What A Summer It Has Been

Hey there lovelies!

Sorry for neglecting you for so long and I hope you had a fantastic summer. Mine was amazing. I worked at the City of Calgary Assessment department all summer and it was great. The best part was all the amazing people I met and became friends with. I know I made lifelong friends this summer. I also did a little travelling and saw some amazing things.

The last update you all had is I saw the Ed Sheeran concert which was amazing but I also got to see One Direction for a third summer in a row with Nicole in Edmonton. It was incredible. I feel even more fortunate that I got to see them this July now that they've announced their sabbatical. They were incredible, even with just the four of them now that Zayn is no longer a member.

I did some travelling this summer and got to be a tourist in my own province. One of my new work buddies had moved out to Alberta from Ontario for the summer so we spent a lot of time showing Breanna around. We saw the mountains, we went to Jasper, Banff, and Canmore. We also spent a fun-filled day in Drumheller.

I also got to spend a great week in Niagara on the Lake to see my cousin Emma get married. She was an insanely beautiful bride and it was amazing getting to share her big day with her and my family. Niagara on the Lake is one of my favorite places to visit so it was a great trip. We went to Niagara Falls and spent a lot of afternoons strolling the town and shopping.

I had a great time at the Stampede this year. We celebrated one of my friends birthday down on the grounds and finished the evening off with a super fun BBQ at our friends accerage.

My birthday was great this year. I turned the big 2-0. My friends came out to celebrate with me this year which meant a lot. I feel so old now, but I am excited for my 20s. I can't wait to see what's in store for me.

This past Friday, I had to take one of my new best friends, Breanna, to the airport so she could fly back home to Ontario and that really indicated the end of my summer. Friday was also my last day of work. School starts next Tuesday and with today being the last day of August, the summer is well and truely over. It has been an incredible summer. I think it could be the best summer of my entire life.

ONE DIRECTION!

Banff Crew

BANFF/JASPER/CANMORE

Wedding ready

My beautiful cousin, Emma

NIAGARA

Stampede with my fellow cowgirls

I can't wait for the fall and to see what it has in store. I'm looking forward to seeing what the new school semester will bring. I am spending this Christmas in Hawaii, so a lot of the next four months will be dedicated to becoming beach ready, so get ready for a lot of health and fitness related posts.

We're back lovelies!

Bye for now!
-E xo

1 Year Anniversary

Hi there lovelies,

It's been a looooooong time since I've posted and I sincerely apologize. Life has been crazy busy this summer. It's been filled with long work days, trips, and concerts, just to name a few. Now, I will tell you that there is an epic summer recap post in the works and it'll be up very soon, but in the mean time, I just want to take a moment and tell you all that today is our first birthday! Yes, Diamonds, Doughnuts, and Drama is one year old today. It's been such a crazy year, filled with many ups and downs but its been a great year none the less. I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has ever read this blog, every ounce of success we've had is all down to you guys, so thank you!

Keep your eyes open for new posts coming your way. The blog will be back to its old self once the school year resumes. 

Love you all to the doughnut shop and back, twice!

Bye for now!

-E xo 

Music Monday: Ed Sheeran Concert

I had the amazing opportunity last Wednesday to go see Ed Sheeran live in concert. It was one of the greatest concerts I have ever been to. Ed Sheeran has an insane level of talent. He just stands on stage with his guitar and sings. No theatrics, just him and his voice. He uses a tool called a loop pedal and records the back up track to his songs as he sings live. It's all him. No band, no pre-recorded back-up track. It's all just him...and he's simply incredible. As if seeing Ed Sheeran wasn't good enough, Rixton opened for him. I can't even put into words how excited I was to be seeing some of my favorite performers. Rixton were just amazing. They have such a presense on stage and are amazing artists.

I screamed and sang so loud I definitely had only half a voice the next day!

I really want you to see some of the pictures I took so here you go!

Stage Set-Up

Rixton getting things started!

Rixton doing their thing!

A little ginger boy with his guitar.

Ed doing what he does best!

Sing to me Eddy!

One of the greatest artists around!

It was honestly one of the greatest shows I've ever seen. I've followed Ed's career for 5 years. I started listening to him when you couldn't even buy his songs on Canadian iTunes, so the fact that after so long I finally got to see him live is one of the greatest things ever!

It was simply amazing!

Bye for now!
-E xo

Fitness meets Fashion

Happy Friday!!!!

I am so excited it's the weekend finally!

