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So this weekend I'm really craving some rest...

With some physical activity...

But for the most part, I will be buried in books...

And at work brewing coffee...

But...

because I just lost 21 lbs!

Yay!

Hope you all have a lovely and relaxing weekend.

One very lovely post.  - Someone thought I wrote it!

Also, think about donating a rose in solidarity this Valentine's Day.

via, via, via, via

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This weekend I plan to:

{Eat lots of sugary treats...}

{I think I might do some baking...}

{Then I will get all done up...}

{Dress up in something wonderfully fun...}

{I'll probably imbibe a little too much because...}

I'll be one year older on Sunday! 

So that's what I'll be up to. What are your plans for the weekend? I hope it's a good one!

Here are some links:

This dress, this dress and this dress are what I want to wear until summer is out.

What a neat gadget.

I sometimes wish I were rich, not often, but sometimes, like when I see a yatch of this caliber, with a bathroom like this. Sail me away, yes please!

I take myself too seriously, that's partly the problem. We all need to relax and do this.

This makes me want to brush my hair more. How often do you brush your hair? Imagine people brushed their hair as instead of smoking! That's funny. I'm sure some up us would go bald!

I shall attempt to emulate this Paris Picnic when I get a visitor next week.

This will actually make you laugh out loud if you enjoy Parks and Recreation.

A great nail tutorial!

Oh and I'm thankful for:

Champagne! What would the world be like without it, can you imagine? Gasp!

Aesop's Fables. I've been reading them before bed and it's such a nice way to transition from a busy day to dozing off.

The library. I just can't get over the fact that I get to read books and papers, borrow cookbooks, watch TV shows, documentaries and movies for free. It's just outstanding.

Lavender. My landlord put a nice bouquet of lavender and other unrecognizable, to me, flowers and they've infused such a nice aroma in my nook.

Images via Ninbra, Call Me Cupcake, Cherry Blossom Girl, Making Magique, This is Glamorous tumblr, Ms. Muse tumblr.

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Summer's lease hath all too short a date.

~ William Shakespeare

Happy Friday! I have some unfortunate news. The people I have been borrowing internet from (I know, shame on me.), have just cut me off, or wireless connection that is. So I will be going on a little blogging vacation and will post when I can. I consider this a blessing in disguise - I'll get out of the house and enjoy summer! I will miss you and your blogs very much and will be back to normal come fall. Some links for now:

Some silliness - Where's Waldo?

I want to hang out here.

Model Citizen.

She has such creative ideas... like homemade vines.

Sometimes I feel like a weirdo because I wear my hair like this almost everyday... but it's actually more like this.

What a babe!

Funny and true.

I once did this for Hallowe'en as Amy Winehouse. It was pretty fantastic. Perhaps again, for my birthday comin' up?

Yes, I want this.

But I want this more!!!

Also, these paintings are so calming and lovely.

Lastly, and most importantly, please help those in Somalia.

Images: Photographed by an Umbrian photographer, images found in my grandmothers attic, that about as much of a source that I can give ya, sorry!

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This week I felt very single, or what one might call lonely. I really was yearning for some romance. I looked back on past relationships and remembered sweet moments shared with lovers... hearing whispered whimsical compliments in my ear, being taught naughty words in a foreign language, hand holding under tables, a long languorous tête-à-tête and love letters. I can't wait to write a love letter again or to be on the receiving end of one. In the meantime, these sentimental glimpses of hindsight will have to do.

Four things and completely grateful for:

My friend Ryan who's coming to visit me for my birthday.

My therapist. Gotta say. He gave me a good beating this week (not actually!) - drew a clear line between delusion and reality. Always needed!

My Sunday morning breakfasts. Pancakes. I like routine. This is one of mine. (See below.)

I'm thankful for routine. I honestly believe it's comforting and helpful in realizing ones potential.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend. Here are some links.

A crown of blossoms and a how-to.

Pink Lemonade Cupcakes! I think I'll try them out for an upcoming birthday.

I wish I were one of those people that really cared about my nails. This might make me change my mind.

This woman is my idol. So cool!

Doesn't this look like a nice teaser to a good girl's night out?

How much do you want to hang out in this?

Maybe I have the sense of humour of a five year old but this made me crack up.

Movies totally f-cked me up this way.

Sweet gentle reminders.

This post is bound to cheer anyone up.

Also, are you going out to watch HP7B? (Harry Potter?) What are you up to this weekend?

Images: Vierra Photographics via Style Me Pretty, unknown via this is glamorous, Moi, Six Fourteen Photography via Style Me Pretty.

