Photo a day for 2921 days

I've heard of the 365 project, where you take a photo each day... and I think it is great. My friend is doing it right now and I must say it is quite impressive, but to take a photo of yourself each day for 8 years. That takes dedication! Check it out!

I heart Jamie Oliver

He had me at episode one. I didn't even search him out, he automatically came on after the show I was watching online was over. I was immediately drawn to the him and quickly emotionally invested.... In a TV show! His passion for fresh food and his desire to make a change is so inspirational. I'm currently inthralled in the 3rd episode as I write...

Images from Jamie Oliver website

I am going to head out and pick up one of Jamie's books... because in Jamie's words "fresh food, that's what it's all about, brotha"

Saturdays are for....Spring Bulbs

A little spring cleaning this weekend.... and some spring planting planning. This book might just give me some ideas! If only I lived in the country and had a large garden... ha ha!

Via Apartment Therapy

How do you do it?

Browsing my regular blogs I am constantly inspired by the continual creative posting and writing displayed. I always want to ask - how do you post everyday? How do you find inspiration? Despite every single one of the authors having active, lively and busy lives, they constantly coming up with new ideas, writing such beautiful verses, producing posts which I am certain takes a significant amount of time to compose. So I am looking for advice as to how you go about posting. Is it the first thing you do in the morning? Do you write several posts at once and then time them to come up every morning? Are you a night owl that ends their day with a bit of writing and self reflection before heading to bed? More importantly, do you ever sleep!?

As I am sure it is noticed, I am not a very consistent blogger, and I would like to improve on my less than sporadic posting tendencies. So I am looking for advice.

All of these images are from the series "Where we blog from" on Jane Flanagan's Blog I'll Seen, I'll Said. Jane, I must say, your words and images day after day are truly an inspiration. I am always blown away by how many splendid ideas you so eloquently discuss on your blog on a weekly basis.

Dearest Kristin

A little pic for my cousin who just turned a whooping.... 2_ years old! (We don't look a day out of university!) xox Happy Birthday Kristin!

Professional photography by Kevin Long!

Concentrate on Kindness

Via Doobybrain

I tend to get easily wrapped up in planning and organizing and making sure everything 'works out'. My brain is full of logistical maneuvers, checked boxes and timing alignments.... and sometimes in the wake of my planning torrent, people's emotions get bruised. I don't realize that I have hurt people until too late, leaving my heart strangled by remorse and with no actions left to change the damage I have done. When this happens (such as now) I am physically disabled by a tightness in my chest and pressure in my ears which stops me dead in my tracks. Try as I might to make excuses, it becomes painfully apparent that my haste to create action, or solicit decisions neglects the goal of all my planning and organizing: Creating times to enjoy and appreciate the people I love and cherish. Something that shouldn't really take too much planning and organization....

With the Olympics coming two days away, I, like many Vancouverites, need forget about the logistics of the games and embrace the spirit - that warm feeling right above my spleen that brings a tingle to my nose and extra fluid to my eyes. I need to remember that what you see and do during the games is just as important as who you see it with and your attitude towards the moment. I'm sure there are going to be many lineups, missed events and agitated people, but it will all will be better if we can remember to act with kindness and appreciation for who we are with what we are going to be a part of.

Via the Herald
(Go Canada Go.)

2010 has begun?

Wow, where have the past few months gone? My monthly to-dos, ten loves, easy eco Mondays and any resemblance to a post have completely gone by the wayside... My apologies for anyone who checks here on a somewhat regular basis.


I can't even tell you what I have been up to for the past little while. I would like to say that work has consumed my life, but that is really not a valid response since everyone is super busy with work, and its not like I have been working 80 hour weeks! So what has taken up my time? Well, I have pretty much gone activity wild, going skiing, and hiking and cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing and and biking and swimming whenever I've had a free moment. The weather this winter has been so nice (warm) and sunny (!!) that I couldn't bare to say no!


It all caught up with me in January when I feel ill with a nasty little cold that wouldn't go away. I am just now recovering from it, feeling my energy levels rebound ever so slowly!

