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In Ontario we have a fabulous 3 days off for the August long weekend.
Not sure what to do? There are lots of fantastic things going on, not to mention the weather is going to be absolutely gorgeous!
Things To Do In Toronto
1.Take A Day Trip To The Toronto Islands (click here to read more)
One of our favourite things to do is to go the the Toronto Islands.
2. Go To The Beach (click here to read more)
The Beach is also a favourite place to be this weekend. Take a stroll on the beach, play some volleyball, watch the seagulls, or enjoy a delicious brunch along Queen Street.
3. Visit The Harboufront Area (click here to read more)
There’s also lots of great things happening at the Harbourfront in general. Read on to find out what to do, where to go, and where the best patio is!
4. Take Part In Caribana (click here to read more)
Of course you’ve probably heard that this weekend is the Caribana weekend – it’s a massive party that consumes a large part of our city to so here’s information on how you can get involved.
Things To Do Outside Of The City
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5. Take A Day Trip To Niagara On The Lake (click here to read more)
Niagara On the Lake is an absolute favourite. Here’s a short post on what do while you’re in Ontario’s favourite wine country.
6. Go To Cottage Country (click here to read more)
Cottage country is gorgeous, and there’s no better weekend to enjoy it than this one! Here’s a link to a last minute cottage rental site…so tempting!
Things To Do Anywhere
7. Host A Fabuous Dinner Party (click here to read more)
It’s going to be gorgeous, so host a fabulous outdoor dinner party with these amazing recipes.
8. Go On A Cheap, Fun & Active Date (click here to read more)
Great suggestions for cheap, active and super fun date activities. If you’re single don’t fret, grab one of your girlfriends and make it a girls date!
9. Go Hiking With Your Girlfriends (click here to read more)
The great outdoors, great girlfriends…well it all sounds pretty great. And it is. Do something totally different this weekend, and go hiking with your ladies. You’ll love it!
10. Day Dream What Your Fantasy Life (click here to read more)
In a relaxed environment, with no pressure or noise, or stress, or anything to disrupt you, let your mind wander…and create a picture of your dream life. It will be the start of great things for you!
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Tired of doing the same thing every time you get together with your girlfriends? Have cocktail parties, shopping trips, and coffee shops lost their excitement? Ready for a change?
Try a day hike with your girls! Every year a few of us head out into a nearby nature reserve, or sometimes a bit futher away, and go for a long hike together.
We chat, giggle, take some breaks to enjoy the scenery and get some excercise! It’s an amazing way to spend time together…and best of all, it’s fun that makes you skinnier!
We’ve been to Forks of the Credit, and Webster Falls, but there’s so many great hiking trails in Ontario to visit.
So next time your girlfriends want to plan a day out together, why not do something totally different? You’ll feel amazing if you do!
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Aceing the interview can be a big part of getting that job you want, so make sure you’ve honed your skills.
Check out the 5 Winning Tips For Your Job Interview here
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If you are like most busy professionals you find yourself starving without many options when you are traveling for work, or even around your office in most suburban office malls.
So here’s your chance to share your on the road and healthy enough meal secrets!
For us, instead of having a hamburger and fries, we head over to Wendy’s to have the Manadarin & Chicken salad. It’s filling and delicious and you don’t feel like you’ve been cheated at all!
We also love the salads at Subway sandwiches – the garden salad with ham and fat free Italian dressing is amazingly satisfying – just make sure you skip the cheese to save a boatload of calories.
But enough about our faves, we want to hear from you.
What’s your favourite on the road and healthy enough meal?
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Earlier in the blog I wrote about our destination wedding (including some destination wedding do’s and dont’s for what we’d change if we could do it all again!). I was a tad worried about what our destination wedding pictures would look like since all the samples the photographer gave us were sooooo cheesy! Parrots, pirates, and poses, sums it up well. Nothing looked natural, or relaxed, or stylish. It all looked very posed, and silly, and not like us at all.
So, to make sure we had a least a few great shots we decided to do a photo shoot post-wedding in Toronto, with Stephen Sager, a recommended wedding photographer.
The photos turned out so great I can’t resist sharing – check out the full post on Stephen’s blog here
The other great part? It turns out our wedding photos from our destination wedding were quite nice, so now we have two full sets of fabulous photos!
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Recently Ali de Bold of ChickAdvisor asked me to write an article on office conflict.
Office conflict is soooo incredibly stressful, and how you deal with it determines how successful you will be in your career. For the article I wrote about how to deal with office conflict, escalate to senior management, and when it’s time to move on. Check out the article here
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Gone are the days when you have to have that super shiny face due to all the SPF in your moisturizer! If you want to have that lovely matte look and have sun protection there’s a new product to help you out – face powder with SPF.
We tested out the Jane Iredale Powder Me SPF – tanned powder with SPF, and were extremely impressed! The powder applies nicely, delivers a great matte finish on your face AND has SPF protection…hello wrinkle free beauty!
