On an early…really early morning in October, my friend Sean and I ventured into the Las Vegas desert to take a few Christmas photos. Sean is a great landscape photographer and wanted to practice portraits. I needed a few shots for my upcoming Christmas card, so off we went. Here are some of the pics.
It’s always best to take pictures at dawn, dusk or when it’s overcast. Sean and I are both from the East Coast of Canada; we didn’t realize how quickly the sun rises in Vegas. Because Las Vegas is in a valley surrounded by mountains, the sun doesn’t slowly rise, it just pops up.
Sean wanted to try a few shots with the sunlight behind me. I clicked away with my iPhone while he set up.
The sun peaking out from behind me, makes me look like I am glowing…like an angel! lol. That’s not what he was looking for though.
This is the shot he was looking for. It looks like it was taken at sunset, but it was taken just a few minutes after the previous pictures above. I think it looks really cool! My head is blocking the sun, making the rest look dark. Well done Sean…well done, lol.
This is a classic Sean landscape shot. Different photographers have different ways of working. I am used to moving and the photographer taking shot after shot in quick succession. For most of these, I needed to stand still for longer periods of time…without talking, lol.
My prop for the day was a large Christmas wreath. I still think it’s odd that Christmas happens in places without snow…that seems very unnatural to me.
These shots in front of the Seven Magic Mountain sculptures were the first shots we took, before the sun popped up, hence no squinting and shadows. These sculptures are 15 minutes off the strip. There were two other photographers taking pictures while we were there. It’s a popular spot!
I have discovered that it’s hard to maintain a natural smile when standing still.
The picture below is of a Joshua trees; there are lots in and around Las Vegas.
Trying to be artistic with my wreath.
Here is Sean and his big lens! He now thinks he needs a new camera to go with his big zoom lens. I took all of these with my iPhone; not to brag, but I am a fairly good photographer as well, lol.
And that’s a wrap!! Thanks Sean!
I will use some of these pictures for future blog stuff. Just wanted to share.
Just a quick post to wish you all a Happy Halloween!!!
I hope you have had some spooky fun this month. If you haven’t, it’s not too late!! You still have a few days, so get cracking! Carve some pumpkins, make some scary cookies, dress up for a party, you really only live once…I think?
I didn’t exactly carve a pumpkin this year, but this works. We had our annual work pumpkin throw down.
My October has been very busy, but I got my spook on. I visited a Haunted Museum and survived zombies in Vegas. In Paris, I visited the Catacombs and saw lots of real skulls & bones…it was freaky. And today I went to see a ballet at the Smith Center in downtown Vegas. You’re probably wondering, what makes a ballet an acceptable Halloween themed activity? Well it was a Gothic ballet based on Dracula. Nothing screams Halloween more than skulls, zombies and Dracula!!
I am not a big ballet person, but when I saw this one was a Dracula theme, I knew I had to attend. It was beautiful! I loved it!
I am finishing off the month back in Canada; where I have a girls dinner party planned on the 30th. It’s a Trick or Treat theme, each person has been instructed to bring one gift and we will swap. I thought it would be fun, plus I love gifts, lol, giving and getting.
Then Trick or Treating on the 31st! Ok I may be too old for that? But I am certain I will find something to do.
For those who have read my October posts, I hope you were inspired to enjoy some fall fun.
The scariest thing is how quickly the month has flown by!!!
What’s next? Christmas!!!!! The only holiday that I love more than Halloween is Christmas; I have some fun posts coming up in November and December.
Thanks for reading friends!!!
Let me know if there is something you would like to see me write a post on or if you have any questions? I love hearing what you think.
Disclaimer: This post is about the Paris Catacombs; it contains pictures of real skeletons, readers beware!
Last week while in Paris, we visited the Catacombs museum. With Halloween a week away, I though this would be a perfect creepy post to share.
I chose this for my cover pic because I thought that the blurryness fit the spooky mood of the location. I was thinking, please don’t freak out, please don’t freak out!! Lol
It is said that there are more dead Parisians under the city than there are living in Paris. The Catacombs run for hundreds of kilometers under the city. A very small section is open to the public; this “museum” is unlike any other.
Helpful hint #1, buy your tickets online before you get there. The lines are long!! There are two lines, one for those buying tickets onsite and one for those who pre-bought online. The line for those who have tickets is much, much shorter.
