I have a dream (kitchen).

(source unknown)

Everyone fantasizes about the future. I sure do. I believe that visualizing the future helps us figure out what we want and keep focused on the paths to achieving our dreams. Some of those dreams are personal, familial, spiritual, even. Some are financial, especially for those of us toeing the poverty line. One of my dreams is to have a fabulous kitchen.

Shallow, sure. But, well, who doesn't want a fabulous kitchen? But I also dream of attaining that kitchen beautifully and affordably, without anything generic or dateable.

I dream of white lower cabinets, fabulous countertops in a combination of carerra marble (my splurge) and thick butcher block, which I will chop on unashamedly, beleiving that knife marks = character. My dream kitchen has a huge island, a great pantry, and meticulously efficient drawers and cupboards. It doesn't have to be huge, but I'd like the island to house a stool or two at which I can sit with my books and coffee in the mornings.

It has great appliances, but they aren't stainless steel, because I firmly beleive that this is the avocado-green of the future. I cook with gas if possible, but a ceramic cooktop is also acceptable.

there are no upper cabinets, but open shelving is welcome for displaying collections of lovely ceramics and useful tools (in my dream kitchen, dust is not an issue).

floors are wooden. no contest. Limed, if possible, would be perfect. oh, and laid in a herringbone parquet pattern, please.

Backsplashes are important. I like back-painted glass, or black pennyrounds. The walls are white (probably) and there is a skylight or other source of incredible natural light (definitely).

(here via here)

Do you care for a cup of coffee in my fabulous eventual kitchen?

curly-cues

I was a cute kid.

Here, I have proof.

This and other family photos found tonight while scanning some items to load onto a digi-frame for my mum's Christmas present. Look at those curls!! I still have them, but I can't beleive that with that mop I spent so much of my childhood hating my hair.

ps. mexico was fabulous, I wasn't ready to come home.

Getting Ready.

Tomorrow, Kyle and I are leaving for Mexico.

you can take a moment to be jealous, it's okay.

I have never been to mexico, or anywhere hot for that matter. In fact, this is going to be our first real trip away from the pacific northwest, both as a couple and individually.

Anyway, today is going to be a busy day full of getting ready, packing, making arrangements exchanging money, etc.... and for some reason, I'm still here, in my pajamas, at nearly 1pm.
excellent.

I will be taking lots of photos!

Teux-Deux

In case any of you are as forgetful as I am, swissmiss just released a lovely web-app which features a simple, functional, and stylish to-do list where you can cross things off, drag and drop items to different days, and even place things in a 'someday' category. I just made it my homepage.

love it. find it here.

other peoples' children

hickens, I am going to admit something strange to you today.

I love babies.

Okay, lots of people love babies, I suppose it isn't that strange.

But I tell you, I am obsessed. It is only by the sheer force of my will that I do not already have a brood of babies running around, being ridiculously cute. For Kyle and me, the right time just hasn't come. Money and age and general growing-upness and the like mean that we have decided not to make any babies in the too-near future.


But oh, my. If we didn't have friends with wonderful, sweet, adorable children, I would have baby-trapped that man ages ago.

Overwhelmed.

have been a bad girl. This semester for me was seriously backloaded in terms of due dates, and therefore, in the next twenty-two days, I have the following to do:

1. 8-10 page paper on hospice care
2. In-class presentation about hospice care, followed by a 4-page reflection about said presentation
3. In-class presentation about the need to bring back professional nursing associations in Canada
4. Reflective practice Narrative re: something, anything I have done in Practicum
5. Short in-class presentation related to my practicum
6. 10-page critique of 2 research articles
7. Final practicum self-evaluation
8. Prepare a teaching plan and teach 6 classes of high school kids about healthy relationships, birth control, nutrition, and Diabetes (not all on the same day).

Um, yikes. Where was my foresight? Wish me luck! It may be a while until you see me here again - 22 days, perhaps. Good thing I didn't commit to NaBloPoMo.

