Bling

Don't you love these? Forever 21 has the cutest jewelry at the best prices. I think I need to go back and get some more!

Opera

I have definitely not been a good blogger since starting school in September, so this is my lame attempt at getting caught up on my blogging. So....opera. I am in love. It would be difficult for me to find something about opera I didn't like. With that in mind I am so grateful to The Met for broadcasting their amazing productions in HD across the world. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Calgary Opera, but The Met provides a whole new level of great. On Saturday they had their opening production which was Tosca. It was divine. Plus with the HD productions you get all the behind-the-scenes action and interviews. It was all very cool. So here is to Puccini, Verdi, Saint-Saens, and many of the other composers that bring me great joy. Oh, and Marcel Alverez, my new favorite tenor.

The Greatest

I am a huge sucker for cheezy romantic comedies, so I recently watched 17 Again. It was delightful. In fact it was so delightful, I watched it twice in one week. What I really loved though, was when Leslie Mann dances with Zac Efron. The song they dance to is called The Greatest by Cat Power. It is so beautiful.

Vancouver

We're off to beautiful Vancouver, BC to visit much missed family members! Here's hoping that there's lots of sunshine at the beach, and lots of great deals at the outlets! (in Seattle)

Etsy Loves

I love this Etsy shop! I want everything....and the nice thing is it's easy to apply and remove so you can be indecisive and decorative at the same time! Check it out: it's called sixunderatree you will love it too.

Great Ideas

I am a big fan of fun wedding reception ideas. I also love a good performance. Sometimes when these two things are put together it can be magic! I found this wedding reception performance a little awhile ago and just love it....also because it is the same dance found in one of my favorite Cosby Show episodes. Enjoy!

Beautiful Dresses

There was a time in my life, that seems like a long time ago, when I loved getting all dressed up. These days I don't really have many glamorous events to attend but if I did, I would want to be in one of these dresses. Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Katherine Hepburn look amazing.

So sad

So I haven't been on my blog for awhile because my laptop had to go in for repairs again. This means that I have had to share a computer with my sweet husband, who has a hard time giving it up in the evenings! With that said, all of my cute pictures and blog links were on my computer so I have not posted anything. Hopefully this will not last long. The last time I sent it in (only 5 months ago) it took them 2 1/2 months to get it back to me. Very sad indeed. Hopefully I'll be back soon!

I need some Spring!

When I was younger I was a rebellious gardener. My mother loved it, and was always planting and weeding. I could never understand it and hated it when I was asked to help. Well, now I love it and want a HUGE garden. We have a very short growing season, but can usually produce some wonderful things. So I'm thinking this will be the year I actually do some growing. My mom would be very proud!

Living in Calgary, AB we don't usually have four seasons. It's winter and summer. But by May 20th I'm really tired of snow (which we had some of today!). On that note I've been on my favorite "idea" website and I've decided to just live vicariously through those who actually get to put these gardening and planting ideas to use. Although maybe once the weather turns I will too!

(photo curtesy realsimple.com/gardeners.com)

I love these self watering hanging planters, so cute and great for the forgetful waterers out there!

(photo curtesy realsimple.com)

I love the idea of a hanging garden. It's so beautiful and inviting. The plants used in this are called Cabaret White Calibrachoa, and I like how they've used an uneven grouping, very classy!

(photo curtesy of realsimple.com)
Who doesn't love a herb garden? Little garden patches work in my climate, so this was very appealing to me, and I also love cooking with fresh herbs, why not grow my own?

(photo curtesy of Alessi)

Don't you LOVE this watering can. I definitely need to start gardening so I can get me one of these!

Mother's Day

Wishing all mothers a wonderful day on Sunday. Treat yourselves to something relaxing and of course yummy!

Photo via flikr

The sweetest!

Well I haven't been doing a very good job at keeping up with my blogging, so I thought I would post something adorable for those who may actually read my blog on the weekend. My dad sent me this today and I love it.

Etsy Love

My sweet sister Millie has allowed me to post this about one of her favorite Etsy sellers called Handmade Naturals. She recently bought the cutest little toque, but there are so many other cute things to choose from. This is what my adorable little niece Sophia looks like in the toque:



I also love Barking Bird Art. Such sweet simple prints for a young person, or a young-at-heart persons room! So cute.

Funny People

I cannot wait to see this movie! It looks hilarious...especially when Eric Bana's accent is being "mocked". Definitely one I will actually see in the theaters!

Beautiful West Coast

My family and I just took a trip to the beautiful West Coast and visited family in Vancouver as well as a shopping spree in Seattle. I adore both cities so it was easy to have a wonderful time. Nothing beats catching up with family members, who decided to abandon us for someplace warmer, and hitting a few of the touristy spots with them. Can't wait to go back.

My Boys

My 22 year-old brother just moved to Vancouver, and left behind a few of his Calvin and Hobbes comic strip books. I had forgotten how much I loved these insightful and funny strips. Also, my husband and I have had a great time reading through them and laughing about how much Calvin reminds us of our sons.

These two particular comic strips gave us quite a chuckle. They are both so much like our 7 year old we couldn't believe it (Calvin was a lot like my brother as well. We're all happy he grew out of it!) Enjoy!

In honor of Oscar night, my mom made pies from the movie The Waitress. Now I don't think the movie won many awards the pies should have. They were so much fun to eat - so I thought I'd post the recipe for one of my favorites:

I Don’t Want Earl’s Baby Pie

1 pie crust
4 Tbs. butter
3 slices ham
8 green onions
1 C. brie cheese
1 C. parmesan cheese, grated
4 eggs
2 C. heavy cream
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cover pie crust with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes more. Remove crust and reduce heat to 325 degrees.
2. Julienne ham. Chop green onions.
3. In skillet, saute ham until brown. Remove and set aside.
4. Saute onion until tender. Remove with slotted spoon and combine with ham.
5. Spread on bottom of pie crust. Spread brie over ham mixture and sprinkle with parmesan. Combine eggs, cream and nutmeg; pour over cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until set. Cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve.

Serves 8.

(picture courtesy of masak-masak.blogspot.com)

So....I disappeared for awhile, and now I'm back! I'm hoping I can be forgiven for my long absence and have some fun blogging again. With that said, some favorite things I fell in love with while I was away.

Amazing book. Couldn't put it down, some hard parts to read but definitely worth it.


Found this and wish I had bought it when I was at Urban Outfitters. I guess I'll just have to go back!

And I really just want to own this from art.com: