Merry Christmas everyone!

I'm spending the next few days relaxing with my family and enjoying the holidays.

I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday season and that you get to spend some time with your loved ones!

pandacub wants...to keep calm and carry on

Ever since joining Etsy, I've seen many, many items with the "Keep Calm and Carry On" slogan. (If you're on Etsy a lot, you'll know exactly what I'm talking about).

The original "Keep Calm and Carry On" sentiment was used as a motivational poster and was produced by the British government in 1939 during the beginning of World War II, but never used. It was rediscovered in 2000 and has been re-issued by a number of private sector companies, and used as the decorative theme for a range of other products.

With only a few more shopping days until Christmas, I guess this motto can also work for us last-minute shoppers to take a breath, relax a little and enjoy the holidays before they're over!


Top row:
1. Keep Calm and Carry On-2010 Wall Calendar 13x19-Oxford Blue-Customizable Colors, $14.95 by KeepCalmPosters
2. Keep Calm and Carry On Blue Shopping Tote Bag, $35.00 by keepcalmandcarryon
3. Keep Calm and Carry On (Black) Keyring, $4.99 by SIMPLYCHARMlNG

Middle row:
4. Keep Calm and Carry On - Hot Pink - A Scrabble Tile Pendant , $6.95 by thegildedlily
5. Keep Calm and Carry On Giclee Print in Garnet 11 3/4 x 16 1/2 inches , $18.00 by PaaPuuPrints
6. Resin art cuff bangle bracelet - Keep Calm and Carry On in red, $20.00 by DesignsbyTami

Bottom row:
7. Keep Calm and Carry On, $39.90 by klacustomcreations
8. Keep Calm and Carry On Perfume, $15.50 by themefragrance
9. Keep Calm and Carry On Vinyl Wall Art Decal Laptop size, $8.50 by ChuckEBrydWallArt

50 books in 2009 - update 8

Here's update 8 for my "50 books in 2009" goal.

Eek! So little time left! I'm definitely not going to make 50 books, but it I'm still going to get as many read as I can with the time I have! My work schedule has been a lot more demanding than I had expected and has seriously cut into my personal time.

If you have any favourite books that you think I might enjoy, please leave me a comment or send me an email! I'd love to hear some of your book suggestions as I'm always look for something good to read! And there's always a goal to be made for next year! :)

1. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles, finished Jan. 18
2. Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir, finished Jan. 27
3. Miss Marple's Final Cases by Agatha Christie, finished Jan. 30 (re-read)
4. Brief Gaudy Hour by Margaret Campbell Barnes, finished Feb. 8
5. The Last Wife of Henry VIII by Carolly Erickson, finished Feb. 18
6. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir, finished Mar. 3
7. Elizabeth by David Starkey, finished Mar. 11
8. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, finished Mar. 31
9. The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie, finished Apr. 3 (re-read)
10. King's Fool by Margaret Campbell Barnes, finished Apr. 21
11. Poirot Investigates by Agatha Christie, finished Apr. 28 (re-read)
12. Gastronaut by Stefan Gates, finished May 3
13. The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten, finished May 13 (re-read)
14. It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten, finished May 25 (re-read)
15. Kitchen Con by Trevor White, finished June 4
16. The Year of Eating Dangerously by Tom Parker Bowles, finished June 18
17. The Nasty Bits by Anthony Bourdain, finished July 2
18. The Best of Food Writing 2001, edited by Holly Hughes, finished July 14
19. The Other Queen by Philippa Gregory, finished July 28
20. My Lady of Cleves by Margaret Campbell Barnes, Aug. 1
21. The Best of Food Writing 2003, edited by Holly Hughes, finished Aug. 4
22. The Best of Food Writing 2004, edited by Holly Hughes, finished Aug. 13
23. Candyfreak by Steve Almond, finished Aug. 20
24. I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles, finished Sept. 23 (re-read)
25. A Cook's Tour by Anthony Bourdain
26. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
27. The Seville Communion by Arturo Perez-Reverte
28. My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, finished Nov. 2
29. The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir, finished Nov. 17 (re-read)
30. Eating My Words by Mimi Sheraton, finished Nov. 19

31. Young Bess by Margaret Irwin, finished Nov. 24

32. Elizabeth, Captive Princess by Margaret Irwin, finished Dec. 6

33. Elizabeth and the Prince of Spain by Margaret Irwin, finished Dec. 16

Currently Reading:

Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg

Coming Up:

101 Dishes to Eat Before You Die (I feel another set of goals coming on...)

what? it's december???

Wow - where did the year go?!

I can't believe that it's already December! I'm so not prepared for the holidays, although I have managed to buy a couple of gifts already and the only reason I bought them was because I got them on Etsy and I had to buy early to make sure they arrived on time in the post.

Otherwise - YIKES!

Which reminds me...time to start writing those greeting cards!!!

Are YOU ready?

free shipping at pandacub all weekend

Looking for some cute little accessories for the holiday gift-giving season?

My little Etsy shop, pandacub, is offering free worldwide shipping all weekend, so why not browse for some great deals?

Pandacub accessories make perfect stocking stuffers, or offer a imaginative way to decorate a gift!

Or...you can always treat yourself to something nice too!

pass the turkey...

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! I hope you have a lovely long weekend holiday and lots of great food to enjoy!

november giveaway winners

Thanks everyone for entering my November giveaway for a set of menagerie bobby pins!

The 2 randomly-drawn winners are:
MizzSnape
JenniferB

Congratulations! You'll both get a set of menageris bobby pins with 5 animals of your choice! :)

more photos from vegas

Just a few more photos from our trip to Las Vegas.

The one crazy thing about Vegas is that the buildings imitate so many famous world landmarks.

This was outside the Venetian hotel (where we stayed)...which was a beautiful example of Italy - complete with gondolas


and Paris (the Paris hotel)....

How about New York City (New York, New York hotel)?


and Egypt (the Luxor hotel)...

Besides the international travel, there's so much light, sound and distractions in the city! But I did find lots to inspire me as well...

viva las vegas!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I really enjoyed Las Vegas far more than I expected to. It's so...unreal! Everything is WAY bigger than life and all lit up. And the place just doesn't sleep!

No matter what time of day (or night) hubby and I headed out, there were always tons of people on the street and in the casino. The only thing that we didn't find easily was places to eat at 2 in the morning. :)

We stayed at the lovely Venetian hotel and the staff and service we received there was amazing.

There was one thing I HAD to do while in Vegas - and that was to do the CSI Experience at the MGM Grand (I'm a big CSI fan). It was a little disappointing, especially as it cost $30 a person, but I'm glad I did it. Basically, you get to "play" at being a CSI - you get a case, you examine the crime scene, go through the different labs and then present your findings. It was pretty simple, so it's hard to mess up, but at least I can now say I've done it.

What didn't disappoint was the Cirque du Soleil show we saw. There are so many to choose from in Las Vegas, but we decided to go see Love, which features music by the Beatles. It was mind-blowing! I can't even begin to describe the show. It was spectacular on so many levels. We had amazing seats and there was so much to take in. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who has the chance to see it. It's definitely worth the price of the ticket (which is on the high side of Cirque shows). I'd see it again in a heartbeat.

We also checked out every hotel/casino on the Strip, saw the Bellagio fountain show 3 times (twice during the day and once at night), did a little shopping, a little gambling, and tried to avoid the street corner card "flickers" (if you've ever been to Vegas, you know what I'm talking about!)

The other thing I love about Las Vegas is the food. There's so much good food at every corner. And there are celebrity chef restaurants every where you look! If you want to check out what we ate while in Vegas, keep an eye on the food blog I share with my sister, Chubbi Bunnies. I'll be posting a day-by-day account of what we ate, along with lots of mouth-watering photos.

I'm sorry to say that I'm back to work tomorrow. It's really hard to come off of "vacation-mode", especially when you were having so much fun. I didn't think I'd like Vegas so much, but I had such a great time that I know we'll be going again soon!

love going on vacation and seeing this...

Well, pandacub and hubby are off to Las Vegas for a week! Finally! I'll be sure to share lots of photos once I return, but in the meantime, I hope everyone has a safe and lovely week.

p.s. I love the few hours before going on vacation and seeing this:

Weather in Toronto (where I'm leaving from):

Weather in Las Vegas (where I'm gong to):