Whimsical Locks

ately, I have been checking out hairstyles for The Big Day. I am definitely being drawn to pretty, wispy, 'this happened by accident and look how adorable it is' type styles.

two favourites:

from here via here

found here.

I showed both of these to my friend and hairdresser the other night and she absolutely refused to do the second one, claiming that it 'isn't me' and would fall out in about a minute.

Dammit, woman, can't you just tell me what I want to hear? that it's perfect?

She says she has an idea for me involving 1940's pinup glamour. Which is lovely and awesome, but not exactly the whimsical wispiness I was leaning towards.

Sigh. We shall see.

Nearsighted

Today, I am playing with the tiltshift generator app for iphone, and realizing that good curation of items is only one-half about the items, and one-half about artfully neglecting to photograph clutter.

Cozy Toes

y first pair of slippers was given to me for my eighteenth birthday. They were pink. fuzzy inside, fuzzy outside, boot-shaped, and given to me by a friend. I feigned excitement, then put them in the corner, not really intending to wear them.

But later, my feet got chilly, as they always do (Kyle often makes me wear socks to bed because they are so cold, even though there is no feeling more bizarre and uncomfortable to me than wearing socks to bed). And I put on my new, pink, fuzzy inside and outside boot-slippers. And I have never looked back.

Since then, I have purchased and worn out at least one pair of slippers (always boot-like in nature, never slip-on) each winter. I wear them inside. I wear them in the car sometimes. I bring them to other peoples' houses so that my feet can be warm and adorable anywhere I go. I have once or twice forgotten to change from slippers to shoes and worn them in the grocery store. It was an accident, I SWEAR. I am not one of those shops-in-her-pajamas types of people.

As the weather has gotten cooler, I knew it was time to find my next pair of slippers. So, on a whim, I stopped at Old Navy on my way home the other day, and there I found a glorious array of exactly the boot-shaped booties I love. With stripes, and pom-poms. Oh, my.

And here they are. So pretty, so cozy. If with this post I can convert one, EVEN ONE non-slipper-wearing person into a beleiver, I consider my job done. Just try it! You'll like it.

*PS, in case you missed it: The letter M (and all the scripty lovelies at the beginning of my posts) is brought to you by Jessica Hische and her Daily Drop Cap Project.

Disengaged, unenthralled, bored.

Doodle, the only productive thing I've done all week.

olks, I have something to admit. I am so, so, SO bored.

I have the last-semester-EVER at a university itch, and I absolutely cannot stay engaged. At all. I have never cared less about my education than I do right now. And I should care, since I am paying an arm and a leg for it. I should be wringing every last drop out of it, learning as much as I possibly can.

But here's the thing. And I have never, EVER complained about this before.

My program is teaching me too much in the way of critical thinking and theory. And yet I am in the final year of a baccalaureate degree in SCIENCE, for pete's sake, and I can barely describe the anatomy of the human body in scientific terms, let alone normal physiology. You want to know about disease processes? Forget about it. I feel like I don't remember a darn thing.

I can tell you a great deal about establishing therapeutic relationships, phenomenology, Nursing theory. But it has been two years now since I have learned anything about pharmacology, or nursing process.

Since I now possess excellent critical thinking skills, I know exactly where to find all the information I lack, of course. But I am about to enter into the working world, and here's the thing:

I know exactly what nursing as a profession needs, and I have learned enough that I could probably change the world if I wanted to. But I haven't learned enough about the actual job I will be performing when I graduate to be confident doing it. I never thought I'd say this, but I wish my schooling had involved just a wee bit more memorization work. Especially if it meant writing fewer papers.

I am so, so frustrated. And did you know, internet, that I am taking a class on critiquing research IN MY FINAL YEAR OF EDUCATION? Not, oh, I don't know, in first year, where I could then have used that knowledge every time I chose scientific references for my papers.

I see the value of what I have learned. I am prepared to enter into nursing practice.

