20 + NEW YEAR’S EVE TRADITIONS from Around the World!>>a fun read!

Happy Happy New Years Eve =) !

Today I got to thinking I need to go grab my good ole black eyed peas & cabbage for the lucky New Years day meal and then thought to myself, I wonder what other crazy things/ traditions people do around the world.

And before I get into that, you might be wondering how  black-eyed peas & cabbage (and sometimes ham too) came about?!?!?

The Black-eyed pea

Well according to  Galioano, “The oldest explanation for this tradition I found is on Wikipedia. According to Wikipedia, the tradition dates as far ancient Egypt. During the time of the Pharaohs, it was believed that eating a meager food like black-eyed peas showed humility before the gods, and you would be blessed. According to Wikipedia, the Babylonian Talmud, which dates to 339 CE, instructs the faithful Jews to eat black-eyed peas at Rosh Hashana. The belief was similar: those who ate black-eyes showed their humility and saved themselves from the wrath of God”(n.d., p.1).

The Cabbage:

“Cabbage and collard greens both represent “green” money in New Year’s tradition, but, historically, cabbage was eaten for health benefits. Cabbage was eaten by everyone from Caesar to the Egyptians to aid in digestion and for nutrition, later for the prevention of scurvy. Aristotle, the philosopher, ate cabbage before drinking alcohol to keep the wine “from fuddling his prudent academic head.” I wonder why we don’t eat it on New Year’s Eve? Eating collard greens isn’t too far off from Caesar and Aristotle. The ancient cabbage those guys ate was probably closer to kale than our modern cabbage ” (Galiano, n.d., p.3).

The Ham:

“In the south and other poor areas, pigs were considered symbolic of both health and wealth, because families could eat for the entire winter on the fatty meat one pig produced. Having pork could mean the difference between life and death in a really cold winter.

Pigs have also long symbolized progress. A pig can’t turn his head to look back without turning completely around, so it’s believed that pigs are always looking to the future. They fit in perfectly with other New Year’s” (Galiano, n.d, p2.)

source: Galiano, A. (n.d.). Black-eyed peas for New Years Luck. Retrieved from http://littlerock.about.com/od/festivals/a/Black-Eyed-Peas-For-New-Years-Luck.htm

Other Traditions from Around the Globe

Russia: one tradition involves writing a wish down on a piece of paper, burn it, put the ashes in your champs (champagne glass =) and drink it up RIGHT BEFORE THE NEW YEAR IS RUNG IN for the wish to come true…

Peru: “Peruvian New Year’s traditions are a dime a dozen, with everything from wearing new clothes and lighting candles to writing down wishes, all practiced with the intention of bringing good luck for the upcoming year. One of the most interesting of these is the tradition of foretelling the next year’s fortunes with the use of potatoes. According to the tradition, three potatoes are placed under a chair or sofa– one peeled, one half peeled and one unpeeled. At midnight, one potato is chosen at random, which forecasts the state of next year’s finances, with the peeled potato signifying no money, half-peeled a regular year and unpeeled a great financial bounty in the year ahead”.

Philippines: Some peeps in the phillipines open all the windows and doors in the house on NYE to allow negative vibes to flow out and allow good energy to enter!

Spain: consume 12 GRAPES just before the clock rings midnight and you will have food fortune for the next 12 months!

Puerto Rico: to piece out the evil spirits, some Puerto Ricans throw a cup or bucket of water out the window on New Years to help drive away evil spirits. Or you could also gall  backward into a wave as the clock strikes 12 (could be tricky… what if a wave is coming your way right a midnight?!?)

Brazil: Brazilians might be known for ringing in the New Year on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Beach, but another major component of the celebration in the country is wearing white!. Wearing white is suppose to bring GOOD LUCK! This is often accompanied by a trip to the beach to throw flowers in the sea while making a wish.

Or jump seven waves for good luck (one for each day of the week =)

source: Directly from International Business Times

Australia: walk through the streets banging on pots and pans loudly at midnight

Chile: eat a spoonful of lentils for a year filled with work and money

OR ONE OF MY FAVORITE….  Walk around your block with an empty suitcase for a year full of travel!

