If there’s anything that living in the Pacific Northwest has taught me, is that one should be ready for absolutely anything, at any given moment. The weather is the biggest factor in this analogy, but it’s also the land, the coast, the ocean, the mountains – all these factors change continuously throughout the day, even the hour. Temperatures are frigid in the morning, and then warm up to t-shirt weather by afternoon. Drive 45 minutes in any direction and the land might be covered in snow or a dry desert.
Having always been a procrastinator, who waits until the very last minute of any deadline given, it’s taken me a while to become accustomed to this temperament. After a major and unpredicted snowfall yesterday, my daughter begged me to go sledding, and I, “busy” as I was, told her, “the snow will be here tomorrow, let’s go tomorrow after school”. Sure enough, overnight, the snowfall turned into rain, and almost everything has melted.
Doing things tomorrow isn’t why people live here.
If the sun is shining, which is rare this time of year, you will see everyone outside, enjoying the weather. Going for hikes, riding bike trails, bouldering cliffs, taking the babies out in strollers – don’t get me wrong, these crazy West Coasters also do many of these things in the rain, like jogging, especially, is a rain or shine or snow or slush sport around here, but after a long day of rain, when that sun comes out, people take advantage.
I was not one of those people. I had schedules. To-do lists. Things that needed to be done. Just because the sun was shining didn’t mean we would run outside to play, I would assume, wrongfully most of the time, that it would still be around later. To really enjoy living here, I had much to learn.
There’s a silly expression in ski towns: “No Friends on a Pow Day.” I say silly because it’s kind of controversial in ski mags and videos lately – most people agree that skiing or snowboarding is more fun when with friends. The flip side is this: When the opportunity of a fresh snowfall arises, are you going to wait for someone to get out of bed, wait to meet with your friends, or are you going to rush out and take advantage of the first ski lift – yes, you’re alone – but it’s incredible to ski down untouched terrain. It’s all about seizing and enjoying that moment, ultimately for yourself.
For 2013 there’s nothing more that I want than to be those people, out there, enjoying the sunshine even when there might be a list of chores to get done or an impending deadline on their minds. I want to savour those last few moments of daylight before it gets dark. I want to watch for shooting stars on a clear night, even if it’s cold out. I want to grab my skis on a pow day and feel the fresh, cold air against my skin and not think of anything else in that moment.
What’s your new years resolution?
xo
Fab Brunette
Last summer my laptop went on the fritz, and after years and years as a Windows/PC user, I made it my mission to get a MAC laptop of some sort. I mean, we were heavy Apple fans – iPod touch, iPod shuffle, iPhones 3, 4, 5, iPads – I figured, what was one more Apple device? It turned out that the MAC computer was about the same price as a MAC book, and so not only did I go from being a PC to a MAC, I also went from being mobile to stationary, and I needed to find a desk to put this massive computer.
My requirements for a desk were simple – white, modern, simple. I had lusted after a Parsons desk for years, but I wasn’t pleased with the quality of this one. I searched for months and months, and by fluke walked into one of my favourite stores on South Granville – Peridot, which is actually on W 14th and around the corner from West Elm. They carried both the traditional Parsons desk & this one with silhouette legs. And I fell in love.
Since this desk was just a temporary solution until we moved, I wanted something that Princess could use in her room afterwards – and this is perfectly girly without being cheesy! Modern and timeless – not overly trendy – I am hoping this desk lasts her from homework to the makeup years… I mean, wouldn’t it look darling with a fancy mirror above it? I think when the time comes to put it in her new room I’ll be adding a tulip chair or a chair in a bright print, but for now it is hanging out with a Tobias chair from Ikea (stolen from the dining room!) and covered with a sheepskin (Ikea!) for some added comfort!
I honestly don’t get too much work done here – I think J is pulling his hair out at the lack of work done on the “fancy new computer” – but how can I with this little guy? I just want to pinch those little cheeks instead of write emails… wouldn’t you?
xo
Fab Brunette
ps. This office “area” is in my bedroom, right next to the crib, also in my bedroom. Did I mention that I can’t WAIT to move?
(this image is via Thistlewood Farms)
I’m sure you have already figured out that I’m a major sucker for Christmas trees & decorations (see examples 1 & example 2, for instance) and I’m pretty sure you didn’t think my lack of sleep would attribute to any lack of Christmas cheer on this blog… I mean, lack of sleep = lack of meaningful blog posts. Lack of sleep < Christmas Cheer. Get it, you fabulous mathematicians? Here are some gorgeous white Christmas trees… Enjoy them!