As soon as you walk in, it was clear that this is going to be a freaky experience. You start by going down a metal spiraling staircase with 180 stairs that quickly bring you 20 meters under the city. This is probably not a great activity for anyone who is claustrophobic!! Or anyone who is super tall, lol.
This video shows the walk towards the galleries where the bones are displayed. Creepy right?
Once you get to the bottom, things get real, real fast!! I am not claustrophobic; or I didn’t think I was, but as we walked towards the entrance I did get a bit freaked out. Helpful hint #2; don’t overthink the fact that you are 20 meters underground, lol.
I took this selfie at the base of the staircase. You can see a slight WTF am I doing here look on my face. I was able to calm my mind and power through.
I told my friend Claudia that I was feeling a bit anxious; she did the right thing by ignoring what I had just said and started talking about unrelated stuff. I think I just needed a moment to climatize; it gets real dark, real fast too!
To change my focus from the fact that we were 20m underground, I started taking pics and videos, it helped.
Full disclosure, you are allowed to take pictures and videos, they just ask that you not touch anything…mmm no worries there! At first I wondered if it was disrespectful to take photos? Millions of people a year visit the catacombs and do take pics; and the museum itself has photos of the remains on posters, flyers…I was mindful to remember that these walls of bones were once people. Some families were taking pictures of their kids in front of the remains…yeah, too creepy for me!!
View as walking towards the chambers or galleries to the remains. I found parts strangely beautiful…did I mention this is 20 meters underground??? Lol
These are limestone quarries that originated in the 15th century.
This sign was a clear indication that this was going to be unlike any other museum I had ever visited before.
This sign is a warning of what lies beyond this point. It says: Stop! This is the empire of death. Mmm nothing creepy about that!! Lol
You were warned, these are real bones!
So here is a super brief overview as per the guide.
One of the largest Parisian cemeteries was closed in 1780, due to safety concerns. Little by little the quarries began to House bones from all the cemeteries of central Paris. Basically because they wanted to expand the city, so cemeteries were closed and the remains moved.
At some point a dude called Hericart de Thury, created a theatrical display with the remains, similar to how a museum would display objects. The overall impression he wanted to create was one of respect, mediation and fear.
The catacombs have been open to the public since the early 19th century.
My impression was a combination of awe for the sheer size and the intricacy of the displays and creeped outness, new word, just made it up (meaning to be super creeped out).
There are different patterns of displays. One thing I did wonder, what did they do with the pelvic bones??? Just a thought.
During our time in the catacombs I found myself getting caught up in the stories, we paid extra for the audio tour, it’s a must. It’s beautiful in a morbid and surreal way. It’s easy to forget that each bone belonged to a person.
I am not a super religious person, seeing all these skulls and bones really brought home that we leave our bodies. What’s left are just bones. And that we each have a short time here.
Being surrounded by so many who have passed reminded me to live life as best I can. My final hint for this post is more a hope; let’s try to not be shitty people!! Lol
If you have time, I would recommend visiting the catacombs.
I will close on a lighter note, they had a pretty decent boutique, I bought a cool skeleton umbrella. And FYI, those 180 steps are much easier going down than they are coming back up! And 20 meters is approximately 63 feet.
I would like to know if you would visit the catacombs if given the opportunity? Yes? Or is it too creepy for you?? Share!
I have planned a lot of Halloween Parties, too many to count; and I have figured out that there are two kinds of Halloween people. Those who love thinking of costumes and who really put a lot of thought into what they are going to be; and those who can’t think of anything to be.
It’s so easy now; all you have to do is go to a Halloween Store and pick something up! Or…you can just make something up! Be creative; it doesn’t have to make perfect sense, there are no Halloween Costume Police.
Funky Flower Fairy
This Funky Flower Fairy is a perfect example, because it’s not a real thing, lol. But that’s what makes it so cool! You don’t need to be an expert makeup artist, there are lots of tutorials out there. I recruited my friends daughter to help me. I had no clue what I was going to be. I had bought a flower garland at Michaels and decided to make a crown. I cut a piece of the garland and used wire to join both ends together and voila! A flower crown.
Megan added some green leaves to my cheeks and painted my eyebrows pink to match my crown and Ta Da!! I was a Funky, Flower Fairy!
This makeup doesn’t really make sense, but it doesn’t have to. It just needs to be fun.It took me literally 2 minutes to make my flower crown. I really like the way it turned out; and I am pretty sure, I will be the only Funky Flower Fairy at the party!
