114. Don't stop (til you get it all done!)

2012 has been one thing for me so far: busy! I'm working on preparations for Harlow, packing up and buying supplies that I won't be able to get. Trying to get some inspiration from all the 30x30 challenges I've followed to minimize the wardrobe I'm taking. It's not as easy as I thought hoped it might be! 

A little blogging break over Christmas was very needed, and I'll probably be taking another break til I get everything figured out overseas. I've even got some overdue Christmas outfits to post. I'm thinking scheduled posts for the next few days are a definite.

 

So in a break from packing and organizing, Kym from Bitty and Bunny was so sweet in passing on this award to me! I love things like this, but this is my first award-themed post! Read on for the rules and my take on things!

rules:

• link back to the blogger you got the award from
• write 7 things about yourself
• fill in the question form below
• give the award to 10 other bloggers

Q&A:

favorite song: Hey Jude - The Beatles, Let It Be Me - Ray Lamontagne, Sparks - Coldplay, Work - Jimmy Eat World, etc.

favorite dessert: my Mom's cherry cake or trifle. 

what pisses you off: ignorant people, people who are intentionally mean.

when you're upset, you: cry, listen to music, or talk to my Mom.

your favorite pet: my dog Emmy, fat and cuddly. 

black or white: black.

biggest fear: being alone.

best feature: my waist & long legs.

everyday attitude: content. 

what is perfection: being with friends and family, any time of year.

guilty pleasure: Glee, Grey's, chocolate.

7 Random Things About Me:

1. Though I haven't had braces since 2006, I still have retainers and wear a mouth guard nightly. I'm super cool like that. 

2. I've only done 2 flights by myself, and on Friday I fly across the Atlantic alone. I'm so nervous.

3. I find cooking to be pointless. You put all that effort in to cook, and then eat. Baking you get to share and enjoy for several days, makes much more sense to me haha. 

4. Even during the summer, I'm always covered up with a blanket when I'm watching tv. Unless it's super warm. 

5. I use mostly beer glasses collected free from give-aways. We've got quite a collection here.

6. I'd leave my Christmas tree up from November to February if I wouldn't get strange looks from my roommates. 

7. I've never had to do my own laundry on a regular basis. Harlow will be my first time being accountable for laundry and being on my own completely. 

I'm passing this award onto Erica from NorthMeetsSouth, Kelly from Unremittingly Kel, Kileen from Cute and Little, Audrey from Putting Me Together, Terri from Stylish Sass, Lizzie from Place Clever Title Here, Sarah from Just Take A Bow, Em from Hippie Lace and Kayla Nails by Kayla Shevonne! All of these are blogs I definitely suggest you check out!

Off again, have to continue plowing through my list! Here's hoping I get some time to schedule posts!

Til next time!

94. Re-post?

Hi again everyone. So I posted the results to the give-away on Monday evening, and because I didn't get a response yet, it now being just under 72 hours since I posted them, I've decided to re-draw for the necklace. I really didn't want to have to do this, and yes I should have posted a disclaimer stating such but I really didn't think I'd have much trouble contacting the winner. I have been checking my email religiously waiting for a response, and have gotten none.

So just so we're clear, the Facebook entry was unfortunately mandatory as well as living in the US. I counted up all entries like 15 times just to make sure I wasn't missing anyone, so I tried to make it as fair as possible! I went by when I received my emails for comments on the post. I also removed the previous winner to ensure a fair chance to all participants.

And the winner is....

Betsy Gettis! Congratulations!

Please contact me at samantha0516@hotmail.com within the next 48hrs to claim your prize! And again, congratulations! 

This made me so happy. I wish I could have kept the necklace myself haha, but I'm happy to see it go to a deserving reader! Stay tuned all, I'm planning a give-away of my own in the near future! Thank you all again for entering! So thankful for all of you! If you have any comments about the process, feel free to leave them. I'd like to get some feedback on things for next time.

Til next time!

85. Something to keep you busy

I really like doing link lists. I actually always forget about them what with being kind of sporadic here. Anyways, here's a few things to look at during your weekend!

olive&a has a great post on gallery wall layouts, I'm excited to use this as inspiration for redoing my room! 

I spent too many hours looking through the posts at Such Pretty Things. I tried to pick one of my favourites but all the pastels and flowers and pretty things just made me want it all.

Still don't have pinterest (I fear for the addiction that would surely blossom), but I found this through a stumble. I'm now redoing my room to put those shelves in! Currently looking for a "before" to go with my "after" pictures, I forgot to take one pre-change.

I'm loving this Art-to-Outfit series by Megan at The Fresh Exchange. Such unexpected inspiration from beautiful artwork!

