Friday, May 31, 2013

May Favourites


1.  Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller - Love this thing. I have really dark bags and it really makes a difference. It is well worth the money. I have medium skin and the light works fine on me. 

2. Burberry Brit - This perfume is my go-to. It is fresh and can be used for both casual outings and formal settings.

3. Coach Legacy Leather Swingback - This is my first coach purse. When spending that much money I wanted it to be a universal color and wanted to make sure it was timeless. It is perfect for work or just a quick bag. It is just able to fit the essentials and keep the junk out. I also love that it doesnt have that C slapped all over the bag. I hate advertising for a store and not getting paid ;) 

4. Lady Speed Stick 24/7 Anti-Antiperspirant Deodorant - I've been using this deodorant for years. I've had a few people say to me they don't like the gel because it gets their shirt wet.... just wait a minute or two before putting it on. I never have to worry about deodorant marks or anything. 

 
 

Thursday, May 30, 2013

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Spring Cleaning


Now that things are calmer around here, I've decided to do a spring (or early summer) cleaning of my Dad's place .. since we are staying here for free. So I've compiled a list. You can do one a day but some of them are really easy (especially if you have a smaller place, so a couple a day doesn't hurt either but if you do 1 a day it should take about 3 weeks) 

While going through the list, you are also going to focus on small things around the house that you might never take a second glance at in a regular day. While I am doing this, I am also making a "honey-do-list" or just a to-do list. I'm going to make this a three part series so I can focus on some recommended cleaning supplies as well :)

Week 1

Dust all light fixtures, fans, and any vents that are located on ceilings (like in a basement). 

 I recently picked up this microfiber duster. I love it, especially because when you are done you just slip the pad off and throw it in the wash and then let it air dry! So much cleaner, Eco-friendly and cost effective. 

Sweep cobwebs in corners along the ceiling. 

Dust all horizontal surfaces like doors, picture frames, shelves, baseboards, counters. 

Vacuum the tops of the cupboards (have you ever looked up there? They can get nasty)

Wipe down the insides of all your upper cupboards

Wipe down all your walls, fans and vents with a cloth dampened with some vinegar

Wash all the bed linens including the comforter, duvet, and the bed skirt and pillow shams. You may need to take bigger things like a duvet and your comforter to a dry-cleaner

So there is week one of spring cleaning. Doesn't seem so bad when it is broken down does it? 

View week 2 here


Friday, May 24, 2013

1 year until!

1 year
365 days,
8,760 hour,
525,600 minutes,
31,536,000 seconds

That is right. We are at the 1 year mark until the wedding. When we got engaged it was 2 years and 6 months away. It has gone by so fast and I know this year is going to go by even faster and I'm not going to lie, that stresses me out. Why? Because I'm seriously concerned about not being able to pull the money together lol! I'm sure it will all work out though. So far so good. 

By this day, this is what I wanted to have done:

Set a Date 
Determine your wedding day style and colors 
Set up a budget  
Compile final guest list 
Create a web page to announce wedding 
Book ceremony and reception locations
Book officient

If you would like to view the wedding website, you can do so here.

So I think I'm doing pretty good in terms of that! 
Here is what I need to have done by August 24th:


Book DJ
Book photographer
Book florist

I've already talked to a photographer, just waiting for the money to come in to give her the deposit and make it official. 
I've also found a DJ that I still need to meet with. I'm confident that will all get done by the end of August... it is a short list ;)

And since I haven't actually shown a good picture yet.. here is my engagement ring:



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Bridesmaid Dresses

Now that I have my 3 bridesmaids picked, I have started to be on the lookout for bridesmaid dresses. Let me tell you, I am one picky girl and I hate the ones that look like typical bridesmaid dresses. 

I don't necessarily have a preference between long or short but I like the flowey look for sure and a one shoulder with chiffon would be amazing too. 

Here are some dresses I have already had my bridesmaids try on. 


This one, the lady at the store did it wrong and it isn't supposed to be tied around the middle there, it is supposed to be a belt. Anyway you can find it here and it would be in the blush color. 

While this one is still a contender because my bridesmaids do like it, I'm not sure about it still. Shay (above) tried it on in the purple and my other ones tried it on in grey at a different store.  I don't know if it is just me not getting past the different colors or what. It does look nice in the picture though...