Anyway, enough with the excuses, onto better, more exciting topics! The first one of 2010? New Years Resolution. To read more. I came across this list of 100 great books from the BBC. Apparently most people have only read 6 of the 100 books. I don't think I am much above that, so if I were to try and tackle this list, are there any book suggestions? (I've place an x next to the books I have read)

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. Harry Potter series - JK Rowling x (1/2)
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Bible –
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell x
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger x
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis x
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini x
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres x
39. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden x
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown x
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery xxxx
47. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49. Lord of the Flies - William Golding x
50. Atonement - Ian McEwan x
51. Life of Pi - Yann Martel x
52. Dune - Frank Herbert
53. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon x
60. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72. Dracula - Bram Stoker
73. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett x (I think I have...)
74. Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75. Ulysses - James Joyce
76. The Inferno - Dante
77. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78. Germinal - Emile Zola
79. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80. Possession - AS Byatt
81. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83. The Color Purple - Alice Walker x
84. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87. Charlotte’s Web - EB White
88. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom x
89. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92. The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94. Watership Down - Richard Adams
95. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98. Hamlet - William Shakespeare x
99. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl x
100. Les Miserables - Victor Hugo


I've only read 18 (or possibly 16 and 1/2). I do have 4-5 books on my shelf from this list. I think I will start with those!


New Year's Resolution # 2 will come tomorrow!

Felicity

What ever happened to Keri Russell? I know this is quite off topic, but I was browsing {this is glamorous} today and in the beautiful images was Keri Russell. I have always loved her effortless grace and the way she always looks comfortable and relaxed in what she is wearing. But really where has she gone? I miss not seeing those knitted sweaters, scarfs and turtlenecks which she sported so often on Felicity.

Well for those like me who are going through Russell with drawl, good news! She has a movie coming out on Christmas Day, "Leaves of Grass"(nice little Christmas gift pour moi!). The movie also features Edward Norton and Susan Sarandon, and sounds like a wonderful character movie...check out the trailer.

In the mean time here are some images of Keri Russell, in those cozy knits she wears so well!

Via InStyle Jan 09

Via {this is glamorous}

Via So that Happened

Not the cosy look, but stunning....
Via Fashion Week Daily

November - To Do and Positive Mantra

Lately I have found myself to be quite negative. When someone asks me how my weekend was I am always "Good, BUT..." I am not sure why this is, possibly because I am feeling unsettled, and without purpose, or I feel slightly overwhelmed, not grounded and out of my element... Whatever the reason is, I am going to have to kick this mentality, because I'm no Debbie Downer!

I have been trying to figure out how I would kick this negativity and stick to it, and this weekend I finally had a light bulb moment! I don't know how to fully explain it, but I just have to remind myself that I am free to choose what to do. I don't have to do anything, I want to do it! For example, this weekend I was bummed because I had to go the mall to return some items. But really I want the money back, so I want to do this item. I also am really bummed about studying, but I want to do well in my courses, so I want to study.

I can see her positive mantra glowing! Cleo Sullivan

So let's see if I did everything I wanted to do for October...

1. Sew some of the Roman Blinds - purchase doweling, top piece of wood and lining material. Cut and measure out all material - The lining material is sitting right in front of me!
2. Move bedroom wall art
3. Clean out room - documents, clothes and (gasp!) shoes - this was so hard, 3 bags later, my room looks a lot less cramped!
4. Move winter clothes up, store summer clothes
5. Keep up with course homework - it was a squeeze, but I managed.
6. Post 1 time a week - not quite once a week but I did post more than 4 times this month!

Can you believe it? I finally got a whole list done, I am currently in shock. Now that I have some momentum, here is my want to-dos for Movember:

1. Post once a week. Post some personal projects.
2. Buy a winter bike. I officially can't ride my summer bike anymore.




I hope this will be my new winter bike! Kona



3. Finish decorating Kevin's room. (and post pictures)
4. Make a complete set of study notes. Book exam.
5. Be on the ball with work. Make deadlines. (this one is going to be hard!)
6. Yoga twice a week - a class or a video.
7. Book vacation. (Yes that's right I'm going on a fun vacation in 2010! More details later!)

I might be getting ahead of myself because this list looks long! Note - the roman blinds are not on here. I might have given up on them.

Even though I am not attempting to make my roman blinds this month, I still have quite a bit of sewing to do... I'm nervous, I have never done a project this large! Lucyina Moodie via Automatism

Black on Black Leighway

I recently had my hair dyed dark. Really dark. Some people call it black although it is most definitely a couple 'numbers' off black. It is a huge change for me, and I have been finding it challenging pairing this new colour with my wardrobe. I just don't feel like my steadfast black outfits look very good with my black hair. I even went out looking for a creme coloured winter jacket (something that I would never be able to keep clean long enough to wear more than once!) But today I stumbled upon this beautifully stunning lady who pulls off the dark hair and black clothes so wonderfully. I think I should try wearing those black staples again....

