Jamie and Hope quite like The Drake Hotel on Queen West in Toronto. I rounded up a whole bunch of pictures from The Drake website, from Google Images, and from, of course, Pinterest. Here are the images I found - they are so fun, and it seems like you can change the wall decor and writing to suit your wedding desires - so creative!
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Yesterday I spent the day with three lovely brides-to-be at SweetGrass Spa in Toronto at Queen & Jarvis. We had some water therapy time in the pool and hot tubs, a great lunch, and manicures. I actually WON this day for us through Bridetastic Canada. They contacted me a while ago through my blog and let me know about a contest. I just had to add some vendor reviews from my wedding onto their site, and like them and the spa on Facebook. That was easy, since I already had vendor reviews done, and I completely forgot about it after. Just before Christmas, they contacted me to let me know I won! I never win ANYTHING! So since I wasn't really a bride, and I knew that lots of brides are stressed out, especially around the holidays with friends and family bombarding them with planning questions, I would take three brides I knew in the family. My brother is getting married in July, so I took his fiancee, Jessica, Matt's brother is getting married next year, so I took his fiancee Hope, and Matt's cousin Joni is getting married in June, so I took her too! We all know each other, so it was a fun afternoon. Thanks so much to SweetGrass Spa and Bridetastic Canada! SweetGrass Spa - Queen & Jarvis Main floor entryway, but entire spa is below ground Jessica enjoying a soak Joni getting her nails done - Poppy Red Hope chose a raspberry colour Her final product! Jessica enjoying some Prosecco with me One of the walls had velvet wallpaper...so amazing and soft! My final product - bright pink, still going strong a day later After the spa afternoon, Hope and I met up with Jamie and went to Balzacs in the Distillery to grab a hot drink and cookie, and look at it as a potential wedding venue for them next year. It was beautiful, but small, and had great hot chocolate. After that, we went to the Drake Hotel where Matt joined us for some dinner and drinks, and we looked at the place as a wedding venue as well - it is much larger and very versatile. Glad to help them with some wedding ideas and inspiration. I love vacation time! Only 3 days left before I'm back to reality...*sigh* Love in the sky lounge at the Drake Hotel Yep...there's a snowmobile on the patio...I wonder what will be there in the summer... Photo of the Drake Dining Room - sorry for the blurry photo... Photo of the Drake Lounge & Bar - more blurry photos... Fun photo booth - typical Jamie & Hope photo-ruin faces...
So I read some of my January and February Home Decor magazines yesterday, and took some photos of things I liked or inspired me in kitchens - I have been dreaming of a new kitchen since I did my house resolutions, but I know it is a long way off. Oh well, one can still dream! I subscribe Style at Home Canada, Canadian House and Home, and House Beautiful. I sometimes buy Elle Decor as well. Banquette seating and black and white and wallpaper = LOVE S@H Canada The built-in office within the kitchen is a great idea for small spaces S@H Canada This moveable Ikea kitchen cart would be great for our current tiny kitchen under the window S@H Canada Very traditional, but the backsplash is actually a pale green, and I like the nailhead stools and overhead lighting S@H Canada More cozy banquette seating in the kitchen - PLUS storage S@H Canada Although the picture is small, this is the perfect kitchen for Matt and I - poured concrete countertops, stainless steel appliances and range, but with a pretty backsplash and cabinetry to balance it out S@H Canada The stools reminded me of the decor in our living room, and I like the sunburst mirror in an unexpected spot S@H Canada Slightly more industrial, but still simple S@H Canada I like the different textures and colours in this bright kitchen Canadian H&H Black and white with a splash of red - this kitchen would be perfect for Joni Canadian H&H Beautiful mix of blank and white fixtures with gold finishings Canadian H&H Modern, but suprisingly, I like it! More black and white love Canadian H&H Compact like ours, but a little updating would go a long way! Canadian H&H This kitchen is beautiful - so much light and greenery and amazing food! House Beautiful Airy but rustic with leather-worn benches
House Beautiful Here's my January Photo A Day Challenge for Day 5: Something You Wore Running Shoes! Proud to be going to the gym on a regular basis again. Up Next Tomorrow: Makes You Smile
Here is my January Photo A Day Challenge for Day 4: Letterbox *Today I have two* Here's my mailbox...sort of boring, but... Here's the letterbox in my door - nobody uses it, but I love it anyway Up next tomorrow: Something You Wore
