My 2014 New Years Resolution

This year my new year’s resolution is committing to processes. I have a couple big things I really want to work on so it is more of continuation of what has been working in 2013 and making a few more improvements. Improving my budgeting skills is a big one, nothing really interesting there. Crossing more firsts off my bucket list and travelling are more general things I want to do. 

My big one, the process for 2014 that I want to really commit to may sound a little silly but I say thing being completely serious, I want to quit snacking. Once a week, sure I will destroy some candy or maybe a bag of chips. But, over all I want to be done picking at food into the evenings and weekends. I have always done it, watched tv and plowed some nachos or popcorn. I feel like something is meant to be my hand (and about to go into my mouth) whenever I sit down in the evening. Its not a weight thing, I am totally fine with the calories; to me it is all about that control snacks have over me and destroying that weird feeling I get when I am not eating something casually while watching a movie or tv show. 

How do I plan on doing this? Well, this is the fun part. I am going to knit. Yes, I will be keeping my hands busy by knitting in my down time. The first project I am working on is a grocery tote; this is WAY more advanced than the last thing I knit which was a lop-sided dish towel. 

In 2014, I will knit and knit well (and not snack).

What is your New Year's Resolution for 2014? 

2013 Year in Review: Play-Doh Style

Nothing takes me back to childhood like the smell (and let’s be honest here, the salty taste) of Play-Doh.

This month the iconic children’s toy company released their epic look at 2013 created with Play-Doh. I can’t imagine how long this would take to put together, I always lost interest after about ten minutes, or as soon as two colors had permanently been merged into one chunk of Play-Doh.  I am pretty impressed by all it, especially the Royal Baby and Superbowl Blackout pieces.

Post by Play-Doh.

Post by Play-Doh.

Kate’s Favorite Things: Pinch Provisions ‘Minimergency Kit’

I love stockings, growing up we always got four stockings, one on Christmas Eve night when “Santa” would stop by my Grandmother’s house and each of us grandchildren would sit on his lap and be given a large man’s foot worth of candy, underwear, hygiene products and usually one cool thing to put a smile on your face. The next stocking would come Christmas morning after Santa had visited our home, this stocking would be filled with more fun items and candy.  The next stocking would come a little later in the day at our Great Grandparent Kinney’s house, usually these stockings were a little more boring than the first stocking and the only really interesting part would be to see who would get the coolest stocking (they were rotated around for a while until eventually each great-grandchild had a name on their stocking, killing the surprise). The last stocking of the Holidays would come on New Year’s Day with all of the “leftovers” from Santa’s Workshop or maybe some pretty sweet Boxing Day sale deals to ensure everyone ended up with the things they really wanted for Christmas.

Again, I love stockings. I love Christmas. This year I only was on the receiving end of one stocking. I filled a stocking for my boyfriend with all of his favorite things and his parents sent a stocking back from Calgary with him for me.

This was one amazing stocking; my boyfriend’s mother may just be the Queen of Stocking Stuffing. Everything in it was gold, including one of my new favorite things.  The absolutely brilliant Pinch Provisions Minimergency Kit (For Her of course).

Every item, big or small, was wrapped in this stocking so when I got to the ‘Minimergency Kit’ I had to stop and read the entire listing of exactly what it was, pure genius. The ‘Minimergency Kit’ truly is mini, measuring in at 3.5” x 2” x 2” and is home to 17 beauty and personal care items.

Here are just some of the emergency items included in this amazing little bag (pictured to the right):

-Breathe freshener

Picture from http://pinchprovisions.com/

-Floss

-Clothing mending kit (yes, a kit inside a kit)

-Lip balm

-A tampon

-Hair spray

-Clear nail polish

Yes, the Minimergency Kit is a BIG help for those tiny emergencies that seem to ruin everyone’s days. It is a little silly how confident it makes me feel just having it in my purse.

Naturally, loving my Minimergency Kit as much as I do I had to check its mother company our online, Pinch Provisions. They also make emergency kits (in mini and full size) for men, teachers, moms, back to school, hooking your wedding party up before the wedding, brides, grooms and sending your kid off to college (there may even be more).  They even sell refills for your kits too!

I think this is the perfect item to put in a stocking; it is one of my favorite things from this Christmas and an all-round brilliant idea from Pinch Provisions.

To find your future emergency solution visit Pinch Provisions here.

The Mystery Days Between Christmas and New Years

I started writing a blog the other day (before Christmas), when I was trying to get into the festive mood about my family's Christmas traditions (I need to finish it, it was getting pretty long). 

This being my first Christmas away from home there is a lot I miss, some of the things would be happening now, not necessarily during the lead up to Christmas. Neighbors dropping in for a drink to share some baked goods or sweets and see everyone's haul of presents. Boxing Day in my home town is a huge deal, we don't do Boxing Day shopping in my neck of the woods; we spend the day in the rink. Everyone who has played hockey for my High School's Hockey teams is invited to take part in grad games that make up a mini tournament and then everyone over 19 heads to the only bar in town and drinks all the eggnog they have.  

