Life through my iPhone (end of Aug edition)

[caption id="attachment_868" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Box Seats...Shwalsh's be ballin[/caption]

Aug 16th--Jeremy and Ashley got some box seats through a friend so we went to see the American Idol tour when it came through Toronto.  It ended up only being the four of us in the box and we were SPOILED.  I don't think I have ever had so much fun at a concert.  The music was good, but the really private experience as they over fed and boozed us was amazing. We had some drinks, sushi, veggies, tons of snacks and then ice cream and cookies.  It was a really awesome night and we hope that they fall into some more tickets so we can live it up concert style

[caption id="attachment_876" align="aligncenter" width="468"] I'm just a little bit excited[/caption]

Aug 24th--in the spring Garret and I bought tickets to see Bruce Springsteen.  I have had a countdown on for ages because I love love love him and was really looking forward to sharing the experience with him. Needless to say he is called The Boss for a reason...the show was amazing and at nearly 4 hours long we really got our money's worth.  This was my 5th or 6th time seeing him and I had told G how I have never heard him play Dancing in the Dark (my all time favourite song)  we had heard they had played it at most of the other shows for this tour and were hopeful.  As the encore seemed to be starting to wind down without having heard it I was getting a little bummed.  But after Rosalita Bruce said "time to put on your dancing shoes"  I nearly passed out with excitement and G snapped this pic of us. I had that size smile on for the rest of the night

[caption id="attachment_871" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Pants may need to be hemmed just a wee bit[/caption]

Aug 25th--We headed to Moore's for some of the guys to sort out their suits. Dods and Taylor are both giants and Jeremy doesn't seem to have a proportionate shoulder to leg size ratio so they wanted to be sure that their suits fit.  Low and behold, Jer's pants definitely could use some work!

[caption id="attachment_878" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Family time on the boat[/caption]



[caption id="attachment_882" align="aligncenter" width="525"] G and our mascot Prince[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_884" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Chilling with Michele[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_883" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Late night Webers = G's dream come true[/caption]

Aug 25th-26th--we headed up to a family friend's cottage for some relaxing on the Severn River.  BBQing, swimming and boating made for a really relaxing weekend. It is always so hard to drag ourselves away at the end.  We stayed up until after dinner in the hopes that we could wait out some of the traffic...We left around 8 and G and Dods were beyond excited to note that Weber's was open until 10:00 on Sunday nights.  They indulged in a second dinner, and G talked the rest of the way home about how excited he was about his burger.  Apparently I ruined our family tradition on our way up on Saturday cause I didnt let them stop, but "tradition shines through Jules" and we were able to get there once over the weekend.

[caption id="attachment_885" align="aligncenter" width="525"] lover of my heart and killer of (my) bugs[/caption]

Aug 28th-- I have written before about bees here and here.  I am not sure if it is a seasonal thing? Or if perhaps they nest somewhere in my attic or something, but once again, we keep finding bees in the house.  They are pretty dopey, but regardless, not a fan of them in my living space.  Garret to the rescue hunting them down and smushing them for me.  He totally rocks that hot pink bug swatter!

24 Days til...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbqv3MwwVd8

Hopefully I don't get kidnapped by Prince Humperdink first..." My Walshy(/Wesley) will come for me"

32 Days to Walsh (and some other stuff)

OK, ok...so 32 days isn't as dramatic as "one month to Walsh" but technically I have a few extra days and am still excited--so the countdown is on.  I think that since we have been engaged for nearly 2 years, I am still of the mindset that the wedding is still so far off.  It has been coming for a while now, but it just seems that time is suddenly speeding up at an alarming rate!  We have been good about keeping on top of most things, and now we have all the small details left. My mantra as of late is "keep calm and party on" or something like that, the focus on being calm.  I know that no matter what it is going to be a special fun day, and the best part is that at the end of the day we will be married and celebrating with those we love. (Let's see if I can maintain this attitude over the next month. Queue to me becoming a Bridezilla and alienating all my minions, oops I mean bridesmaids)

Mum and I put wedding planning stuff aside this weekend and hosted a baby shower for my brother and Ashley. I love hosting parties due to how it lights fires under our asses to get stuff done around the house!  Garret was quite agreeable on Sunday as he volunteered to wash floors, put laundry away and fix our screen door.