(via Le Chateau des Fleurs)
(via Nicole Lanteri)
(via Decor Demon)
The thing I love about white trees is that they are literally a blank canvas – you can add as much or as little colour as you wish – you can go monotone, chic, simple or bold! What do you think of white Christmas trees? Would you have one?
xo
Fab Brunette
ps. Follow me on Pinterest for More Christmas Decor Ideas!
I’ve realised that I can be dramatic at times. I wanted to entitle this post “A Study in Misery” and lament over the woes of how horrible this weekend was. The rain came down, the wind blew hard, and I didn’t get any sleep. But I think that’s the worst of it. I truly cannot think of any more ‘misery’ that became me or my family. So… there goes my dramatic title!
Truly, it’s been a weekend of ups and downs. J is not loving work right now, he’s working hard, seven days a week and the weather is working against him.
Friday night we did a true Family Night! Princess picked out dinner (sushi! yum!), we watched the Disney movie Brave (cute! funny!), and we cuddled in bed together waaaay past her bedtime (9:00 pm!). We felt like parents. It was a good thing. Saturday we all woke up early and spent the day in the kitchen – chocolate croissants, applesauce, chocolate chip cookies, roasted butternut squash burritos – it was a delicious day! I did have to run a few errands in the horrible rain, but all-in-all, it was a good day. And J & I even went out to catch a movie. Woot!
Our little baby Prince has past the 6-month mark and is growing with immense speed! He’s now got two teeth and starting to take down solids with gusto – I found out the hard way last night that you shouldn’t feed a baby “dinner” as their main meal. He was up ALL night digesting those sweet potatoes. ALL NIGHT. Until about 5:30 am when he finally gave out a cry and filled his diaper. After a quick change and a nurse, he THEN fell asleep for a couple of hours.
But at that point it was 6:45 am, J was off to work and Princess was waking up, as is de rigeur in this household on the weekends. I had a huge coffee and then fed Prince some Milupa rice cereal, and am thinking that maybe breakfast & lunch might be the way to start him off with solids if he’s going to be digesting it for hours on end afterwards. ALSO! I did a whole bunch of laundry AND I put it away. AND I decluttered and reorganized a few shelves. YAY!
I mean, this weekend wasn’t anything overtly special. It wasn’t anything to photograph about or even blog about. It wasn’t that bad and it had its’ moments of extreme happiness.
And that’s just fine with me 
xo
Fab Brunette
ps. How was your weekend?
After procrastinating for years on getting an eye exam, I finally got one done a few weeks ago and was surprised (not really) to discover that my prescription has changed. This gave me the excuse to find a new pair of eyeglass frames, and I was looking for something ‘geek chic’, with more emphasis on the ‘chic’. These Jimmy Choo JC66 frames were perfect and they’ve got just the right amount of sparkle at the temple. I never thought I’d get another pair of Choos so soon!
xo
Fab Brunette
I’ve realised that although I’ve written on my blog a couple of times about minimalism, it really has been a rare occurrence, one could even say that the appearance of it has been minimal. (bwahahaha. excuse me.) I’ve written about Living with Intention, and Getting Rid of Your Stuff, I’ve shown you images of Dream Homes filled with clean lines. But I haven’t nearly explained why it’s something that’s almost always on my mind.
I have always been drawn to a minimal lifestyle, but it’s not something I’ve taken the time to explore on this blog, and it’s something I struggle with and thoroughly accept in different parts of my life.
I think it was in my teens when I started getting into interior design. I would flip through design magazines, scope out different pictures online, dream big dreams of what my home will one day look like. Then I moved out and moved in with my boyfriend (J, my now husband), whose minimal lifestyle with refreshing. His version of minimalism was this: no clutter, anywhere. Clothes in their closet. No night stands. Just a low waterbed on the floor, with two lamps on dimmers, an enclosed shelving unit for small items (phones, watches, dvds) and a large closet where his clothes and shoes were. He also had his TV hanging from the ceiling (which eliminated the need for more furniture in a small room). And then I moved in.
I brought stuff – not ALL of my stuff, but I definitely brought stuff with me. I’m a girl, I would say, rolling my eyes, I come with baggage! Literally: flat irons, makeup & hair products, more shoes than I could count on fingers and toes, books & dvds, pictures, and a ton of clothes – and I still had a room full of stuff at my parent’s house. But I think it’s normal at 20 to not have it all figured out, right?
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