Little Celebrations

Hello, Friday! I am happy to see you. It has been a roller coaster of a week around here. Monday & Tuesday I worked half days because of the snowstorm, Monday we were sent home early and on Tuesday the office didn't open until later. Wednesday and Thursday were business as usual and today is mostly business as usual, except for the Valentine's Day pizza party. There also seemed to be a lot of bad news in the air this week so it's definitely a day for celebrating the little things this week. 

{one}

Spinach and salad greens are once again readily available! There was a huge recall a couple of weeks ago and the stores were basically wiped clean of salad ingredients. Now they're back and I've resumed my salad eating ways. Greens, red onion, sunflower seeds, bacon, feta, mushrooms and balsamic = delicious. 

{two}

The days are getting longer! It's still light out at 5:30 p.m. and the sun is starting to rise before 7:30 a.m.. Even if there is 40+ cm of snow on the ground as long as the days are getting brighter and longer it feels like spring could be just around the corner! 

{three}

Pinterest

I came across this quote on Pinterest and I love the sentiment. I've always been big on the wants versus needs but I like that this quote takes that sentiment a step farther. 

{four}

I finished my first Project Life layout! I decided to start with my birthday since I knew I had a limited amount of photos for that particular event. At first I was really overwhelmed and thought I had made a huge mistake. I just couldn't get it too look cohesive and had a hard time figuring out what size photos I needed to fill all the pockets. I ended up walking away from it because I was so frustrated, a few days later when I came back to it everything clicked. I stopped overthinking and it just came together. I think for a first go I'm happy with how it turned out, I still need to add a little bit of journalling but that's a weekend project. J. is gone to a work thing this weekend so I'm planning on spending a lot of time documenting January! 

{five}

Speaking of J. we will be celebrating Valentine's Day with pizza and garlic fingers, which is exactly the what I requested. If the weather cooperates we'll add skating/snowman building and a visit to the walking trails near his house to the agenda.

Linking up here, here & here.

Five Friday Favourites

{one}

I've never watched a single second of any show that beings with the words "Real Housewives". And I've also never watched more than 5 minutes of any given Bachelor/Bachelorette season. I love reality TV but that particular brand of reality TV just doesn't interest me.

Except that I started watching Hockey Wives and those ladies are a combination of hot messes, entitled brats and really down to earth moms who are trying their best to raise their kids admit a lot of job uncertainty and constant moving. It's got me hooked and I'm not saying is high quality educational TV, but I think it's worth a watch. 

{two}
Tuesday I was a mess. I was not having a good day and was feeling totally overwhelmed. The city decided somewhat last minute that they were closing the streets for parking so they could do snow clearing, which meant that in the middle of work I had to scramble to find a parking spot, which makes me feel ridiculous anxious and stressed. The last thing I needed that day was to get my car towed. In the end J. saved the day and moved my car to a safe location. He also earned some major boyfriend points when I went out to my car after work I discovered he left a slice of pizza on the seat of my car. I'm not promoting eating ones feelings, but sometimes a girl just needs a slice of pizza after a long day. Definitely a favourite moment of the week.

{three}
Yesterday, it rained. I'm talking full on water droplets falling from the sky making puddles rain. This made me happy for two reasons the most obvious just being that I love rainy days. The second is that rain means the temperature was above 0 for the first time in months. It was warm enough for water to fall from the sky without freezing! Rumour has it we might see +5 degrees this weekend! Which at this point is tropical. Spring might actually be on it's way!

{four}

Watermelon Lemonade candles from Bath & Body works make me feel like summer is a little closer. Around here we don't have much of a spring, odds are good there will still be snow on the ground in May. It's way too early to open all the windows and enjoy a spring breeze so I'm settling for lighting this candle and imaging summer. 

{five}

Writing. One of my March Goals was to write more often, flexing my creative muscle if you will. I've discovered it's about finding opportunities to be creative. Doodling and embellishing my to do lists, or when I'm on the phone. I've also had the chance to really sit down and write and I'm still not exactly where I want to be but it's a goal I'm going to continue working on because writing is my favourite!

                             

                                  

#forthewin

Yesterday I was privileged to experience once of those days where the universe was on my side.

I woke up and discovered I had gotten two packages in the mail! (More on those later) I achieved the perfect balance of coffee/sugar/cream and enjoyed every sip as I read through blogs. I knew I had to leave for work earlier than usual because I had to fill my car with gas so I got ready and headed into town. I never let my car get below a quarter of a tank but with the long weekend and some extra driving it was on E when I pulled up to the pumps. My main motivation for never letting it get so low is it eliminates the pain of forking over obscene amounts of money at the gas station. I was beyond thrilled when it cost me less than $50 to fill the tank. #accentforthewin

With a full tank of gas and an hour to spare before I had to be at work I did the logical thing and headed to Target. When Target first arrived in these parts a little less than a year ago I was not impressed. I had high expectations of awesome things you couldn't get at Wal-Mart, tons of clearance things and an overall haven of awesome. Instead it was really just 'expensive Wal-Mart' mostly the same stuff with higher prices. I'm being converted though. The last few times I've been there I've found some awesome things (that aren't at WM) and they were on clearance. Yesterday I picked up a desk organizer that I hope will be big enough to store my 12x12 scrapbook paper and bunch of socks that were ridiculously cheap. #targetforthewin

Before work I treated myself to a salted caramel mocha at Starbucks because 'tis the season. I didn't snap a photo but I promise it existed and it was delicious.

