Cubicle Makeover

Well, here are some spotlight shots of the recent additions to my cubicle. My camera batteries died before I could get some all-encompassing shots of my work area... I promise to get a few soon!   At which point I will do a before and after feature (just have to track down the before shots I took awhile ago).  All I can say is that having a warm, inviting and personalized work area does wonders for my attitude at work. I encourage everyone to do a little sprucing up now and then, especially if you're in a rut at work, it can have such a positive effect on your mood and productivity.

 Mouse pad covered with inspiring scrapbook paper

 Pretty Stamp tray - also covered with scrapbook paper

 Cheery Pencil Holder - Made from a tin can, scrapbook paper and ribbon

Framed photo of my love (and myself)

 I also added this beautiful potted Ivy plant that cascades down the side of my divider, Oh how I love it!

I also tidied up my bulletin board, but I think it needs a little something... I'm thinking bunting or some other pretty garland type thing? :)

Our office was re-painted, had new flooring put in and we re-arranged all of our desks and it still amazes me to this day what a difference it has made!  I was inspired to 'makeover' my cubicle as well because suddenly I no longer resided in a dull, generic and lifeless office.  Can't wait to have the before and after pics!

What I'm Up To Week #1

I came up with a new idea for a weekly feature on my blog called "What I'm Up To".  Basically, I will write a little list each week of the new things that are inspiring me and the little things activities that I'm engaging in.

What I'm Reading:
'The Conquerer' by Conn Igulden - This is the last book in a series about the Mongol conquerer Ghengis Khan and his family. This in a must read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction!

'You Are What You Eat' by Dr. Gillian McKeith  - Just started this one yesterday, so far I'm loving it

What I'm Listening To:
'Down the Way' By Angus and Julie Stone - I can't believe I've never heard of these two before, the are amazing and fit right into my listening style. I heard one of their songs on a Revenge episode last month and boy am I glad I tracked down the artist.

What I'm Watching:
TV Show - Revenge - The only new show worth watching this season (In my opinion)
Movies - Luke and I have watched all three Underworld movies in the past couple days. We needed to refresh our memories before going the see the new 3D Underworld: Awakening

What I'm Making:
I'm currently finishing up my cubicle makeover and will do a full feature post shortly :)  Here's what I've shown on my blog so far:

 Mouse Pad

Stamp Tray

I'm also using some of my new Christmas gifts: I made an adorable cardboard Giraffe from a set that Kaitlin gave me during my trip to Ontario

What I'm Eating:
Lots of Homemade Pizza!

What's Making me Smile:
Evernote: This is a free browsing aid that is similar to Pinterest, but even more practical. I am obsessed.  Please check it out here!

What's Inspiring Me:
'Small Things' Blog: Just wonderful, I can't even begin to describe the awesomeness of this blog!  This blogger  inspires me on so many levels: photography, homeschooling/parenting, knitting and on and on.  Check her beautiful blog out here.

Crafty Idea 15 - Stamp Tray

 Here is another sneak peak into my cubicle 'makeover' that I've been working on this week.  I went out and bought a tray to hold all of my stamps and somehow happened to pick one that fits them all, exactly, without any measuring. Anyway, it was plain old black and boring so I decided to spruce it up a little with some scrap book paper.  Now it makes me happy when I look at it :)

 I still can't believe how perfect the dimensions are.... 

Stay tuned for an upcoming post featuring the full office makeover

Gyoza Bento

We really found a treasure at the grocery store the other day!  Luckily for us we tried these AMAZING pork, vegetable and leek gyoza dumplings, and we can't get enough.  Of course I had to include them in a bento, dumplings are a perfect addition to any bento box.

 Luke's Bento: 6 vegetable, pork and leek gyoza, 2 hard-boiled eggs, edam cheese, spicy turkey meat sticks, baby carrots and mini-honey mandarins

My bento: 6 vegetable, pork and leek gyoza, spicy turkey meat sticks, edam cheese, mango pudding, baby carrots and cucumber

Homemade Pizza (on a store bought crust)

Toppings: Fresh tomatoes, white onion, Italian sausage, green pepper, olives, mozza, feta and Italiano seasoning.  Mmmmm Mmmmm Tasty

    Getting all of the ingredients ready...

A side of Greek salad

We always end up with a huge mound of toppings!

Winter Fun with Circus

   (Yes that is our Christmas tree.... it has since been removed ;)

    Here he is shaking off his paws, he does this for a minute before he adjusts to the cold

    Notice how he does not stray from the shoveled sidewalk :)  Luke does such an awesome job keeping the sidewalks clear!

    He suddenly decided to try rolling around in the snow....

   I don't think he liked it much :)

   This is one of Circus's favourite spots, and I love seeing him sit here

  A warm paw print in the cold snow

Crafty Idea #14 - Mouse Pad

This is the first of many 'cubicle makeover' crafts I will be featuring while updating my office space at work.

    After: Scrapbook paper + glue = Unique and uplifting Mouse pad 

    Before: A generic black mouse pad

Thai Slaw

Here is yet another recipe from the Kraft 'What's Cooking' magazine that I tried recently.  You can see the Thai Slaw recipe here.  This version of coleslaw was very fresh and filling, I ate this alone as a meal in itself and was quite satisfied afterwards.  I recommend eating this during the winter months because it is very colourful and 'summery.' It helped me escape the feeling of winter blahs for a few moments at least :)

Hot Pot

While we were in Toronto, we ate so many delicious and diverse foods!  We went to so many restaurants, both old favorites that we visit every year, and new ones that we don`t have the option of going to in Kelowna.  A new and exciting experience for me was having Hot Pot for the first time. Hot pot is a Chinese stew that you create right at your table.  

First, a steaming bowl of broth (in our case we had 2 kinds) is heated on a burner situated in the center of the table.  Next, you chose all of the various ingredients you`d like to add.  The fresh ingredients are brought out along with a huge selection of spices and sauces.  Finally, you add different combinations of food and spices into the boiling broth and wait while everything becomes tender and delicious.

Here is the wonderful selection of spices and sauces, my favourite was the peanut sauce.

We ordered a chicken and pork broth as well as Satay broth.

Our hot pot was filled with fresh salmon, lotus root, enoki mushrooms, chicken, dumplings, tofu, radishes, shrimp, mussels, and squid.

I had such a wonderful time, not only was the food delicious, fresh and surprisingly inexpensive, it was a very fun and involved experience.  I recommend everyone try hot pot at least once.