Red Food Colouring

oh fork sure

2012-02-12T19:32:00.000-05:00

its been a while since I did one of these posts.

do they deserve a name?

I know what I could call these sorts of posts but I like to keep my online persona on the blackmail free side.

read between the lines here people.

what is UP with the internet these days? (jerry seinfeld voice)

ice films is down....megaupload disappeared....my free netflicks account isnt hacked into the american version anymore...grooveshark doesn't have any beatles songs...facebook is threatening timeline on everyone.....

GUYS. the internet and I are pretty tight. when it starts fucking up, I start fucking up.

internet get your shit together.

we need to pull through this together.

I refuse to pay for cable. also cable BLOWS!! whyy?!!?!

- you get one chance to watch a show

- you have to sit through at least 15 minutes of commercials per episode

- you always end up watching at least one TLC marathon per month

- and you have to PAY for that

no.

thank-you.

my twitter went CRAZY when whitney houston died. all of the sudden everyone cared about her?

that came out wrong.

but what I mean is like everyone on my twitter feed was tweeting and retweeting that she has died.

I think its safe to say most people follow at least one news source. if you think your breaking news storys from your couch, your wrong.

Sorry, I don't even know why this bugs me it was just that like 12 people on my twitter posted 'Whitney Houston is dead' in row and I want to push people to be a little more creative then that.

twitter isn't facebook.

sooooo valentines day eh?

not so much a fan.

not so much at all.

......

SOY CHOCOLATE MILK!

blowing my mind in goodness.

My new mattress was delivered this weekend.

I am no longer sleeping on a futon mattress on the floor.

yay for me.

ha the guy delivering it was like ...you want me to just lay it on top of this one? like just right on top?

yeah bud.

getting better with my camera.

I got a tri-pod for christmas.

get ready for THAT.

natural daylight helps SOOOOOOO much. it makes pictures infinity times better.

cameras are funny.

I get so self conscious carrying mine around.

And it usually takes me two or three tries to get the right shutter speed so then I look like a crazy obsessive photographer taking 7 shots of something.

For reasons above, most of the stuff on here is pictures in/of my apartment.

this weekend was super great.

super duper great.

don't let me go this long again without ALONE time.

its my own fault though. I want to be involved and theres always so much going on that I just get lost in it.

this time alone is important though.

it refocuses me. it relaxes me.

one last thing.

tomorrow I am officially an adult.

I'm making my first RRSP contribution.

(see mom, I do listen)

ps I found this pdf very helpful for the basics and this website was able to answer a lot of my questions regarding using the money in an RRSP to buy your first home. (my plan)

running wild

2012-02-10T05:00:00.000-05:00

Hi! sorry I sort of went dark for a week there...just so much going on in REAL life that it didn't leave a lot of time for BLOG life.

but guess what?

I have a weekend coming up with NO plans. ZERO.

this doesn't sound like much but I haven't had a weekend alone at the apartment, with no one visiting, in over seven months.

I don't mind it, honestly, I love hosting people and I would get bored if I was alone every weekend but I'm REALLY looking forward to this.

Here are some things I would like to do:
-paint my toe nails ..maybe even have a bath (!)
-list my bed frame and kitchen island on craigslist and hopefully have them both gone before the weekend is over
-go thrifting..maybe at my old stomping grounds, the wonderful Double Take
-recover the living room pillows with some colourful fabric. (I will see what I can find when thrifting...or I might take a trip to fabricland)
-take some work clothes to the dry cleaners
-make valentines <3
-watch some movies on netflicks
-cook some yummy food with leftovers for the week/freezer
-make my way through all the new records we have :)
-do some online shopping...heres some things on my radar...

from here

sting art for living room

2012-02-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

how cool is this sting art?

I want to make something like this for the living room. I think it would be a pretty easy way to make a bold statement with text on the wall.

see the in progress from creative in chicago post here

and the finished product here

new eames chair

2012-02-08T09:20:00.006-05:00

hi guysssss. there is a new addition to my living room.

meet my new eames chair! I'm so in love with it.

Now I know it has some issues...the base is all wrong and it has a habit of leaning back just a BIT too far but I still love it.

its the most beautiful shade of dark brown and the rosewood sides are in great condition. the leather is real and perfectly worked in.

This was a craigslist find and required a bit of back and forth, dealing with a slightly deranged seller and driving across the city in the rain in rush hour traffic.

end result?

worth it.

relaxing in the new chair ...drinking saturday morning coffee and making a list of records we want :)

I've found a website online that sells the original base for the chair and I will purchase that soon.

ps we went record shopping at rotate this, a great shop on queen west if your looking for new records as well as classics. I bought a record from a band I had never heard of Yeasayer (listen to this!) on recommendation from P and loooooove it, as well as regina spektor live in concert. (Also a great album and has all her best songs on it) P bought the Gotye album.

grilled cheese party

2012-01-31T08:51:00.000-05:00

So! I know I talked about the grilled cheese party on here before I had the party and a few people commented that they would be into a party revolving around grilled cheesy goodness. so here is the follow up with pictures!

First of all, it was such a success!

we started the party out with some extreme jenga and drinks. and party hats? lol...not really sure why we are wearing them but they hang out on my shelves in the living room.

appetizers/snacks were french onion dip and ripple chips, salsa and tortilla chips, and spicy spinach dip with toasted pita. easy peasy!

side note: have a small apartment/living room?..get floor cushions! people always end up sitting on the floor so this makes it comfortable and they aren't a piece of furniture that you have to store for the other 350 days of the year that you aren't entertaining.

now onto the main course!

because my kitchen is fairly small I wanted just peter and I to be in the kitchen making the food. we had people write down what cheese and toppings they wanted and then we made them to order. it worked out really well and we had an assembly line going so it was pretty quick.

I only ended up getting one kind of bakery bread that was really perfect. I debated getting different kinds but I'm glad I kept this part simple and put more effort into the toppings.

Cheese Options:

Cheddar Cheese

Mozzarella

Brie

Jalapeno Havarti

(there was a max two cheese limit per sandwich because I was worried I would run out of the brie and Havarti)

Topping Options:

Bacon

Salami

Avocado

Roasted Red Peppers

Sauteed Onions and Mushrooms

Lettuce

Hot banana Peppers

Cucumber

Tomatoes

I think that was all!

Also with the sandwiches there was a big bowl of veggie pasta salad and a pickle tray with two different kinds of pickles and two different kinds of hot peppers. oh and regular ketchup and SPICY ketchup for dipping. deeeeeeeelish

Disclaimer: If you are hungry right now you are going to try and eat your computer screen in less then 1 minute.

Ian and Vanessa went to ikea earlier in the day and bought this wicked grilling pan that was perfect! We started every sandwich on the pan and then moved it over to the george forman to get a good grill on both sides. (flipping the sandwiches was tricky in the pan, with so many toppings)

omg I am drooling just looking at these pictures again haha

we prepared a lot of the food ahead of time so it was easy to entertain and get food into everyone. I always like to pre make as much as possible because
a) I'm not stressed about the food
b) I can drink and not worry about slicing my hand open halfway through the party
c) I can drink whiskey

We pre-made all the appetizers including cutting up the pita bread and laying it out on the pan ready to be heated.

The cheese was grated, the onions and mushrooms sauteed and the bacon was all cooked before the party. Also the pasta salad I made the afternoon before to let the flavours mix.

Peter was a huge help for the party. mostly because he doesn't let me get stressed out and also because he could grill those sandwiches like nobody's business.

I made s'more rice crispy squares on peters request which never made it out to the party and I have sneaking suspicion that may have been on purpose???.....haha kidding! I was just too drunk to remember.

we make a good team in the kitchen :)

Certainly let me know if you throw your own grilled cheese party, I would love to hear about it!

shelving p0rn

2012-01-28T07:00:00.000-05:00

Heyo!

I came across these great shelves on Somethings hiding in here and I am sure, given how crafty they are, that these are handmade. they are amazing! simple yet extremely functional and perfect.

I thought I would share some of my latest shelving pins ...if your interested you can follow me erin_ackerman

From thefancy.com

From wright20.com

no source, sorry

From feathersfreesiasandfishingtackle.blogspot.com

From apartmenttherapy.com

From karapaslaydesigns.blogspot.com

From ffffound.com

From sundancecatalog.com

From betterlivingthroughdesign.com

From norskeinteriorblogger.blogspot.com

so moral of the story is I need a source for pallets, wire crates, galvanized steel pipes and reclaimed wood. any tips? haaaaa

ahahahahahahahahahah oh regretsy

2012-01-27T11:21:00.003-05:00

"The other four serving as space that clothes can be crammed into"

"Other then its missing bottom and inability to open, the fourth drawer is being well held together by duct tape"

"That shit be safe"

"Opens and holds clothing with precision"

This person needs to be in advertising.