Next up, Madam Butterfly!
Her are the supplies I picked up at Michaels, which is pretty much my fav store. I bought a variety of butterflies, a headband, silk flowers and some wire. Turns out I didn’t need the wire, because the butterflies already had wires on them.
I twisted the butterfly wires around the headband and then hot glued some flowers on the headband to hide the wires; again super easy, I did it while watching tv.
Meet Madame Butterfly! You could add a pair of butterfly wings from your local Halloween Store. I just wore all black.
I cut the wires off a few butterflies and glued them on my skin using eye lash glue. You could also hot glue a few on a hair clip and clip a few extra in your hair.
For this look, wild hair is a must. I crimped mine, because I am trying to bring the 80’s back, lol. But you can curl or braid your hair to make it fluffy.
I took a small butterfly and cut the wings off and used eyelash glue to glue them on my eye lids, it didn’t hurt, lol. I also glued one on my neck. You could go crazy and add more. More is more!
I am not a professional makeup artist by any means. I looked up some makeup ideas on Pintrest for inspiration. But then winged it…get it? Winged it…Madame Butterfly?? lol, sorry, moving on. I lined my outer eyes with black liner and then used white liner to highlight the black. I used highlighting glitter on my cheeks, colored my eyebrows black and of course my signature red lip; and I was done.
This would be a fun as a group costume as well. Each friend or family member could have a different color of butterflies. You could be a Kaleidoscope, that is a group of butterflies btw, I looked it up! You could also take it up a few notches and be killer butterflies! Why not?
If you think these two ideas are still too “hard”? Ugh! What am I going to do with you guys?? Please refer to my Haunted Dinner Party Blog Post; go buy a bunch of masks for you and your posse and bam! You’re done!
My colony of bunnies, a group of bunnies is a colony, looked that up too! Wow, my blog is so educational!!
I wish everyone a happy and safe Halloween!! Have fun and make some great memories!!
So which idea is your fav? I wanna know! I have my favorite, but curious to know which you guys like best? Funky Flower Fairy, Madame Butterfly or Haunted Bitchy Bunny? Please vote by commenting below!
I will be posting more costume ideas on my oui-liette Facebook and Instagram pages closer to Halloween!
Thanks again for reading! Like, share and comment, or I will haunt you!! 🙂
This post is all about how to throw a Weirdly Wicked Halloween Dinner Party for your coven of best bitches…I mean witches!
For those who don’t know me I looooooovvvve Halloween! I love everything about it!
I polled a few of my anti-Halloween friends to see what specifically they didn’t like about Halloween; while secretly wondering, why I was still friends with them? lol. They all said the same thing, that they don’t like dressing up because they don’t know what to be or have the time to put a costume together; to that I say: “Booooooo!!!”
I am going to make this super simple, ready? Invite your best girlfriends or boyfriends, over for dinner, or appetizers, or desert or just drinks. Whatever you are comfortable with. The point is to spend the evening with your friends. The point is not to stress about the meal, if you don’t want to cook, order in.
In the past few years, I have hosted dinner parties for my friends where I tell them to come over dressed in black with red lipstick. I usually come up with a catchy name for our dinner. They don’t have to think of a costume, they just need to show up in black. And for those who have a fear or red lipstick, I have all kinds that I will and have shared. Side note, there is something about red lips that makes me feel powerful, is it just me??
Buy masks or wigs for your friends and have them put them on when they arrive. Give them a drink or two, if they feel silly. My friends have been conditioned to just go with all of my hair brained ideas. And voila! Everyone is dressed up!
Here are the masks that I bought this year. I got them on Amazon, they were under $5 each.
Last year I bought a variety of glittery masks and fancy cat ears. But this year everyone got the same mask.
I set up a table and chairs in my friends backyard; We had dinner outside in the woods. Which ended up going really well with our bunny mask theme. It wasn’t planned, but it worked out perfectly.
Everyone having the same mask was really fun, it made us feel like a cool group of…..well bunnies I guess? But not just regular bunnies, Bad Ass Bunnies! My friends come to my events knowing that there will be lots of pictures taken; they are always really great sports.
