Charlie Chaplin

As you might have noticed if you have been following my blog for a few years,

I love having themed birthday parties! 

My first was a "Disney" themed birthday party :

Then a "Magical Forest" party :

 Then a "Circus" themed party :

Then last year, was my "Up in the air" party...

Then that brings us up to date with my "Silent Movie" themed birthday last Friday :)

(Photo Credit for all the Silent Movie action shots : Greg McKinnon)

My friends really dressed to the occasion,

and helped warm my tiny apartment :) 

One of my friends in particular went above the call of duty for the party, 

and painted his face to look like he just stepped out of a black and white film...

It was pretty amazing!

I actually kicked him when I saw him 

because I was so excited and didn't know how else to react!

Wow! That was a trip down memory lane ;)

Now off to study for my Geology midterm tomorrow,

wish me luck! 

- Love Britt

Photo Day

Some mornings I wake up and just know it is going to be a "Photo Day". I am not one to go about my day snapping photos of all I see, but some days I can just feel it in my bones, that driving force to capture beauty. It is quite like the thrill I feel for picking up the wooden tips of my knitting needles, or sitting in front of a sewing machine with a pinned project in my hands... I know something beautiful is going to come from it.

Last night I had my "Silent Movie" themed birthday party (which I will hopefully get photos up of later), but for right now I will start with the aftermath, for that is how I begun my day....

This may sounds weird but here goes... I kinda get a sick satisfaction about wandering around the aftermath of a party I've hosted... I get really excited to check out what people were drinking, see what they left behind, and find strange things out of place (like my fake mustache on the fridge, and spoons used for microphones by the record player). I love all of that. You can't be everywhere at a party, and this is my way to fully take it all in without all the chaos.

 My new favorite mug from my favorite lady <3

My new favorite tights <3

Wanderings and Farmers Market

(The last two photos were taken by a lovely,

and very precise stranger, 

who had a knack for photography)

 Picked up a new air plant terrarium for my window!

I indulged on leftover cheese plate goodies,

and the rest of the amazing film version of "Perfume".

After finishing getting my apartment back in order,

I hit a comedy showcase with one of my girlfriends,

and came back home to a relaxing night in :) 

 Now back to letter writing,

and bed times!

Good night beautiful people!

What did you do today?

You say its your birthday! Well its my birthday too yea!

Today is my 26th birthday!

I've come a long way in the last couple of years, 

in coming into myself,

my true self, 

seeing what I want

 and taking the steps towards making my dreams a reality.

This upcoming year holds so much hope and promise for me.

Finally finishing my degree, this semester will be a huge load off my mind.

As I have been waiting for this for such a long time, 

and am so proud of myself for going back and completing this stage of my life.

I am making plans for far off places after the summers end,

which will be a first of many new chapters in my life. 

By moving out on my own this year,

I have proven to myself that anything is possible when I put my mind to it.

And that life has a way of giving you what you want when you ask for it :)

For right now I am enjoying my birthday week of celebrations,

and getting jazzed about my 26th year on this planet :)

(Well 27th technically!)

Last night I started the week off with a dinner at my folks place,

where I was treated to a lovely home cooked meal,

and the darling company of my family :)

Drinking margaritas, 

dancing in the kitchen with my 81 year old aunt,

holding my 1 year old nephew,

staring across the room at my love in a bow tie I sewed him,

getting homemade cards, and new sewing scissors!

I am so blessed to have such a loving and generous family and

extended family that I get to be myself around. 

Today I was treated to breakfast in bed by my love,

a tour of the Bloedel Nature Conservatory with my family and Nate...

Then as per my birthday tradition,

we made our way down to the local train station,

slid some loonies into one of the only remaining photo booths in Vancouver,

and captured the day on film. 

I've done this for the past 3 years with Nate,

 and it was great being able to share this tradition with my family as well. 

 (Psst! Featured in the above photo is the necklace and matching earrings Nate got for me!)

 Then there was a late birthday lunch, 

where we were joined by my cousin and his wife,

who we barely get to see.

And then off home for Nate and I, 

to enjoy a night in :) 

We are now nestled in a blanket fort,

with champagne and a bouquet of fragrant flowers by our side.

About to watch another guilty pleasure,

and curl into each other for the rest of the evening.

Another birthday tradition that I have

is to light the above shown candle

only on my birthday,

and to meditate with it

and make some resolutions for the new year.

I bought the candle on my pilgrimage to France when I was 18,

and never lit it until 5 years ago when I decided it would make a perfect tradition.

That being said I think I am about to embark on that silence for a bit,

and say good night to you all in cyber land.

Good night!

and may all your birthdays be bright!

p.s. Sorry about all the photos being different colors.
I bought my camera last year, but it was only today that
I started messing around with all the settings it has to offer :P

Composting

Compost!

It has totally changed my view on how I look at garbage, 

and how we treat the planet.

How does it work?
- As our kitchen and garden waste breaks down in a compost heap, it releases a lot of heat. This heat helps to kill off any harmful bacteria that may be present in the decaying food. The compost that you are then left with is full of nutrients and then can be added to your garden to help plants grow.
- True, they are harder to keep in the winter as cold weather slows down the process, but it is still worth it to compost through the colder months.
- Compost can be make is just a mere 12 weeks!

 What can be composted?
- Lawn clippings
- Leaves
- Shredded stalks and hedge clippings
- Cut flowers
- Veg and Fruit scraps
- Teabags, and coffee grounds
- Egg shells
- News paper

What cannot be composted?
- Diseased Plants
- Plastics, glass, and other non organic materials
- Cooked food including meat and dairy
- Raw meat and fish, dairy and eggs
- Colored, glossy paper
- Pet droppings

The city of Vancouver will even take :
- Meat, fish, or bones
- Cooked food and oily food
- Dairy, pasta, noodles, rice, or bread
- Short branches and prunings (less than 10 cm thick, and less than 0.5 m long)
 (So it goes to show that every compost is a little different)

Important :
It is very important to have a good balance between materials that are considered "brown" and and those that are considered "green". If the compost becomes wet and slimy it means that there is too much "green" material such as grass clippings and veggie peelings. So you need to think about adding more "brown" coarse materials such as broken down twigs, wood chips, newspaper, or egg carton, to work on evening out the pile, and then make sure to turn it ever so often.

The city of Vancouver will even take :
- Meat, fish, or bones
- Cooked food and oily food
- Dairy, pasta, noodles, rice, or bread
- Short branches and prunings (less than 10 cm thick, and less than 0.5 m long)
 (So it goes to show that every compost is a little different)

What I do :
 I am lucky enough to live in a house that has a green wastes bin that gets picked up every week (and before that I lived in a house that had a big enough back yard for a large compost bin). This allows me to have a counter top compost in a stainless steel bucket (http://www.leevalley.com/en/garden/page.aspx?p=10025&cat=2,33140&ap=1) which I empty out about once a week depending on how much I am cooking. I really love it. There is no smell it is easy to use, and I feel much better putting my scraps back into the earth, rather than trapped inside I a garbage bag that will never disintegrate.

Benefits of composting :
- Less food waste remains in the garbage
- Ideal for people with gardens
- Produces liquid fertilizer for house and garden plants
- Makes you look differently your own garbage and recycling habits