New Years Dinner!

So coming home from work..cannot lie I was kind of bummed. My friend backed out of the plans that we had created the night before..so I was thinking. wow forever alone. Again. So mom and I went out to Mocha Cabanas, and its cool because they were having this "fine dining" night for the evening. 

They had planned for a 3 course dinner with a special menu. I think it is fun to have these nights so that the chefs can try out different recipes and be creative. But anyways I got the 3 course dinner. 

The first course was antipasto and it was pretty good. It had caponata, marinated mushrooms, roasted peppers, salami and cheese with a baguette.

The second course was Posole Rojo which is a traditional Mexican soup it has chicken, pork and hominy in it, with a twist...it had avocado. I never thought to put avocado into a mexican soup but now that I know you can I so will in the future when I create my own taco soup! 

The third course was a filet of benchmark Beef that had a bearnaise sauce and smashed potatoes (so good). It was very good, very well cooked meat (medium rare) and all the tastes complimented each other very well. 

For dessert we tried this Artisan cheese's and they were disgusting. Mom said that they tasted very french like, well then I think they are crap. They all tasted like they went bad. This one cheese even had black on it, it was so gross it tasted like feet. 

But other than that the rest of the meal was exquisite. 

While we were there, there was music as well. The band that was playing is called the Jazz Cortet and they were very good, loud, but good. 

Also while being there I saw my old teacher Patrick..I had thought that he was gay but it looked like he had a female date. So gay thoughts are gone...but it was the same with Jason I thought he was gay as well until I found out he had a kid. 

Later on I had bought some almond rocca cheesecake and a homemade oreo to take home. They both were very very good. 

Calgary!

It took awhile to do this post..but I am finally getting around to doing it..You know..lately blogging has kind of felt like a chore, instead of just part of my daily routine. Whenever I have a few days that I do a lot it is kind of stressful to remember to blog..but I know that I have this blog for a reason..

Someday I will look upon this blog and think..wow what fun I had when I was younger. What great experiences and memories that were created. 

Anyways back to the Calgary blog. 

We went down to Calgary on boxing day. My Uncle Chris was bringing my Grandmother back while bringing mom and I back up with him. The roads were pretty good and the drive was pretty short. While I was in Claresholm I saw a co-worker, just a guy that does receiving in the back..I do not really know his name but I know that I work with him..so thats a step right? 

When we got to Calgary all the cousins said hi. It was nice coming to Calgary this time around because all my cousins were there. The boys normally are away at school when we go so it is hard to see everyone altogether. 

When we were there we played a game called Revolution, it is a strategy game. I thought it was fun, towards the end I got really competitive with my cousins since I wanted to win, but I only came in second. 

The next day we went shopping since they asked me what I wanted to do in Calgary, my usual response is Ikea but this time I asked to go to Bath and Body Works too since we do not have one in Lethbridge. 

Ikea was always fun we went for the dollar breakfast, it was pretty big but rather bland. But we walked around there for awhile we played around with the shopping carts in Ikea as well, which was a lot of fun. People looked at us with strange looks but oh well haha

Sticker christmas trees for us struggling students

Reminds me of the Ukrainian horse that my sister and I used to fight over ha ha.

Later we went to Bath and Body works and holy moly. Going into that store was cray. Cray point blank. It was the kind of store you grab grab grab and then leave having no idea what you bought. When I left bath and body works I realized what I got. I got 3 soaps, one in vanilla bean noel, then winter spice and vanilla and then in sparkling pink champagne. I bought 5 hand sanitizers, one in cookie dough, another in winter spice and vanilla, warm vanilla sugar, sparkling pink champagne and then in 1 <3 cake. Then I got 3 body lotions, one in vanilla bean noel, then in twilight woods and lastly forever sunshine soleil sublime (they all smell so yummy). Then lastly I got 2 shower gels, one in twisted peppermint and then a coconut coco one. And people...I got all that for under 40 dollars. Pretty good deal if I say so myself!

Later on we went to Les Miserables..and it is a great movie. In the beginning when they started singing every word I was thinking..oh here we go..but by the end I was thinking I do not want this to end..it is just so good! But the seats we got were crazy close to the screen. We were the second row from the front..not handicap front but right infront of the screen front. Yup..I got to see every crook and craney of Hugh Jackman's face. If I had time I could have probably counted every nose hair that he had. But Brilliant movie.

P.S. A few other events that happened. My cousin tried to teach me some things on the ukelele. My mom helped him with geneology. I watched my cousin paint Hordes which are miniatures. Lastly, ate lots, lots, lots.

Christmas!

I hope that everyone had a very good Christmas just like I did! All I pretty much did was rest my body from 2 weeks of shift work..which was awesome! If I could I would switch permanently to the night shift, but school just won't let me..sad face.

saw hobbit with mom

Harry styles doll at work

christmas present

Anyways, on Christmas Mom and I just played Monopoly and guesstures...I had the game Guesstures forever but no one wanted to play it. Once mom finally understood the point of the game we had a lot of fun.

