::what:a:mess::

What a mess...no joke. 

I was going to surprise everyone...and move this blog to my very own domain! I was super excited...I got everything ready....but was disappointed when there was an upfront fee of $150...that and I needed to get a theme for my actual blog..which ended up costing me more. 

I tried to set everything up...and my wordpress was incredibly slow...I was becoming increasingly frustrated and upset! Nothing was working! I installed my theme...but then it wouldn't cooperate! None of my pictures worked...it looked sloppy....

I gave up. 

I contacted the domain...and am patiently awaiting a bunch of forms to cancel everything...unfortunately there will be some funds that won't be refundable...which sucks...because I saved up the last of my Christmas money to do this. SOOOOO...am out of that money now. 

I should have done more homework...

Or maybe...I should have thought to myself a bit more, why mess with a good thing? And who am I kidding...I have enough on my plate right now than to sit and design an entirely new website. 

I will work with what I got....and hone in on it. 

Just super disappointed...

On top of that. I cancelled my extra space on here...because I really thought it would all work out. So need to figure out how to get that extra space back in order to continue my blog. As there isn't enough space now as is...and each post tends to eat up my MBs. 

On top of it all. I am not feeling well. So this is just not my day. 

But I did decide to share this with you because I needed to just vent!

Anyways...Happy Saturday. 

Hope everyone is having a better start to their weekend than I am! 

-S.*

::weekenders::

Just wanted to check in and say hi! :) 

The weekend is going well, but it's going to fast!! Why can't it slow down!? 

Today I am going to be tidying up as well as making a delicious slow cooker chicken. 

I got my hair done yesterday, thanks to my friend Keverino! It honestly feels so great to finally have my grays GONE {for now, anyway, lol}. And before my birthday I am going to have my Sister cut my hair into something fabulous. I need to peruse some hair magazines. I want something totally different. I've had one length of hair for such a long time! Maybe a bob? Or a lob? Or...a perm? Nah...

But we will figure it out! :) 

::a:2015:wishlist::

The best combo EVER. Bath tub and books?! COME ON!!! *dream*room*

My first wishlist of 2015! 

It's been a while since I got my desperately grasping hands on some new books - or looked on the Amazon site for that matter. The last couple of months have been undoubtedly chaotic. Between Christmas, losing work, starting a new job, trying to get school under control and preparing to study for my driver's test...you would think I'd have absolutely no time to read. But I do. Because I just I love it and cant imagine life without reading or books. It's actually one of the things that calms me at the end of a hectic day, my form of stress relief. 

Or it's the perfect way to spend a Sunday; on the couch, under toasty wool blankets, reading an engrossing book with some delicious tea, or a latte, a treat and the pups and Travis there. Bliss!

Before I go on with my book wish list I wanted to share that Trav and I are currently looking into renting a bigger 'home'. I say home in quotations because we live in an apartment right now. It's a gorgeous apartment but it would be great to have a home to rent with a backyard and garage or a townhome would work as well. We did fall in love with one back in January - but they were all sold out. :( We are still being very picky with what we are going to view these days and of course the price has to be good as well.

I also am coveting a new couch...this will require time to save up money to get, but I am just not feeling the leather couch and would love a nice big comfy material one. Saw a bunch on sale at the Brick - this will be added to my 'vision board' of the perfect living room. Where you live should be incredibly comfortable, serene and feel like HOME. 

Not to mention some good bookshelves are on that home wishlist as well. The ones we currently own are not that great {a tad cheap from Ikea} and the shelves themselves are slowly beginning to bend. 

I would ideally love one that had doors on them, so you couldn't necessarily see all the books, should you have company over and whatnot. 

All these plans. 

Anyways! Back to the point of this post! BOOKS!

As you know I share some of the latest and well-received books out or ones that I just seen through a magazine or online or through a friend and would love to read. 

These prices are from Amazon.Ca - you could get these books anywhere but I feel like Amazon has the best prices. 

::quantity:or:quality::

Well wowwweee!! 

I am not even going to explain. Lol. 

Except that I have a new job and life is *chaos*. 

So I try and write (handwrite or on my phone in between breaks and such) blog posts to share. Here is a little something I wrote a week or two ago that I wanna share. :) 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Only SOME of my scarves on the left there hanging on the back of my door. Ones I wear regularly. The scarves on the right are non-negotiable. Most of which my Mom knitted and am obsessed with. Chunky infinity scarves. Love them. Get compliments on them all the time...she should start an Etsy shop.....