HOOT HOOT

2012-01-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

green beans.

HOOKED.

love em.

with dijon mustard/splash of white vinegar sauce.

seriously.

I must admit Ian has championed this recipe.

and bacon wrapped chicken.

no complaints here.

----------------

peace plants? (nope. they are called peace lily's. google gets one point)

I bought one on a recent trip to Ikea

see -

except it never looks like this!

it looks droopy and soggy. haha.

but seriously thats the best description for it. what did I do wrong?

I am reading more about them and I think mine might be getting too much sun. The internet says they don't like direct sunlight and prefer the misty atmospheres of bathrooms.

I guess the bathroom just got a new plant!

which is excellent news for this peace lily because I actually remember to water the plant in the washroom.

----------------

wowwwww I should be packing right now.

instead I am dreaming about making this granola and eating ALL of it in one sitting.

also buff buff chicky tacs...if only for the name. and that VIDEO.

----------

Okay I reallllllly need to pack and then go to bed.

ova out.

weekend food

2012-01-25T17:25:00.002-05:00

Hey o!

So on the weekends we eat pretty well around here (monday through friday its hit and miss)

I'm always taking pictures of food and then doing nothing with them so I thought I would just post what we ate last weekend.

Friday night was bruschetta with feta, side green salad with peppers...

and baked stuffed peppers (on rice)!

Ians lovely gf brought over these cupcakes for dessert and although we didn't eat them friday night ..we *cough* got distracted...we did enjoy them saturday afternoon. YUM

they were almost too pretty to eat!

saturday for dinner Ian's gf made us pork dumplings for the Chinese new year! Maybe this post should just be called 'the food that Vanessa brought into my life'. anyway. they were delish and we ate about 60 of them haha.

Saturday night we rented pineapple express and relaxed. this was our epic snack platter.

ripple chips with french onion dip and tostitos ranch dip

dill pickle doritos (SO ADDICTED)

lime corn nuts

sour keys and other 5cent candies

sunday morning I made banana bread, which you already know all about. have you made it yet? you shoulddddd

Sunday's late night snack/dinner was nachos. P and I polished off this dish in no time. He used the left over stuffed pepper sauce with cheese, sliced up peppers..baked it then added the lettuce. dipped into sour cream. AMEN

this wrap is actually from last weekend but it was amazing. Have you ever tried chili thai sauce..PC brand? Its awesome on chicken fingers.

this wrap was lettuce, avocado, tomatoes, peppers, cheese, and baked chicken fingers with sauce.

Dijon Sauce

2012-01-24T21:12:00.001-05:00

focus.

I don't think it is valued enough.

I think we are constantly encountering themes of being a good multi-tasker. always staying connected. never missing a beat. doing 101 things and somehow managing to keep it all together.

I find when I am at work I am easily distracted. I look at blogs as rewards for 10 minutes of focus on a project. I will be honest and tell you that I do many things on the internet every day and not all of them are work. I can be honest because in that 10/15 minutes of pure involvement/productivity I can accomplish what I set out to do.
And I've been doing my job for exactly two years now (yay?) so I'm past the learning phase.

Although it does keep me on my toes. Never a dull day, that is for sure.

I've really become a davids tea slut.

Like its bad guys.

I got SO much for christmas and its so miserable outside, all I can think about is drinking tea.

Tops right now are
-Forever nuts (forever and always, we are getting married, its over guys, you haven't lived until you've had this tea)
-Pumpkin Chai (close second)
-Chocolate Chili Chai
-Secret Weapon
-Jessie's Tea (worst name ever IMHO)

Now I have a steeper at home and at work.

just wait until I take pictures of my new tea pot. AND brand new beautiful kettle.

....

at least its just tea.

We are all in this together. This life. All on different paths. All in different timing. Embrace each other right where you and those around you are. And if you find yourself on a path you are not wanting to be on, search within yourself to find out how to steer your boat in the direction you want it to go. You are the captain of your life. And know that things take time. Healing does not happen overnight. But it does require you to take the first step.

Laura from Violet Bella's words really resonated with me tonight. Her message is so true and something I hope to share with the people in my life.

we get swallowed up by our lives.

we live IN them, on purpose mind you

but do we look AT them?

You need to. you need to see what isn't working. what irritates you. what makes you laugh until you can't breath.

sometimes I feel like I am working so hard to live through the minutia of life that I forget to stand back and see it for what it is.
where its going.
whos in it.
what feels strong and what feels week.

the type A in me wants to map everything out on a giant chalkboard and it would look like those diagrams where if you answer yes you go on one path and if you answer no you go on another.

I never want to give up on any of those yes's.

I need to step back and prioritize.

I need to realize that the most important thing is to ENJOY doing things. laugh about it. be friendly to anyone. everyone. your laundry is never going to stop appearing in the hamper, your carpet will always get dirty, you will always need to run errands and plans will always go differently then you expected. its LIFE!

One of the things that P has opened my eyes to is that you can enjoy every part of any day. you can find humour in anything. its only a dreary task if you approach it that way.

------

This post sort of got away from me but I feel much better now that is all out. Do you find blogging therapeutic? I've sort of always used it as a self centered release of thoughts and feelings.

Im going to read my book and go to bed at 9pm.

good night.

banana bread

2012-01-24T10:24:00.000-05:00

Banana bread is one of those things that makes you feel super warm and cozy inside. its sweet, but not too sweet to call it a breakfast.

Over the weekend I had a few extra black bananas crowding up the freezer and I thought I would try out this recipe.

Holyyyyy jesus. its the easiest recipe I've come across for banana bread and also the tastiest! seriously you could not mess this recipe up if you tried.

originally from epicurious but here is my modified version with comments.

Banana Bread

3 to 4 ripe bananas (I used four and wouldn't hesitate to add another small one)

1/4 cup melted butter

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour (I used white but would try 50% whole wheat in the future to make it a little healthier)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon baking soda

Chocolate chunks/chips (I had about a 1/4 cup left over in my pantry so in they went)

Sliced almonds or other nuts (again, I had some in my pantry so I threw them in but any nut would be tasty) (I used some in the bread as well as sprinkled the rest on the top)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (my addition to the recipe, I love vanilla!)

1 teaspoon of cinnamon (again, my addition to the recipe)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mash the bananas in a bowl.

Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon.

(Note: I have an issue with the above instruction. I feel like over mixing any batter that you want to rise and not feel two dense is a bad move. In order to stop this I always mix all my dry ingredients first and all my wet ingredients separately and then add them together at once. this prevents over mixing the batter and the result is a fluffier bread/muffin/cake.)

Bake in a buttered loaf pan until a toothpick stuck into the bread comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes. Slice and serve.

Fractured moonlight on the sea

2012-01-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

Lacuna petals blouse - 158$

I adore this neutral, flowing blouse with the cut out details around the shoulders and cuffs. extremely out of my 'this is an acceptable price to pay for a shirt' range. but beautiful.

I will keep my eye out at the thrift store for something similar.

Speaking of thrift stores. Peter and I went this weekend and scored huge. We actually had two garbage bags of clothing to come home with. incredible! some of the items were 75% off. I got some great cardigans and shirts and he got some new pants and button up shirts. I love when the thrifting gods are on my side.

I think one of the major reasons I love thrifting is the thrill of the hunt. when I go to the mall I honestly get bored because its too easy. I'm not a complicated person, I like most of the stuff that are in stores. I can go to H&M and pick out 10 outfits that I like.

I feel with thrifting that I get to be more creative with my clothing. I can repurpose items. hem them. cut off the sleeves. wear it with a belt. its more rewarding to put together a thrifted outfit then something I bought off the rack and paid out the nose for.

And another point is once you get used to paying 5$ for a sweater its hard to justify spending $60. My money goes further and my satisfaction level is higher when I find an amazing item. win win.

happy dreary monday (its raining and grey outside in toronto)

Listen to my playlist if you need a little pick me up!

xox

grey and yellow, loveeeeeeeeeeee

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

totally in love with this yellow and grey blanket. love the colours, love the pattern, love that its a blanket.

possible splurge for the new bedroom makeover? from Nube Green $135

Also, on the bedroom makeover front, I have decided that a bed very similar to the picture below is what I am looking for.

I've been able to gather a bunch of online DIY tutorials, although few of them show step by step photos of the process. Something I will be sure to document!

This weekend we are disassembling the current bed frame and putting my (extremely uncomfortable) futon mattress on the floor. This is actually going to be more comfortable then using the frame because the slats on the bed frame have warped and because the futon mattress is so thin it contours to the shape of the slats and I sleep on two hills with a valley in the middle. at least on the floor it will be flat! Also, the slats always fall through if there is any movement on the bed, and as you can imagine, falling through the bed is a real mood killer.

