Winter Silence

Fuzzy Wuzzy

I spent last winter with a scarf wrapped around my head because I couldn't find a hat that satisfactorily kept my ears warm. Not so this winter! I bought these earmuffs way back in early September, knowing they would be perfect once things got chilly, and wearing them always makes me happy. Other people love them too - or so I assume - because the moment they spot my fuzzy muffs people start to smile. They are rather preposterous but that's part of why I love them.

Fox Fur Earmuffs - Trading Post on Highway 17

Neckwarmer - Gift from the lovely Anne

Leather jacket - Danier

Sweater - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Boots - Thrifted from Value Village

Since I've stopped working in an office, my form of dress has started to change again. I hadn't realized how much my job influenced my style. With having a strict uniform at the Cordon Bleu and just wearing basics in the kitchen at work, it's got me gravitating to outfits that really bring me pleasure during my free time.

I'm starting to feel like I have too much clothing. Most of it goes unworn, languishing in my closet and drawers. I sense another intense wardrobe purge is coming on, but it's going beyond that. I just have too much stuff in general. So many things just weighing me down, things I don't actually need.

My priorities are changing with me as I grow. While I have no real interest in living a completely minimalistic lifestyle, I do feel like a lot of what I keep is being kept for the wrong reasons. How much do my childhood mementos really mean to me if they're buried in a box in the storage closet? I've been carting some of this stuff around with me for so many years, but I never stopped to think why I was keeping it. This winter is going to hold more changes for me, and I'm hoping come spring that I will have managed to shed a lot of this excess stuff. I hope you're having a really great weekend so far, I know I'm enjoying mine. Cheers!

Frustrating

Plenty of things make me frustrated these days, and it's really hard for me to just keep calm and let it go. Especially if I'm frustrated about not being able to fall asleep when it's 2am hah. I'm also pretty frustrated with the fact that Blogger seems to be eating all my comments on other people's blogs. I've tried everything, every option, but my comment just disappears into the ether. So... I'm not avoiding you or ignoring you, I just can't actually comment on your blogs to save my life.

Top -Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

Moccasins - Sears sale, Hush Puppies

Another recent frustration is that wearing long skirts on daily 45 minute walks just doesn't really work out so well. Especially if it's windy. Now that I'm wearing leggings, the skirts get all tangled up around my legs or snag on my boots. I'm actually wishing I owned more pants. But I don't even have the money to go thrift any because I still haven't started working yet. That's another frustration... the restaurant that hired me is still waiting on the delivery of their tables, which clearly are required to run the place. Soon hopefully? *sigh*

It feels like I'm trapped in Limbo again, in the middle and going nowhere. It's left me far too much time to just sit around thinking and feeling things. Last evening, I was staring up at the glow-in-the-dark stars on my ceiling, upset by my inability to properly emote. I'm like a caveman bashing rocks together on the emotional evolutionary scale. I thought I'd made some progress but that was only just being aware of the fact I'm a terrible communicator. Anyway, we're having a student lunch with our Chefs today which I'm looking forward to. Hopefully I can get a word in edgewise against all the uppity 18 year old girls. Have a good week! Cheers!

Irregular Programing

I can't really say posting outfit photos is going back to the regular swing of things around here when it seems to be the complete opposite. Zombie Walks, pastries, festivals... But I guess that's the point of having my own blog, I can post anything I want to here. Years from now I'll prefer scrolling through this stuff than forced outfit shots, I'm certain. However, I do still take the occasional outfit photo and here's a new outfit I enjoyed wearing in mid-October.

Leather Jacket - Danier
Neck warmer - Gift from Anne

Sweater-dress - Eva-B in Montreal

Leggings - Can't remember

Boots - Thrifted from Value Village

Glasses - A pharmacy in Chéticamp, NS

What possessed me to buy a wooly sweater-dress in the middle of July is beyond me, but I think the face on the front had a lil' somethin' to do with it. I'm a sucker for cheesy stuff. And this is definitely that. My friend Laura saw it on me and instantly said "So 80's!" which explains a lot methinks.

