Another mission accomplished....

Got my boots (above, but in grey/brown = GREIGE!)! Not quite what I had intended but awesome nonetheless, wearing them around my parent's house today to break them in to wear to work this week.

Am house/cat sitting for my parents this weekend, it's very easy to slip back into my routine here but at the same time I kind of miss my place. It's just for a few days but eating their food is fun....

One check mark...

... the boyfriend watch? Is MINE. (Not the one I was looking at online but found at a discount store!)

Had a marvelous evening tonight celebrating my birthday with the family in my new place. The watch was courtesy a gift card one of my aunt and uncles gave me, along with some new picture frames to start working on some wall art I have been mulling. I got some cash and other gift cards from the rest of the family, and have to say most of it will go to house stuff. I need a vacuum (sigh), but again maybe more art. Back to the discount stores I go!

On responsible spending

Ah, fall. Not too many years ago this was the season of stocking up on a back to school wardrobe and getting back to classes. Not anymore, this year I actually had booked the first day of school off as I was returning from a long weekend wedding far away, and really appreciated the day to sleep in and hang with a friend I hadn’t seen all summer. We spent some time at a Starbucks patio across from an elementary school and it was really sweet to see all the little ones heading back, and gain an interesting view of what is cool this year.

I don’t think I’m buying their Hollister tees and short short SHORT skirts (good lord) but I am thinking about picking up a few pieces for fall. I officially started working last November so have since developed a decent winter-spring-summer wardrobe, but still need a few perfect fall pieces. I thought I’d share what I am currently coveting. The list is fairly short as I am a recent homeowner (pics and décor tips to come), I do actually have a self-imposed shopping budget but with some saving and amortizing a few pieces over a month or so’s worth of budget, I think I can make it work.

The perfect brown boot – to go with skirts, dresses and under jeans on casual Fridays. I bought a cheap-o leather jacket a few weeks ago with both caramel and darker browns, so am looking for a boot both the right colour and one that will fit over my less than slender calves.

The sweater dress (I’m thinking grey - ooh, kind of like this) – appropriate for days I don’t have meetings and long walks to appreciate the changing foliage.

The grey bag – with enough room for files, planner, wallet, etc., but not quite as large as my giant shoulder bags that tend to fill up with junk, and hopefully looking a bit more tidy. Saw a faux croc one the other night I am still pondering (kind of like this...).

And number one on my list – the gold boyfriend watch. This one is the non negotiable item, I started eyeing giant white watches over the summer but have realized now gold is where it’s at. Am actually currently in negotiations with someone on kijiji over one from Michael Kors (comme ca - isn't it darling?) – wish me luck!

What are you loving this fall? Any of my still grad student friends looking to expand their jeans and cute top repertoire?

Happy to be home

I am currently sitting at home on a rainy and grey Sunday evening. I had a super fun vacation which included time at the cottage, and partying in both Ottawa and Montreal. I jaunted to Montreal to surprise a dear friend for her birthday but as great as this week/weekend was, I think I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!

I am happy though to be hanging out in my new condo, watching the West Wing while I eat dinner. A dinner I wanted and paid for - single life (living alone) at its best.

I was happy to hang out in my old apartment over the weekend but realized it is no longer mine. And honestly, I'm much ha

ppier with my own shiny new place which has bathroom doors that actually close ;).

I'm fairly settled in but for finding a roommate for the other room, or turning it into an office, we'll see what happens. I do kind of miss having roommates around but at the moment, wandering around in my underpants whenever I feel like it is also pretty fun.

(More pictures to come...)

Whoops... an update

Sorry y'all about running off for so long.

Life has changed a lot in the last couple of months for me. I have settled into my new job and really enjoy it. Most (yes most but hey I'm pretty junior) days I am intellectually stimulated, busy, and am always working with great people. Beyond my immediate co-workers, I've made great friends with people hired through the same process as me. At the moment, while a PhD is a tempting set of letters to have behind my name, the working life seems to be keeping me for a while.

On the home life, family dynamics have changed a bit. I lost my grandfather in February, whom I adored. I still miss him terribly but know he is in a better place. It has resulted me in taking more time to appreciate my family and wonderful friends. Next weekend I'm taking my grandmother on a lovely trip to Stratford! (Though the train trip going through the T-dot during the G20 weekend is going to suuuuuuuuuuck. I will be drinking.)

In further family news, both of my parents are now retired and are around all the time, the cue for me to MOVE OUT. I have bought my own condo! I move in a week and a half and am currently writing this post to procrastinate from packing, but that's OK. Looking for a place was a bit of a process but with the help of a great agent, I found a spot for myself where I think I will be really happy. I will definitely keep you updated on decorating - having more time on my own will hopefully result in more blogging. We'll see I guess!

Nostalgia

From time to time I miss living in a house that was cold, dirty, in a eenie-weenie room with no overhead light. I miss having an ambulance bay across the street, with weird hobos hanging around and smoking. I miss running out of money way before the end of the month, but feeling like I couldn't ask my parents (I know, I'm spoiled) for more before the next month, and so living on toast for days on end. I didn't always sleep well, I had a minor nervous breakdown there, but that falling apart house (we called it the Slanty Shanty as you could quite easily propel yourself across the hall between our rooms due to the pronounced tilt in the floor) will always have a dear place in my heart. Because of the girls who lived in it with me.

I lived with five amazing roommates for the quite awesome upper years of my undergraduate career. There really is no dirt they don't have on me (or me on them). We say fairly awful things about each other, but generally to our faces, or terrible jokes and references to their Mom. We once all dressed up as Disney Princesses for Halloween and sing their theme songs at the top of our lungs every chance we get (like driving down the 401).

I had the joy of reuniting with those girls this weekend, in the Tdot and it lived up to all my expectations as being thoroughly hilarious. Watching one of my eeny weeny friends (not a former roomie but was a member of an allied house, no we weren't in Sororities but it's hard to explain), tell a massive guy hitting on our engaged friend to 'F off' is a highlight of my life. Though there were days I would have merrily murdered them for not doing those dishes, those girls have made the last 7 (7!) years of my life so much more fun than they would have been otherwise, and I can't wait to see what's next.

So this holiday season love and adore your family, be nice to them, bite your tongue when they say things you wholly disagree with and appreciate them. But take a moment to tell your friends how much they mean to you too.

It's beginning to look a lot like....

... CHRISTMAS!

Despite us being walloped by a snow storm in the middle of this past week, it wasn't until I was tramping around in a light snowfall this afternoon to buy Christmas ornaments and presents that I truly started to feel the season. Christmas Day is less than 2 weeks away! I then went home and wrapped presents, and after that went to help my Grandparents set up their tree. Tomorrow on the way to work I'm going to be singing Carols at the top of my lungs.

I do however really need to keep moving, I still have a few presents to buy, baking to do and next weekend is basically a wash since I'm heading to the T-dot with my former housemates to party it up. If anyone wants to be my own personal elf for free, do let me know.

If you're not yet in the mood though, check this out, I'm sure you'll feel it right away: