Weekly Wrap Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

It's been over a year since I stopped doing a 'Weekly What' post but I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...so welcome to the second Weekly Wrap-Up!!

MONDAY: I started the week off by sharing some inspiration for the week. 

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I talked about #BellLetsTalk.

THURSDAY: I shared a song that I love.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by reviewing how my Resolution/Goal for 2015 is going so far. 

Friendly Resolution- January

Happy Friday and happy almost last day of January! This month has had some ups and downs, but I have tried really hard to focus on my word for 2015- Happy! It's been challenging at times, but I've been pretty good at noticing when I wasn't happy and doing things to change that.

I'm not big on resolution, because let's be honest, most of us rarely stick to them. I like to set mini goals for myself to accomplish throughout the year. This year, I've decided to focus on two goals- one professional and one personal.

My friends are my world. I try really hard to be a good friend and I try really hard to work on my friendships. It's so easy to let friendships fade if you move, get married, have a baby, start a new job...there are so many reasons/excuses for friendships to fade. I've always tried to maintain my friendships; generally one or two visits a year with texting, phone calls and Facebook messages in between. 

This year, I decided that every month, I would make the point to connect with two friends. How did I do in January?

Pretty well!! I actually ended up connecting with four friends!

D- A friend since high school, even though we lived hours apart. She currently lives about a 5 minutes drive from me and I see her maybe two or three times a year. I met her for coffee one Sunday, followed by some shopping downtown.

R- We used to work together, so I would talk to her every day and see her once a week- at least. She left for another job, lots of texting and phone calls. I was supposed to see her in October, the same day as my car accident. She did offer to come to the hospital with me (what a GREAT friend), which I declined. We met for lunch and then she came over to hang out for a few hours. 

C- Another co-worker. We used to work in the same office, she went on mat leave and when she came back, they put her in a different office. I see her every couple of weeks, but we haven't hung out in MONTHS. We had a nice, long and delicious brunch. Lots of laughs and great to catch up.

G- Yet another co-worker! She left to go to school and do her Masters. I have seen her twice for dinner in the past almost 6 months since she left, which is honestly pretty good. We had an impromptu coffee date one Saturday afternoon.

R- She lives a 5 minute walk from my house. We have both had a lot of changes in our lived over the past several months, and went from hanging out every other weekend to maybe hanging out 3 times in the past 9 months. I went over to her place for leftover lasagna, wine and girl talk. It was so great and exactly what I needed. 

I realize that I likely won't connect with so many friends in the coming months- I think that two is a realistic number- but I'm really happy with the number of friends I've connected with this month. I actually have Saturday adventure already scheduled with a friend for February and I have two friends that I want to touch base with in February.

I'm really hoping this is a 'resolution' I can stick with. Like I said, my friends are my world and I think it's so important to put time and energy to build and maintain friendships.

Drink A Hope To Happy Years

I am so happy it's Thursday! I had the BUSIEST week last week! I usually work 70 hours in a 14 hour pay period. Last week, I worked over 80 hours in 6 days. It was excessive and exhausting! But, it means I only have to work half a day today and I'm off tomorrow!! 

For the first time all month, I will be heading out of town for the weekend- if the weather cooperates! I'm looking forward to some peace and quit, reading and relaxing...just getting away to clear my head. 

I'll be driving about an hour and half away from the city, and since I recently found my-lost-for-over-two-years Dave Matthews Band CD, you can bet that's what I'll be listening to on my drive. 

I love so many DMB songs, but this is one of my favourites:

 How great is this song? I'll definitely have it on repeat!

Inspire Me- Never Out Of Style

This is the Monday I have been counting down too. I had a HUGE fundraiser for work yesterday and ended up working over 15 hours yesterday. In fact all last week, in preparation for the fundraiser, I was working 9-12 hour days (instead of my usual 7 hours).  So today, I am rewarded with a day off. I have an appointment at noon and plan on doing only things that make me happy today; reading, writing, maybe some Netflix, spending the day in pj's, enjoy cups upon cups of tea. I earned this day off, and trust me...I EARNED the day off. 

 

I've mentioned several times, that my word for 2015 is happy. I am really focused on this word and am really making an effort to be happy. The above quote is from Lilly Pulitzer. Happy is never outdated, or overrated for that matter. 

Sunday Reading & Coffee

After I graduated from University, I was gifted (at my request) a Sunday subscription to a Toronto newspaper, which I read every week while drinking coffee...I felt it was a very grown up thing to do and something I should  be doing, so I did. While I no longer have a newspaper subscription, I still feel that a great Sunday includes coffee and reading.