The parking situation at work can be competitive so I always arrive at least 45-30 minutes early to make sure I get a spot. Not ideal but I'm slowly learning to enjoy that time period when I'm just waiting. Last week I read a book during that time, often it's a good chance for a quick chat with a friend. Yesterday I was a little earlier than usual since I was already in town and I had to take a minute to appreciate how incredibly scenic the street looked. I tried to get a good photo with my phone but it almost doesn't do it justice. I'm not head over heels for fall but there are moments when I do appreciate how pretty the changing leaves are lining the roads. #autumnforthewin

Happiness

Today's prompt is pretty simple 10 Things That Make You Happy!

3 a.m. conversations

I love having real conversations with people. It doesn't have to be a serious topic sometimes a heated debate about the best Crayola crayon colour (it's Cerulean Blue) can be just as much of a bonding experience as discussing the moment you found Jesus. And there's something extra special about those conversations when they happen late at night. Maybe this is just me because I've spent so much time at camp over the years, but all of the best conversations happen late at night. As a camper it's probably because you spend all day doing things and then at night you get a chance to really talk to your cabin-mates. And as a staff member it's because you're really doing things all day (and all night) and the best time to chat is after all the campers are settled and you and your co-counsellor are hanging out in the counsellor room, or you aren't on sleep out, but you do have 12 camper awards to make and colour before morning.

Perfect Mornings

There's just something about starting the day off right that makes the whole day better. My perfect morning first consists of waking up without an alarm and feeling like I got a good night's sleep. Then checking my phone, scrolling through Twitter to catch up on news before checking my e-mail and reading the Internet Cafe Devotion of the day and then getting out of bed. Followed by showering, getting ready and then enjoying coffee and 1/2  an everything bagel with herb & garlic cream cheese. Maybe reading some blogs while I eat or if my some miracle the above steps happen at camp chatting about the upcoming day with my director or if the stars really align sitting with the campers during breakfast.

Snail Mail

Getting mail is the best! One of the only good things about moving home after university is that I get to send & receive cards and letters and packages to my friends still living in my university city. There's something special about opening an envelope and seeing handwritten (or typed!) letters. One of my summer goals is to write more letters to friends. Since the internet connection is pretty unreliable. We had a staff member last year who was always writing letters and receiving mail and I want in on the fun! 

Things that Glow in the Dark

I'm not sure why I have such a love for things that glow in the dark, but I do! I will proudly admit to still having glow in the dark stars on my ceiling, my glow in the dark Nalgene is one of my favourite possessions and it just makes me happy!

Sharpies

This is the camp person coming out in me. Sharpies are wonderful, they come in all different colours and sizes. They write on everything! You can always use a Sharpie. During the summer I usually have one stuck in my hair for easy access. 

Reality TV

I'm a purist when it comes to Reality TV. I love Survivor, The Amazing Race, Big Brother. I have never once watched an episode of The Bachelor/ette and I don't understand why American Idol hasn't been cancelled. I also love 'reality TV dramas' like Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers. Teen Mom used to be my guilty pleasure, but I stopped watching this season because instead of being entertained and sympathizing with the Moms I just felt uncomfortable watching them. I do still indulge in almost all of the TLC reality shows...except the wedding ones. OK, so maybe I'm

 

God Moments

I think I've talked about this before but it really is one of my favourite things/things that make me happy. Everyone has their own definition of God Moment, for me it's those tiny details in daily life that are just so tiny and perfect that the only way to explain them is that it's God at work. It can be anything from hearing your all-time favourite song on the radio even though it hasn't been popular in 10 years or finding the perfect gift for a friend. It's always a humbling and peaceful moment when things just work out.

Neon/Glitter

My love of neon started off innocently with brightly coloured socks and a florescent Lulu Lemon head band, then I bought a few pairs of neon Nike running shorts and now I've acquired a couple of neon shirts. Bright colours make me happy! And I think summer is the perfect time to wear them, so I'm embracing my new found love of neon colours. Glitter goes with this too, there are few things in life that can't be improved by adding glitter! 

Rainy Days

Specifically rainy summer days, when it's warm enough to go outside and play in the rain and jump in puddles for approximately half an hour before you get too cold and have to go inside. At which point you go inside and get a warm shower and put on comfy jogging pants & a hoodie and spend the rest of the afternoon snuggled up on the couch sipping tea/coffee reading or watching a movie. 

Brushing My Teeth

For some reason brushing my teeth is an instant stress relief for me! It's so simple and it just makes me feel so much better about life.

I think this has been my favourite prompt of the challenge so far! I love thinking about the things that makes me happy and reading about what makes other people happy!

Missing

Today's writing prompt is "What do you miss?" I wasn't sure where to go with this...I feel like I'm in a constant state of missing people, places & things, then being reunited with those people, places and things only to miss different things. Missing is a vicious cycle. Usually I would write about missing camp, because I spend a lot of time missing camp. However, this time next week I will be at camp!! So I'm going to write about something different.

I love details. The little things make me the happiest. Proof that I love the smallest/silliest things? This is my favourite stain on the carpet in the youth group room.

The youth group I helped lead when I was in university had a youth group room in the attic of the church. We often joked it was just the dumping ground for all the things nobody else wanted. Highlights include a couch with a broken leg, a TV stand that had to be broken to fit up the stairs and then reassembled once it reached it's destination, another couch that has delightful red velvet upholstery and my personal favourite, the carpet. 

I'm not really sure how old the carpet is, or what it's original colour was but it's currently a dark mustard yellow, with a twinge of green and brown and maybe some beige. It's seen a lot of things. It's absorbed a lot of spilled pop and juice and crushed popcorn kernels and paint and general dirt. And even though it's usually vacuumed once a week or after ever major youth group event there are just some stains that won't go away. And I love it. It feels (felt) like home and peace and comfort. I obviously miss the youth a lot and the other leaders. But I also miss going up the stairs after a long day and being greeted by familiar couches and carpet and bright green walls.