photo diary // favorites from 2013!

Twenty-thirteen was a good year.

I would have liked to have done a few more things and accomplished a bit more, but things didn't quite work out as I had hoped, and that's okay. There is always this year! 

What were your favorite moments of 2013?

A Look at the Year Ahead.

Happy 2014!

I'm usually not one to pay much attention to my horoscope, but I happened to stumble upon mine this afternoon and I was intrigued...

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 -Dec. 21)

Take extra time in this first two weeks of January to decide what you really want for yourself. Through the beginning of March, Venus in Capricorn can enhance your assets, your resourcefulness and earnings. Of course, you are likely to spend more too. Be especially careful regarding contract and commitment details during February's Mercury retrograde.

Over the next seven months, Mars in Libra helps you to make good strides in several areas. Firstly, you are getting wiser regarding self care. A big part of this is learning to stay committed to that which serves you best. Secondly, whether it's new or well established, a key relationship will grow by leaps and bounds. Thirdly, Mars can spark new personal interests and income streams. It perks up your social life or community involvement, and keeps you intellectually, politically and creatively well stimulated. Lastly, Mars enhances your professional status and popularity.

Look to Jupiter in Leo, starting mid July, to springboard off the good that Mars does you in the first half of the year.

I know horoscopes are normally written so that all can relate to it, but the second paragraph is basically bang on as far as things I hope for myself / hope to accomplish this year....

+ You are getting wiser regarding self care

+ A Key relationship will grow by leaps and bounds

+ New personal interests and income streams 

+ Social life

+ Intellectually, politically and creatively well stimulated 

+ Professional status and popularity

What is your take on horoscopes? Believe in them, or not? 

A Christmas Recap.

Christmas was really amazing this year! 

This was the first year that D stayed in town and we got to spend the holidays with my family and part of his family (his aunts and uncles, cousins, grandparents and brother). We truly had such a wonderful time and I am glad that we got to spend all this time with our everyone. 

Because this was our first year staying here, we went all out with our decorations. I am afraid to look at my credit card bill! It was a lot of fun buying bits and pieces and putting it all together. 

Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year! I love all of it - the lights, decorations, all of it..! I would love it even more if it snowed here during the holidays. We had a tease of snow on the 20th, but it was all gone two days later. 

All in all, we had a wonderful time and I am so grateful for all the presents we received and family we got to spend the holidays with! 

Happy Christmas Eve's Eve!

This was my view of the parking lot at work on December 20th ... a shit ton of snow! I love the snow, so I was a happy camper! 

Three days later ... this was my view today ... a beautiful, sunny (& windy) day. It looked more like summer than December 23. This afternoon, I couldn't help but think how it doesn't feel/look like Christmas, mainly because of today's weather.

This is probably my last post before Christmas ... only 2 more sleeps ... I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and gets spoiled rotten! 

Another Year Older.

via

Another year older, another year wiser. Right? Maybe! Anyways, it's my 30th birthday today! 

To be honest, I kind of have mixed feelings about today. I love birthday's (and presents!), but I am not so keen on the big three-zero. The past few days leading up to today has been bit of a roller coaster of emotions. I am pretty sure I have been cranky more times than I would like to admit. I'm not sure why.  

+ I would have loved to have a big sha-bang with friends and family to celebrate this milestone, but it didn't happen (and I seriously doubt it will happen). Last weekend was my boyfriend's brother's birthday and there was a big party / surprise for him. This coming weekend is basically filled with many Christmas festivites. Am I disappointed? Yes, a little. But I'm not surprised because this generally is what happens every year. It is what it is..

+ Along with turning thirty, I am really thinking twice about my life. What I have / haven't accomplished. Honestly, I thought by now life would be different. I'm not saying I am not happy, because I am, but I want more. I really want to be further ahead than I am now. 

My goal for this coming year is to try and step out of my comfort zone and really learn a lot more about myself, and really figure out what it is that I want to do with my life! 

Whooo.

I know this isn't a great photo*, but its the best I could do at midnight, through the bedroom window... 

* You can see it slightly better in my instagram photo.

At midnight, I awoke to a few text messages from my boyfriend on my cell phone telling me to wake up because there was a large bird on the balcony. He was sitting at his computer and didn't want to move in case his movement frightened it. I ran into the spare bedroom and could see it ... but I could also hear it. "Whoo, whooo, whooo" ... it wasn't just any bird, it was a friggin' owl. It was huge. 