I am a staying in girl for New Year’s Eve, I have had my share of nights out but I have learned the most fun is when my siblings, cousins and my boyfriend all do a group activity like skating and then set some fireworks off in then the youngins go to sleep and us older kids settle in for board games and unhealthy food. 

To top it all off, New Year’s Day we wake to the icing on the cake presents-wise. Santa visits the children/big kids in the MacDonald and Bruce households with stockings full of his "leftovers" from the North Pole. 

Yes, to me it is all magical. I love the mysterious days between Christmas and New Year’s. 

Christmas Eve 2012: Merry Christmas From My Deathbed

That is what I would have said to you last year; being that it is Christmas I thought it would be a goodtime to reflect on last year's Christmas. Lots of people have told me how bad they feel that I had planned to be alone this Christmas. Well being alone is much better than the 48 hour sickness that hit me last Christmas. As much as I would love to be with my family for the Holidays, I hope to never turn into a helpless wreck over Christmas again. I seriously have never been as sick as I was last Christmas Eve/Christmas Day.

Last Christmas I was so sick with a bug this Instagram photo shows how I was propped up at my Grandparent's house on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day after an embarrassing incident that truly took me back to childhood or pushed me into old-age, it was decided I could be left home alone for Christmas Day rather than carted around to my Grandparent and Grandmother's houses. I would give you some sickness details but I am saving them for my book, it involves being incredibly stiff and immovable like a giant rock.

One thing I am very thankful for (though it was not a full-on traditional Christmas for me last year) is that was with family (and great dogs) last Christmas. I would be the most miserable person alive right now if I was sick like that again this year, I ended up returning the favour for my family taking care of me. My Boyfriend came down with the same gross sickness exactly a week later on New Year's Eve. On a side note, I would kill to have a dog right now, my entire night would have been spent dressing it up and taking pictures of it as if it were a small child. 

Mitch is in the box before the present is out of it!

This Christmas Eve has been spent, debating ordering Chinese food, watching Holiday Specials from the 90s, opening presents a little early and Skyping. A solid night and it is only 7:20pm! First I Skyped my lovely family in Nova Scotia and got to see them open their present from me. My Christmas gift to the Bruce Household was a Margaritaville machine, so they can have the tastes of the Islands at home! In typical kid fashion, my youngest cousin Mitchell was in the shipping box before my mother could even get the machine out. 

I then got to Skype my Boyfriend's family after they got home from church in Calgary. The Skyping is pretty fun, but I don't have much to talk about here. I am WAY more interested in what they are doing! 

The lovely flowers in a massive Christmas tree bulb sent
by 'Nova Scotia' aka Dad & Grammie.

Now I am off to continue 'Jingle All The Way', I had begun a weeping tribute to the Bruce familyChristmas the other day at work. My plans then changed and I was kind of left not knowing what to do with my previous words. Without the juicy details on a MacDonald-Bruce Christmas I was just about to get into, I think I will finalize that blog and roll it out tomorrow. 

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas Eve (and Christmas in general of course)!

Shake the Tree: Finale on Morning Rocks

We broke a record this morning on Morning Rocks. John and I played 'Shake the Tree' three times!


Here is our final winner for the 2013 tree shaking season, Rick. Rick managed to clear the prize tree out taking home a crazy Christmas haul. A big thanks to all of the prize sponsors and Maglio's for powering our prize tree this year. Until next December our tree is still and pristine (as a Christmas tree should be).

Viral Video: Peanuts Inspired Flash Mob in NYC

Check out this awesome video from New York City where the team from Mashable put together this
Peanuts style flash-mob. This is the latest video in my collection of viral holiday videos this year. I am not a huge fan of Peanuts, even as a kid I didn't really like Peanuts but the theme song takes me back to getting ready every morning for school and listening to the radio (hoping that school would be cancelled). 

Thank you Mashable for your dose of Christmas Cheer!

MORNING ROCKS: SHAKE THE TREE WITH GERRY

This morning on Shake the Tree Gerry went for the big win... and our Mountain FM prize tree went for a
fall. Now, no one here is calling Gerry a "Greedy Grinch" (that would involve too many Gs). What will we do with all our extra prizing? Who knows? This girl has a couple of winning ideas though! 

Be listening between 6am and 10am to Morning Rocks on Mountain FM (stream it live from the www.mountainfm.net home page) and have 1-877-560-1010 ready in your phone! Caller #9 at the cue to call could win BIG on the TGIF Holiday Edition of Morning Rocks! 

Viral Vid: Chuck Norris Wishes You a Merry Christmas

Yes, CGI Chuck Norris is out doing real life Jean-Claude Van Damme in today’s viral video. Let’s just take a moment and grasp the overall meaning of this video and appreciate that Jean-Claude Van Damme is still totally awesome (and real), CGI Chuck Norris and his acrobatic team are show offs. With that being said, if you see a Christmas tree floating above you in the sky with two accompanying airplanes just know it is Chuck Norris, the real Chuck Norris, outdoing CGI Chuck Norris and Jean-Calude Van Damme in true Chuck Norris style to wish you a “Merry Christmas”.

