Winter Silence

Snow and Quiche

Just days after I bought myself a new bicycle, it started to snow. And snow. And snow. And it's still snowing. I'm glad I was able to get out for at least one bike ride before it all started falling. As usual, I've been taking this time to stay indoors and bake and cook. I made a poppy seed loaf yesterday, and baked up a tomato basil quiche today.

I cheated and used a store-bought frozen pie crust, but seeing as how this is the first time I make this recipe, I wanted to be certain the filling was worth the effort of my making a crust from scratch. When I make this again in the future - which I most certainly will, because it was delicious - I'll definitely take the time to make a crust myself. Onions and green peppers layer the bottom, bathed in egg-mayo goodness, covered with bread crumbs and basil, and then a layer of tomato slices and pepper jack cheese. Delish! I hope you all had a good week. Cheers!

Bright Shiny Winter

I had some free time between shifts at the restaurant today, so I took a walk down to Dow's Lake. I'm glad I did, it's so lovely out, and supposed to be so all weekend. Spring is well on its way! It's still nippy enough to wear my super fluffy earmuffs though, and that makes me happy.

I have to be getting ready for the second half of today's split-shifts though, so I hope you are all having a good Friday and that you have a lovely weekend too. Cheers!

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!

Call Me Heidi

For some reason, now that I look at these photos, I feel like I should have pigtail braids and be traipsing across rolling Swedish hills to go milk a cow or something. I don't know. I'm quite mad! Mad enough to pair a neon green skirt with this tunic. I don't particularly like how my winter boots (emergency ones bought on clearance when I literally walked through my other pair) look with everything but I dislike being in my sock feet in photos anymore.

Tunic - Purchased from Mr. Idaho's Vintage on Etsy

Skirt - Thrifted from Value Village

Belt - Gift from Heather

Boots - Some sports store

Is this outfit flattering? No. Is it pleasing to the eye? Most people would disagree. Is it classy, clean or crisp? Nope. And I like it that way. My workday outfits have to confirm to some slightly more polished dressing rules, so I tend to get sloppy and free on weekends and weeknights. Screw figure-flattery or looking sexy, I just want to wear something fun and something me. So I do.

I can't get over how much embroidery is on this tunic. So many itty bitty little details! The green in the embroidery was nearly identical to the skirt too, so it was practically a must to put them together. I can't wait to wear this again once it's not freezing outside and I can be bare legged! The skirt has such wonderful flounce and swing, with so much fabric to twirl about.

I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was alright for the most part, but not as good as I had hoped. I'm a bit miffed with some friends who had promised me something, then not only promptly reneged that promise, but then offered two other people that which they had promised me. Right in front of me. It'd be like promising a thirsty person a glass of water, pulling it away at the last moment and saying there isn't enough, only to then give it to two other people who don't need it, in front of that thirsty person's face. And then acting like they'd never offered in the first place.

I am so over winter. So done. It's still frigidly cold outside though, of course. I just want bare legs and toes in the grass again. To be able to go outside without having to pile on 4 layers. For a time when walking to the grocery store doesn't depend on which direction the wind is blowing ice pellets (into or away from your eyes). I want to go camping, a lot. Come on warm weather, get here! Cheers!

Under the Weather

I seem to have come down with a cold... I was in denial the first day, but I am most definitely sick. I haven't had a proper cold since early in January of 2011, so I guess I'm due! I cooked myself up a big batch of homemade chicken noodle soup last evening (with lovely chicken broth left over from another recipe on Sunday) so at least I have some hearty goodness with which to sustain myself. Until I'm up to snuff again, here are some photos from a storm we had last Friday.

This is what happens when you use a flash in a snowstorm haha...

I'm really hoping I get over this sickness quickly, it's no fun being sick. I'm trying not to over-exert myself. (Once when sick, I went to the grocery store to procure myself orange juice and wound up nearly fainting from exhaustion on the walk back, smart!) I hope all you folks in the bare-legged lands are enjoying the warmth and sunshine for me. Cheers!