But I'm not so sure I feel ready to enter into a nursing JOB.

Good Advice: Never argue with someone who works at a liquor store.

uys, there is something we need to discuss. You must never, EVER argue with a liquor store employee. Not for any reason. Because everywhere else in the world, the customer is always right. I know this. But in the liquor store, the customer is rarely right and usually just ends up looking like a giant douche.

Case in point number 1:
You had this wine the other night. You really liked it, but you got kind of drunk and now you don't remember the name. You aren't sure what grape it was, or where it came from, or even whether the person who introduced you to it bought it at this store. But it was DELICIOUS and you must have it, and will berate me until I produce it for you. Oh, and there was purple on the label, and maybe a dog.

The best possible response you will get from me is a shrug or an "I know the one you are talking about... we don't have it." Even if we do. Just for asking that silly question.

Case in point number 2:
You have already been drinking when you come into the store, and you say so. And when I say I can't serve you because you are already drunk, say "no, I'm not. I'm just high. I smoked some weed, that's all." I raise my eyebrows at you. You spend five minutes putting your money in back in your wallet. You put the wallet back in your pocket. Then you pull it out again and begin counting the money inside. I come around the counter, grab your skateboard, toss it out the door. You chase it.

Case in point number 3:
You kick the door at 10:05 and yell at me because "You still have 10 minutes! I have a cell phone, they broadcast the time from space!"

Sorry, I have trouble taking anyone seriously who claims to have anything broadcast from space. However, the time I go by is broadcast to my computer from the internet. We could argue over it all night, but since you are physically assaulting my building, I don't think I'm going to change my mind.

Case in point number 4:
You threaten that if we don't start keeping the XYZ-cheap cider in the cooler, you will just go buy it at the government store a block away, where they sell it for 40 cents cheaper. DON'T LET ME KEEP YOU.

Case in Point number 5:
You have forgotten your ID, but c'mon, I'm like 30*!

I hear this ALL THE TIME. Congratulations on being 30. I beleive you, I really do. however, the rules state that if I ask you for ID I may not serve you until you produce it. 2 peices. If you have made it to 30, what the H are you doing out of the house without ID? What if you get hit by a bus? Don't you want people to be able to identify your body and notify your family? What if you get caught in the middle of a riot?! You know they can hold you indefinitely until you can prove who you are, right? Get out of here. Look both ways when you cross the street.

*The age group most likely to throw a fit about being ID'd are those who turned 19 like six months ago, gawwd!

And now, something hilarious to enrich your day.

The wimpiest dog in the universe.

It's rainy season again here, and last night before I went to bed, I let Luna out to pee. A few minutes later, I let her back in. I go to bed with a book.

When I arise to go to the washroom before falling asleep (30-ish minutes later) I notice a smell.

Surely enough, Luna has done both number 1 and number 2 on the floor. Do you know why?

BECAUSE SHE IS AFRAID OF RAIN. So she simply stood out on the deck for the appropriate amount of time when I let her out before, formulating a plan to do her stuff on the floor when I let her back in, just as punishment for expecting her to actually GET WET. Apparently that's fine when we are playing on the beach, but this falling from the sky business is no good.

AFRAID. OF RAIN.

ridiculous.

Secret

I ordered my wedding dress the other day. You can see it here. (Kyle, don't peek!)

I have been wondering about how to accessorize the dress. I am kind of torn between two looks.

1. Ethereal, princess-of-the-woods

2. Colorful, vibrant, and fun (which, considering the vibe of the food and the invites, etc, may be more fitting with the day)

What do you guys think??

Slapsgiving weekend.

Hello, again!

This past weekend was thanksgiving weekend for those of us here in Canada who celebrate the real thanksgiving ;).

We had dinner here at our place. This was the third or fourth Turkey I have made. It was still partially frozen when I put it in the oven. It turned out delicious and tender, albeit 1 1/2 hours later than I had planned for. I was worried, because I do not have a meat thermometer (you may point accusatory fingers at me as you wish. I could kill somebody). So far, nobody has called to tell me about salmonella poisoning.