I haven't got a whole lot else to say at the moment. I had a Demo Assistant shift at school this morning, helping a Chef during an Intermediate Pastry demo while he made Délice Caramel (which I also got to enjoy, yay!) and now I'm home for the afternoon until I head back for a Canning Workshop this evening.

Tomorrow I've got a Prep Kitchen Assistant shift which will probably be a bit more stressful since the Cuisine Chefs are less than enthused about having us Basic Pastry students in their kitchen, with our lack of general cuisine skills. I'm still looking forward to it, even if I am nervous. Everything's that made me nervous or frightened so far has turned out to be totally groovy for the most part so this is probably going to be that way too. I hope you have a great Monday and a good start to your week. Cheers!

Characters

Do I look like myself? I felt like myself when I wore this. Other than being a little self-conscious about the whole pants thing. It's still taking some getting used to for me. I love cool autumn weather for being able to wear my leather jacket and hoodie together, so snuggly and comfy.

Leather Jacket - Danier

Hoodie - Fairweather

AC/DC shirt - Very Old

Jeggings - Hue

Boots - Thrifted from Value Village

I haven't really got much else to say about all this. It's nothing new for me, just echoes of a style and way of life long past. But I'm forever evolving and changing and I think this might be the New Era of the Pant. You'll see :P Cheers!

Shades of Nature

It's springtime, and everybody is just mad about pastels and bright springy colours. Except me. I on the other hand, am still dressed in browns and greens and am so ready to blend in with natural surroundings. Who needs camouflage when you've got this kind of paisley?

 

Top - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Leggings - Who knows

Shoes - Sears, Hush Puppies

The day I took these photos started off with some cold rain, and I was forced to take them indoors. By the time my friend and I wandered off on a walk to the Arboretum though, it had tapered off to an annoying but tolerable light mist. Everything was so lush and green from the rain. The only thing that could have made it more enjoyable would've been slightly warmer temperatures so that things like frogs and newts might be out. It was still too cool for them yet!

 

Now that's what I call flounce! I thrifted this skirt after having realized my wardrobe had a serious lack of not-maxi length items. They're all well and good when it's not too hot out, but I'll melt once it starts hitting 25'C again. I'm not exactly certain how I dealt with this last summer, other than for the fact my workplace is air conditioned and I live by myself which allows for a minimum of clothing while in my home!

I was rather insulted today when one of my co-workers commented on the dark circles under my eyes and said that I was looking very tired. They'd probably think I was about to drop over dead if they actually saw me without any makeup! I have dark circles under my eyes. There is nothing I can do about this. I can sleep twelve hours of glorious deep sleep and there will still be dark circles under my eyes. I was wearing foundation and VERY good coverup when I got this comment. It just drives me crazy that we as women - especially young women - are expected to look flawless and well-rested every hour of the day, no matter what, and that somehow if we don't look that way, it's everybody's business to inquire about it.

I've mentioned it here before, but I happen to like how I look without makeup most of the time. Even with the dark circles and kinda-red patches and forehead shininess. I wear makeup because I enjoy it - which is why my eyeshadow is so in yo' face - and not because I'm trying to hide my natural complexion or skin tone. It's me, my skin. I'm okay with it. I am not okay with people coming to assumptions because of it. Especially when that's not even anywhere near how I would actually look if I had not had proper sleep and had no makeup on.

 

Those are the sorts of comments that get a girl wondering if she's hideous and worrying that everybody must think she looks like an exhausted mess. It might seem insignificant, but for some people it's enough to tip them into a nasty cycle of self-loathing and personal issues. Pro tip folks, don't tell people they look tired, it's insulting, regardless your motive! Anyway, sudden rant aside... I hope you're all having a good week. Cheers!