We created a video for my sister so that she wouldn't miss us as bad..I think it made us miss us more and it made me miss her more..

On boxing day, my Uncle Chris came to pick us up, but before then I went boxing day shopping..(you must think I was crazy...well I kinda was..I had no idea how busy it would be..and it sure was..) 

Anyways while going shopping I bought an xbox and then an 11 dollar dress at winners..super good deals and I bought a hello kitty wallet. 

Shift Work

So the past few nights I have been doing the shift work at Walmart since they are open 24 hours now. I have to say...best decision I made for the holidays. Yes, it an be hard on your body and it reallly throws your schedule off but it is so much fun at night..and the atmosphere is much more relaxed and not "rushed" like how it is during the day.

Anyways the last few nights I have been doing other things than doing my "cashier" duties. I actually left a till and went to help Louise with stock..and I have to say..I have a new respect for people that do overnight stock. It is a ton of work and to do it for 8 hours much feel gruelling. But by the end of my shift I could absolutely not stand the smell of chocolate or the thought of it..can you tell what I stocked? Ha Ha 

And tonight I covered in electronics. It was fun because I got a walkie talkie and got to listen in on some of their conversations. I think that everyone should have a walkie, it would be way easier to do things around but sometimes it is confusing because sometimes they just do not want to work.

I played on the Wii U a bit, and I think its fun, I played Rayman Legends it was Epic. I also watched a 3d television for awhile, and then I looked at the prices of everything in electronics. 

But anyways that was the first stretch of nights, my body is exhausted, I am exhausted, and I have not had this many energy drinks since grade 10. But that is what I have been up to lately pretty much, just working the nights and I like it..It will be weird to be stuck at my till again when I go back to normal hours. 

Anyways, until the next shift work begins! Adios! 

Strange Stores...Strange Hobbies

So there have been lots that has been happening in the last few days. Lots of exciting things, I have been working, I got some new things to do for talents. 

To start off with, on Tuesday I hung out with Jana, she worked with me at Walmart. She quit because she wanted to go for her practicum in Calgary but she didn't apply soon enough..so she is out of a job for a semester until she can apply again. 

We hung out at the mall and went to a few interesting stores. We went across from the mall to Josee's which is like a hippie store, anyways I knew that they had "hope stones", psychics and such but I never realize how cute their clothing is and I find it a reasonable price for some things. I saw this adorable owl dress that I wanted to buy, hopefully it still will be there when I get paid next week. 

Later, we went to this other store called the Drunken Pirate...and this store..it was like a fat kid in a candy store to me. It had sugar skulls beyond belief..it was my perfect store, It had the cutest two headed skeleton sock monkey.

Then we went to this other store called Ten Thousand Villages and they had the most awesome Nativity sets from all around the world. They were really beautiful, I think I am going to take my mom there on Saturday to go look at them. 

Then we went to King of trade and I bought a ukelele. I called her baby blue..why I got a ukelele? I just felt like it, I was bored and I needed a healthy hobby. So I decided I will learn the ukelele. So far..I have learned how to tune the ukelele and I learned the C chord so far..so I think I am off to a good start.

I also got Ethan's mom a present, she likes fairies and she likes coins so I got her a fairy coin from the post office. It is pretty and I think she will love it...just like I love her.

But basically that has been it for awhile.

Gifts and the Julie and Julia project

Hello all my Blogger readers! So the other night when Ethan's mom was driving me home..she was so sweet she brought over the presents that she was meaning to give my mom and I. 

She said that because Ethan and I broke up that he might not want me to have them, but she didn't care she gave them to me anyways. 

What she gave us was awesome anyways so I am glad she did. She is seriously one the best, most generous ladies I have ever met. She deserves the best things in the world for the things that she does for others. Did I mention she is super humble too? But to get to what she got us, anyways she got me a set of pillows..and nice ones at that! She also got me this adorable, dainty and perfect little tea cup. The detail on it is so intricate and the colours go really good together.

Then she got my mom a snowman blanket, some drink mix to put in apple cider and this adorable reindeer plate/cookie cutter that said "Deer friends" on it. I just think it was so sweet, in the time that I was dating Ethan, I think that she got to know me better than he got to know me himself. She knew exactly what to get us and it just made both my mom and I so happy..

Anyways this evening I tried a new recipe again.. I am trying to do this Julie & Julia thing where I don't try out recipes from one cookbook only but to try at least one new recipe a week, and I have to say the stuff that I have been trying have been amazing. I cannot believe I have not done this before..anyways this week it was Spicy Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Now people, lets get this straight...it was literally one of the best recipes I have ever tasted. The mix of the potatoes and spice mixed beautifully. It was like a dance of flavours in your mouth..truly a good recipe.