Anyway, Sunday involved a lot of boiling and testing and mashing carrots and turnips (which, let's be honest, logic dictates should not be a food, but we mash it with carrots and brown sugar and BUTTER! anyway) and cream-braising brussels sprouts until they are nutty and delicious (deemed worthy for consumption by my sixteen-year-old brother whose last vegetable was LAST slapsgiving dinner, when I last made said brussels sproups) and making pumpkin pie from scratch for the first time. By scratch, I mean that I used canned pumpkin and spiced it myself. I did make my own crust, I'm pretty good with shortcrust pastry.

But, DID YOU KNOW that there is condensed milk in a pumpkin pie filling? Well, there is. And, had you, like me, forgotten that condensed milk is totally, completely, out-of-this-world scrumptious and decadent?? WHO NEEDS THE PIE?

Also, on sunday, I got registered.

(as a sex offender. Ha, ha)

No, but actually, I meant that we registered for wedding gifts. And can I be totally, brutally honest? It was about six million times more fun that I could ever have dreamed of. Even though there are basically only two choices of store to register at. One is The Bay, and the other is Home Outfitters, which is owned by The Bay. It's either that, or ask for cash envelopes. Seriously! You think I am kidding.

We registered for a bunch of stuff, mostly small. But the size doesn't really matter for the most part, because people are going to buy it! for me! and I won't even have to pay! just because they love me, and they love Kyle, and Kyle and Me love each other! Isn't that fabulous?

We did scan just one big-ticket item, though:

Dyson Ball Animal DC-25

At $699, this is likely out of our friends' and families' price ranges. I do not expect to actually get this, unless we have some particularly generous-feeling grandparents or our friends decide to give us a group gift. The Bay does have a neat program in which we can continue to add items to our registry up to our first anniversary, then buy things off it at the best sale price it has had in the past year. Cool, yeah? makes me want to toss all our stuff to the curb, just so I can be all like BUT CHECK OUT THE DEAL I GOT ON THE NEW ONE.

I won't do that, though, because I'm not crazy.

*if you get the slapsgiving reference, you are officially awesome and can we be friends?

Curating

I spent the day reorganizing, rearranging furniture, and otherwise trying to simplify.

I didn't take any before and after shots, making me officially the worst DIY-er ever. But I did snap a couple of curation photos with the iphone.

On giving in.

yle's phone starts beeping in the middle of the night. He wakes up, listens for a minute as his sleepy brain registers the noise, looks at the screen. Junk email. He sighs.

What time is it? I ask.

It's four-forty five, says he.

Guess there's no sleep for me tonight, says I.

In forty-five minutes the alarms will go off, we will press snooze a few times, and then be up for the day.

I need to get some sleep.

The following night, last night, for the first time, I gave in and bought something to help me sleep. After a lifetime of lying in bed staring at the wall, I am caving. I thought maybe this problem could be squashed with chamomile tea and a good routine, but, hello? I am a nurse. There is a very good chance it will be years and years before I have a job which doesn't involve shiftwork. I can't, can't continue like this.

It never, ever takes me less than two hours to fall asleep, and hasn't since I was about five. I remember when my parents would come check on me before they went to bed, they were often shocked to find me awake, quiet, staring at the ceiling. My brother and sister, on the other hand, would give it twenty minutes and then be in the living room with an "I can't sleeeep".

Ha.

On bad days, I sleep two or three hours or not at all. I feel like I can't turn off my brain, even if I am not thinking or deliberating over anything important. It's usually making to-do lists for the following day, thinking about how I wish I had painted the bedroom when I was on that painting spree in the spring, wondering about the logistics of minimizing dust and dog hair in my home. Small, ridiculous things.

So yesterday, I bought my first bottle of melatonin, three milligrams. I will take it regularly, for a while, and later only when I have the signs of a poor night's sleep: a tight jaw, an active mind. It seemed to work last night, though that could have easily just been utter exhaustion. We will see.

