Organized Pancakes

Happy Tuesday! Week 2 of practicum is off to a good start! I've gotten some wonderful feedback and I jumped on a project. My host sounded very pleased when I jumped on making a 3 month activity plan for one of the residents. I'm already halfway done!

This morning, as I didn't have work at Starbucks, I decided to make Rob and I some pancakes!

Though, if you follow me on Instagram, you've probably already seen these pictures....

It gets messy, fast!

I made chocolate chip for me, and regular for Rob! He ended up spreading peanut butter on his and THEN syrup.

Starting a new project at my practicum, I realized I have more stuff on my plate than I thought...and it isn't just pancakes. I've decided to make myself a to-do list from a template I found on Office.

(Bare with me, as I'm learning how to do graphics and such. I got the idea of a mac monitor template from srslyliz.)

First on the list, is my graduation tickets! They're on hold right now until I get a chance to go in to the school to buy them. My graduation ceremony is July 19!! 

Well, I'm off to get ready for practicum!

xo. Nicole

Corn Spaghetti

Day 4, week 1 of Practicum is done! Today was different, as no one was at the residence for a good 3 hours.

I watched So You Think You Can Dance and Ellen, as there wasn't any cleaning to do or anything for that matter. The staff keep the residence so organized and neat, there really isn't much for me to do during down time. I work the weekend at Starbucks and then it's week 2 at Practicum.

A little while back, I made some quick lunch. I decided to try out some corn pasta!

   

 

 The only real difference between this corn pasta (which was very tasty) and regular wheat pasta, is that if you let it cook for 1 minute too long, it looked gross. I found that with rice pasta shells. If I let them cook for just 30 seconds over the time on the bag, it looked like there was actually snot in it. I've heard great things about vegetable pasta, though! I'm ready and willing to partake in the tastings of different pastas.

Hope everyone is having a good Friday!

xo. Nicole

Potential Venue

Happy Thursday!

Practicum is going very well :) Yesterday, I worked 16 hours though. 6:30am shift at Starbucks and then I was at Practicum until 10:15pm. I am very, very tired today. In the midst of everything yesterday, I was able to check my email and a lady from one of our potential venues messaged me! We are hoping for a campground wedding. She mentioned that we can rent out a HUGE portion of the campground for only $300!! Most venues go for $1,000 minimum, so this is really great! Now to just figure out a day for Rob and I to go check out the place before making any decisions. I have my eye on a few other campgrounds in the area, and none have emailed me back. If we get a venue down by June 30th, then I can start on decorations and searching for bridesmaid dresses!

Photo courtesy of Peace Arch RV Park

Until then, I'm going to just relax, focus on practicum, and enjoy whatever sunshine comes around. Oh, and hang around with this lazy cat:

xo. Nicole

My Victoria Day and A Cookie Fail

Rob and I weren't able to spend any days together this weekend, and Victoria Day was no exception. He's worked the day shifts, while I was at home doing nothing. We went and saw American Reunion last night, though. It was pretty funny, but not as good as the other American Pies. His mom forgot she had made plans last night, so she never came over to watch movies. Tonight, she picked me up and took me to see The Five Year Engagement (I wanted to see it last night, but Rob didn't, so he arranged for his mom to take me). It was a lot funnier than I thought it would be!

I made some dinner before I left for the movie. Was very good :)

When I got home, I decided to make some peanut butter cookies! I thought I would do a post on them, and I really thought they would turn out good.

But right now, I have the fan going and the tray on top of the stove because the recipe just didn't work out very well. Oh well, not all my cooking can be superb all the time ;)

All I could do was laugh. Maybe tomorrow I'll try some peanut butter cookies that don't overflow in my oven.

xo. Nicole

ABC's of Me

I was perusing Liz's blog today, and came across this. I figured, why not?!

Age: 20.

Bed Size: Double Twin.

Chores that you hate: Dishes and cleaning out the litter box.

Dogs: No, but we want one.

Essential start to your day: I would have to say knowing what I'm going to wear or a shower.

Favorite color: Purple, or pastel colours.

Gold or silver: Silver, but I also like white gold.

