I've been bored

This weekend has been a 100% write off. Seriously.

I've spent the majority of my day laying in bed with all three of my furry monsters, and when I wasn't in bed I was eating copious amounts of Malt-O-Meal while watching Family Guy. Adventurous, I know.

I also spent a good couple of hours on the computer surfing various clothing sites and dreaming away.

Here are some things I found that I NEED.. yes, need..

I believe that no woman can ever have too many
jackets, coats, parkas, what ever you may call them. My hubby tends to disagree with me on this one. I just don't think that men understand that a woman can't only wear one specific jacket with every single outfit.
There are trench coats like this lovely one for casual or night wear. Wind breakers such as North Face that are for running or heading out in the rain. Jackets for skiing and winter activities. And then there are simply cutesy jackets for fall that come in all sorts of different patterns.

 

Aren't these just the most darling things you have seen in your entire life?! I have seen some other fringe booties like this, but they didn't even come close to the awesome factor like these ones do. Again, I believe that a woman can never have too many shoes. It won't come to a surprise then that hubby thinks I am out of my mind.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when women.. or men for that matter wear running shoes with their everyday outfits. I don't know why this bothers me, but it does. Like majorly bugs me. It may be because I have seen one too many episodes of TLC's 'What Not to Wear'. I sit with my eyes glued to that show taking down notes. Now would also be the time to state that I also believe that skater shoes are a big no-no as well. Maybe in high school, but as soon as you are graduated, those bad boys need to graduate as well.. from your closet.

I thought I would also add these to my show and tell of the day. I reallyyyyyyy need new jeans. I have been wearing the same jeans I have had for over a year now.. no, not just one pair, there are three.

I have decided that the only style of jeans I prefer now are straight leg or slight boot cut. Flare just doesn't do it for me these days. They remind me way too much of the 80's. Plus, they hide your shoes.. yikes.. could I sound any more like a girly-girl? I've also been leaning more towards the darker denim. You can dress it up, or down. I find it hard to make light jeans dressy..

I am also a fan of distressed jeans. Something about them makes me swoon. Not hugely distressed, but just enough to make you look chic and girly. Plus, they bring me back to my roots.

So there you have it. This has been my boredom of the day.. and basically this whole weekend. I have eaten way too much ice cream and watched way too many movies. But this is allowed due to my circumstances ;)

Until next time..

So I lied..

I know I said that I wouldn't be posting anything in the next little while, but to be honest, I am sitting at home all alone recovering from dental surgery. A dental extraction to be exact. I look like a chipmunk and laugh at myself every time I smile in the mirror.

Any sort of surgery is a pain in the rear end. Especially one that limits your diet. In the past couple of days, I have eaten apple sauce, ice cream, mashed potatoes with gravy (Mmmm!), scrambled eggs and soup. Needless to say, my taste buds are yearning for a more array of flavors. I am a salt fanatic. All I want right now are some McDonald's french fries loaded with salt, and while we are at it, a bigggg juicy burger minus the onions.. blech! I like onions and all, but not when they are raw and pungent.

I adore food. I really do. It's one of my most favorite things. A recent new food favorite that I have discovered is Brownie Explosion ice cream made by Breyer's. Seriously? It is AMAZING. Like heaven in your mouth with all the ooey, gooey caramel and scrumptious brownie chunks. If you are like me and are in any way a chocolate lover, you will definitely adore this.

Another favorite of mine is my mothers fried chicken. I think the secret behind its crispiness and yumminess is that it is cooked in a cast iron skillet with bacon grease. ..Now I know that sounds like asking for a heart attack right there, but it is some sort of wonderful I am telling you. Pair it with all the fixings.. mashed potatoes with milk gravy, corn on the cob, and home made biscuits.. oh Lord, I could die. And no one can make it like her! Oh, and can you tell she is from the south? ;)

While we are on the topic of my mom, I would just like to add that she makes the worlds best beans and corn bread. Hands down. She adds bacon in replacement of a ham hock.. and I swear that it makes all the difference. What can't bacon make better, lets be honest. I am just going to be brutally honest here and announce that she is probably the worlds best cook. No lie.

I was talking to my sister today on the phone, and she told me that she was making my grandmas secret candy recipe. These candies are sinful! The inside is sugary, meltastic, and just delicious with pecans.. and the outside is wonderful chocolate. They are super rich little things, and are a Christmas tradition in our family. I wish that you guys could try these, but like I said.. secret recipe.

