Simple Times

We had yet another lovely soup social last weekend full of warm food, conversations, and love. We filled the table with tasty homemade treats, and our little gathering of 6 friends fit perfectly around the square table.

Our bellies were filled with fresh spring salad, adorned with toasty kale chips, a nurturing and creamy potato and leek soup, beef and pork slow roasted stew (for the meat eaters in our clan), and a lovely gluten free apple crisp with vanilla ice cream to top it off!

At the beginning of the meal, we raised our hands together, and instead of reciting a prayer over our meal (since we all come from such diverse spiritual backgrounds), we all shouted in unision "SOUP"!
It make the beginning of our meal full of laughter and spirit, and an immensely fulfilling feeling of gratitude for our friendship.
There is also something to be said about the act of all sitting down at a table together and being able to look into the eyes of your fellow dinner guests, as you enjoy such a lovely meal together. It really drives home the idea  that I want to get a large table in my future apartment on my own, so that I can host dinner parties and craft nights all together. To me I think that is even more important than owning a couch.

I've been really turning over a new leaf with my schedule lately, in that I have resumed going to bed no later than 12:30, and happily, awaking easily before my alarm each morning. My routine has really changed, as I have been getting to work earlier, having my smoothie for breakfast, hitting the gym at least 3 times a week, and making more downtime for myself and my crafts. I feel blessed for my simple life where I can design my own schedule, and have the ease of my own tasks. I know it will not always be this way, so I am sucking it up while I can.

Currently I am...

Writing Penpal letters...

and easing into my day off.

Reading Kafka on the Shore 

(I know I know, I am a little behind in my book club. 

Going to make some more teacup candles 

(I started them last night).

Going with a friend to a Breast Massage Class for Healthy Breasts

through the Art Of Loving later.

And then possibly capping my night off with 

dancing to mod music

at Ice Cream Social down the road!

Happy Monday everyone! <3

 

Sipping Smoothies and Skipping on the Treadmill

As of late,

I have made two improvements in my life :

1.) Ive been trying to hit the gym a couple of times a week to get my blood pumping

and adrenaline surging through my body. 

And I am now looking at it in a more healthy way,

in that I am no longer worried about how many times I am going,

but more how I am feeling...

Do I feel sluggish and tired? 

Am I making excuses for myself...?

I should probably hit the gym then :)

2.) Secondly, I have become a recent convert to the wonderful world of

SMOOTHIES!

Yes that's right folks, 

I have been blending up my smooth, milky concoctions

every morning and love love loving them!

Not only are they getting some amazing vitamins in me,

but they are remedying my slow morning starts. 

I can always be seen walking my 2 blocks to work with my breakfast in hand,

but now I can simply sip on my mason jar full of goodies 

and feel a little easier about bringing my morning meal to work!

Well now it is officially 11 am,

and I am going to run off to the gym,

with a belly full of almond butter, strawberry, yogurt, flax smoothie in my belly.

and work my ass off before school!

Much love all of you,

I hope your day goes smoothly ;)

Love Britt 

xoxoxoxo etc.

p.s. What are your favorite smoothie recipes? 

As a newbie I am still trying to find out some good ones :)

Summer's in Sight!

Inspirations taking hold

Crafting nights,

strong and bold.

My garden shakes off its winter leaves,

and clears the path for summers bee's.

With my pottery class already on the horizon for this summer, 

my Easter cardigan just one knitting club from being finished,

and the relief of finally re-booking my Hot Air balloon ride, 

I can truly say that I am really looking forward to the seasons ahead.

Already I have made a list of the things I want to explore this summer 

(I mostly made it as a procrastination from writing my 2000 word essay last week)

and am looking forward to seeing them through :

-Pottery Class (Which I am so excited to finally be registered for!)

-Plan for at least 2 Female Empowerment Nights

-Ride a horse

-Dress up and venture to the horse tracks

-Continue Attending/Hosting Knitting Nights

-Host a friendly soup social at my home

(our friends have come up with the idea of having a soup club!)

