourite camping clips.

Enjoy!

Fubar:

And a few from my all-time favourite movie of all time ever: Wet Hot American Summer

(also the reason I cannot seriously watch Christopher Meloni on Law and Order).

Wedding Wednesday: Centerpieces

With our DIY-style wedding we've been turning to things we like and that are easy to obtain.

Our centerpieces came to us pretty early on during a trip to Ikea.

We found rustic looking lanterns and decided that we had to have them. Plus for $9.99 a pop you really can't go wrong.

Photosource: Ikea.ca

We also decided that we could save a ton of money by growing our own flowers.

Yes, this could be an absolute disaster but we've got a back-up plan.

...Which may or may not involve late-night flower theivery.

Anyway, our parent's kindly offered to grow hydrangea bushes for us.

photosource: petitfleurevents.blogspot.com

And since the hydrangeas need somewhere to go, and because it fits with the rustic theme, AND because we just plain love 'em, we're going to put bunches of flowers into mason jars.

photo source: thisisreallife.blogspot.com

We've still got to do a test run and make sure this all works out as planned but that's what we've got in the ol' idea department.

Pinata Cookies

I came across this today on pintrest and I'm obsessed. I wish I had seen this before cinquo de mayo cause I may have made them and had a little Mexican bash for myself.

I do plan on making these for some event in the near future though. What an incredibly cute idea!

Here's the video tutorial from sheknows.com on how to make them, cause it's probably a lot easier than me explaining it considering I've yet to attempt this.

 

Also since the closing of picnik I've been using picmonkey to edit my photos. I just came across iPiccy and I think it's my new favourite.

It's definitely worth checking out.

photo credit: sheknows.com

Wedding Wednesday: Gift Registries

*Meant to post this before I left to see West Side Story last night but forgot - oops!

I realize that everytime I go to start a Wedding Wednesday post I want to open with "one of my favourite parts of wedding planning...".

Basically I'm having a lot of fun planning this wedding and everything we do is my favourite part.

So I'll hold back from saying everything is my favourite but ... it IS all my favourite.

Last weekend we went to inquire about John's suit and groomsmen's suits and while at the mall we went and registered as well.

I have been wanting to get my hands on one of those registry scanner's for ever. Literally since the moment I found out to-be-bride's got to do that.

We went to The Bay and I got that scanner.

We were very restrained (I'm simultaneously proud and ashamed) and didn't register for a ton or for anything super expensive. We live in a not-so-big apartment and we already have a ton of stuff that we don't necessarily need. I didn't register for a waffle maker or an ice cream maker (even though I waaaaaaant toooooo) because they 1) would be somewhat impractical and 2)  would have to go on our bookshelf because there is no room for them.

We registered for new dishes, towels, some glassware, and bed linens. Also accidently a $300 duvet cover. Which neither of us felt comfortable having on the registry.

I logged on this afternoon to take that item off and the vast majority of the items we registered for aren't on it!

I hope this is because it's still getting up and running and not because we made some horrible mistake with the scanner.

I'll check again in a week or so and update things if need be.

We registered only for things we need and I'm thinking about starting up a honeymoon registry so we can fund our ambitious honeymoon to Tanzania, to climb Mount Kilimajaro. Not a joke.

We did register for one pricey item though...

Some 'Good Things' From Martha Stewart Living, June 2012

One of the things I enjoy about not having to go to/ do anything for school is being able to read magazines at leisure.

In Martha Stewart Living's June 2012 publication I came across this article on 'summer sauces' and wanted to share it with you.

I plan on making a few of these to compliment my summer cooking.

Vinaigrette - Combine 2 tbsp minced shallot,2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 2 tsp dijon mustard, and 1/4 tsp coarse salt. Whisk in 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil in a steady trickle until emulsified.

Anchoiade - coarsely chop 16 anchovy fillets and combine with 2 cloves of minced garlic and 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and cook over medium heat until anchovies melt, stirring while cooking to crush the ancovies into a paste. Remove from heat and add 4 tsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp chopped parsley and pepper or red chile flakes.

Pistou - chop 1 clove garlic, add 1/4 tsp salt and mash into a paste. Gradually add 2 cups torn basil and half of 1/3 cup parmesan cheese and mash. Stir in remaining cheese and 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Rouille - crush 1/2 tsp saffron threads, pour 1/4 cup boiling water over top and steep for 15 mins. Chop 2 cloves garlic and add a pinch of salt, mash into a paste. To saffron, add 1 cup of torn white bread (crust removed) and press to absorb. Add in 1 egg yolk and stir. Gradualladd 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, stirring constantly. Stir in garlic, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/4 tsp paprika.

Aioli - chop 2 cloves garlic, add a pinch of salt and mash into a paste. Whisk 2 egg yolks with 1/2 tsp salt in a bowl, slowly add 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp water. Add about 1/4 cup oil, drop by drop, and whisk until emulsified. Gently whisk in 1 1/4 cup oil in a stead trickle.Stir in garlic.

Tapenade - finely chop 2 tsp thyme, 3 anchovy fillets, and 2 tbsp capers. Mix with 1 clove minced garlic. Finely chop 2 cups olives (such as kalamata) and add to the bowl along with 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil.  

Happy Cinqo de Mayo

I'm celebrating by eating cherry tomatoes with salsa.

