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My Life In Photos

January has been a cold and snowy month. The cats have become our shadows more than normal since they tend to want more cuddles while it's colder. We've been spending a lot of nights in playing Scrabble, watching movies, and playing video games. It's been quite enjoyable and cozy.




Logan is always interested in helping when I'm filling catnip toys. These were still empty but he knew the catnip would be coming.

 

I ordered some tea for a Winter pick me up.


I've been baking quite a bit this month and I was excited to pull out my icing colours again for a recipe. I need to dye more things!


To keep up with exercising more regularly, I picked up a yoga mat (yes, an Orla Kiely one from Target!) and have started doing yoga again. I feel so good afterwards. I love how it stretches you out completely. And it's incredibly relaxing until a cold cat nose touches your bare skin.


Thrift store finds.

 
I've been enjoying the pretty sunsets after cold Winter days.


On a recent walk we spotted the moon in a picture-perfect blue sky. And don't let this sky fool you, it was -20 degrees Celsius out.


How was January for you?
xo Jen
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Crafty Updates

My life has become filled with sewing projects again, which I love. I took December off from sewing since I was so busy at work and with holiday plans. But my first comic convention of the season is in March and I want to keep my Etsy shop updated, so a lot of free time is spent in the craft room. 

I love the days I spend in the craft room. My craft room (which is also the guest room) is one of the coziest places in the house to me. I have a TV in there so I can watch Gilmore Girls and Logan typically hangs out on the bed. And there's fabric everywhere!



I ordered some new fabric which I'm so excited to work with!


Photographing finished items for Etsy. 


I have a lot of catnip kitty kickers for sale right now, though, I do have more to add. 


Some recent items in my shop:

There's more pouches and cat toys to be added to my shop so watch out for those over the next week! 

xo Jen
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Retro Gaming

Over at IGGPPC, our January round theme is 'Retro Gaming' and we've been having numerous discussions about games we grew up playing. This conversation has found its way to Adam so we've been discussing games we loved playing growing up too. It's been a fun trip down memory lane. Though, we do play older games sometimes and have some installed on our Wii and Playstation 3 so it hasn't been that long since we've played some of them. 

My first experience with the Nintendo Entertainment System was at my Aunt and Uncle's. They had Super Mario Bros., Bubble Bobble, and Super Dodgeball. I remember playing all these games vividly. I was hopelessly addicted to Bubble Bobble and this love transferred over to Bust-A-Move when I was in high school. 

Bubble Bobble

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Then came Super Nintendo. It was the first system my parents bought for us and it transformed our lives. I remember playing Super Mario World, Turtles in Time, Zombies Ate My Neighbors, Mario Kart, and Donkey Kong Country all the time! We spent countless hours playing these games. It was definitely something that helped bond me and my brothers. There's nothing like team work to help siblings get along. 

Turtles in Time


But my favourite gaming system, Nintendo 64, came out during my preteen years, though, that didn't slow me down from playing it forever really (let's be honest, we have our N64 still set up). This system was made for households with more than two children. Me and my two brothers could all play at the same time. There was no 'the person who lost (usually me) passes the controller'. We were thrilled with multiplayer games or multiplayer options in games.One of the first games we got for the system was Diddy Kong Racing and it feels like I played that for half of high school.  I spent the other half of high school playing Goldeneye and Perfect Dark. I spent many afternoons and evenings in the living room playing multiplayer rounds, missions, and challenges in those two games. Then there was Super Smash Bros., Bust-A-Move, and Mario Party. Do you remember the blister you'd get on the palm of your hand from playing Mario Party? That toggle was the death of my hand.

Look at those sweet graphics in Goldeneye!

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Perfect Dark is easily one of my favourite video games ever!

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This Saturday is the last day to sign up for a pen pal over at IGGPPC for the Retro Gaming round. And shhh... I'm pretty excited to pair pen pals so I can see what games get listed under 'geek loves'!

What video games did you grow up playing? What would be your favourite?
xo Jen
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What I'm Loving Now

This week wasn't the greatest for me. I fell earlier in the week while ice skating and I've been left with a nasty bruise on my knee that makes me cringe every time something touches it, work has made me frustrated, and I haven't been feeling the healthiest. It's almost like a cold is just starting to brew inside of me. Either that or this dry weather and heat pumping indoors is making my nose and throat hurt.

So besides work, sewing, and IGGPPC duties, I've spent a lot of time this week watching TV and reading.

Once Upon A Time

Like I stated in my earlier post this week, I started watching OUAT again. I quickly got addicted to Season two and flew through all the episodes. Bringing Hook and Neal back into the storyline made things interesting and I really enjoy both of their characters. If you've seen Season two, you know how the last episode ends so I clearly had to start Season three right away. I'm already five episodes in and I'm loving Neverland. I'm guessing I'll be glued to my television all next week with sewing projects in hand and OUAT on.

