Ever have one of those weeks where you’re not really sure where time went or what exactly you did?
THIS WEEK AT CURTAINS ARE OPEN:
Things started with the return of the 2015 KIA Sedona I’d been booting around in all weekend. As I was at the dealership, the skies opened up and I swear it was my inner tears and not regular rain hitting the windshield.
I THOROUGHLY enjoyed driving the Sedona and was pretty thrilled with the number of people who jumped in on conversations on social media as I posted about my adventure (seems I’m not the only one enjoying the KIA ride!) Again, I’m happy with my new partnership and our #KIAWorkingMom program…but I’m starting to think it’s an elaborate plan to get me in a new car…and I have to say, it’s a brilliant one!
A reminder about the #TOMSforTarget post. There’s a chance to win a $100 Target gift card just by filling in the giveaway info and commenting on the post. The draw takes place this Friday. I had a chance to pop into Target in Bayers Lake this week and I thought the line looked GREAT.
Mid week, I received a wonderful gift from the folks at President’s Choice as they dropped off a few new products to try for the Christmas season. I’m looking forward to tasting a few new treats and attending their holiday party this upcoming week…where I’ll get to sample even more!
LET THE HOLIDAY EATING BEGIN!
Note: The cupcakes are already gone!
I wrote a post, Let Go and Let God, about how I’ve learned to let things go over the last little while…it features jewellery made by my friend Victoria. If there’s a piece you’d like made or would like to see what else she has (her home studio is filled with fantastic pieces), Give Victoria a call at (902) 404-7410 or email her at vbell@eastlink.ca.
I also wrote a piece about How to Tweet as we were preparing for our #ECMChat. If you’ve not read it yet, or still have questions about tweeting and would like a little help…ask away. I’ll gladly help you set up your accounts. I was reminded by a friend that I come from a tech background, so while these things seem pretty straight forward to me…they simply aren’t! I’m happy to help in any way that I can!
Speaking of the #ECMChat…HOLY MOLY! That was 45 minutes of full on chatting! Heather at MmmisforMommy and I were thrilled with the results for the first night. We chatted about “Welcoming Winter” and were pleased with the number of moms, bloggers and businesses who jumped into the conversation. There were oodles of people using the hashtag #ECMChat and it was a perfect start to this new venture! This coming Wednesday night at 9pm…we’ll be chatting about Holiday Decorating. This week’s giveaway will be a beautiful centrepiece from Deans Flowers valued at $100…delivered right to your door or the door of a friend or family member anywhere in Nova Scotia.
Like East Coast Moms on Facebook for upcoming topics, giveaways…and everything in between!
THIS WEEK AT DRAWBRIDGE CREATIVE:
I spent my week puttering away at a great many things…however, the piece that “got me” was a tribute to Caleb Doary who passed away last weekend as a result of a motor vehicle accident. The Captain of my son’s hockey team asked if I’d design something to go on the backs of their helmets…so they could pay tribute to their friend.
Last night, with the stickers firmly in place, I was reminded once again about the power we have to affect people’s lives. Caleb touched many people in the short time he was with us…there’s a video circulating that his classmates made and it’s simply touching to see…a clear reminder to live our very best lives…every single day.
“This boy had all the potential in the world…he hasn’t left us, he’s in all of our hearts…he has touched so many lives…he will be missed…we loved him so much.” – Sandra Starratt.
Besides the design for the hockey players, that I was more than honoured to create, I did a little design work for Harrington’s Christmas Tree Lot as the amp up for the season ahead. As well, I picked up a new client and worked on some branding for a “soon to be announced” new company that I’m pretty excited about! It’s fun to work on new branding and help people come up with new and fun ideas to make their dreams a reality.
THIS WEEK IN GENERAL:
On top of the work and the blog…I kind of got sick and had to reel in my activity. I’d been feeling rather ill for a few weeks and finally hauled my butt to the doctor on Monday to discover ANOTHER sinus infection. I’m not getting much better as the meds seem to be working slowly…but just someone telling you you’re sick gives you the permission to sleep a little later, go to bed a little earlier, and wear your jammies a whole lot longer!
I welcomed my parents home after their two week vacation and I’m THRILLED to have them back on Nova Scotia soil. I rely on them more than you can possibly imagine…plus, there’s nothing better than sitting next to my Dad at my kids’ sporting events.