El Salvador: crack an egg in a glass at midnight and leave it on the window will overnight. Whatever figure it has made in the morning, that what your fortune will bring next year…

Source: directly from  BuzzFeed

And a few Unusual Traditions…

Romania: Romanian farmers believe that the animals gain a power of speech during the New Year ’s Eve and that it’s a bad omen if you figure out their speech, and if not then it’s a good luck. Now that’s quite weird!

Ireland: New Year’s Day, which is known as the Day of the Buttered Bread in Gaelic, is traditionally marked in Ireland by banging loaves of bread . According to old Irish custom, banging bread on the walls, scare away evil spirits

South Africa: Tossing furniture out of windows has become a tradition in the South African city of Johannesburg

Siberia: Now this is totally spine chilling! In Siberia, a hole is cut in a freezing Lake Baikal. Then a person has to dive inside the chilly waters with a tree

North Carolina: The Possum drop is celebrated in North Carolina, where the furry animal is slowly lowered from a height on the audience when the countdown for the New Year begins. The caged possum is then set free  (eeek, I am not a fan of the Possum)

Peru: In Peru, villagers stage a fight to bring in the new year. They celebrate by punching their neighbours to settle old disputes.

Edinburgh, Scotland: It’s called Hogamanay celebrations, where the Scottish Vikings parade the streets of Edinburgh with a fiery torch in hand.

Germany: It’s a tradition in Germany to watch an old British comedy sketch called ‘Dinner For One’ every year on the New Year’s Eve. Imagine the same sketch every year!

Thailand: Locals in Thailand bring out their water guns and balloons for a three-day water-fight. The festival is called Songkran and is celebrated in April, which is the New Year in Thailand. Not gonnna lie, been to Thailand and love, even more so now that they have a 3-day saga water fight =)

Argentina: where pink underwear to attract love

Source: Directly from indiatimes

I hope everybody has a safe & HAPPY New Year celebration!!

-K. B.

Simply Smile Sunday: a collaboration of awesomely funny YouTube videos for your morning!

GooOoOood Morning!!

This Sunday I am trying something new. My goal, to make you simply smile/laugh on the very last sunday of the year (at least one of the videos will do the trick) =)

 

And here we go!

)

Happy Sunday =)

Kel

Saltine Cracker Toffee

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite holiday treats. In reality, the treat is perfect for anytime of the year because it is soooo EASY, but I usually bust this recipe OUT during the holidays to bring to family gatherings, holiday parties and handout to the neighbs =)

Why might you ask is Saltine Cracker Toffee the perfect holiday treat?!?

–simple>>> only 4 ingredients

–quick>>> from start to finish only 30 mintues!

–inexpensive>>> the 4 ingredients won’t  break the holiday bank

– OH SO TASTY!!

Ingredients: (prep 15min & cook 15min)

• 1.5 sleeves of saltine crackers
• 1 stick (4 oz) butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. Crush any remaining crackers into small crumbs and set aside for now.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don’t worry as the toffee will spread in the oven.

4. Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with the reserved crushed crackers.

6. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand, and enjoy! Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe from aboutfood

Enjoy!!

Kelley

5 Things To Consider When Choosing a Photographer+ Montreal Wedding Pics

Good Morning Ladies & Gents!!

The day has finally arrived ….. Our wedding photos are back & I’m ready to share below=) =) YAY!!!  But first, I want to tell you about….

~FIVE SIMPLE THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER~

( or really any photographer for that matter)

1) Communication..now this may seem overtly simply, but communication is key, especially when you are planning a wedding out of the country like I was. There are many different forms of communication such as in person, over the phone, text, email, social media, but the way in which a potential photographer reaches back out to  you matters.. at least it made the world of difference for me.. I will tell you that I filled out at least 10 Canadian photographers questionnaire on the same day, but only one actually called me when all of them asked for my number via their contact page. Now, did the  rest just email back because they didn’t want to pay the long distance fee or did they prefer email because it’s quicker (I don’t know), but the point is my photographer, John Koo @ John Koo Photography, knew it was going to take a phone call to see if we would be right fit for each other.

Now, I know what you might be thinking… “Seriously, it’s not like your are going to marry your photography”, but he was only one of 8 people sharing my wedding day & going to be all up in my face for a good portion of it….sooo it was imperative that we were on the same page and liked what each other had to say.