For approximately thirty minutes we listened to it talking to its buddy (we couldn't see the other one). It was quite something because every few seconds it would turn its head and look at us with its bright yellow eyes. Unfortunately it was so dark outside that any photo we took didn't turn out. We didn't want to use the flash as we figured he would fly away.

We are both hoping he comes back tonight!

A few Decorations.

A few snapshots of our Christmas decorations. You'll notice in the last photo our lack of snow outside. Fingers crossed that will change. 

December is here!

Happy December 1st!

I haven't quite wrapped my brain around the fact that it's already December. Though I did have no problem eating my chocolate from my advant calendar this afternoon. Delicious!

December is going to be a very busy month, but there are a lot of things I am looking forward to.

+ I am working tons because my supervisor has three weeks of vacation to take this month. While I'm not thrilled about having two consecutive days off, the extra money will be nice. 

+ We are spending Christmas here, which means tons more family to visit with! It's also the first Christmas that D and I will be spending together in our apartment. 

+ My 30th birthday is on the 19th.

+ We have a lot of baking to do! Both of us love baking desserts and can't wait to eat them all ourselves share them with our family and friends.

Taking Stock..

I stumbled upon this post idea from the day book, who originally got the idea from meet me at mikes blog. I am still somewhat in this silly funk and thought it would be fun to share bits of what's been going on in my life.  

Making : a delicious cup of hot cocoa. yumm!
Cooking : more apple strudel muffins, i am addicted to them.
Drinking : pepsi. so much for kicking my bad habit, soda pop!
Reading: the happiness project.
Wanting: to sleep for a few days straight..
Looking: forward to december, except for the turning thirty part.
Playing: a few of my favorite songs on repeat.
Wasting: lots of time siting on my laptop, not accomplishing much.
Sewing: ahaha, yeah, i don't sew.
Wishing: that i was more motivated these days.
Enjoying: all my television shows.
Waiting: for a movie to finish so i can go to bed.
Liking: way too many things.
Wondering: if a certain somebody will do the one thing i asked for, for my birthday.
Loving: my amazing boyfriend.
Hoping: that that certain somebody does it.
Marvelling: at how people manage to juggle this work-life-balance.
Needing: a good night's sleep (no waking up at 4 am)
Smelling: cinnamon
Wearing: my pajamas (t-shirt and sweat pants)
Following: my 4 simple goals plan, so far, so good.
Noticing: the lack of snow outside. i want snow dammit!
Knowing: everything always happens for a reason!
Thinking: about how busy december is going to be.
Feeling: a little overwhelmed these days.
Bookmarking: way too many recipes.
Opening: way too many emails in my inbox.
Giggling: over this video. this kid is hilarious!
Feeling: ready for bed. zzzzz

If you want to join in the fun, there is a blank list here for you to copy and paste into your own blog post!

4 Simple Goals...Update #1!

At the end of October, I set 4 simple goals for myself. To be honest, I set some really simple goals for myself and I had thought maybe I would fly through them. Ha, ha, ha, in my dreams!

Where I stand as of today: 

1. Drink more water every day.

I have been drinking more water than normal, but I should be drinking a lot more. However, I have made it a point to only drink water before I got to bed, no soda pop. 

2. Practice my iphoneography.

I have been playing around a bit and have taken some pretty sweet photos lately (you can check them out on my instagram), but would like to spend some more time on this goal. I do have a great book sitting on my bedroom floor that I need to read. 

3. Try a new slow cooker meal.

Not yet, hopefully soon. We have whole chicken sitting in the freezer waiting to be cooked. I suspect we'll probably end up doing it in the slow cooker. What I would really like to try is a butter chicken recipe in the slow cooker!! Any suggestions?

4. Finish reading the The Happiness Project. 

So close, but still so far. I have managed to read through an entire chapter. One step at a time, right?! 

Anyways ... that's my progress so far. Hopefully my next update will be how I have finished reading my book and have made a delicious butter chicken dinner in the slow cooker! 

How are your goals coming along? 

Three Things.

01. We may have put our Christmas tree up last week...! This year, I decided I wanted a bigger tree, so we bought a new one because it was on sale.  No, its not decorated yet.. okay, maybe there are a few bobbles on it, but that's it. I wanted to test it and make sure all the lights all worked. Jolly Jingle quite likes hanging out in the tree too!

02. I just baked some more apple strudel muffins. I am addicted. They are seriously so amazingly delicious. I could eat 2 - 3 of them a day. For the most part, they are quite simple to make. The only annoying part is taking off the apple skin and shredding the apples into little bits. This time, I somehow convinced the boyfriend to shred the apples. Made the entire process go a lot quicker. 

