Blogmas Day Two Christmas Cards and Polaroid Camera

 Welcome to Blogmas Day Two!  Today, I decided to start on my Christmas cards.  Over the years, my list of Christmas card recipients has dwindled to just a select few.  It's just so much easier to send an e-card.  Plus I think that sending out cards has generally fallen out of favour.  This year, though, I think we all need that extra bit of personalized connection.  

My card of choice this year is by Peter Pauper Press.  I just love their designs as they always have an adorable woodland scene in their offerings.  Canada Post does not have service to a number of different countries due to the pandemic.  So you might be wise to check the list of countries where service has been suspended before you mail off your cards and parcels.

I also decided to pull out my Polaroid camera and add in a fun, festive themed snapshot.  Of course, my camera is in the requisite festive colour of red.

I whizzed through Nordstrom's before lockdown.  They usually have a pop-up Christmas gift shop stocked with interesting and unusual gift ideas.  This year's pop-up shop was a bit slimmed down compared to yesteryear's but I did notice that they brought back Polaroid cameras and packs of instant film.  In the past, they have stocked vintage, reconditioned Polaroid cameras and film by the Impossible Project.  This year, I noticed that the Polaroid cameras looked like they were new and the film was Polaroid branded.  So it looks like Polaroid has decided to reissue their instant cameras.  Woohoo!  This is such a fun creative gift for anyone of any age, really.  It doesn't matter if the quality is a bit dodgy as the fun is seeing the film pop out and then develop.  Of course, if you have a colour printer, you could always print off copies of family holiday snaps to pop into the card.

What have you been doing to get into the Christmas spirit?

If you are a small business owner and would like me to do a shout - out, please contact me.  I know that small businesses are really suffering this season and need all the support that they can get.

Blogmas Day One Christmas Decorating Tips and Tricks

 Yay, it's December 1st!  I think the heavens are trying to send some Christmas cheer our way because I woke up to snowfall.  Maybe we'll have a white Christmas.  Today, I began putting up my Christmas decorations starting with a vintage electric Christmas tree in the front hallway or foyer.

I love how it looks against the midnight navy of the feature wall.

Next up, I wanted to hang this wooden star.  Command hooks are my weapon of choice when deploying Christmas decor.  The sticky removable strip means that you can hang decor pieces in places like windows or anywhere you don't or can't hammer in a nail.  Once the holiday season is over, you can remove the hook and use it elsewhere in your home.

  

These hooks come in handy when winding a garland around a staircase bannister or around a fireplace mantel. All the hooks take different weights so be sure to consider how heavy the decor piece is before hanging. I always go for the hooks that can take 3lbs. I also like the fact that the hook has a metal part that makes it look a bit nicer on the wall.

I hung the star up on the side of an armoire that faces my bedroom door.  In this way, it is the first thing I see when I enter my bedroom.  When considering where I am going to place decor, I always think of where my eyes naturally come to rest when entering a room.  Having something lovely in my line of sight provides a subtle visual cue and provides the Christmas cheer that we all need at this time of year.

Have you started your holiday decorating yet?

November Monthly Favourites Black Friday Cyber Monday J Crew L'Occcitane and Deciem

Time for another Monthly Favourites!  Coincidentally, we've just come off Black Friday weekend and today is Cyber Monday.  Last weekend was even more manic as last Monday began a second full lockdown.  Noooo.....  Hands up if you are feeling extreme levels of mental and emotional fatigue.  Admittedly, I scuttled out to the local mall to pick up a few things.  One thing I did get was another tube of L'Occitane 20% Shea Butter hand lotion.

