This is a Juice Post

Today is the first day of the 2011/2012 NHL season. I am so excited. I love my Vancouver Canucks.

 Love. LOVE. Adore. It's a bit of an obsession. 

I am especially partial to a certain d-man. #3. Kevin Bieksa. He's really popular at the moment (maybe because of the western conference winning goal he scored in double overtime), but I have taken some serious heat for loving him the last few years. Oh, and the trade rumors....*sigh*.... Luckily for me, he signed a new contract this off-season, and he will be a Canuck for a good long time.

 Oh, and he can really wear a suit......

This will never, ever, ever will get old:

I would some how like to put this on a t-shirt:

Happy New Season to all fans - it's going to be a great one! 

I can't wait to get home, put on my jersey, and see that puck drop.  

Wednesday Night GIF

Birthday Inspiration

Emma's birthday party is next weekend. She's having an art party, called a "Pop Art Party" at the local art academy where she takes classes. She wants cupcakes, and she wants this cupcake kit.


Okay. I can work with this.

Wednesday Night GIF

Summer 2011

I miss it already. The sun, the lake, my family, my friends. It was a good one.

The dock, viewed from the deck.

The deck, viewed from the dock.

My angel.

Me & my Dad

The kids.

Me & my honey.

Campfire!

Me & my Shauna

Mere minutes before a tipsy late night swim

Wednesday Night Gif

Yes, I realize it's Thursday. But last night was Survivor, and I forgot. But it's a good one, and totally worth the wait.

School Lunches

I have been diligent.

Too early each week day morning I stand bleary eyed in my kitchen, wearing my housecoat, wet hair wrapped in a towel (try not to picture it - it isn't pretty), as I pack Miss Em's school lunch.

And I mentioned in my last school food related post that I would try to post about lunches regularly, and so I have remembered to snap a picture of each day's lunch to post here.

I have been keeping my camera in the cupboard with the wee fruit & veggie cutters and the reusable napkins - it's a great reminder.

And so.....TA-DA!!!!

 Sushi - just rice and seaweed, with some soy sauce on it, sliced red peppers, star shaped pieces of cantaloupe and a cookie.

Mini pitas with ham, cheddar cheese cubes, sliced strawberries with heart shaped mango, cookie.

Veggie "chicken" nuggets (ketchup in dip container), heart shaped melon, baby carrots (ranch in other dip container), and a cookie.

I know that cookie keeps popping up - but with my kid, I find if I give her one in each lunch, it's never a hassle to get her to eat all her fruits and veggies, because she has had her "treat".

Now, this one is a Friday lunch - usually I try to make these a little more of a surprise.

Hot Dog! (organic & natural - nitrates suck, ketchup on side), orange pepper slices, sliced strawberries, and a fruit snack.

Ham sandwich, mango slices, pepper slices, cookie.

Simple & quick - I think this was a Thurs. lunch...I am always most tired on Thurs. mornings.

Another Friday lunch, and the last picture for today...

Homemade chicken strips (you know where the ketchup is), cantaloupe stars, chocolate pudding, and goldfish crackers.

I must again shout out to Laptop Lunches, because their products rock, and help make me look brilliant.

And since I am in a food state of mind, it`s time for me to spend some time working on the meal plan for the next week or two. I use this menu planner, because it it just the cutest thing. I have one for lunches and one for dinners, and they look so perfect up on my fridge.

Oy. Thursday.

Work has either been insane, or deathly quiet. I like the dead quiet - it gives me time to play on the interwebs.

Some Thursday inspiration - one deep, the rest shallow.

I saw this cartoon on a random blog ... I meant to jot down which one ...but then work got insane. 

But it's so true. So. True. And not in a "Arg, my partner is a blahblahblah and I hate him/her because he/she makes me feel stupid like I did in elementary school"

I think it's more about how the right person makes you look at yourself. 

(That was the deep. On to the shallow!!!)

I must have this bag from the NHL Store. How perfect will it go with my fall weekend wear? Me, jeans, sweaters, and scarves - at the grocery store/swim classes/birthday party, and I am totally representing for my team. 

Another covet, this dress and I would have so much fun together...with or without tights, but def. with some cute boots. At Lulu. 

Something to know about me: I am Team Jenn. 100%. So I haven't been too impressed with Brad Pitt for the last few years. Does it really matter? Meh. 

But lately...mmmmm. How great is he looking?? He's on this week's Entertainment Weekly, and I honestly can't wait to get my copy in the mail. 

If this was 1996, I would tear out this cover and tape it to my wall next to the poster I had of him. He had long hair, and was super scruffy, and oh so dreamy. V. and I are searching the Internet like mad (workin' hard!) to find a picture of that poster, but no luck. It's going to drive me nuts. When I find one, it will deserve it's own post.

Wednesday Night GIF

The First Day of School

 Can you see the cheeky? That's my girl.

I have been packing school lunches for a long time. See here. I have had 4 full years to develop this skill, and we are heading into the 5th. Packing good food for Em is important to me - she starts class at 8:25am, and is usually at after school care until 4 or 5pm every day. And it's my job to keep her healthy and happy, even if she's not with me

This is Emma's newest lunch kit - It's a bento from Laptop Lunches, who I have been using for years, and they're great. It's durable, you can mix and match, and I am still using pieces I bought 3 years ago.

The lunch bag:

The bottom unzips, and holds the bento box (the white you see is an ice pack):

Today's Lunch: A ham & cheese croissant, raspberries, heart shaped slices of nectarine, an Oreo cookie, and baby carrots with dip in the tiny container at the top.

