hotel review: anchor inn, twillingate, NL

so we stayed at the anchor inn last night. we had booked a site at a campground, but changed our minds when we heard thunder and saw lightning. we were eating at their restaurant for supper, and the power went out! the chef couldn't see the food as it was pitch black in the kitchen. j ran out to the truck and brought back our headlamps and lanterns for the kitchen staff to use. they were pretty grateful. i ended up pouring tartar sauce all over my salad because i couldn't see what it was. oh my. 

price: average for the area. around $105 per night, no breakfast
bathroom: umm, pink and old
pool: none, but right on the harbour.
breakfast: none!
tv: yes, but the reception was dicey
location: sweet for twill. there are tons of things to do right around there.
parking: plenty, free.
notes: so the windows don't open in the rooms. the room was soo stuffy. also, the food at the dining room is amazing. we have tried a lot of their menu, and it is for sure the best food in twillingate.

it's friday

(picnic supper earlier this week)

this week has been a blur. no matter how organized we have been with the wedding planning, there are so many loose ends to tie up in the days leading up to next saturday. there are lists to finalize, seating charts to verify, suits to alter, gatherings to attend, work to do. i can see why some people take the week before their wedding off from work. it wasn't really an option for j and i since we are taking our honeymoon right after the wedding. i am more than lucky to have my sister and mother (aka florist and wedding planner/stylist) putting so much time into this. 

j has planned a mini getaway for us this weekend. we have to work right up until we leave next week, so i feel like we need a little chill time this weekend. life is good. 

brownie cookies with brown sugar vanilla cream filling

i decided to make these for a get-together tomorrow night. i usually edit recipes so much to make them healthy, but not this time. these are unhealthy. and really good. i used this recipe, but they came out quite a bit flatter. the brownie cookies are super rich. i'd eat them all on their own. so looking forward to a little girl time on friday night.

notes:
-i don't have a stand mixer, but apparently that makes these cookies less flat
-i made my own confectioner's sugar by whizzing brown sugar and a touch of corn starch in my food processor for a few minutes
-i made my own chocolate using this recipe

wedding wednesday?

sometimes you have your wedding all planned out, booked, and ten days (yes, for real) from the event, you find a better ceremony venue. it is better in a few ways. it is near the water. there has never been a wedding there before. it has lots of flowers everywhere. it is 5 minutes from the reception site. this is happening. i am actually thrilled. the truth is that i don't even really like golf, so getting married on a golf course was never too appealing to me (or j). 

one year in newfoundland, in numbers

exactly one year ago today, we moved from nova scotia to newfoundland

8 trips to st. john's
1 trip to fogo island
2 trips to halifax + 1 unplanned weekend there
1 week in mexico
1 ski weekend at marble mountain
1 weekend on pei
1 trip to new brunswick
1 week in las vegas
1 camping weekend in comfort cove
4 cancelled work days due to snow
1 freezer full of moose meat
1 moose accident in our car
6 months straight of snow and below zero temperatures
1 wedding planned over email/texting/facebook/skype/phone
50 000 km on our vehicles