Caitlin of Reverie to Reality has me coveting cozy socks and thick woolen knits from this post. I could never see too many posts like this.

And of course, since I'll be doing some baking this weekend, Baking Bites has a great round-up of 10 Halloween baking ideas! Those Candy Corn Cookies are in my near future.

Have a great weekend!

Til next time!

81. Lazy?

Okay so I went comfy again. I can't help it, it's too cold in my office for dressy clothes. A little color blocking keeps it casual but work appropriate.

 

cardigan - bought by BF's mom, Old Navy / tee - Urban Planet / tank underneath - Bluenotes? / pants - American Eagle circa 2004?

Yes, you read that right. 2004. I'm pretty sure that's when it was anyways. It was mid-2000's. So old that if I tried to find this style ever again I would fail, which kinda sucks cause now that I've actually gotten into wearing them they're kinda nice. Faded navy but not just because they're old.

The cardigan is new and I tried to buy it myself, I did, but pseudo MIL wasn't having it. Boyfriend likes his financial independence and doesn't let his parents buy him stuff, so after helping the MIL pick out a couple of shirts (which I do often) she took this cardigan I'd been eyeing. I learned early it was easier to thank both of BF's parents for things instead of arguing. I still argue with him about getting me stuff though.

In honour of old pants, something I think I've seen somewhere recently. What's the oldest article of clothing you have, and still wear? These are tied with a pair of sneakers I have. The benefit of hitting growth spurts in early teen years was that everything still fits now! I hope this trend continues haha.

Til next time!

47. Things on my mind...

I'm annoyed because I have to study. Too annoyed. There's about 3 weeks left to my term, my last midterm is tomorrow, and then 5 finals to do one right after the other. I'll be taking a short hiatus on blogging. Studying comes first unfortunately. Cannot wait to get back to another workterm in the fall to have more time to blog and comment and read all of my favourite blogs!

In honour of my persistent annoyed state, or maybe despite it, I decided to make a list of 5 things that I need to be grateful and happy about. And things I can look forward to once this stupid semester is over!

1. Newfoundland's cool summer. This can sometimes be the most frustrating one. Below is the forecast for the next week. For those Americans reading, that means the highest temperature that I'm going to be seeing in the near future is 68 F. I need to love this fact, as I can't change it. The bright side is I don't have to worry about melting or not sleeping cause I'm too warm. This is a good thing. And I get to wear all my pretty sweaters all year round. Also good, right?

2. I'm almost finished another semester. This is also quite frustrating, not the being almost finished but the semester itself. I was told summer semester was death and I've realized that is very true. At least I'm almost done. Only 2 required courses after these 5, and even if I'm doing kind of crappy I'm still passing. With a B. A low B, but I take what I can get when historically a lot of people fail out from this term.

3. Boyfriend is still home. He drives me insane sometimes. I love him dearly, but he's a boy. That's just how it goes. But having him home is such a good thing because he takes care of the cleaning and basic running of the house while I study and go to school. I forget to eat and shower and take care of basic human functions at times like this. He will keep me going, make me eat and stay out of my way when I'm on a studying induced rage. I treasure this boy, and need reminding about how awesome he is sometimes.

4. I see my parents all the time. My parents have been back and forth a lot in the last few months. Dad's on dialysis now and thankfully for now it's working. I don't like that I hadn't been home in so long, but I get to see them alot. Being an only child makes me a giant sook. Their trips in may not be for good reasons, but Dad's health sucks and I have to look at the bright side of that one: he's doing alright for now and I get to spend more time with both of them.

5. I get a summer vacation. It may be short, but I get to have one between semester and my workterm. I don't know where I'll be working, but I know some of the things I'm going to do in my time off. Driving across NL to see my Grandma is one of the better ones. I haven't been to my Mom's hometown about 8 years, and since then a lot has changed. I'm looking forward to going back and seeing everything in a different perspective. And I can't forget September. I'll be working by that point but boyfriend and I are going to see Keith Urban in Toronto. He's so excited, it's adorable. I'm pretty excited too. This will actually be our first trip, just the two of us. Haven't been on one of those outside NL yet. Should be interesting.

source: billboard.com

I need to stop my complaining sometimes. All these things rock! And now...off to study!

Til next time!

40. This is where I become a slacker.

I had many wants for this week. I wanted to start the Kendi-inspired 30x30 remix. I wanted to remember to wear my pretty lace top, or find something new, to participate in this month's EBEW. I wanted to have enough time to study everything for my midterms and keep on top of blogging. But you know how it is....