03. I also decided to make a few more changes to my blog design. Again. It's never ending. The header is back to what I had the other month, and I made a few adjustments to the side bar. I really wish I would just make up my mind. I am also in the process of creating a new blog design for the lovely Deanne at Hot Mess Mama blog. 

Reflecting.

It's been a long, but good week.! 

This week was my first week working at only one employer. Part of me misses having afternoon's off, but a bigger part of me is thrilled to have more than one day off each week.

Initially I was worried that maybe I made the wrong decision, but looking back on this past week, I am very happy with the decision I have made. I love my job and the people I work with. I also think that working where I am at, may open a few new doors down the road, and that is huge. 

Linking up with the Totally Awesome Blog Hop.

Lately in Photos. And Some Links.

+ I have been stopping by my parents house more often to visit this handsome guy. I really do miss seeing him every day. 

+ Did you check out the freebies I shared the other day from Creative Market? I am LOVING the 28 Photography Actions. I edited this above photo that my boyfriend's sister took of us with one of the actions.

+ Lately, I have started eating broccoli. WHAT?! If you recall, broccoli and I don't like each other. Things changed after I had the stomach flu, my stomach changed. Or maybe my mind changed. Either way, I started liking foods that I hated before. The boyfriend is thrilled because our dinner menu is growing!

+ The apple strudel muffins that I have been making have been such a hit that I am planning to change things up and make these banana crumb muffins. They look so delicious!

+ Last month I shared the health benefits of hot cocoa, today I finally found classic hot chocolate recipe that you can enjoy without having to sacrifice your clean eating plan.

+ 11 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My Business.

+ 4 Simple Goals Wallpaper - a great reminder of the goals you are working on this month.

+ Must read: 39 Life Lessons I've Learned in 39 Years.

+ Loving this song from Twin Forks. Yes, another song from my new favorite tv show, Reign.

Happy Friday! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

I am not perfect.

I am far from perfect.  

I will openly admit that there are a number of blogs that I enjoy reading where I often find myself feeling a little envious of the lives the bloggers behind these blogs live. Envious of the places they have traveled, the fabulous clothes they wear, and the perfect families they have. 

It's so easy to find yourself feeling envious and to start comparing yourself, your life and your blog to theirs. It's also very easy to get down on ourselves when our self esteem and confidence runs low. 

Yes, I know that comparing is never fair, and that the comparison trap can be very dangerous. With that said, I find it very interesting how blogs have the ability to portray this 'perfect life.' 

I am somewhat careful as to what parts of my life I choose to share and not share on my blog. For me, it's not that I have anything to hide; but as a blogger, sharing bits and pieces of my life on the internet, there are some things that you don't always want to put out there. I guess you could also say it's also a safety thing - once its out there, anyone can see it. 

I may not be perfect, I do not live a perfect life, and I have faults and weaknesses, but that's okay. Life is good and I am okay being imperfect. 

Elf on the Shelf.

Yes, I bought an Elf on the Shelf today. Yes, I am almost thirty years old. No, I do not have any children. And yes, I realize Elf on the Shelf is meant for children. Oh, and we have named him JJ, also known as Jolly Jingle. 

This is the first year that I will be in my own home for Christmas and I really want to step-up my holiday decorations (bigger christmas tree, a lot more decorations, and an elf on the shelf). Why Elf on the Shelf? Two reasons.

1. The boyfriend I are always playing little jokes, etc. on each other and I thought JJ might be kind of fun during the holidays. 

2. Last Christmas, I kept seeing all these really great instagram photos of Elf on the Shelf and I too wanted to take some. 

Anyways, that's all I got. The truth is, I'm really just a big kid at heart. 

Someday.

+ Someday, I will keep a blog design longer than a month, or two. Speaking of which, what do you all think? A little more white, a little less black. I kinda like it! But knowing me, I will probably change it up again soon, sigh.

+ Someday, I will quit my job (or take a few months off) and travel around Europe and a few warm, tropical places. I have family in Wales that I would love to visit again, and Darcy's brother lives in London. I also would love to go Thailand, Bahamas, and a bunch of other warm places. I think it would be a fun/eye opening experience!

+ Someday, I will stop making excuses and exercise every day (or every other day). I really need get on this sooner than later. My posture is horrible, my back and neck always hurt. If it weren't for the chiropractor and message therapy, I would be a miserable person.