With this concept, I decided each week- on Sunday- to share some of my favourite reads from the past week. So grab a cup of coffee (or your beverage of choice) and enjoy these reads.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Smart, Pretty & Awkward should be a mandatory read.

January is Alzheimer's Awareness Month, and this Globe & Mail article talks about The 72%, which was this year's Awareness Campaign.

Personally, I like Miss Universe Canada's National Costume. I think it's unique and representative of Canada. Love it!!

This weekend is the NHL All-Star Weekend. It's a three day event; Fantasy Draft of Friday, Skills Competition on Saturday and the All-Star Game on Sunday. I love watching the Fantasy Draft, it's pretty entertaining. You can read (and watch) some of the highlights from the draft here.
 

Hope everyone has a great Sunday...I am busy working a HUGE fundraiser and have at least a 18 hour day ahead of me...I cannot wait until Monday (yes, I have the day off- thankfully)!!

Weekly Wrap-Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

It's been over a year since I stopped doing a 'Weekly What' post but I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...so welcome to the second Weekly Wrap-Up!!

MONDAY: I started the week off by sharing some inspiration for the week. 

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I shared my thoughts on Target Canada. 

THURSDAY: I reviewed my first Fab Fit Fun box.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by talking about...nothing! Crazy work week and I didn't have a chance to write anything.

Hey, It's Ok!

 

To be sad that Target is closing all 133 stores in Canada.  Target came to Canada two years ago.

That I cannot wait for this weekend to be over. My biggest fundraiser of the year is this weekend and I just need it to go well. And for it to be over so I can have some down time.

To have discovered a Lush store near me! It's about half an hour away, but well worth the drive. I'm happy to shop online, but somethings- like shopping at Lush- are just better in person.

That I am behind in my magazine reading. I subscribe to 6 magazines (which might be excessive) and I have a pile- a few months worth- growing in my living room.

To truly notice a difference when I wear computer glasses. I stopped wearing them for a few months and just started again...there is definitely a difference.

That I'm happy that the New York Rangers and Marc Staal came to terms for a contract extension! I love NYR and Marc is one of my favourite hockey players, so this is great news!!

Inspire Me- Up

Another Monday, another start to a week...boo. I have a huge event on the weekend, so this week will be HECTIC!! Long days, late nights, stress and chaos. I can't wait until next Monday when the event is over and I can have a little break. Work wise, this will not be a fun week, I am planning on seeing a friend tonight, and tomorrow night I have a speed networking event and drinks & dessert outing with friends. There will be some fun this week- if I can escape the office!

If I can't get away from the office, I'll just have to remember the weekend. Another weekend spent at my apartment, instead of at one of my homes. Friday night, I worked late and treated myself to dinner, then it was home for some mindless tv watching. Saturday was busy- Target, Starbucks, Lush, discovering a new mall and coffee with a friend. Sunday, brunch with a friend, some blog stuff and then just relaxing. It was a great weekend!

Anyway, this weeks inspiration: 

How true is this? No matter your mood, if you just get up and get dressed, things improve. It can be a challenge to get up and out of bed every morning, but getting up is half the battle. The way you dress will also influence your mood- if you were something you are comfortable in or something that makes you feel confident, those feelings will transfer and help with the situation.

I know that this is going to be a challenging week for me. I'm dreading it just thinking about it. If I can show up to work, I know I can power through, be productive and overcome all the challenges thrown my way. I need to be persistent, stick to my guns and just plug away- not give up.

This weeks inspiration is really about determination...if I can remember this quote and reflect on it through the week, I know that I will be successful. It's about not getting discouraged or frustrated...just be determined and work hard.

Hopefully, I'll be rewarded with having next Monday off.

Sunday Reading & Coffee

After I graduated from University, I was gifted (at my request) a Sunday subscription to a Toronto newspaper, which I read every week while drinking coffee...I felt it was a very grown up thing to do and something I should  be doing, so I did. While I no longer have a newspaper subscription, I still feel that a great Sunday includes coffee and reading.

With this concept, I decided each week- on Sunday- to share some of my favourite reads from the past week. So grab a cup of coffee (or your morning beverage of choice) and enjoy these reads.

As a blogger, I had to share 19 Ridiculously Useful Tips Every Blogger Should Know that I found on Buzzfeed.

I love the show Suits, so I was thrilled to see 10 Things Patrick J. Adams Can't Live Without in Toronto Life Magazine.