Here is the original Jean-Claude Van Damme commercial:

George Longden on the 32nd Annual Community Christmas Dinner

If you are like me and have no where to be Christmas Day for Dinner you should head to the 32nd
Annual Community Christmas Dinner. It sounds like a great event and a huge tradition for the Grand Forks community, this year Greenwood reisdents are welcome (as your community dinner is not happening this year). This is a massive accomplishment for the community of Grand Forks, it is put on completely by volunteers. Oh... and I almost forgot to mention Santa will be there for the kids! 

For more information visit the Mountain FM events page listing here. 

Viral Vid: #XMASJAMMIES the Best Holiday Video of the Year

Holy crap I love this video!

I am not sure I have seen a better Christmas video this year and there have been a lot of viral Christmas videos so far this Holiday season. To be honest with you, until this video gets to the shameless plug for their new business I think this video is my favourite viral vid of the year. I am pretty jealous that my family does not have one of these videos (and that I’m not in Iron Man 3). It is also a pretty good reminder that I need to pick up some #XMASJammies, that is one Christmas tradition from Nova Scotia that I have ignored while here in the Koots and I am definitely missing the warm and fuzzy comfort of new Christmas PJs. Skyping home on Christmas Morning would be a little lame in sweatpants, Christmas Jammies are now on the top of my to do list. 

I’m going to outright say it, in a year that is lacking Holiday movies this is my favourite Christmas production of the year, hands down.  

This morning Helen Bobbitt from 'A New Year For CaDANCE' was on Morning Rocks to talk about their fundraiser event coming up on New Year's Eve. For more information about the event click here. For more information about Cadance's story follow this link. To help be part of the 'Go Fund Me' effort click here. 

Professional Coffee Consumption

I can honestly tell you coffee gets me through the day. It is my post lunch treat instead of dessert. It is my reward (and the undoing) of hydration binge in the morning. It is what I look forward to when I get out of bed at 4am (and will pick up on the drive to the station on those really tough mornings). So I find this infographic really interesting. I am not sure exactly where I am supposed to fit as a Promo Coordinator/On-Air Host in Radio, I am going to say I am naturally in 3.5 on the top ten, between Marketing/PR and Editor/Writer. 

Credit for the infographic to I Love Coffee.JP.

Here is full look at the Dunkin' Donuts study :

http://www.dunkindonuts.com/DDBlog/2011/09/new_dunkin_donuts.html#sthash.ibrAZZU7.dpbs

Secret Santa Struggles

I am going to be honest with you; I am starting to get a little sour about spending Christmas alone here in the Kootenays. It is my first Christmas away from home this year and I thought I would be able to combat my case of the lonelies on the 25^th with indulgences that include (but definitely are not limited to) Chinese food and Christmas movies. The fact is I started to realize just how bummed I am to be missing out on adult beverages with old friend

s, getting out skated by a bunch of kids that were in elementary school when I played hockey at the Annual MRHS Grad hockey day and watching the kids in my family exhibit all the magic of Christmas with crying (yes, I mean tears) and shrieks of joy.

One of the ways I am combating this lonesome Christmas is by taking part in the World’s largest Secret Santa. Now I am at a loss for picking out my gift. I have no idea what to buy my nerdy/athletic/gamer male match. I want something unique, but I am starting to struggle. John Helm and I have contemplated what to buy for our significant others on Morning Rocks, so it makes sense that I am struggling with buying something for a complete stranger. What the hell am I to buy? Here is a little about 'That Canadian Bacon'

I could go with the listener’s idea from this morning’s show, he suggested picking up a ‘Clapper’ for the person who you don’t know how to shop for. What do you think I should send my Secret Santa buddy? Let me know your thoughts by email at kate@mountainfm.net!

UPDATE: I totally ended up finding the perfect gift for my match, something he can use Sunday afternoons while cooking his girlfriend lunch that compliments his neediness with a great Game of Thrones pun!

I will keep you updated about what I end up getting in exchange!  

For more on my Reddit Secret Santa experience click here.

Silver City Nites with Andrea from the City of Trail

Friday night in downtown Trail is where you need to be for the city of Trail's 'Silver City Nites' celebration! It is going to be a great time with Santa's Candy Parade and more great events all evening for your family. Head to Trail Friday night to see Mountain FM's Tom the Intern on location with hot chocolate! 

Click here for more information about Trail's 'Silver City Nites'. 

Lisa from Rekindle Rossland on Morning Rocks

This Friday night you can take in Rekindle Rossland!

For more details visit Mountain FM’s event page for Rekindle Rossland.

For more listen to my discussion with Lisa below:

Santa and Audrey from the Castlegar Rec. Centre on Morning Rocks!

Santa and Audrey from the Castlegar Rec Complex joined me on Morning Rocks Monday morning to talk
about Winterfest. It is coming up this Friday, December 6th and it is going to be an awesome time in Downtown Castlegar, the perfect way to get in the holiday spirit! I will be on location for Mountain FM with our first Mountain FM photo-booth, so make sure you come stop by!

For more information about Winterfest click here.