I believe that workout clothes don't have to be boring. Fashion can be brought into every aspect of life and working out is no different. I have fallen in love with so many of the styles from Kate Hudson's workout clothing line, Fabletics. There are so many cute and flattering styles. I did a little online browse and I am going to share some of my favorite picks with you all.

I love all the mesh cutouts in the leggings and jogging pants. I love the cutouts in the shirts as well. Fabletics really masters the balance between fashion and function. Their peices provide support and coverage but are also cute and stylish. They sure beat the ratty old t-shirt and yoga pant look!

What do you think of my picks?

Enjoy the weekend!
Bye for now!
-E xo

Tasty Tuesday Top Ten

Happy Tuesday lovelies!

I thought that I would give you my top ten favorite ingredients today. I love food and I truly believe that food can be simple and amazing if you start with amazing ingredients. So I am going to give you the 10 ingredients I just couldn't live without.

Starting in reverse order:

10. Tomatoes
As a good Italian girl, I can't imagine a world without tomatoes. I eat tomato salads multiple times a week and eat something with a tomoato based sauce at least once a week as well. Tomaotes are so versatile and so healthy. I like eating them in sauces, salads, in sandwiches, even just straight up with a little salt and pepper.

9. Eggs
Nothing beats a simple egg. Eggs are used in so many different recipes. They are used in everything from cakes and cookies to breadings for meat and even in soups. But my favorite thing about eggs are they are so easy to prepare and are the best way to get a serving of protine. My favorite way to eat an egg is just a simple hard-boiled egg with a slice of toast.

8. Avacado
I love avacado so much. It's creamy and rich and provides your body with the good fat it needs and it's just so delicious. I love eating guacamole, I love avacado in salads, and if you ask me, avacado makes every sandwich better.

7. Bread
I could never live a gluten-free life. Bread is just too good. I know some people can't eat gluten but way to many people go gluten-free when they don't need to. Your body actually needs gluten and bread is a really important part of having a healthy and balanced diet. It's all about the bread you choose. Frankly, I'll eat any kind of bread, my favorite is sourdough, but I eat a healthy high-fiber multigrain bread most days. Bread is a staple in my diet.

6. Bananas
I eat a banana almost every single day. I love anything banana flavored as well. Bananas are such a good source of potassium and are the perfect snack post workout. They give your body a much needed energy boost. I love bananas so much that I almost over do it and I can go off them for a while, it usually lasts only a week or two and then I fall right back in love with them.

5. Turkey Bacon
About a year ago, I decided I needed to start getting healthier and that included eating better and excersizing more. Part of eating better included having to find healthier alternatives for things. I have fallen in love with turkey bacon and I actually like it better than regular bacon now. It has so much less fat and for me I enjoy the taste more than regular bacon. Don't get me wrong, I still like regular bacon but I would rather eat turkey bacon most days.

4. Tuna
I love eating tuna. It's one of my favorite fishes. I love it raw, canned, or seared. I love nothing more than a beautifully seared rare ahi tuna steak. I love tuna in sandwiches, salads, or served raw dipped in soy sauce.

3. Feta Cheese
I'm going to admit that I'm not a huge fan of cheese. I don't like strong, powerful cheeses. I keep it pretty simple when it comes to cheese, no mold for me. But I love feta cheese. I eat it all by itself sometimes but it's best in salads.

2. Chocolate
Alright, chocolate is my weakness. I love chocolate so much. I don't eat it very often but when I do it's one of my favortie things. I am a milk chocolate kind of girl. One of the greatest pleasures in life is enjoying a nice slice of chocolate cake with a glass of milk. Yum!

1. Pasta
As a true Italian girl, I could never live without pasta. Pasta can be elevated to a fancy, fine dining level or served up really simply and easily at home. I will eat any kind of pasta. I personally love just a simple bowl of pasta tossed in butter and parmesan cheese. That is the ultimate comfort food.

So there are my 10 favorite ingredients. What are yours?

Bye for now!
-E xo

Music Monday: New Music Obsession

Hi there lovelies! Can you believe it's June?! Life has been flying by! I am super busy at my new job but I am really enjoying it. I've made some new friends and I'm having a great time.

I want to introduce you to my new music obsession, the band Clean Bandit. Clean Bandit is a electronic group from Cambridge, England. They are such a cool group because they combine dance/electronic music with classical pieces by composers such as Mozart. Their music is so cool to listen to because they have these fun, up-beat dance songs but underneath you hear classical instrumentals. I am basically obsessed with everything they do. They play all their own instruments and are all talented vocalists.

