Five on Friday

1. Sweet Love
This is the sweetest story. A 96 year old man wrote a song about his wife of 73 years after she passed away and entered it into a contest. You'll have to watch the video to find out the rest. ;)

See, I wasn't lying when I said I had a soft spot for the elderly. I feel like I talk about them in every post ha!

2. Washi Tape
I am seeing a ton of pretty things with washi tape and I need to get my hands on this stuff soon. It adds such a fun, colourful flair to basically anything you want. I recently reorganized under my bathroom sinks and think washi tape will add some colour to my otherwise boring storage containers I have.

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3. Pretty Necklaces
Anthropologie jewellery caught my eye a few years ago when I started visiting the new store that opened up in Yorkville. Their pieces are all so unique, well made and just stunning.  I actually don't own any of it, but that doesn't stop me from going into the store and browsing and stalking the website like some crazy person!

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 4. No Water!

I live in a massive condo that's only about 5 years old. Despite the fact that it's still a new condo, it still means there is usually something in the building that is under repair, not working or shut down just given the sheer size of this beast of a condo (65 floors!).

Today I got home to find out the water had been shut off for the whole day and wouldn't be back on until tomorrow. This happens often and is frustrating. Hi, I want to shower, clean my dishes and flush my own toilet. Oh ya, I am paying ridiculous maintenance fees and so is everyone else in this building so hurry up and FIX IT!

That said, whenever the power goes out in the rest of the city, I always have electricity thanks to back up generators so I guess I can't complain. :)


5. Labour Day Sales

 Back to school? Not for me! I am so excited to take advantage of all the sales though! I remember a few years back a friend and I went across the border to Buffalo for Labour Day sales and man, they were killer! Thankfully, Canadian sales are fairly good now too. I actually don't really need anything but I'm sure I'll come home with a few new additions to my closet. Do you plan to do anything shopping?

Backyard Dreamin'

I grew up in a smaller city and I was fortunate that our house had a huge backyard with a pool. Behind our house was a city park full of green space and trees. The park was never busy and it was more or less just the neighbourhood kids who would get together to play games in it. It was so serene and such great memories were made in that backyard/park.

Now, I am living in in the downtown core of Toronto. For those of you that are not familiar with Toronto, this basically means there is no green space. That said, there is a small park behind my condo and I can walk 10 minutes to some of the largest parks in the city. I definitely do not have a backyard given I am in a condo and although I can kick my feet up on my balcony, have a few drinks and relax, it's not the same as a backyard space. I absolutely love where I live and it's proximity to work, transit and basically anything I'd ever need but I miss having a backyard!

In the spirit of backyard dreamin', here are some of my favourites:

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No link provided

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Do you have a backyard? If not, do you wish you had one?

Midweek Randoms

• As soon as fall hits, I am making this Ham and Corn Chowder soup. It got RAVE reviews from someone I know who made it.

• I know this is old news now, but what was up with Miley Cyrus during the VMAs on Monday? To be honest, I didn't expect anything amazing from her, but wow. Hot mess.

•  I can't believe I have been blogging for 3 months now. To some, 3 months isn't a big deal at all but to me, it's the start of something great! I have connected with so many amazing ladies, learned how to navigate this blogging world and I am so thankful. Here's to many more months!!

• Random story for a random Wednesday. About a month or so ago, I was walking not really paying attention to my surroundings and all of a sudden I hear "M'AME, M'AME" and I look over and it's a sweet elderly lady trying to flag me down. I go over and she tells me she needs help walking to the bank (just around the corner) so I, of course, help her. In the 30 second walk there, she continued to thank me and tell me how sweet I was. I was so happy I was able to give her a hand.

Fast forward to this past weekend and I am at the same location (just outside my condo) not paying attention to my surroundings. I hear "M'AME, M'AME" and I look up to the same lady! I probably looked way too excited. She needed help again and clearly did not remember that I had helped her last week. She said the exact same things she said to me last week. So precious.

It made me wonder how long she had been trying to flag someone down and whether she does this every Saturday on her trip to the bank. The thought of someone just passing her by and not offering to help makes me a bit sad. I am so glad I was able to help both times! I kind of want to go wait for her this Saturday but that would just be creepy, ha!

