Look tomorrow for a Saturday love list!
I’m busy finishing up some work at home, and then getting ready for my work Christmas party… which should be very fun.
I even have new red shoes and some sparkly earrings!
I’ll post some cell pictures tomorrow, since my camera doesn’t fit in my tiny purse.
Love to all!
We redecorated the tree for the beginning of a new month!
It was hard to capture on film with our few items of photographic equipment, but we’ve put on a transparent burgundy and gold ribbon wraparound, with gold and burgundy balls in a zillion shapes and textures.
Huzzah!
But that didn’t stop your intrepid Vancouverites from hitting Bright Nights and the Christmas Train at Stanley Park.
Even if we got completely soaking wet and I had to wear my old-school GoreTex and BRRR…
It’s worth it.
And we saw a couple other strange things, too…
Um.
It SNOWED.
Okay, well, it snowed other nearby places earlier this week, but finally?
I SAW SNOW.
ON MY OWN DECK.
ON MY OWN STREET.
And a lot of other places, really. Which is nothing short of AWESOME.
I’m not sure the rest of my fellow Vancouverites feel the same way, after witnessing a few grim looks (and vehicular near-fatalities) while out and about today.
Vancouver has a complex relationship with snow.
We don’t get it too often, because our temperatures don’t generally drop below 0 C. I mean, yes… we’ve had our freak storms and bizarre drops and icy outflows and blizzards, but they are infrequent, to say the least.
So infrequent, in fact, that we speak of snowfalls by YEAR, not by date or season.
That’s why, when it actually happens, we’re either totally excited… or totally beside ourselves.
I’ve put together a little “Who’s Who” of snowed-upon West Coasters to illustrate my point further:
The Lifelong Vancouverite Who Will Never Leave
Wearing: Raincoat, in firm belief the snow will turn into rain soon. Sketchy gloves from 1987. Shoes made to hold out water, not gain traction. Confused expression.
Driving: Erratically. Refused to get all-weather (read: snow) tires on SUV, because WHEN DOES IT SNOW HERE? Experiences radical road rage at everything from child on sidewalk to bus driver to own family in car. Listening to all-news station waiting for reports that the rain has started SOMEWHERE, FOR THE LOVE.
Heard remarking: “Is it raining yet?”
***
The Lifelong Vancouverite Who Pines For Seasons
Wearing: Giant parka purchased during cruise to Alaska in 1988. Expression of complete joy.
Driving: With expression of false confidence. Does donut to avoid hitting squirrel. Pulls out ice scraper with glee every time he gets back in car, though there never was any ice on his car.
Heard remarking: “Man, this is nothing. I don’t know what those folks on the Prairies are talking about. This is a piece of cake!” (shortly before falling on ass in entryway to Whole Foods)
***
Vancouverite Who Moved from the Prairies or Ontario ON PURPOSE
Wearing: Hooded sweatshirt, flip flops, expression of feigned ignorance. What? This won’t last. This is nothing. Seriously, it won’t last, will it?
Driving: Just fine. It’s like riding a bike. Sigh. Deftly avoiding actual Vancouverites.
Heard remarking: “Honestly. It won’t last. It never does. I’m from Swift Current. You don’t KNOW snow.”
***
Vancouverite Prairie/Ontario Transplant Missing Home
Wearing: Down coat, scarf knitted by Grandma Penner, cellphone stuck to ear calling mom in Winnipeg, starry-eyed expression skyward.
Driving: On very expensive, very optimistic snow tires. Just in case. Dad said he’d pay for them.
Heard remarking:“I don’t know. Maybe I COULD find the money to come home at Christmas…”
***
Vancouverite Child
Wearing: Giant puffy jacket just purchased at Old Navy, ridiculous fleece hat sewed by quirky Aunt (never previously worn), rainboots and three pairs of socks.
Driving: … their parents insane.
Heard remarking: “When can we go out? Is there enough for a snowman? I can’t use a baby carrot for the nose! Is school canceled yet? Can I go outside before bed?”
Heard remarking tearfully, two hours later: “Mommy, why is it raaaaaining?”
***
Vancouver Tourist From Much Warmer Place
Wearing: Coat purchased from hotel boutique, umbrella, inappropriately heeled shoes, camera around neck to document that YES, I KNEW IT, THERE WOULD BE IGLOOS!
Driving: No driving. Tour bus.
Heard remarking: “When do the penguins come out?”
***
Meg
Wearing: Puffy coat, pashmina, Uggs, aura of total joy.
Driving: … her stomach into oblivion with Gingerbread Lattes on endless snowy walks.
Heard remarking: ‘AAAAAUGH! #$%@!” (while falling down steps) Then: “No! I’m okay! Seriously!”
***
I have to tell you… we don’t do snow like anywhere else on earth.
But here’s to the white stuff until Monday, when the forecast calls for “Rain, heavy at times.”
Sigh.
A few weeks ago, I was going to post my own little online shopping guide full of links to things I love — not just for gifts, but for YOU! Then it occurred to me that this was an area WELL realized by about a MILLION AND A HALF other bloggers and sites and web magazines.
