friday, i’m in love

2017: when I was all out of original ideas, motivation, and creativity. Chrissy posted and answered these Christmas questions last weekend and I quickly copied the idea. 

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Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper with satin ribbon. 

Real tree or artificial? Artificial. In theory I’d like a real tree but it seems completely impractical. 

When do you put up the tree? Last weekend in November or first weekend in December. 

When do you take the tree down? After the Epiphany in January. My grandma is a super religious Italian and taught us about Epiphany and the only thing I took away from it was that it’s cool to keep all your pretty decorations up through the first week of January. 

Do you like eggnog? Oh. My. God. NO! 

Favorite gift received as a child? I’m not sure. Way back in 1982/83 Cabbage Patch dolls were all the rage and impossible to get. My Mom’s sister was gifted one (a girl doll) when pregnant with my cousin who ended up being a boy so she gave it to me for my first Christmas. I loved that Cabbage Patch SO MUCH. 

Do you have a nativity scene? I have my Mom’s but have no intention of putting it out. 

Hardest person to buy for? Easiest person to buy for? Depending on if I have a good idea or not, the answer to both is sister.

Mail or e-mail Christmas cards? Mail. Always. People need to know they are remembered and loved and Christmas is the perfect time for that. And look, maybe someone will take offense to this, but I’m gonna say it anyway, just sending a family photo that was printed and shipped from a warehouse with no additional heartfelt message or a card that just says “Merry Christmas” inside doesn’t feel special. Make people feel special. I have 3 social media accounts, I know what your kid(s) look like, so why are you paying SO MUCH to print and send cards if you aren’t saying something heartfelt, too? 

Favorite Christmas Movie? Muppet Family Christmas (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE but also invokes a little Christmas PTSD) and Sound of Music (which isn’t Christmassy at all, but is a Christmas Eve tradition) and The Holiday (it is so unbelievable but fantastic). 

When do you start shopping for Christmas? I pick up something at any time of the year if I see a perfect gift, but I do 90% of my Christmas shopping (online) on Black Friday. 

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I have traded things with Laura when Mom puts our stuff in the wrong stocking, but I don’t think I have given something to someone else.  

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pierogies on Christmas Eve. Christmas bread on Christmas morning. 

Clear lights or colored on the tree? White. I HATE coloured lights. 

Favorite Christmas song? Blue Christmas by Elvis. (ps: here’s a Christmas Spotify playlist I made a few years ago)

Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel. I would much rather stay at home but I only have 1 (double) guest bed and a table that seats 2. 

Angel on the tree top or a star? Neither. 

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning. 

Most annoying thing about this time of year? Grinchy me says everything. It’s so happy and there is all this pressure to be perfect and have a loving family and be able to cook and have enough money for gifts. 

What I love most about Christmas? Lovely me says everything. There’s hope and twinkle lights everywhere. 

friday (morning), i’m in love

Do you read Cup of Jo? It’s in my feed and I’ll click through when something piques my interest. Joanna’s morning routine was recently featured on Huffington Post and being the huge internet creeper I am, I loved it; I love reading about people’s perfectly plain, mundane, normal mornings. 

Since I haven’t found anything entertaining on the internet in ages, I thought, this morning I’d share my morning routine with you based on the same questions posed to Joanna. (minus the ones about life pre/post kids, obviously)

What time do you get up in the morning? Usually between 7:30-8am

Snooze button? Nope. Even when I had an office job I’ve never hit a snooze button. I used to have an alarm set for 7:08am but would wake up between 6:55 and 7:05 everyday. 

What do you wear to sleep? Gilligan & O’Malley pjs from Target. 

What’s the very first thing you do when you wake up? Open the patio door to let the crisp morning air in.

Do you exercise in the morning? If I’m going to work out, it has to be first thing in the morning. I get progressive lazier throughout the day and it just won’t happen. 

Coffee or tea? Coffee. Always coffee. 

What’s your go-to breakfast? Other than coffee, I’ve been bad at breakfast lately. I’ve been bad at all meals lately, actually. I go through these strange phases where cooking seems so hard and every food sounds unappetizing. For the most part, I keep breakfast simple: either oatmeal with raspberries or yougart with strawberries, toasted coconut flakes, and sultana raisins. 

My ideal morning is: waking up early, getting a coffee and watching the sun rise over the ocean or a mountain, then tucking myself back under a duvet and reading a magazine or watching something on Netflix. 