Cold Weather, Warm Heart

It's quite cold right now - although it could certainly be colder - and when you live in a place with a long-lasting winter, you need to find ways to keep yourself cheerful and occupied. I started taking belly dance classes again (my first class was last night!) and I'm doing a lot of baking and cooking. These and other activities keep me pretty busy and upbeat, but sometimes a little something unexpected comes along as a special treat.

About a zillion years ago (back in August I think), I signed up to take part in the Bioregional Swap over at Terralectualism. The idea was to send a package out for October. Sadly, a series of events unfolded between when I signed up, and the end date, which rather hampered my abilities to send my package. I let my swap buddy Mary Beth know that I wouldn't be able to send her a package and that I didn't expect her to still send me one. Well, she sent me one anyway!



She's a homeschooling mama with a rambunctious lad to keep tabs on, so it took her a little while longer to send me the package. I received it just after New Years, a special mid-winter surprise! It was filled with such amazing things. The cedar smudge, jay feather and delicate shell all have a home on my precious-things table now. (I may or may not have spent a few minutes just sniffing the cedar.)

These two jars of homemade jam were great. One is blackberry-lavender and the other is thimbleberry. I'd never so much as heard of a thimbleberry before... but man was that jam tasty! I'm treating it like precious gold at the moment, parceling it out carefully at the times when I can enjoy it properly.




She also sent along some reusable cotton napkins, which she sells here along with oodles of other groovy reusable goodies and baby-friendly gear. And the dried mushrooms! How awesome that these were hand-picked by someone on the other side of the continent. I can imagine she and her son in a forest, hunting them down. So great! I haven't used them yet, since I want to find the perfect recipe, but I love mushrooms and so look forward to eating these.



I was also the happy recipient of some nasturtium seeds! I'm going to attempt to grow a few, and I've promised a few to my mother and another plant-loving friend. I don't trust myself to plant them all! I've never grown anything from a seed before, and since I have a hard enough time keeping full-grown plants alive, it's probably better this way.



I think the most fun part of the package-opening was taking all these lovely bits of sea glass and tiny marine fossils out of a little sac. I've never so much as as seen the ocean, it's amazing that these little things have been places and traveled distances I probably never will.

Of course now I have a renewed desire to send her something after getting all these wonderful things! If receiving gifts is good, giving them is even better so far as I'm concerned. Spread the love, right? (I've got goodies in mind for her soon too, wee!) I hope you're all having a great week. Cheers!

Wearing Love

Behold! My bangs! In their full banging glory! My hair is really light and whispy though, so most of the time they're usually flying about as I walk around. But ah well! I dig 'em. I'm even sooort of starting to become fond of the flippy cowlick thing it's got going on sometimes.

Capelet - Gift

Long sleeve top - Old Navy

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Flats - Ardene's

Before I say anything else though, I must speak of this capelet! It was made by hand especially for me by my grandfather's wife, Jane. She gifted it to me not long before Christmas. I actually wore this outfit on the Friday I spent with them before New Years, and I've been wearing it a lot around the house. It's so light and soft and snuggly and I love it ever so much.

I can't believe how lucky I was to find this dress! It has the prettiest detail at the gathering point, a sturdy crocheted circle. I just wish I'd thought to take a close-up photo. Another time!

The hairdresser convinced me to add some layers into my hair, and I'm happy I trusted her! I cut a good 4 inches off the back. I really love my long hair, but it had been getting a little too long for me, at least without doing anything to it. I'll be more attentive in my hair-care as it lengthens time this.

I'm having friends over for a sort of potluck brunch on Saturday, which I'm really looking forward to. Our friend Phil is bringing his lady-friend with him and it'll be my first time meeting her, which should be fun. I love meeting new people, especially when I get to feed them tasty foods to help win them over heehee.