         Do a good deed friends, it makes you feel great!

 

• Labour Day Long Weekend coming up!!!

• After my computer situation last week, I went out and bought an external hard drive. I am way late to the game on this one and can't tell you how less worried I am now that everything is safe! For those wondering,this is the one I got.

• I know the past few weeks I have been posting super healthy recipes. Not going to lie, this girl likes to eat food that isn't so healthy for you as well. After a long day at work sometimes all I want to do is pop something quick into the microwave and you know what? I do that. Let me introduce you to President's Choice Chicken Pot Pies (sorry, it's a Canadian product!). These things about about 5 billion calories but oh my word. SO good. They come individually wrapped as well so it's perfect for 1 person. Go buy!

xoxo
Sarah

Taste of Tuesday - Confetti Quinoa Salad

Today I am linking up for the first time with Jessica from Blissfully Miller and Ashley from Let's Get Bananas! I can't wait to see all the yummy recipes!

Confetti Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

1 cup of quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 cup cucumber, diced
1/3 cup red onion, shopped
1 cup chickpeas
2/3 cup of feta
2 small tomatoes, diced
pine nuts

Dressing

2 tbsp prepared pesto
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper

In a saucepan, add quinoa and broth and bring to boil. Reduce head, cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until all liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat. Fluff with fork and let cool.

For the dressing, whisk together pesto, vinegar, oil and pepper. Add to quinoa with yellow pepper, cucumber, onion and chickpeas. Add feta and tomatoes and sprinkle with pine nuts!

This recipe lasts a few days in the fridge is great to bring to school or work for lunch. If you aren't a pesto fan, I've heard of subsisting pesto for lime juice so it's more of a lime vinaigrette.

ENJOY!

Favourite Cleaning Products

We're back for another week and I'm kick starting it with a post dedicated to cleaning ha!

I'm very Type-A when it comes to cleaning. Mess stresses me out and since I am the only one that lives in my wonderful abode (at the moment!), I really only have myself to blame when things start looking like a tornado has touched down.

Every Sunday morning for the past few years has been my designated time to clean my condo. I know for some people who live in a house or larger apartment, they like to space out the cleaning chores over the course of the week so they don't spend all day cleaning. For me, I have just under 800 sq feet of space so I don't have to spend all day cleaning. Sunday works well for me because I like to have a fresh, clean start to the work week. That isn't to say I don't clean at all during the week - I obviously wipe down my kitchen counters, do dishes etc.

Here are my go to cleaning products. Keep in mind that only one is truly "green" so don't judge! :) Perhaps over the next few years I'll start moving to more green cleaning products but for now this is what works for me! If you know of any green/homemade substitutes for the below products, please let me know!

Pledge. Good old pledge. I remember my mom using this growing up and it does not disappoint. I use it on all my surface areas to get rid of all that nasty dust. My place collects dust really quickly so this is a must use every single week.

Lysol Wipes. I love these. I use them in the bathroom for a quick clean up, faucets, doorknobs etc. Wherever really! They get the job done and come in lovely scents now.

Vim. The miracle product. Bathrooms, sinks - you name it, it gets rid of all the gunk! It has a really strong odor (hello bleach) but the wow factor makes up for the odor factor in my books! It's really cheap to purchase as well.

Weiman Stainless Steel Wipes. These wipes are amazing. Smudges or fingerprints are eliminated with this product. I use them on my dishwasher and fridge when I feel like they are needing some extra love. Method has a product similar to this, Steel for Real, and I am going to try it out when I run out of these.

Swiffer Sweeper Wet Jets. I'm on the fence about these. I've been using them for a number of years and although they say they are ok on hardwood floors, part of me doesn't believe it. But, for now, I'm still using them more for a quick floor clean up.

Vim Wood Floors Cleaner. When I want to deep clean my floors, I've recently starting using the Vim Hardwood Floor Cleaner. A month or so ago, I mentioned that I absolutely hated the Bona Hardwood Cleaner (to the point I had a splitting headache for the rest of the day from the smell). This Vim cleaner works well and has a smell that is tolerable!

