Fractured moonlight on the sea

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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?

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.

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

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