The start of a New Year, means resolutions. Flare Magazine editors shared their 2015 Resolutions, like not decluttering.

And finally, since my word for 2015 is happy, from Popsugar, 30 Day Happiness Challenge.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

Weekly Wrap-Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

It's been over a year since I stopped doing a 'Weekly What' post but I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...so welcome to the second Weekly Wrap-Up!!

MONDAY: I started the week off by sharing How To Be Happy.

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I reviewed the book The Flying Troutmans.

THURSDAY: I posted about...nothing! Blog day off.

FRIDAY: I finished the week by talking about a Charity Gala I'm working on.

Hey, It's Ok!

  To not have watched the Golden Globes. I'm just not that interested in award shows and I figure I can always youtube any highlights.   That I have just over two weeks vacation to use by the end of March. I really need to look at a calendar and figure out when I'm going to take it.   To be wishing, praying and hoping very hard that things go well on Thursday. Fingers crossed!!   That I have discovered chai latte for Keurig...soooo good and my new go to drink.   To really need a work space in my apartment. I love my tiny apartment, it's perfect for me, but I really need a work space.

Inspire Me- How To Be Happy

Happy Monday!! I had a fantastic weekend!! It was the first weekend in months that I spent in my apartment, instead of traveling to either my hometown or my second home. I love my apartment, but very little time here. 

Saturday was spent doing some stuff on my blog during the day and watching Netflix at night. It was relaxing and productive. Sunday, I met a friend for coffee and some downtown window shopping- she introduced me to the most amazing furniture and home decor store- and then I met another friend/former co-worker for a late lunch, followed by a nice visit at my apartment. It was great to spend time with both of these ladies...two good friends of mine, and two friends that I haven't seen in months!

But alas, the weekend is over and I have a BUSY week ahead of me! As always, some inspiration for the week:

 

My word for 2015 is happy. I'm making a real effort to focus on happy...being happy and having happy in my life. So far, so good. I'm generally a positive and happy person- even if people think I'm too busy to be happy (true story, someone actually said that to me). 

I do believe that our mood are a mind frame. If you decide you are miserable, you'll be in a miserable mood. If you decide you are happy, you will be in a happy mood. I frequently tell myself that I am happy, even if I hit some bumps in the road and I really just want to be discouraged or frustrated, I tell myself I am happy and start to think of happy thoughts. It really does take some effort and you have to be able to realize when you are not in a good mood.

This rule for how to be happy, is a good one; decide that you are in a good mood. I've decided that I'm happy and every morning I tell myself that 'today is going to be a great day!'

Sunday Reading & Coffee

After I graduated from University, I was gifted (at my request) a Sunday subscription to a Toronto newspaper, which I read every week while drinking coffee...I felt it was a very grown up thing to do and something I should  be doing, so I did. While I no longer have a newspaper subscription, I still feel that a great Sunday includes coffee and reading.

With this concept, I decided each week- on Sunday- to share some of my favourite reads from the past week. So grab a cup of coffee (or your morning beverage of choice) and enjoy these reads.

 

My 'must read' every week is always Molly Ford, of Smart Pretty & Awkward, latest post.

While I am against the word 'Selfie', I did enjoy Elle Canada's The Top 5 Reasons To Take A Selfie.

If you love the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's, you have to check out Town & Country's Live Like Holly Golightly In The Breakfast At Tiffany's Townhome.

 

And finally, since my word for 2015 is happy, The Best Quotes on Happiness, also from T&C.

 

Hope everyone has a great Sunday!!

Weekly Wrap-Up

A blog friend of mine, years ago, had a Saturday link up called 'Weekly What'. She eventually cut back on her blogging and the link up came to an end, but I kept doing it...I liked the concept; basically you put all of your Monday-Friday posts in one post on Saturday. It's essentially a summary of the past week on your blog. 

It's been over a year since I stopped doing a 'Weekly What' post but I thought for 2015, I would bring the concept back...so welcome to the first Weekly Wrap-Up!!

MONDAY: I started the week off by talking about My Word for 2015.

TUESDAY: I linked up with Amber for Hey! It's Ok.

WEDNESDAY: I posted my December TopBox

THURSDAY: I shared this hilarious clip of Nicole Kidman on Jimmy Fallon

FRIDAY: I finished the by going into the archives for this Rolo Stuffed Crackers recipe.

Is That Why You've Never Been On The Show Before?

Happy Friday Junior- as my favourite morning radio host would say!! We are almost at the end of the first full week of 2015. So far, things are going ok. I've had a challenge or two thrown my way already, but I have been very focused on my 2015 Word of the Year.