Well now that I have got my taste buds watering, and most likely yours!, I will be making myself some good 'ol Campbell's soup. But might I add that it is bean with bacon. ..Bacon.. that seems to be a staple in my diet..

Until next time..

I'm here for a good time, not a long time

I apologize for my lengthy absence.

Things have been crazy busy, and I don't expect it to change until later this month.

I am very surprised that I have managed to keep sane all this time. I've had conflict after conflict with my Chemistry prof. She is the type of person who knows exactly what she is talking about, but only she knows what she is trying to say. I am constantly frustrated with her, and often wonder if it's even really worth going to class.

But the good news is, is that there are only 12 days left of this frustration!

I promise to post more once this term is over.. and I have some good posts planned. You won't believe some of the things I have had to deal with in this past week even. "Ugh" is all I have to say.

Until then, Merry Christmas!

In need of some TLC

Living in an apartment SUCKS.

Not only do you have to put up with the noise of others, and creepy weirdos who like to look in your windows as they walk by, but also with the nasty "design" of the individual apartments.

Now by design, I am obviously referring to paint.

I have lived in apartments before where landlords have used simple, yet boring white.. on all walls. Another had a warm beige/brown.. which was OK. However, the one I live in now has a variety of yellow and green in the living area, entry way, and kitchen, and solid white in the bedroom.

Bottom line. It is hideous.

I would ADORE changing it and painting with warm colors. Greys, browns.. neutrals. Colors that work with everyday life. Colors that match all furniture, linens and fixtures. But why you ask do I not just change it? Because hubby here thinks that it is a waste to invest time and money into a place that is not long term and that we do not own.

I am in one word, Frustrated.

It doesn't help either that I see lovely transformations all the time in blogs like Better After and That House on The Corner. Such inspiration they give me. But.. I can't do anything with this inspiration.

Personally, I really do not think that it would cost that much.. and I am personally willing to invest MY time into doing a project like this because I know it would make me feel better. After all, this is where we spend most of our time when we aren't working or at school.

Right now it just feels like some apartment with all of our stuff in it.. it doesn't feel like a home. Home.. that is what I dream of. A place that I can go and relax. All I do now it dream of what I could do, and I can't relax because I get all excited, only to get disappointed when I bring my oh-so-fab ideas to the man so he can shut them down and give me his once again lecture.

I am telling you, I literally lay in bed at night thinking of all the stuff I could do. I am designing away in my head. Dreaming in creamy, warm colors, paisley fabrics, wall hangings, chrome hardware, and personal touches.

It's hard butting heads with someone about something that I am so passionate about. Especially with someone that I love so much.

Lately I have been imagining semi "redoing" my kitchen. Obviously I wouldn't be tearing down cupboards to put in new cherry-wood ones and replacing the counter top with granite. What I want to do is sand down the existing cupboards, paint them a crisp white and replace the hardware. Also to put shelf liner or fabric inside the drawers and inside of the cupboards.. you know, just to give it a little bit of personality and not have it look so drab. Little changes that make a huge difference. And to be quite honest, that is the most "extravagant" of my dreaming. All the rest is just adding paint to the walls. And of course I would LIKE to replace the closet doors with sliding mirror ones. I think that it would open the place up. But.. that may be taking it too far. That is probably a "dream" I will keep for when we actually buy our own place.

Oh! I would also like..okay love some new blinds. The ones that are on the windows now are the ugly fugly white plastic ones. I would adore some wooden ones. And, I saw some at IKEA that were totally inexpensive, but what from IKEA isn't really? Again, a little change that would make a huge difference! Might I add too, that it would be an inexpensive change.

I would be SO much happier in a place that was warm and inviting. You have no idea how frustrating it is to live in a place where someone else picked out the (ugly) colors. Walking through the door each day and wanting to gag at the yellow and green. Honestly.. who chooses these color combinations? People need to go take a design course 101.

So I guess in the mean time, I will continue to dream away. Maybe one day I can convince 'ol grumpy pants over here that it would be a wise decision. After all, I thought every man wanted to make their woman happy!

10 things

1. I once did a 24 hour famine with a bunch of friends in high school to raise money for charity, and we boiled chicken soup and drank the broth (To this day I still do not know if that was considered cheating).

2. When I was about 3 or 4, my father took me and my older sister to the Okanagan to go water sliding for my birthday. My sister and I were going down one of the water slides, when I suddenly had "to go". I frantically told my sister, and she replied, "just go, I do it all the time". She didn't know that it was indeed the number 2 I was referring to. Down to the point, I pooed in my bathing suit.