Here are two things I have discovered: First, we have a lot of fun goofing around for the camera; even those who say that they don’t like getting their pictures taken. A perfect example is the picture above, our ears kept banging together, which made us laugh… a lot! The second thing I’ve discovered is that there are a lot of moms out there who are invisible. And I am not talking about a cool party magic trick. They are actually invisible!! They are always the ones taking the pictures, they are never in them. One of my friends discovered that she was invisible in most of their Christmas morning pictures, it’s like she wasn’t even there. Moms, please don’t be invisible!! Be present, be in the picture!
The goal of all my parties is to make memories with friends; and I think being goofy and getting people out of their comfort zone a little is a great way to bond.
It’s fun to have a signature drink for your party; last year we made Purple Haze Martinis, this year we drank Red Zombies. I use Pintrest for all my drink ideas.
I like to print out the drink instructions and have all the ingredients on the counter top. I have my guests take turns making the drinks; everyone gets a chance to be the bartender. It’s great to get your guests involved, don’t be afraid to give them jobs; you gotta work! And it’s fun.
You’re never too old to be silly and have fun! I have been friends with these two bunnies for 34 years now!! Yes we are older than 34, I know it’s shocking, lol
We started feeling like Super Bunny Heroes! If we were, this would be our poster; we would hop around solving crimes and stuff.
Here is my fancy red velvet cake table; we had Chinese food for dinner. I bought the cake and ordered the Chinese food, see, super easy! No one judged me for not making everything or anything myself. I made the money that bought the food, lol, that was good enough! I was having fun with my guests instead of stressing in the kitchen. The cake was to die for!!!
Super special shout out to BITCHiNbuy for lending me some really cool modern mid-century serving trays and bowls. Check them out on Etsy!Making memories; every time I see these pics, I will think of our fun night.Side note, these masks made our blue eyes pop!Fun fact, I usually wear cheap fake lashes to parties. They look good in pictures. Also if you know you are going to be taking pictures go a bit heavier on eyeliner and lips.
I hope this has inspired you to host your very own Halloween Dinner Party. If you do, please share your pics and ideas on Facebook or Instagram at: oui-liette
Once again thanks for reading, please click like at the bottom of this story.
Here is a fun family tradition that my family started a few years ago that I would like to share with all of you. It’s basically a family pumpkin carving party, but let me share how it started.
When my parents sold their house, my mom decided that their apartment was too small to host Thanksgiving and that it was time for me to take over our family feast.
Our first Thanksgiving at my place was fine, but I discovered that it was a lot of work!!! Some families sit around the dinner table and talk for hours about world events, their feelings and that sort of crap. Well that’s not my family! Lol.
My dad was done eating and was asking what was for desert before I even sat down. I cooked all day and we were done and in a turkey coma within 20 minutes. They came, they ate and they left!!!
Being a professional party/events planner, I did a bit of soul searching to figure out how I could improve our family time. I came up with a brilliant idea! I realized that my family seem to bond more when we’re doing an activity; instead of just sitting around the dinner table.
The following Thanksgiving, I had a plan! After dinner, there would be an obligatory pumpkin carving contest. No one gets a pass; everyone has to carve a damn pumpkin!!
Let me share with my American friends that Canadian Thanksgiving is on the same day as your Columbus Day. So it’s always in October, before Halloween.
I cooked the turkey, my mom, brother and sister in law brought sides. We sat down and were done eating within 20 minutes…again!!
After we cleared the table and cleaned up, we prepared for our pumpkin carving throw down. What I wasn’t expecting was how into it everyone would be!! It was so fun; we actually sat around talked and laughed for hours!
Even the cat had fun, this is his happy face!
Over the years we’ve invited cousins and other family members to join us after their respective turkey dinners. The first year we posted our finished pumpkins on Facebook and asked our friends to vote for which one they liked best. I noticed a week later that friends were posting their pumpkins and asking friends to vote for their best pumpkin. How fun!!
My whole family really gets into it. My brother now brings his own carving tools.
Other years we voted internally, the rule is you can’t vote for yourself. Who knew pumpkin carving could be so competitive? And who knew my brother was such a great carver? He has only lost one year; he did a VW van pumpkin and people didn’t get it, lol.
The infamous VW pumpkin that ruined my brother’s perfect winning record.We sometimes get VIP guests, like my Christopher. The more the merrier! He’s my fake kid.
I’m challenging all of you to have your own pumpkin carving night with your kids, your parents or your friends! Do it!! And try posting on social media and asking your friends to vote; you’ll be surprised by how much participation you get. I am also available to judge, I’m pretty sure I would be an awesome judge, lol. Just tag me on Facebook!