I am sure I have mentioned this classic many times but there is a reason why this hand and body creme is a holy grail product.  I wear gloves whenever I go out.  My hands get so sweaty and hot in those disposable gloves.  Far from being moisturized, the constant heat and humidity plus being slathered in sanitizer regularly, means that my hands are dry as the Sahara Desert.  L'Occitane runs a fabulous program where, if you bring a skincare container/packaging to be recycled, you get 10% off your purchase. They will take any brand! I figured that doing this would be impossible online so I made sure to bring in a container and get another tube before lockdown.  However, I needn't have worried as L'Occitane is doing a sitewide 20% off Cyber Monday sale.  

I also picked up another bottle of Hylamide's Pore Control from the Abnormal Beauty Company.  It helps to control sebum production.  Again, it is a must-have for me nowadays.  Let me know if you want me to write a blog post on dealing with maskne.  Truly, I thought I had left the bad old days of breakouts behind me but this business of wearing masks whenever I venture outside has my skin going crazy.

Most helpfully, The Abnormal Beauty Company or Deciem ran their Black Friday sale of 23% off for the entire month of November!  This is such a brilliant strategy and really takes the pressure off.

I also ordered a pair of leggings from J Crew at 40% off the already reduced sale price.  I didn't even bother looking at dressy clothes because what is the point?  I just want comfy, casual, at home, clothes nowadays.  Truth be told, somedays I spend all day in my pjs.  Let me know if this is you as well. I hope they arrive while we are still in 2020.  Delivery times have gone completely sideways with recurring lockdowns and everyone doing so much of their shopping online.

via jcrew.com

Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1st?  I am toying with doing an edited version of Blogmas.  Hmmm, we shall see.  I think we should give ourselves a pat on the back for having made it this far. 

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Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies

 Hello Friends! I hope you are all safe and well.  It took a second lockdown but I have finally capitulated and joined the baking frenzy that has gripped the world.  I had been craving the delicious balance between the salty and the sweet that is sea salt caramel.  What could be more marvelously comforting than sea salt caramel chip cookies?  There is a plethora of basic cookie recipes out there.  Most helpfully, there was even a recipe provided on the back of the sea salt caramel chip packet that I used.  However, I drew inspiration from a marthastewart.com cookie recipe with a couple of tweaks of my own.  Of course, you can use any flavour of chip that you prefer.

Sea Salt Caramel Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs

2 cups sea salt caramel chips (or any other type of chip)

Optional: 2 tablespoons of maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Beat together the butter, white and light brown sugars and the flour then add the rest of the ingredients. I used an ice cream scoop to measure out portions at least 2 inches apart on parchment paper or on a silicone baking mat placed on a baking tin. You can also use 2 heaping tablespoons. For added depth of flavour, I also added 2 tablespooons of maple syrup.  The smokiness of the maple syrup deepens the flavour profile of the molasses present in the brown sugar.  Bake for about 10 minutes or until the edges darken slightly in colour and the center is soft and chewy.  Let cool on a baker's rack and then store in an airtight container.

I have also tried butterscotch chips in this recipe.  Afterwards, I sprinkled a pinch of pink sea salt of top to achieve that sea salt caramel flavour.  

I experimented with different sizes.  I found that by pressing down slightly on each portion, the cookie dough would spread out in the oven and attain an amusingly large circumference.

What could be better with these scrumptious cookies than a cup of tea or coffee?

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October 2020 Monthly Favourites Mask Accessories Jouer Cosmetics Apple TV Long Way Up

 Hello Friends!  Can you believe we are marching towards Christmas in the most unusual year ever?  When Toronto went into its first lockdown way back in March, I just couldn't envision what the year's end would look like.  With the time change, the shorter, cooler days and a second lockdown, I feel like we have travelled back in time to March again.  

Now that we are months into the pandemic, one "fashion" trend that has emerged are masks and mask accessories.   Pictured above is reusable fabric mask printed with a star pattern.  I always have spare masks on hand whenever I go out and I store them in a pouch to keep them clean and hygienic.  I love the navy pouch above as it coordinates with the mask.  It is actually a pencil/pen pouch that I picked up from Chapters.

