Princess has started school and we are all slowly getting back into the routine of ‘real life’. After a summer of doing as we wish, it feels a little better knowing we have somewhere to go everyday. J’s parents are visiting and already I’ve taken his mother out to see ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ (my second time watching it, her first) and out for a glass of wine afterwards. We’ve also gone shopping, lunching and coffee-dating. Busy bee over here!

Tomorrow is also J’s dad’s birthday and I’ll be making a triple-chocolate fudge cake for him, with the help of Princess of course! Whenever I am about to bake something, J and Princess both make the request that whatever it is contains as much chocolate as possible – and I happily oblige. Who am I to disagree?

Also, I just need to share that I’ve been having a terrific hair week. And that is always something to shout about!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

This upcoming long weekend is going to be a fun and hectic one, that’s for sure!

I’m working a wedding this weekend, which I am so excited for! The bride is beautiful and it is a mixed ethnicity wedding which  makes things so interesting – I adore learning about different cultures and their traditions, and there is no better way than actually being a part of the festivities!

J’s parents are coming down this weekend. His mom and dad actually decided to drive down from Ontario all the way to British Columbia, and as they left last Saturday we were expecting them either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week – except that the vehicle they were driving broke down in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Where the heck is that? I have no clue. Regardless, after their 4th day haggling with the mechanic, waiting for parts and putting it all back together, they should finally arrive this Sunday.

His dad is actually moving down here, isn’t that amazing? (Backstory: his parents are split up and both remarried, kinda, but after so many years have passed they are very good friends still, isn’t it amazing? and a little weird?) He’s going to spend a few months here with us before finding a house to move his whole family into! J’s mother will be staying for a little less than a month, but it’ll be fun with her down here, even for a bit!

We will also be turning a piece of dead space in our home into an office. We have a closet which in “condo language” qualifies as a den. Of course, a single bed would not even fit in here and it has always been used as a junk closet. Literally. I would put garbage bags in there when I was too lazy to bring it down. I’ve since cleaned it out, the bike is gone, the rubbish is gone, and anything worth keeping has been stored in our bed (we have one of those storage beds now), and I’m ready to create an office!

A trip to Ikea is definitely in need and if it’s any good when finished, I will definitely show you guy some pix!

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I hope that where ever you are, you are having an amazing weekend!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

ps. What are your plans for the weekend?

pps. All pictures via weheartit.com.

I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in days. I’m not quite sure why, but according to J he believes the 4 teas a day habit I’ve recently procured might have something to do with it. Along with the morning Starbucks and some Green & Black’s, I could see his point. When I’m tired, I get very very very grumpy. I yell at everyone. I told them all to stay away from me. After three nights of not being able to sleep, I finally gave in. No more caffeine.

Let’s just say it was more than a little difficult. By 5 pm I was ready for bed. I did everything I could do to NOT make myself a tea or a coffee. I took a shower, blowdryed my hair, and finally felt a bit better. Fell asleep before 10 pm and awoke this morning refreshed, with a smile on my face and ready to take on the world!

My morning was spent baking cupcakes. Filling cupcakes. Frosting cupcakes. Decorating cupcakes.

When I was finished I rushed around trying to get ready for my tasting appointment. Did my hair in rollers, only to shove it into a high ponytail when it was all done. Dressed Princess presentably with bows in her hair since the sitter cancelled. Took pictures of my cupcakes.

And then I went to meet my appointment. And I sat there, ordered my Americano, decaf please. And sat there. Out of habit I started checking my blackberry for emails and messages, and then I went through the emails I had with the tasting appointment, and realised I didn’t have a phone number to reach them, and they were also late.

My mind started going a little crazy. Were they skipping out on me? Had I made all these cupcakes and now being stood up? I waited, tapping my foot impatiently, sipping on my decaf coffee. I re-read all the emails to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I even emailed her.

And then it hit me.

The appointment was for September 2nd. Today is the 1st. I had put the appointment in my phone incorrectly.

Swallowing my pride and my hot coffee, I quickly took my large box of cupcakes back up to my apartment, ready to do it all again tomorrow.

xoxo

Fab Brunette

With cupcakes appearing on this blog again, I’m sure you might have some questions… all will be revealed in a future post! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

Most mornings I wake up alone. J wakes up early for work, leaving anytime as early as 5:30 am sometimes, but usually closer to 7 am, and so I wake up alone. Sprawled out. In a deep slumber. I believe I get the most sleep out of those wee morning hours, stretched as far as I can go, all four pillows belonging to me, the duvet becomes my own cocoon and I’m at peace with the world. It’s also when I dream them most – I had the best dream the other day (Robert Pattinson & Jonathan Rhys-Meyers were both in it!) and it was in the morning….

This morning J slept in. Well, not exactly slept in because his alarm went off every 30 minutes on his phone from 5:30 this morning, but we lay there, awake and talking. We rarely have a moment of peaceful talking. It’s either work talk, or boring day convos, or ‘which movie are we watching?’ talk, or gossip, or complaints, or ‘what are we going to eat tonight?’ talk.

But this morning was different, and it was nice to just talk and giggle and just be.

AND we made a decision.

We’ve decided on a lifestyle change. A few months ago we were losing weight, excercising, and eating  healthy. And theennnn….. we fell off the band wagon, incorporated more eating, more drinking, more cake! And, faster than I’d like to admit, we gained everything back. We can’t even believe that we’re here again. We were almost at our goals and we blew it all for a few bites of pizza and some extra wine at night. And everytime we were wanting to get back on track, something would deter us. Either family visits or celebrations or we were too busy – excuses! excuses!