2) Style of the Photographer: again you might think nowadays anybody with a decent phone and an instagram filter can probably take a good picture, BUT you don’t plan on just having a good wedding… no you want a BADASS wedding with BADASS photos and there is always a certain style your going for. Even though Steven King is a  famous author you obviously aren’t ever going to be reading his next greatest love story, cause that’s just not his style and it would most  likely end up all Shakespeare and tragic.Whether it be traditional, modern, country or perhaps unconventional like myself, your photographer needs to be able to capture what you going for. I suggest looking through their online portfolios, reading about how they describe their own style and see if you feel like their pictures capture what they have described about themselves.

3) Price:  so price of course is always a factor and all I have to say here is that you might not fit into a photographer’s standard “Wedding Package”.  For instance, I did not plan on flying to Montreal to get engagement pictures or bridals taken, and my wedding of 8 including the photographer was not an all day affair. Now let’s just say even if my wedding would have been local, I still wouldn’t of gotten bridal portraits because I never planned on framing just a picture of me in my dress on my wall.. not really my style. So I would just like to point out that price should depend on your needs/wants.  Luckily, my photographer already knew I was rather unique bride after talking on the phone and John was able to tailor a game plan for the big day without breaking the bank. Obviously don’t forget to ask about your rights to the photos,  can they be re-printed or do you have to purchase from the photographer ect–cause ya know Walgreens isn’t going to print any pics with a professional photographers emblem on there…it’s called against the law too… or so they have told me before..whoopsies=/

Oh & with all that being said, at the end of the day.…  don’t cheap out on your photographer! There is no need to break the bank, but don’t choose a photographer just because he is the cheapest!! Unless you get a videographer, those are the only captured moments you have to look back on of your wedding day and you don’t get a do-over … Unless you get re-married and well, that’s much more money and heartache then getting it right the first time 🙂

4) Organization:  so I think my photographer was more stressed out about this than me (cause basically I thought I could pretty much wing the timeline with only 7 people in attendance including Eric and I– I liked to throw out phrases such as 6:30ish for the ceremony), but luckily John got the ball rolling. Apparently somethings a  good photographer should have written down, on file ect. that I never even thought of includes  how long is the travel time from each local (bridal suite, ceremony, reception), how will the bride and groom be traveling (is there room for the photographer to ride if you want pics in the limo ect), is there traffic to be expected around this time, who MUST you have photographed  on the big day to feel like the job was well done (groom and great aunt , 2nd cousin first removed & bride who you may or may not ever get to see again ect) phone numbers of the bridal party including their schedule, how long will it take to get everybody corralled and moved to the next local…craziness right.

Moral of the story, the fact that John had me fill out all these detailed documents made me feel good that at least somebody new what the game plan was suppose to be and that he was taking accountability for it..One less thing I had to worry about =),

5)Timing: this factor is short and sweet.. How long do you have to wait after your photo sesh until you can start filling frames on the wall and sending out customized thank your cards with your sweet pics?!?!? Now, my contract clearly stated this element, but between working full time, going to grad school, doing clinicals for school and planning a wedding, I overlooked the fact that John gave himself a 3 Month cushion to beautify/edit pics… to his credit, I did get married during peak wedding season apparently —-5.10.14 <3— =) Now I’m not really sure what status quo is in this area, but I will say I am very pleased with the outcome and it was well worth the wait! However, if your not down for waiting that long , ya better talk this over beforehand! John did give me a few sneak pics quickly after so that sufficed for the time being

I asked John after the fact and he told me this: “The editing is about 2/3 of the time and shooting is only 1/3. There are different “editing strategies” and some photographers might only edit the top 100 or whatnot, however for me, I like to narrow things down and edit EVERY SINGLE photo. Also delivery times vary and during the peak wedding season, it can even take longer. Patience is key to get well edited photos that went through TLC” John Koo.

Wedding Crew:

(In attendance from left to right )

My Grandparents, Best Man, The Hubster, Me, Maid of Honor, Eric’s Grandma

The Deets:

Venue: Westmount City Hall, Montreal, Canada

Reception/Dinner : Maison Boulud at The Ritz Carlton, Montreal

Cake: Chocolate Mousse with Praline Cream by the Maison Boulud

Video of the area where we got married and took pictures!

(minus the first few pool shots of the Westmount Rec Center =)

Now Pictures!!