Here is another dress they tried on. Although I love it, it is not a contender anymore... sadly. I thought it complimented Melissa (above) very nicely but my other 2 bridesmaids have wider hips and the design of the dress didn't compliment them.


This dress we also tried on. It was one of those that looks cute in the picture, but as my cousin put it when she tried it on, it suited a figure skater. It was a no. 

So that marks what we've looked at and tried on so far. I found a few dresses that I really LOVE and want to go try on. Here they are.


Here ... based on this picture

(your welcome for anybody who was wondering where this dress came from)

As you can see those ones fit what I want to a T so I can't wait to go see them on!

I'm also considering these to go look at too if those ones go work out.


and 


Phew...who knew finding a bridesmaid dress would be more work than finding my wedding gown.

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Soapbox Sunday: For the Haters

Please make sure to read the disclosure in the description of the video .... I am not targeting it towards everyone... just the people that do act like that :)

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Exploring Toronto

During my internship, I took a couple days to explore Toronto. 
Here are some pictures


Fairmont Royal York



Osgoode Law School


City Hall and Nathan Phillips Square


This fountain turns into a skating rink in the winter



The old city hall circa 1899


Dundas Square



The Eaton Center


Some heritage home that I would love to live in


Queen West





The house my Mom grew up in


I've only touched a very small section of Toronto but I've got tons of time to explore some more to show you. 

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Throwback Thursday

Well you may know I went to Puerto Vallarta in December, but I've also been there before...in 2005.








I wish I could be this tanned again...


Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Closet Organization

So as you may know, we are staying with my Dad until I finish my internship and we both get jobs and are actually able to afford to live by ourselves again... So anywhos, my bedroom here at my Dad's, I was fortunate enough to get a walk in closet. The area used to be my Grandpa's workroom and the closet a cold room so when it was renovated I inherited a cold-room-sized-closet. Perfect. I've been waiting to fully utilize this thing for years and although I'm only here temporary, I fully took advantage. So here is the set-up...


The closet is mainly mine. Brandyn got the full dresser in the bedroom and then I took over the closet and that white drawer bin. 


As you can probably see in the picture, my undergarments are in the top drawer. Then in the bottom, I have my pajamas. The third drawer has capris, shorts, and sweatpants in it. The bottom drawer is a bunch of wires and stuff that are my Dad's and I have no place else to put them. 


The top cubby is not shown. It has just random stuff in it that isn't mine. Then you see my hats. Second shelf, I have tank tops.


The next shelf has t-shirts and long-sleeves at the bottom. I only have 3 long-sleeve shirts so I just put them in with my t-shirts. Then my jeans and pants and lastly just random stuff like my kobo reader, sewing box and cameras. 


On the farthest bar, I have my shirts and blouses, light sweaters/cardigan, blazers, dresses and jerseys. I used to have my hoodies and thicker sweaters in place of the blouses but they didn't fit so I did some re-arranging. Organizing is a lot of trial and error. I also color co-ordinated each section. I will post the chart I used on the bottom. It probably doesn't look that color co-ordinated and that is because I have very little colors in my wardrobe. That is another plus about doing that.... you see what colors you tend to vibe towards in the stores. I seem to like grey. I need to buy more colors....



The upper bar has all my hoodies. See. Lots of grey. At one point, when I was a teenager, I counted 50 hoodies. I took up an entire dresser with them. I have since downgraded and I refrain from buying hoodies anymore. 


The bottom is mostly Brandyn's section. I just have light jackets on the right there and then it is all his. His isn't color co-ordinated because there is so little that I can't even. 


On the back of my door, I have my shoe rack. I also have a shoe rack outside in the hallway that holds more casual, everyday shoes. This one obviously isn't full yet. I haven't unpacked most of my shoes yet. 

Here is the color chart I used. I started at white on one end, and then finished at black!


One thing I didn't take a picture of was the other side. It is just a bunch of storage stuff. Nothing exciting and quite messy but it doesn't belong to me so I don't touch it.

But ya so that is my closet that I'm using right now. I don't think I could ever go back to a regular closet now. I love my walk in.