Do You Like Baking?

I love to bake! But I do not enjoy the cleanup afterward. So many bowls, sugar/flour over the counters. The end result is totally worth it though.

My mom's friend gave me a sugar cookie package when she moved. I decided yesterday that I would make some! I also bought these new wedding cookie cutters so what better time to make them then for my roommate's bridal shower. If they didn't turn out, I could eat them myself.

I bought a rolling pin yesterday since we didn't have one then went to work. Made the sugar cookies and then went to decorating. This was very annoying because I didn't have the right tip for the frosting I made. So I had to go back to the store to buy an icing tube with the tip I wanted. I piped the edges and then flooded the middle with white or pink icing.

After that set...or at least close to set ;) I started decorating. This is my favourite part. I only had 5 different shapes so a lot of my decorating was the same. It made me feel like a kid again. Kinda looks like a kid made them too, but I don't really care it was fun to do.

What was the cost of this activity? Well the package was free :) I'm sure it would be cheaper to do it from scratch if you didn't have a free package. I bought the rolling pin for $11.99 from CTC, the cookie cutters for $4.99 at Bulk Barn, icing tube was $3.99 for 4 at Metro, icing sugar we had, food colouring we had, decorations I picked up at Bulk Barn as well and they probably totalled $2 and I have a bunch left over :) I'll be able to do the same thing again for much cheaper now that I have the materials needed.

Yesterday I also bought that kitchenaid stand mixer. It was $180 and came with a pouring shield. I took it out of the package and turned it on and it sounds/looks good. I didn't make anything with it, but I look forward to using it. I don't think I will take it out of the package again until this summer when I move in with BF. It was a refurbished model and it did have a couple of black scratches on the base but still worth it to be $300 cheaper than buying it new. I think I will invest in the coated accessories just so I can put them in the dishwasher (I think they look nicer too). I look forward to making some bread and desserts with it :) 

It's All Over...

What am I going to do now with my evenings every 2-3 days now that hockey is over :(

Did anyone else watch last night's stanley cup winning game? Great game!

Personally I was cheering for Philly for no other reason than that they were the underdogs. However it made me happy to see Chicago win as well. Especially all the talks they had with the players after. Toews is just 22 and now has a Stanley Cup and a gold medal under his belt. Amazing!!

I honestly didn't see that last goal. It was so fast. I think only the goalie and Kane knew it was actually in. It was a pretty weird final goal. Also pretty weird that it was the same spot that Crosby won the gold medal game with. Very difficult angle!

Also that Stanley Cup finals commercial gets me everytime. The one where Stanley Cup winners are being interviewed and they just have nothing to say, they are speechless. One player starts to cry and pulls his hat over his eyes, the last player stutters and then just laughs. Have you seen it? It's very sweet :)

Anyway I'm already looking forward to September...come on Leafers!

When Will My GST Cheque Come?

They come July, October, January and April. I typically get mine around the 10th or so (one more month yay). Every year your GST cheques are reviewed when you do your income tax. So the one you got in April may be a different amount then the one you will get in July, but for the rest of the year it will be the same amount.

PS is it cheque in Canada and check in the States?? We know how Canadians like to add the letter "u" to words (favourite, colour, etc).

Christmas Is Less Than Six Months Away!!!

5.5 months until Christmas.

I have part of two Christmas gifts already purchased. Am I crazy?

Do you buy birthday/Christmas presents early?

Normally I don't. Normally I'm a huge procrastinator. Although last year I purchased several things in October for Christmas and it really helped with the cost of Christmas. Maybe that's why I have it on my mind sometimes when I see something someone on my list would like. Will make the cost of Christmas a little bit easier. As well as deciding what to buy everyone.

Have you bought anything for Christmas yet??

Have You Ever Bought Something Refurbished??

I've wanted a Kitchenaid stand mixer for a while now. I have looked into all the different models and attachments etc. I've really done my research. I decided to check kijiji this week. There were several people in my area who were selling kitchenaid mixers. Some were brand new!

I'm torn between two models. One is a better mixer but is a new refurbished model. It would be better for mixing dough which I really want to do. The other is $20 more and new. I've e-mailed both and so will just wait to hear back from them before making a decision.

I used to think that refurbished meant it was broken, sent back to the company and then fixed to be resold. However I learned with some research that that is not necessary true. Sometimes things that are sent back to the warehouse and then classified as refurbished could be because there was overstock at a retail store, the item was discontinued, or returned by a customer. They will have been reconditioned and re-tested before being sold as "refurbished."

My question to you is have you ever bought a refurbished model? Did you ever have any difficulties with it?

Bridal Shower Gift

I put together my roommate's bridal shower gift. I had a hard time deciding what to get her. I didn't want to get her a towel and a spoon off her registry. She registered for high end things, and for $50 (what I was willing to spend) there wasn't a whole lot to choose from. Which somewhat angers me, but that's another post.

Anyway I decided to make her a GIFT BASKET. Acutally it's not a basket at all, but it's a watering can. I bought her this big pink watering can at Canadian Tire and then it took off from there. I added pink gardening gloves, 3 gardening tools which I wrapped in pink ribbon, 4 packs of seeds, 2 pink citronella candles (keep those mosquitos away!), and some pink hand cream. Gotta have the hand cream after a day of gardening. I also purchased her about 300 stickers that say "This belongs to Mrs.______" with her NEW name on it. They are colourful and will be great for her books (she is also a supply teacher).

I still need to add a bow to the watering can but all together I spent about $50. If I bought off her registry I would get two small items, or if I bought a gift basket from a store I would not have got the quality or amount of items I was able to buy.

I need to work on tying bows.

From the front.

From the back. Book stickers are not included. I think I will just add them to the card.

My roommate grew up on a farm so I hope she will be able to grow the seeds!

June!! This and That

It's June already!! Can you believe it?

That mean's only a few potential school days left. One month until my 25th birthday!! One month until we leave for Holland! One month until Summer!

There is a lot to do before July. I need to pack for our trip. I also need to at least get some things organized for moving in with BF for the rest of the summer. My parents have a storage unit that they have been wanting to get rid of for a while but my brother's and my STUFF is in there too so they have kept it. I want to go through that stuff and hopefully clear it out. Save my parents some money each month.

I also want to start working out again. It's been so hot and I've been tired so I haven't done ANYTHING in a while...too long. I want to start doing pushups and situps everyday. Maybe while I'm watching a show or at least during the commercials I'll get a few in. It's almost bathing suit season!

I want to pay off my family loan this month. But it REALLY depends on how much work I get this month. So if I am able to only owe them $300 I will be satisfied. I'll get the rest done after summer.

I want to do some summer clothes shopping. I spent a bit this month with all the times I went to Toronto, but I am still lacking a few things. Maybe another dress, one more pair of shorts, and a couple nice t-shirts. I am lacking teaching summer clothes too.

I'm going to transfer my travel fund into my regular bank account so it's easier access. I've also already spent $660 of it. I'm going to keep the rest in my bank account and take it out overseas if it's needed.

I need to get my hair cut too. It's really long right now. I was thinking about growing it really long and then donating it, but I don't know if I have the patience for it anymore. It's so nice to have shorter hair in the summer. Has anyone donated their hair before? My roommate did and she needed 10 inches, but I thought some places took 6-8 inches. And what if it has been coloured??

I need to get my roommate a birthday present. I'm seeing her twice this month so I'm going to give it to her in person instead of mailing it which will save some money, or give me a little bit more to spend on her. I'm thinking a teacher gift basket since she just completed her first full-year at a private school or a cooking gift basket since she is teaching her new boyfriend how to cook.