Here's my January Photo A Day Challenge for Day 3: Something You Adore Puzzles (and Science)! I love them - I've been doing puzzles since I was little (I remember a giant NKOTB one I had framed), to nights with my roommates in University, to rainy days at the cottage. Science because it's always questioning the universe. My periodic table puzzle combined both adorations. Matt took this on Sunday night...I finished it Monday night. Up Next Tomorrow: Letterbox
Ohhhh the resolutions. I went back to last year to try and find my resolutions...I found the New Year's Eve post, but then I think I got the flu pretty bad and forgot all about it. Oh well - time to start fresh this year anyway! Here are some resolutions for 2012: 1. Get Healthy Yep, pretty vague, but it encompasses a lot. Specifically - eating better, working out more, finding good ways to relax. Since Christmas break started I've been to the gym 4 times, and done a lot of relaxing, but I definitely can't say the eating has been the best or that I can keep up the relaxing when work starts again next week. a) So my workout goal is to go 3 times a week - twice between Monday to Friday, and once on the weekend. I think I can handle that. If I try to do anymore than that, I usually end up crashing and burning and after weeks of working out get exhausted and don't see the gym again for months. So with that goal at least two times could technically be on the weekend if necessary. b) My food goal is to cook more at home, and more healthy options. We have been getting into a bad routine of pizza on Fridays, and either going out to dinner or getting takeout on Saturday, if not more in a weekend. Matt is an incredible cook and I am already starting to do a lot more in the kitchen, plus with an influx of Christmas gift cookbooks, we have a lot of options for home-cooked meals. We both love going out to dinner, so we'll limit that to maybe once every other weekend, and good balanced meals during the week. We'll save money this way as well. I'm going to load my meals with vegetables as well. Getting better with protein, but the carbs and snacks can drastically decrease. Typical resolution, I know, but hopefully I can stick to it. c) For relaxing, I want to do Yoga or Body Flow again - I did this a lot a few years ago and didn't keep it up. This will also work its way into the workout routine, so it's perfect. I want to improve my core strength, stability, flexibility, and balance, along with losing some pounds and toning the super-weak muscles. Naps will help with relaxing too - keep up with the naps... 2. Take Pictures This started yesterday with my photo-a-day challenge! I want a better camera, but ultimately I just want more pictures. I was really good the year we got married - I was a shutterbug indeed, but then I just stopped, and have very few pictures from the past few years. And NOT just pictures of house stuff - of outside stuff, where I actually see natural light and sunshine. Plus it will get me outside, and active, and again relates back to the health goal. My brother is getting married in the summer, and so is Joni, so the family and friend photo ops will be plentiful! 3. Reconnect Whether this be through seeing family and friends, making more phone calls, or even blogging, I need to reconnect with people! We did a lot of family things on the holidays, but other than that, we just stayed in the house. Not that I don't love relaxing with Matt - we really needed it, but it's still nice to get dressed up or go out and just see people. I need to call my long distance friends more, and I definitely need to keep blogging, which brings keeping in contact with people full circle. 4. Save Money This is more a continuation rather than a resolution. I'm a pretty good saver when it comes to money. Just need to keep it up so we can keep up any house projects, travel around (want to do New York City this year, and other parts of Europe next year). Of course around Christmas I spend a lot, so now back to saving for the "just in case!" 5. Get Creative This has to do with teaching. This semester has been weird - I haven't been as motivated as I normally am to create unique lessons that engage my students. I think I started off the year tired, and with a tough class, it just didn't get off on the right foot. I'm hoping for the next semester, starting in February, to create some new ways to teach my lessons, and not just notes and PowerPoint and worksheets and tests. More articles and activities so students aren't bored, and so I'm not bored! Sailing throughout Greece...now that's relaxation!
Here's my January Photo A Day Challenge for Day 2: Breakfast Cheerios: Breakfast of Champions (or of me...who's heading to the gym...) Up next tomorrow: Something you adore
Here's my January Photo A Day Challenge for Day 1: YOU. Selfie-photo taken last night while lounging on New Years Eve Up next tomorrow: Breakfast
Today is January 1st, so that starts the "Photo A Day" challenge made by the blogger Fat Mum Slim, My picture will be up soon! Feel free to join on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Blog, etc. Get your creativity flowing to start off 2012!
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KathleenAdventures in married life, cooking, teaching science and new home renovations in the city! LinksArchives
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