Oh, those dog gone days

This is my feel good song of the moment, I know it has been out since the summer but it just keeps popping up for me. First they sang it on Glee, then I danced like a maniac to it at my work Holiday party and then I decided it was the perfect new ring tone for my blackberry. Then I read Jenny's post and thought to myself, "my sister-friend needs this song!" so this is for you Jenny and anyone else who needs it, may I recommend having copius amounts of wine, turning the volume up real loud and dancing to your feet fall off? Hey, it worked for me!




xo J

Flying Solo - Week Eighteen

Bonjour Mes Amis!

Sorry for the radio silence from me last week - it was my birthday and that filled my time with sweet parties avec friends and family as well as some serious contemplating about where I'm at in my life. I've always been a bit grandiose about what being a "success" is, so with my voice biz staying pretty quiet through November, that contemplating wasn't always super fun. Have you ever had some of those days?

Well despite some moments of "yipes I should be busier, richer, smarter, prettier, faster, bulletproof, etc?" - you know, realistic not overally-dramatic stuff (wink, wink)  overall the week ended on the plus side. I ended up sharing 3 birthday cakes with my family - I bought one, my dad bought one, and my guy's mom made me one, my guy and I split a bottle of wine and some delicious pizza (life can't be bad with pizza), I got to watch my friend and her hubby baptize their new little daughter and the amis and I hit up the Waldorf for another Tiki night of fun.

As I stood in the Tiki bar or, more accurately, mildly wobbled with a mai tai in hand, looking down the the long table of friends chatting away, I had a Tiny Tim moment. God bless us everyone? Well, yes. And also, I'm one lucky chica to have so many awesome people to count as family and friends.

So this week if you feel the world getting you down with its push saying maybe you're not "enough" - think of all the people that love you, and tell the world where to shove it, nicely.

Have a great week - big love to y'all!
xo

ps. Thank you for all your calls, emails, texts, hugs n b-day love!! I love you more than there's words to say.

All that glitters!

Part two of my review of all that I love about the holidays, today I am expressing my love of holiday fashion! It feels much more acceptable to wear copius amount of things that sparkle and glitter around this time of year. Lately, I've gone on a little sparkly splurge with a few key items for this festive season,

Cream blouse from Club Monaco with silver sequins

OPI polish in Sparkle-icious, it goes on transparent with glitter so you can layer it over top any of your favorite colours, I chose OPI Red to make it ultra festive (I am saving you the torture of a picture of my toes!)

Sparkly black headband from Forever 21

xo J

Manic Monday

After a busy Monday lets just have a quick reflection on the more relaxing aspects of my weekend...long, lazy, delicious dinners.

Not only did I celebrate Thanksgiving on behalf of my American heritage and fully enjoyed all the usual dishes that accompany the holiday, but I also had a wonderful fall meal with some of my best amis.

Sirloin with red wine and shallot sauce, cheesy risotto and roasted vegetables, with Chocolate Apple Rum cake for dessert. After all that gluttony I am feeling rather sleepy today, and to think, it is only the start of the holiday season! I'm in trouble!

Flying Solo - Week Seventeen

Happy Friday mes amis!

This week I thought I'd wrap things up with a visual display of how I've been spending my Wednesdays. For the past 3 weeks my parents and I have been baking cookies... LOTS of cookies.

Admittedly one of the best parts of not working a regular 9-5 job is the freedom to do stuff like this. We've made some great headway on the "Fill the Freezer with Cookies 2010" campaign. It may look like a lot (and ok it is) but guaranteed they will be gone before New Year's Eve! Here's some of the highlights so far:

Taralli with their sugar dusting

Pizelle in the iron

Fruits of Patience

Taralli's yummy filling - grape reduction, chocolate and nuts

Fill that Freezer!

Nallah's full just thinking about all these cookies

Have a great weekend everyone!
Spend some quality time with the people you love!
xo

Holiday Couch Favorites

November has just flown by and usually I don't allow myself to get in to full Christmas mode until Devember 1st, but the extra chill in the air and all those white flakes comind down from the sky here in Vancouver has me thinking of all the things I love during the holidays. From all the food to the decorating, the festive gatherings and the classic carols, and not to mention those holiday films that year after year never fail to put a smile on your face. What are your go-to holiday movies?

In no particular order, here are some of mine....

Love Actually - ask any woman and it is probably on their list, it is just so good in so many ways

The Family Stone - I have always liked big ensemble casts, and this has a great one, it reminds me of all those big family gatherings and the chaos that ensues.

The Muppet Christmas Carol - So I have a confession to make, I love the Muppets! Always have and always will. Their take on this classic story is priceless.

The Lord of the Rings - Yeah, not a choice you would be expecting, but my brother and I use to spend the time on Christmas Day between opening presents in the morning and dinner in the evening just laying on the couch watching endlees hours of action, so now I always have a nostalgia for these movies around Christmas.

Home Alone - Do I even need to explain why?!

Holiday Wish List

A couple people (i.e. my sister) have been bugging me for ideas for birthday and holiday gifts for me. Apparently I'm "hard to shop for". Do you get that too?

Firstly let me state openly and truly - no gifts are necessary! But if you feel super compelled, and just to make it easier on the people I love - I declare this year The Year of the Gift Cards!

I could use some pretty tops - but instead of fretting over the shelves a g.c. to Aritizia or Plenty would hit the spot! (Pictured tops above are all from Aritizia)

My must read book list is growing too - again a g.c. to Chapters or Amazon.com is another simple winner that I'd put to good use.

Gifts are fun but mostly I love the time we all get to spend together around the holidays. Don't fret, keep it simple and thanks for the thought!

PS What's on your wish list this year?