-2 getaways to the islands : One with Karina and another with Nate

-BIKE as much as possible (I will not have my UPass this summer 

so I am looking forward to my bike Emerald being my major source of transportation)

-Fix up my Grandpa's old bike

-Attend the Naked Bike ride again

-Continue my guitar lessons with Ray

-Learn how to photo edit on my computer

-Host bonfire's in my back yard

-Work on getting my "N"

 -Work on my sign language again (and maybe brush up on my french)

-And Create yet another breath taking garden (I just spent an hour yesterday,

clearly off my fire escape, and making way, for new plant pots, 

and the vision of a lovely herb garden right at my kitchen door!)

It looks like I have my work cut out for me, 

but at least I will be done school for the summer,

so I will have more than just one day off a week!

For now though, I am going to try and focus on my studies,

and get them over and done with as soon as I can! 

Wish me luck only! Only a few more weeks to go!

Love Britt

Sowing Seeds and Sewing Skirts!

My energy is starting to pick up again

I can feel the winds of change flowing through my bodies previously weary bones...

Last week I felt almost hopeless

falling prey to the constant on going workload of my schedule...

but this week is different.

I started back at the gym with my love Karina,

and although the first couple of days were rough

it seems as though my body has been craving this endorphin rush all along.

 

Ive been going out of my way to get out and about (time permitting with homework) :

- Got to see two musical shows at a local cafe this week 

The first was a open mic of sorts with classical music that my friend hosts

 And the second with Karina's (pictured above) boyfriend Geoff's jazz band,

(I knitted at both of them naturally),

-I saw the Lorax at the $2 cinema

-Nate treated me out for dinner, at one of our favorite restaurants <3

 -Had an amazing "Hook and Peter Pan" inspired photoshoot with two of my favorite ladies!

(photos to come of that crazy shoot!)

-I planted my first seeds of 2012!

Radishes, Green Kale, and Snap Peas!

And found out that the garlic that I planted before Christmas

is starting to peek through the soil!

Then today, I had a lovely grocery shopping date, 

with my man.

Where we bought supplies for our respective homes,

side by side...

Riddled each other with questions, 

and kisses in the supermarket isles,

and made eyes at each other over the veggies. 

It was a lovely experience because although we have shopped for dinner 

fixings together on copious occasions,

we have never done a proper shop together,

and it was lovely to interact in that intimate way.

Then when I got home, 

I plunged straight into creating something that 

had been on the back of my mind for months now,

burning away on my creative burner.

 

You should know something about me,

I am not patient, and nor to I like to take orders,

or follow instructions...

I hate reading labels, 

and would rather just wing it and hope for the best,

then sit there and work out my best course of action...

So that is how I came to make my first ever skirt tonight,

with no pattern :)

 I have yet to fully complete it (as I still need to sew on the buttons shown,

and complete a blind hem *fingers crossed* for the bottom),

but I am over joyed about how it has turned out so far!

I got to work with my first garment zipper and worked on the whole thing,

by constantly trying it on and tailoring it to my body.

The top part is still a smidgen too loose, but it is better than it being

a smidgen too tight :)

Once I am finished it (which is hopefully on my day off tomorrow),

I will take a photo of me wearing it!  

Well that's all folks! Hope you all have had a lovely and productive week,

and remember, just because you don't have a pattern, 

doesn't mean you can't create ;)

Love Britt

xoxoxoxoxo etc...

Oh and I just wanted to leave you guys off with this adorable photo 

of my roommates finishing off our Wizard of Oz puzzle :)

They are really too adorable for words :)

The Botany Of Desire

Last nights Book Club was one of my favorites to date.

Truth be told I was getting a little worried about our,

  hopes for a local book club,

when our members started dropping like flies in the winter months,

and our meeting dates kept on getting pushed further and further on.

But last night cured that feeling for me, 

as we joined in the loving home of our dear friend Vanessa's,

books in one hand, 

and in the other lovely homemade dishes to share,

a la' potluck style.

 Truth be told, I hadn't actually finished the book,

(I was trying to jam in another book between meetings

that took me much longer than expected to complete),

but it didn't really matter...

The conversation flowed smooth, and thick,

 as melted butter off our tongues throughout the night,

since the book gave us so many conversation starters

there was never a point where we were at loss for words.