It's too bad two of my friends are vegan, and another can't eat gluten. It makes feeding the group a wee bit complicated. Hence the potluck factor, so I'm not completely responsible if anybody starves hah. (Like I'd let that happen, psh!)

Tomorrow I'm going over to my old room mate's place to have dinner with he and his fiance. I find it rather amusing, but I'm realizing that most people with whom I spend my time are at least in their 30's. Mark and Helen are both in their late 30's, and I'm very good friends with a lovely divorced lady in her 40's. And other than 2 of my friends on Saturday, the rest of our gang is all 30 and up.

I really like surrounding myself with smart, experienced people though, and I guess that's part of why my friendships gravitate towards the more mature. I get a little lost in the conversations sometimes, but I usually also walk away with some new knowledge. And what's the point of a relationship if nobody shares or gains anything, right?

It feels like it should be Thursday. Somehow. All the shortened weeks I had over the holidays have me feeling a little kerfuffled. I hope you all have a groovy Tuesday. Cheers!

The land of Ice and Snow

It gets cold here. And I mean cold. Like, get severe frostbite if your hands are bare for more than 5 minutes kind of cold. Like, your breath is condensing and freezing on your eyelashes kind of cold. Like, worrying about whether or not your eyeballs can get frostbite and wishing you could knit yourself eye-mittens kind of cold. Okay well. Maybe that last one is just me. But folks. Cold. Which is why I spend most of my winter looking like this.

Wool coat - Thrifted from Value Village

Dress (it's there!) - Thrifted from the Salvation Army
Hoodie - Fairweather

Orange scarf - From a swap
Hat - Gift from mom

Wool thigh-high leg warmers - AdoreIt in the Byward Market

Boots - Payless

And this isn't even how I dress when it gets really cold. I have an entire other coat and boots for when it gets really cold. Although I don't think I'd be able to stand indoors long enough wearing all of that to take photos without melting. Which is why I'm not wearing mittens in this photo. I'd have melted.

On the plus side, after a few days of intensely cold temperatures, just-below-freezing is starting to feel kinda warm! I wished so bad I could have been snowshoeing Saturday night. The sky was clear and the moon bright and full. It would have been perfect for snowshoeing across a snow-covered field. I hope you all have a great Monday. Cheers!

Back in Time

The day I took these outfit photos was also our first day of snow here in Ottawa. Funnily enough, the weather now seems to be going back in time and warming up instead of getting colder like it should be. I'm not complaining though, I like a mild winter thank you very much!

Dress - Gift from Heather

Wool Tights - Fancy Sox

Booties - Thrifted from the Salvation Army

This was another of the awesome things Heather sent me in my birthday package. I love it so much! I'm particularly fond of the sleeves. I own several other dresses of a similar style but they all need to be taken in. I've worn this pretty thing at least once a week since getting it!

Snow! Eek! Hopefully I don't see any more for a while. I have some heavy duty winter boots and an extra warm long coat for when the real cold snap comes down, but I am more than happy if things stay as they are! This chick doesn't mind a green Christmas.

My new terrarium arrived yesterday, and it was in usable shape. It had been crated as an extra measure, on top of being packed with styrofoam. But there was still a crack in it. How ridiculous is that? At least it won't stop me using it though, and my snake boy is happily moved in now. I'll be happier when the old cabinet he was in is gone too. I hope your week is going good. Cheers!

One-Time Deal

While I don't dislike this outfit, I will not be wearing it again. For one thing, that black skirt is way too big on me now (which I only discovered too late while getting dressed that morning) and now hangs around my hip-bones. The belt did a passable job keeping the skirt up, but there was so much excess bunched up fabric around my waist, and the skirt kept escaping and it was all very awkward. Not worth going through again for an outfit I wasn't all that crazy about.

Dress as blouse - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Socks - Fancy Sox

Shoes - Spring

I wore my snake-print shirt-dress as a blouse again. It's funny, because when I bought it, I never figured it would be such a staple in my wardrobe. But turns out, I actually wear it a lot, even if I don't post the outfits since they're usually re-wears. A large part of why I'm posting less the last few months is just because I'm re-wearing the same outfits over and over and it would bore you all to death to see them that often.