I heart Mondays

ig Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother are on tonight. Just so you know.


*the letter B is brought to you today by Jessica Hische's Daily Drop Cap project!

A lovely place to snuggle up

In the post about setting up the bed, you can see that we've got white sheets on the bed.

I just bought them the day before the bed came, and oooh, how crazy I must be. I am that person who will projectile-spill my coffee, curry, red wine, or tomato sauce past any and all dark-coloured clothing, just so that I can screw up the three square inches of white I am wearing.


I hesitated about buying white sheets. But they were cheap, they had a high thread count, and after all, white is my favourite colour! So I did it.


And I am so, so glad. I feel so clean and cozy crawling into my white-sheeted bed.


I'm now daydreaming about a white duvet. Specifically this one from Designer's Guild.


Just for one second, can we focus on the edge detail on the pillow shams and flat sheet? Come on! That's beautiful!


Thankfully, it's much more money than I am willing to spend on something that would be wrecked immediately*


I am also in love with this:


*even if not by me, directly. Remember the big black dog? The consequences of what would happen to that beautiful bed if I accidentally left the bedroom door open when I went out make me cringe.

Birthday Goals

Today is my Birthday! I have reached the ripe old age of twenty-two. Somebody get me a cane.

In honour of this, I have decided to make some goals for the coming year:

1. Write - for one short period of my life I was a writer. I ate, slept, breathed poetry. I was good at it. I was published, and not by poetry.com. Prose was not my strong point. But last night I woke up in the middle of the night and decided to write a book. That's right, you heard me. I am going to write a book. I may never have it published, may never submit it for publication, may never finish it, even. But I am going to start.

2. Self-Discipline - This is a blanket goal which ultimately includes my incredible aversion to doing anything I 'should' do. Like getting out of bed on time, going to bed on time, eating healthy foods, exercising, paying my bills, doing readings, walking the dog, writing papers. This goal could also be filed under 'laziness and procrastination'.

3. Lose some weight - I've blogged about this before, so I'll be brief. Goal weight is 145 pounds, which means I need to lose about 10% of my body weight. This is ideally a goal for pre-wedding, and also falls under the self-discipline category.

4. Let go of some control - which means not being so picky about things like how clean the house is, and leaving some space for Kyle's tastes when picking out furniture, etc.

5. That said, get rid of some stuff. - I have been posting a lot about curation of items, and I think that ultimately, what I really need is just to de-clutter and simplify. If it's not being used regularly and I don't have an emotional attachment to it, it needs to go. Yeah, this totally flies in the face of goal #4. What, have you never seen a hypocrite before?

6. Quit smoking, for good. - I am so, so very close. I am at the point where physical addiction is just not an excuse anymore, because it's not possible. I can go for days, weeks even, without smoking, and not miss it. Now to kick the social habit of lighting up every once in a while... this is harder than it sounds, apparently, and something I have been battling for a while now.

6. Finish nursing school. Get a job. Get married. Let grown-up life begin. - speaks for itself... this will be a big year!

Bedroom

We received and set up the new bed frame on friday.

I am new to this bed-under-the-window setup, but it gives us a little bit more walking-around space in our very small bedroom. (the photo had to be taken from outside the room.)

Note to self: move the bed 3 inches to the right.


my new mission in life is to fill the bedside-table void with something unique and modern-ish on both sides. The sole bedside table (a sad, precarious Ikea LACK side table) is on Kyle's side of the bed now, and as I am really the only one who uses it, that will have to change.

these window films were inspired by this project on Design*Sponge. They block most of the ugly view out the windows, of the gravel driveway and parking area at the back of our house, which serves all four units in the house. This means a lot of people walk by our bedroom window. The films do a lot to help the bedroom feel private, and not like a puppet stage or peep show.