 

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What is your morning like? 

friday, i’m in love

Hello from Calgary; my second home. After a mediocre sleep I bundled up (oh, you know, it’s only 30C cooler here than Southern Ontario) and walked down 17th for my most favourite latte from Philosafy. 

While a downside of my job is not having real vacation time, a perk is being able to work from anywhere. So, I was snuggled under a blanket yesterday watching New Girl and CSI: Miami and today I’m at a cafe in Eau Claire. Laura and I both work for the majority of my time in YYC and both take 1 workday off to trapeze through the mountains. It’s larch season*, babes, and we’re gonna soak up every minute of it’s splendor for the next 3 days while celebrating sister’s birthday. 

And sunrises. You haven’t lived until you’ve watched he sun rise over the Rockies. 

Follow along on instagram/IG stories. 

 

*as seen above, larches are an alpine tree that grow in the boreal forests of Canada and Siberia whose needles turn bright yellow for a few weeks in the fall. 

friday, i’m in love

• I was in Toronto last week, the event was about 1.5km from Calii Love Co in Yorkville, which happens to be across from a Subway stop. Obviously I needed to make this my first stop for a latte and to check out Toronto’s first bleedinghearts lovewall (artist: JGoldcrown – check him out on instagram). Honey making the latte was so, so slow but it was delicious and the wall super cute. 

• I agree with this so much. Why your significant other doesn’t need to be your best friend. And for that matter, why you don’t need to rank your friends. Preach, Anna. I, too, have a small group of friends, most of whom serve a different purpose. Do I want comfort? Celebrity news? Someone to kick my butt? Gossip? Swooning? To chat politics? Books? TV? 

• I transitioned from iced coffee to hot coffee on September 1 and my favourite hot coffee “hack” is to sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the grinds before the pot it brewed. And ps: this is how I make an at home cafe au lait with just strong coffee, some milk, and a jam jar. 

• do I need any new fall clothes? Oh absolutely not. Am I on the hunt for a new cute sweater? You betcha. Something different/unexpected. I’m not really sure what exactly that is yet. I saw a bunch of American bloggers posting cute ones from August’s Nordstrom sale, but there isn’t a Nordstrom anywhere near here and US prices + exchange + shipping wasn’t affordable in the end. 

• can someone please come over, pick me up, and deposit me in the gym? It’s literally across the street and I’ve woken up at a decent time to go before work but I just can’t make it out of bed and into the gym. I hate it there. I hate exercising (whhhhyyyy is it so boring?). But I am also seriously hating my body at the moment. (at the moment, hahahahaha…or for like, the last 16 years. But whatever. I will say, sweater weather is great for hiding everything you hate in a cozy sweater)  

• this home tour is overwhelmingly gorgeous! You need to take a few minutes out of your day and have a look. I liked my apartment for about 12 seconds and then I read this and now I think I live in a gross hovel. (I also fully understand that some/a lot of these design choices were made possible with partnerships and sponsorships, none of which I have. Also, there are so, so many less options when on a budget in suburban Canada)

friday, i’m in love

• if you’re generally feeling like crap and cry nearly every morning/avoid the bad news that is twitter make sure to like the following pages on Facebook, all of which are full of uplifting, oh-yah-the-world-is-a-good-place stories: For Good’s Sake – Love What Matters
• and should you like your American news with a side of light comedy and sarcasm (the country is going to hell, sometimes I need to laugh a little) I recommend the Closer Look segment on Late Night with Seth Meyers. A new clips posts at 9pm on the show’s Facebook page. 

a few things I’ve been loving lately:

• Unexpected Cheddar from Trader Joe’s. I know, I know, most of you live in Canada, but if you love sharp cheddar and parmesan, pick up a block of this next time you’re in the States. Wow. Wow wow wow. It is good. I’m rationing it like cheese is about to be extinct. 

• Sweet Thing by Renee Carlino. I read this over the weekend, and while some parts are infuriating (hun, he is so in love with you), it’s charming and cute and reaffirms my love for artistic types/musicians. Great summer read if it’s at your local library. I have actually loved all of Renee Carlino’s books I’ve read recently and would recommend them if you’re looking for a quick read. 

• the Jays have kind of mostly been winning again! Even though I have a loooong list of guys I would ship out for a bucket of balls and some flip down shades it has been nice to watch a winning team and my fave pitchers return to fighting form. 

• hot bacon caprese? yes please! If I can find some good fresh mozzarella next week at costco (so much better price than grocery stores, but not always in stock), caprese salads will be on the dinner menu. 

 

[photo via Robbie Caponetto]