Dear Friend

I was just over at M. Writes reading her most recent post…on writing of course. And of course I got inspired! (I always feel like getting inspired from another blog is cheating because I’m not being completely unique…)

Marta was saying that some of her most treasured belongings are her written notes, from her hubby or friends.

When I was a kid, my family moved from the big city to a small logging camp where we lived for 8 months until my Dad finished his job there. I left behind one of my best friends, Rose. We had been friends since grade three and the closest of friends. We saw each other every day at school, or called each other frequently, had sleep-overs, fought over nylons, cried with each other and laughed till we had tears streaming down our faces.

Rose and I, both being romantics, decided that while I was gone we would write each other letters. But when we learned that the logging camp was only accessible by float plane and the mail wouldn’t get out very often, we decided to write our letters in journals. I would start each entry as “Dear Rose” and she would start hers as “Dear Kate“. Then when we met months later, we would trade journals.

I still have the journals I filled up, some pages with pictures of our adventures, some with funny sketches and mostly with letters to my friend Rose. Years later, when I would pick up my journal, it was still hard to not write “Dear Rose” at the top of the entry.

Rose and I are still friends, we’ve been friends for almost 16 years (if I’m doing my math right…). Even though we’re far away from each other whenever we talk it’s like we were never apart. I’m hoping I get to see her after our trip to England next month…it’ll be a great reunion!

I’m going to write her right now and see if she’d want to start up the “Dear Rose” journals again…it might be neat to do since we’re in a totally different state of life than we were before.

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~ So Sweet ~

So you know how I purchased a block picture from Skinny Swallow? Well, I got it in the mail yesterday and it came with a surprise! Another block! Yep, a second one for free. I love this shop, Michaela has a way of making her buyers feel so special and loved.

The block below is the free one that Michaela sent me, isn’t it beautiful? I think this one is going to go in my living room, maybe beside my antique books…or right next to my great-aunts tea cups.

This week is turning out to be a busy one! I decided to go for the next level in Arbonne at the last minute (late last week!) and I’ve been working hard at getting there! My goal is to hand out 20 samples in the next couple days, this way I’ll get new contacts and hopefully a few sales. I also have three parties this week (the second one is tonight!), so that’s keeping me on my toes!

But I’m going to do it! I’m going to make it to District and start reeling in the big bucks! Wish me luck!

Swoon

I’m totally swooning over these necklaces! I just found them on the front page of Etsy (Kangas, you lucky duck!) and I am just drooling (ha! I just about wrote ‘drooping’ there).

At the Christine Kangasstore, you can buy necklaces and matching earrings, they’re all so quaint and so “just plucked out of the garden” feeling. You’ll feel like a pixie or nymph wearing these incredible creations!

Just beautiful!

I Dream of Paris

 

I’m dreaming of Paris. A glass of wine and a plate of cheese, a baguette, in the evening. A cup of tea and croissants in the morning. The buzz of French accents surrounding us….and then a shock of reality when we realize we can’t speak French to our waiter.

Gotta go and get that French / English Dictionary…

Three Things

It’s Monday, and although it’s a day closer to my Europe get-away, it’s not a good Monday. BUT I was reading Three Beautiful Things, a blog on my blogroll, and I decided I needed to cheer myself up so here’s three things that I find GOOD today:

1. My fruit smoothy is delish!
2. It’s snowing and sunny at the same time…how weird (but cool looking!) is that?
3. My new purse that Mom bought me. Red plaid, black pleather. For our trip to England…it’s SUPER awesome! And weirdly enough, my Mom picked it out and I love it! (This doesn’t happen often).

There. Sigh. I actually do feel better already! Maybe I should try some more:

1. I’m running to get a Starbucks asap.
2. The NEW Arbonne catalogs came out and I’m browsing through one.
3. I’m placing a BIG Arbonne order tonight. Yay!
4. My hubby is super hot. And I get to kiss him all day ’cause we work in the same office.

Sigh. Yep, I feel good.

Maybe good enough for a cup of tea.

Then Starbucks.

It was the morning of Monday and all through the house, not a creature was happy, not even the mouse.

Mondays are never good. Not unless you’re on a holiday and realize you don’t have to go to work that day. Even with the new haircut (meaning, twenty less minutes spent getting ready in the morning = more time sleeping), work mornings aren’t the happiest of times for me. I need a holiday. Time away from the monotony of the 9-5 (or 8-5 in my case). Good thing it’s happening soon or I might have to scream.

When I’m having days like this, I watch other people who mess up. Bloopers, people! I’m not that mean!

And I’ve discovered that even without sound, it’s a funny thing to watch. Ah yes, I feel better already.

I am totally drooling over this Treasury by Marysgranddaughter! The colors are so light and airy, they make me want to bite into a Lemon Meringue pie.

This weekend is going to be a big one! I have an Arbonne meeting tonight at my house, a meeting with the Welcome Wagon girl (to learn how to make the WW packs up and deliver them) tomorrow morning, dinner with my parents on Saturday night. Sunday I’m going to the college because I had a chat with the art teacher there and he said he would teach me how to screen print! Woo!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Tea and PRC

I’m an avid tea drinker. I’m blessed with a British heritage, what can I say? When I saw Baris Gun Sahin on Etsy, I just new I had to feature them in the KJ Blog. I’m really liking the look of the green cups and blue pot together, not matchy-matchy and so cute together because they’re so different.

I’m a little bit behind the times, I just watched my recorded episode of Project Runway Canada…the final episode! It as a biggy, like real big. But like I said, I’m a bit slow, this episode aired like 2 weeks ago. Thank god for PVR! Check out the episode on Youtube!

Reno’s

Hubby and I are doing a ha-you-ge renovation to our house this summer. After our trip from England, we’ll start tearing down walls, reconstructing some of the rooms, extending the kitchen and dining room…it’s going to be construction kaos at our house!

I’ve been trying to get in the mind set of picking colors and decor ideas for the kitchen and can’t seem to find anything that Hubby and I agree on. Honestly, I just wish he would let me pick because I have good taste and I know he’d like what I would come up with anyways.

Here’s a couple pictures I found on House to Home, I’m really liking the colors they use and the overall style.

 

I especially love the colors in this last picture, the grey granite counter top and the inset beams.

We have a friend that just took training to create a granite look with concrete. You can use it as counter top or flooring (both would be cool!). I’m thinking I might get him to give me a price on our counter top…in just this look. The grey flecks. I like that. And I’ll have to talk to Hubby about the beams, I’ve always wanted those. We’ll see what he says.

The only problem I see with not only these pictures, but many others I’ve looked at: They don’t show the fridge! I know this sounds like a simple “problem”, but I have to completely shift the floor plan in our kitchen too, and I’m trying to think of where all the appliances should go! It’d be nice to have some help, Magazine People.

Just from seeing how much I like these two pictures, I think I’ve finally decided on white cupboards. Phewf. One decision down, ten million to go!

Just a Few

As you can see, we’re still not in the ‘green’ stage, but it’s coming! We saw a tinge of green on the trees on the drive home.

Just a note: After the first picture was taken, Cobie fell off of the log, 5 feet into a splash of water. She didn’t get hurt, but she enjoyed a quick swim! It doesn’t look like the log is that far off of the water, does it?

I can’t wait to go camping again!