Height: 5'5"?

Instruments you play: None.

Job title: Barista and Child and Youth Care Worker.

Kids: None currently.

Live: In Surrey, BC, Canada.

Mother's name: Denise.

Nicknames: Nik.

Overnight hospital stays: The only one I can remember is when I got my tonsils out in Grade 1.

Pet peeves: Rude, ignorant people, Bad drivers, People who chew with their mouths open, oh I could probably go on.

Quote from a movie or TV show: "I'll be Back" and then you say "I'll be Beethoven" ;)

Righty or lefty: Righty.

Siblings: 2 sisters.

Time you wake up: Now, this depends on what time I work or have to be somewhere.

Underwear: I like to wear it.

Veggie you hate: Brussel sprouts and beans!

What makes you run late: The lack of knowledgeable drivers here in Surrey.

X-rays you've had: My wisdom teeth, and probably my arm when I broke it when I was 2.

Yummy food you make: I don't really have a signature food except for those hash browns that Rob introduced me to.

Zoo animal: I would have to say, the zebra. I just love the print.

xo. Nicole

White Rock

On Saturday, my mom, sister, and I went down to White Rock. It was a gorgeous day! It wasn't too hot or too cold.

My outfit for the day:

Shirt: Ardene//Shorts: Unknown//Belt: Unknown//iPhone Case: Chapters

My sister, Aimee, is taking a photography course to better her skills. She was already really good, but a course is always good to teach you things that you didn't already know. Aimee brought her camera along for the day (They all look better in their original sizes, but they were a little big for the post and I don't know how to link it to the bigger picture).

Now, I wish I could figure out how to put pictures beside each other. Any tips?

And my personal favourite:

If you would like to see more of her work, hire her, or just say hello, shoot me an email or comment and I'll give you her contact info!

She's offered to photograph my wedding for me, but as she's a bridesmaid, I'd rather her enjoy the wedding than work at it :)

Have a good Victoria Day!

xo. Nicole

One of Those Days..

It is definitely one of those Sundays. I woke up and realized Rob was at work, then laid in bed. All day. Well, except for doing the dishes and making the bed.

I guess I could have had time to do any of those projects that I've had in mind...Oh well, self care is always important.

Tonight, I was supposed to go over to a classmate's house for a CYCW/GRAD bonfire, but she's really sick. It's also raining pretty heavy outside, so having a bonfire another night is probably a good idea.

Tonight, Rob's mom is supposed to come over to watch some movies. I was originally supposed to be out of the house tonight, but I think it will still be fun!

xo. Nicole

Currently..

Excuse my lack of smile, haha. I had to be quick to get the picture.

Reading:

I just finished Catching Fire (I know, so late) and I want to start the third book, Mockingjay. I seriously love The Hunger Games. It's my fourth favourite series ;)

Watching:

Nothing. Except for Rob playing Diablo 3 and me perusing some blogs. We were watching Sons of Anarchy for a while and then our Internet stopped working, which means no Netflix. We got it back up and started watching Doctor Who. Watching Doctor Who reminds me of being at Zajac Ranch, where some counsellors and I would squish onto a couch when the campers were in bed, and watch it on a laptop.

Thinking about:

Where Rob and I will be having our ceremony and reception. I've emailed Peace Arch Campground, here in Surrey. They've offered us one night free! Now, to figure out our guest list. Peace Arch says that their clubhouse can only hold 50-60 people if it rains. Do we just want family, or family and friends? Do we want children there? What sort of dinner do we want? Will we be able to have a bonfire? Will we rent giant tents? So much to think about.

Anticipating:

This weekend! Tonight is laundry and cleaning, tomorrow is the afternoon/evening with my mom and sister. Sunday I have a grad bonfire with some classmates who also finished this week, and then Monday has turned out to be shopping for new work clothes. It's also supposed to be really nice out, except for Monday. Perfect day for shopping :)

xo. Nicole

Some Upcoming DIYs

Tomorrow is my last day of classes! On top of that, I don't have work until Wednesday after tonight. It's going to be a good weekend! Saturday, I'm hoping to hang out with my mom and sister, Sunday it's a CYCW grad bonfire at a friend's house, and then Monday is a girl day with my best friend!