University, in my case, but whatever. It's all the same. Social life and blogging loses out this week. I've got a few posts to catch up on when tomorrow is over, last exam for this week. Midterm break is up next followed by another exam. The joys.

In other news, looking forward to seeing everyone's remixes! I love when a remix happens, so much blogging to read :) Speaking of reading, has anyone been reading mine? I've been posting more regularly lately, sans this week, but I feel like I'm going down in readers, definitely down in comments. I don't feel like that's the only important thing about blogging, but I'm feeling a little invisible. If you're out there, let me know!

Til next time!

36. A little bit of awesome.

I was lying in bed last night, and I started thinking about my blog. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while before I did it. I've been reading at least a few fashion/style/etc blogs for a couple of years. Mostly I didn't think I'd have much to say even though there are a million things going through my head at any one time. But then I started this and I got really into it. Maybe I like knowing that someone else is reading what I say. Either way, I think I'm bored with posting. I don't know what I should post, or how often, or what to do exactly. I want to grow my blog and know that people are reading it, but that shouldn't be my sole purpose. I want to put something out there that can at the very least be interesting to someone. I'm in my growth stage and it's hit a minor roadblock. 

In honour of this minor blip on my radar, here's a few things that I think are just awesome because sometimes you just need that. Sarah at Just Take a Bow did something similar on her last post, and I think I'm going to expand on it in my own way. Similar to the link lists I did last month, here's a few sites to check out if you need a little boost.

• 1000 Awesome Things: Without a doubt one of the best websites to go to when you need a little pick-me-up. Neil points out little things, sometimes insightful and sometimes just funny, that make you realize how awesome life can be. 
• Cute Overload:  If you haven't visited Cute Overload before, you sincerely need to. The abundance of cute from basically every type of animal is something that can cheer anyone up if you look at it long enough. Somewhat related, if you like cats, is I can has Cheezburger. Another ridiculously hilarious collection of photos.
• Love Gives Me Hope: If you don't mind a little cheese-tastic indulgence, this is another great site. I've posted a similar one before, but this is pretty good too. It's got all kinds of cute, gushy, mushy stories about people just being sweet. Something to make you go aww, in the best ways.
• Crazy Things Parents Text: This is not safe to read anywhere that you can't laugh out loud. I literally have laughed so hard I cried. Auto correct is good for phone blunders, but this is just hilarious. Click here for one of my all time favourites. 
• GoodMorning and GoodNight: I don't know why I don't follow this site regularly. I basically love everything I see on there, and yet I always forget about it. Weird. Another great mix of links. 

That's it for now. Off to get ready for class, then home to study some more. 8 chapters of Law, at least 4 of HRM, and endless problems of Mgmt Science to complete. Hopefully I won't be too screwed for next week when all the tests come to kill me!

Til next time!

31. I need to catch up.

I've supposedly posted this three times without realizing what buttons I'm pressing. I am not used to the new laptop yet, apparently. Still! I've had it a month after all. Instead of writing out paragraphs of what's going on, I'm doing this is point form. I have a lot on the go. First the outfits though,one of my last work days then travel outfit on the way back from NB. New clothes posts need to start soon, once I start wearing them. My wardrobe has taken a significant downturn since I stopped work. I no longer need to look presentable.

sweater - aero / cords - gap / tank - bluenotes

jacket - under armour / lace tank - samuel & co / tank - urban planet / jeans - gap.

-  it's the second week of classes tomorrow. I still have no books.
- I'm only now really recovered from drinking on Thursday. hangovers are not fun for me. therefore no outfit photos from the past few days. 
- my parents were supposed to go home today. Mom did, took the puppy, and my Dad is still in. He's on dialysis now, peritoneal, and it's not working right. off to the hospital with him tomorrow.
- we moved out some old crappy furniture from my shed and living room.
- and then boyfriend and I cleaned. that was not fun.
- my dog sheds like something fierce. she's going to linger here forever once she's gone. I could not remove all her fur from the carpet.
- I keep forgetting to participate in Project 52.
- had family supper thing yesterday at my Aunt's. we planned for 20, and had 9.
- birthdays always feel like they should be important but my expectations always get let down.
- speaking of, mine is tomorrow. I turn 21. I'm now legal in all countries.
- actually it's more like in a half hour. benefits of being the furthest point in North America; we get things first.
- that does not include spring however. it's still cold.


Yeah that's enough. I could continue complaining but I don't feel like it anymore. Hoping to get things back on track soon!

Til next time!

29. First day of the semester.

Spring semester. I'm spending my summer in school, due to the compulsory schedule of my program. I dislike this very much. I have to constantly remind myself that I have less than 2 years left, and these are my last required courses. That helps...sometimes.

