a few of my favourite things

Suddenly it's the second last month of the year and the days feel shorter and darker. My cough has become one of those guests that overstay their welcome and just when you think it's gone, it pops up again in the form of a nasty 3-minute coughing session (but thank you, thank you, thank you for the get well soon wishes, they made me feel warm and cozy!). But on the bright side there's plenty of things keeping me happy and healthy-ish, so here's a few of my favourite things:

In the blurry background you can see the amount of leftover Halloween candy
(we had zero children come to our door).

Holidays Cups: OK, I'll admit I was going to write "coffee" but thought that would be obvious. Starbucks has come out with their holiday cups and I had my first one today (peppermint mocha, yippee)! Yet, I'll admit, I'm a bit "why now?" when I walked into Zellers (the Canadian version of Target) and heard cheesy Christmas tunes blaring and when I headed downtown and saw three people walking around with Santa hats on. I'm all for Christmas cheer and all that, just wasn't expecting it so early!

Shellac 'em!: After my eye exam yesterday, my mama and I had a bit of a "girls day out" and decided to get a manicure with Shellac! I'm prone to biting/picking at my nails (the grossest habit ever) so knowing this'll last fourteen days makes me happy. The cute lady who did my nails said, "Next time you bring hand to mouth just slap away with your other hand and say, 'NO!'" Considering I pretty much have no nails this is only the second manicure I've ever had and I kinda like 'em :)

Warm Hugs Scarf Swap: The lovely Leesh and Elisse (who just celebrated two years of blogging) held an amazing scarf swap that included a packet of a warm beverage to enjoy. I was partnered up with Lori and received my package earlier this week and love the infinity scarf she sent me (seen in the pic above)! Thank you so much, and thanks to Leesh and Elisse for hosting this!

Cozies: This is a bit of a shameless plug, but I'm absolutely adoring the cup cozies that we're whipping up for mine, my mom's, and my sister's design shop! While our etsy shop is still empty, stay tuned; and thanks to everyone who responded to my little 'survey': honeybean designs is coming soon :)

This might just be the weirdest combination of photos I've ever put together.

Henry Cavill is very angry with the leaves.

Crunching leaves: Seeing as one of the most popular Facebook groups is called "I Will Go Slightly Out of My Way To Step On That Crunchy-looking Leaf", I know I'm not alone in getting excited over seeing a sidewalk absolutely littered with bright-coloured leaves ... and then jumping all over them to find the crunchiest-sounding one.

Immortals: Even though seeing this film on opening night made me and The Boy promise to never again see a film on opening night because of how chattery/giggly the crowd seemed to be (and it's a promise I might keep since there's no more midnight releases of Harry Potter), I really enjoyed this film. It's not the typical Greek mythology film because it really concentrates on gorgeous visuals and slow-mo gore (OK, maybe that last part is typical); it makes me wonder how it would look like in 3D since we opted for the 2D version. Since Henry Cavill stars in it, it was pretty much a given I was going to like this film. And then the second I saw Klaus from The Vampire Diaries pop onto the screen, The Boy and I both looked at each other and went, "Yup, I like this movie." Don't expect a masterpiece, but expect a good story and pretty things to stare at (including, but not limited to, half-naked men).

Aside from all that, it's going to be a hopefully relaxing rest of the weekend ... I start officially teaching in my gr8 classroom this Tuesday so I need to start planning (and wishing and hoping and dreaming and praying that I do okay my first few days) and maybe watch a movie or two.

What are a few of your fave things right now?

What are you up to this weekend? :)

Hope it's a great one!

autumn has fall[en]

It's that time of year again; even though my weather forecast calls for warmer days next week, fall is officially arriving in a few days. This meant waiting in a 3-walled phone booth for The Boy yesterday at the bus stop at the mall, to keep myself sheltered from the cooler winds.

Then this situation happened:
17-YEAR OLD BOY WITH GREY & PURPLE SWEATER APPROACHES:
Excuse me, do you know what time it is?
ME: (completely forgetting I have a watch on)
Um ... (looks at the time on the payphone) ... it's 7:34pm.
17-YEAR OLD BOY: Thanks.
By the way, I just wanted to say that you are very beautiful.
ME: (thinking that if this boy knew what age I really was, he would NOT be saying these things) Oh, thank you.
17-YEAR OLD BOY: (smiles)
ME: I'm waiting for my boyfriend, by the way.
17-YEAR OLD BOY: OH, SHIT!
(starts walking away hurriedly back to his friends) THANKS FOR THE INFO!

Ah, at least he had the balls to approach me, right? Haha. But after that came a good time with The Boy, getting a sweater for himself and skinny jeans for me with zipper details on the bottom (trend-follower alert!). Nevertheless, the whole waiting in the cold yesterday got me thinking about the finer and not-so-finer things of fall, comprised in a little list!

1) The Changes
I dyed my hair (which you can kinda see in that picture) to a bronzed brown with a reddish hue, in my excitement for all the changes this fall. This fall brings mine and The Boy's 1 year 1/2 anniversary, which is pretty exciting! The leaves also change, the hours of daylight change. As well, my sister and my niece are moving away in a short time, which is a big change. It's saddening, but I'm really excited for them!