Glow Worm

This bright yellow sweater really does have an inner glow. Sadly it didn't come across in the photos (seriously, it is actually even brighter in real life). I love my yellow sweater so much though! If it looks familiar for some reason, I was wearing it in the photo with my giant fat cat. The only downside is that it's very thick and very warm, so I can only wear it on particularly cold days, and when I know I will be in cold places.

Sweater - Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Yard Sale

Booties - Thrifted from the Salvation Army
Earrings - Friend-to-friend hand me down

Pardon my goofy grin above; the cat was doing something dorky and then the camera beeped at me. The last time I wore this skirt on the blog was way back in May of 2011. I'm pretty certain I've worn it a few times since then, but this low-wear of many of my items is why I really need to do some closet-purging. (Yes, I've still yet to do it, it is painful and I am avoiding it like the plague.)

The funny thing about this skirt is that it's labelled a Medium, but there's enough room for it to be an Extra Large and then some. It has no elastic at all, and I need to hold it up with my elbows as I pull the drawstrings taught or it literally just falls to the ground haha. It's great for hanging off my hip bones in the summer though, and has great movement.

I've given myself the goal of early nights and early mornings this weekend, to try and maximize the amount of things I get done. I've been naturally waking around 9am on weekends lately though, and am comfortable with considering that sleeping in. Am I turning into a true adult now that I appreciate and aim to utilize mornings? Haha... It's just too bad a lot of the things I like doing on weekends involve late nights. Or accidentally turn into late nights

It looks like I'll be attending that crystal bowl performance by myself this evening. I'm trying to build new friendships, but it seems my efforts dash aimlessly upon most people as waves do on rocks. I feel a lot like a child sometimes; nervous, timid, filled with an intense, overwhelming desire to explore and share and be happy and make friends. But most people just give me their glossed-over stranger-smile and fade away, like my bumbling-yet-well-meaning attempts are not worth their time. It's difficult when all your good intentions and desires are treated so cheaply.

I know now not to linger or bother with people who can't bother with me, but it's still frustrating. I'm very grateful for the ever-strengthening circle of family I have around me now, but the love I share with them just drives home to me how badly I want a close circle of friends to love and trust too. I have wonderful friends like Kirsten and Omar who I've learned SO much from, about being kind and curious and tender and loving and what good people are really like, and I need MORE of those people! Too bad it's so hard to root them out from the bad apples...

My weekend is going to be absolutely jam packed with activity, and I cannot wait for the work day to be over so I can get properly started on things. I hope you all have a super groovy weekend too. Cheers!

The Power of the Dress

For something so simple, dresses are such versatile things. The two dresses I'm wearing in this outfit are a perfect example of just how multipurpose a dress can be. Since I'm not comfortable wearing the black dress by itself at work, I layered it over my snake-print shirt dress. I got modesty with a fun print!

Snake-print dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Black dress - Sears sale, 2008

Shoes - Thrifted from Value Village
Belt - Ardene's

Tights - No idea

Both dresses have been worn many different ways. The black one (originally purchased for my college graduation) was actually the sea backdrop in my Halloween costume. Here's another old outfit with it from nearly a year ago. The shirt-dress has been worn several different ways too. I've worn it as a dress and layered more than once as a top.

Also of note is that this is an outfit I am wearing as I write this. An actual outfit being worn on the day of its posting! That however is only because I took the photos last evening while trying it on. This is also why the shirt buttons are all done up, which I decided today looks better with the top one undone.

I've had these shoes over a year but they're actually horribly uncomfortable for doing much else but sitting. The upper part of the shoe is very stiff and digs right into the top of my foot directly behind my toes every time I take a step. At least they're cute?

It's snowing like mad outside again. And it's not even a pleasant snow, it's the icy kind that stings your face and eyes. Did I ever mention how much I hate winter? Because I really hate winter. I'm supposed to go to my grandparents' for supper after work this evening but if this keeps up - they're calling for freezing rain - we may have to cancel. Once again, I hope the weather is treating you better than me. 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!