The recipe will be up on my other blog though so you can get the recipe.
http://cookgeek0323.blogspot.ca/

Park Meadows Christmas Party

So tonight was the Christmas party that was pointed out in the title up above haha.

Before the dinner my mom and I went to go look at this new liquidation store that used to be United Furniture Warehouse, behind the Safeways on the south side..and I have to say it was a cool store.. It gave me lots of craft ideas that I could do to give to people for christmas or for birthday's etc. 

They had the coolest watches too, they were all sparkly and pretty. My favorite was this one that had crocodiles on it, but the colours on the watches were gorgeous. I might just have to go back to that store and buy one for myself when I get sometime haha.

Later on my Grandmother's friend Grace Mary came to pick us up from the store to pick up my grandma to go to the Christmas party. While at the christmas party I really did not see that many people that I knew, I saw my old friend Ilona with her family, and Ali from 5th ward. But that was about it, but the program was good, the primary children were so cute. But the music was so loud..it was louder than a rock concert. Haha but still fun

P.S. They ran out of cranberry sauce after like 20 people (Exaggerated but still I got no cranberry sauce)..and everyone knows at a mormon event with a lot of people..you buy like 60 cans of the stuff so that it can go around. But the food was good, all around just a good time.

Some R & R: Reading and Relaxation

Today was a total chill day. I did some errands downtown then went home and made a healthy supper..(some lasagna, salad, smoothie and some smokies..was really yummy). Then I read for a bit, and now I am watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills..its my guilty pleasure show.

Manicure from a few days ago..the nail polish is called You Glitter be good to me by OPI

But if that isn't a chill day I don't know what else is!

Endings and new beginnings.

Tonight I finally got into the Christmas spirit...after what seems like weeks that I should have. Reason for this is that I am excited to spend Christmas with the people I love this year. Mainly my mom, I am so excited to have her to myself for christmas. 

Tonight we were doing christmas baking, I was trying out this mint recipe on my kitchenaid and she was doing homemade skor bars, which is a family favorite. 

Then we just watched TV. We watched who wants to be a millionaire, jeopardy (nerd show), wheel of fortune (jock show)...inside joke with mom. We tried to guess all the answers the best we could, but dude I suck at these shows and trying to guess things but oh well haha we had fun watching it. Then we watched America's funniest home videos which is hilarious as always. It is finally nice to get in a good laugh in what seems like forever. 

P.s. 

The sad thing about the night is that I am sad to say that my relationship with Ethan has faded, but it is fine. I will be fine and get over it with no issue. We had a good time while it lasted but sometimes it is just better to be friends.

But with that said. I am happy to do things that I love to do and to get motivated to do things. Did I mention I am going to be taking a class in January? I am so stoked to be doing that and to be around civilization again. I am looking forward to months of laughter and fun, and am ready to go on with my life again.

Sick in montana

On Wednesday after we went to the doctors, my mom and I went to go eat at Montana's. It literally has been so long since we have been there...the last time that I remember going was when my sister was here, and when she was single...so you can imagine how long it has been.

Sailor moo..mom's way of drawing her

Anyways I ordered a veggie burger and mom ordered chicken strips. Her chicken strips were so good and they were not greasy. It is so hard for chicken strips to not be greasy. And for my veggie burger. I looove that it had fresh feta cheese on it, it just makes it taste so much better but it would have been better if it had a whole grain bun instead of a white bun. But all in all still good.

Charley

Minnnie and Ginger

For dessert my mom had a sticky toffee pudding and I had the deep fried cheesecake. Personally I think that if restaurants sell desserts like this then they should have complimentary milk on the side since they were so sweet. My mom's toffee pudding was like pure carmel and yummyness, as for mine I had tried it before and it is so good. You get quality and quantity for the price as well..the cheesecake was huuge! It could probably fill at least 3 people, and it was still cheap. 

Anyways after that we went to the south side Walmart for some groceries...and I have to say..the layout of the south side walmart is weird. I haven't actually been in there since I quit working there, but I never realize how crappy the layout is. They hardly have any big tills at all and the express lanes are placed strangely.

Moose head...I shall call him Ralph

We had looked around the place for quite awhile too, we were trying to get Christmas present ideas, and didn't come up with too many actually. I have to add as well that this year there are crappy christmas decorations, I am trying to look for some good ones and there are hardly any in the stores, and I know they say to wait till December for them to come out but I think that's late to put stuff out. 

But at the other walmart they have better fragrance sales on..I think I will have to go back and take advantage of those deals, I think it is cool how they have their own cosmetics desk as well.

But our cashier was funny, her name was samantha and she used a lot of puns. We bought kitty litter and she said that she told a lady one time after buying some to have a "Crappy" day.

sick as anything

These past few days I have been sick as anything. I cannot breathe from my nose OR from my mouth. It is just horrid, I cannot remember being this sick in about 2 years...it means I have to eat healthier to get my immunity back.