I've ordered my new mattress from the store and have to wait to have it delivered because it was on back order. although I don't mind because I was able to get a great boxing day deal (50% off!) on a really nice one at the brick. it should be delivered sometime in february.

we also might be able to pick up some supplies at the home depot (I have coupons!) and sell the one I have on craigslist.

this is happening!! yay!!!

Play list 1 - In stiches

2012-01-18T22:11:00.001-05:00

In Stitches - Playlist 1 by Erin Ackerman on Grooveshark

Hello!!

Something I wanted to start in the new year was a playlist feature on the blog. I LOVE finding new music and get very addicted to certain songs. these are a few of the songs that I've had on repeat over the last couple weeks. I hope you enjoy them!

I love playlists because I can put them on when I'm working away and not have to think back to the music every few minutes.

make your day A+

this would make mornings sort of fun

2012-01-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

how friggen cool is this toaster with different inserts to make burnt designs on your toast?! I also love the retro look if it. from here.

rush rush rush for the go

2012-01-17T22:45:00.000-05:00

sometimes starting these posts is the hardest part. where to start?

perception.

self perception.

I feel like everyones perception of themselves is so different then the reality. No I will restate that. I feel like my perception of myself is different then others perception of me.

In my head I hardly give my efforts value.

I started to go on about all the bad perceptions I have of myself but I don't really want this post to be about that.

I just feel like they are different from the reality of what people actually think and I wonder if this is the same for all people or just me?

don't you just hate when you don't pay your credit cards on time? I find it ridiculously hard to remember when my payments are due and pay them. I feel like every month its a different random day that they choose and I never seem to log in at the right time.

why can't banks send me an email.

dear erin, pay your mastercard by next friday.

dear erin, wake up you need to pay your mastercard by tomorrow.

I would remember!

how can swiss chalet remember to email me when they have the festive special and I get so many other junk emails every day. but mastercard can't communicate with me in a way other then snail mail?

how about a REAL email, that would save me REAL money on interest.

control issues.

I have them.

seriously. big time.

its funny because now that I am starting a new relationship and working through different things with P it seems like anytime we question each other its because I want to have full control of the situation and its not necessary. its actually pretty silly.

I always want to do it my way so I can have control. I need to learn to give that up. or at least loosen my grip on it. I am not perfect so why would I assume every 'way' that I want something done would be perfect.

I have to work on this. it would benefit me in all aspects of my life and the stress I put myself through if I could learn to give up some control.

I'm in the market for a new face cream. any suggestions?

I've heard good things about Avon but I feel like they cater to older people. I care less about wrinkles and more about a non greasy cream that I can put on morning and night.

also in the market for an external harddrive. are there even good and bad ones?

I want 2012 to be the year my wardrobe starts to come together. I feel like I have good sense of my style but I never want to spend money on clothing.

I want to buy investment pieces like an amazing leather jacket, a beautiful leather clutch, rings that don't make my fingers turn green, and shoes that don't give me blisters.

I need to remind myself that if its something I can wear for the next five+ years its worth spending money on.

but I will never give up thrifting. never ever. investment pieces for under $10? thats what really makes me happy.

anyone else watching teen mom (2)? I know I'm late to the party but its pretty awesome/trashy.

important things I need to do:
-get my passport photos and send in my renewal application
-sell my kobo...any one interested? its a cool little gadget but I hardly use it.
-remember to take my antibiotics
-wake up earlier

my friend dave called me last night because his mom had a question about excel and I totally nailed it right away.

what is ...right click format cell, change to a numeric value.

bam.

2012-01-13T15:51:00.000-05:00

Here are some things from around the internet that caught my fancy. Its FRIDAYYYYYYYYYYY

The Passengers Eye. from Peter J Miller on Vimeo.

A beautiful story on Marriage and how building a life together is hard work but worth it to know you did it with the person you love.

the new Wiksten hats are adorable

debating buying this chair from craigslist for $120. (originally listed for $200 but I never pay full price, even on craigslist) Should I do it this weekend?!!

Video Games by Lana Del Ray. New favorite song!

print from Beckyxo

Grey and Yellow bedroom inspiration From tissosweetcandy.blogspot.com

Best tweet of the week:
That cop says I should go to jail for smoking PCP in my car, but I say that cop should go to jail for being a saber-toothed tiger. @meganamram

Lasagna cupcakes for easy lunches!

This weekend I am hosting a grilled cheese party and can't wait to have friends over to eat the most delicious creations! toppings will include four different kinds of cheeses, tomatoes, bacon, avocado, lettuce/sprouts, roasted red peppers, salami, hot peppers, with aoli and spicy ketchup for dipping! I'm thinking of other 'lunch' themed sides and snacks like chips and french onion dip, veggies and ranch dip, chips and salsa and probably a pasta salad.

Other then that Peter is visiting and we are going to relax, listen to records, sleep in and probably watch a few movies. We are both still getting healthy and having a nice weekend to chill is exactly what we need.

There is also a good chance I am having someone come test-drive my car this weekend who seemed very interested in it! Fingers crossed!

Butternut Squash Pasta with Pine Nuts, Sage and Parmesan Cheese

2012-01-11T18:44:00.001-05:00

This is a super yummy pasta with just a few quality ingredients and it tastes like a million bucks!

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash
1 small sweet onion, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh sage leaves
1 pound farfalle pasta
3/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
4 ounces high quality Parmesan, shredded or shaved (about a cup total)

Optional: White wine

Steps!

Preheat your oven to 375

Cut the squash in half and scoop out the innards.

peel of the skin and dice into cubes (about 1 inch large)

dice up your onion and peel and mince the garlic. Also use about half your sage, mince it and add it to the oven mixture.

Roast that bad boy in the over for about 40 minutes

In the meantime the recipe calls for adding about two table spoons of oil to a pan and 'frying' the rest of the sage. for me, this ended up just soaking up the oil and going soggy so I would just mince it up and add it later when you 'fry' the pasta.

frying the sage = unnecessary

toast your pine nuts. necessary. cook your pasta. necessary.

Okay so when everything is done in the oven you can pull it out and add some to a wok or deep sided frying pan.

add in all your ingredients, squash mixture, diced sage and pine nuts. Fry the pasta around in the pan so you get little crispies on the pasta and brown the squash up more. If you want more of a 'sauce' you can deglaze the pan with white wine. Make sure to do it at the very end though because it will stop your crispy edges from happening.

plate that shit and ad your CHEESE. Also don't forget salt and pepper!

and there you go! this is a pretty easy recipe for weeknights because besides prepping the squash everything goes into the oven and you are free to do whatever for 40 minutes. For two meals I separated the 'frying' of the pasta and did them separately because my pan is small and so I could get lots of crispy edges. Also besides the parm cheese ($6) and pine nuts ($4) this meal is inexpensive. You could easily substitute another less expensive nut though!

Original recipe from thekitchn

new years resolutions - better late then never?

2012-01-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

Hello!

Its been too long and I apologize. Just after we headed to Montreal I caught the worst bug and spent a fair share of the trip horizontal watching discovery channel marathons. When I returned and still wasn't better I was urged to go into the clinic where I found out I had pneumonia and a high fever for most of our trip. I am on the mend now though!

So sorry about the lack of posts and the quietness over here. I wasn't in the right frame of mind for this blog.

From stylemepretty.com

I sort of skipped over my new years resolutions this year but instead of making grand goals
I would like to 2012 to have

More...
Generosity, Laughter, True Friends, Tea, Surprises, Homemade Meals, Sunshine, Calm, Handwritten Letters, Movies, Wine, Creativity, Pilates, Handmade Gifts, Travel, and Red Lipstick.

and Less..
Stress, Over-scheduling, Manic Cleaning, Procrastination, and Money Spending.

2011-12-28T12:36:00.001-05:00

Hello.

Its been a few days.

I wasn't sure if I would take a break for Christmas on this blog but it turns out I needed more then I knew. Not necessarily writing my blog but reading so many blogs and keeping up to date...its all out the window.

and it feels GREAT. taking time for myself.

I've rearranged my google reader to show which blogs I want to read every day and which ones I will reserve for weekends. I follow over 550 blogs so this is huge. And surprisingly there are only about 40 blogs that are near and dear enough to me to read every time they update.

2012 will be the year to streamline. my having a better and organized system in place it will let me take on the same number of projects but be able to to it in less time and still have time for myself.

I do love being busy though. its sort of a double edge sword. being busy makes me a better person. I feel more accomplished and I'd rather have too much going on then nothing. I don't know how people live without jobs or obligations and just float through days. not even possible for me.