This is nowhere near the amount of jewelry that I actually own. This is probably....1/10th. Been collecting since I was 16 probably.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

There was a thought that struck me the other night as I voraciously perused a website titled aliexpress...it's a website...not sure where it's based out of. China? I know that a lot of the products come from there and shipping can take upwards of 1 month - then again, what doesn't come from China? 

I was furiously adding things into my wishlist...an assemblage of stud earrings, some chandelier ones, a couple rings and a galaxy of necklaces. I think I was able to finally narrow it down to about 26 items for a total of $70. 

::monsieur:galliano::

Ugh. I have been dealing with the most excruciating stomach/pelvic pains the last little while - that's why I haven't really been on here blogging. 

Not only that but my anxiety is a little more then through the roof. 

On a positive note though, Travis and I joined a new gym {yay!} - called World Gym...super cheap. I am excited to get back at it. :) And I also have a job interview today as well...am a little more then nervous about it but have been going through my notes so hoping to nail it. I just need to get into it with confidence. It's crazy how I can sell other people and am able to sell products but I can't sell myself! 

But I think that is the key - confidence. 

I also want to point out that I was beyond ecstatic to hear that Maison Margiela has elected John Galliano as their new creative director! I have been dyyyyyying since Galliano disappeared from the fashion world in 2011 and publicly atoned after his questionable antics at a Paris bar spouting anti-semitic remarks in an alcohol-fueld rage...but hey..we all did stupid shit while drunk, non? 

Anyways - incredible is all I have to say...and must share with you the 2015 Haute Couture line by Galliano for Maison Margiela. 

::a:little:cleansing::

It would be easy for me to look back on this month and say that so far it's been a bust. What a negative way of thinking, I realize this. I feel like I am totally hard on myself. And the fact is that I am. I always put such a huge amount of pressure on myself that no wonder my anxiety is through the roof. 

Therefore, I am trying to practise more positivity. The other day I sat there and thought to myself "I shouldn't be depressed that I am not working. Something WILL come along...and I should take this time to work on myself and enjoy the time off"...because who knows when the next time off will be, right?

::new:year:first:post::

I can't believe that it's been well over a month since I posted last. The last little while has really been insane and chaotic for me. I did happen to write a bunch of posts on my phone that I planned on posting here but never got around to. Don't ask me how I didn't get around to it. I guess at one point I lost a bit of motivation in all area's of life and coasted for the first two weeks of January a bit. But I woke up this morning with a bit of a new zest for life and am ready to begin tackling my days. :) 

::waiting:to:be:in:my:arms::

Gahhh!!! My poor little blender is trapped on a plane or truck or something somewhere across Canada just wanting to be in my arms. :( 

I am really excited for my Vitamix and when found out I was getting one last Tuesday patiently waited....but now there is a delay due to 'severe weather' and I am utterly saddened by this turn of events. Tomorrow is my last day at work..and I just wanted to bring that baby home. 

You cannot believe how excited I am for this blender...it's been a year and a half that I have been seriously coveting this thing and now I am ONE LUCKY DUCK to be getting it!!!!!

I am just so grateful for the amazing people that are around me around this time - it's been difficult but they make it all that much better. You know who you are. ;) 

So yes! I gotta wait!!! :'(

::it:is:what:it:is::

Monday Funday! 

Beautiful plowers from Trav

Happy Monday everyone - wow, do those weekends fly by. This one did for sure...and it was semi lazy - but productive. I tried that new recipe that I posted - the lemony chicken casserole...to be quite honest with you - to me it wasn't very special. I probably won't make it again or if I do then I will definitely add more seasoning to it as it was bland. For some reason my chicken cooked, but the potatoes didn't! It took quite a long while. And some pieces still ended up being a little hard. But it was alright. 

I did make my cabbage rolls on Friday night - which took FOREVER. I started at 3:30 and they were finally done around 8pm. See why people don't like making cabbage rolls?! Lol. 

Travis and I also went out yesterday to finish up some of our Christmas shopping and then spent the afternoon watching a bit of TV, NHL15, cooking some moooore and I got caught up on two episodes of Mob Wives {season 5} - what a crazy show. Let me tell you. 