With masks mandatory in enclosed public spaces, there really isn't much need for makeup such as foundation, blush or contouring.  All the emphasis is on the eyes now.  I do still like a bit of concealer around my eyes so I was more than a bit concerned when I ran out of concealer and discovered that H & M had discontinued their makeup range.  Trying to find a new makeup product has been challenging to say the least these days when all the testers have been packed away and we can only "browse" with our eyes.  A lot of stores haven't adjusted their return policies to reflect the current situation so it is frustrating to take a chance on a product and then come home and realize it isn't suitable at all.  With fingers crossed, I settled on Jouer's concealer.  This is my first time trying out this line.  What initially drew me to this range is that they are cruelty free.  Jouer's Essential Concealer is high coverage and is supposed to have a soft matte finish.

I chose Wheat which turned out to be a fairly good match to my skin tone.  I have to admit that the jury is still out on this one.  It is definitely high coverage and a little bit goes a very long way.  However, it dries down in a blink of an eye which means there is basically no blending time whatsoever.  I recommend putting on moisturizer or some type of base first because, even though it is described as having a soft matte finish, I would say that the finish is very matte which may accentuate any wrinkles that you have in the undereye area.  It comes with a doe foot applicator which I like.  I am not sure if it is the jump from using an H & M product, which let's face it, is pretty easy on the wallet, but I experienced a huge sticker shock when I was searching for a replacement.  The average was around $40 for a name brand concealer at Sephora.  Maybe this is all part of the jump in prices for everything these days?  The price of $29.50 for Jouer's concealer sat a lot better with me, especially as there really isn't a lot of need for makeup these days.

Finally, but definitely not least, I have been doing a lot of binge-watching of late.  Currently, I love nothing better than to watch a travel documentary series.  After all, if you can't travel, watching a travel show is the next best thing.

via appleinsider.com

I look forward to Fridays as a new episode of Long Way Up gets uploaded to Apple TV on that day.  Long Way Up is a travel series starring Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman and follows their adventures on electric motorbikes from the southernmost tip of South America all the way up to Los Angeles.  It is the third installment in the Long Way series.  The first two were Long Way Round and Long Way Down which are also on Apple TV.  I highly recommend giving all the Long Way series a watch.  It is such a welcome break from the constant barrage of bad news from the media these days.  Travelling by motor bike, you are shown sights that are just breathtaking and which you would never see from an airplane.

If you have any good shows that you would like to recommend, please share in the comments!

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How to Choose the Right Paint Colour

 Hello Friends!  I hope you are safe and healthy wherever you are.  We are in deep in the Second Wave and modified Stage 2 Lockdown here.  Even though I knew the Second Wave was coming, I admit that I lost a bit of my mojo for awhile and decided to take a break from home projects..  Hands up if you are experiencing emotional fatigue.  Thankfully, I had done quite a fair amount of painting already before my mojo dissipated as I had just can't imagine spending all that time and effort right now picking out the perfect paint colour.  Here are my tips and suggestions for picking a paint colour that you will be happy to live with for years to come.

First of all, I always use Benjamin Moore paint.  I just have not found another brand that is its equal in terms of spreadability and coverage.  I have tried more affordable paints in the past but it wasn't worth it in the long run as I ended up spending more time and effort applying the paint and then needing more of it. I wanted to repaint a section of the front hallway that was opposite to a feature wall that was painted with North Sea which is a deep, midnight blue.  I needed a colour that would marry well with the rich tones of North Sea.

Obviously, as everyone does, I looked over an ever growing stack of paint chips. However, you don't want to stop there. I also used the Benjamin Moore website where you can see what the paint colour looks like in various rooms. You need to think about where the paint colour is going to be applied.  Is it a high touch, high contact area?  The hallway was a high touch area and was looking scruffy with lots of fingerprints and stains.  Would a washable finish be more suitable?  Benjamin Moore has announced the colours of the year for 2021.  The Colour Trends of 2021 Palette is a great jumping off point for inspiration.  How a paint colour reads on the wall can change not only with the ambiant light in that area but any colours that it is placed with.  There is no natural light in my hallway.  Any lighting is mainly from LED bulbs which gives off a cool toned light.  Incandescent bulbs tend to give off a warm toned light.  Initially I thought a pale grey would work with North Sea.