_____

Peter and I leave for Montreal tomorrow morning. I couldn't be more excited. I haven't taken a real 'vacation' since I went to France over a year and half ago. It will be amazing.

xox

ten and two

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

ahahah these are seriously the best.

I don't want to toot my own horn (totally do) but I am a pretty good driver. I can parallel park like nobody's business.

Driving in Toronto is soooooo scary sometimes. People don't even use their brains. They just follow and when they see break lights just jam on their own brakes. Such a pet peeve! I hate when I'm in the fast lane and people brake for NO REASON. get out of my way. if your breaking in the fast lane you don't deserve to stay in the lane. Another pet peeve is people who lane change like its the indy 500 (a gradual transition is much safer) and people who check their blind spots for 20 seconds and then casually drift into another lane in the process.

these cards are making my day. I wish it was easy to just hand these out to people.

found on Probably Best

bed-spiration

2011-12-22T14:11:00.001-05:00

hello! I really need to redo my whole bedroom. Its not working for me right now.

My current bed frame is way to big for the space and the futon mattress that I am using is horrible. Not to mention any movement on the bed makes the entire side of the bed frame fall apart and the mattress falls through the slats. WORST mood killer ever. haha.

also the slats on the bed are warped and because the futon mattress is so thin the entire bed is curved up at the sides and has a big dip in the center. super uncomfortable.

Here is what I am looking for in a new bed frame.

1) Storage - this is very important. Right now I have rolling under bed boxes that store a lot of my clothes in them and I won't have enough storage if I get rid of them. The new bed should have two or three drawers that pull out

2) Platform bed - I think this makes the most sense with the drawers. also it will visually take up way less room if it is low to the floor. given that my current bed is a four poster bed, I think this will make a huge difference in how big and open the room looks.

3) Natural wood . I want to incorporate more natural elements into the room. I'm not afraid of dark wood but it needs to be rustic and earthy.

4) simple. simple is always best.

If anyone has any thoughts, tips or ideas how to make a bed I am open! I would like to construct something myself or hack an existing frame to meet the requirements above.

- Bed love -

(this last one is from ikea and if I can't figure out how to make this myself it looks like a good fall back solution)
EDIT: Peter is going to help me and we are going to figure this out. fuck ikea.

our shadows taller then our souls

2011-12-21T13:15:00.000-05:00

blogs. how many do you read a day?

I probably read way too many. but I love them and they are my relaxation.

I promise in 2012 I am going to take control of my blog reading and be more selective. I only read a handful of blogs every day/every time they update but having so many blogs with 20+ unread blog posts in my google reader gives me un-needed stress.

I have feelings of guilt over not reading posts in my google reader. thats silly right?

honesty.

it is not the easiest thing for me. especially when I care so much about the persons feeling.

I have realized that I look for honesty in others and want to always be given the honest truth so I must hold myself to the same standard. this is so much easier said then done but I am working on it.

I need to look within myself and listen to how I really feel. I need to close my ears to the desires and expectations of others and do what feels the best for me. and then have the courage to stand up for that.

procrastination.

well for one thing this post has taken me three days to write. I'm the WORST for procrastination. and I hate it! I want to me better at this. I want to put things on my list and cross them right off. No need for things to drag on really. This is a goal for 2012.

Another goal for 2012 is to go to the dentist. its been too long.

I am not one to love the snow. and could really be very happy without it but...I also sort of feel like its not even christmas without it?

I guess people in the southern regions of the world do without it all the time but for me, in Canada, its really just not christmas without it. and its even been so warm out lately that I forget its even winter!

one of these pictures is Stevie Nicks. can you figure out which one?

I just wish there were more hours in the day! Or that I needed less sleep to be a decent person.

all pictures from the blog Earth Age

2011-12-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

The 45 most powerful images of 2011

soup for the fridge cleaning soul

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hi Friends! Want to make the most delicious soup that is perfect for substitutions and adding a little bit of whatever is left in your fridge?

This soup is not vegetarian but could easily be by not adding any meat and using vegetable stock.

What you will need:
Onions
Garlic
1-2 cups of Heavy Cream
6 cups Stock (I used beef this time because thats what I had, but have used chicken and vegetable in the past)
1-2 cups of water
Potatoes
Sausage and or Bacon
Kale
red pepper flakes

What I added because I had it:
Broccoli
Carrots
Asiago Cheese
Leftover Pulled Pork (hah)
italian seasoning

The first time I made this I used bacon and it was very tasty although I would suggest chopping it up rather small before cooking it. I found the large bacon pieces got soggy in the soup and I didn't like that texture.

If your using bacon chop it up and throw it in your pot and start it cooking.

I didn't have any :(

So I started off with olive oil and sauteed the garlic and onions until soft. pretend I added the red pepper flakes here too. just photoshop them in with your mind.

Then I added the stock and some of the water. You can add more water later if you find your vegetables are overwhelming the amount of liquid.

To this I added my cheese rind (did you know when you buy fancy cheese you can save the cheese rind and freeze it? Its perfect for soups!!)

then I added some more cheese that was forgotten in the door of the fridge. My motto is you can never have to much cheese.

let this simmer away while you prep the potatoes. I like to cut them up and put them in a bowl and pretend i'm hosting a cooking show. don't lie I know you've done it too.

cook the potatoes for a while (i'm very accurate) in the boiling water. maybe 10 minutes? I cut mine thinly so they would cook quickly and evenly. in the meantime you can prep the rest of your veggies.

then add the vegetables based on cooking times. brocolli and very thinly sliced carrots take about the same amount of time. if I had a pepper or green onion I would add this later.

oh hey look! its the sausage that Ian cooked up for me while I was sweating my face off at pilates thinking about this soup.

throw it all in! its just soup! you can't hurt it!

let that simmer away until everything is cooked.

While that is working its magic on the stove you can get the kale ready. Have you ever eaten kale? I'm pretty new to it but I looooooove it. so hearty and green!

prepping kale is easy peasy. just rip the leaves off the heavy stalk

until you have a bare stalk! Just rinse it like lettuce and chop it up for the soup. I would suggest chopping it rather small (maybe 1 inch pieces, otherwise its sort of tricky to look like a lady when you eat it)

alright so now you add your cream! 18% is all the fruit market I was at had, but you can buy even heavier cream. I won't tell.

add it to your soup! I added the whole carton because

a) no one was looking

b) the whole purpose was to use up leftovers not create them

c) no one in my house is on a diet. in fact, I am trying to fatten Ian up for winter.

pour it in...

keep adding it....

oh yeah the whole thing!

mix that around. it was around this time that I remembered I had leftover (un-sauced) pulled pork in the fridge. I threw it in!

side note: when you add the cream you should turn down the heat. your in the final stages now

and here is why you shouldn't feel guilty about all that cream.

oh yes. so green. so healthy. so tasty.

about now I added a BUNCH of pepper, some Italian seasoning (I put that shit in everything) and then decided I wanted it to be spicier. out comes the hot sauceeeeeee

ladle that around. pretend your on a cooking show for a while and talk about how easy this soup was. or not. whatever. its your show.

can ladle be a verb?

yummmmmmmm finished product. soooo good. I just ate some for lunch! you can adjust the pepper and hot sauce ratio for each bowl too. Enjoy!

you're running at a different speed

2011-12-15T14:00:00.000-05:00

hey oh

so whats new.

I had a very inspiring night last night. I relaxed for the first time in a VERY long time and you know what? I actually feel like I accomplished SO much by doing nothing. I was able to let my mind drift and explore.

I filled four pages of notepad with ideas.

I honestly don't do that enough.

I've been thinking of having one night a week that I don't go online. don't use my phone for text or bbm. Don't watch shows or tv. (maybe a short phone call would be allowed, they always make me feel better)

Create things! enjoy spending quality time in my apartment. write letters. brainstorm future blog posts and write down goals. think about what I have done, where I am going, what I am going to do to get myself there.

I don't do that enough. I go go go but don't take time to evaluate the effort. enjoy the results.

I am learning. It doesn't come naturally to me.

I spend so much time cleaning my apartment, thinking of ways to decorate it, researching ideas for it, walking around stores looking for things for it.

Not enough time RELAXING in it. enjoying it. putting my feet up in it.

its difficult to turn my brain off. when I am stressed I just want to keep working. get things crossed off the list so I can feel less stressed. but. yeah. that doesn't always work out. the list never seems to be that small.

I wish etsy sellers would write in the listing that an item will take 2-3 weeks for delivery. Sort of a game changer.

I've officially made pilates a habit. whats that fact?

if you can do it for 66 days (thanks google) you have created a new habit.

its been a couple months now and I am still going strong. literally. getting stronger.

it feels really good. honestly. sometimes it is a pain in the ass to go out in the cold and drive there but it always makes me feel better, have more energy, and more confident in my own skin.