Anyways all I have been eating since yesterday is chicken noodle soup and popsicles. Both of those make me feel so good, considering that I sound like a man right now it is somewhat helping. I am just so angry that I am sick though. I even had a flu shot to prevent getting sick and I have gotten the sickest I have in forever.

But anyways hopefully I will feel better soon. I cannot miss anymore work at all, I am going to go get some drugs tonight so that hopefully I will feel better. Anyways wish me luck.

P.S. our oven is still not fixed which means I STILL cannot use my kitchenaid. Horrible horrible horrible. 

but my boyfriend's family is so nice that they gave me some chicken noodle soup. It helps a lot..love him so much.

The pizza and the Kitchenaid

After a long beauty rest last night of my 2 days of 9 hour shifts from work...plus a night of helping my boyfriend with his homework. I felt like crapola. I was so dead this morning and still am..writing this at 12:30 in the morning, but this day was really good so I just had to blog about it!

As the day went by after waking up..putting my make up on..getting purdy for the day. I went over to Ethan's house because I needed help with chemistry. I thought that I was going to ask about hydrogen bonding..but after looking at the next unit. I thought...maybe I should get him to help me with this one more...hello..Boyle's law..and with that law comes math. Dun dun dunnnnnn. 

For some reason my mind thinks that in science there should not be math, when in reality that is all that science is. So when I see any math in science my brain goes into a swearing frenzy and says WTF why is there math in science. There is supposed to be NO math in science...but reality is that without math there is no science. 

Sad face.

But he texted me and said that he was at the mall and said that he would be awhile. So I tried to figure it out but couldn't so when his mom came home we went to go pick him up from King of trade (his fav store...ever..you should see how fast he looks through those games..he should win a medal for that) 

Anyways Ethan was being strangely nice and took his mother and I to this little pizza joint that is underneath the Shanghai sign downtown or down the street from Pita Pit. The place is called Square Guys Pizza and it was really good. I mean best pizza in the city good. The crust was perfect and the pizza was not greasy at all, it was good old style pizza. One slice could have been one meal on its own with all the toppings on it, on the supreme it has more meat on it than a subway sandwhich almost. 

We met the chef and boy can he ever talk. He talked about his plans for the place and I think..if he can pull it off he can really make his restaurant popular. 

Anyways afterwards....I went to go pick up...wait for it.

My KITCHENAID! 

*insert squeal*

I, Celina Ouimet, after 19 and a half years of life, finally own a kitchenaid. When I got home I made peanut butter cookies and you would have never see such a beautiful sight. The mixer mixing the ingredients so perfectly and you did not have to do anything, not even scrape the sides that much. 

In all honesty I can never go back to hand beating a cookie recipe again. After the luxury of having a kitchenaide why should I? 

Also it was the fastest batch of cookies I ever made too, it took me about 3 minutes to make the batch and they cooked for about 10 minutes. 

It also is cool that with the kitchenaide they give you a recipe book along with it..which is where I got the peanut butter recipe. 

But all in all pretty good day..if I say so myself. 

*insert squeal again* 

Anyways off to bed. I need more beauty sleep than I can get, and relaxation. 

Until next time!

Cinnamon hearts...

Last night I made cinnamon buns..but they were shaped in a heart. I came across the idea on youtube and I wanted to try it at home. I made some for me and my mom and then later that night we watched brave.

Cinnamon buns before they went in the oven

 Brave is like my favourite movie now haha it is so funny. My mom was laughing so hard at the movie which I always love hearing. 

Cinnamon bun hearts when they were finished

But that was my night last night. Adios for now!

Gingerbread houses...

So Ethan and I did Gingerbread houses on Friday night. It was so much fun haha. 

In the kit we got pre-made gingerbread houses some candy (not a lot) and the icing sugar for the icing obviously haha. Anyways we had to make the icing ourselves and boy was it messy...need I say again messy. I had icing on me and it flew everywhere..it was crazy ha ha and it took awhile to make it too. 

Anyways Ethan did the traditional house (up above) and I did the acid trip house. The idea that I originally had for mh house did not work at all...so I kind of went all out..literally. I went crazy on my house. But at the same time I could not believe that Ethan did a "normal" classic gingerbread house. Since he is an artist I thought that he would do something more over the top but he didn't..so I thought that was interesting. 

Another thing about the icing ha ha I don't know how but I got it everywhere on me..I got it on my glasses and on my face and I have no clue how I did that.

But that was my date with Ethan for doing gingerbread houses. It was fun and I will have to make a tradition of doing this.

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Ethan's traditional house

side of my house..looks like hurricane sandy came through a little bit

The penguin that I did on my house...was supposed to be a snowman