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Four things I'm loving this week:

{My trinkets and baubles}

{Meredith German's The Coveteur}

{The contrast in colours of the candle and the card in Alix's room}

{The soft pink walls, exposed beams, chandelier and lace bed cover are perfect}

The nooks and corners pictured.

Stephen Fry and QI ... and his thoughts on profanity. (Fuck. Yes.)

This slideshow of hot British men - why not?

This notion: You can't grow without pushing your limits.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

Credits: Me, Jake Rosenberg for The Coveteur, via The Cherry Blossom Girl, via Deisgn*Sponge

Festival: Glastonbury

That's right. It's happening right now and how I longed to go for eons but the timing never seems right. Does it not look like a blast?

The lineup this year is really impressive. Old favorites such as Paul Simon (Paul Simon!) and Morrissey to newer favorites like Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, Noah and the Whale along with BEYSUS (Beyoncé) and THE WU (tang clan). I mean the list goes on and on... See here if you feel like hurting youself, for the lineup.

Can you imagine frolicking in the mud (wearing something like this) with some pals listening to the music as though you can feel it with with every fiber of your being - like this song was written for you and only you and it's just all about the music. You know what I mean? Sorry if that's cheesy.

Oh and to stay in a Tipi! Oh, heavens!

Now for some really spectacular weekend links, honestly I think these are especially super.

I feel like emulating this Nicki Minaj illustration this weekend - it is fantastic!

This girl is so funny and smart and her blog and choice of links are great.

Sean Connery's keyboard.

Let's get wasted - Confetti Martini!

KEN BROKE UP WITH BARBIE!!!

For all you dreamers that want an old VW camper - via Always Something.

A peek at Versace's H&M collection.

Jim Halpert is mine, who's your TV boyfriend?

These nails are my dream.

Have a great weekend y'all! Here's a tune to kick it off:



Images: via Marie Claire UK

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{My sisters - 1980} 

{A cookbook that was a collaboration of my grandmother and her friends for charity.}

{My sisters lounging in the campground at Virginia Beach - 1981}

{My sister, myself, my cousin on our uncle's boat on Lake Champlain - 1987}

I got this in an email from my aunt - I suspect it's a chain but poignant none the less.

"I just finished taking an evening class at Stanford. The last lecture was on the mind-body connection - the  relationship between stress and disease. The speaker (head of psychiatry at Stanford) said, among other things, that one of the best things a man could do for his health is to be married to a woman, whereas for a woman, one of the best things she could do for her health was to nurture her relationships with her  girlfriends.  At first everyone laughed, but he was serious.

  

Women connect with each other differently and provide support systems which help each other to deal with stress and difficult life experiences. Physically this quality “girlfriend time" helps us to create more serotonin - a neurotransmitter that helps combat depression and can create a general feeling of well being.  Women share feelings whereas men often form relationships around activities. They rarely sit down with a buddy and talk about how they feel about certain things or how their personal lives are going. Jobs? Yes. Sports? Yes.  Cars? Yes. Fishing, hunting, golf? Yes.  But their feelings?  Rarely.

Women do it all the time. We share from our souls with our sisters/mothers, and evidently that is very good for our health.  He said that  spending time with a friend is just as important to our general health as jogging or working out at a gym.

  

There's a tendency to think that when we are "exercising" we  are doing something good for our bodies, but when we are hanging out with friends, we are wasting our time and should be more productively engaged - not  true. In fact, he said that failure to create and maintain quality  personal relationships with other humans is as dangerous to our physical health as smoking!

So every time you hang out to schmooze with a gal pal, just pat yourself on the back and congratulate yourself for  doing something good for your health! We are indeed very, very lucky. Sooooo let's toast to our friendship with our girlfriends. Evidently it's very good for our health."

Some weekend goodies:

Mango Lemonade - you won't regret it.

A blast from the past - I loved this book.

Massive girl crush happening here.

Love this editioral - want to move right in!

Many ways to cook an artichoke - Think I'll give one another one of these a go.

Hope you have a great weekend and that you all find the opportunity to reconnect with a 'sister.'

"You agree - I'm sure you agree, that beauty is the only thing worth living for."

Agatha Christie

Since I missed out on sharing some weekend links I thought I share some midweek links:

Great article on Bon Iver

Blog crush!

SO true, in lovely pictures.

Separated by birth never fails to impress.

Pre-planned date nights!

Hope you enjoy the rest of your week! 

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{Blackberries are the best}

{Got to sample all sorts of beer while visiting with friends here}

 

{Found some new-old jars that will imminently contain spices @ Value Village}

{Saying good-bye to ye ol' Mighty Opes was harder than I expected!}

I was so exhausted this week with all the travelling and seeing family, it was like I needed a vacation from the vacation! So I took it easy. Did laundry, ran errands, caught up on bills, etc, which was exhausting even if I was taken 'er easy. I am going to hit the ground running next week on the job hunt-front. I'd love to work with kids, so we'll see. 

Here are some things I came across and loved on the www this week:

I just want to live in these pictures.

How much do you wish you were besties with this gal and invited to this BBQ?

Even though I have a huge girl-crush on the designers, don't these look like your hangover clothes? The clothes you wear at home because they are so comfortable but you don't necessarily want anyone to see you in them?

Cute blog!

I'm intriqued... Avacado Smoothie. Ever tried it?

Love this look, from head to toe.

Oh yeah, and a PSA: Go see Bridesmaids with your girls. Very funny.

Have a great weekend y'all!

Image Credits: Me, Me, Me, Oprah Show via here

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Things I'm craving this week:

{To go to the ballet...}

{To read this...}

{To have a tea party...}

{... and a dress like this!}

So, now that I don't feel so grumpy about it, I'll share the cause for my recent grumpiness.

So about two weeks ago I told you all how I was going through a pretty intense interview process for a customer service related job that I really wanted. I ended up getting it (yay!) but after only two measly little shifts I was dismissed (boo!). For lack of confidence!

Now I know it would be hard for my personality to translate here in the blogosphere, but I was born for customer service. Not to toot my own horn, but I'm damn good at it, so I am very confident about my skills in customer service. The reason for my dismissal being a lack in confidence is totally bogus.

I started thinking about other ways I could have been lacking confidence. Was I overwhelmed or feeling anxious? I was actually feeling surprisingly calm and relaxed for beginning a new job, so not overtly. Was I asking too many questions? Isn't training period the time to ask questions? That would be ridiculous, right?

Was I not enough of a go-getter? Definitely not the case. I was told on one occasion by the manager, "training is a two week period, so just observe for now," and then on another completely separate occasion by a different superior, "Okay, so today you observe, tomorrow you do." Then, when I could tell how obviously busy it was, and the very nice lady training me was frazzled,  I went ahead and helped her by ringing things in, helping customers with what I could...

Then tomorrow turned into, 'could you come please come into my office.'

I asked if there was any way they could give me another day... so I could be more 'confident', reminding her that she had instructed me to observe, etc. She said she wasn't opposed to that idea and even mentioned that the lady who trained me stood up for me. She didn't have the authority to grant me another day so she said she would contact the owner and ask him. I could tell that she was feeling contrite and that she felt she owed me that much.

So the owner came in and basically said no, that it wasn't going to work, that I wasn't a good fit, meanwhile the manager had her hands on her face looking really ashamed. I didn't get it. Meanwhile, I was such a champ, remaining calm, even though I wanted to cry. I asked the owner if he could give me some feedback that I could reflect on for future job offers... and he said, "just work on your confidence."

Work on your confidence? That's it? I asked him to elaborate and he said, "well you seemed a little tentative." How could I have been tentative when I didn't do anything? I was told to stand back and did so and yet I even went beyond what my expectations were for the day.

Then, to add insult to injury, he escorted me out. Brought me to the staff room so I could get my stuff, he did, and with eyes like a hawk, watching my every move to ensure I wouldn't steal or break anything, and then ushered me out of the building. On my way out the manager looked at me with so much remorse on her face and even mouthed, 'I'm so sorry,' so I put my hand on her shoulder and whispered, "don't worry, I'll be fine."

So this is what I've concluded: The owner and I had had virtually no contact before I was hired. The more I think about it, the more I remember how relatively flawless my performance was for a trainee. Therefore, I was let go for superficial reasons. You see, I'm quite fat. I'm not fishing for compliments, for those of you that know me, it's just a fact. It sucks but it's the truth, and the owner is a superficial pig who couldn't tell me the real reason for which I was being dismissed without having a lawsuit in his hands. So, thank you sir, for letting me go so early in the game because working for you would have inevitably been a gross displeasure!

On to more uplifting things, here are some good weekend links:

Great compilation of new books. My summer reading list in there.

So. Much. Pretty.

How I'd love to do this drive.

A woman after my own heart... or stomach.

What a *sweet* idea!