2) The Fairs
In September and October, the southern part of Ontario erupts into 'fair' fever. Every weekend there's a fair in a different location, complete with demolition derbies, elephant ears, carnival rides, and the like. It's usually a tradition for me to go to one of these fairs each year, and we'll hopefully be going next weekend!



3) The Coffee
No more Iced Cappuccino's for this girl; now, it's all about caffeine to warm the body and the soul. Since the weather calls for more indoor activities (though hiking is one of my favourite things to do in the autumn!) it also calls for a lot more coffee dates with friends. And, I tried out the Old Town White Coffee that Adele and Becks got me, and OH MY GOODNESS, it is delicious. I'm trying to ration it out so I can keep the yummy-ness as long as possible.



4) The Fall Fashion
I love jackets and sweaters, and fall means exactly that. Plus adorable shoes and boots. I confess, during the summer I turn into a flip-flop-wearing, shorts-and-a-shirt kind of girl. But the fall means tons of accessories (hats, gloves, big bags for storing school-books into) and a heap of different trends - whether it's animal print, plaid, solid colours, or lovely lace details and sequins.



5) The Holidays
Hallowe'en is on a Saturday this year, so it's technically a holiday haha. Sugar highs and costumes galore! And of course, there's Thanksgiving (which is in October in good ol' Canada) which means tons of turkey, thankfulness, and ... tea? (Alliteration fail!) The latter half of the year is always filled with events!



6) The Scents
Apple cider, warm in your cup. Pumpkin pie, devoured with whipped cream on top. Ginger and cinnamon filling up the kitchen. Everything is so warm, even if the weather is getting cooler. And if you can't get enough of these delicious aromas, there's always scented candles and body sprays to make your day that much more fragrant.



7) The Snuggling
While it's not winter-time, cooler weather provides many opportunities to snuggle together, whether it's in a bed or on a bench waiting for a bus. Hand-holding is no longer a PDA - it's also a necessity to keep your fingers warmer. There's nothing like a little snuggle-time!

What are your favourite things about autumn?
Hope you all have a great weekend!

*Photos are either mine are found through Google, MarthaStewart.com, and Flickr.

things better than coffee #01

I was considering putting today's morning routine in this list -- waking up to my boyfriend calling me, having a scrumptious breakfast with coffee, and then working out for an hour -- before realizing that it contained coffee. Whoopsies!

So here we go! This is the first of a weekly edition of things that are better than coffee to me!

1) Cuddling
For me, there's no better way to feel comforted or relaxed. Whether it's cuddling with the significant other, or having my dog curled up next to me (yes, my pet sleeps with me every night!), it feels so good having someone warming up next to you, completely submitted into each other's arms (or in the case of the pet, their paws?). Either way, I'd take cuddling over coffee any day. It's a sure way to beat the lonely blues!




2) Pleasure Reading
Since I'm an English major, most of the time I read what I'm required to (i.e., Plato and James and the Giant Peach) rather than what I want to read (though I'll admit, Roald Dahl is a nice, quick read). So when I get a moment to pick up a book I'm interested in, I savour it. My week off from school is slowly coming to a close, and I've managed to read three books in that time. Yay! One of my recent faves is Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch, where the protagonist asks the question we all have -- "What if (fill in the blank here)?" I love reading for pleasures' sake.


3) Winners
One of the most underrated stores that I usually forget to put in my 'favourite stores' list is Winners. Brand names at low prices is their motto. My last purchases from them were a long grey cardigan that I've been searching for, and a pair of skinny jeans. Given that all my jeans are dark due to their ~magical slimming powers~, I took a risk and bought a lighter pair. I've gotten a lot of compliments from this outfit and owe it all to Winners. Sometimes it's a hard scramble to find something you truly love there, but it's worth it!


4) Revlon Beyond Natural Concealer & Highlighter
Back when I bought mark. products, I fell in love with their concealer. Liquid concealers just don't do it for me, so the creamy kind is what I crave. I found the answer in this Revlon product, that retails for about $11. I'm in shade light-medium, and it does wonders for covering up my dark undereye circles and has great coverage for my blemishes. Plus, the highlighter is multi-purposeful -- I've used it not only as a highlight for my cheeks, but it's a great base for your eyeshadows! Only complaint is that I wish more product came in each box!


5) Two-Bite Brownies
Given all my ramblings about exercise videos and going to the gym, I might have fooled some of you. But I have to admit -- I absolutely love food. This week, my favourite are those two-bite brownies that you can find practically everywhere. Of course, I try to eat them in more than just two bites that way I'm not tempted to eat more, but it's hard to resist! Their moist, full of chocolate, and yeah ... definitely not part of a well-balanced diet, but I see no shame in eating some every once in a while!


Do you relate to any of these? What kind of things would you put on your list? (And if you don't like coffee, just consider other 'addictions' and find out what's better than them!)