Top 10 posts from 2015

I started Sweet Pea Afternoon Tea back in April 2015, and it has been quite an incredible experience so far! I am still very much in the early phase of working as a blogger and consultant, but I have been enjoying every step forward. As a way of celebrating the new year, I've compiled a list of my top 10 favorite blog posts from 2015. Even though I only had to sift through nine months worth of articles, it was really quite tough because so many great things happened last year! I got engaged, we moved into a new apartment, got married, and got our dog Rocky, just to name a few! 

Without further adieu, here is the list, in chronological order from oldest to newest! Enjoy!

*Note: Click on the title of each article for a link to the post!

1. Mother's Day Gift Ideas

I was fortunate enough to have my mum visit us in Ottawa for Mother's Day, so I had to include this one! I love shopping for women, but my mum is by far my favorite person to shop for (sorry boys, but I don't think this will come as that big of a surprise!). I really enjoyed putting together this post and coming up with a variety of gift ideas to suit different styles and budgets. 

2. Big News

Obviously, none of you will be surprised to see that my engagement announcement is on the list! Even though it wasn't a complete surprise since we had discussed marriage prior to the big proposal, I was still so shocked and excited when Ryan got down on one knee and pulled out the ring!

I am so happy that I was able to have documented the whole thing not long after it all happened, because I know in the years to come it will be harder and harder to remember the details. 

3. What to Wear: BBQ Party Edition

So I included this one because of two reasons...the first being that I really love the two outfits I put together, and the second being that I am currently craving hot summer days now that winter has finally arrived and I have had to wear leggings under my jeans just to stay remotely warm! I know, I'm a big baby and it's not even that cold!

4. Volunteering in South Africa

I should really clarify that I did not go to South Africa in 2015, I went in 2013. I did however, finally get around to documenting my trip in 2015, and I am so glad that I did! Volunteering was such an amazing and challenging experience, and I would definitely recommend that everyone try it at least once in their lives. It doesn't have to be half way across the world, but giving your time and putting your energy into helping others is one of the most amazing things we can do as human beings.

5. What to Wear: Mother-of-the-Bride

Needless to say, this past year has included plenty of wedding planning! I'll be completely honest, I was a bit hesitant about it at first, but I have really come around and have been thoroughly enjoying all of the planning and wedding activities! For this post, I had a great time researching dresses and discussing different looks and body issues with my mum and her friends. 

6. Married

I think it goes without saying that by far, one of the best moments from 2015 was getting married to Ryan!

 

We had a beautiful little civil service ceremony at the courthouse, followed by a delicious lunch at The Lord Elgin. 

I am so happy to be married to my best friend! I love you so much and you make every day special!

7. Updates

Next up, I've included my first article featuring the latest addition to our little family, Rocky! 

Ryan and I have always wanted a dog, but we hadn't planned on getting one until we had a house with a big back yard. 

Those plans changed in the fall, when we saw Rocky on the SPCA website, and quickly fell in love! He's a 3 and a half year old German Shepard/Husky and we love him so much! 

8. Wedding Weekend Activities

If I had to pick one word to sum up the year 2015 for me, it would definitely be "Love". Aside from getting married, love has played such a major part in my life this year. It reveals itself every day that I spend with Ryan, as well as the love that we both share for our dog Rocky. 2015 also marked a year full of the love of our friends and family, who have showered (bridal shower post, get it? I crack myself up!) us with so much support and generosity! We are truly grateful! 

9. Engagement Photo Session

This was so much fun! The photographs turned out beautifully, and we are so thankful to now have such excellent quality photographs to capture this time in our lives. We have a few of them framed and on display in our apartment!

10. What to Expect, Bring, and Avoid at a Bridal Consultation

Last but not least, I've included the article I wrote about my experience at David's Bridal for my bridal consultation. Since this past year has been all about love for me, I thought it would be fitting to cap off this list with a wedding related article! 