So I didn’t do it.
Then it occurred to me — because that’s what I do, I sit around and wait for stuff to occur to me — that none of them would be MY little shopping/lusting guide, and even if I coincided up the wazoo with other sites or my links were dopey or I ended up suggesting things that somehow offended my mother, to thine own self be true, mmm?
So here we go!
I’ll be posting under “Girly Thingies”, “House and Life Thingies”. Because it’s not a gift guide… it’s just stuff I like. And I didn’t really feel like organizing it much.
You’ll see clearly here how eclectic my tastes are, too. Which I think is either a good quality of mine, or evidence of multiple personalities. Either way, it makes me fun at parties.
Enjoy!
GIRLY THINGIES
Jennifer Meyer Jewelry – As with any time of year, I would take ANYTHING from her collection. Gorgeous.
France Luxe Italian Headbands – Perfect width, perfect “holdback”.
Havis — WHY DON’T YOU OWN A MILLION JILLION PAIRS LIKE I DO??
Soia & Kyo Coat — How CUTE IS THAT.
Benefit Powder Pop! — These powders warm and glow like none other.
NARS Night Palette — Love these colours. Perfect winter shades for making eyes come alive.
Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler — The one. The best. The only.
Oscar Blandi Olio di Jasmine — Fantastic-smelling, and lush for winter hair.
Theory Sweater Coat — I can’t even handle the cozy.
Coach Bleeker – I have an odd lust for this bag.
Alessi White Mariposa Watch — Love it. So sleek.
MoonVenom — “Celestial” lip gloss? Maybe not, BUT… this stuff has a great opalescent party sheen and a warm cinnamon-y tingle that I love. It’s the perfect “re-apply” at a party when you don’t want to do the whole lipstick rigamarole, because it brings out the natural colour of your lips. Which is probably better at 2 am than Candy Apple Red, yes? But if you really want big lips, try…
TooFaced Lip Injection Extreme — For Angelina’s lips without all the kids.
Orange Button Wood Bangles — I love the tone of these. So warm.
MAC Sheerspark Pressed Powder — Holiday Glow 101. Sparkle without sparkle. Could I be more vague? And I love the sassy compact.
BR Pendant Necklace — So simple, but I love the personal, yet unassuming look of the pendant. Nice with a white shirt or v-neck sweater. And cheap!
Stila Lip Shines — Nice and natural… like lips, but shimmery-better.
Winifred Grace Nesting Dome Earrings — These earrings have the perfect shape to elongate necks like mine (what neck?) and the perfect tone to warm up winter skin. A little (a lot!) pricey, but they’re definitely not earrings you’ll see on everyone else. You can dress them up or down, too, which is something I require in my pieces.
Frederic Fekkai Mini Glossing Kit — Traveling during the holidays? This is your best take-along to keep winter-dry or (in my climate) winter-frizzy hair in shiny, happy condition. I have baby-fine hair, and the Glossing Creme is light enough to keep it in check without greasing it down — but I also know crazy curly-heads who find it works well for them, too. And the best part? It smells like magic.
Marc Jacobs Hobo Bag — I know. Dream on.
Origins SHEdonism Set — I love the warm, soothing fragrance, and this stuff is incredibly moisturizing.
Isaac Mizrahi for Target Shawl-Collar Cashmere Sweater — Isaac! Target! Cashmere! WIN WIN!
Bloodwood Dome Ring from Studio AMF — I love wooden rings. The natural texture and warm feel are perfect for sweater-and-jeans days, and the shape and colour of them is modified over time by your skin and the shape of your finger. I also love BIG rings (since, you know, my fingers are about an inch long and clearly I need something giant) and this fits the bill. Perfect statement for tanned summer hands or lotion-covered winter hands.
Philosophy Coconut Scrub — Pretend it’s summertime. Just do it.
Origins NoPuffery Eye Gel — Post-party perfection.
Comptoir Sud Pacifique Candles — Magical in the bedroom or bathroom. Like me.
Weleda Skin Food — Smells so good, and is a cure-all for dryness in general.
HOUSE AND LIFE THINGIES
cb2 Phantom Table Lamp – I love the simplicity of the design and the round, organic shape. Perfect for a low-key bedroom.
C&B Bamboo Dinnerware — Great for kids or outdoors.
KitchenAid Tool Set — I love the colour, I love the design, and I love the price!
Bodum 32-Ounce Stainless Coffee Press — Because you need a LOT OF COFFEE.
Pottery Barn Great White Dinnerware – I love white dishes. Food just looks better on them.
Pikku Papers — Just really lovely little designs and whimsical details.
Bed, Bath & Beyond Chevron Throws — The design of this throw adds great texture to a plain chair or couch.
1000 Gram Turkish Towels — Yeeeeeeah.
cb2 Acacia Thick Wood Mirror — I love wood. I love mirrors.
Origo Dinner Plates — Simple design, but a lovely hit of colour for a basic table.