Things have calmed down with the landlord drama, so we have decided against moving for now. because a) it sucks to find a place allowing pets and b) we are not currently in a position to sign a lease, because there is a very good chance of moving away from here once I am done with school. The health authority here has a hiring freeze on, and I need me some money! Various locations have been thrown around in talks, but the latest and most bizarre: Los Angeles, or The Last Place in the Known Universe I Would Ever Have Desired to Live. More on that another time.

Room Crush

So, um, yeah. I know most of my posts lately have been all, 'look what I have collected from all the other corners of the internet'. But I have been craving pretty images lately, and also feeling like my house is too cluttered. So the designer-magazine quality homes with just enough in them make me happy inside.

from Rene Norman's house tour on ApartmentTherapy. I love the warm quality of the rug, which was apparently from Ikea. Circa 2006. Guess I missed out on that one. Also, the big art peice which takes the eye away from the TV without making a lame attempt at hiding it.

This Nashville home in Cookie Magazine is just too perfect for words. I want a cup of coffee at that table, STAT.

Weird! and cool!

So, it turns out I don't need to plan my wedding anymore.

not because anything is wrong!! nothing is wrong. It's just that someone beat me to it.

This wedding has all, and I mean ALL the details I have been imagining for months. I must conclude that the couple is totally awesome.

Peaceful.

perfect curation + beautiful blues from the files of Chloe Brown. Via Desire to Inspire.

Gorgeous.

A pretty image for you today.

Photo by MayaLee

That is all.

In which I blurt out something I meant to keep quiet

I tried so very hard to keep this a secret, at least until they are sent...

But I can't. The Save the Dates go out this month, that counts for something, right?

I designed these myself! and I am so, so very proud of the outcome. All fonts from Dafont, free for personal use. Paper from Paper Source.

Super Chic

After seeing this post at Making it Lovely, I had to go check out the Shabby Apple. And oh, boy! Am I ever glad I did.

Vanderbilt Dress, $118

Tuxedo Dress, $72

Nancy Drew Dress, $82


Marseilles Dress, $86

I positively love all these four, but I am particularly fantasizing about floating around school in the Nancy Drew Dress and cute rainboots. I am very seriously considering having all the bridesmaids pick a flattering black dress off this site.

And, can we talk for a second about the super-reasonable prices?

Head on over and check out the whole site! There is a special 'Manhattan' collection featuring some very Mad Men inspired frocks. Betty Draper would be proud.

All growed up.

The other day, we made a furniture purchase that makes me feel like a bona fide grownup:

We bought a bed. Not a new mattress, but an actual, peice-of-furniture bed.

We purchased a memory foam mattress a about 2 years ago now, and it is an absolute dream to sleep on. But we have had it on an old, squeaky, unsupportive boxspring the entire time, and it absolutely detracts from the comfort of the mattress. thus, one side (my side) of the bed is a teensy weensy bit elevated.

That probably wouldn't bother most people, but I am a total insomniac. My body will accept any excuse to make sleeping more difficult for me. Thus, I toss and turn despite the luxurious mattress, and it was time to go and buy a slatted bed frame to preserve my (and Kyle's) sanity.

Being one half of a couple brings certain compromises. We were on a budget, firstly. But secondly, and most importantly, Kyle and I have completely different styles.

I am a minimalist at heart, though my curating skills are poor. Scandanavian style: White space, lots of light, warm wood tones, eclectic touches. Kyle likes...

Well, I'm not really sure what Kyle likes. Urban loft circa 2004 might describe it best, though some of the things he pointed out at the stores we went to were wayyy out of left feild.

Thus, we were at an impass. At the end of shopping day one, we left the store completely frustrated with each other.

Eventually, though, we ended up with something like this:

I know, right? neither urban loft (apart from the dark wood) nor scandanavian simple. But you know what? I kind of love it. I sat on the bed, laid down on it even. It felt solid and maybe even a bed we could keep for years, to transition from this rental to the next, into the home we will one day be able to afford. It felt like the sort of peice of furniture we could snuggle up with our hypothetical children in on sunday mornings.

