Skinny Jeans

They really aren't for everyone.

If the fashion industry said to jump off a bridge......

Sweet sweet shoes

Ok, finally a post about shoes.

I once had a problem, it almost needed an intervention.  I am addicted to shoes, I love them, I would kill for them.  Being a big girl means clothing styles can be limitted, but I can always dress an outfit up with shoes.

A while back, however, I decided that far too much money was being spent on this addiction hobby.  So I decided that I would make what I had in my closet work, and haven't purchased much in the last year, choosing instead to re-tip old shoes. 

I have fallen off the wagon.  5 words: Army and Navy shoe sale.

I was lucky enough to have a meeting downtown this morning, a mere couple of blocks from the A & N.  I thought, "What could be the harm just taking a little look?"  The first day was yesterday, so the crazy women had already gone through the store like well made up Tasmanian Devils.  And with free parking, I knew as soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I had made the right decision.  Time to shop.

With much restraint and thinking pragmatically, I only left there with 5 new pairs of shoes.  Only 5.  I hear you chuckling, it is ok, it is my addiction and I have come to terms with that.

I decided that I needed some new shoes for work, as my current ones are on their last breaths, and nothing is worse than wearing beat up, worn out shoes when out meeting with volunteers and donors, or anyone for that matter.  So with my basket in hand, I grabbed 10 pairs on the shelf and started trying them on.

The first pair to come home with me were these.  While they look a little basic, the heel juts out and has a very interesting look on.  And they are super stable, and as I am uber clumsy, stable is a good thing.


The second pair to find a new home, are these suede beauties.  The heel is shiny and a little hard looking, while the purple suede is soft and girly.

These are the ones I am most excited to wear.  What you cannot see in the photo is that there is a peep toe.  And the leather is so soft. Mmmmm soft.

The other 2 are basic.  No pictures needed.

But I think you should be proud of me.  In fact, really, I deserve a friggin' medal.  I showed restraint and a sense of level headedness that even impressed myself.  I went with the pragmatic, functional route and purchased only those that fit and that I would wear for work.  And since I am in heels everyday, these were sound choices.  I did some research online and it looks like I got about $600 worth of shoes for about $150 before tax.  Not bad I say.

But since I am off the wagon, I may as well stay off.  I will go back this weekend to find some totally crazy shoe(s) that I may only wear once.  I love them.  I will kill for them.

In Bloom

  Spring has sprung,

the grass is riz.

I wonder where the birdies is.

That is what I remember my Grandpa saying about spring.  Funny how certain things stick in your head.

Spring is here and that means there is life sprouting all over the place in our yard.  And because we spent hours in the yard this weekend trying to fend off complete wilderness, I want to share the bloom with you.


We have rhodos, lots of rhodos.  In fact there are 8 different coloured rhodos on our property and they all bloom at different times.  Like this pale pink one, which tied to bloom during winter, and decided it was better off to wait until spring.




 

The lilac smells even better than it looks.  Too bad it is way in the corner.  Nobody puts lilac in a corner.

And we have the big bald spot the dogs have worn down in their endless games of tag. Other games include: bring all the destroyed balls to the middle of the yard and find random pieces of cardboard and bring them to the middle of the yard.

Not to mention the giant holes in the yard, another favourite dog past time.  We have 2 husky mixes, there are MANY holes.  Lets just ignore the fact we paid $800 last year to get our yard in order (I love throwing away our money).

 Back to happy thoughts.  This is my favourite, the red rhodo that is just coming into bloom.  I like to think of it as superior to the others, but not snobby.





 And with all of this bloom we have this - 12 yard bags of clippings, trimmings and all of the sticks, twigs and bark collected by the 2 critters.  It never ends, from April to December, bags and bags and bags.  This alone was Sunday's haul.

But after all of that yard work, we have this masterpiece of relaxation.  The hammock.





And we can finish off the day of slaving over the yard to keep up with the Jones' by sitting in the patio with left over Christmas lights.



Please don't judge.

Self Discipline

I have none. End of post.

Not really.

The latest manifestation of my lack of discipline is sleep. I have turned into a 10 year old that doesn't want to go to bed when it is her proper bed time even though her eyelids can barely stay open and she is only semi-conscious.

I am a rational and intelligent woman; I know that staying up until 1am will kick my ass six different ways the next day. And I don't have a good reason for being up. I read (books, blogs), I might play a mind numbing game on the computer, or sit zombie-like in front of the TV. I am never doing anything really constructive with my time, no hobbies or chores.

I think I need an intervention.

And the crazy thing? I love sleep more than almost anything, and yet I still can't get my butt to bed at a decent time. And when I finally get to bed, I lie awake because I have mucked up what once was a "normal" sleep pattern.

There is no help for me.

Does anyone else stay up for no apparent reason?