This week has been a little rough, I’m not gonna lie.  Things are up and down and all around but thankfully this weekend is PACKING WEEKEND cause we move on Tuesday!!!

I am ecstatic for a new place.  I can’t tell you how many issues we’ve had with the place we’re in now.  Ugh.  Worst landlords EVER!  Our new place is closer to Queen, bigger, has a working fireplace, and backyard, dishwasher, laundry and parking.  Yup.  We’re moving up in the world   I have paint colours picked out, a new bed ready to be purchased and found the perfect couch for our new space.  I usually feel like January 1st is the start of a new year for me (being that it’s my birthday and all) but this year January seemed to be a continuation of the annoying year of 2011.  So February 1st is the day to turn over a new leaf, push forward on my goals and projects and really get moving on in life!

I’ve got some great links to share with you this week.  Hope you like them!

• Lucia shared this photo & message on FB and I had to share.  Inspirational and to be honest it’s truthful.  THIS is what some of you should be paying attention to and standing up for instead of fighting on social media about who is a bigger fan of a band.
• And then we see a story like this Stacey Irvine, 17, has ONLY eaten a diet of chicken nuggets since Age 2
• In this age of big business, massive corporate layoffs and huge corporations that we can’t trust here is a great article from American Express giving 10 Examples of Tremendous Business Leadership
• Dress Pant Sweatpants… need I say more?
• I am a tea drinker and it’s not unusual for me to drink 2 or 3 cups a day.  I’ve been having issues sleeping lately and am feeling more anxiety then usual and this might be a cause.  I HATE decaffeinated Tetley Tea, it just tastes off, and I found this article on how to decaffeinate your Tea at home.  Gonna try it this weekend and I’ll let you know how it goes!
• I don’t know who shared this on FB but it’s hilarious – Dumb Girl Poses
• I love old photos and I especially love seeing old photos of our beautiful city.  BlogTO shared some Vintage TO signage this week and it’s pretty cool to see where our city was
• I’ve been following Eric Alper for a while and love that he finally has a blog!  I was shocked to see the 10 Most Memorable Bands Who Only Released One Album – you won’t believe who is on her!
• Ummm…. eww? 73 Items That Got Stuck Inside People Last Year [NSFW]
• The most amazing high definition image of Earth – you’ve got to look at it full size.  AMAZING!

 

That’s it for me today.  I’m off to work and can’t wait to get packed and moved!  If you want to come over for beers, pizza and packing everyone’s invited!!

Have a great Friday.

This week was a hard one.  My wonderful uncle passed away and for a family as close as ours it has been a trying time.  I’ve been up and down, sad and happy and very reflective about life and what is important.  Death has a way of bringing you back to reality and focusing on living your life to the fullest.  My uncle had a great life and we will remember him as a strong man who lived the best life he could.

Life is too short to be mad, angry, jealous or mean.  Do unto others as you would have done to you.  I want to be an inspiration to people, give back to those that need it and be a strong role model.  I love that anyone reads my blog and comments on what I have to say and please feel free to share with me privately if you don’t want to post on here.

Now that the serious stuff is out of the way, here are some great links to take us into the weekend!

• XOJane beauty editor Cat shares her best at-home teeth whitening products.  I’ve been thinking my chompers could use a bit of brightening lately and I want to try them out.
• I think I found this on Mashable and it’s a site that takes you to each profile so you can see what apps you are using via social profiles and clean them up – Start 2012 by Taking 2 Minutes to Clean Your App Permissions 
• I am still loving A Beautiful Mess and in a recent post she shares 5 Ways I Display Photos in my Home which I think it super great because most photos live on your computer or the internet now.  I love my old photo albums and I don’t have nearly enough personal photos displayed.  I remember when I first moved out I had a wall display of photos of friends & family and in the new house I want another one.
• Another A Beautiful Mess find that is going to be very helpful to a novice like me 5 Tips for Food Photography
• I posted last week about Aveda’s Scholarship Contest - if you’re interested in winning tuition to pursue your dream of being a top stylist then ENTER!
• Artist Guy Laramee literally carves mountains out of old books.  Here is an article on him with images and you can check out his website HERE
• Found some really interesting Beauty Tips from All Over the World – from a Brazilian Cellulite Cure to a Chinese Anti-Aging Secret
• Led by the child who simply knew – an amazing story of hope for a young transgender person. Twin boys who were identical in every way but one. Wyatt was a girl to the core, and now lives as one, with the help of a brave, loving family and a path-breaking doctor’s care.
• How much should you tip when out at a restaurant?  This great infographic shows Tipping Etiquette around the world (click image to enlarge)

 

That’s it for this week.  I want everyone that reads this to make a point of telling the people closest to you that you love them.