So please check them out, here are some videos:

I think they are just so insanely talented and they are bringing something so unique and fresh to the music scene.

What do you guys think of them?

Bye for now!
-E xo

World Cup Dream Come True

If you've read this blog once or twice, you may have noticed I love football. I am obsessed. So I bet you can imagine I am so insanely happy that the Women's World Cup has started. It means I get to watch football matches pretty much every day! 

I had the incredible opportunity to go see the World Cup opener this past Saturday in Edmonton. Canada played China, and won. It was the chance of a lifetime and it was one of the greatest days of my life. I also got to see the Netherlands play New Zealand after the Canada match. To see a FIFA World Cup match live has been a dream of mine and the fact that it came true, and that I got to see my country play and win....it's indescribable....And not only did i get to see one game, but two! I took a ton of pictures and I want to share them all with you

Team Canada warming up. 

Team Canada running some drills.

The opening ceremony dancers, performing with Teagan and Sara

Opening ceremony.

National anthem time.

Kick off!!!

Celebrating a well-deserved victory

Anthems for New Zealand (left), Netherlands (right)

Time for a New Zealand corner kick.

Girls in action.

Playing the world's most beautiful sport.

I was so fortunate to have been able to go see those matches. I still pinch myself to make sure it was real.

Are you watching the World Cup? 

Go Canada Go, Go England Go

Bye for now!

-E xo 

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National Doughnut Day!

Happy National Doughnut Day lovelies!!! As you all know, we love doughnuts here at Diamonds, Doughnuts, and Drama headquarters. In honour of doughnut day, I thought it would only be right to post a recipe on how to make your own doughnuts at home! Of course, this recipe comes from the one and only Ina Garten, my food guru.

This recipe comes from Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof

Cinnamon Baked Doughnuts (serves 12)
Baking spray with flour
2 cups all-purpose flour 
1½ cups sugar 
2 teaspoons baking powder 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
½ teaspoon kosher salt 
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten 
1¼ cups whole milk 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 
for the topping 
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 
½ cup sugar 
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 doughnut pans well. Into a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, melted butter, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Spoon the batter into the baking pans, filling each one a little more than three-quarters full. Bake for 17 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then tap the doughnuts out onto a sheet pan. For the topping, melt the 8 tablespoons of butter in an 8-inch sauté pan. Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Dip each doughnut first in the butter and then in the cinnamon sugar, either on one side or both sides.

I am dying to try out this recipe. These doughnuts look amazing!! And baking them is such a cool idea compared to the classic deep-fry technique.

Are you guys going to try this recipe and celebrate national doughnut day?

Bye for now!
-E xo

Movie Critic

Last week I saw Pitch Perfect 2. It was so good. It's so funny and the music selection was really good. I don't go to the movies very often and when I do, it's a pretty big deal.

Pitch Perfect 2 was just a nice, feel good, funny film. I highly recommened that everyone sees it.

This is the trailer so check it out (if you haven't seen it yet) and then go to the theaters and see the movie.

And here is a little clip from the film. It'll give you a little taste of what you can look forward to.

So check out this film, let me know what you think.

Bye for now!
-E xo

Tasty Tuesday: Easy Summer Salad

You all probably know by now that I am obsessed with Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa. I recently found this recipe from her that sounds so delicious. It's a nice, easy summer salad, that's perfect for entertaining. It is a Corn and Avacado Salad that can be made in big batches and it's a crowd pleaser.

Corn and Avacado Salad (Serves 12)
Kosher Salt 
4 ears of corn, shucked 
4 ripe Hass avocados, seeded, peeled, and 1/2-inch diced 
Juice of 1 lemon 
2 pints grape tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise 
2 red bell peppers, seeded and 1/2-inch diced 
1 cup chopped red onion 
¼ cup seeded and minced jalapeno peppers 
1 lime, zested 
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice 
1/4 cup good olive oil 
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 
1 teaspoon minced garlic 
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper 

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the corn for 3 minutes until the starchiness is just gone. Drain and immerse the corn in ice water to stop the cooking and to set the color. When the corn is cool, cut the kernels off the cob, cutting close to the cob, and place them in a large bowl. Toss the avocados with the lemon juice and add them to the bowl with the corn. Add the tomatoes, red peppers, onion, jalapeno peppers and lime zest to the bowl. Whisk the lime juice, olive oil, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper, garlic, and cayenne pepper together in a small bowl and pour over the vegetables. Toss well. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

It is so simple and so good. Give it a try this summer and let me know how you like it!

Bye for now!
-E xo