It's pretty - sometimes I even impress myself.

The top of the bag opens too. This is where I am storing her "snacks" - for classroom snack time and after school care. Today had fruit & veggie juice box, cinnamon scone, cheese string, fruit snack, and apple sauce.

I hope to keep on top of things enough to post lunch pics regularly. I don't know if they will do you any good, but it will be fun for me.

I am pretty sure she had a great first day.

Wednesday Night GIF

Emma starts school tomorrow. Grade two. TWO! I can't handle it.

Child bathed, in bed at decent hour? Check!

Uniform laid out for morning? Check!

Gym clothes, shoes, muddy buddies, rain boots - labeled and packed? Check!

Well balanced, healthy lunch and After School Care snack? Planned and prepped? Check!

Tomorrow I will wake up early, get dinner started in the slow cooker (also already prepped), pretty myself, pack lunches and snacks, drag my family out of bed, make sure Emma is dressed and brushed and fed, brave traffic to get her to school for 8:20, take lots of pictures, and kiss her goodbye.

Sounds amazing doesn't it? I am Super Mom! I plan to revel in it, because it won't last. My organization will fall apart in a week or two. And I am okay with that. Because even the frazzled Moms are Super Moms.

Wednesday Night GIF

Song of Ice and Fire

This book series has taken over my life.


The first novel, A Game of Thrones, was published in 1996 and there are currently 5 of the planned 7 books in print. I am currently mid-way through the 4th book, and I can't put them down.

For me, it started with entertainment gossip (you know how I love it), and there was much being said in the gossip world regarding HBO's series based on the books. The show looked cool - kings and knights and HBO-style nudity struck me as a sure thing. So we watched. And were in awe. The first season of the show (10 episodes) encompassed the first novel (834 pages) and I was hooked. 
The book series was immediately uploaded onto my Kobo, and I have been reading them ever since. And I am not the only one - 4 other members of my life posse are reading them as well, and encouraging others!
It's been lovely. I find I spend much more time on these books than I do most of the ones I read. Not only is each book huge in length (800-1000 pages), they are full of detail that you have to enjoy at a slower pace. So that your imagination has time to develop the huge world for you.
With there having been a wait of 5 years between the 4th book and the 5th, I am just not sure what I am going to do when I am finished. Other than harass you to read them too.


I think I will first celebrate with a themed dinner, thanks to the ladies at Inn at the Crossroads - a blog dedicated to recreating the food of Westeros and the Free Cities. But I can't decide between Breakfast at Winterfell or Honeyed Chicken. Mmmmm.


Then maybe I will do a little shopping for GoT related merchandise at the HBO Store, and maybe get into a little Role Playing - the game kind, not the kinky kind. Or maybe I can do both kinds. (Can I be Ygritte?)


As for the show - don't count it out either! I highly recommend the first season. Even before reading the books. There's eye candy for all. 

Look at how cute Kit Harrington is as Jon Snow: 

And you can't beat the awesomeness that is Sean Bean/Boromir/Eddard Stark:

And thus ends my gushing. Time to go read some more. Winter is coming.

Nom Nom Nom

One of my must-visit-daily websites is Celebitchy which features lots of celebrity gossip, with a nice dash of snark. They used to do this weekly thing called "Hot Guy Friday", which I faithfully shared on Facebook, much to the delight of many female friends. Sadly, Hot Guy Friday has become much more sporadic, and I miss it. 


I bet you miss it too. I know Andrea Jabs misses it. 


So I am proud to present my own humble version...it doesn't have a name yet (and I am open to suggestions). I am trying to feature the men YOU think are the hottest - Can you guess which ones are just for you? 

Let's start with some Trueblood stock. Werewolf Alcede is very well played by actor Joe Manganiello. You all know I am partial to Vampire Eric, but you can't deny Joe has a certain something. And he has range! Look at how well he plays shirtless, wet, and clothed! I mean, damn. He can really wear a suit. And he's got this look in his eye...like he's going to take a giant bite out of you, and you are going to love it.

Did anyone else watch Breaker High? Man, I loved that show. Ryan Gosling played the wisecracking sarcastic one. That was before he moved on to greater things, such as Young Hercules - do you remember that show?!? Anyway, He's grown to be such a delicious piece. Which I must commend him for - most of the "pretty" ones don't age well. 

Adam Levine. (by special request) 

Makes great music, has great tattoos, and strikes me as lots of fun to party with . But still, not my type. He's got some great definition to him, but I think he is smaller than me, and I don't like that. Can't get past it. 

Jason Statham. The Transporter. Handsome Rob. Tough guy with a charming smile and an accent. And probably the only guy on the planet who can get me hot for a hairy chest. I want to get my fingers all up in that.

Jason Momoa. Mmmmm. I like him best as Khal Drogo on HBO's Game of Thrones (2nd Pic). All big and dirty and barbarian like. 

Christian Bale. What can I say? My sister really likes him. I think he's too serious. And a wee bit scary, what with those eyes that look innocent but are really staring into your soul! NEWSIES IS AWESOME THOUGH!!

The Rock. So big. Any time my Nana goes anywhere, she reminds me that if she finds him she won't be back. I hope that one day she finds him and they spend the rest of her life going to the gym and having beers.

Okay, lastly I am going to hit you with a bunch of quickies - it's way past time I finished this up and got back to work. 

Let me know if I missed any guys you want to see - I will include them next time. xo