Warm and Fuzzy Friday Favourites

{one}

I got this e-mail from a parent on Monday evening and it made my day/week. Parents are often the hardest/worst part of working with kids. To a certain extent, I get it, you want your kids to be happy. Sometimes the 'helicopter' parent thing takes over and it's just not good. So getting this e-mail was the greatest. I like when parents are happy, when parents are happy their kids stay involved and that makes me happy. You know that saying "happy wife, happy life"? Well I'm a believer in "happy parents, happy program". You might not be able to please them all but life sure is easier when you can. 

{two}

Someone posted this verse on Instagram this week and it stuck with me. 

{three}

I had a bunch of photos of flowers and bees from this summer and I wasn't sure how to incorporate them into my album. They were too pretty not to use...but they also stuck out like a sore thumb next to action shots of soccer baseball and chaotic cabin photos. And then I happened to be searching my blog archives for something and came across a post from earlier in the summer when I shared the quote about the bees. And realized it worked perfectly because on the next page is a bunch of photos of people doing chores, moving furniture and working around camp. Memory keeping makes me happy. 

{four}

CBC

This article. I don't know either of these people but it's the cutest thing I've read all week. I'm rarely interested in elaborate wedding details and the process of how people begin their relationships is often kind of murky. Engagement stories are usually very clear cut, it's a moment in time when something very specific happens and is usually very unique. So this story gave me all the warm fuzzies this week. I hope they serve french fries at their wedding.  

I only have four favourites this week, I'm sure if I tried really hard I could come up with a fifth, but I don't want to and I'd rather choose four really awesome favourites opposed to four really awesome favourites and one thing that I kind of liked about this week. 

Somehow I've managed to find myself without any plans this weekend. I'm sure I'll figure out something but it's also nice to enter the weekend without any commitments! 

Linking up here & here with all of the other ladies in blogland celebrating Friday!

Totally Awesome

We got another 10 cm of snow last night and are forecasted to get another 10-15 cm tomorrow night. It's time to forget about the cold and celebrate some awesome things happening right now. Join Rebekah  and Anne and share what's awesome in your life!

{one}

Salted Carmel. I don't know who I have to thank for this trend but they are an awesome person. I recently discovered Lindt Sea Salt & Carmel Dark chocolate bars and no other chocolate bar will ever be the same. And Tim Horton's has Salted Carmel donuts right now, so yummy. Rumour has it they have salted carmel Timbits too, but I haven't tried those yet. I've always been a salty over sweet type of gal and this salt trend is right up my alley. I hope it continues for a very long time.

{two}

J. is not the inventor of salted carmel (in fact he thinks the concept is weird and not at all delicious), but he is still a seriously awesome person. He gives me butterflies and makes me feel the best combination of feelings. I'm so excited to go on our first vacation together! Only 45 days until sunshine, sand and adventure!

{three}

These Julia Child quotes/philosophies on life & cooking. Someday when I have my own kitchen I want these quotes displayed somewhere where they are always in my eye sight.

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(What would be even more awesome is if I could find the original source and get my hands on these. I think they might have been a limited edition print though and are long out of stock.) 

{four}

Sundays. Specifically Sunday evenings. Lately my Sundays have involved planning for the week ahead, enjoying supper with the family and cuddling with J. while we watch Friends. It's the most awesome way to start the week.

{five}

Coffee. This needs no further explanation. Coffee is awesome. Always. 

{six}

Spring rain is on it's way! I hate snow but I love rain. I can't wait for spring rain to wash away the snow and give me a reason to wear my rain boots!

{seven}

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been feeling sort of run down lately, tired and overwhelmed a little more anxious than usual. Spring is just around the corner though. A new season, new camp year, time to step back and evaluate some long term goals. Knowing all that is on the horizon is an awesome feeling.

{eight}

I've recently become borderline obsessed looking at home decor for mudrooms/porches and kitchens. I'm not sure why this interest has developed, but I have an ever growing love for browsing Pinterest searching for ways to make kitchens feel warm, welcoming and homing. And how to organize mudrooms and still keep them functional. 

{nine}

Having time to cook. I love cooking and with my crazy work schedule I don't have time to cook and prepare food the way I used to. My cooking is limited to prep work on the weekend and quick meals during the week. I can't wait to get back to making real suppers and cooking the family!

{ten}

The number ten spot is reserved for all of the awesomeness that is hoodies, jogging pants, comfort, relaxation, reflection and blogging.

Happy Tuesday Friends! What's awesome in your life today?

What Makes You Happy?

When I first saw the prompt "What Makes You Happy" from Blogtober I thought it would be a fun/easy post to write. Take fifteen minutes and write a list; The Princess Bride, Vanilla Coke, camp, coffee, starry summer skies, gummy bears…more or less the same list of things I regurgitate every time someone asks me what makes me happy. So I started to think about it more.