[caption id="attachment_851" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Garret door fixing while my brother and Uncle Dave cheer him on (and by cheer him on I mean repeatedly tell him he is doing it wrong)[/caption]

I sometimes feel bad that Garret doesn't get to have a father in law, but then I realize there is a multitude of Uncles who can tease him and drive him crazy.  For example: my Uncle Dave in the above picture.  He affectionately calls Garret "Near Beer" and enjoys driving him crazy whenever they are together.

[caption id="attachment_852" align="aligncenter" width="224"] Insanely delicious dessert[/caption]

We ordered a variety of cupcakes from Sugar City Cupcakes which were a delicious delicious hit.  We rented a cupcake stand from them that I have to return tonight and I am already day dreaming about getting a snack pack to take home!  It was a really lovely day and so much fun to get to hang out with the family we don't get to see too often.  Weddings and babies = a busy summer.

Yesterday I went to the dentist to get my first cavity filled.  I was pretty freaked out and wanted G to come with me, he graciously declined informing me "you can handle this babe, it's no big deal"  I guess since he has had a few fillings he couldn't remember why it would be somewhat nerve wracking.  I am not a huge fan of needles at the best of times, but having someone sticking several in my mouth before drilling a hole in my teeth? Utter despair!  Thankfully my dentist was super nice and managed to keep me calm throughout.  I sent G this picture after to prove I made it through and was still smiling...sort of.

[caption id="attachment_853" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Half smile...the freezing took hold of the whole side of my face including my eye. Very foreign feeling![/caption]

That's all the Shwalsh's have been up to as of late!

Quinoa Mac and Cheese

Tuesday night I decided it was time to try something new for dinner. I took to my trusty "I heart food" board on Pinterest and decided to try the Quinoa Mac and Cheese I pinned ages ago.  The recipe was from here  and I was concerned a few times that it was going to be an epic failure, but it turned out awesome and yummy and will definitely be put into rotation in our dinner menu.  It made a ton as well so we had two dinners and three lunches out of it! I've included the recipe below and you can see my comments in blue!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp olive oil


• 1 med. leek white and pale green parts halved and sliced (1 cup)
  


• 1/2 cup diced tomato, or red/green pepper


• 1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained (OR you can just use pre-cooked and cut back on the water and cooking time)


• good pinch of salt


• a few grinds of seasoning salt


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 3 cups of water (or stock)


• 2 large eggs


• 1 cup soy milk, non-fat milk, or milk of choice


• 1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese, more for sprinkling- NOTE: (You may find you need more cheese, BUT I use this amount to still keep the dish 'lighter' yet very flavorful.)


• Optional- Crushed Red Pepper, Panko Bread crumbs for topping


• Toppings (optional)- salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, scallions (you get the picture)

Directions

Go to make dinner and realize G used remainder of the milk in his morning coffee...scoot out to store, remembering while you are in line that you also need garlic, scramble to produce and grab some. Text Harrison plans of dinner making, and prepare for having to order pizza in case it doesn't work out

1. Heat oil in med. saucepan over med. heat. Add leek and tomatoes (or bell peppers-or any veggies you want really); cover and cook 5 mins or until tender. Stir in quinoa and garlic, and cook, uncovered, 3-4 mins, or until grains start to turn opaque.  (They will not fully be cooked yet.)


2. Add 3 cups water (or stock) and season with salt and the Seasoning Salt (I like Lawry's or Everyday Seasoning). Cover and reduce heat to med-low and simmer 15-20 mins or more, (depends and also what kind of quinoa you use) or until most liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand 5 mins. Wonder why it seems to be taking FOREVER, realize that when you turned it down you actually turned the gas off. Vow to pay more attention whilst cooking


3. Preheat oven to 350 F. Coat 13x9 inch dish with cooking spray. Grab spray out of cupboard and note that it expired in 2007.  Question how we can have Pam as old as our relationship.  Throw it out.  Whisk together eggs and milk in large bowl. Fold in quinoa mixture and cheese (if you feel you need more cheese, add here.) Stir very well and let some of the cheese melt. (Will seem a little "soupy", do not worry, it will all mold together.) Seemed VERY soupy, got phone out to call Pizza Pizza just in case


4. Transfer to prepared baking dish and if using Panko Crumbs or Bread crumbs, add now.You can also sprinkle a bit more cheese on now if you prefer for topping. Bake 25-35 mins, (or until browned around edges.) Yell in frustration as you realize that the freshly prepared 9x13 pan does not fit into microwave oven.  Get G into kitchen to help tetris like fit pan.  Discuss need for real sized oven!