This weeks for sports… two hockey games where in the first one, I was delighted to see Spiderman get not one but two goals and only ONE visit to the penalty box. Bones was the big winner this week with Volleyball as this weekend, a volleyball tournament had her team bringing it all the way to GOLD! The last game was TIGHT and had us in a third set at 13/13…needing to win by two points. Bones was up to serve…no pressure there at all…and managed to pound in TWO awesome serves and we got the win! What an exciting way to end the season!
(I absolutely LOVE this photo I managed to get of Team Captain, Bones, being celebrated by her teammates and wonderful coach!)
On top of all of that, I somehow managed to fit in a trip to the Mall for Spiderman to get his iPhone fixed (apparently it was full of pocket lint), to get his skates fixed (a puck to the blade completely broke the plastic part that holds the blade to the boot) and for Bones to get a new winter coat, hat and scarf!
OH…Me? What did I do for a little relaxation and entertainment? Well…on Thursday evening, I was joined by my dear friends Richelle, Victoria, Barb and Holly and we made Spaghetti Squash with Pesto, Roasted Tomatoes and Mushrooms! Actually, Barb did all the work while we sat around, drank wine and gabbed! The Squash…OMG so yummy and filling! (What I thought was a side dish turned out to be an entire meal!)
Recipe:
- 1 large spaghetti squash, seeded and halved (about 4lbs)
- 1 cup grape tomatoes (orange and yellow if you can, we only had orange but Barb says it looks way better with both!)
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for roasting vegetables
- 4 cups of arugula
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of cashews (normally pesto is made with basil and pinenuts but arugula and cashews was phenomenal!)
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Cut spaghetti squash in half lengthwise being careful not to cut yourself (those buggers are tough). Scrape out the seeds and guts like you would a pumpkin (stop just before adding eyes, nose and mouth!) Place the squash, cut sides up, on a baking sheet and rub with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake about about 30 minutes.
- While squash is baking, cut tomatoes and mushrooms in half and drizzle them with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Haul out the spaghetti squash when the timer goes off, add the tomatoes and mushrooms to the pan and roast for another 30 minutes.
- While that’s all baking, make the pesto (or, pop open a jar of pesto and pour a glass of wine while you wait!) To make pesto, place arugula, oil (about 1 TB), crushed garlic and cashews in the food processor…turn it on and watch it turn into pesto. (You might want to start with half the arugula and add more halfway through…I think that’s what Barb did…I can’t remember, I was a few glasses of wine in by this point!)
- Take out your squash, using a fork, loosen up the spaghetti squash from the sides (you can put this all in a big bowl or serve it right in the squash skins…totally up to you. Everyone elses looked beautiful by my squash skin kind of fell apart and didn’t look so appealing so I’d recommend putting it all in a bowl!)
- Add a few dollops of pesto to the squash (you’ll have lots left over).
- Top it wish the roasted tomatoes and mushrooms. Add fresh Parmesan cheese and voila!
Note: This picture shows it without the cheese…’cause I forgot to take one with cheese! Also, I won’t show what mine looked like as it’s less appealing…and food shots are tough to take at the best of times and I’m sure food shot photographers would tell me this one was horrific! So, I suggest you go by my words and not my photos. IT TASED GREAT!
And finally, as the week comes to a close, I’m about to head down to my office to decorate a tree I purchased this week from Bouclair. To sum it up, here’s how the conversation with Spiderman went when he stepped into the room…
“Well, I figured it would be white,” he said as he stood there staring at the white tree in the room…oddly perplexed and possibly intrigued as he followed with “however, not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined those feathers!”
And the convo with The Tall Blonde in France went…
Me: “I just bought a WHITE FEATHER TREE for my office!!!!!!”
Her: “Of course you did.”
Pics to follow next week! (I’m hoping to have it ready for our #ECMChat on Wednesday night…join us!)
That’s it for now! Until next week…
xo
Wow! You certainly had a crazy-busy week.
It’s lovely that the hockey team is wearing a tribute on their helmets. Such a sad story.
Great recipe! Sounds like a lovely evening.
Looking forward to Wednesday’s #ECMchat!