The Botany of Desire

is a novel by Michael Pollan,

which examines 4 different plant species in detail :

 

The Apple

The Tulip

The Marijuana Plant

The Potato

 

 

 I only got through the first two chapters (Apple and Tulip),

but based on what I have already learned about their vast genetic array of breeds,

and the tulips sorted history,

I am eager to read on and finish this amazing journal on plants,

 before I plow into the next book club choice...

 

Which is "Kafka on the shore" by Haruki Murakami

(which just happens to be my best friends favorite book).

If you enjoy reading and have never attended a book club before,

I highly recommend it!

Now I am not expecting you to go and start your own,

but there are some great options out there for you to dive into your community.

Local bookstores are always hosting book clubs, 

as well as I overhead that there are online book clubs

 available so those of you who have a lot to say on the subject of books, 

but might be a little too scared to jump into a room of strangers.

I started out by attending one that a local book store was hosting at a pub downtown,

I was totally out of my comfort zone, heading there by myself, and not knowing anyone there...

and I totally remember telling myself...

 

that I didn't need to talk if I didn't want to,

that it was good enough that I was just there,

present for my first time...

 

but then I totally surprised myself 

by being one of the most talkative people in the room,

hence then collectively starting my own book club with my dearest of friends. 

 

That brings me to the fact that tonight,

I am hosting my first ever weekly Knitting Club!

*case in point : if you had asked me a year ago, 

if I was going to start my own knitting group,

I would have laughed in your face.

A year ago,

I was just starting knitting dishcloths,

 on a trip to Victoria with my mom, and sister,

and now here I am the night of my first club,

where I am going to have my needles in hand,

knitting my first cardigan.

 

How a year can change so much!

Well whatever you do,

whether it be to curl up with a book and some knitting needles,

at home or in public,

remember to take time for yourself this week,

and don't sweat the small stuff!

 

Love Britt 

xoxoxoxo etc...

 

The Quiet Hum Of Life

            I've been feeling a bit low energy lately and have been moving at an tremendously slow pace... I am getting stuff done, but at my own speed.

           The other night I finished up my Valentines, took my lovely stead Emerald out of hibernation, and went and hand delivered as many little love notes, as I could to the doorsteps of my friends.
           It was quite a rewarding feeling, both the burn of my thigh muscles from biking all over town, and the faces of my surprised friends as I showed up at their doorsteps in the dark. A modern day cupid, on a bicycle I was ;)
         

              Last night I went over to my partner Nathans house for some food coma TLC. In the company of friends, we consumed wine, hearty tomato soup, and copious amounts of bread, mixed with divine conversation, and laughs a plenty. The meal lasted the whole night. It was amazing how our words flowed, and flowed, and flowed... Its nice to be reminded of the simple love of feeding each other, and talking.

              Life is good indeed, and I am taking this slow steady moments in stride. My birthday is coming this weekend, and I know there will be no chance to slow down in the thick of its extravagant, activities.

                   So in preparation for that,

Now I 

Sit

Play

Relax

Reflect

and Prepare.

Love Britt

p.s. I have been on a kombucha making kick lately, and I just wanted to mention how I have been really getting into it and adoring the process of creating my own drink concoctions. 

You should try it sometime, its really simple and rewarding! 

Valentines Fever

Its that special time of year again,

and I have the Valentine fever!

Over the past couple of days I have crafted,

over 20 unique valentine cards, 

for my loved ones, lover, 

best friends, and family members.

(And spent $23 on stamps to boot ;)

Valentine magic has totally been in the air this week!

My best friend Karina and I,

had an amazingly crafty date last Thursday night,

where we visited Pen Pal writing club,

for some Valentine making times.

Even though it was packed to the brim

with excited pen wagglers, 

and there wasn't an spare chair in site,

we managed to find a corner to lay out all crafting supplies!

After a couple of hours spent there,

we ended the night by venturing down the block 

to our favorite late night cafe

for some bodem's full of tea,

and chocolaty deserts.

Stay tuned in the next couple of days, 

to see how my birthday decorations turn out...

that's right I'm making decorations for my birthday ;)

Love Britt

xoxoxoxo etc...