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Photographer

John Koo at John Koo Photography

(more pics here on his website)

The song I would of walked down the aisle to if I had ever gotten around to booking that string quartet….hehe

or if I would of booked the pianist…

What is the most fun song you have heard of or walked down the aisle to?!?!?

Happy Photographer Hunting!!

K.B =)

Sneak Peak of my Wedding Pics by Montreal photographer John Koo!

Hey Friends!

As most of you might know I recently had a destination wedding in Montreal, Canada (sooo much fun=). One of the many things I had to choose from afar was my photographer… at the time this seemed like a daunting task because I am very picky when it comes to my pictures, but I have to tell you I hit the jackpot with John Koo Photography. John took the time to call me up from Canada ( I emailed him, but he immediately called me to see what I was all about), discuss my plans (or lack there of as my wedding consisted of a total of 7 people [i was thinking, how hard can this be to plan a partay for 7 peeps] and I had some other distractions [e.g grad school and working full time]) and ultimately get a feel for what I was going for… (aka: awesome, creative, candid wedding photos).

With that being said, checkout some of the sneak peak pics  from our wedding

Thanks John =)

Kelley B.

2 seconds or less T-shirt folding Trick!

Hey fellow bloggers,

I know it has been a while , but I have to share my newest awesome trick I discovered on you tube!!! How to fold a t-shirt in UNDER 2 SECONDS!! Check it out:

Crazy cool right? Make sure you share this trick with your friends!

Kelley =)

The engagement story continues…

So as many of you recently discovered, I just got engaged last saturday, 11/2 ( see previous post first as this is a continuation)!!! I accounted for how it all went down, the awesomeness, the unexpected and well as Eric might say, the informal proposal (aka not down one knee because we were sitting side by side in a car).

After he proposed in the car, he told me all about his actual plan to propose over a sunset dinner in Thailand with a hidden photographer ( I gotta get my pics for scrapbooking =) Although that sounded pretty romantic , I  have to give him some major creative brownie blog-world cred for his next move…

Three days after we got engaged, ( 11/5)  he went to go get my ring appraised for insurance purposes. When he came home, he put my ring back on my finger, gave me flowers and popped a bottle of  champagne to officially toast our fam ( i guess the beer and mexican coca cola wasn’t really legit). Buuut, right before we were about to cheers to us (cheesy… maybe, but i love it=)

He gets down on one knee and proposes to me again (properly) with the matching wedding band to my engagement ring…

and now my unforgettable, perfect, engagement story is complete ❤

The future Mrs. Bouchard =)

The Engagement Story…

Hey Friends,

Eric and I our engaged!!! =)=) And this is how it happened…

The bf, or should i say, fiancee (in my frenchy french accent) knows me pretty darn well.  I mean, we have only been dating for five and a half years so its to be expected that he knows my quirks, likes, dislikes and did I mention at times inpatient tendencies =) One thing that he knew for sure is I had a certain ring pinned on my secret pininterest board for quite some time (pictured below)

but there were still some minor details that had to be decided when it came to this classic, timeless style I loved. For instance, size of the diamonds on the wedding band, how far the diamonds go around, the possibility of the pinched in effect near the diamond ect.

One of the many things I love about him is he knows I am particular and would thoroughly enjoy picking out my ring so he decided to include me in on the process… perhaps from a bit of encouragement from mi madre as well… and especially because he was being a pit pokey about  the process ( cough cough eh hem dating for 5.5 yrs and practically common law at this point since we live together =).

So, this past Saturday, 11/2/13, we planned to go ring shopping with the loose diamond he already had (apparently which he had been holding on to for quite sometime hidden away from me collecting dust..hehe  ) so I could pick out a band I loved and then have the ring made later.  We went into “Robbins the engagement ring store” which contains over 250+ styles and I pulled out my phone to show the lady my pininterest picture above. Susan Symers, the amazing sales lady, led me straight to the perfect band. I instantly loved it, but kinda wanted to see what the loose diamond would look like on the band.

Susan told me her favorite gemologist happened to be working that day and if I wanted, she could see if he could squeeze me in. Apparently this is pretty unheard of as there is usually a couple of weeks turn around time to make the ring, but Susan told me if I didn’t like for some reason, no worries.  So the ring creation process began,and man, it was it so stinking cool…

about 45ish minutes in… the ring went to the steamer to be cleaned.

