The Windy City

Today, the highway brought me to Chicago. That's right. The home of the Bears, the American Girl store, a giant Macy's, and cold cold wind blowing through my hair.

Even though I didn't get as many pictures of the city itself...I still have some photos to share with you.

(Awww, isn't that just awesome?!)

I know that this is starting to look like I spent all day at the American Girl Store, but I was honestly was there for only 20 minutes! I just love the Molly doll and I've had her since I was 8 years old. 

Anyone else out there grow up with one too? Leave me a comment telling which one and why she was your favorite.

And this last one is just a dress that I tired on at Macy's. I really liked the fabric and the shape of the dress, but the price tag was just too high for my skinny little wallet.

I also made a special purchase that I am dying to write about!!!

Stay tuned!

Christmas Past

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Well, I'm not too sure how your Christmas went. I hope that it was awesome...but mine didn't quite feel right.

Every year, we always go around the town checking out everyone's Christmas lights, and we always always wait until Christmas morning to open presents. Mom and Dad made breakfast, which includes the following...

1. scrambled eggs

2. bacon

3.hasbrowns with mystery veggies

4. pancakes

5. milk

6.juice

7. buttered toast

Most of the food is cold by the time we sit down to eat because Mom and Dad have yet to master the cooking skill that makes everything done cooking at the same time. 

(long sentence that was)

It's okay that my eggs and toast are cold. Why you ask? Because it's Christmas!

We sit around in our Pj's and open our gifts one by one just to make things last longer. 

But this year, we opened our gifts on Christmas Eve while sitting around a table. No tree, no pj's, and no cold breakfast. The next day we all piled into car and made our way to my grandparents. I ate a boiled eggs for breakfast, had cold pizza for lunch, and a happy meal for dinner. 

It just wasn't the same. 

I'm sorry if this post makes you frown a little, but I felt like this blog should be an extension of  what I love and who I am...and right now...I'm not feeling so hot.

Before they were cool...

Before Harry had Hedwig, and before all the rainbow owl merchandise hit Target, I was a fan. I fan of owls that is...

They were one of my favorite animals. I've always wanted to have strange pets such as camels, elephants, sheep or owls. I don't know why, cats or dogs were just too normal for me I guess.

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Unless you shopped at a thrift shop, owls were pretty hard to find. They were something you would see on grandma's shelf, or in an old children's book. Now they're all over the place!

You can find them all over etsy, pintrest, shirts, bags, earrings and pillows!

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I can't really decide what my feelings are to all this.

Yeah, it's cool to have a huge selection of owl goodies to pick from, and owl crafts are super easy to find now. (like this one for instance) But now my owl obsession is less special. 

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They've turned into a fad and wearing an owl on your shirt isn't so unique any more.

Soon, people will get tired of the owl and move on to something else...making my favorite bird a "thing of the past" or "so yesterday". They'll go out of style and I'll have to figure something else out. 

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For now, I'll just enjoy the swarm of owls flying around me.

Click here for a link to some owl bookmarks made by me a while back.

Merry Christmas

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Merry Christmas Everyone!

My family and I will be traveling today, of all days, to visit my Grandparents.

They live a way's away so I'll be on the road for a little while.

They are both very special to me and we're very close too.

I can't wait to see them again.

I hope that you're with people that you love today. I hope that you have a tree that's decorated with some wonderful gifts underneath. I hope that you have a wonderful, home cooked meal that takes hours to eat with lots of laughter around the table. I hope that you stay in your cumfy pj's all day long while playing with all of your new toys and gadgets. 

Merry Christmas.

Oh...and I drew this the other day...

A camera for my birthday...

Good Morning Dear Readers!

Well, it finally happened. 

I had been waiting and waiting...and being such a little patient girl, and I finally got my wish.

Mike came over last night for supper and popped out of the car with a bright orange bag in his hands.

I knew that it was my belated birthday present, and I couldn't wait to see what was inside.

We walked to dinner together, talking as though the bag didn't exist. Just going on about our day when he couldn't take it anymore. 

"Open it! Open it!"

I tried to play "cool" and act as though I could wait...but I couldn't.

I soon found myself smiling down into the bag looking at a brand new camera!

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I had been longing to carry a camera around for over a year now. Those of you old followers know how much I love taking pictures,  pictures of anything!

I love capturing the most normal of moments of my day, and then playing with the colors on Picnik.

My blue camera suddenly kicked the bucket one day and I have been cameraless every since. Yeah, I've tried borrowing cameras from friends, but it feels so good to hold one in my hands again. And this one is mine, and I never have to worry about returning it on time.

I'm so happy and getting a little "camera crazy".

I can't wait to start capturing memories again...especially the memories I share with Mike.

"The camera makes everyone a tourist in other people's reality, and eventually in one's own."

- Susan Sontag 

They're Here! They're Here!!

Over Thanksgiving break, my wicked awesome cousin took the time to get a few snapshots of Mike and I. 

We already had winter engagement pictures, but wanted some for the warmer weather too.

I can't show you everything, since I'll be giving these away as Christmas presents for the moms and dads and grandparents...but I just had to show off just a liiiiittle.

Aren't they adorable?

I am so in love with the color scheme my cousin edited in. 

I've been waiting since Thanksgiving to get these. I'm so happy they're here!