You would think this would be a straightforward process but nooooooooo.....! This is where the magic of colour sampler tins comes in.  Benjamin Moore offers colour samplers for around $11.  I went mad picking out paint samplers to try out on the wall beside the feature wall.  There are so many variations of pale grey with greys that have a blue, green, brown or pink undertone.  In the above photo, you can see different patches beside the feature wall. Would you believe that they are all variants of grey?  But no matter what shade of grey it was, when placed adjacent to the feature wall, it would pick up a blue tinge.  All of them were too pale to hold their own against North Sea.

Finally, after a great deal of hand wringing and staring at a section of wall that was beginning to look exactly how I was feeling (ie bonkers), I went back to a colour that I have used before, Hiking Trail.  The only way I can describe it is that is a warm milk chocolate.  It is the same colour that I have used in the kitchen and as a feature wall in the living room.  It has enough depth of colour to stand up to North Sea.  

I have a section of wall in the hallway that has a pair of watercolours hung on it so Hiking Trail makes a good backdrop to those paintings as well.  That is another consideration that you might want to bear in mind as well.  Do you have any artwork on the wall?  I liked the fact that I was using a colour that had been used in other areas of my home because I am a big believer in a sense of continuity in a home.  Paint colour is a great way to establish a sense of flow in a home especially if you have a small home like I do.

I think what really decided me on Hiking Trail was the fact that, when I stood at one end of my home, I was able to envision an enfilade of feature walls.  So that is another tip I have for you which is to stand at different vantage points in your home.  I don't think that I had ever stood at that point in my home, as depicted above, and really thought about what I was seeing.  That wall at the far end used to be a light sand colour, Manchester Tan, the same colour that you see on the left.  It didn't really make the artwork pop.  I love how there is a feature wall in the foreground and then a matching feature wall in the background.  I will say that I wasn't prepared for how much darker it felt in the hallway.  All the paint colours come with an LRV which is the Light Reflective Value. Manchester Tan, for example, has an LRV of 64.41 whereas Hiking Trail has an LRV of 24.78. So the LRV of a colour is another consideration to weigh up.   I love Hiking Trail in the front section of hallway adjacent to the feature wall painted with North Sea but, to be honest, the jury is still out about the section of hallway that you see in the background.  I am used to it now but one day I might switch it back to a colour with a higher LRV.

I hope you have found these suggestions useful.  Please chime in if you have any other tips.  

   

Doable Day Trips from Toronto and Fall Harvest Apple Picking at Chudleigh's Farm

 It's Fall Harvest Time in Ontario.  I drove out to Chudleigh's Farm yesterday as my favourite apple in the world, the glorious Honeycrisp, was ready for picking.  It's been a good 20 years since I've been to Chudleigh's and after months of sheltering in place, I was READY!

The drive there took approximately an hour and was incredibly straightforward as it simply involved getting on a couple of highways and then exiting onto Regional Road 25 in Milton.  Masks are required except when picking apples.  You have to purchase your tickets online and specify a date and timeslot as the farm is practicing social distancing.

There have been many changes since I was last there 2 decades ago.  Back then, there was just a big barn at the front with a few long wooden tables and an assortment of jellies, jams and pies.  Now there is a petting zoo with llamas, goats and a jersey cow.  There were even 2 beautiful golden labrador retrievers in a pen which worried me.  I have never seen dogs in a zoo before!  Shouldn't they be following their human family around the farm? Am I missing something here? Do they get taken home at night after the crowds have left?  I'd like to know your thoughts on that.