Yes, it was kind of a compromise for us both, but a buy which we could both see potential in, and both liked. Which is definitely better than one of us getting what we want and the other one losing.

Besides, paired with the right nightstands, bedding, and wall decor, I'm sure I can still have elements of the simple style I dream of, right?

One-Track Mind

One-track minded people like me shouldn't be allowed to keep blogs.
because as soon as something else catches their attention, they are gone, absorbed in that world.

Here is what has been absorbing my time lately:
-apartment hunting
-a new running program
-book: the deep end of the ocean by jacquelyn mitchard. such a sad, absorbing story. I can't wait to finish. Did not know until recently they had made a movie out of it... perhaps I will see that next.
- season 2 of mad men on DVD. I became so absorbed in it last night that I totally forgot the new episode was on. D'oh!

Sorry for my blog-lameness, lame-blogness.
For being distracted.

Hands up if you love Robert Downey Junior!

Last night, Roomie Drew had a girl over.
I was trying to play it cool but inside, so excited for him, because he hasnt had a girl over in an indecent amount of time. I wanted to dish out the high-fives, but somehow it didn't seem appropriate.
Anyway. So I retreated to my bedroom with a book and a pot of tea, you know, to give them some alone time. After a whole pot of tea, however, one usually has to use the bathroom. I come out of the bedroom all sneaky-like, hoping not to interrupt anything which may be going on in the living room. When I come out, Drew calls out - "Guess what we're watching?"

And, without looking, I knew. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Which, by the way, is the most hilarious movie ever made. A prerequisite for being allowed to stay in our house is loving that movie. Luckily, everyone loves it and we haven't had to go through the awkward process of breaking the news to our friends that they are being excommunicated.

So I came and watched. And when it got to this line, drew looks at me and says:
"Remember last summer when this was your facebook status for like a month?"



Um....
Yeah, I named my blog after it, actually. No big deal.

Check it out, y'all!

Hoo, boy. Where have I been?
Friday's party was a smashing success, and definitely a night to remember. I was in charge of decorations among other things, and I didn't get a chance to take many photos! But other people did, and I am working on getting some decoration pictures to show off, because I was pretty darned proud of myself.

HOWEVER, this is not a post about decorations. Oh, no.
I am going to show you guys our engagement photos! Or, at least, a sneak peek.

This gorgeous little courtyard garden is hidden away right in the middle of downtown, sandwiched behind some boutiques and an Italian restaurant.

The graffitied wall is a two-second walk from that gorgeous courtyard.

Adorable, non? We are so pleased with them, we had a fabulous time, and to top it all off, these photographers are new in town and giving us an absolute steal of a deal on their services as they build a reputation here. I wasn't quite sure how I would feel about them, since I often gravitate towards very light, feminine, sun-washed pictures, and downtown on a cloudy evening didn't seem quite like me. However, Kyle was very excited about this idea, and I'm glad I went along with it! The darker photos seem kind of exotic and mysterious, and, given that the wedding photos will be taken in full daylight (hopefully sunlight) and have a much airier, nature-y feel, this seems like a nice contrast.

*Side note: It's not so apparent in these few particular photos, but I am slightly concerned about the number of chins I seem to have in photographs lately. Time to hit the gym.

photos by Orange Passion Photography

Busy Bee

I'm having my last cup of coffee before diving headfirst into a busy, busy weekend!

Today is one of my best friends' 30th birthdays, her day is going to be full of surprises, one of which may or may not involve a diamond ring. We need to keep her occupied the whole day! So, starting at noon, I will be:

• eating lunch at a fine dining restaurant I can't afford
• Playing 9 holes of golf (my first time this year! yay!)
• Dropping her off at home and waiting until 7ish, when she goes out for dinner
• Decorating! like a madman! I've got paper lanterns, adorable fabric pennants (which I made using a no-sew tutorial whose link I will post later) tissue paper pomanders, confetti which I lovingly punched out myself from paper in our color scheme
• fandangling with a disco ball, smoke machine, and light machine for the living room dance party
• shaking with anticipation (ew, that sounded dirty) as people arrive and we turn out all the lights, getting ready for the big surprise

and finally

• giving that old geezer a heart attack.

