Pinky

I've not been buying much clothing this year, for various reasons, but this skirt haunted be since I saw it in the store weeks ago. While shopping for cheap work duds, its hot pink swishiness caught my eye, but at a full price of $16.00 I couldn't bring myself to buy it. Especially considering how many other skirts I currently own.

Glasses - Walmart

Top - Gift from Heather

Skirt - Walmart

Clogs - Gift from my grandmother

However, to my pleasant surprise, it was in clearance for just $5 when I was back in the store. So I snatched it up. I figured after four weeks of having seen it and it being on my mind almost daily, that it was really something I wanted and not just a passing whim. I'm glad I purchased it, even if I do usually frown upon clothes from Wally World. Either way, it was worth the five bucks. I hope you all have a great Friday! Cheers!

All's a Garden

I've actually been wearing some really cute outfits lately, but I've been too busy/lazy to take photos. My garden is getting plenty of attention though. I'm at the point where little wildlife is coming to live in and around the garden and that pleases me more than I can say. It was one of the things I'd been hoping for so it's wonderful that little creatures are making a home there now.



Toads are some of my favourite animals as it is, but itty bitty toadlets really take the cake. They're just so tiny and hoppy and cute! Perfect for eating all the little insects in my garden that might be harmful to my plants. My compost pile has been attracting other animals, mainly Northern Red-Belly snakes, my most favourite Ontario species of small snake. They're completely harmless and don't get much bigger than the one in my photo below.



They're another fantastic species to have in and around a garden because they mainly feed on slugs and small snails. I found this little fella living in the dirt directly inside my compost heap. There must be plenty of delicious things for it and its little snake friends in there because I've seen one almost every time I'm out there adding to my heap or turning the compost. I hope you are having a good week. Cheers!

Grow Garden Grow

I was very happy to find my very first red strawberry in my garden this Tuesday. All my tomato plants are covered in green tomatoes too, I'll be eating them soon enough. My potatoes are growing like mad and even the yellow beans, zucchinis and cucumbers are coming up well now. The only things that seem to be stunted and unchanged are my green pepper plants, but oh well! There's plenty of summer yet for them to grow bigger.



I'm really looking forward to my ornamental corn growing big and tall. The stalks already have gorgeous colours - I was surprised that even their roots share the purple tint. This whole next week is going to be hot and sunny, so as long as I keep my plant-children well watered, they should grow grow grow!

While I hadan inkling that I would really enjoy gardening, it brings me more joy and satisfaction that I had imagined. I love watching the plants grow and change and mature. Watering them in the evenings in a wonderful time for me to commune with them - and yes, I am one of those people who baby-talks to their plants. "That's it little pretties! Drink up! Grow big now!" I hope you are all having a good start to your July. Cheers!

Simply Happy

These last few days have been exhausting for me. I finally started working at a local bakery on Monday, and it's taking some getting used to the early mornings and the physical labour. But I am enjoying it so much! My days fly by and I'm doing things that bring out the passion in me. I feel much more confident in myself here than the last bakery in which I worked. The people are really great, my boss especially is fantastic.

Top - Purchased on Etsy from Aliya & Lucas

Belt - Gift from Heather

Skirt - Purchased at Rag Time in Ottawa

Shoes - From my grandmother

After work I had the time to sneak in a little power nap before heading to North Bay for a bit of shopping. I'm used to working in tank tops but my current workplace requires sleeves and so I nabbed some cheap t-shirts and comfy sweat pants in which to work without having to worry about staining them or getting covered in flour. Bakery work is a lot messier than restaurant work most of the time, especially when you're as messy as I am.

Summer is still slowly creeping in around here, the nights are so cool that plants are behind in their regular plant-y schedules. From the flowers in the field next to my home, you'd think it was early spring. The bushes by the fence are actually packed with blueberries and the little plants are covered in itty bitty still-green berries. I'm hoping they can mature well and that I'll get to feast on their deliciousness.

Another perk to my home is that my front door and kitchen window faces East and I get to see the sun rise as I get ready for work. Some people really dislike early mornings, but there's something about those really early mornings, before most people are awake and the world is heavy with the hushed stillness. The air is still cool and crisp and fresh. My bike rides to work really perk me up and make me feel alive. My life is simple here, and I like it that way. I'm happy, and I hope you are too. Cheers!

Moving in a Dress

I wore this to help my parents move. I do pretty much everything in a skirt or a pretty dress, nearly all of the time, if I can possibly manage it. It does make cycling a bit complicated sometimes - my longer skirts keep getting jammed in my rear breaks argh - but I'm still doing it. I refuse to compromise!

Dress - Thrifted from Value Village

Sandals - Thrifted from Value Village

For a moment I'd thought I'd gotten rid of this dress but it was just in another closet. Thank goodness! Because it's such a sweet dress. I've been wearing it for a few years now and hopefully can continue to do so for several years to come. I've also been trying to mix up the food I'm eating. After a trip to the big city of Sudbury with my parents a little while back, I scored some delicious ingredients that prompted me to make a fresh new salad.

It's mixed baby greens, with buffalo mozzarella, cashews, raspberries, and a raspberry red wine vinaigrette. I wasn't certain I would be able to do much with a raspberry red wine vinegar but it was perfect for this. The cheese was wonderfully rich and smooth and creamy, the cashews gave a nice crunch and the vinaigrette was sweet enough to balance out the tartness of some of the baby greens. Definitely something I'll be eating again. Anyhow, I hope you are having a good week. Cheers!

Helping Hand

I've been silent here the last little while since I've been helping my parents move. They're going from a cramped, hot apartment in town to a cute little cabin on the side of the lake. Space will still be at a premium, but it's someplace they'll really be able to call home, instead of just where they keep their stuff. I look forward to visits there this summer. We did manage to squeeze another little fishing trip in before this all went underway though!

My mother has the uncanny ability to snag fish. In this case, a tiny perch the size of her lure! And I caught my first walleye of the season, which was really nice. It still doesn't feel much like summer since the days tend to be windy and cool, but I have hope that summer feeling will arrive and stay soon enough. I hope you are well and having a good week. Cheers!

Fishing Style

It seems my blog is being taken over by photos of fishing lately, which is likely going to be par for the course for the rest of the summer, if I have anything to do with it. My parents and I went for a short spot of fishing last evening. I caught four catfish - or barbotte as we call them here - while my parents kept catching each other haha... the perils of casting too near one another!

As you can see, I was having a wonderful time. And that I go fishing in white skirted outfits, like a boss. I actually scrambled and climbed all the way to the log on the point in the first photo, and stood in the water there for a bit and fished from there. It feels so good to be back here, with family, doing the things I love. Hope your weekend is going well so far. Cheers!