Cerama Bryte. The previous owners actually left this stuff and man, it works wonders and is very gentle/doesn't scratch up the surface. I'm so glad I randomly was introduced to this product as it's not something I would normally purchase. I only use it about once a month on my stove top.

Baking soda and vinegar. Not shown in a picture but one of my favourite ways to clean my stainless steel sinks. Mix it together so it makes a paste like consistency. Smear it over your sink, let it sit for 15 minutes and then rinse it off.. It leaves my sink sparkling.

Greenworks Glass and Surface Cleaner. This is gentle, has a pleasant smell and can be used on any surface. I like using it for my bathroom countertops and my windows. Once again, it leaves everything sparkling. What more could I ask for?

Tilex Shower Daily Glass Cleaner. I actually just ran out of this as it's one of my favourite shower cleaners. I have two showers, one of which is all glass and it gets icky pretty quickly. A few quick sprays of this and you're good to go!

What are your favourite cleaning products? Do you use any homemade ones?

Sarah

Five on Friday

One

This is the most amazing thing you will probably watch today. 1988 Crystal Light National Aerobic Championship Opening. I need one of those suits asap. Not gonna lie, it makes me kind of want to dance along HA!

Two

Let me introduce you to the Cronut Burger being offered at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) this year. The CNE is essentially a massive fair with rides, games, crazy foods, performers and has been around for 135 years (it's much different and larger than the Buskerfest I talked about earlier this week -we love our fairs in Toronto). The CNE attracts over 1.3 million people a year!

Anyways, the Cronut Burger is a burger patty with a croissant / donut type of bun. Since the recipe is "so secret" they don't have an official calorie count of it...which probably explains my next point.

Over 100 people have now fallen ill after eating it. The Cronut Burger place (ironically called "Epic Burger") has shut down while the city investigates. Priceless. I can't imagine who WOULDN'T get ill after eating that beast!

 

For some other crazy food that they have at the CNE, go check out Alex at Let Life be Like Music. She did an awesome recap!

Three

I can't decide if I like this top. I feel like it's semi cute but part of me thinks that it may look horrific on and turn any woman into an oddly shaped box. What do you think?

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Four

This may be TMI, but I have about 3-4 canker sores on my uvula (back of your throat). Oh my goodness - SO SORE. I thought I perhaps was coming down with a cold because I had such a sore throat but was feeling fine otherwise. I've since discovered the canker sores. Warm water and salt are key. If you have any other home remedies, send them my way!

Five

My brain is fried and all I have left to say is happy weekend.

DIY Wall Art with Table Napkins

Last year when I was redoing my bedroom, I wanted something to fill up a wall I had at the base of my bed. I had searched high and low at all the home decorating stores - Winners, Homesense, Home Outfitters etc and couldn't find anything that really struck my cords that was also within my budget so I decided to make my own art.

I purchased 3 Ribba frames from Ikea that I thought would fill up the wall nicely without being too overpowering.

The contents of them are actually table napkins purchased from West Elm on sale. Unfortunately, this was about a year ago so they don't have them anymore but these are similar to what I purchased:

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I purchased 3 and each were about $5.00 on sale.

They were too big for the frames but instead of cutting them perfectly to size I decided to just fold back the excess fabric. This will help if one day I want to actually use them as table napkins!

Here is the finished product. I still absolutely love them a year later.

Table napkins come in such a variety of fun colours and patterns so you are bound to find something that suits your colour scheme. If you don't like them in a year, change them out with a different napkin!


Happy DIY-ing!

Midweek Randoms

It's Midweek which means we are one step closer to the weekend!!!

• After my technology issues this week (refer to yesterday's post), I went out after work last night and bought an external hard drive. I've been meaning to get one for, well, years and never got around to it. Only problem is I actually did zero research and literally went into Best Buy and picked up one that looked decent. I'm now doubting that I got one that is too small. I mainly just have pictures and some word documents. Nothing crazy. Will 500gb be enough? I need to research what 500gb versus 1T is too. Ah!