We aren’t very good,, but we have lots of fun family time together. This is a great idea even if you don’t like your family, everyone is too busy to fight…just saying.
Make memories!! That’s what my blog is about!!! I missed our pumpkin carving last year, but I will be in Canada this year and it’s on!! My brother is going down!!!!!
We line them up, post on Facebook and let the voting begin.My bro, the carving champ…I even tried cheating one year, he’s hard to beat!
Hit the like button below if you are a cool person 🙂
It does’t matter if you live in Las Vegas or Miramichi, yes it’s a real place, look it up! You can find something spooky to do in October. I challenge you to find some scary fun in your own hometown before Halloween.
The whole point of my blog is to encourage people to get out and do things, even if you think it’s dumb or lame; do it anyway. You may just have a great time?
In this post we’ll explore scary things in downtown Las Vegas; downtown Vegas is basically Fremont St and the surrounding areas.
Fear the Walking Dead
Our first stop is Fear the Walking Dead Survival on Fremont Street. We mustered up our courage to battle the undead; I decided two lemon drop pre-zombie martinis would help.
The entrance is on Fremont Street, just after the giant martini glass.
This was advertised as part escape room and part ride. Although I enjoy getting scared, I am not that brave, but was game to give it a try.
Waiting for our turn, Aaron, Staci and I.
I must say, I did feel a bit better having one of Las Vegas’ finest, Aaron, with us! He was aware that his sole purpose was to protect us if we got swarmed by zombies; and he seemed cool with that.
Right off the bat, they told us that the zombies weren’t allowed to touch us. I instantly felt braver. No cameras were allowed during our experience. I respected the rules. I didn’t want to risk pissing off our handlers and being fed to the zombies.
We were paired with a group from California, who appeared to have also had a few drinks, for extra courage, I am sure. I bounded quickly with Tracy, she was in front of me and told me I could hold onto her if I felt scared. It’s funny how quickly you bound with people when you are in a stressful situation. I totally used her as my shield…shhhh! Don’t tell her. lol
My new zombie fighting friends from California. Tracy is top right.
We entered and were scanned to make certain we weren’t already infected by the zombie virus. Once cleared, Aaron and I were separated from Staci. When we rejoined her, she was already best friends with Fireball and the other ladies in their group.
These guys made it fun, they were loud, rowdy, engaged and just plain awesome. Fireball, nicknamed by Staci, is bottom right.
We went through several rooms before sheltering in an elevator that led us to a truck or a helicopter, I was running for my life, I can’t remember what they said we were getting into. We were handed 3D glasses and guns. We shot like hell to make it out alive! This was the “ride” part of the experience; Staci and I yelled our heads off. It was a great stress reliever.
I am happy to report that no one got bitten; we all survived! It was a lot of fun, it lasted about 20 minutes ish.
It was very well done, but I do think that the people you are with are what makes this ride fun. I only saw a few zombies, but I was at the front of the pack. Aaron who was holding up the rear, said he saw more of them.
I would recommend this event to friends. It wasn’t crazy scary, which I liked, but there could have been a few more zombies. But all and all; I give The Walking Dead Survival, 3 black scardy cats out of 5.
Not ready to go home just yet; we went for a drink at the Artisan Boutique Hotel, located on West Sahara. It’s know for their after hours parties. During the week, it’s a quiet boutique hotel, and a crazy hot spot on weekends.
We survived!! Now off to a spooky old hotel.
This place is 100% haunted! We didn’t see any ghosts while there, but there is no way it isn’t haunted. It’s old, funky and fabulous.
We didn’t stay long enough for the after hours craziness, because we are old, but we did enjoy the cool vibe.
There was an altar right off the lounge…it has to be haunted!! The decor is goth chic.
The Haunted Museum
Next up on our downtown haunted tour is The Haunted Museum; it’s located on East Charleston Blvd. Because this is more of a museum, I wouldn’t recommend too many drinks prior. They tell stories, so you need to be quiet and listen.
So many scary things to see in Vegas…who knew?
You may be wondering if I believe in ghosts? Well I don’t not, not believe in ghosts, lol. I am a little afraid to say that I don’t believe; I don’t want to piss any off…just in case they are real and watching me. Better safe than sorry, right?
Is it weird that I like gargoyles? I think they are cool.