I used to look at people who went to the gym a couple times a week and ask how they motivated themselves to do it.

the answer is simple. you just do it.

my car is for sale right now.

really no reason why I didn't list it sooner.

its so unbelievably easy.

and people are calling!

I hope I sell it quickly. to think that I one day will not have to worry about it biting the dust is SUCH a relief. its a ticking time bomb.

really looking forward to coming home this weekend. reallly really.

its nice to be away from my apartment and its looming TO DO list and enjoy the company of others. be a guest. drink coffee in the evening. get advice from people who care. never look at the time. watch the sun come up.

lately I've had such strong ties to the people from Lindsay. over the past few months I've become so close with SO many people and they are all amazing.

Lindsay might have nothing to do, a huge drug and teen pregnancy problem and some seriously slow drivers, but i sort of love it.

its a place where I know how to get everywhere. where people make time for what is important. where a smile from a stranger is common.

and we make hella good ice cream too.

this blog is such a part of me now.

I know I don't have the followers or readership of others but I feel like the people who read this are of great quality. Its not a numbers game. I need to remember that. Sometimes I get down, I think, why does this person have 300 subscribers and they have only been blogging for a couple months? The answer doesn't matter.

I've had a few people reach out and say my words have touched them. that means more to me than any statistic. Thats what I get satisfaction from.

Have a wonderful day and don't forget to wish at 11:11.

xoxo

gift idea...

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

a guitar pick punch!!! so cool! available from here for $25.

This weekend in pictures

2011-12-14T07:00:00.001-05:00

So these are in such a random order but I have zero desire to straighten them out. it was a great weekend! Obviously melissa came to the city and we had fun fun fun times as usual.

Thrifting at value village. IF I was to ever buy a fanny pack this is certainly the one I would want.

Party at this lovely ladies house on saturday night. It was an ugly sweater party and was SOOOO much fun. we stayed up dancing until 4am ahaha. Her house is filled with antiques and collectibles. I would be so nervous to have a party there!

Shopping at Russet and Empire on Sunday

uhhhh....we didn't plan this but we pretty much wore the same shirt Sunday hahaha

Window displays on Dundas W

ahaha I asked Laura for some ice at the party. She really delivered!

so jealous, in Laura's basement she has a full 50's diner style bar. AMAZING

always need to have some ttc pictures. We were on our way downtown, Mels parents took us out for dinner at Kit Kat. Such a cute place and the food was AMAZING. Her parents are so cute.

love this store.

some flip cup/ beer pong debris. Melis and I are very glad we have learned the skill of flip cup. its certainly come in handy lately.

"Hey... you guys flippin some cups in here?"

bathroom pictures. obviously.

saturday morning pilates. not all drinking and fun around here!

loved this open sign. it was made by the shop's daughter.

more dundas W window displays. this is a cute little art supply shop

antique store on Keele at Dundas West

oh! and Laura's house has a legit move theater in it. I can't believe this place exists!!

blueberries blueberries blueberries

Great weekend. I even had time to clean sunday while mel did her homework and then Ian and I watched Elf on sunday night. I went into this week feeling well rested and productive.

love love love

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-05:00

totally in love with this leather pouch from Baggu. so simple yet I can think of a million things I could use it for. now...which colour would i choose? hypothetical decisions, hypothetical decisions.

find it here!

it also comes in a teeny size!!! so perfect for a few cards and some cash.

How drunk can you get?

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

my office christmas party isn't until the 21st of December but I saw this today and thought it might be helpful for anyone who has a party coming up.

from here!

christmas questions

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-05:00

I found these christmas inspired questions on The Life of a Cupcake, who is also a real life friend from Toronto. Thanks Julie!!! Merry Christmas love!

if you could kiss any one person under the mistletoe, who who would it be? - hehe my new dapper man! he got a hair cut yesterday and trimmed his beard and i am pretty smitten with the new look. thank goodness for skype!

what is the earliest you have ever woken up to open presents? I can remember sneaking downstairs to look the pile of presents in the middle of the night. peaking at the large unwrapped items and looking at my bulging stocking. I think the earliest we were ever allowed up would be 7 or 8. Nothing too crazy. Our tradition is opening the stockings first while my parents woke up and then we all went downstairs to open presents together.

procrastinator or planner? are you a last minute shopper or is everything checked off your list in july? you know, I am usually pretty good. I've never had everything done in July but I make a list of everyone that I need to buy for and just work my way through it. In the last few years I have really tried to buy more things online. it simply saves me time. as you read this I have four deliveries being shipping to my office and can cross about 8 people off my list when they arrive.

what item is at the top of your christmas list this year? this year I am playing the practical card and I really need to buy a new mattress which my mom is going to help me out with. I also asked for some new things for the apartment. To me, practical and useful gifts are really the best. I have a huge hate for clutter so useless things that take up space are never good.

what is your favourite christmas candy? i am going to bend the rules here and say my favourite christmas candy is really the christmas baking that everyone does. My mom especially goes all out and my favorites are nanimo bars, ginger snaps, shortbread (mmmm shortbread) and brownies.

what is your favourite christmas smell? is there a special smell that instantly reminds you of the holidays? i love the smell of a real tree for sure. I have bought a real one for the last few years. also the smell of baking and cinnamon. and sausage rolls actually, haha, we always eat them on christmas morning.

does your family have a unique christmas eve tradition? well we usually have to go to church but my favourite part of christmas eve is a party we go to held at our parents friends house...and her son is pretty much my brother and I's long lost sibling. We have been going there on christmas eve for 4-5 years now and its always the BEST time. playing ride the sleigh (instead of ride the bus) watching our parents get drunk. the best christmas party hands down is always on christmas eve. This year we are including a few friends as well and its going to be awesome. i'm probably more excited about this party then opening presents haha.

wrap it up! do you wrap presents as you buy them or all at once? i usually wrap all my presents at once. i like to lay everything out and get all my supplies together..ribbon, stamps, kraft paper, sparkles, tags...and just go to town. I like to have a cohesive look to all the presents so they look pretty while they sit under my tree before I go home for the holidays.

it is finally time to open presents! do you prefer to open them one-at-a-time or is it a free-for-all?! honestly a bit of both! when someone gives me a special gift or I know it something nice I like to take my time and savour the moment but sometimes on christmas morning I like to channel my inner kid and just rip through a few presents!

thanks for reading, if you want to answer them on your own blog just link back in the comments because I would LOVE to see your answers!!

also...I recommend following Loaded Santa on twitter....pretty funny stuff

xox

helpful links..

2011-12-08T21:58:00.001-05:00

Here is a great list of 25 tips that are so so so helpful! My favorites are the bobby pin trick, putting cake inside of ice cream cones for kids, and putting a tension rod below the sink to hold cleaners. I am probably going to do all three!!!

xox

Punched Out

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here is something cool!

You can download this FREE font, print it out on coloured paper and build your own three dimensional letters. SO NEAT! Or if you want extra points you could open it in illustrator and create a fill for the letters and make patterned letters.

I picture printing out the letters on large paper and making a three dimensional inspiration word for a living room, bedroom or maybe a kids room. endless possibilities.

orange letters from how about orange

download font from font structure

its official...

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

The perfect red lipstick is NARS Flamenco. Sarah from Whoorl mentioned it in her blogger favourites on Simple Lovely.

I have to say, this lipstick is foolproof. Its really the perfect colour for so many skin tones and colourings. I've been wearing it for at least 6 months now and it has never let me down. it goes on like a gloss (helpful if there is no mirror) and lasts for hours.

Gift Guide for Guys

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-05:00

I have found that buying gifts for boys is sometimes MUCH harder then girls. I think its probably because I read way more girl oriented things on the internet, so finding things for boys is just out of my scope.

While searching for some presents I thought it would be good to share some of my findings! also when I was searching i was looking through gift guides and my personal opinion is everything was extremely expensive (technology oriented) or too easy (iphone covers, bow ties).

I hope you enjoy!!

metal tool box $35

metal flask (many other designs to choose from) $19

hanging lamp $75

wood earbud organizer $27

Arrested Development quote pencils 6 for $7.50

Goat cheese making kit $29.00

custom tree pillow with embroidered names/initials $34

stemless mustache wine glasses $30

leather beer koozie $25

tim burton playing cards $5

record cd stickers and sleeves $9

the many varieties of beer t shirt $22

alarm dock for iphone $40

Amazing!

2011-12-05T10:24:00.001-05:00

Hello Little Printer, available 2012 from BERG on Vimeo.

How amazing is this little printer?!!! such a cool way to start the morning. I love that you can send your friends little notes to print out when they start their day.

From the website:

Little Printer lives in your front room and scours the Web on your behalf, assembling the content you care about into designed deliveries a couple of times a day.