Have you ever tried to lose weight with your significant other? It is hard. It’s not just yourself you have to keep in check (your own cravings and laziness) but anothers. Everytime J would call and ask what’s for dinner, I would tell him: chicken and veggies. And he would go on about how he already ate something ‘bad’ today and why not just order pizza. I would say no. Then he would say, oh gawd chicken is so boring. And I would relent. Or it would be the other way around. I would be the one badgering him into eating cupcakes or brownies.

It’s not enough for just one person to want to lose weight. And I am definitely no picture-perfect housewife that lives off salads while her man eats enough for a family of 4. We both want to do it.

And it finally feels like it might stick.

xoxo

Fab Brunette

PS. What does your morning routine look like?

1 year ago: It Feels Like A Countdown

I was up late last night, not partying it up with Lady Gaga at her after party (but thanks to twitter for all the reminders that I am seriously lacking in a proper social life), I was thinking. I was fueled by one too many freshly baked cookies – I was cleaning my kitchen, catching up on mountains of laundry, finishing up paperwork, all the while watching the Sex and the City movie – and I was thinking.

The window was open, the night air was cool and I could feel autumn coming. You know that feeling? It’s not quite cold out but there’s this feeling in the breeze and you know that any day now you will wake up to gold, bronze and red leaves, that crunch beneath your feet and thick scarves wrapped around your neck.

I think that my favourite season in Vancouver is fall. In New York City and Toronto I adore the snowy winters, in Montreal I prefer the summer, and I’ll take any season in Paris (except for August, that’s when everyone leaves Paris for vacation anyway). The summer in Vancouver is absolutely gorgeous, the weather is amazing and there’s so much to do.  But I was thinking about autumn last night, and I realised…

I’ve been in Vancouver for almost a year now. I moved here last October. Time passes quickly, more quickly with every year, but it’s been a wonderful year so far, and I’m just looking forward to see what else comes my way!

xoxo

Fab Brunette

1 Year Ago: What Should I Do?

Growing up I didn’t have quite the minimal lifestyle I have now – as a teenager, who really does? We accumulate junk all through our young lives, things we deem important: old toys, scraps of paper, books, trinkets, cheap jewelry, hair clips, the list is endless – and your room gets overwhelmed by it. I think for myself the ‘minimal-want’ started when I realised I really resented cleaning my room. I hated dusting and everything that came with keeping all my junk tidy. But I still had trouble throwing things out. Why?

I think we hate throwing out things that we buy, that we’ve spent money on. I think that’s where the ‘hoarding’ starts – the guilt of throwing away ‘money’ is too much at first. But what is it costing you by keeping it? If it’s good for nothing, if you haven’t worn it in a year, if you haven’t used it in a year, if looking at the item brings upon a feeling of disgust or turmoil or any negativity – what is the point of keeping it?

If you really have trouble with throwing a bunch of stuff out – trick yourself. Put all the items you think you’d like to get rid of but can’t into a box. Put 30 items in there. Now put the box in a closet, under your bed, or anywhere that is out of the way and you won’t see on a daily basis. How long before you forget about the box? 6, 8, 10 months later, will you even remember what was in it? Probably not.

And then you discover that you can live with out all this junk, it’s so much easier to give it away, donate it, or if it really is useless, just recycle or throw it away.

Today I came across this news article and got a little excited. The idea that getting rid of stuff makes you happier, that’s quite an idea as oposed to that stuff will make you happier: that new purse, a car, shoes, new sheets, glasses…. Tammy Strobel is the author that is featured in the article and she also has her own blog, Rowdy Kittens.

Back to the idea that we’re afraid to throw away things we’ve spent money on… I realised that after getting rid of that guilt, that I purchase things a little more wisely now. I think twice before buying things: do I really need this? Can I live without this? Can I get rid of something else if I want to get this?

I suppose it’s easier to live minimally when half your life is packed up and across the country, but I hardly miss any of those things, and when you don’t have all this junk to mess through, you realise what is actually importantto you. Things I couldn’t live without? My photo albums. My favourite dresses. The bracelet my boyfriend got me. My ipod & speaker. My camera & laptop. But most other stuff? I think if it came down to it, I can do without.

I hate walking into a place where every window sill is filled with junk, cluttered with tchockis and trinkets – I almost feel as though that person is cluttered in his mind as well. What’s important to him? Pick your favourite things and showcase them, value their importance, don’t hide them behind dust and other unimportant things. Don’t hang on to things because they were gifts and mean nothing otherwise.

Without a ton of junk holding me back or bringing me down, I have a clear mind, a clear place in my heart and in my world – and that place is for family. For cuddling. For practicing yoga with my daughter. For learning new things. For cooking. For simply enjoying life without being bogged down by all the stuff we think we need.

I will always love shoes. I will always caress bags in Louis Vuitton. I will finger through brand new copies of Paris Vogue and drink my cappuccinos while imagining a world where Balmain existed in my closet. It’s a guilty pleasure, but it doesn’t consume me. My life would be no happier with more things in it. The stuff we accumulate over the years doesn’t make a life.

Life is journeys we take, friendships and family, foods we eat and the wine we drink. It’s feeling sand between your toes, the cold ocean splashing, seeing a dolphin in the wild or a deer that hops up to you. It’s memories. It’s love. It’s feelings.

And none of those things can be captured in a postcard of a place I’ve been to.

What are five things you couldn’t live without? Imagine everything in your life is about to disappear - what 5 things would you never want to do without?

xoxo

Fab Brunette

ps. All pictures via weheartit.com