The Haunted Museum in Las Vegas, was created by Zak Bagan from the TV show, Ghost Adventures. He has collected “haunted” and super creepy items and placed them in a supposedly haunted house.
My friend Sean’s daughter and her friend were visiting from Canada, they were game for a creepy night, so off we went!
Here we are waiting in line to get in, ready for a good scare.
I find it’s always a good idea to do something scary with someone younger or slower than you; someone you can use a shield or “sacrifice” if shit gets too real, lol. With that in mind, my dates for the Haunted Museum were two 19 year olds and a late forty something year old male. Full disclosure, I am a late forty something female, but I am fairly sure, I could have out run him had things gone bad…sorry Sean; I would have absolutely called for help, once I was at a safe distance away though… you’re welcome!
As soon as we walked in this is what greeted us; nothing creepy about clowns and dolls. In the picture below, check out the first clown on the top left, tell me he isn’t the creepiest thing ever!! He is staring at you right now.
Creepy dolls….check, clowns…check, serial killer memorabilia …check!
Pictures and videos are not allowed inside the museum, but we were able to take a few pics in the lobby.
This place was 100% creepy; a tour guide led us through a series of scary rooms. I did make certain that I was never the first or the last person to enter or leave any of the rooms; that’s another helpful hint for you…you’re welcome.
I am not going to lie, in the second room, I did feel strange and a bit lightheaded, was it a spirit? I am not sure? But I powered through and only screamed once; it was more of a yelp than a real scream. I had warned our group, that I was a screamer.
We made it out alive and I so far nothing has followed me home! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to get a bit creeped out. It’s open all year round, but it’s a perfect October activity.
I am giving The Haunted Museum a 3.5 black scardy cat out of 5.
I would love to hear about your spooky activity, so please leave me a comment below. And as always, click on like, if you were at all mildly entertained.
Boo!
Liette
(I am also mildly entertaining on Facebook and Instagram too: oui-liette)
People often talk about the Canadian provinces as the “have” and the “have not’s”. The Maritimes; New Brunswick, Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island are often classified in the “have not” column.
We have long been the butt of a lot of Canadian jokes; and that is fine, with the exception of Newfies (people from Newfoundland), we are the funniest and nicest people in Canada. We can take the jokes because we know who we are and we know how lucky we are to call ourselves Maritimers.
What makes us Maritime AF and right awesome? Here is a short list!
Oh Canada! It all started here boy!
We are the birth place of Canada in more ways than one. The first Europeans to settle in the Americas did so in the Maritimes; first came the French and then the English (First Nations were already here).
Then on July 1, 1867 the Canadian Colonies united to become a Dominion; Canada was born. And where was the Confederation signed?? In Toronto? Ottawa? Nope, in the Maritimes; Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to be precise. Mmm I think that makes us Canadian leaders!
We know how to winter! (sorry for posting winter pics in the summer, I know it’s a no-no)
You know you are Maritime AF if you have survived a real Maritime winter. First of all let’s get one thing clear, anything under 30 cm (1 foot) of snow is considered a light dusting in these parts. And we don’t call the army to help dig us out when we get hit with a little snow, sorry Toronto, you’re never ever going to live that one down.
No, when we get hit with a NorEaster, we put our very best skidoo pants on and we dig ourselves out! (for my US friends: Skidoo is a snowmobile brand, it doesn’t matter what brand of snowmobile you have, we call it a skidoo. It is also used to describe things; skiddo pants are snow pants. And it can also be used as a verb, example: skidooing, meaning going for a ride on your snowmobile.)
Have you ever had to shovel the snow off your roof? If so, you are Maritime AF! Then after you are done with your roof, Maritimers help their neighbors; and yes we know our neighbors. Why are we so friendly? Because the next time it snows and we can’t open our screen door because the snow is too high and it opens outward; we know that they’ll come shovel us out. You don’t survive in these parts alone; are communities are strong.
A light dusting of snow in Moncton, N.B.
Have you skied, snowsheoed, gone slidding, skidooed & skated all in the same week? If so, you Maritime AF.
Winters here are long; too long to sit in the house and wait for spring, because sometimes spring doesn’t come, it goes right from winter to summer, lol. Maritimers make the best of winter!
Maritimers, not afraid of a little snow or cold!
Have you ever used snow to cool your adult beverages? If so you are Maritime AF!
No ice? No problem here!
Have you ever been in the forest and said to yourself either out loud or in your head, “I live in a freaking winter wonderland?” If so, you are Maritime AF!