You configure Little Printer from your phone, and there’s some great content to choose from — it’s what Little Printer delivers that makes it really special. We have an incredible group of launch partners, and in the run-up to shipping we’re working with them all on custom publications.

Our launch partners are Arup, foursquare, Google, the Guardian, and Nike. Thanks guys, it’s great to do this together.

We love physical stuff. Connecting products to the Web lets them become smarter and friendlier – they can sit on a shelf and do a job well, for the whole family or office – without all the attendant complexities of computers, like updates or having to tell them what to do. Little Printer is more like a family member or a colleague than a tool.

Plus paper is like a screen that never turns off. You can stick to the fridge or tuck it in your wallet. You can scribble on it or tear it and give it to a friend.

This weekend in pictures

2011-12-03T18:32:00.001-05:00

moved the kitchen table into the kitchen

made peanut butter cookies three different ways

and apple crumble (last weekend)

went shopping for a christmas tree

threw out leftover roses

made my best pulled pork yet! served on fresh buns with a salad of cucumber, peppers and feta

was gifted the new florence and the machine album on vinyl. AMAZING

made sundaes with the left over apple crisp and crushed up cookies

obviously.

two new necklaces that I am absolutely over the moon for

peanut butter cookies three ways (from the top) plan, rolled in brown sugar, nutella drizzled on top

new christmas tree

ukulele and davids tea

amazing new blanket for my bed.

welcome home sign for the boys who returned from an amazing road trip.

sorry things were so quite on the blog last week. I was hosting two dreamers who made my apartment the last stop from their road trip. i was so glad to be able to spend time together and every minute was awesome.

Christmas Wish list

2011-11-25T07:00:00.001-05:00

image from here

Dear parents,

All I want for christmas is gift certificates, cash OR:

Four Bed Pillows

Down Duvet

Large Crock pot

small wireless keyboard

Bicycle - if this is happening please talk to me first

Queen Mattress

~~Air pump for blow up mattress~~

Spatulas

Grey bath towels

2012 Volkswagen City Golf

External Harddrive

Jenga

Table topics- http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/table-topics

Taboo

Essie nail polish

hanging terrarium - http://shop.oldfaithfulshop.com/product/hanging-terrarium

letterpress coasters - http://www.etsy.com/listing/76193786/mojave-letterpress-coasters-set-of-4

2012 Volkswagen City Golf (yeah?!)

Seriously though, thats it. Nothing else!

xoxoxoxox

Onyon Ackim

six ways to tie a scarf

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

for all my male readers out there, I got your back.

found on pinterest, originally from here

2011-11-24T11:38:00.001-05:00

this weekend is the american thanksgiving and I read a fair number of american based blogs who are gearing up for the holiday.

I have to say. I am extremely thankful for where my life is right now.

and you know what? I have to pat myself on the back and give myself full credit for that. I chose to make a change. I chose to take a leap of faith.

I had a lovely email with my cousin carly last night and she reminded me of how confused I was almost a year ago. I literally broke down in the bar and cried because I wasn't sure I was in love anymore. How do you know someone is the right one for you?

"You just know"

that advice stuck with me. there were SO SO SO many things i didn't know. I didn't know where I would live, how I would manage being on my own, how I could cope with the loneliness. but I knew that it wasn't fulfilling everything I needed. I knew I wasn't ready for the next steps (marriage, babies) because I couldn't commit to this person.

and the crazy thing is I see so many young women in the same predicament.

they are scared shitless of being alone and accept any company out of this fear.

and even men, I am told, struggle with this. they are scared of the unknown and would rather settle then face adversity.

because its no lie that being single is shitty. it comes with lonely nights and lots of pep talks in your head. its also easy to turn the other cheek and proclaim THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LOVE. but thats not true either.

so my point is just this.

its your fucking life. be honest with yourself. listen to your needs.

give it everything you have and then some. and then look at the results. look VERY hard at the results.

make your life the best one for YOU.

this doesn't just apply to love. it can be your friendships, your relationships with family, your job, your living arrangements, your health.

make today the day you are honest with yourself and make the change you want to see.

because no ones going to do it for you, thats for sure.

I wish I could send this post to myself one year ago but my consolation is someone might read this today and really need to read this today and make it happen. please make it happen.

p.s. there is never a good time. just make it THE time.

your heart sweats, your teeth grind

2011-11-20T22:32:00.001-05:00

where to begin?

....

probably here.

you know whats weird? talking about your blog in real life. actually mostly just when people talk to me about my blog in real life. okay so i know if i can blog things then i should be able to carry a conversation about them. but somehow it always catches me off guard.

I also secretly wish everyone had a blog so i can know whats really going on with them and where their heads at.

there are things that are easier to blog about then to talk about.

and there are things I will go on and on about in real life and you will never know from reading this. granted of course, that you actually know me and we are three whiskeys deep.

sometimes I think this blog really probably only makes sense to me.

not a big concern really.

how is it midnight already?

listen to that Florence video up there, I found it on a youtube playlist and its really doing it for me right now.

still not over Son of a Preacher Man though....really not at all. track 12 on my car cd. again and again. fact.

and thats all she wrote.

xox

and now is right on time

2011-11-20T07:00:00.000-05:00

so so so true

From yesandyes.org

grey square designs

2011-11-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

this puts everything in perspective.

from grey square designs

let the only sound be the over flow

2011-11-16T21:51:00.001-05:00

can you believe its already the middle of November? it seems like halloween was yesterday. I'm trying not to let the holidays sneak up on me this year.

real tree again. might even get some decorations for it WHO KNOWS? lights on lights though. white sparkly twinkely lights.

i can remember being a kid and sitting in the living room with the lights on the tree on and every other light off. watching some of decorations turn and others with porcelain faces stare in the same direction.

this is going to be a good winter though. I can feel it. normally I don't like winter but this year I have things to look forward to.

I'm going to be 25 in march. twenty fucking five.

biggest age i've ever been.

obviously.

also, most grown up sounding. there is something about 25. you enter the second half of your twenties. after this people always round you up, your grouped with the 30's now. I want to be doing things that 30 year olds do.

is that weird?

it is.

I want things like a condo, a non-piece of crap car, a clean apartment, a work out routine, and friends I can hang out with in my underwear.

thats what excites me today.

also..so does this food below. its from St. Dave's Diner in lindsay and it was fucking phenomenal.

because I was served hot coffee minutes after sitting down and everyone was given the biggest pail of water named the 'hangover cups'. and when we ordered pickles she brought us a whole dish of pickles.

are you reading that? A WHOLE DISH OF PICKLES. hallelujah. praise the lord! do you know what I go through to get more then 6 sliced pickles on my sub? serve me a pickle appetizer we are friends forever.

I think she even refilled it.

amen.

I ordered pulled pork and a poutine. not my finest moment but didn't regret a second of it.

my kind of place, St. Dave's.

and if its your birthday, dave himself will come out and sing happy birthday for you and give you chocolate in a dish with a sparkler on top. its true. I witnessed it myself.

Test

2011-11-16T20:32:00.001-05:00

Testy too

2011-11-15T22:50:00.001-05:00

DONT BE PUSHED BY YOUR PROBLEMS, BE LEAD BY YOUR DREAMS

sway chair

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

how AMAZING is this chair?

I couldn't find a price online but i'm going to go out on a limb here and say because it was designed my Marcus Krauss it costs a pretty penny.

its called the SWAY chair. I want one.

If it makes you happy, then it works.

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

an amazing apartment tour from apartment therapy.

almost everything is DIY or repurposed. breath taking. I am absolutely in love with this apartment.

my favorite things are the pendant lighting, which can be found here, all of the wood furniture, colour splashes on a neutral palette, and the artwork. oh and the wood floors, the beautiful, beautiful wooden floors.

absolutely adore the numbered lamp. I want to try this.

and the record photo below

things you may not know about me..

2011-11-11T12:09:00.001-05:00

I have a big concern for clean hands. when I get home I the first thing I do is wash my hands. along the same lines...dirty fingernails give me the heeeby jeebies. can't stand them, on me or other people.

Maybelline and Avon. I have been using the same brand of concealer and eyeliner since middle school.

I did ballet (but also jazz, modern, and tap) for over ten years. I was also on my highschool curling team and curled competitively for 6 years. I even went to curling camp in the summer time.

My fuck it plan involves a huge garden, an old farm house with a wrap around porch and no cell phone.

I'd like to get a side piece tattoo but I'm worried it will stretch out and look bad when I have kids. I have one tattoo now on my ankle.

I'm wicked good at parallel parking.

I need some good ideas for lunches.

I will smoke menthols when I drink and when I drive. never when i'm drunk driving though. (kidding mom!)