When I have some more time I've got a few DIY's in mind!

Rob and I, after re-arranging the living room, now have some extra stands and he has asked me to make some TV trays. I'm currently browsing Pinterest for ideas :) The second DIY has to do with these: 

When I worked at Ardene, these came in the sandals when we unpackaged them. I decided to keep a bag of them. Pondering whether these should be made in to a decoration for our bedroom or for the wedding...

I also took a late night shower and decided to try one of those wet, messy buns so that I would have curly hair today.

It didn't work out very well. Maybe next time I'll try a braid.

As today was our last day of class (tomorrow is our final exam), a classmate and I decided to wrap everything in Christmas wrap! We showed up at 7 and got right to it. Our instructor also brought us cupcakes :)

Have a good Thursday!

xo. Nicole

My "Afternoon"

My afternoon in pictures before work:

I hope to have more wedding-related posts up soon, but this week, I work until Friday and it's my last week of classes so I have an exam and an essay due! 

There will be a DIY post up soon!

Have a good Monday :)

xo. Nicole

My Week

I haven't updated in a few days, as I've been pretty busy. Next week is my last week of courses and then I start my practicum on the 22nd of May! I had an orientation today with KidStart. It went pretty well :)

Here's my week in Instagrams:

Someone likes our new couch.

My Mother-in-Law's 50th birthday. Rob decided it was time to leave when she started dancing.

My favourite magazine with my favourite artist!

Late night watching of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

I've had a lot of thoughts lately of not having a huge wedding, and just having a small BBQ in someone's backyard and getting married there. It's in the thinking stage still, as we have a whole 13 months until the actual day.

xo. Nicole

DIY Keys

Good afternoon! I was procrastinating my cleaning today, and decided to paint my keys. I painted 4 of them and for some reason, I can't wait to use them. Weird, I know.

Supplies:

I chose to paint 4 keys that I use often. All nail polish is from Ardene.

As you can see, I used a gray called "Gray Skies", a blue called "Soft Jade", and a coral called "Hot Coral".

Halfway there! They needed about 4 coats before I thought they looked good.

All done! I did both sides. Just wait for the first side to dry before starting the other.

Oh, I also had a helper.

I can see it in her eyes, "Nicole, you're doing such a good job."

xo. Nicole.

DIY Magnets

Who doesn't like magnets? They're always handy to have around. It may not be wedding related, but it very well could be!

First of all, you're going to need:

• Paint (I also used nail polish, as I liked the colors)
• Paint brush
• Magnets

First thing you're going to want to do is to lay down some old newspaper to protect your work area.

All I did was paint 3 coats of paint or nail polish on to the small magnets that I bought from Dollarama.

Everything dried pretty quickly. Feel free to decorate how ever you like! :)

The purple ones with grey spots didn't turn out the way I wanted them to. I feel that the grey and coral colored ones turned out the best and those were the nail polish colors! 

Send me a picture of how yours turn out on Twitter!

xo. Nicole

Our Couch!

Rob and I were offered a free couch! It's so nice to be living in a place with a couch now. Before, it was just the futon, and it wasn't the most comfy nor could it fit many people. We rented a rug doctor and it's all clean now :)

Anyone have any tips on how to dry a couch? I don't want to wait 10 days to sprawl out on it.

Oh, and May the Fourth be with you ;)

xo. Nicole

Our Thursday

Rob and I ventured downtown with Rob's friend last night, and it was fun! We checked out a few places and made it home by 10:30.

While we were downtown, I got a text from my friend asking if we wanted a couch. She sent me a picture and it's totally the exact style of couch that we were planning on saving up for! We're totally get it for free! I was told it's dirty and needs cleaning, though. My friend's dad is dropping it off here around 5, so I don't get to see it until I'm off work tonight at 11:30.

Today, something happened that really needed to be documented. It was a small miracle in our household.

Your eyes are not deceiving you! It really is Rob doing the dishes!

Just kidding! He has done them more than once ;)

Well, time for a shower and some tidying up before work.

xo. Nicole