This weekend our family lost a great man.

Rest in peace Uncle Vlado.

 

Ooohhhh is this spooky day for you or what?  I’ve said this before, but Friday the 13th doesn’t usually feel like a scary or unlucky day for our family because my little bro was born on a Friday the 13th and I actually like this day   I woke up to the first real snow we’ve had this winter and my first time to drive a standard car in the show.  Luckily I thought to call Kyle for advice before heading out.

Here’s my first Show & Tell of 2012 and it’s a little light but hope you like it.

• I started reading the She Knows site last year and it’s got lots of interesting articles.  I’m not big into New Years Resolutions but the article Top 5 Financial Resolutions To Make This Year is on my To Do list
• I absolutely HATE taxidermy and apparently this has seen a resurgence as it’s trendy again to decorate your home with dead animals.  But then Regretsy posted about Shauna Richardson’s Crochetdermy and it’s brilliant!
  

 

• My co-worker shared this article with me earlier this week and though most companies wouldn’t agree I think it’s a great idea.  Give Your Employees Unlimited Vacation Days – now this does have the potential to be abused but as Red Frog’s owner has a great answer for this
  “If [employees are] incapable of handling the responsibility that comes along with having unlimited vacation days, they’re probably incapable of handling other responsibilities too, so don’t hire them.”
• Great perspective on body image here – Carrie Klassen’s “This Is What A Naked Woman Looks Like“
• This was on my FB feed last week – I can’t remember who posted so comment if it was you! 13 Simpsons Jokes That Actually Came True
• Check out my sister’s online shop Hate and Heartbreak – EVERYTHING IS ON SALE!
• Love this video I saw via Perez Hilton – Impromtu Subway Jam

My friends at the Aveda Institute asked me if I would share their BORN TO STYLE Scholarship Contest with you guys and of course I said yes!

If you or any of your friends are thinking about becoming a Hair Stylist then you should enter for your chance to win FREE TUITION!  Who doesn’t want to go to school for free?  And trust me, student loans are great when you get them but I’m still paying off mine… 10 years later!

What’s even better is that there will be four grand prize winners of full tuition at one of their top hair schools in Toronto, Calgary,
Vancouver, Victoria and Winnipeg.

Here’s the info you need and click HERE to go to the contest site

WHAT IS IT?
Aveda Institute is offering up four full scholarships to their hair schools in five different cities across Canada. To win, the contestant must submit a video explaining in a convincing manner (and showing perhaps some sizzle ) why they are “Born to Style”. Winners will be selected by a panel of top celebrity judges from each of the five cities (Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto).

STEP 1: MAKE A VIDEO
Create a video to show us why you are BORN TO STYLE and why you’ve got the talent, passion and determination it takes to develop your  hairstyling skills with the Aveda Institute Canada.

STEP 2: UPLOAD & SHARE
Visit www.avedainstitute.ca/scholarship to enter the contest. Upload your video then share your entry with the world! Share your Aveda Institute entry page link with all your family, friends, fans and followers and get them to rate your video. Share your talent with the world!

STEP 3: HAIR SHOWDOWN
Beauty industry professionals hand pick five aspiring hairstylists in each city to advance to the final round. These future hairdressers will  participate in a live head-to-head competition and runway show putting together a complete look in front of a panel of style experts and hairstyling heavy hitters.  The winner in each city will be awarded a full scholarship to the Aveda Institute hair school!

And cause I want one of you guys to win here’s some tips on how videos will be judged:

>> >> Boldness and clarity of artistic vision

>> >> Originality and creativity

>> >> Demonstrates candidate is fashion forward and understands the Aveda mission

>> >> Overall Impression

 

Last day to submit a video is March 31st, 2012 at 11:59:59 a.m. ET

For more information on the institute and their program, check out the AVEDA Institute Canada website http://www.avedainstitute.ca

They’ve also got a ton of photos of Flickr so you can check out some of their grad’s work, institute photos, events and more

For more information on the contest, http://www.avedainstitute.ca/scholarship and you can download the package here if you have questions,  more technical resources http://avedainstitute.ca/scholarship/images/pdf/BTS_INFO_PACKAGE_DEC5.pdf

 

 
If you or your friends do enter the contest please let me know
p.s. This is a sponsored post and Aveda is sending me some of their amazing products to try out.