Previously, we were using a UV total sunblock – a great sunblock protection, but it’s whiteout effect on the face was less than fabulous. It literally covered your face with a white layer!
And just in case you’re not using any SPF, and don’t really think it’s that important – think again. Unless you don’t care at all about skin cancer, sun spots and wrinkles, you should be using sun screen.
If you look at women that have been sunlovers with no SPF vs. those that enjoy the sun and use SPF, you will see a big difference. By the time you hit 35 the sun damage becomes very apparent.
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One of the best thing about summer evenings is the warm air, sweet smells, and relaxed ambience that lets everyone sit back, enjoy a meal together, and linger for just a bit longer.
So figure out when your next free evening is, call your closest friends, and have them over for a lovely dinner party. It’s just so much more intimate than going out for dinner…and since we’re all working our buns off so we can live a great life, let’s make sure we are actually living a great life!
We found this great recipee in Country Living and just couldn’t resist sharing it with you.
Warm Garlic String Bean Salad
For Warm Garlic String Bean Salad, blanch a 1-pound mix of yellow and green string beans for 2 minutes. Rinse to cool. Return to a saucepan with 3 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter, 3 tablespoons minced garlic, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cook 4 minutes (medium-high heat). Toss in 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley and 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest. Serve warm.
Pasta with Garden Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella
Pasta with Garden Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella is redolent with gently sautéed onion and garlic, which beautifully offset perky chopped tomatoes, basil, and cubed mozzarella.
Sliced Grilled Rib-Eye Steak
Marinade takes just minutes to prepare but adds a lot of flavor. Whisk 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar and 6 tablespoons olive oil together in a large nonreactive baking dish. Add 1/3 cup chopped Vidalia onion, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Rib-eye steaks’ primary attribute is their juicy flavor, making them great for grilling. Place four 12-ounce, 1-inch-thick boneless rib-eye steaks in the marinade and refrigerate for 1 hour; turn occasionally.
The grill should be heated to medium-high. Shake onion bits from the steaks and grill until medium-rare — about 5 minutes — or longer if desired.
Serve the steaks, thinly sliced, after resting them (tented with aluminum foil on a cutting board) 10 minutes. Leftovers make great lunchtime sandwiches the next day.
Photo Credits: Country Living
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The Bay Jewelry is one of those things that you just can’t keep a secret. There are always great finds, at decent prices, and there’s often a huge selection from fancy to trendy to staples. It’s undeniably the best source for everyday jewelry in Canada!
The necklace above is a long gold chain, that comes with matching earings and a bracelet. The necklace was approx $70, the earrings about $45, and the bracelet approx $60.
Here are some fun finds:
Cool and colourful necklace – on sale for $10
String of bright red beads – on sale for $5
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The Park Hyatt Toronto is a beautiful hotel, and the Stillwater Spa is no exception. The changerooms are clean and compact, and have personal tv viewing beds, a ladies only steam and hot tub and all the little conveniences you would want, from toothbrushes to q-tips. The waiting area for services is serene and relaxing, and they have a great selection of teas, fruits and biscotti for guests. The one major location drawback is that there’s absolutely no natural light, since the spa is entirely underground. Somehow the space doesn’t feel so fresh and healthy when you have no natural light or fresh air. Another problem was the showers; several of them were out of order, meaning ladies were waiting in line for a shower, and the water remained cold for a long time. Not exactly 5 star service.
In terms of services while at the Stillwter Spa I tested out their facial services. Luckily I was able to score a last minute appointment, so on a whim I hopped in a taxi, spent some time relaxing before my appointment and then blissed out with my facial.
The aesthetician, Kelly, was friendly and knowledgeable. When I went into the room she asked me within seconds if I was German or Polish because she could tell based on the slightly pink colouring that is different from the English pink skin, and is unique to Germany and Poland. I was shocked! Nobody ever guesses that I’m German; I have dark hair, hazel eyes and olive skin. Everyone thinks I’m Italian. Except for the super smart Kelly!
Throughout the facial I had a mixture of masks, creams, steam, extractions, and massages. The one thing that was noticeably missing was the high frequency machine, which apparently the Hyatt does not use as a rule. How disappointing! I’ve had facials with and without, and the facials without don’t make any major difference to my skin, while the ones with the high frequency make my skin look much smoother, softer, and it reduces redness. That said, the hand massage and foot massage while waiting for some of the masques to work was lovely. I’ve never had that before in a spa, so it was a great treat.
Once I was done my spa services I relaxed a bit only to be located by staff and asked to pay as soon as I could. New tax laws were coming in and the spa had to charge me before there system switched over. Understandable, but I think the hotel could do a better job than hustling guests as soon as they check in to pay, and then again right after their service.
Overall the spa’s score is 7.5/10. The actual facial was good, but no high frequency machine, the broken showers, and being chased to pay were not conducive to a great facial and a relaxing spa promise.
Photo Credit: Where.ca