It was warm enough to get away with just wearing my leather jacket back at the end of October when I took these photos, but not anymore. I'm layering a thick hoodie under my jacket now, which helps keep me nice and toasty. I prefer layering this time of year just because it helps me regulate more easily if I do happen to get too warm. I'm hoping to find a mid-season winter coat and boots soon though. Gaps in my outerwear must be filled!

Another reason I'm not a huge fan of this outfit is just the lack of colour. While I don't mind it, I am usually just happier wearing colours. A wonderful lady said that bright colours suit me better anyway and I very much have to agree.

I hope you're all having a good week so far! Cheers!

Nails and Noodles

I suppose in theory posting a photo of my toes and then also talking about food is probably not the best subject combination. But since I have no outfit photos for the moment, my toes will just have to do. The hot pink is as it should be, but that other colour is actually metallic purple. My camera decided to make it look electric blue like my other polish. Crazy toe-nails ahoy!

As for the noodle reference in my title, well really I meant pasta. But 'pasta' does not alliterate very well and so noodles was the way to go. Because I made some tasty pasta salad on Sunday and I have to share its goodness.

If this looks suspiciously familiar to you, it's because I actually posted a photo of the exact same dish in this post a few days ago. I knew I wanted to make a batch of something that could be eaten cold and that would last me several days so I could be lazy, and this pasta salad was perfect. (I did wind up using rice wine vinegar instead of white wine vinegar like the recipe calls for but it still tasted awesome!)

I also cooked up a small batch of these tasty lemon-garlic roasted shrimps. I quartered the recipe though, because I knew I was the only one who'd be eating any and a girl can only eat so many shrimp! My own version came out not too bad, if I do say so myself. The shrimp certainly tasted heavenly and I'm definitely going to be making this dish again. Quick and easy, it has my approval!

The weather is being rather persnickety today. It was supposed to be partly cloudy and rather warm, but instead it's overcast, misty and uncomfortably chill out there. The first day of summer may have lived up to my expectations yesterday but this is not a summery day at all.

I miiight be going to a charity concert tonight, but I work at 8am tomorrow and a 9pm show is not conducive to my getting enough sleep. Then again, my friend Becky invited me and she's leaving in about a week so it would be ridiculous of me not to go just so I can be not-tired tomorrow, right? I hope you're all having a good Wednesday. Cheers!

Begone snow! T'is I, the Sun!

As you can see, there is clearly still snow on the ground. I took these photos yesterday, Friday March 25th. I might look chipper, but it was still quite chilly. Thank goodness there wasn't much wind or I'd have been a Celsicle in no time.

Here I am pretending I'm not freezing.

Romper - Purchased from Reluctant Damsel on Etsy

Leggings - Ardene's

Boots - Joneve

Leather Jacket - Danier Leather

Leather and Cow Hair Purse - Purchased from Funky Time on Etsy

The Tiger's Eye and silver ring belonged to my grandfather. I had it resized and now I wear it. Also I'm sorry for the horror that is my back yard. Old fence, crusty snow, not the greatest place for photos. But the sun was out and it was reasonably nice - until the wind blew - that I just had to take photos outside.

I've had this romper a few weeks now and I've so badly wanted to wear it. So finally I busted it out, even if it's still a bit too cold for it. I adore how swingy and fun it is. I forget I'm not wearing a real skirt, and it's so comfy. It's going to be great on windy days this summer.

Speaking of the summer, I've decided I want to take out my camera and try to snap photos of other folks with awesome outfits, kinda street style I guess. Nothing serious, but I think it could be fun every once in a while. I keep seeing really fashionable folks and wishing I had a camera!

Anyhow, hope you're all having a great weekend. Cheers!