Mom's Christmas Tradition

Traditions are like little trinkets you carry in a basket. Some get passed down to you from generations and some we make up on our own (diy!!!!). We carefully pick and chose the one's we'll keep in our little basket and sometimes one or two falls out without us noticing. At times we don't even realize we've dropped it until years later. 

But the ones that are most precious, loved, and special aren't even carried in the basket, but carried in our pockets.

Sorry if that seemed a little "weird", "deep", "out there", or "whaaaaa?" but I just felt a sudden burst of inspiration!

Maybe it was juts a lack of sleep....

But anyways, one of my favorite family traditions was created by mother. She's love family more than anyone else on this planet. I'm sure about that. 

Every year around Christmas time, she has us all get into our jammies and we hop in the family car. We stop by Tim Hortons for hot-chocolate (coffee now that we're older) and drive around to look at Christmas lights.

We go down all the back roads, down town, and even into the country to see the little sparkles. 

Sometimes we put on Christmas music, and sometimes we just talk.

It's a special time for Mom and it's become special to me too. I want to add this tradition to my basket. I want to file my little ones into the car, buckle the car seats, and drive off with my hubby.

I want to have them sitting in the back saying "Look at that one Mommy!", or "Whoa!". I want to sing Christmas songs while we drive and then  I want to carry their sleepy selves back into the house. 

I can't wait to get married and start my own little family. I'm so lucky to have the greatest mom on the planet to look up to.

Do you have any unique family tradition for Christmas? Is there anything special about them that just warms your heart?

Please share and have a great Sunday. 

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My Favorite Things

1. I love bundling up in my orange jacket and mittens and floppy hats.

You can never have too grand a collection of hats in my opinion.

2. I love how everyone get's rosy cheeks after walking around outside.

I used to apply extra blush to my cheeks and nose because I thought it looked so cute!

3. I love wearing my stockings and not being mocked for being cold all of the time.

I'm always over dressed, too many layers, but I'm also freezing most of the time.

So HA! I'll pull out my Anemia card any time the year.

4. I love drinking hot chai or green tea while walking to class.

I've strayed a way a little from hot-chocolate to save on calories and sugar...and this keeps me just as warm. 

5. I love looking at the Christmas lights and Christmas trees.

Ahh...I have a family tradition to tell you about that has to do with this.

Another post perhaps?

6. I love listening to old Christmas carols while I study.

Bin Crosby, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra are the bombdiggadies!  

7. I love wrapping paper...I really really do!

I stick it all over the place; my door, my wall, my dresser...

8. I love crocheting Christmas stars garland.

(video tutorial coming soon!)

9. I love the smell of ginger bread.

Never finished making a gingerbread house. Random fact about me.

10. I love cutting out paper snowflakes. 

Don't love the mess I have to clean up afterwards...but I do love the excitement right before unfolding my work.

(mini preview of the tutorial I will soon upload)

What are your favorite things in December? Please let me know in a comment below or link to your own "Favorites" post.

AND

Have you seen the button Christmas tree tutorial I made last year?

Crochet with Me: Christmas Star

So this video was meant to be posted and sent to you all weeks ago, but my computer has been in the shop and I just got it back today!

Ugh...technology...

Anyways, I'm sorry that this is late but I hope you watch anyways

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve.

Toasty November: Curl up with a book

Ooooh!!
The weather outside is frightful,

And the fiiiiiire is sooo delightful,

And since there's no place to go...

Let's stay inside and cozy up with a book!

"The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it."  

~James Bryce

I heart this bookshelf idea.

Just head on over to goodwill and pick out some really pretty vintage books.

Yes...it's OK to judge a book by it's cover.

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I can see Mike now...

"What did they do to that book! You can even read it anymore! This is terrible!!"

He loves books and strongly believes that the pages should never be folder over or highlighter or anything.

I love books too, but I also love art and creativity. Let's just say...this was a bad book and now we've turned it into something magical.

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This has got to be one of the coolest ideas anyone has ever had!

Ok, maybe not THE coolest, but it's very creative.

I tracked down this image's source hopping to find a tutorial at the other end but alas...this is all I found.

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This is definitely on my "want" list.

The Little Prince, or Le Petit Prince is a classic loved by all the children in Quebec. At least the kids I grew up with.

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BONUS!

Mayi Carles uploads an inspirational help video to her blog every Friday.

This last one was so helpful for me...I just had to share.

Have a great weekend

Toasty November: Mittens

I wiggle my left hand,

I wiggle my right,

Inside of my mittens,

So warm and tight.

I wiggle my pinkie,

I wiggle my thumb,

So when I made snowballs,

My hands won't go numb.

-Unknown

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The Short Life of a Mitten

I'm sliding down the driveway,

I'm falling off my sled,

I'm rolling down the hillside,

I'm standing on my head,

When playing in a snow bank,

It's hard to have control,

I wonder how my mittens,

Got such a large hole!

-Unknown

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Yes, I know what you're thinking...and yes...I found a tutorial for these.

You're welcome.

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Share "Toasty November" goodness by clicking here.

Toasty November: Share

How do you stay toasty warm in November?

Let me know in the comments section or even better yet...

Blog about it!

Feel free to grab one of these snazzy buttons for your post and leave me a link to check out!

Maybe I'll become one of your new followers.

:-)

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