Okay so I've been absent for a while. Here's the scoop in a nutshell: about two years ago I was admitted to hospital with a large aneurysm in my brain. During surgery to repair it there were complications that have left me with deficits that I have been trying to overcome. It has been a long journey but I am almost there. I am determined not to give up (as hard as that is). Sure, there are days when I think it's too difficult but what keeps me going is knowing that I almost died. I owe it to myself to move forward. 

The little things that I used to obsess about just seem so insignificant now. I don't care what dress size I am. I don't care how old I'll be on my next birthday. I'm just happy to be here. I realize this all sounds cliche and it has been said before...but it truly is how I feel. 

new year...

Happy New Year! 2016 and it's in like a lion. Cold outside but very warm and toasty inside. I don't have any exciting plans for January outside of my usual routine. I'll probably catch up on some reading, organize/purge my closet and rummage through some recipes that I have clipped or saved and decide which are worth keeping. I actually received  a cookbook for Christmas that I have been coveting (and dropping hints about) for a while. I don't usually do any shopping in January but prefer to wait until March when new spring merchandise is around. Although...there are some phenomenal sales around this time of the year. So I may pick up a new sweater or two although that would defeat my closet purging efforts because I find that when I buy something on sale it tends to be an impulse buy...and what often happens with impulse buys is that they are not something I really need and so they just sit in my closet taking up space, forgotten. How's that for a run-on sentence? Anyway, my coffee is getting cold so 10/4.

life...

There are certain times in your life where you reflect on what is important to you and you decide that you have to let everything else go. This has been that kind of year for me. In the process of healing I have learned what is and, more importantly, what is not important to me. Scarred and much wiser I  am still here. My journey is not over but I will face it and continue to grow. .

what i am thankful for...

I really do have a lot to be thankful for. If nothing else, this year has taught me that. I have felt truly blessed. It hasn't been easy and the road ahead is still tough but I am going to continue to fight and be as strong as I can. I owe it to everyone who has seen me through this. Having said that, i am most grateful for Family Strength and Faith...

all photos: via pinterest

inspiration for a friday...

breast cancer awareness month...

OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Here is a way to make a small difference. Every bit helps...

13 BEST BEAUTY BUYS FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

Clearly I have been absent for a while. Without going into detail, and for those who may not know me well, I have been dealing with health issues that have (for the most part) taken my focus away from things like this blog. While I am still recovering, I have decided that I will get back to doing the things that I love most. So...here it is...my first blog post in over six months. 

I saved this post a while ago...it seems like a great recipe to make in the Fall. Specifically in the month or two before Christmas. I just love anything pumpkin or orange flavoured at this time.

Orange Bread / source: gastrochic.com

still good...

 Whenever I'm in a melancholy mood I like to be by myself. Sometimes the people around me don't get that. They hover or ask to sit with me. That's okay...I get it. I am thankful for a great group of family and friends. Support when I need it most. Making life changing decisions is never easy. Love you all...  
Thanks "blu" for your notes and links. I'll check them out :)

I don't journal. What I have is a notebook. I have it with me all the time. I write, doodle, paste, and draw. I've had this 'habit' ever since I can remember. I have a small trunk full of my old notebooks. I never really thought twice about it until I recently came across a beautiful article by Joan Didion on this very thing. 

source: pnterest.com

It's back...

This is what it looks like outside my office window. Is it too early? I don't know...I've lived in Toronto long enough to remember what our winters were like when I was a kid. They were cold. A lot colder than what we got used to in the past few years - excluding last year of course! So here it is...stop complaining about the cold and the snow. It's Toronto - uh, Canada. It gets cold here. There really is so much to love about winter. Okay...I know...ask me in April when there's still slush and ice on the streets if I feel the same way!

I love how cozy this coat looks. I want one too! Tommy Ton photo

Aztec Mocha...easy how to here

inspiration...

Inspiration comes from whatever I'm feeling at any given moment. Right now...feeling tattoos, dogs, strong women, and oatmeal on the beach...

tramped-rose...want another tattoo...

pinterest...want to have tea with this lady...

Pinterest...Linda Rodin...love her

Tumblr

countdown...

That time again. Pack and get away. Somewhere far away...heat that my body has been craving since last October (brutal winter). Not much of a spring either. Sun, sea, white sands...literally can't wait. I always pack way too much though. Tips are welcome because I really don't know how to pack. Help??

All images via Tumblr

books...

For anyone that knows me well the fact that I love to read is no shocker. I have literally read hundreds of books. Some I've loved and some not so much. I've cried, laughed, and once thrown my book across the room (I really did)...I have re-read favourites many times. I don't buy my books online because the experience of holding a book in my hands is something that only another book lover can appreciate. For this same reason I'm not sold on books I can read on my iPad. Selling or giving away a book I love is very difficult so (border-line hoarder?) I have too many books that I have sequestered onto my basement bookshelves. Anyway...I can go on and on...but here is a list of some (very few) of my favourites. As soon as I post this I will think of all the ones I should have included...

Are there too many 'children's' books on this list? It is a list of some of my all time favourites...so yeah.