 

I don't know how many of you caught Nicole Kidman on Jimmy Fallon earlier this week, but it was funny. Not surprising, since most things Jimmy does are funny. I watched the clip (below) several times yesterday and just had to share it on the blog.

 

Enjoy!

 

Hey, It's Ok!

  To be beyond words happy and excited that Canada won gold at the World Junior Hockey Championships (WJC) last night!! Long over due, well deserved...and a GREAT game!!   That I really enjoyed my two weeks off. It was exactly what I needed; spending time with family and friends- people who truly love and support me.
To be happy that Celebrity Apprentice is back...it's one of my favourite shows. I haven't seen an episode yet, because I was watching WJC...but I'm hoping it'll be a good season.
That I spent the majority of Sunday cleaning, organizing and rearranging my apartment. It was a ton of work, but it's nice to have my apartment organized and to have purged and gotten rid of a ton of stuff I don't need.
To try to be sleeping before midnight, so I can get up earlier and be more productive in the mornings. I'm on day two, and it's going well so far.
That I want things to go back to the way they were.
To be amazed that #CanadaBrokeTwitter last night after Canada won gold at thw WJC.
That it's kind of sad that I actually used a hashtag in the above sentence.

2015 Word of the Year Is...

Happy New Year!!! I hope that everyone had a GREAT Christmas and New Year's Eve. I was off from work for two week- bliss!!- it was just want my soul needed. I spent a the first week in my hometown and the second week in my second home. In both places, my days were filled with friends and family. And, of course, cheering on Team Canada at the World Juniors (WJC)!!

I am ready to break up with 2014 and move on to 2015. I'm looking forward to this year and am hoping for a great year. There will be a lot of changes, but I'm looking forward to it. 

I don't make New Year's resolutions, instead I pick a quote, phrase or saying to reflect on and try and live throughout the year. A lot of bloggers are posting their word of the year and a number of days ago, my friend Jenn asked friends to share with her their word for 2015.

I decided to pick 'happy' as my word for this year. I'm generally a very happy person. I feel happy and people comment on how happy I am. In 2014, I was lacking happiness...I didn't feel happy, I didn't act happy, I didn't think happy. I'm changing that for 2015.

In 2015, I'm going to go back to being happy. I'm going to make up each morning, smile and tell myself 'today is going to be a happy day' and each night, I'm going to reflect back on all of the happy things that happened that day. Kind of like the '100 days of happy challenge' except all year. It's the simple things in life.

I'm looking forward to my upcoming, happy year.

Secret Sister, Valentine's Day & Other Occasions: Unique Gift Idea

Happy Friday!! This has seemed like the longest week ever! I'm not sure if it's because this was actually a long week or if it's because I worked on Sunday, plus put in a full work week. Either way, I am exhausted and ready for the weekend!!!

I'm supposed to go to a Brock University basketball game with friends tomorrow, but the weather is supposed to be less than ideal (15cm of snow and cold), so we will see what happens. I have some things I need to do around the apartment, for the blog and birthday planning.

As most people know, my birthday is on Valentine's Day. I'm not going to go into how much this sucks or why it sucks... But I am going to say, other people get gifts on my birthday. I have to figure out a unique and thoughtful gift to give to someone on my birthday. Not cool.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Datevitation. They were looking to expand shipping to Canada (yea!!) and were wondering if I would order a book and let them know when I received it, so they could test how long it takes to ship to Canada. In exchange for helping them out, they I would get the book for free.

I did a 'Just Because' of book for one of my Sorority Sisters. I created it for her and her husband and I was able to add a personal message at the beginning of the book, which I signed 'Your Secret Sister'. 

I picked dates that I thought her and her husband would enjoy- dinner out, movie night- and a couple of fun 'dates'- her husband getting to win an argument and her husband filling her car with gas. Each date includes an illustration of the date and a blurb, which can be personalized. I liked that I was able to personalize it even more by adding their faces to the illustration (I blacked out their faces in the picture below for privacy reasons).

The caption in the picture reads "R wins an argument, He's right, J's wrong. Case closed."

The verdict? The book was of good quality and it took less than a week for me to receive the finished product. Plus, it was a huge hit! Everyone had a good laugh over some the dates that were picked and the stick figures are pretty cute with human heads on them. This was a really unique, unexpected and fun gift!

For more information or to create your own book of dates- makes a perfect Valentine's Day gift, which is only 2 weeks away- visit Dateviation.