• I'm not much of a face product junkie and I stick to what I know works well with my skin. Ladies, this is the best moisturize is DA BOMB. I'd consider it one of my" holy grail" products that I can't live without. It's sold at Shoppers Drug Mart (drugstore in Canada). My mom used it for the longest time and I got hooked on it. Unfortunately, I tried their shampoo after I realized how much I loved the face moisturizer and actually really didn't like it so I can't say that the whole line is wonderful. It retails for about $10.00 and lasts me forever. Love it!!!

 

• I am finally getting my haircut this weekend. After much debate, I decided to splurge and am going to a fancier salon than I was previously at. I know this doesn't always mean better results but we shall soon find out!

• It's Buskerfest this weekend! I love going to this event and seeing all the crazy, fun, wild and weird talent that's out there. Do you have this, or a similar event in your city? I feel like every city has something to this nature!

 

Haha - this photo cracks me up.

• I am now the owner of a Brita Black Marina pitcher. I'm really drinking to drink the recommended 8 glasses a day (and come no where near that) so thought this would help out. Since when has Brita gotten all fancy with their pitchers?

         What happening on your end?!

Dear Technology

This image goes perfectly with the post today HA!

I am writing this post as my computer is on the brink of turning off. This post is me ranting about technology, so feel free to skip over. :)

Let's go back to Saturday when I decided to finally stop being so lazy and go exchange my Rogers remote for a new one as my current one had been acting really slow the past 4-5 months. Since I rent my cable box, this was easy-peasy. I was on my way and was happy as a clam as I was walking home feeling accomplished with my new snazzy remote ha!

I'm not going to drag this story out. I promise.

I get home and go to set it up and go to find the code that goes with my TV. Slight issue. There is no Daytek code. I had NO idea Daytek doesn't exist anymore? My TV is seriously only 4-5 years old. I call Rogers, then have me search through like 2000 other codes to see if something would work with no luck. I didn't understand why my old remote was working an hour earlier (but was just slow) and now this wasn't working at all.

Now, I am not THAT lazy and could make do without a remote but the problem was that my TV wasn't working at all now. No volume, no channel changes. Nothing. Awesome sauce.

I go back to Rogers and ask them to give me my old remote back. Heck, I'd rather have a semi working tv/remote than a completely non working TV. They refuse to give it to me claiming "they have had many other remotes returned and they don't know which one is mine." Dude, I was gone about 1 hour. There is no way they had hundreds of other remotes in that time. I finally talk to the Manager and he gives it back to me after I put on my mean face.

I get home thinking that my journey is over. Negative. Wouldn't work. I spent about 3 hours searching online how the heck to fix this issue. Finally fixed it.

I know you're all wondering what I did and I couldn't tell you. HA! I did about 20 different things in those 3 hours so I don't know what the magic formula was. I can tell you to NEVER switch your remote if you "code" doesn't exist anymore. Just don't do it, friends.

My technology story doesn't stop there. Sunday night my computer randomly gave me the blue screen of death and wouldn't turn back on. Do you remember that blue screen from university/college? It was the WORST screen ever and usually meant you lost all your work. Haha! Such horrible memories.

I decided to let it be for the night and try again in the morning. No luck. It is working now but oh man, she's barelyyyyyy running. The kicker of all this? My 1 year warranty on my computer ended 5 DAYS AGO. Life is funny.


Dear technology, I really dislike you.

The end :)

ps. if you don't hear from me for a few days, just know that my computer and I aren't getting along.

Greek Tortellini Salad {Recipe}

Oh goodness, I saw this recipe on Tea Peas and their Pod and knew I had to instantly make it. I made it on a Sunday evening and ate it for 3-4 days of lunches at work. It worked out perfectly. It keeps well, travels well and is easy to make - which you all know is key in my books!

Ingredients for Salad

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini (I forget what brand I used but it was fairly inexpensive and just found at my local grocer)
1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half
1 large cucumber, chopped
1 cup olives, pit removed and chopped (I didn't add these as I don't care for olives)
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

To be honest, I really just eyeballed everything and didn't measure out. For example, I bought a container of tomatoes and just shoved them all in. 

For the Dressing:

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. Place the tortellini in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, olives, red onion, and feta cheese.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir until salad is well coated. Serve immediately or place in the refrigerator.

This salad will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!!!