A few months ago I would have told you nothing makes me happier than camp and then I had a rough summer. Without a doubt there were moments of happiness but I don't think I was in a state of happiness. That doesn't necessarily mean that I've suddenly had a huge change of heart and my dream job is no longer my dream job, but after this summer I can recognize not just things that make me happy but the concepts. The reasons for the happy.

Jogging pants & hoodies make me happy because they make me feel comfortable. 

Journaling, doodling and crafting make me happy because when I'm putting pen to paper and sticking things together I can make all the decisions and feel completely in control. I can experiment with things and if it doesn't work then I can try something else and in the end I have a finished product. 

Photography makes my happy because I worry about forgetting and by capturing moments I'm leaving proof of my existence and creating something that will help people remember.

Reading makes me happy because I enjoy knowing about people. Hearing people's stories, relating to them or being inspired by them. 

Cooking makes me happy because it's a way of serving people. Sometimes it's hard to express sentiments of thanks or sorry or celebration but food is a universal language and cooking something for someone shows you care. 

Constellations make me happy because staring up at the sky watching for shooting stars and searching for the patterns allows me to connect with God in a way that I haven't been able to achieve in any other way.

And now I'm going to make some lunch and spend the rest of my Sunday enjoying a quiet house and a second cup of coffee. 

#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

Friday Favourites

This week had a lot of ups and downs. I cried over some things that weren't worth crying over (and some that were). I danced it out to Shake it Off, ate some ketchup chips, shared my frustrations with H. & R. and just kept moving forward. Since it's been "one of those weeks" I think it's only proper I end the week with things that made me happy.

First off, these earrings:

Back in August I went on a ridiculous mission to find lightning bold earrings for my Secret Friend at camp. The only ones that I could find came in a set of 20, but SF wasn't getting all 20 pairs of earrings so I got the other 19 pairs. Usually I wear my pearl earrings because they go with everything and I like them a lot. The past few days though I've been embracing the peace signs. There's just something about them that makes me really happy and they've become my new favourites. 

I went to Target last night and bought myself one of my favourite candles

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It's not everyone's cup of tea but it smells like camp and it makes me really happy. During my Target trip I also scored some Sharpies that were on clearance for 50 cents (!!!) and an adorable notebook with foxes that was also on clearance and I can't seem to find a photo of online. Trust me when I say it's the best. 

The sky was an amazing shade of sky-blue-pink last night as the sun was setting. I was driving though so I didn't get to take any photos but I'm a firm believer that sometimes the best thing is to enjoy life's little moments rather than rush to capture it for the blog/instagram.

I discovered grape Kool-Aid Singles this summer and they've become a favourite. 

The health benefits are pretty non-existent but every once and awhile I add one to a bottle of water just to mix it up a little and it reminds me of summer and makes me happy. And it has to be grape. I have no time for any other sugary juice flavours, if I'm going to drink it it has to be grape. 

Most people might feel a little depressed or unenthusiastic about grocery shopping on a Friday night, but grocery shopping is my favourite. There's just something so calming walking down the aisles, checking things off a list and then coming home and putting it all away. My plans to go grocery shopping this evening are seriously what's motivating me through the rest of today. That probably makes me weird, but I embrace it.

Linking up with Momfesssionals to share my Friday Favourites! 

Happy, Happy, Happy, Happy

I love lists. I love things. It only makes sense that lists of things I love make me extraordinarily happy! So I'm obviously joining in with Erin  and Sarah to list 32 things that make me happy!

1. Dinosaurs
2. ooVoo dates with H. & R.
3. Office Supplies
4. Inspirational Quotes
5. Luke Bryan
6. Frogs
7. Puns
8. Jumping in puddles
9. Vanilla Coke
10. New Crayons/Colouirng Books
11. Driving Country Roads
12. Converse High Top Sneakers
13. Comfy pants
14. Curly hair
15. Cuddling
16. Camp
17. Camouflage
18. Country Music
19. Things that start with the letter 'C'
20. Veggie Tales
21. Cooking
22. Handwritten notes/cards.
23. Iced Coffee
24. Homemade mac & cheese
25. Sunshine
26. Thunder & Lightning Storms
27. Batman
28. Reading
29. Reality TV
30. Writing
31. Poetry
32. Blogging! 

Just making that list made me smile! And now I'm off to enjoy a delicious supper followed by one of my most favourite/happiest things an ooVoo date with H. & R. ! 

Happy Thursday! 

ABCs

A is for Arts & Crafts, I can spend hours working on DIY projects and letting my creative juices flow!

B is for blankets, my favourite is one I made in grade 8 sewing class.

C is for camp, which has shaped me into the person I am today and continues to make me a better person.

D is for dusk, I love the way the sky looks as the sun finishes setting and the starts are starting to come out.

E is for Ephesians 3:20, my favourite verse in the Bible.

F is for fire, there is something so therapeutic about watching flames dance and listening to crackling wood.