I get incredibly addicted to certain songs and will listen to them on repeat all day until I move on to another song.

Tara was the name of my husky/alaskan malamute growing up, she never barked and I would get a husky in a second if I had the space for it.

There is a street near me named Clendennan. I love the way my mouth feels when I say it.

I've recently fallen for someone. I didn't think it would happen so soon but you can't plan life and when everything feels perfect its hard to deny.

In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative, original thinker unless you can also sell what you create - David Ogilvy

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

smart, relevant, engaging ads.

Goals

2011-11-09T11:52:00.000-05:00

photo: From Me - To You

Goals:

-Finish all holiday shopping online by December 1st.

-Buy as many handmade, local and artisan products as possible

-Design and launch redfoodcolouring.com before the new year

-Sell my car and buy a different one as soon as possible

-Organize all my bills and payments both online and in paper format

-Pay off my credit card (again!)(how does it do that?!)

-Book a holiday for my 25th birthday somewhere warm and all inclusive

-Book another laser hair removal appointment (best groupon deal ever)

-Eat healthy lunches and dinners and as many vegetables as possible

-Bake holiday cookies

Lately life has been really busy but also very fulfilling. I honestly haven't watched any of my 'shows' in about three weeks. I prefer to listen to records and get things done around the apartment, go to Pilates classes and cook real dinners in the evening. Its amazing how cutting out one thing from my priorities list can have such an impact on how much fee time I have. Its not important that I know who was the last team to arrive on Amazing Race or who Dexter's next victim was.

I good friend cut out internet time for the same reason and although I see for him it was the same ideals, there is just NO way I could stop my internet time. BUT I can be more strategic, and use my time better. Its all about balance.

p.s. this lovely fall weather is welcome to stay until spring!

your part of the world

2011-11-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

last weekend was one of those times when I just needed to get out of the city, take some deep breaths of fresh air, walk with no destination in mind, laugh until it hurt, eat home cooked food and remember what is important in life.

it was an absolutely gorgeous weekend and I took full advantage of it.

Highlights of the weekend include:

-buzz light year pinata
-learning I am kick ass at flip cup
-cap gun fights on *almost* empty streets
-early morning wake ups
-amazing coffee with kawartha dairy cream
-SAIL!!!!
-steamy bathrooms and sing alongs
-perfect fall weather
-a harvey's picnic
-photo-bombing horrible family photos
-AMAZING home cooked ribs
-learning to trust my heart, learning to be honest with my feelings, learning that the scariest things are usually right
-tap dancing to the radio
-playing the drums (!)
-remembering the time change and the extra hour it gave us at 2pm
-and of course spinning

its crazy how in life you can plan your destination and the route and think your going from point A to point B but life has a way of changing that on you. If you would have told me all the things that are going on in my life right now I would have told you YOUR CRAZY. all bolded with capitols. seriously.

but heres the thing.

sometimes its out of your control. sometimes the world just sets up a perfect scenario and I'm the crazy one for not exploring it.

sometimes you need to make the best out of a situation and sometimes life just hands you the best thing since sliced bread.

i'll eat mine with PB&J please.

xoxoxo

Violet Bella

2011-11-08T11:23:00.000-05:00

everyone once in a while I come across a blog that I can't stop scrolling through on my google reader. Violet Bella is one of those blogs. Laura's style is fabulous, her jewelry designs are amazing and I love the tone and feel of her writing.

also I am absolutely IN LOVE with this shirt/belt/necklace combo. look at the beautiful sleeves!

she also posts fun DIY's, daily bits from her life and recently appeared as a featured seller on etsy.

go take a look, I'm sure you will enjoy.

BLOG // ETSY

shutter speed

2011-11-04T14:11:00.000-04:00

operation pictures.

its starting today. I honestly have so many things to take pictures of. so many things I see and just want to remember in my mind.

I know this is all I talk about anymore but I am prettttttttttty stoked about the weekend. what can I say? I have great friends who make weekends awesome.

Brother Ian and I are driving up north this afternoon as soon as we can leave our respective jobs and hitting the road. I've got belly laughs and late nights on the brain.

and of course baileys. its not the weekend without baileys coffee.

p.s. i love this mug "My dad is the greatest" and its pretty true. Mostly because HE bought ME the mug. hahhaa. for MY birthday! oh dad.

Don't you love this blanket? my BLOGLESS friend dave brought it when he slept on my couch. every square is different and beautiful. there is a yellow and blue one that is my favorite.

I'm going to make a better effort with the camera. JUST YOU WAIT.

MORE Blackberry pictures.

2011-11-02T16:22:00.001-04:00

remember when it was warm out?

sunsets on docks. doesn't get any better then that.

tree pose + darts = amazing

deep breaths

perfect weekend morning

re-arranged the shelves

hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaa. but seriously, I almost bought that coat

and that skirt. how the ef do I flip these?

somersby. can't wait for more this weekend.

Life In Blackberry Pictures

2011-11-02T15:54:00.000-04:00

furniture showroom for work

favorite chair

weekend love

hahahaha missing foot

spadina and college

friends for life

new records, blurry bathroom pictures

shopping.

bought wayyyyy too much

sushi island date

cool new store on college

KLB (Kawartha Lakes Brewery) at Utopia.

girl date

lonnnnng nights and sparkling lights

excuse me but your cat is trying to steal my soul

lucky rainbows

beautiful drives

new kitchen table

PB and J

taco night

wine men

cheesecake for breakfast

at the office. favorite mug for coffee

someone put me in charge of birthdays

new ring. love love love.

200 things the internet taught me

2011-11-01T17:35:00.001-04:00

omg hilarious.

Also. bonus round, this one is great too.

ITS THE WEEKEND!!!!

2011-10-28T16:37:00.001-04:00

I am BEYOND excited for this weekend. So many great people are going to be making their way to the apartment and we are going to have THE BEST TIMES.

okay so you MUST listen to this song that my best friend melis recorded with our friends matt (vocals and guitar) and peter (camera and sound). I honestly can't get enough of it and if you love it as much as I do comment and tell me so I can encourage them to make more music together.

Private Estate (Video #1) from Peter J Miller on Vimeo.

this weekend.

2011-10-27T21:31:00.004-04:00

THIS IS HAPPENING

HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

2011-10-27T07:00:00.000-04:00

hey!!! So I LOVVVVE Halloween. Mostly because I love a good excuse to play dress up in public.

my mom was a cutie and scanned in a bunch of our halloween pictures from the past so my brother and I could have a good laugh and they are too cute not to share.

CLOWNS! (check out the shoes, so cute) I'm with my dad and our family friends have a son the same age as me.

Bees! Thats Tommy and I again. lol.

why do we look so confused?

again with the same family friends, they just have more kids now and I have a brother?

dragon and Ian's a panda! Look at those pom pom ears :)

this was a wicked costume. I had a fake green nose that extended like an inch away from my face.

gypsy

Jester

hahaha dragon again.

50's girl. Leanne I adore that dress ahaha.

ballerina

DUST BUNNY

hahah from left to right, White Trash, Pirate, Mime and Dust Bunny

Tennis player (my hair was so short!)

literally wipping up this bird costume moments before we left.

and thats the recap!

this year I am being a mechanic on the weekend and then on Monday I am dressing up at work as the bird again. I love both costumes and CAN'T WAIT!!!!

2011-10-26T09:37:00.002-04:00

how adorable is this for $15? from here

play hearts kid they work well

2011-10-26T08:06:00.001-04:00

I had the craziest dream last night where I was having a bad dream about spiders and then I 'woke up' and saw a HUGE spider on my ceiling...maybe two feet in circumference on MY CEILING! He had huge daddy long legs and was coming for me. I screamed and jumped up and (fully awake now) turned on all my lights expecting to have to find and kill this gigantic friggen spider.

I've never had that before when I thought I was awake but there were still dream components happening in real life. scared the pants off me!

can't get enough of this song right now. new pornographers, go places

advertising rant part 2034983590

2011-10-25T10:48:00.001-04:00

in the same theme as the earlier post I found this online today and think it makes an extremely valid point.

We are not sheep, we are informed, educated customers who work hard to buy what we do.

There is a shift in advertising. It can be funny now. clever. REAL. it can connect with you in your own environment instead of a megaphone blaring out of your TV screen.

the online and virtual space makes brands accountable for what they create. advertisers can be involved in the conversation.

+++

its easy to blame advertisements and big brands but at the end of the day your the one reading them and taking the message seriously.

+++

Can you tell it drives me crazy that people hate advertising?

advertising is our media, our currency.

its how we see ourselves and above all its the ART FORM of our current culture. Its our expressionism, the way we relate to each other.

its not the problem but we can use it to create a solution.