***DISCLOSURE: I was sent a free Datevitation book to help the company see how long it would take to ship to Canada. Once they decided that they would introduce shipping to Canada, I was asked to write a review. All opinions are my own.***

Life Update: January

I can't believe that this month will be over tomorrow! I feel that the month went by fairly quickly, but slower than months in 2013. 

I started the month with a blog post, where I had mentioned how great 2013 had been and that I hoped the 'good' would carry over to 2014. Sadly, this wasn't the case. There was a lot of good this month, but also a lot of not so good. Reflecting back on the month...the good that happened isn't the first to come to mind.

I really struggled this month. And while I am not struggling as much, I am still struggling. I'm trying to find ways to remain hopeful and positive. It's challenging. 

But who wants to hear about negative stuff? No one! And quite frankly, I don't particularly want to write about negative stuff.

After the holidays, I didn't have to be back to work until January 5. I was able to spend a couple of extra days out of the city and prepare myself for the month ahead. Due to weather, our office was actually closed on January 5 and 6- yea two extra days off! I spent them in my apartment reading and watching tv. It was great.

 

Work takes over my life for the month of January. I had 20 work days (including the two snow days) this month. I had 18 work related meeting this month...that's crazy.

 

Remember when I worked on a commercial? The event was this past weekend. $30,000 was raised and everyone had a lot of fun at the event. After the event, I went out with some co-workers...it was nice to socialize with them outside of work.

Due to the weather, a number of social activities were cancelled, so on a personal level, it was a quiet month. Surprisingly, I was only social three times this month...that is so unlike me!

I had dinner with a friend...it was nice to see her and catch up. We went to one of my favourite restaurants, so the food was amazing!

 

I have mentioned before that I am a member of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority. Our chapter meeting, program and social this month were cancelled due to weather. But we were invited to visit another chapter. Chapter visitation is where one chapter invites another chapter to join them for a social activity and it's an opportunity to get to know people outside of our chapter.

 

We ended up doing belly dancing! Our instructor gave us a history on belly dancing, which was kind of interesting. Did you know that belly dancing was originally for women only? They would gather in caves, kitchens, etc to celebrate and just start dancing.

 

It was a lot of fun and it was nice to meet new people, but I had a blast with the girls from my chapter. We spent most of the night laughing. 

The highlight of the month was celebrating a friends 30th birthday! Last year, she had a murder mystery dinner party. This year, she had a pajama party! It was such a relaxed, low key night. I loved it! Everyone was told to wear pj's and show up hungry. She is an amazing cook and served a ton of food. After everyone arrived and had plates full of food, she started the screening of her favourite movie, Doctor Zhivago. 

I had never seen the movie before. It was really interesting...but really long! One of the girls there was actually from Russia. It was fun to watch it with her...she was able to tell us what the signs meant and give us a bit of history on Russia and the events in the movie.We were allowed to talk during the movie and we hung out a bit after the movie. It was a REALLY fun night!

 

A couple of blog keeping items:

• Today is the last day to enter Sew Crafty Angel's Birthday Giveaway. $850 is up for grabs! You can enter here. 
• If you are into all things beauty, check out Blushed on a Budget
• Lauren, Melissa and Leslie are all awesome.
• Are you reading Smart, Pretty & Awkward yet???

Work will be busy in February, but I have a lot of fun things planned...my birthday is next month! I have a few things planned throughout the month to celebrate. I'm looking forward to it...should be a fun month!

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To have had a successful event on the weekend, even though we didn't reach our goal. I knew back in November that we weren't going to reach our goal, so I wasn't surprised. But the event itself ran smoothly, every had fun, people were happy...a huge success.

That I support Bell's Let's Talk Campaign, which raises awareness and funds for mental health initiatives. For ever text message, mobile and long distance phone call, Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health initiatives. Not a Bell phone user? They are also donating 5 cents for every tweet that uses #LetsTalk. I also like that Bell is using all their media (phone, radio and tv) to focus on Let's Talk, including airing television different specials on their different channels. More info can be found here.

To be dreading my day full of meetings (11:30-1, 1-2, 2:30-4, 7-8:30), especially since I didn't fall asleep until 2am and was woken up before 5 by my neighbour.

That I can get back to life outside of work now that my event is over! A social tomorrow night, Brock basketball game on Saturday, dinner out on Saturday, touring the Hamilton Ti-Cats new stadium on Tuesday...lots of fun things coming up in the next week!

To think that everyone should enter Sew Crafty Angel's Birthday Giveaway. There's still time to enter and you can win $850!!! Enter here.