There's a children's play area, various booths selling snacks and a bandstand.  It is a huge tourist operation now and not just a simple PYO farm.  The day was perfect, sunny but not too hot.  The grounds are lovely and it was wonderful viewing the fall foliage.

It truly was magical to get out of the city and be able to walk around in the fresh country air.  Obviously none of us can travel right now so this was the perfect alternative.  The added bonus is that as you are outdoors the entire time, it is very easy to social distance.   I can't believe I waited 20 years!  Hopefully, I will be back again next harvest season.

The Weekly Roundup: Toronto's Best Gelato and Tablet Woes

 Hello Friends!  It's hard to believe that we are now in the middle of August.  I couldn't even picture August way back in March when Toronto went into lockdown.  The internet became my connection to the world.  Work (until I was laid off) was conducted online and I caught up with friends via Zoom.  My tablet provided entertainment, connection to the outside world and an escape. I used to take my trusty Samsung tablet with me everywhere...to the local coffeeshop, to work, I even took it with me on a trip to Australia.  Now it followed me from room to room.  It really was like a virtual extension of myself.  And then one day, the unthinkable happened.

I got up one morning after a late night spent on DIY renovations, picked up the tablet which slipped from my fingers and fell face down on a tiled floor. When I picked it up, my heart sank. I felt like I had lost a friend.  The spiderweb cracks in the screen really affect the touchscreen's responsiveness and minute shards come away when I touch it.  I do want to repair it one day if only for old times' sake.  If you have any tips on safeguarding personal information saved on a smart device before handing it over to a technician, please let me know.

We are in the middle of a heatwave here in the Big Smoke.  To my mind, it just isn't Summer, pandemic or not, without a trip to the best gelato store in the GTA, Hollywood Gelato.

This is how you do gelato during a pandemic:

This was one time I was thankful that I was wearing gloves as the gelato began to melt as soon as I stepped outside into the scorching, humid heat.  I got 3 flavours for $7.00.  Pineapple & Mango is at the top, Valrhona Chocolate in the middle and Hazelnut on the bottom.  The gelato from Hollywood Gelato hits that perfect combination of creamy smoothness and an intense, complex flavour profile without a hint of sickly sweetness.

How is your Summer progressing?

Budget Friendly Dry Wall Repair How To

Hello Friends!  Now that I have done as much as I can do on my own with the kitchen makeover, I have decided to move on to the closet in the office.  I say "office" but it is really a bedroom that I have been using as an office.  I suppose that many of us have had to commandeer a space in our homes as an office space.  Unfortunately, the shelf in the closet wasn't really meant to hold heavy office supplies such as reams of copy paper and client files.  Over time, the brackets holding up the shelf had begun to tear away from the drywall.

The shelf itself, which was nothing more than a pressed melamine board, had also begun to bow in the middle.  I don't know why I left it so long.  I think I was a little intimidated at the thought of removing it.  It is the second time I have had it repaired and the contractor who installed the current shelf had assured me that it was never going to rip out of the wall.  Famous last words, right?

Funnily enough, taking everything down was a breeze!  The screws and anchors had torn so far out of the wall that it wasn't difficult at all to dismantle.  Unfortunately, when I took everything down, gaping holes were revealed.  The holes went right to the other side of the drywall.

Can you believe that I remembered that I had the very things in my toolkit to effect the necessary repairs?  Really, it was a bit like finding a spare can of paint in the exact right shade to paint out the blue stripe in my kitchen makeover which you can read about here.

Yes, there is such a thing as a wall bandage!  Basically, it is a self adhesive fiberglass mesh that you place over the hole which provides extra support.  First I filled the hole with as much drywall compound as I could.  Then I cut a generous sized square of the wall bandage and placed it over the hole.  

I used a putty knife to trowel on the drywall compound.  

If you can't find wall bandages then self-adhesive drywall joint tape is basically the same thing that comes in a roll instead of sheets. 