The Sartorialist via dress,design & decor

Both Via Miss a la Playa

July - To dos

I have been inspired to follow in Alek's footsteps and make monthly lists. We'll see how long this will last!) See, I make them anyway, but I would like to post them so that I feel that I have to be accountable. I am also going to take her advice and make my lists manageable (this is going to be the hardest part). So I have narrowed down my huge to do list and have picked out the most important ones.

1. Contact old professor regarding portfolio
2. Organizational tasks*
3. Purchase 2 staple work clothing items
4. Sew dark roman blinds for bedroom
5. Swim 10 times

* Organizational Tasks consists of activities way too boring to mention here!

I'll let you know how this month goes! It might be difficult if we get a lot of....

Rachel Vigor via Desire to Inspire

I'm an escapest

Yes, it's Friday night.  Yes, I'm at home.  I decided to stay at home tonight to get a bit of my very long list of things done... Instead, I have found myself browsing blogs!  My bags are still lying at the door, my shoes are a couple of feet beyond that and I am on the couch engrossed in reading blogs.  I have escaped real life again.  Do you ever need time to escape?  How do you escape after a long day?  Here is what I have found to help me forget that I have a list a mile long to complete this weekend!...

My parents were just in Portland, and from their tales, I am just dying to go!  This blog won't help either! (via cup of jo)

What a beautiful spring bed cover?

By Vera Neumann  via Design Sponge

This place took my breath away, everything else just seems so bland compared to this... 

This place even displays the bike beautifully! (I have been trying to find a place to store my bike where it would look good... so difficult!)

Well maybe not these shoes. 

Okay, those shoes did it.  I am motivated to attack my to do list!  Have a great weekend!

Raw Onions and Sweets

I normally try to avoid raw onions. I find them overpowering, like an over sized patterned sofa in a small room. They also leave you with bad breath and a poor aftertaste. But today I had some at lunch. And following lunch, I had the strongest craving for something sweet... like candy sweet. My theory is that in order to mask the horrible bitter aftertaste of raw onion, my body craved something sweet. Something with strong enough flavour to allow me to speak freely in close proximity to others, to be able to yawn without worry, and laugh without turning away.........

Have you noticed the same thing? Do you regularly crave sweets after a meal with raw onions?

I would like to postulate that raw onions are making me fat!

Both via Flickr: Here and here

Snowy Pup

With the winter weather really hitting the country side, I thought I would post a picture of my puppy to remind you that it can be fun playing in the snow! I'm getting bundled up right now!

Let it snow let it snow let it snow!

Opening Day

Whistler Is Open. Need I say more?

Birthday Wishes

Just a little shout out to my friend Alya - who's birthday it is today.... She is a true fashionista with and an impeccable ability of putting outfits together, no matter where in the world she is... Europe, South America, Africa or just at home on a Sunday! Al, I hope you have a stylin' day! (And show those Aussies some Van-style, and brains!)

Who says you don't look good in hats?
You look amazing in front of this wall, so natural - plus the wall itself is stunning! Where is this?

All the best! xo

Out of Touch for a little bit

I am taking a few days off from posting.... work has been piling up and I need to get some of it done! So... It's off to work I go! I hope you all have a productive work week as well!

Some days up here on site I feel like these guys! Only with PPE!

New posts on the weekend!

Less we forget

Some natural images of the Poppy... Some beauty to remind us to care.

Mary Edwards

Georgetown Galleries

J. Grabenstein

I don't have a say.

I'm not commenting on who I would vote for...I just like these posters. Besides, I live in Canada so I don't have a say.... Although the Economist would like to know what the world does think.

You can vote and see the results from "If-the-world-could-vote-dot-com" here. You can also hear the creator of this website (Bragi Thor) on Has It Happens a great CBC radio show.

Boobo

And not the Halloween kind.

I had a little accident on my bike while out enjoying the fall. (no pun intended) I'm a little rattled (hence the lack of posts) but nothing is broken!

I am very thankful for my helmet, and promise to never take them for granted again, even if they aren't the most attractive accessories and mess up my hair! Maybe these will encourage everyone to wear helmets!

Via yakkay