I weighed in today at 135.6lbs. Ugh. Honestly - probably water weight. So we will see what that scale says tomorrow. 

I am so sad I am going to have to cancel my gym membership soon so will need to ask people on FB or online somewhere if they are willing to take it over. It's so bittersweet. 

Still looking for a job...it's damn hard during this time of year, I honestly wish I had some more time. 

BUT IT IS WHAT IT IS!

::friday:funday::

Believe it or not...I am going to torture myself again today {much like last Saturday} and make cabbage rolls...that's right. More cabbage rolls. Lol. 

They are so damn delicious {recipe given to me by my Mamma} but they are so much work! It took me a good two hours in the kitchen on Saturday. Lol. 

So what we do...is we core the cabbage {shitty part #1}, then we boil it {I have two pots on the go} and then you boil and wait...and carefully peel each leaf off....seriously. 

I cook rice in the rice cooker {to the point it overflows}, saute onions {yumyum} and then once that is all done I mix the rice, meat and onions and then I start rolling those pollies. 

So yes...it is very time consuming...but it's soooo worth it. 

All that hard work in one snap shot. 

::lemon:chicken:potato:casserole::

I never really knew what to think of casseroles - to be honest, I still don't. I feel like casseroles are for the Suzie-Homemaker type people...

I am sure that couldn't be farther from the truth. For some reason I don't trust food that you throw in one pot, pan, slowcooker, whatever and cook. Don't ask me why! Although I have done this before and meals have turned out FANTASTIC. So I need to do this more often and not be so wary of it. 

So when I saw this recipe, I knew that I must try it because it has potatoes in it! YUM. ;) 

I am not a big meat-eater either...I will eat chicken maybe once every two weeks or so...I also make sure that the chicken I get is organic, local and not pumped full of antibiotics. 

So if I do eat meat it's like this...chicken or turkey....

Never beef or pork anymore. It's not particularly healthy for you...and I choose not to eat it for ethical reasons.

So...let's get on with the recipe! I got it from none other then Gimme Some Oven! 

By the way...not sure if I mentioned this earlier or not but I tried the fried rice recipe - it was pretty good...nothing crazy...but still pretty delicious and at least I know what went into the rice and the ingredients I used were more than likely more fresh and healthier then what they put into the fried rice in restaurants. 

Let's hope this next recipe is a HIT. I was on a roll there a few weekends ago. 

::POSITIVE::

There is so much good news that I have to share with you...here are a few things before I forget...and then will share a recipe with you! Something yummy, hot and total comfort food. 

First of all...my BFF got me a VITAMIX!!!!!!!!!!!!! I really cannot write more than that because I don't even know what to say! After finding out on Tuesday I am STILL speechless! I am so freakin' excited and am spending time on YouTube watching videos and reading blogs on how other people LOVE their freakin' blender and pretty soon, I'll be one of them!!!! 

POSITIVITY BREEDS POSITIVITY!!!

::holiday:blues::

 I deal with a lot of anxiety - on a regular basis...it really could be about anything...could be about finding a job to wondering if I happened to have offended someone...and I won't let it go until I find some sort of reassurance of some sort. This is where my OCD kicks into play. 

I find that these two beasts rear their ugly heads when I am under particularly high duress.
Instead of just being in the moment and being happy I am constantly trying to figure out if I did something wrong in the past or how I can avoid doing something 'wrong' in the future. Not an easy or particularly joyous way to live, right? 

And I think that it's hard for everyone too, especially during this time of year...when a lot of people are dealing with stress, anxiety and depression during the holiday season. 

Instead of hiding away from the world it is important to get out there and engage in healthy personal behaviors - so you don't fall further into the trap. Which is so easy to do if you are in a perpetual negative self-talk cycle. 

Here are a few tools in dealing with stress and depression during the holidays that I read and took from the site Psychology Today and figure it would be good to share on here as well for those that are struggling themselves during the holiday season! 

::weekend:weekstart::

Welp! I finished my book like I said I would and the way it ended was pretty intense and need to find out what happens next!! I won't go into details just in case someone happens to be reading it or will read it but it was the one by Jennifer Amentrout. Opal. The Lux novel. I guess we gotta wait and see!