I’m sure most of you have seen this on FB the past week.  I finally watched it yesterday and couldn’t wait to post it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet.

Walk Off The Earth did an amazing cover of Goyte’s Somebody That I Used To Know.  Now this is pure talent and I think these guys are going to go far.  I can’t wait to see them play live!

That a girl goes through…

Today has been kind of blah for me.  I strained my neck and back last night backing out of a driveway and due to my current injuries from my car accident it hurt like hell!  I didn’t go in to the office this morning because I couldn’t move and then had a nice relaxing physio session.  My Dr told me that I added to my injuries and that I better get my butt into bed and rest so back home I went.  I put on my pj’s and some music and got into bed to work.  Harley is the best when I’m home sick.  He just cuddles right up and purrs away.

I have a crappy feeling that I’m letting people down and that some people are disappointed in me today.  It’s one of my insecurities and I hate it when it creeps its way in.  Sometimes you just can’t help it though.  Not everyone is going to like you or what you do every day and you’ve just got to turn that negativity around into something positive.  I think that it just makes me work harder to prove to myself that I’m doing the best I can.

Got invited to go to a Raptor’s game tonight and sit in the 2nd row behind the net.  What a day to be stuck in bed!  I love basketball and have only gone to 1 NBA game in my life.  I wish I could’ve gone tonight but c’est la vie.

I’ve got a secret cheer up weapon in my arsenal today though.  Tonight is the night that I finally get to watch Breaking Dawn Part One.  I’m really excited to see what the film looks like and yes I’m a nerd but I don’t care.

Tonight is also the second Boy vs Girl night at Supermarket pitting Robyn Dell’Unto against Morgan Cameron Ross – tonight it’s Robyn’s turn to shine while Morgan heckles her from the crowd.  If you haven’t seen these two perform yet you should get your butt down there to see them.  I’ve been a fan of Robyn since her CD release party last year and she has a gorgeous voice with great songs.

Hope you guys are having a good week so far.

 

 

This is one of my all-time favourite soups to make.  I think it might even be my signature soup!  It’s pretty easy to make and doesn’t take too long.  The hardest part for me is to peel the squash.  Enjoy.

 BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 butternut squash – peeled, seeded & cubed

2 vegetable bouillon cubes

salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, cumin and basil to taste

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel and remove seeds from squash.  Cut into equal sized cubes and cover with water.
2. Bring to a rolling boil and add 1 tbsp butter and your first round of spices.
3. Boil until squash is soft then turn heat down to minimum and add vegetable bouillon cubes.
4. Using a slotted spoon take squash from pot and put into blender and puree.  **NOTE use oven mitts or a towel to hold the blender lid because the squash mixture is HOT!**
5. Once squash is pureed, add it back into the pot of water and turn heat to medium.
6. Add the rest of the butter, sour cream and spices to taste.
7. Simmer for 20-30 minutes or until mixture thickens.
8. Add a dollop of sourcream (or try cottage cheese) and serve

**My photo turned out terrible so I borrowed this one from Caroline Drake.  Recipe is my own.

This morning started off a little stressful but ended up turning into a nice evening.  After we sorted everything out and finished running around I came home and decided to clean and start cooking.  I absolutely LOVE cooking and making things from scratch.  I don’t do it enough and I’m going to make a big effort to cook more this year.  I made an amazing butternut squash soup and banana oat muffins.  I’ll post them tomorrow and if you like butternut squash you’ve got to try out my new recipe.

I finally found a nice place to move into after months of looking and applying and being disappointed.  It’s so hard to find a good apartment lately and we’ve seen some disgusting and beautiful places.  I’m sticking to my East End hood, which I love, and getting a nice main floor place with a working fireplace, backyard and huge kitchen!  I have been dreaming of wine and relaxing by the fireplace since I signed the lease.  Perfect for Canadian winters.

I’m really excited for 2012.  The past two years have been very challenging and thankfully things have started to feel a little more balanced.  I can’t wait to move into our new place and decorate.  I’ve decided to get rid of as much as I can and start fresh.  New year, new girl, new life

Well my soup’s ready and then I get to watch Breaking Dawn for the first time tonight!  Hope you all had a great weekend.

And the weekend is here.  Hope you all enjoyed it.  Blog is coming back little by little