Partly because I felt I needed to eat something Mexican-ish, partly because I am a salsa-phile, but mostly because because doing anything more than throwing tomatoes in a bowl and pouring salsa over it would ruin my day of leisure. 

I went for a really good run this morning but since then I've done zip zilch nada.

Anyway I thought I'd post up some cinqo de mayo recipes.

Both (and the photos) are courtesy of Marthastewart.com

Salsa Trio & Homemade Tortilla Chips

Tortilla Chips

• Cut tortillas into quarters. Fry in 1/2 inch of hot vegetable oil until light gold, about 20 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt, and serve at room temperature with salsas 

Roasted Tomato Salsa

• Preheat broiler. Place 9 plum tomatoes, 1 large onion, 3 jalapenos, and 2 cloves garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until tomatoes and jalapenos are charred, about 7 minutes. Let stand until cool enough to handle.
• Peel the roasted garlic. Transfer to a blender along with the charred tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, and 1 tablespoon salt. Puree until smooth. For a thinner consistency, add water as needed. Season with salt to taste.

Salsa Cruda

• Stir together 4 medium tomatoes, finely chopped, 1/2 large white onion, finely chopped, 2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, minced, 3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, 1 cup water and 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt.

Salsa Verde

• Place 14 tomatillos in a large saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to simmer until tomatillos have softened but not burst, about 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking liquid. Strain tomatillos through a fine sieve.
• Puree tomatillos, 1/2 large white onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 chiles, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid in a blender or food processor until smooth. For a thinner consistency, add remaining cooking liquid. Season with salt to taste.

Honeydew Aqua Fresca

• Set a large fine-mesh sieve over a large pitcher or jug. In batches, in a food processor or blender, puree 14 cups honeydew melon until smooth. Pour melon puree through sieve, pressing on solids with a rubber spatula (you should have about 4 cups juice).
• In a small bowl, combine 1/3 cup superfine sugar and 1/2 cup fresh lime juice; stir until sugar dissolves. Add lime mixture and 4 cups water to melon juice and mix well. Adjust sweetness with more sugar if desired. (Mixture can be refrigerated, up to 2 days.) To serve, add plenty of ice and 2 cups raspberries.

Ole!

Integrity vs. Appearing Intelligent

Yesterday I wrote a med quiz at a hospital where I may have been considered for a job.

I needed 80% on the quiz to move on in the process and I'm seriously concerned I failed it big time.

I was expecting 30 questions, nothing too intense and instead I got 47 questions, some of which I was slightly unprepared for.

I had a total brain fart on the 8 'rights' when giving medication.

I couldn't think of what the abbreviation 'pr' meant (I figured I should put something so I put down extra strength. It really means 'by rectum'. I think I could argue that some people would consider that an extra strength medication).

I also blanked on what digoxin was for - I cirlced atrial fibrillation first then thought I was crazy so I changed it to coronary artery disease.

It's for A fib.

ALWAYS trust your first instinct.

I was very tempted to cheat as I have a med app on my ipod that could have very quickly told me what digoxin was for, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. 

Sure it may have meant I got an extra question right and could have helped me move on to an interview, but I couldn't.  

What I did do (because I always need to know if I'm a big loooser) was to google search and med app search every question I could remember. I also got my friend to look some up for me at while I was on my way home.

I know I got at least 5 wrong. I can only get 9.5 wrong to get that 80%.

Does anyone else feel the need to know what questions they got wrong right away?

It's a terrible feeling but it has to be done.

Homer sums it up best.

Anyway, to cheer myself up I've been watching a lot of Key & Peele on youtube this morning (after my 4.5 mile run this morning whoop whoop whoop - 10k in just over a week, maybe won't die!). Big thanks to John for recommending I watch these guys.

Hilarious.

Enjoy!

Wedding Wednesday: Hunting for Bridesmaid Dresses

An fun (but often difficult) part of the wedding planning process is finding the perfect bridesmaid dresses.

After finding my dress relatively quickly (note: it was the second one I put on) I was optimistic that my bridesmaids would have equal luck with theirs. I should note I was not (and still am not) opposed to letting them choose 4 different dresses so long as they were close to the same colour. From what I gathered they seemed to want to pick the same dress. I just wanted them to be comfortable.

We went on our first trip to try on some dresses, get an idea of the styles we all liked, and see if we could find a winner.

 Some dresses were beautiful, while others were not quite as nice. Trip one ended without a dress but it was still a ton of fun.

During a visit to another bridal store try on bridesmaid dresses for my best friend's wedding, I saw a dress that I really liked. I took a picture of it and sent it out to see how they reacted to it.

Everyone seemed to like it, so we made an appointment to go try it on and it was a winner.

Whether or not the fact that we had to order them THAT DAY so that they would arrive by the end of July (crazy, just crazy) impacted the decision, I can't say.

Either way I'm very happy with them and I'm planning on borrowing my sister's dress to wear to another wedding in September or October.

Here are some pictures of some of the dresses.

I won't say which one we went with but some of you already know.

And for those of you who don't, you'll find out in early September.

*All bridesmaids' identities have been hidden to protect the innocent slash keep them from getting mad at me re: posting pictures of them on the internet without consent.

Enjoy the fashion show!

Which one do you think we went with? Which one would YOU have gone with?