Frette Sheets — This is my favourite set. Goooorgeous.
ThinkGeek SunJars — Store a little sunshine for later.
Tiffin Lunch Box Sets — Cool enough to make me want to bring a lunch to work.
Riedel Stemless Glasses — I really like stemless wineglasses… fingerprints be damned!
cb2 comma plates — Perfect for messy appies at a party.
Jiti Branches Bedding — 100% dupioni silk with a muted pattern that would fit into a ton of different decorating schemes. A bit of luxury, no?
cb2 peace dove ornaments — A little tree decorated with shiny birds? Yes, please.
notNeutral Outdoor Metal Lantern — Very chic around your deck or patio!
Soleus Halogen Heater with Remote — Know any chilly souls? This fan-shaped heater fires up fast and runs safely.
Elum Cards — I love good stationery. Love it. And this stuff has such a lovely look and feel. Done your Christmas cards yet?
Campfire Votive — AAAAAA THE CUTE!!!
Well, hello there!
My body continues to fall apart rather charmingly, but I’ve decided to say FINITO! to complaining about it or dwelling on the fact that my $#%@stomach@#$&$knee@#*&$lungs@#&$head hurts.
Pain is a part of life, right? If we never hurt, we’d never know the sweet relief when that hurt passes away.
Yeeeeah. Uh huh.
But enough of the whining. Moving along.
Today is a glooooooriously sunny day.
And when I say gloooooriously, I like to use a different amount of ‘o’s every time.
I love it when Vancouver spends a few days being crisp and cool like my home of yesteryear, the Canadian Prairie.
(Cue noble, sweeping music and an aerial shot of snowy fields…)
Now, when I say that I lived on the Prairie, it sounds like I was all Laura Ingalls Wilder in a dugout in the middle of nowhere, when really, I lived in actual towns and cities. With running water and electricity and nary a wall constructed from sod. And cable. But no internet, since there was no internet yet. At least not an internet for everyone. It was just for geeks back then.
Mmm, geeks.
I’m getting off track here.
Clear and cold weather is my favourite kind of weather, in a near tie with clear and warm weather, which is kind of ironic, since I live in the Clouds (I’m enjoying capitalization today!)
The Clouds have lifted for now, though. I celebrated the Lifting (see?) with a Peppermint Mocha (now it’s just getting out of hand) which thrills me with After Eightish deliciousness (why is there a Wikipedia entry about mints?)
I’m also thinking about all things Christmassy, including the Christmas Train (I HAVE TO GO THIS YEAR, DAMMIT) and my work Christmas party (I’m trying to think up something to wear. I’m not big on buying some spectacular new dress, since all the rest of my holiday parties are of the jeans-heels-pretty shirt-giant earrings variety, rather than the cocktail variety. You feel me? Okay, maybe you don’t, but any suggestions for how to work up the same black, v-neck, mildly cleavage-y, sleeveless, knee length little black dress? I’m thinking a cute red wrap and some heels and an ostentatious piece of jewelery… and also thinking this is much too long for a parenthetical remark.)
If I could be doing ANYTHING today, I’d be on a sleigh ride somewhere snowy, wrapped in blankets and all cozed in behind horses puffing steam out of their noses. HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT BE? I love that stuff.
The last “ride” I was on was on a cardboard box behind my grandfather’s LeBaron on country roads outside of Devon, AB. He attached it to the car with luggage straps and whee! we were on our way.
To this day, I have no idea why my mother was okay with this. I mean, one sudden brake and I’d have been one with the undercarriage of his car. But I think he was careful. Maybe? A little?
At least until he threw me off the box into a ditch full of brambles on a sharp turn. Did I mention I was six? Yeah.
My parents were watching from the front window of my grandparents’ home and were ready to run out and get me, but then they saw my little snowsuited body emerge from the ditch, running at a full clip. My grandfather spotted me in his rearview and slowed down (how kind!), at which point I hopped back on the box and rode for another half hour. Awesome.
Well, awesome until I walked into the house and the hot air hit my scratched-up, frozen little face. Then I was a scene from Carrie (I was going to link to an image there, but EW. EW.)
Really, I’ve always been this way.
I was putting together a Holiday Online Shopping Guide for my blog, since I am the shopping link queen on Facebook, but then it occurred to me that EVERYONE ELSE WAS DOING THAT, TOO. Meh. We’d probably all end up linking to the same things, right? And I don’t shop much online… I just BROWSE LIKE A PRO.
But if you want some holiday shopping links, I’ll post them later today.
This mocha is still awesome.
Love to all!
The tree? She is UP!
It’s a good feeling.
This is completely insane, and it crackles when we laugh, and it lacks action and professionalism. It’s actually fairly sketchy.
But it’s just for you:
You can tell we had fun.
And the Canucks won.
Really, what more can you ask from an evening?
(Oh, and Dean still brought us pasta. Even if he was mad we put the tree up.
But he did say it looked beautiful.)
(To get what I’m talking about there, you have to listen. Bahaha.)