+ Someday, I will learn to be more patient. Its funny because some say I am very patient with a few people in my life (almost too patient), but when it comes to day-to-day stuff, I am far from patient.

+ Someday, I will figure out what the hell I want to do with my life and start doing it. The other day, my step-dad kept asking me where I saw myself in five-years - I couldn't answer his question because I honestly didn't know. Sooner than later, I know that I want to get married, start a family and start doing something (career wise) that I enjoy, am passionate about and that earns me a lot more money than I am currently making. I have never really been one to plan out my life, so its tough to say exactly where I see myself.

Linking up with Someday I will.

Four Simple Goals...Before 2014!

Back in January, I posted 4 priorities that I had wanted to really focus on in 2013. The year is almost over and I wasn't as successful as I had hoped. To be honest, I am not surprised that I didn't follow through with them. My intentions were good, but life always has a way of taking over (working six days a week) and its easy to loose focus. 

When I saw this post over at A Beautiful Mess blog, I really wanted to set 4 simple goals for myself to accomplish for the remainder of this year. Sounds simple, I hope?! Anyways, the rules are quite simple and can be found here, but I have summarized them below:

1. Choose simple goals that will make your life richer/happier on a daily basis. 

2. Do not choose result oriented goals. 

3. Choose personal goals you believe will make your life richer just by doing them! 

4. Choose a reward for each goal as it is accomplished! 

5. Blog about your goals, each one as you achieve it and a big post when they are all finished before the new year!

Now that I have a little more time for myself, I really want to get back into doing things that I enjoy and that will make me happier, and healthier! What are you goals that you want to accomplish before the year is over? 

5 Things I'd Rather Do Than Celebrate Halloween.

If you asked me ten years ago, I would tell you that I loved Halloween. To prove it, one year, I temporarily dyed my blond hair purple for my costume (I think I was a fairy). Looking back, it was a horrible idea because it didn't wash out (blond + purple = pink) and I had to dye my hair back to my natural colour! 

Since that year, I haven't really been that into celebrating Halloween. It's not that I hate it, because I don't, I just couldn't be bothered to go all out for it any more. A few years ago we carved pumpkins - it was fun doing it together, as a couple, but it was a lot of effort and we haven't done it since. For a few years, we have even gone up to my parents house to spend it with them, hand out Halloween candy and to eat Halloween candy. Yumm!

This year, you couldn't pay me to leave our apartment to go out and do anything. I blame it on being tired and still not feeling 100%. Here is my top five list of things I would rather be doing than celebrating Halloween:

1. Watching television. I made the mistake of getting into a few new tv shows over the summer and now have 3-5 shows a night to watch. I am having a tough time keeping up with all of them. 

2. Spending some quality time with the boyfriend. *wink wink*

3. Baking more apple strudel muffins. Seriously, these muffins are amazing and I have a feeling they aren't going to last much longer. We're averaging two each per day, I only made twelve. 

4. Blogging. I have so many ideas, a lot of blog post drafts and a couple of blog designs that I need to start working on. Now that I have some more free time these days, I can start making these things happen. 

5. Going to bed early. I been working six days a week for the past two years, I am tired and have a lot of sleep to catch up on! 

What would you rather be doing than celebrating Halloween?

Linking up with Living in Yellow. 

Fall Around Here.

Fall is in full swing here. It was absolutely gorgeous today and far too warm to be wearing my Uggs while warlking around. We went for an afternoon stroll, snapped some photographs and enjoyed the scenery around us. 

Linking up with Instagram Hop.

Bittersweet.

Today was definitely bittersweet. It was my last day at my second part-time job. Part of me was sad to say goodbye because I really did enjoy working there, however, a bigger part of me is super excited to only have one job now and to have more than one day off each week. 

I decided to give myself three days off next week, so I don't actually start until the beginning of November. It's going to be amazing and I can't wait! 

I have been a little MIA from my blog again this week - I am still not feeling 100% from this stomach flu and had a rough few days at the beginning of the week. Thankfully I am back on the mend and have been spending almost all my free time in the kitchen! 

Last Sunday, we made some delicious spaghetti and meatballs in the slow cooker, Thursday night we made a roast chicken (AMAZING!) and some homemade slow cooker chicken stock, and tonight we are making some chicken and rice soup. I had full intentions to dedicate a post to each of these recipes because we did make some slight alterations, but I kept forgetting to take photos of our meals before chowing down. Oh wells. There is always next time!

Have a great weekend! xo