Sunny Spider Belly

It's still taking getting used to the fact the sun sets so early now. Every year, it seems so sudden, and I don't know why that is. You'd swear the change happens all at once. I come out of evening classes and it's dark. My drives to early classes are in the dark. I don't mind it for sleeping in, but I love sunshine too, and winters are hard for this.

Dress - From A Cat of Impossible Colour on Etsy

Mocassins - Sears

I'm still so happy with how this dress turned out. Shortening it seemed more complicated than it actually was and this high low hem is so much fun. Maybe I'll do more sewing projects over the winter. I know I want to work on my quilt but I think I'm going to make smaller lap quilts instead of the large one I had first intended a few years ago. That's less intimidating.

My adult female Grammostola rosea tarantula molted about two weeks ago. I was able to see her start, flipped over on her back like this, but I had class and missed most of it. She was free from her old exuvium and stretching out by the time I got home. It's just a shame because she only molts every 2-3 years now so it's a rare occurrence. Next time, I guess! Well I'd best get ready for my day. Cheers!

Sundown Sand Boa

The rain is coming down again today, so my pumpkin-picking trip with friend and baby is postponed until tomorrow. I don't mind too much, having a lazy day in my pajamas feels good. My parents, grandmother and I went for a dinner at my college's culinary-student run restaurant last evening. I was gifted a paid meal for four there and it was absolutely delicious.

Top - Thrifted from The Salvation Army

Dress as Skirt - Purchased from Sally Jane Vintage on Etsy

Leggings - Ardene's

Shoes - Gift from grandmother

It was a really nice way to end my week of mid-terms. Next week is reading week so I have no classes. Time to relax! I have one essay I want to work on but otherwise, I plan to spend my time relaxing, visiting friends and family, and making good food. I'm going to clean out of my animal room and attempt to organize it as best as I can. I still don't have a garden shed so I think I'll just box up my things and bring them over to my grandmother's, since she said I could store things there.

My lovely female Kenyan Sand Boa has finally reached her full adult size. From this point, she may get fatter, but she won't get much longer. She's such an adorable chunky little thing! I love my pretty Halloween, and I'm still glad I named her such, it's so fitting. But she's one of the snake-babies who's tank needs a cleaning so I'd best get on that. Cheers!

Peach Pie and Sunshine

It's cloudy and gloomy outside today, the total contrary of these sunny outfit photos. Hopefully the sun comes back out to shine on my little part of the world soon. In the meantime I just try and appreciate the smell of damp leaves in the air. I really do love Autumn so much.

Dress -Purchased on Etsy from Sally Jane Vintage

Shoes - Gift from my grandmother

This was my mid-term week, and I did fairly well on most of my written tests. I did absolutely wonderful on my cuisine mid-term though, with 87% which is more than I'd been hoping I'd achieve. My grade could have been even better if I had just remembered to season my breaded mushroom and hadn't overcooked my turned potatoes. I'll practice even more before the final exam to make certain these sorts of little mistakes don't happen again.

The above pie is a peach sour cream filling recipe from my school baking book. I'm bringing all my manuals home over reading week so I can make plenty more tasty good things to eat and share during my time off. That's the one problem with food... there are so many delicious recipes, and so little time and tummy-space to eat them!

My parents and grandmother are meeting me after my class today for a nice dinner at the college. I was offered a paid table for four in the school's dining room, and I certainly wasn't going to say no! I'm looking forward to getting dressed up for a nice dinner. (Not that I don't get dressed all fancy most of the time anyway heh, but having an actual occasion for it is refreshing!) I hope you all had a nice week. Cheers!

Backed up in the Present

While my outfit photos are rather out of date, I blame this on the fact that I live in the moment. I enjoy taking the outfit photos when I do take them. Everything I wear because I enjoy it, it makes me feel good. There's no intense need to post them though - for one thing I'm fairly certain I'm the only person who even reads my blog anymore hah - and that's fine. I get around to it eventually.