5. Now you can toss with many toppings, some ideas: salsa, scallions, sour cream,  and hot sauce! Garret doused his in Frank's and said it was amazing. Cheer yourself on for making healthy delicious dinner then pack up leftovers for lunch the next day (which you forget to bring with you in the morning)

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Magic slippers and a glimpse of my dress

[caption id="attachment_835" align="aligncenter" width="741"] If I click my heels together three times and say "there is no place like home" I wonder if they will transport me to the altar?[/caption]

Erin and I went out shoe shopping on Wednesday night and I was somewhat frantic.  I had my dress fitting on Thursday and my very stern Ukrainian seamstress already chastised me last time for having no shoes.  I needed some STAT and of course left it to the last minute.  I was pleasantly surprised to find these beauties right off the bat.  They have a teensy wedge heel so they are a wee bit fancy, they sparkle like a Stephanie Myers vampire in the sun and I love love love them.  We found them in the nick of time and I was able to get my dress pinned up yesterday.  It just makes things seem so much more real...wedding bells are almost ringing people.....43 days til Walsh!  Plans are coming along really well, although most days I feel like I need to remind Garret that we are having a wedding in just over a month.  His to do list is concerning me as I am not sure if it is getting taken care of...what I call reminding he calls nagging. (but I swear it is just friendly reminders!) However I will call it frustrating when September rolls around and he still hasn't got his groomsmen gifts sorted out ;)  But I digress....my shoes my dress squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Long weekend Looove

This past weekend we finally managed to find the perfect mix of getting stuff done and  relaxing/enjoying ourselves.  Friday night we cleaned out our dining room and finally started painting.  There had been three greenish coloured squares on the wall for over a year now--we couldn't commit.  Now it seems that was for good reason as we painted the room to match the living room and we couldn't be happier with the results:

[caption id="attachment_829" align="aligncenter" width="300"] He finally got my memo about not doing housework in his nice clothes[/caption]

That was partway through the work and below is once that mirror is hung and things shifted back to normal:

[caption id="attachment_830" align="aligncenter" width="300"] The piles of paper are wedding related things...which is in about 45 days just saying ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh[/caption]

It feels amazing to have one room really feeling finished and looking good.  We just need to swap out the light fixture and that room is done...now on to the rest of the house!

What else did we do?  My brother and his girlfriend just moved a few blocks away from us so we went over to help assemble some furniture.  Well Garret and Elliott did the assembling and Ashley and I supervised from the couch:

[caption id="attachment_831" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Hey Elliott....did Mum give you ALL of her furniture or just the good stuff?[/caption]

We went up to visit our friends at their cottage, wakeboarded, swam, BBQed, hung out and made treats.

[caption id="attachment_832" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Boozy Popsicles. Best desert ever![/caption]

My mum's friend Nicki got us this as a wedding gift.  Garret really didnt get what the hype was about as I kept pestering him to make popsicles with me.  Michele and I made some amazing watermelon/ rum/berry creation and he got on board pretty fast.

It was extremely satisfying Monday night to be tired from having fun, and look around to see our house that I felt proud to be living in.

 

Wendy the Magnificent

Garret and I are dogsitting our neighbour's two dogs for a few days.  One of them ran away last night and we had to spend 1.5 hrs chasing it around the neighbourhood before successfully getting it back in the house.  NOT a fan of that dog.  The other one however...well we both can't get enough of her.  Her name is Wendy and we have debated stealing her since we moved in.  One day we are going to get one just like her.

[caption id="attachment_824" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] *needs to be carried downstairs cause her legs are too wee. I love it[/caption]