I had a really great experience at my bridal consultation, and after two visits, have finally found my perfect dress! Even if you don't end up finding your dream dress, I would highly recommend that every bride-to-be go for a professional bridal consultation!

Nature Museum Date Night

Happy Monday! 

I hope everyone had a restful Christmas and a great start to the new year! Mine was busy to say the least, and unfortunately, also included catching the flu. So there you go, that's my excuse for such a long absence! 

We spent Christmas with Ryan's family this year, and had a really nice and relaxing time with them in Richmond. After that, we headed down to Kingston, for a holiday visit with my family, before taking the train back up north to Quebec City for New Year's Eve. I'll be posting more all about that later this week, but since I've been either away or sick for the past month, I'm a bit back-logged with posts! 

So in any case, today's post is about a date night that Ryan and I went on back in the first week of December. Since I now have evenings free from work, we took the opportunity to swing by the Nature Museum for a little date. 

The museum happens to be less than a 10 minute walk from our apartment, which was great since I recall it was a bit colder that evening. Every Thursday, after 5:00 pm the museum has free admission to all of its usual galleries, so if you happen to be free during that time, I would highly recommend checking out the museum. 

My favorite exhibit is probably the mammal gallery, although I'm also a really big fan of the dinosaur gallery too! It took us just over an hour to tour three galleries (mammal, dinosaur, and water) before we decided to head home for dinner! All in all, a great date night activity! Bonus for being free too! 

Parliament Christmas Lights Show

The other night, Ryan and I went to see the Christmas Lights Show on Parliament Hill. Honestly, I wasn't expecting anything too spectacular, but I've got to admit, I was really quite surprised by how great it was! I've seen some pretty impressive lights shows (for those of you who have been to Disney World, you know what I mean!), and this one was pretty amazing!

The show, which is about 15 minutes long, runs on a loop from about 5:00pm until 11:00pm, and we got there just in time to catch the show as it began from the beginning. Essentially, the Lights Show is a projection of a Christmas/winter themed short movie, onto the exterior of the Peace Tower and Parliament buildings. There is even perfectly synced music that accompanies the show, which I particularly liked! 

We brought Rocky with us, and walked around the grounds a bit after the show was over. I don't think he cared much about the Lights Show, but he was a pretty happy doggy to be outside and walking around, instead of cooped up inside and alone! 

In any case, if you live in the Ottawa region, I strongly recommend going to check out the Christmas Lights Show!

Christmas Fair at City Hall

This weekend was relaxing and restful..exactly what we needed! Aside from taking Rocky out to the dog park a few times, we also managed to check out the Christmas Fair at City Hall, that took place on Saturday, December 5th from 2 pm - 6 pm.

The weather was so mild and warm over the weekend, which made the long lines outside of City Hall much more bearable! We arrived about an hour after the event started, so there were lots of people there already. The shortest line happened to be for drinks, so we quickly grabbed a spot and waited for our hot chocolate. Next up, we took our place in the significantly longer line for FREE Beaver Tails! They weren't giving people any choice of toppings, but how could anyone complain about a FREE cinnamon sugar Beaver Tail??

Unfortunately, we didn't do the horse-drawn carriage ride (the line was really long), but we still enjoyed seeing all of the fun activities and Christmas decorations throughout the City Hall grounds. They had a merry-go-round, a craft workshop, and of course, a meet-and-greet with Mr and Mrs Claus! Of course, I should note that the event catered primarily to kids and families, but there were still plenty of young couples and older groups in attendance. 

On Sunday, I got a chance to do what I had been looking forward to ever since the weather started to get colder...I wrapped Christmas presents! I also wrote our Christmas cards, which was actually quite a feat! My hand was certainly starting to ache by the time I finished and sealed the final card. I personally enjoy wrapping Christmas presents, especially when I get to do it while listening to Christmas music and sipping on a peppermint mocha (my homemade version: dark chocolate, coffee, steamed milk, and a peppermint candy cane)!

I even had a little helper keeping me company! Now, if only I could teach him to cut tape and curl ribbons for me! Hehehe, just kidding of course! 

