what's in the pot?

One of my most favourite things to do on a cold night is to gather around a table and have hot pot. Although I enjoy my big pot of boiling food all year around, it really hits the spot when the weather is starting to get colder. Which is why my aunt invited us over for an impromptu hot pot night at her place last weekend. For a last minute gathering, we sure had a great menu full of fresh seafood from a shady little seafood market (one of those hole in the wall type of places).

 

1  a very sad looking crab blowing bubbles (I try not to look at them because I love eating them so much)
2  a very rude looking clam (the geoduck) 
3  regular looking clams
4  3 lobsters that I forgot to take a picture of before they got chopped up

My belly was stuffed by the end of the night.

p.s I apologize for the graininess of my point & shoot

giant reindeers and holiday treats

photo credit goes to LilliChantilly who, thankfully, brought her point & shoot with her that day

 I love it when the malls start playing holiday music and everything is lit up and decorated like a giant Christmas tree! What gets me even more into the festive spirit is sipping on a hot drink in the middle of it all with a girlfriend who shares the same feeling. Christmas is definitely one of those holidays that just makes me feel happy for no good reason at all - which, in my opinion, is the best kind of happy.

I realize that it might've been a tad early to do a Christmas post, but in my defence, December is only a few days away!

Which makes it okay.


I think.

little surprises

November has been filled with little surprises from all directions. First, my aunt decided to buy me my long sought after perfume that finally went on sale. Then Nathan surprised me with a mini care package and a slice of my favourite cake when I was feeling under the weather. All this combined with a lot of Christmas shopping (yes, I've already started...) is turning November into quite a therapeutic month - of the retail variety!

Happy retail therapy-ing everyone!

taco night

In order to help Nathan finish up the giant batch of pulled pork he made, he decided to have a pulled pork taco night at his place. This gave me the perfect opportunity to test out a new lens that my brother got. It was a bit tricky because it has a fixed focal length, but it was fun to use despite having to physically zoom into my subjects. After stuffing our bellies, we played some Mario Olympics on the Wii to work off all the pork and had ourselves a grand ol' (competitive) time!

my beautiful human model

my delicious food model

jump

Ever feel like just jumping around the house for no reason at all?

It's been one of those kinds of mornings for me.

I better go to a yoga class to calm myself down.

just can't get enough

Ever since I ate my first batch of toasted pumpkin seeds (from my pumpkin carving night), I just can't seem to get enough of these crunchy treats. Due to laziness, I resorted to buying the packaged stuff that's already toasted and salted, but it's just not the same. It's probably because I like mine slightly burnt which actually gives the seeds a mild popcorn flavour. I actually contemplated throwing the packaged seeds on a pan and toasting them again...

I've decided that I'm one of those people who will obsess over one thing for a short, but intense, period of time. But who will also get sick of said obsession quickly and move on to the next thing. Maybe I should exercise some self control so that I can enjoy the things I like for a little longer (like  pumpkin seeds). It hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure one day I'll be able to do it...maybe.

wine, rings and kisses

Having been a bridesmaid twice, I quickly learned to appreciate being simply a guest and spectator at a wedding. You are able to take your time to fully take in all that's happening around you and just enjoy your time at the party. It also gives you time to perfect the arm pose that gives your arms a slimmer appearance (refer to photo below). Fall weddings also have an added advantage (aside from the colourful backdrop in all the photos) of having chilly weather that prevents makeup from melting off your face.

The actual wedding ceremony took place at the Cave Spring vineyard near Beamsville and the reception and dinner took place at Inn on the Twenty Restaurant which was conveniently located right beside the Cave Spring retail store (where we took part in a small wine tour). For dinner, I had chosen the stuffed hen which turned out to be the better choice since Nathan had a pretty rough time chewing through a very well done piece of steak. As for my drink, I had opted to go non-alcoholic and settled for a tasty shirley temple. Nathan noted that I started a shirley temple craze at the wedding (partly due to all the pregnant women present). Everyone kept coming up to me asking what I ordered and the next thing I know, every other person was holding the little pink drink in their hands. I'm sure the bartender hated me by the end of the night...

Food and drink aside, it was a very small and intimate wedding which is just the way I like it. Coming from a family where emotions are rarely expressed (either through words or actions), it took a little getting used to as my cousins took their turns saying their speeches. I'm pretty sure everyone teared up a little and felt the warm fuzzies by the end of the night.

all smiles 
♥

The last wedding of 2011 is officially over which means that I don't have to feel bad for eating all the Halloween chocolates by myself.

my favourite old grump in the world

too excited to pay attention to me

It's been raining cats and dogs in Toronto lately so when the sun finally came out to say hello again, I grabbed Yoshi's leash and explored the newly paved paths in our neighbourhood. Since this was all new territory, Yoshi spent a lot of time smelling new trees and plants along the way. He also discovered the joys of running through piles of leaves (sorry, neighbours!) while dragging me along behind him. Sometimes I feel like he's walking me instead of the other way around.