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Veronica Mars: The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line

I received this book a few months ago but didn't pick it up to read until recently. I've been spoiled with audio books and I find I don't pick up many novels to read anymore. If I'm going to read an actual book, it tends to be a comic trade. But I knew that the next Veronica Mars book was coming out soon so I figured I should finally read the first one by Rob Thomas. 

It was SO good. I heard all the characters' voices in my head while reading it. And Rob's writing was perfect. It was like a more mature episode of Veronica Mars. Once I hit about half way through the book I was very hooked. I went from saying I was going to read for 10 minutes to reading for an hour. My bedtimes kept getting pushed back since I couldn't put the book down. If the first book was any indication, I'm thoroughly looking forward to the next one - Mr. Kiss and Tell, which just came out this week. 

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I unfortunately have a short shift to work later this afternoon but I'll be sure to get in some OUAT later tonight. 

Have a good weekend!
xo Jen
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Reading Challenge

In the past couple of years I have started reading a lot more. My renewed love for reading came from all the new comic book series that have come out and that I was introduced to (Runaways, Lumberjanes, Ultimate Spider-man, etc.). As well as being introduced to audio books. Because of these things, I read every day.

I came across the Goodreads site through IGGPPC. I didn't use it much at first but it's become one of my favourite sites (and app!) over the last few months. It is the perfect site to search for books, whether by genre, author, most popular, etc. and it's ideal to keep to-read lists. I used to keep a note on my cell phone of books to check out. Now I just add them to my Goodreads account.

Over the last month I've noticed friends on Goodreads making reading challenges for 2015 so I decided to set a goal as well. I set my own reading goal for 25 books. I considered doing the 50 book challenge but because I don't log the individual comics I read, I thought 25 books or comic trades would be attainable. So on top of the books and graphic novels I keep track of on Goodreads, I'll also be reading 5 individual comics on average weekly.

I appreciate all book recommendations and I'm open to a lot of genres, though I've been partial to Young Adult over the last year or so.

These are a few books that I'm looking forward to reading this year:

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews

I picked up the first four books in this series at a thrift store this past weekend. My Mom has always talked about this series and how she really enjoyed reading it so I thought I'd give them a go and then pass them on to her to read again.

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Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

I have loved everything I've read from Rowell. And her next book that's out this year focuses on the fanfiction characters from her book, 'Fangirl'. I'm so excited!! 

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Winter by Marissa Meyer

This is the fourth book in The Lunar Chronicles and I cannot wait to continue with the story. I was glued to the first three books in the series and I'm so looking forward to this one. 

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What book are you enjoying or looking forward to reading?
xo Jen
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Style Inspiration

I'm giving Once Upon A Time (OUAT) a go again. I started watching it years ago when it first aired. I really enjoyed it, but during the second season I moved and I just couldn't keep up with the episodes as they aired so I gave up. Recently I've been hearing a lot about this show again. A chunk of my Twitter feed and one of my best friends keep talking about it. So I thought I'd try watching it again. Plus, it's a bit easier now since it's a few seasons in and I can marathon the earlier seasons. I'm now three episodes away from finishing season two and I'm thoroughly enjoying the storyline and most of the characters.

Ginnifer Goodwin has always been an actress I liked (she's my favourite sister wife from Big Love). So I quickly liked and started to cheer for Snow White/Mary Margaret on Once Upon A Time. Ginnifer is adorable and she portrays such a sweet, honest, caring, and brave character on OUAT. And to top off her adorableness, she has a wardrobe I'd like to raid!

Her wardrobe is filled with feminine and soft styles and also some menswear-style clothes. I just adore her outfits. The coats, scarves, and hats they layer her in are also lovely.

 
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I'm excited to keep watching this show and see how the story and characters continue to develop. Do you watch OUAT?
xo Jen

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Yoshi's Cookie Cookies

There are some changes happening over at IGGPPC for 2015 and it's all very exciting! So in the spirit of doing more activities and getting members more involved, I'm going to be taking over the baking and cooking activities on the site. Which means I'm back to cooking up fandom recipe ideas (get it? haha). I'v decided to make and share a fandom recipe every month based on whatever that month's theme is. 

This month's theme is Retro Gaming and the recipe options are virtually endless. I ended up making something that I've considering doing in the past - Yoshi's Cookies cookies. When I was making fandom recipes before, Adam suggested trying this but it seemed overwhelming. But after a bit of research and brainstorming I figured out a way to make them. 

I choose to make a cake mix cookie over classic sugar cookies for two reasons - 1. I've been very busy lately and making classic sugar cookies didn't appeal to me since they are a full afternoon process and 2. The cookies in Yoshi's cookies cover art look puffier than a flat sugar cookie.