3. My first kiss was the year before kindergarten with the neighbour boy under the trees in our front yard.

4. One night, when I was young, I talked to God, and someone talked back. I laid in bed thinking that this can't happen. I got up and checked in the rooms and everyone was fast asleep. God is real. I know it was Him that answered me.

5. I can chop firewood with an axe. All me. All my own woman power.

6. I excessively brush my teeth. I take a good 5 minutes getting in every nook and cranny. I am obsessed with teeth hygiene. However, I never take the time to floss and I feel completely guilty for it.

7. In 2004 when my house burnt down, 2 men appeared out of no where and carried myself, my 8 month old nephew, and sister to the neighbours house. No one knew who they were. To this day, my sister and I believe that they were angels sent from God. They are among us.

8. My mom, grandma, 2 sisters and I used to annually drive down to Oklahoma each summer to visit my great grandma. During these road trips, my older sister used to wreak havoc. She would do everything from reach behind my younger sisters car seat (which was in between us) and unlatch my seat belt so I would get hit on the hands with a flyswatter (my grandma was such a nice lady) to bribe me with my own candy so I would recite my ABC's.

9. Driving down to Seattle, WA when we were young, I was sound asleep and suddenly sprung up from my slumber to sing "Almighty God" (My mother used to play this song each morning on full blast and repeat while she got ready for shift work). We still have a good laugh at this story. That song was engraved in my head.

10. My older sister and I used to dress up as bears and hide in the raspberry bushes to scare my little sister. We would laugh hysterically. It is now not that funny, because my youngest sister was sincerely terrified.

What are your 10 things?

Hello fall!

The summer has come and gone here on the south coast, and with it has taken away flip flops and short shorts. Those were my wardrobe staples this summer. And no, not the skanky short shorts, the cute denim ones.. there is such a thing. So with this new weather, comes boots and sweaters, and I am reminded that I need to go shopping. There is nothing better than a warm, cozy, soft hoodie. And then I am reminded of another realization that there is no money to go shopping with. Such a sad, sad realization.

But now that the fall is (unofficially) here, I am pleased to announce that I have already baked my first pie of the season.. and you guessed it, it was blackberry. And might I add that it was devine! I don't mean to toot my own horn here, but it was mighty fine. We are planning on going blackberry picking again this Sunday. My fingers are already cringing at this thought. But the hubby wants to get a few more gallons so we can bring a couple of pies to Alberta when we go for Thanksgiving at his parents house this year. And this idea has me grinning from ear to ear. You know that you have done well when a man wants to share his woman's baking with his mama!
I am looking forward to baking many more pies, and of different varieties. I would also love to get into canning. Something about being able to do these things is empowering. It's weird how "back in the day" every woman knew how to bake, cook and preserve. And nowadays it's the complete opposite. I had a girl at work the other day so shocked that I knew how to bake. That was so weird to me. My mama must have taught me well.

Fall also means that we are all back in school. It has been especially hard for me to go back because I never really got a break. I had a whole six days. But don't get me wrong, those six days were heaven! So now we are all back and the visa card has to get wracked back up again with the costs of textbooks and supplies. My chem book for this term cost me $225. I couldn't believe it. This has been the most expensive book I have had to purchase. So it better be worth it. Lets hope that this school year brings lots of knowledge and good grades!

All this talk about fall has also got me looking forward to big wool socks. I am telling you, fall fashion for me involves sweats with huge wool socks pulled up over top of them. Such a fashionista I am! And nothing goes better with those socks than a huge mug of earl grey tea. Aah, pure relaxation. I have a feeling that this approaching season is going to be a good one. I am looking forward to every aspect of it.

Sunday Show and Tell

I have been the lucky one chosen to be the hostess for this weeks Sunday Show and Tell!

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Yesterday, the hubby and I celebrated our 4 year anniversary. This year, our funds were low, so instead of going for a fancy dinner and then whatever else entailed, we decided to go blackberry picking.

We drove out to a side road by the airport where we had seen an abundance of Himalayan blackberry bushes growing ( I now know just about EVERY plant name of the lower mainland all thanks to a biology course I took.. nerd, I know.)
We spent a good 2 hours picking, and ended up with 3 gallons worth, plus a few thorns under the skin.. but you know what they say? No pain, no gain!
And now we all know what that means... Pies! I am seriously looking forward to this fall just for all the yummy baking that comes with it. I find that the cold(er) weather is a fabulous excuse to spend a couple extra hours keeping warm from the heat of the oven. Plus, something delicious comes out of it!