+++

and in a small plug, randomly on-topic, here are the newest minds fresh from the creative advertising degree program this year http://www.humberportfolioshow.com/

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-04:00

From flowers-and-buttons.tumblr.com

"Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does."

one thought at a time

2011-10-23T23:35:00.000-04:00

I should really be in bed right now.

like really really really shouldn't be awake.

but I am literally high on life these days. I can't get enough of it!

we have this saying.....

"everything's coming up PB and J"

and thats the truth.

From shoptigertree.com

sometimes the world just sends you signals. it lets you know it hasn't forgotten about you and that its working its magic behind the scenes. setting up the foundations and leading the charge.

From weheartit.com

meeting new people is amazing. I forgot how much I adore making new friends.

From design-milk.com

I've never felt more alive then I do at this time.

I feel like creating again. pulling out my sewing machine and making things. Its been SUCH a long time since I've felt like creating.

I think my mind has to be in a good place to want to create things. the stress of life can't be overwhelming and there needs to be time for my mind to drift.

From etsy.com

I am very inspired by so many things right now it feels like i am being spoiled. I have wonderful people in my life that make me laugh harder then I ever have and understand me and get excited about the same things and every day I smile so hard my cheeks hurt.

From tupelohoney.tumblr.com

Everythings coming up PB and J these days

the look that was in his eyes, stealing kisses from me on the sly

2011-10-18T10:36:00.001-04:00

woke up this morning and HAD to listen to this song. Son of a Preacher Man. Does that ever happen to anyone else? you just NEEDED to hear it. I watched Pulp Fiction for the first time this weekend and was pretty in love with the scene this song is played in. Just make yourself a drink Vincent and I'll be down in two shakes of a lamb's tail. I haven't really stopped listening to it, and now i'm cycling through a Dusty Springfield youtube playlist while working away. snapped some pics of my morning singalong.

last week I didn't go to my usual pilates classes. boy can I feel THAT today. in one of my classes we are working on the 100 push up challenge. I must say we are far from the goal but it still feels great to be able to ANY push ups haha. ugh how do the backs of my arms hurt so much?!

things have just been SOOOO great lately. its all so new and fresh and lovely and exciting. its invigorating, I can't wait to get up in the morning and smile and laugh. I am so confident in life now and should just trust it to work out for the very best, it is really doing a great job.

a friend of mine said on twitter 'you don't remember the nights you went to bed early' and that is the truth.

reasons why this weekend was phenomenal:

-double servings of pulled pork

-whiskey in water bottles

-chocolate chip cookies (even if they were a little crispy)(lesson learned: don't ask me to bake anything without a timer and a deadline to get ready to go out)

-watching movies under blankets

-roman candles

-NOT bottle rockets

-windy walks through dark streets and curb kisses

-somersby beer

-wizards and jesters

-limo cabs (AT NO EXTRA COST!)

-candle lit ghost stories

-the mad doctor in the forest

-running down hills and spinning, always spinning

don't forget to enter my giveaway on tea cups and bubble baths!

have the most wonderful day and don't forget to dance! xoxoxox

give away!!!!

2011-10-17T11:44:00.000-04:00

So carly is hosting a great week of give-aways on her blog and I invite you to hurry over there and enter for my prizes. I am giving away two separate prize packs. the first one is a collection of vintage items that I have thirfted. two great leather belts, two wooden teak trays (perfect for jewelry or keys) and a fabulous embroidered black purse.

Here is the link to my giveaway, but there are tons of great prizes so make sure to check them all out!

prize number two is a davids tea lovers dream. five of their most popular tea choices (voted by the customers) and a vintage green wooden mug. Also in case you don't usually drink loose tea I've included a ball for steeping the tea.

so head on over to carly's blog and win some goodies! its super easy!

eight kinds of 80's

2011-10-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to check in and say that I have a double batch of homemade chocolate chip cookies in the oven and my dearest friend melis just got here and there is a night of adventures and surprises ahead of us.

its going to be a great night!

I am hosting a giveaway on my cousins Carly's blog right now so hop skip and jump on over there and get yourself some goodies! all you need to do is comment/follow my blog/twitter etc.

have a wonderful weekend lovlies! xoxox

thanksgiving weekend

2011-10-12T20:56:00.002-04:00

I am so thankful for the friends and family who I love in my life. Honestly, I have had so much positive support in the last few months it has been humbling. There are so many people who have reached out and said nice things and just given me hugs to say they care. For some reason when I pictured being single I pictured much more alone time and well feeling more 'lonely'. but that is soooooo not the case.

thanksgiving weekend is both happy and sad. only sad because it is the last weekend of the cottage and we close everything down, shut off the power and wait for spring again. HAPPY because there is always SOOO much good food, so many laughs, fun times with the cousins, bonfires, stuffing, long sunny walks and new memories (CHIFFON!!!).

Our weather was B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L this weekend. absolutely stunning. so sunny and warm, I even went for a jetski on the lake.

Some fun things coming up on the blog in the next little bit, including a giveaway!!! Stayyyy tuned.

I can't believe its Wednesday night already. I love short weeks! I'm going home again to lindsay tomorrow after work for a doctors appointment friday so my week is even shorter. love it!

hopefully this rain stops, I'm excited for a little adventure that is still in the planning stages for this weekend.

Tour toronto: kensington market

2011-10-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

Hello lovlies! Kensington market is one of my FAVORITE places in toronto. its an area north of dundas, south of college, east of bathurst and west of spadina. Very central to get to! Kensington has a great bohemian, artistic vibe to it. Plus it has GREAT vintage shopping :)

In the summer Kensington hosts 'pedestrian sundays' on the last sunday of every month. this is when they close down the streets from cars entering and everyone can walk in the streets. There is always TONS of live music and dancing right in the streets and a lot of the vendors have samples available or small treats for sale. its honestly the best!

beautiful day to be out.

so I mentioned kensington is slightly eclectic and artsy. its also very bright and colourful, unlike other neighborhoods in toronto.

plus they have tons of food vendors and fresh market produce. its so inspiring to go there and make a meal from everything that looks good.

mmm this is when we stopped at roach o rama where you can ...yep...on their great patio out back. they also serve great treats, we had the homemade lemonade.

(melis bought the great sweater she is wearing in this pic while we were in a vintage store. she went in looking for boots, came out with a sweater, happens to the best of us)

and played hangman and tic tac toe at our bench.

we stopped at bungalow, which is an AMAZING store, but I don't like going in because I want everything. they sell awesome clothes and mid century modern furniture. pretty much my heaven. I bought my winter coat though, and I love it to bits, but it cost me a pretty penny.

a great day to say the least.

my new desk!

2011-10-08T07:00:00.000-04:00

alright so I know I have eluded to my new desk a few times and I can't wait to share it with you. I am pretty proud of myself for this DUY.

so as you can see above, I bought a piece of maple at home depot but because of the weird way my wall is, I needed them to cut a notch out of the back corner.

(now, I must warn you, I read a sign when I was at home depot that they only are allowed to make 2 cuts per piece of wood and you have to pay for any additional cuts. I suggest going with a skirt on and playing the 'but I will never be able to cut this at home, whoa is me" card. works like a charm. he cut my board 7 times)

stained wood! I've never done that before but it was very easy. I just bought some foam brushes at walmart and in between coats (you have to let it dry for 3 hours) I put the brush in a zip lock bag which kept it from drying out.

this is the varathane I used. worked great. I have nothing to compare it to but this little jar was the perfect amount.

okay so with the leftover side of wood, I had him cut it into three equal pieces. then brother ian and his friend loud zach drilled them into place at the proper height. You can see my weird wall and why I needed the cut out.

this is also a good shot of what the wood looked like before I stained it. also, do you see that edge on the wood, how its all rough and ugly....

and again here? well the reason the one side is nice and the other is ugly is because you can buy this stuff that looks like your wood but comes in a strip with sticky stuff on the back. you just have to line it up and then iron it on to the wood. I also threw a couple coats of varathane on the edge so that the colours matched.

now the best part! decorating the space.

I bought this great map of the GREAT lakes at russet and empire a couple weekends ago. I also had a cork board which I hang my jewelry on and other important things (like my pilates schedule!) the lamp is really a chinese paper lantern with the end of a broken lamp inside of it.

TA DA!!

wine was my reward for finishing this project.

under the desk organization are wine boxes that hold supplies and the white vintage cart has dividers in the top for bills and other important papers so I can stay organized.

So over all I am pretty proud of making my new desk area myself and its super functional for all my blogging goodness. not to bad for about $30!

oh and just in case you wanted to see the before, this is what the spaced looked like for a few months when I first moved in -

I moved all the clothes out of the dresser into the closet and under bed rolling boxes and then sold the dresser on craigslist for $60. it was soooo broken anyway.

hope you are having a great long weekend!