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Yoshi's Cookie

Cookies:
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 package French Vanilla Cake Mix
The cookie cutters I used:

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Farenheit.
2. Combine butter, egg yolks, and vanilla extract in a large bowl. Blend in cake mix gradually. At this point, my rings were removed and I worked the cake mix in with my hands until the dough wasn't sticky.
3. Roll dough to 1/8 inch thickness on lightly floured surface. Cut with cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheet. 
4. For cookies in donut shape, sprinkle a mix of sugar and cinnamon on the cookie before baking. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until edges are light golden brown.
5. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet and then remove cookies to cooling rack. Once cookies are cooled, it's time to decorate. 


Decorating:
Piping gel
Icing colours - purple, green, red, and yellow


Add the appropriate icing colour to a tablespoon or so of piping gel. Mix well and then either with a spoon or piping bag, make circles, squares, or hearts on your cookies. I found blending the gel with a spoon worked well. I made the brown colour with the leftover purple I had and some yellow and red gel added in. 


I played around with a lot of ideas for the centres of the cookies. I felt that coloured icing wouldn't be shiny or vibrant enough. I considered using jam or jelly but the idea of buying and opening three different jars didn't sound like a good idea to me. Plus the centre wouldn't really set and I wouldn't be able to stack them up nice in a tupperware container. This is when I though of the container of piping gel in my cupboard. I could manipulate the colour easily, it was inexpensive in case I messed up anywhere, and it would give the shiny texture I wanted. 

I really love how they turned out! They are a yummy, not too sweet cookie and I love how they look set up like a Yoshi's Cookie level. I've shared the recipe over at IGGPPC and I'm super excited for next month's recipe already (it's a secret!!). I'm also planning on doing another live bake-along in February which should be fun. 

Have you tried any fandom recipes? 
xo Jen
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Review: Catpax


A couple of weeks ago I opened up our mailbox to find a large box inside... My Catpax subscription box was inside! They sent me their December box to review and I was super excited to open it up with the kitties! My review is over on IGGPPC as well!



The Catpax monthly subscription box contains kitty toys, treats, and care products. But one of my favourite things about this particular subscription box company is that 10% of their proceeds go to cat rescue groups. They give back to help other kitties! From their site: "CATPAX is dedicated to helping cats everywhere. We pledge a portion of our proceeds to great cat shelters, rescues, and other groups around the country." So not only are your own cats getting a treat, but you're helping other cats in need.


The box I received contained two bags of treats, a pack of cat toys, and some grooming wipes. I was especially interested in the grooming wipes since I haven't tried many care products on my own cats.



Banzo Bits by True Treats Pet Bakery
Turkey Treats by Red barn


Felted Holiday Balls by LoveLolaDesigns
Body & Paw Wipes by JohnPaulPet

The felted balls were a great and simple toy! One of Logan's favourite toys ever has been a felted strawberry that I received in a craft swap years ago. He stole it and it's been the toy he carries around with him everywhere (that is when he can find it). These felt balls are nice and light and Logan's been carrying them around the house. 




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Movies Watch List

At the beginning of a new year, I love looking up what movies are coming out during that year. I get excited knowing when a movie I'm looking forward to seeing will be out in theatres. I make future dates in my head that surround holidays and birthdays. Like Kingsman: The Secret Service will be an ideal Valentine's Day date and Ant-Man might be the movie I pick to see when we celebrate my birthday.

Since the year has just begun, most movie trailers out right now are for the first half of the year. Though, I do know of some movies that come out late in the year that I'm very excited for. As of right now, this is the list of movies I'm very excited to see in the theatres this year:

Kingsman: The Secret Service
It's based on a comic book and has a fantastic cast. Need I say more?!

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Avengers: Age of Ultron
The first Avengers movie was incredible. I'm so excited to see how the next one is.

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Star Wars - The Force Awakens
Like other Star Wars fans, I'm super curious and excited to see how this movie is. The trailer proved to be impressive and exciting so I'm hoping it'll be amazing.

Ant-Man
I don't know much about Ant-Man but I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd and the trailer looks fantastic.

Pitch Perfect 2
I loved the first movie! I cannot wait to see this one and laugh and sing along!

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Jurassic World
Dinosaurs and Chris Pratt!

Inside Out
Did you see the trailer?! It looks so cute and funny! The voice cast is great and the concept is really interesting.

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Paper Towns
I really enjoyed this book by John Green and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie adaptation.

Jem and the Holograms
My childhood, the hair and makeup in real life, and Juliette Lewis. This needs no other explanation.

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The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
As a huge fan of this book trilogy, I'm excited to see how they wrap up the last book.

There are a few more movies that look interesting and have peaked my interest but we'll see if they're movies I'll watch in the theatre. What movies are you looking forward to?
xo Jen
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