 I did find that the tape was much less sticky than the bandages so it didn't adhere to the wall as well.

Once the mesh has been completely covered by the drywall compound, sand it smooth.  Repairing dry wall is a much more cost effective option than tearing it down and installing a new sheet of drywall. Also, it is something that you can do yourself that doesn't really require any specialized skill set.   Now I can move on to the next phase which is planning drawers and shelves for the closet.  It is a bit of a conundrum because I want drawers and shelves to hold office supplies but which can be repurposed down the road to hold clothes.  Also there has to be some hanging space so that the closet can be used for hanging clothes later on if need be.  I don't want to do what I did last time which was to put up another shelf and pole.  I would love a closet that looked like it had custom built-ins in it similar to California Closets but that is not in the budget.  Speaking of budget, the cost of the repairs was a big fat donut as I had everything I needed on hand.  I can't wait to move on to the next phase. Stay tuned for that!

Budget Friendly Kitchen Makeover How To During Lockdown

Hello Friends!  I hope that, wherever you are, you are slowly emerging from lockdown.  The city that I live in is still in Stage 2.  Now that we are have been spending so much time at home, the comforts of home have never been more important.  Finally, I have the time to attend to those repairs that have been  pushed to the back burner for years.  Although I would love to gut everything and start fresh, my minuscule budget didn't allow for it.  Not only that, I had no idea how to manage social distancing with any contractors that I hired as I live in a condo and not a spacious home.  The kitchen cabinet doors were in dire need of repair but I had 15 (!!) cabinet doors and 4 drawer fronts to contend with, all of various sizes.  I checked budget friendly sites like Ikea to see if I could purchase new doors but I was unable to find anything that was even close to the sizes that I needed.  After much research, I turned to Amazon, who is fast becoming my new bestie, and ordered several rolls of matte white veneer.

I chose matte white because the kitchen doesn't have any source of natural light and I felt that white cabinet doors would help to bounce light around.  There are a variety of textures and colours available, such as a faux wood but the veneer is essentially a plastic contact paper so I figured that faux wood would look...well...glaringly faux.

The cabinet doors have to be clean of any grease or dirt.  Trust me when I say that even the tiniest speck of dirt will cause an air bubble to form around it. I was pleasantly surprised  to see that the rolls were made in Germany so I was assured of quality.  There are grid lines printed on the backing paper to help you cut straight lines.  Keep the backing paper on until you begin to apply it.  If you completely remove the backing paper before application, there is a greater likelihood of air bubbles forming.

I used a rolling ruler to help smooth down the veneer as I was applying it.  I pressed down firmly on the ruler while holding the veneer up and away from the ruler.  I found that the backing paper peeled away on its own simply from the forward motion of the ruler.  I used a utility knife to trim off the excess around the edges.  

You can reposition it a few times if you find that you have made a mistake but the more you manipulate it, the greater the chance of air bubbles forming.  I had a can of spray glue at the ready but I found that I didn't need it.  Any air bubbles can be gently massaged away.  Remember to pull it tightly around the edges as air bubbles tend to form along the edge.

Refinishing the cabinet doors actually went quickly once I became familiar with how to apply it.  The fact that the doors are flat without any moulding or protruding trim really helped.

The next thing I tackled in the kitchen was the blue bulkhead.  The blue stripe running along the top of the upper row of cabinets had always vaguely bothered me.  It had been painted blue a long time ago on the advice of a real estate agent but I just found that it had no relation to the other elements in the kitchen at all. During my lockdown decluttering efforts, I found a barely touched pint can of paint in a closet along with brand new rollers and brushes.  Finding that can of paint, in the same shade as the rest of the kitchen, was like finding gold.  No need to mask up and go to the hardware store with the sign on the door that said "5 minutes max."  I don't know about you but I am fairly certain that no one in the history of humankind has ever been able to choose a shade of paint and get it mixed up in under 5 minutes.  I had everything I needed to paint over that blue stripe without spending a dime!