Extended Weekend Recap

Whew..what a weekend! Definitely filled with plenty of highs and lows, that's for certain! For one, I can't believe it's already December! It'll be Christmas before we know it, and then after that it'll be a whole new year!

Since I work in retail, I knew this weekend was going to be a big one with Black Friday...not as crazy as I've seen it get in the United States, but certainly busier than a typical busy day! I have to say, the chaotic frenzy of shopping on Black Friday weekend is just not for me. 

For goodness sake, one of the main reasons I prefer online shopping is that I get to avoid the crowds. It's not that I don't like people, it's just that I would rather not jostle through the crowds, wait in line to try a shirt on that I know dozens (if not more) have already tried on, and then wait in line, at this point both tired and hot, to pay a slightly cheaper price for a pair of jeans I don't really love anyway. 

Love this movie! Confessions of a Shopaholic! 

Instead, I prefer spending a quiet afternoon browsing the entire available stock of any given company, at my leisure, from the comfort of my own home. I don't have to worry about discovering that the store doesn't have my size, because I don't have to deal with going into the store at all. Yes, there is always the potential that what I ordered doesn't fit or isn't quite right, but I must admit, this is becoming less and less of a problem with wonderfully stress-free return policies! Most reputable companies will even return your online purchases right in the store for you! With so many companies leveling out the differences between in-store and online shopping, in most cases, I find it easier to stick to my computer since I'll be getting the same great deals no matter what. 

Me + Yvonne right before we
dropped her off at the bus station.

In any case, I will admit that I did make one purchase over the Black Friday weekend, and I did it online! Since last winter, when I first tried it on, I wanted an Alpinetek parka from Sears. I got to try one on last year, and it was wonderful! I absolutely love my TNA parka from Aritzia, but sadly it's not the warmest coat once the temperature dips past -20..which it often does here in Ottawa between January-March. Anyway, I finally bought the Alpinetek parka, along with the Alpinetek winter boots, which even my husband will admit I actually needed! Since both items were reduced by about 30% off, plus Ryan's discount of 25% off, I got both items severely reduced! 

The most exciting thing that happened this weekend however, was a visit from our friend Yvonne! It wasn't a complete surprise, but it was planned very last minute, so it was still a bit unexpected. Yvonne and I went to UBC together, and actually hadn't seen each other since graduation (check out that post here). She's been working as an airline stewardess, and happened to be flying into Montreal on Sunday afternoon. After she took the train to Ottawa, we picked her up and headed back to our apartment! Since I worked on Monday morning, Ryan was kind enough to play tourist with Yvonne and do a tour of Parliament. Once I finished work for the day, we all met up and headed over to the dog park with Rocky. By 5:00 pm we were all feeling pretty hungry, so we decided to go to Hooley's Pub for their great deal on wings (only 45 cents on Monday nights!). Yvonne was even brave enough to try the Suicide Sauce wings..which I should note she was hardly fazed by! 

Me + Ryan..do you think he's
cold or camera shy?

To put it simply, Tuesday did not start out very well for me. I woke up and got out of bed around 5:30 am, which is when Ryan is awake anyway, since he goes to work before 6:00 am most mornings. I felt a bit nauseous, so I sat down on the ground in the bathroom to prepare myself for the worst...except something unexpected happened instead..I fainted! Luckily, I was sitting down, so I didn't have too far to fall, although not so luckily, I hit my head on the door as I was going down, because I now have a scratch-like mark and a bit of a welt where I clipped the side of my forehead. Up until Tuesday, I had never fainted before in my life, so I didn't really realize what had happened until Ryan and Yvonne explained that they heard a "thud", and when they got to me, I was lying on the ground. I was really disoriented when I came to, but both Ryan and Yvonne were amazing at looking after me and making sure I was alright! I am so thankful they were both there! Anyway, I've been to the doctor to follow-up and there doesn't seem to be any lasting damage, so for the next few days I'll just be taking it easy until my head heals! 

Hope you've all had a great start to the week!