Image credits: Maria Helena Buckley via National Geographic Daily,  Illustration by William Nicholson via Wikipedia Flickr user Squeaky Sharpie via Flickr, Scott Schuman via The Sartorialist

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Hey y'all! I hope you have a better weekend than I had a week. Forgive me if I'm not thankful for anything this Friday. I've had an emotionally harrowing week.

{Beautiful carvings on an Italian antique table}

Here's just a clip to set you in the mood for the weekend (this song always cheers me up) and some links:



The new Matchbook is out!
Yum: Pink Lemonade. Shall make some this weekend hopefully.
The sweetest illustrations, by a very very talented illustrator.
I wish I had this walk to work... what a great series.

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{My Easter Sunday morning} 

 {Kale makes the yummiest chips!}

 {What a lovely ornamentation for a paved driveway.}

{The James Bay Tea Room gives me a weekly dose of Anglophilia}

Yesterday I went to an interview for a job that really would be a dream of a job for this stage in my life. I would learn a lot and the compensation is great and would meet a lot of interesting people. I've never wanted a job that's within my reach more in my life! I think that might have showed because I was a nervous wreck. I cringe when I think of the things I said and didn't say and for incessantly apologizing for my nerves (like every ten minutes). It was a nightmare on my end... I hope the interviewer didn't see it that way. I'll share the details of the job if I get it. So please, pray for me, cross your fingers, send me some positive energy, or whatever it is you could do... 

I'm saving my thoughts on the wedding for a Monday featurette. 

Now, for some weekend links:

Five things a French woman doesn't leave her house without.

This outfit is truly fantastic.

Never thought I'd see this on a Martha Stewart website.

Perfection in a dessert. It's possible, and this is it for me. Off to the store to get ingredients!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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So orginally, my thoughts for one two three four were that I would either list four things that tickle my fancy, four wishes or four things I am grateful for. So far, I've done minimal appreciating. So here are some things I am grateful for:

My health, for taking me this far with no major obstacles.

My friend Ian, for constantly reminding me that I am too hard on myself and that no one is perfect.

My friend Mari, for always putting a smile on my face and for not giving up on me and my neuroses.

Lastly, my Macbook, for providing me with endless hours of entertainment and knowledge.

{The rocky Victorian shore after sunrise this morning.}

Now for some weekend links:

Badass photo tour of Brisbane.

Another gorgeous dance video.
I'm really excited for this coffee table book to come out... Oh, the inspiration!
World's weirdest hotels.

My to-do for the weekend. YUM!

Have a marvelous weekend!

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 {I got a blood orange as a surprise this week in a bag of regular  navel oranges}

 {I took a long walk in a cemetery...}

 {...on the water. Nice place to be layed to rest for eternity, no?}

{For some reason I'm already a little nostalgic for fall, fairs, and candy apples.}

How was your week? Mine was... blah. It started off at a bit off a low ebb but I feel better after having done some yoga and re-evaluated what my goals for the spring and summer are. Most of the time when I do a little inventory of things I've achieved or failed miserably at, the list often continues to stay the same. (Lose weight. Do more yoga. Send birthday cards, on time. Turn off the TV.) However, this time I'm overlooking where I've come up short and am just going to focus on one goal. 

"Be kind to yourself."

Now that can be understood in a million ways but I'm just going to focus on policing my negative self-talk. We often tell ourselves strange and hurtful things, most of which are lies, in my experience. Mine are usually that I'm: not good enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough, not worthy. Can you imagine the self-abuse inflicted with that kind of monologue? I wish my brain came with a mute button, but it doesn't, so I need to learn to not be so hard on myself. I just want to be happy and this is a way I think it can be done...

What about you? Got any spring/summer goals?

Some weekend links:

Children's bedrooms from around the world.

Cutesy putesey little houses.

I so badly want to go to Iceland, even more so after these pictures. 

I want me some of these cowboy boots somethin' fierce.

What a great idea for office decor!
DIY clothing revamp.

Have a great weekend!

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These were taken earlier this week. True story. Being from Montreal, this is the shortest winter I've ever experienced and I just can't believe it. You might, because you may be lucky enough to hail from somewhere that doesn't endure long subzero winters, but this is new to me. I'm now going for longer walks and soaking up that vitamin D and taking the time to smell the roses or any other flora of the island. So, this is my it's-springtime-post. I hope you have a long spring filled with many great new opportunities and long walks. They sure are doing me some good, shaking off those heavy winter blues.

How much do you love these photos? They look like the happiest girls...

New blog crush. She writes really engagingly and it makes me want more!

The. Most. Beautiful. Editorial.

Totally agree. This movie is in fact a poem.

Yum: Easter Bonnet cookies.