Top -Thrifted from Value Village

Skirt - Vintage shop in Ottawa

Shoes - From grandmother

There's a bear somewhere out near my home. I found its leavings, full of choke-cherry seeds, smack dab in the middle of the driveway. These are the things I missed when living in the city. I hope the dear thing sticks around, it can help itself to all the berries if it wants! If I'm lucky, I may even catch a glimpse of it some early morning, or in the evenings.

I was putting my garden to sleep for the winter the other evening when I inadvertently harmed a hibernating frog with my hand tool. The poor thing was so injured that I had no choice but to put it down. It's buried in the middle of my garden now, with a little heart, and a spiral, drawn above it in the dirt. I felt absolutely horrible for it, but I suppose it's better to mourn its loss than to be a person who feels no pain at the death of an innocent living thing. I'm off now to pick up my grandmother and head to my parents' for Canadian Thanksgiving dinner. I hope those of you who celebrate it now have a good holiday. Cheers!

Warm Autumn

It may be October, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. The days are gorgeous, warm and sunny. It rains once or twice a week, but nothing outrageous. Most days the skies are a bright clear blue and the sun shines down on the colourful changing leaves. This is such a beautiful time of year. As much as I adore all the shades of green when Spring comes around and all the leaves are new, there's nothing like a forest decked out in oranges, reds and yellows.

 My home is mostly surrounded by coniferous trees but my drive to and from school five days a week graces me with gorgeous colour-changing landscapes. Maybe I'll actually remember to bring my camera with my one of these days and take some shots, before the leaves all fall.



I'm letting Caramel join me outside a little more again, now that the dangerous heats are gone. He deserves a bit of adventure and fresh air too! He's too big of a scaredy cat to stay out for long without me anyway. I was putting up Halloween decorations earlier this afternoon, but he didn't quite seem to know what to make of them. Four more weeks to Halloween! I hope you are having as good a start to the month as me. Cheers!

A Good Thing

They say that once you find something good, you don't mess with it. That's what this outfit is like for me. It fell together one day, and like a flash, it felt right. And so whenever I wear it, it's always the same, right down to my jewelery. The only things that might fluctuate are my shoes and my makeup.

 Top - Thrifted from Value Village

Dress-as-skirt - Gift from my aunt

Shoes - Gift from my grandmother

Earrings and necklace - Made by my mother

I love this dress for how it flows and moves. It's light and airy, but can still keep me reasonably comfortable on these cooling fall days. My top has many lives, as part of regular outfits and sometimes as a pajama top. I'm attempting to pare down my wardrobe - as always - and this kind of multi-use is important with doing that.

Another perk to this outfit is that it very well hides the fact that I've gained a lot of weight this year. I'm really not happy about it, and I know what I should do about it, but there's a huge gap between wanting and doing and achieving for the moment.

I've been a dedicated mineral makeup convert for quite a few years, and the only products I wear that aren't from Earth Angel Minerals on Etsy, are my mascara and eyeliner. For the curious, my eyeshadow in the above photo consists of a base of Dark Grey on the outside of my lids, and Matte Snowflake on the inside of the lid and up toward my brow. Over this I brushed Moon Goddess (a purple shimmer) and Borealis (a white shimmer). I've come a long way from being obsessed with golds and greens. Anyhow, time for me to kick back for a few hours. Cheers!

Soup Kitchen

My home smells like soup a lot recently. I've been practicing stocks and soups for class, and yesterday I made a pureed soup of carrot and ginger. I have so much fun going through the steps, watching it turn from raw vegetables to a delicious, bright, flavourful soup. It's like kitchen magic.



Later today I might make a batch of Leek and Potato soup but we'll see. I've already got food coming out of my ears as it is. Considering I'm trying to lose weight, that's not exactly ideal. I weigh the most now that I have in two years and I'm not particularly pleased about it. I suppose it can partly be blamed on things like this Moka Cake I made for my mother's birthday this past week.



It's a white génoise cake, with coffee butter cream, toasted almonds and chocolate covered coffee beans on the rosettes. I'm very happy with how it came out, although I think I did use a little too much coffee syrup soaking the cake layers. I can always get better. I haven't got too much else to say, and until I feel better appearance, I don't think there will be too many outfit photos. So food it is. Cheers!