There is nothing better than going for a walk after a heavy snowfall when the temperature is hovering on or around 0 degrees Celsius.That’s just hot enough to unzip your jacket and take off your toque; it’s magical.
Have you ever spray painted a snow bank? Yup Maritime AF!
My coworker Paul Dupuis and I painted a big maple leaf on the snowbank during the Vancouver Olympics to support Team Canada. Crosby, a true Maritimer, scored the winning goal…coincidence? Nope, Maritime AF! lol
The Best Summers Ever!
Just when you can’t take one more minute of winter, summer shows up! She is fickle, so we don’t take her for granted. As soon as she warms up, we are out in our shorts and flip flops.
We also tend to call a lot of things “she”; like summer, weather in general, boats, cars and a multitude of other things.
Have you ever heard someone say: “How’s she making her?” When said correctly, it sounds like: hoows shemakinger, it means how is your day going? Also very popular and Maritime AF is: “How’s she going?”, meaning how are you? And for a few extra points you can throw in a “boy” at the end: “How’s she making her boy?”, How’s She going boy?” The boy translates to friend and it sounds more like booy.
The Maritimes are so beautiful in the summer that it makes the 3 months of winter worth it…ok 4 months…fine 6; it makes the 6 months of winter worth it!
Just a regular Maritime beach day in May.
Catching a few rays on a sunny beach day in June! See, we are funny!!Summer! Which usually falls on the last week of July and first week of August. The best two weeks of the year!! Lol
We have salt water in our blood; when the sun is shining we flock to the ocean.
If you have gone swimming in the ocean on the May two/four weekend, you are Maritime AF!
Only in the Maritimes!
If you are in the Maritimes and say you are going on the island, you don’t have to specify what island you are talking about, “the island” is P.E.I. Anyone who has to ask what island you are referring to are obviously “from away”; which is how we describe people who are not from here. Used in a sentence: Where is he from? Meh, from away.
The Confederation Bridge or the Fixed Link connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. It spans 13km/8miles. It is def Maritime AF!
If this patched and re-patched road looks perfectly normal to you, you are Maritime AF.
If you don’t like the weather here, wait 15 minutes and it will change. The continuous frost and thaw does this to our roads. This road was most likely paved a year ago, lol.
Do you eat your lobster cold? If so, you are Maritime AF. Warm lobster is for sissies, a.k.a. anyone from Ontario.
Helpful lobster hint, if you buy cooked lobster and it isn’t on it’s back, you are buying it from amateurs. Keeping them on their backs keeps the juice from leaking out. You don’t want a dry lobster.
Have you ever had Roast Chicken Chips? No? Then you are definitely not Maritime AF. Another clear sign that you are not from the Maritimes, is that you have never heard of #stormchips. That is when they call for a big snowstorm and you go to the store to stock up on chips, it’s a thing, google it.
Speaking of weather, if you haven’t heard from Cindy Day, you aren’t Maritime AF! Who is Cindy? She was CTV’s meteorologist for over a decade. We liked to blame her when she got the weather wrong. Someone needed to be held accountable..right?
We also use the word “right”, right a lot, lol. Example: It was raining right hard last night. It can also be used at the end of a sentence to replace “eh”.
They are calling for a big storm, you have enough storm chips right?
Kitchen Party
And finally the very best part of the Maritimes are Maritimers! Whether it’s an Acadian tintramar for le 15 aout, or an Irish or Scottish Ceilidh with Gaelic music; where you can get your jig on (jig means dancing or get your grove on). You haven’t lived until you have been to a Maritime Kitchen Party, they are by far the most Maritime AF thing on this list!
photo credit to grob1993 from Instagram
I hope you enjoyed this post, if not, you are certainly not Maritime AF!! And we probably can’t be friends lol.
I want to hear what you think makes us Maritime AF, there are too many for me to list alone! Leave a comment below.
Feel free to click on like, it’s below my last pic, you can also follow me on Facebook and Instagram: oui-liette
And finally, sharing this post with your friends will give you instant Maritime AF street cred…just saying.
Muah!
Liette
Thanks to Kadopromo for my fancy hats! Need corporate branded swag? Check them out at: http://www.kadopromo.net
The title for this post was going to be: Girls Just Wanna Have Tea, but decided that Girls Gone Wild would get more attention, lol.
Helpful hints on how to throw the perfect tea party!