G is for God, Alpha & Omega, creator of the universe.

H is for hope, I love this word and it's meaning.

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I is for ice cubes, because everything tastes better with ice!

J is for Jelly Belly Jelly Beans, any other jelly bean is just not worth eating.

K is for kitchen, where I can lose myself for hours cooking, baking and singing along to my iPod.

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L is for love, romantic love, platonic love, love between friends, family, God's love. All of it. 

M is for memories, life is constantly changing and I'm thankful I can look back and remember the good times.

N is for naps, the solution to 90% of life's problems will be reveled after a good nap.

O is for ocean, I can't imagine every living somewhere far from the ocean or water. 

P is for Peyton, the cutest and smartest cat that has ever lived.

Q is my favourite letter of the alphabet.

R is for Reality TV, my guilty pleasure that I fully admit and accept.

S is for summer, the most magical four months of the year full of sunshine, stargazing and serenity.

T is for The Princess Bride, my favourite book AND movie.

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U is for underwear, I absolutely love underwear shopping!

V is for Vanilla Coke, the most delicious beverage to ever be sold.

W is for writing, I've been filling pages with my scribbles for as long as I can remember.

X is for x's and o's, because there's no denying hugs & kisses aren't great things. 

Y is for yoga pants, comfort at its finest.

Z is for zebra print, just enough to add some flair without making things tacky.

Linking up here!

Sneakin' out late, tappin' on your window

Last week was full of all the best things about camp - quality time with friends, late night conversations, stomach aches from a combination of eating too much junk food and laughing too hard and stargazing with a summer romance. 

During session break I spent one night sitting around a bonfire, listening to country on the radio, making s'mores, discussing life's big questions and drinking wine with three of my favourite people who over the last year have transcended the line between 'camp friends' and 'friends who I met at camp'. 

Yesterday was the start of our last camp session, it's hard to believe the summer is so close to being over. As far as goals go I have really been focusing on staying in the moment, appreciating the little things and even in chaos remembering that come January I will miss even the most stressful parts of camp. 

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!

#Awkward

The topic today is most embarrassing moments. Talking about embarrassing moments really should have been listed on the things that make me uncomfortable post. I feel embarrassed/awkward about things on a daily (sometime hourly) basis. I have never understood people who are brave enough to share their embarrassing moments with other people. My plan of action is always to carry on with my life and delete the moment/situation from my memory ASAP. Optimism isn't something that comes naturally to me, I have to really put effort into finding the positives and looking on the bright side of life. Reliving situations and events that make me feel embarrassed has a snowball effect for me, I start thinking about one time and then suddenly I'm all the way back to a vague memory that maybe happened to me in grade 1...but it could have also happened to my best friend?

So since I've been assured the blog police aren't going to come knockin' if I don't follow the rules exactly I'm going to keep my most embarrassing moments to myself. 

I had planned to make up for it by posting some of my favourite moments from this week but a quick glance at the clock just made me realize I need to get off the computer and get ready to pick my cousin up at school then drop by the farmer's market with Mom before heading to the church to set up for an event tomorrow.

Love, Love, Love

This is the first Valentine's Day in possibly forever that I don't feel the bitterness of being single (at least not as much as previous years). I don't think I could be more single than I am right now it's been months since there was even a male on my radar, but I'm okay with that, really I am.

More importantly I'm okay with it without repeating the "someday my prince will come" and "good things come to those who wait" mantras that at one point I considered tattooing on my forehead to save a little time. The truth is someday the mythical guy who loves camp, appreciates Veggie Tales movies, knows how to play both Taylor Swift & David Crowder Band songs on his acoustic guitar and whose career goals either involve farming, RCMP or ministry (I'm flexible) might come along. Or he might not. And I'm slowly learning to be okay with that, but it doesn't happen overnight.

I may not have 'the one' in my life but I do have a whole lot of other things in my life that I love so in celebrating of them a list of just some of the many things I loved today.

1. A conversation with my sweet friend R. about camp this summer and our expectations and how we both went into last summer kind of expecting the worst and although there was quite a bit of staff drama we came out on the other side as more than just camp friends but friends who met at camp. I can't wait to spend another summer working with her!
2. This Song (A Place Called Home by Kim Richey)
3. Ellen. Seriously, best talk show ever. I laugh, I cry, I laugh some more. It's a good way to spend an hour.
4. 10 Ways to Propose at Summer Camp via Summer Camp Culture  the best list of engagement videos ever to hit the internet.
5. Another great conversation with my friend and director, P. about camp this summer and our plans for staff training. We've just started hiring counsellors for this year and I love seeing how the staff comes together.
6. My Valentine's Day evening plans involve some semi-frozen slushy like Pepsi (my favourite) and a new episode of Grey's Anatomy.
7. Within the next 10 days all of my favourite reality shows will be back on the air; Survivor, The Amazing Race, the newly added Big Brother Canada!!