Since I've been away, I haven't done much outfit capturing. I didn't really tell anyone about the blog yet, still, but maybe soon. In honour of said vacation, here's a few snaps I got along the way. There are very few as I did lots of shopping but little picture taking.

driving to Bangor

buns & cinnamon sugar butter at Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse. loveee.

mini B&J <3

supper at Olive Garden. nommmm.

driving around backroads of Moncton area.

so pretty, so much farmland.

baking for Auntie. pumpkin (ginger) bread. also nommm.

my carry-ons. messenger bag / camera bag & jacket.

my attempt at a landing pic. so clear and I should have gotten video instead!

Hoping to update myself on Project 52 soon, and get back to outfit photos. I have new clothes that needs to be documented :)

Til next time!

28. A little vacation.

Hello all! I'm interrupting my slight hiatus to give an update. Easter Sunday was atypical for me, my parents were in town and I flew out of province! I flew into Halifax with an aunt of mine, P, to visit another aunt, D, for a little over a week.

We left Monday for Bangor and stayed a couple of nights, some serious shopping took place. Outlets and other American stores I can't get back home are so addictive and easy to spend money in (I'm looking at you, Express). I'm back in Moncton now, at D's house, for a few days. P left this morning so we're having a lazy day of things. 5 days straight of shopping can really do you in. Or in my case, fill my suitcase to the brink of stuffed. I wasn't completely done but I think I might have to be.

I think that's it for now. I have very few pictures from the trip, shopping isn't the best for photos sometimes. Especially when neither aunt is very sure using the DSLR. Hoping to get a few more pics before I leave, but no new outfit shots yet. It's packed in very tight and staying there til I reach NL again. I'll get back to regular posting by next Friday, as I'm still here til Wednesday. So many pretty clothes to show. If I can manage to get a few minutes in the next couple days I'll post my Project 52, not within the schedule but still done!

Til next time!

26. I love being fed at work.

Another week over and I'm just as useless as ever. I finish work tomorrow, thus the being fed at lunch for the next two days. I love free food. I can't believe 4 months is over.

Since it's Wednesday and I still feel like crap (stupid flu), I figured another link-filled post was appropriate. This week is photography, some of my favourite photos and links to many photos. And yes, the first two are shameless plugs for Newfoundland. So sue me. It's a beautiful place! Many wonderful photo opportunities :D

Hope you all enjoy these again, be sure to leave any favourites of your own! Now, off to discovering! 

Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism.



Photocop Flickr Set: Burin/St. Lawrence



credit: http://thestar.blogs.com/



Photopoly: 41 Cute Dog Photos to Inspire You

Smashingapps: Slow Shutter Speed Photography



credit: unknown



 Cat chasing a balloon...GIF file. 

Chasing Light: Times Square Snowball Fight.



credit: unknown.



You'll get to know this about me, I'm an incredibly random person sometimes. Don't you just love the NL dogs? So sweet, so drooly, but so cuddlyyyy. The drool is worth it.

Til next time!

25. My weekend so far.

Hello all! Hope your weekend has been as relaxed as mine! Hoping to put an OOTD post up sometime this week, once I get back into taking pics! I've got some planned post writing to do over the next week, I'm going on a little vacay out of province soon. Haven't been off the island in a while and I'm going stir crazy.

In the mean time, here's a few snaps from my weekend. Project 52 for this week and next should be up tomorrow, I get really bad with deadlines when the weekend comes lol. 

Best part about kid's birthday parties? The junk food.

The little miss's cake.

Teabags left on the counter to cool. <3

just out of the oven cinnamon pull apart bread.

The pull apart bread is glorious. Me and my mom made it, but used less sugar. I'd stick with the recipe but it still tastes really good. Via Joy the Baker, found through stumbleupon. I told you it was good! I'm off to enjoy the rest of my time home, pan fried cod for supper. Nom! Loves!

Til next time!

24. A little mix of everything

I love looking through link lists of other blogs. I have found so many wonderful things to read and see, that I figured I should do one every now and then. Being that I'm addicted to stumbleupon, I have many random things I love. I was thinking of just putting together random links, but I want to theme them. It's easier for me to organize this way, since I've got well over 200 stumbles favourited.

This week I'm focusing on hopeful and thoughtful and adorable and informative. Words that make your heart hurt or make you think. A lot of lists, I like reading those. Most of these are my stumbles with a few links from favourite bloggers thrown in. Take a minute to check them out, you won't be disappointed!


credit: sayingimages.com




bellaMUMMA - 100 ways to uncomplicate your life

Glich's Life - 40 Tips for a Better Life

Thought Catalog - The Definition of Love.