Ha! thank god she has no idea this page exists.

However, the fun doesn't stop there. Saturday I have to work 11-6, and then we are taking engagement photos! I'm so very excited. We decided on Chinatown, mostly because Kyle really, REALLY liked the idea.

But wait, there's more

Sunday is the season premeire of Mad Men! And hoo boy, am I unreasonably excited for that!

okay. I had better go shower now.

A much needed pick-me-up

Saw this over at a "cheery" disposition and couldn't help reposting, because I've watched it six times already and am feeling the need to share.

Feeling blue

We have some landlord/tenant drama going on right now. We live in the upstairs of a house, and there is a suite downstairs as well. It turns out that the suite is illegal, and the municipality has become aware of the situation. Now, our landlord has decided that he will be building a staircase from our suite to downstairs and tearing out the kitchen down there in order to make it look as if we, the tenants, have been subletting the downstairs space to our neighbors. There is a fat chance the municipality would ever beleive this: a staircase with a locked door on either side does not a single suite make. In addition, the suites are seperately metered for Hydro, and one is heated with baseboard heaters while the other is heated with gas. Don't ask me why. The neighbors are totally on board with this whole situation, but we are totally not. It just seems all kinds of Illegal - capital I. Our neighbors downstairs are [recovering? maybe?] drug addicts whose main forms of income are welfare and scavenging recycle bins for returnable beverage containers and cigarette butts. They don't seem to eat much anyway, and therefore seem to be okay with the removal of their kitchen, as it's probably their only alternative to homelessness.

Sorry - that was a bit on the judgement. I try to refrain from this usually.

Anyway, there are a few courses of action we might be able to take, but all of these seem to end in one place: We are going to have to move.

Despite the neighbor thing, our house is actually quite nice and there are a lot of things I have really enjoyed about living here. One of those being that this might well be the only rental in town that will allow us to have a dog.

I'm very, very worried about the possibility that our Luna Bear might have to find a new home. Not only because I will miss her silly hound face to death, but also because hound dogs are known for bonding very strongly to one person, and having difficulty adjusting to new homes once this bond is established.

I'm absolutely sick to my stomach at the possibility of having to give Luna up. A dog is a dog for life.... right? We really and truly planned on staying here a good long while, until we either left town or were ready to buy. But a circumstance like this... I just don't know what to do. I'm probably getting ahead of myself. There is probably a lovely little home out there for us to live in and bring our pup. Then again, I am doubting that we will get the best reference from a landlord who is pissed that we don't want to be involved in his little slumlord scheme, and references seem to be an important part of allowing a pet.

I can't sleep when I am stressed out like this. Feeling insecure about living situations so very distressing, and I really wish I could just close my eyes and make this go away.
So, at 2:20 in the morning, I decided to blog about it.
Thanks for listening, Internet.

Taking pictures

We think we have found a wedding photographer! We are heading out to do our engagement session next saturday evening, and it has me wondering...
Where to go?
There are some places in town, which, while beautiful, seem to be the automatic spot to to take pictures (cough*dallasroadbeaconhillpark*cough), and really, I don't want to fall victim to those stereotypical places.
So where, then?

I like the idea of playing on a swingset, in which case, almost anyplace would do.
Kyle suggested chinatown.
I suggested playing on a mini golf course.

I wish we had a fair in town, because it would be, hands down, the place to go for this - our wedding is going to be country-fair-western inspired. By which I mean that it's going to be an awesome party.

Photos by Simply Bloom Photography

And what about props? We can't forget those. I love the ice cream cone pictured above, and you all probably know how much I like balloons.

And then also, what should I wear?

I had no idea taking some pictures would be so anxiety-inducing.