Then Susan brings the ring out (not in the box), hands it to Eric and says, go ahead and put it on her finger.  Once the ring hit my finger,  Eric quickly knew I wasn’t to keen on taking it off anytime soon (I mean, can you blame me?!?!? =).

 

As soon as I danced out the door with the ring on and got in the car, I asked Eric if he wanted me to go ahead and put in back into the box. At that point, his plans of a proposal in Thailand (we are going in December, yay) were basically thrown out the window and he asked me in the car. And that my friends, is how an unexpected day of ring shopping turned into our engagement day!! =)

Oh and you might be wondering about the details of my band and how I finally decided. Well, I ended up going with a mirco pave white gold band which I didn’t even know it existed until that day (clearly, totally meant to be).  Susan told me the  desired effect of the mirco pave is to obtain an area that looks like it is paved with diamonds, with as little as possible metal showing… and well,  susan was speaking my lingo =)

 

And this is our selfy pic after we went to go see Eric’s mom (why I didn’t have her take a picture, I think I was still in shock) and toasted our unexpected engagement at a Mexican restaurant with a beer and authentic coke (we all know the ones imported from Mexico are sooo good). Also, I didn’t think about how I took the selfy with my left hand.. whoopsies =)

Happy Engagement Day to Us,

The future Mrs. Bouchard 😉

Save Time, Money and The Trees by RENTING TEXTBOOKS!

So I hope this is better late than never info, but I wanted to share my secret with you about my school textbooks. I have been using Chegg to RENT my textbooks since 2010 and I have saved SOOO much MONEY$$$ =)

How I go about it..

By far through my experience, Chegg and Amazon are the best money-saving options out there. To be prudent, each semester I compare the prices from buying my textbook from Amazon or renting it from chegg and more times than not it turns out that textbooks are cheaper to rent from Chegg (still check cause sometimes you can own the book for less from Amazon).

Other reasons why I like Chegg:

1) Chegg sends you friendly reminders when it comes close to the due date of your book and allows you to print out a FREE return slip. I usually save the box my book was shipped to me in, slap on the return label and call it a day come end of the semester

2) Chegg has many textbooks available in an e-version which is even cheaper and lighter =)

3) Chegg gives back and has helped plant over 5 million trees ( I ❤ trees)

4) Chegg provides you with options: rent, buy, sell return or refund the wrong book.. all easy and hassle free!

I hope this coming semester you will try out my Chegg/Amazon price comparison and save yourself some money! Also make sure to surf the web before making a purchase as they often have coupons floating around such as this one, Get 5% off textbooks.

Happy Savings!!

Kelley S.

Quizlet: a creative, mobile study stool for Students and Teachers!

For all of you who aren’t already aware of this, I am a chronic student. I like to collect degrees because I am fortunate  enough that others (thanks mom, dad and grand-parents) have given me the gift of free education =) and I am currently working on obtaining my masters degree to be a family nurse practitioner (FNP). One study tool that I recently discovered, (THANKS aunt Tracy!!) which is quite convenient and effective is Quizlet.

So what exactly is Quizlet?

Quizlet is a free website that provides learning tools for students (and teachers), including flashcards, study and game modes. It was created by high school sophomore in 2005 and now contains over 400 million study sets. All of the material is user-generated. You can study other user generated material or create your own!

Why do I like it?

I like quizlet because it has a FREE mobile application where I can get a quick study sesh in anywhere I have my phone such as  work, before I got to bed, dog park, the stair-master… ect. I create my own “study set” on the computer and then sync it up with my phone.  If you have a struggling student on you hands, home-school or teach, this application is a great tool to make learning easy, convenient and dare I  say fun with the games?!?! Maybe not fun exactly, but perhaps engaging and much more entertaining than the old book and high-lighter routine.  The quizlet application will also read out loud the study material which is PERFECT for anyone with a learning disability or the over-achieving kindergartner with minimal reading skills.

Also, if you just like to learn and are interested in a certain topic, you can search the Quizlet data base of other user-generated material to study!

Let me know what you think! Do you know of any other applications that aid in studying? I still have 2 more years to go so I am open to any suggestions =)

Kelley S.