As we age, our birthdays become less important, it’s just another day really, right? If you are a mom, this feeling may be exasperated? You spend hundreds of dollars on your kid’s birthdays, when yours comes around, it’s easy to give into that feeling that it’s just another day…right?
Well this year, I decided that it isn’t just another day; I wanted to celebrate my birthday in style. I plan events for a living, I put so much time and energy into planning beautiful events for others; am I not worth the time and effort of a nice party? I decided that am absolutely worth it!
Here are a few tips on how to throw yourself the easiest and best birthday party ever!
Theme
I am not going to lie, I love a themed party. While I was attending an event at a hotel, I noticed that they had a fancy tea room. Mmm… fancy little finger foods and feather fascinators; I decided then and there that a tea part with my best girlfriends would be the perfect theme!
Invitation
Your invitation sets the mood of your party, it’s the first glimpse that your guests will get to what kind of party to expect. There are so many different templates out there online. Feel free to send e-vites; I prefer printed invitations with colorful envelops and a customized message to each guest.
I found this image and fell in love with it. It was exactly what I wanted my party to represent!!
Location
Here is a helpful hint from a party planner; you don’t always have to host your party, or our children’s party, at your house! It adds so much stress and work, the cleaning, the shopping, the cooking…it’s a lot! And since this was my party, I wanted something easy. I wanted to just show up and then leave and have someone else clean up.
I reserved two tables at the Mandarin Orient Hotel Tea Room on Las Vegas Blvd. My friend Claudia’s birthday is the day after mine, so we decided to celebrate together. She would host her friends at her table and I would host mine at my table. I am pretty sure my table was more fun! 🙂
Party Favors
I think sending guests home with a thoughtful party favor is a very nice touch. And if you attach a thank you note, you won’t have to send a thank you card afterwards. And yes, I do think if people come to your party and give you a gift, you need to formally thank them.
Select something that goes with your theme, since I was having a tea party, I decided that I would give out tea cups. I went to a thrift store and found old china cups, they were $0.99 each! I loved that they were all different shapes and colors.
I bought these colorful macaroons from the same bakery that did our cake, oh wait till you see the cake! Pink, yellow and orange were a perfect color scheme for our favors! I placed them in the tea cups, wrapped them in cellophane with the thank you card and voila! The perfect tea party favor!!
The hardest part of putting these party favors together was resisting the urge to “test” the Macaroons. I would suggest getting a few extras, just in case you accidentally “crack” any… and then have to eat them.
My thank you tags matched the invitations; I perforated them and attached them with a ribbon. I think, they turned out beautifully and were super easy!
The Party!
My co-hostess and I, ready to greet our guests with our fancy fascinators. Not that it was a competition, but my fascinator was clearly bigger than hers, bigger is better right? If you can’t wear a big bouquet of beautiful feathers on your head on your birthday in Las Vegas, I am not sure where else you could! Life is short, go for it!
I was responsible for the party favors, Claudia was responsible for the flowers. Find a friend and split the work, you don’t have to do everything yourself. She picked up a few bouquets from Trader Joe’s.
She arranged the flowers in mason jars, they added a special touch to our garden tea party. Most restaurants will let you bring in your own flowers and decorations, just let them know ahead of time.
The dishware and food at the Mandarin were beautiful and delicious! This was my very first tea party, turns out I don’t actually like tea, but loved all the trimmings! This theme would also be perfect for a baby shower, any reason to get together with your girlfriends. Most cities have tea rooms, google it. If you do want to host a tea party at your house, it’s easy to make bite size sandwiches, go to your favorite bakery and have them create an assortment of sweats for you!
The best part of the party, was spending the afternoon with friends! I must say, I have an amazing group of ladies!
The cake!
No party would be complete without a birthday cake. We brought in our own, yes, most restaurants will let you do that as well. Our custom cake was from Drago Sisters Bakery on Rainbow St in Las Vegas. It had a lemon and strawberry layer with with a butter cream frosting and it was divine!
As we pondered on what to wish for before blowing out our candles, I was thankful for my fancy tea party with great food and even better friends!
What I hope that you take from this post is that you don’t have to make everything from scratch, you don’t have to host at your house and you can ask a friend to help! The goal of every party is to enjoy the time spent with your loved ones. Please make certain you are present and in the moment!
Thanks for reading, hit like if you like, share and subscribe if you are so inclined!