 Dreamin' the Life - 27 lessons in 27 years.

goodmorning | goodnight - I miss you...

Wisdom Bits

88 Important Truths about Life.

The Blog of Tim Ferriss - 20 Things I've Learned from Traveling Around the World for 3 years.  

A couple of these annoy me, but interesting read nonetheless.

  Extra TV - 25 Most Romantic Movie Quotes

Gives Me Hope 

This one is pretty cheesy, but some of it's just so sweet.

So happy searching! Hope you like my compilation, I plan on doing it regularly. I fnd too much cool stuff to keep it to myself. Any links to share? Comment below!

17. What size am I?

I'm pretty aware of my size. I may not always like it, but for the most part I know what sizes I take. Except for the couple extra pounds hanging on my hips (read: love-handles, blechhh) I'm happy most days with my body. Lately, it's not my body that's causing me grief, it's the sizing.

Clothing sizes have definitely changed in recent years, I know that much. And I've put on a few pounds too, I agree. But the way that I'm told I go down a size when in reality I know I haven't is kind of off-putting. It's nice, but putting on the new size in another store sometimes slaps you in the face with the fact that no, you aren't smaller. Your butt is the same, the number is just different.

I agree that it's terrible to have such a fixation on numbers, but there's always got to be some comparison. An 8 in one store shouldn't equal to a 4 in another. I need consistency people! So, listed below I've got some of my sizes, listed by retailer. I'm about 5'8"-ish, and I suppose you can gather around what my weight should be from the sizes. I forgot to measure myself so none of the hips to waist things. These sizes are about what I currently wear, and while some have stayed the same it's weird to me that things can vary so much.


Had to make a paint file so it would format right :)

In some cases, the sizes fit me perfectly. I tend to vary more in tops, mainly because I get my jeans or pants in a couple of specific places. If it fits, I will continue to shop there! Somewhat related to this way my shopping excursion to the Gap recently. I tried on a bunch of stuff, but only ended up getting three items. Side note on the jeans, I've fallen in love with the 1969 line. The Always Skinny in 29/8 L fit perfect and left enough to cover my ankles. Image from gap.com. Someone unfairly, the premium dress pants now offered do not fit at all, in any style. Dress pants do not fit me right, ever.

I found a long sleeved tee on sale, not found on the website. It's an XS and the perfect fit, though quite baggy in the torso. I think this must be the design, because while trying on the "Perfect shirt", pictured right, I found that the XS was tight. Not unbearably so, but a little too snug for comfort.

I think sizes need to be a little more regulated, overall. Vanity sizing does no one any good. I'll continue searching for button downs that actually fit, and dress pants that don't look funny. I'm stuck in between sizes in many places. The search for the perfect wardrobe continues.

Any comments on the sizing issue? Similar sizes and you've got suggestions on where to shop? Let me know in the comments!

Til next time!

2. I hate snow.

I truly dislike snow. I didn't use to hate it. Really. As a kid I'd happily frolick around, while throwing myself down inclines on things such as the death-toboggan and the ever-popular "Krazy Karpet". The times when a snow day actually existed, when the schools actually close on account of snow or blowing snow or slushy icy rain even. Those days, my friend, are over.

The real world sucks. I don't like the non-acceptance of bad driving conditions. MUN never closes, and apparently my current place of work doesn't either. Stupid Gov. In addition to nearly dying yesterday on the roads (thanks for that, City of St. John's, really) due to the non-plowing, I got to get up and do it all over again today.

After exiting the house at 7:36AM to start up and clean off my car, I managed to do two things. One, somewhat cover myself in snow and two, leave my BlackBerry in the house to stay warm. I'm so nice to it, clearly. I'm actually addicted to it, but that's another post for another time. I managed to make it to sign in by 7:57AM. 21 minutes to clear my car and do a 7 minute drive. There's probably more than one clock wrong in this situation, but we'll let that slide this time.

Another day, thank God this one's a pay day at least, and another full driveway to shovel when I get home. Oh the joys. No BlackBerry, no current pictures but I leave you with this little gem of my last super fun snow-filled day. *note the sarcasm, please note the sarcasm*

I don't want to go outside anymore. I love Newfoundland but it's winter bites the big one. Another productive work day I can tell.

Til next time!

P.S. Oh yeah, I have three of the pictures finished for the first four weeks of Project 52, the last takes a little more work. I'll post them as soon as I remember, or by the weekend.

P.P.S. Here's hoping I don't slide off the roads on the way home today!