The weekend went by so fast. Saturday was spent cleaning and running errands...and standing in the kitchen making food for people!! Cabbage rolls. Such a pain in the ass to make especially when you're not yourself eating them. Made em with beef and pork this time. It really is a lot of work.

I also tried that shrimp recipe I posted...it wasn't the greatest to be honest. Nothing to write home about at all and for some reason after flour-ing the shrimp and frying them up the flour coating just came off. So it was a bit disappointing but I'll tell you one thing though. Shrimps - how I've missed you!! Seriously delicious regardless. The price of them have just gone up though for some reason and that's why I don't usually buy them anymore.

::fried:rice::

I am super craving carbs right now...as I have mentioned before, I've been eating like crap with a capital C. Yea...not so good for the waistline, that's for sure. So today I am detoxing it up. But man oh man...could I go for a huge bowl of piping out fried rice with...shrimps, maybe? 

I saw this recipe on the Gimme Some Oven blog {love all the recipes on there!} and will definitely be trying it this weekend. I also need to try that creamy yummalicious shrimp pasta...and I've been craving pot pie...

I just can't stop thinking of food! 

Anyways...there are some great tips as well that the blog author shares so I will make sure to post that too so that it helps you along with this amazingly delicious-looking recipe. :)

::christmas:booklist::

It's the perfect time for the book list! Because who knows...you might find something worth reading or worth getting for someone as a gift this Christmas!
We all know how much extra time I am going to have...well, sorta...after the holiday season...I hope not...but...anyways! So I will be reviewing a lot more books for you all. Especially cookbooks. It's hard to find good cookbook reviews out there in the online world...so might as well start one for you guys, no? 

They are also coming out with a lot of "Books of the Year" lists on Amazon and Indigo...there are quite a few on there that appear intriguing to me...but this list is what my eyes and mind are coveting at the moment. ;) 

Let's start with the cookbooks! 

The Tucci Table: Cooking with Family & Friends by Stanley Tucci - $22.57 CAD

Gotta start off by saying that I think Stanley Tucci is a great actor - love a lot of the movies he is in...especially Hunger Games! I honestly can't wait until I go and see Mockingjay Part 1. :)
ANYWAYS! I saw him on Dr. Oz the other week and had no idea that he had his own cookbook! I have looked through it and it's chockfull of the most mouthwaterly delicious recipes. I can't even...

::gratitude:&:bitching::

I am going to make it my personal mission to put a cease to my incessant squawking and bitching...

After reading and watching some inspirational videos this morning...I realized that I must be mentally draining to my family and friends...and especially to Travis. 

What is the actual point of complaining? I mean, venting is one thing...but the last few weeks I have been doing n.o.t.h.i.n.g but constantly bellyaching and fastened to this 'woe is me' mentality. 

For what? It isn't going to change anything...it really is not. 

So I have decided that I am going to go 24 hours without pissing and moaning. Really...it's going to be hard...but holy crap, did I not realize that I must be the proverbial black cloud over everyone's head during what is supposed to be the 'most wonderful time of the year'. 

I need to practice more gratitude as well. This is what's going to help me out a lot to get out of my negative-nancy funk. 

Google debbie-downer...you'll find my picture there! 

::perfectly:pastel::

I am a lover of all things pastel - therefore, I need to share this gorgeously coloured editorial. 

Ashley Osborne by Nick Scott for Cosmopolitan Australia.

::a:new:chapter::

Why do we start things on Monday's? 

Is it because it's the beginning of a new week or is it just our excuse to throw all caution to the wind on Saturday and Sunday? 

To be quite honest, I was going to start something today but found myself in the kitchen at 4am gnawing on cold fried chicken. WHO does that?? 

I have had the most strangest cravings lately...

Not only that but I have just been feeling awful all around. I have crazy mood swings, anxiety, I guess you could say that at times I do feel a bit depressed. I have the most awful digestive issues that I have never experienced before, headaches, I have difficulty concentrating, fatigue, irritability. You name it. And for what seems like my umpteenth doctor's visit, no one can figure out what's wrong with me. My blood work is coming back normal...but other then that I'm pretty damn healthy. 

So it shouldn't come as a surprise to me that amidst my studies of preventive medicine that a light bulb went off. 

I feel like shit because I eat like shit. 

Seriously.