Before:

After:

I am so pleased with how it turned out.  The kitchen looks modern and refreshed and has a more cohesive look. The rolls were around $19 each and I needed 6 rolls.  Expensive for what is essentially contact paper but much cheaper than getting new custom doors.  I think that this is a good option if you are a tenant or if you are looking to refinish cabinetry on an extremely tight budget and have no prior experience or special DIY skills.  You don't need any special tools except a pair of scissors, a utility knife and a ruler or something similar.  Best of all, it was a project that kept me occupied and sane during these troubled times.

ASMR Fruit Smoothie Video

Hello lovelies!  I mentioned in my previous blog post that I was enjoying making fruit smoothies in the morning.  I use frozen fruit chunks which is wonderful during these hot hazy days.  I use a fruit juice as my liquid base but you can always use a milk base (dairy or plant based) as well.  I really don't know why I was so intimidated in the past.  I think I thought that I HAD to incorporate fancy supplemental powders into the concoction.  The great thing about smoothies is that you can customize it to your own individual taste.  It is virtually foolproof as there is no cooking or baking involved.  I find the process of whizzing it up to be meditative and relaxing and now it is something I look forward to with anticipation.  The video is pretty much self explanatory which is why there is no voiceover.  Enjoy!

Life Update and May Monthly Favourites Outlander Thinksport Sunblock and Morning Fruit Smoothie

Hello my lovelies, I hope you are well and not just surviving but managing to thrive as well.  As the title of this blog post suggests, a little life update is in order.  After a couple of months of agony, I joined the millions of jobless people around the world.  The timing was particularly bittersweet as it occurred after my school had an inspection and a recording of one of my classes was presented, unbeknownst to me, as the showcase of exemplary online teaching.  Now that I have had a few weeks to digest what happened, I realize how much stress I had been under for a very long time and still am to a certain extent.  It feels odd and discombobulating to have to reassess my life and identity at this stage of the game.  I am sure that many people everywhere are going through the same process.

Part of reassessing my life is trying to get my health back on track.  In the early days of lockdown, a lot of staple items disappeared on store shelves including fresh meat.  Have you noticed a sharp increase in prices in your area of the world?  I am really curious/concerned about the knock on effects from the rise in the cost of living juxtaposed against a recording setting unemployment rate.  I was under so much stress from juggling my then job and living under lockdown that I had no choice but to eat foods such as potatoes and white rice that I shouldn't be eating due to health reasons.  My health began to deteriorate and now I have to try and get it back on track.  Recently I started making fruit smoothies in the mornings.

For some reason, I have always been intimidated by the idea of getting on the smoothie bandwagon.  I don't have any fancy powdered supplements on hand to add to it although I am open to trying that in the future.  A simple fruit smoothie with any juice that you have on hand as the liquid base and a selection of frozen, roughly chopped fruits works for me.  The frozen chunks act like ice cubes which is yummy in hot weather.  I have been adding in store bought frozen chunks of avocado.  It doesn't change the flavour profile at all and adds in healthy fats.  I could never catch whole avocados at the right point of ripeness and ended up throwing away a lot of them.  Discovering frozen chunks of avocado was an absolute game changer for me.  I have also tried adding in peanut butter for a more savoury taste but prefer the ingredients to be all fruit.

With the onset of sunny days, I picked up a tube of Thinksport sunscreen.  I was searching for a sunscreen that was cruelty free first and foremost.  It contains no Paba, parabens, phthalates, PBA, ozybenzone, avobenzone, petroleum, gluten, dairy or toxic chemicals. I don't surf and sadly, don't live near a coastline and with the current travel restrictions won't be going near one any time soon.  However, for those of you who do, Thinksport SPF 50 sunscreen is reef safe and is on Hawaii's approved sunscreen list. 

I was really pleased to find mine at Shoppers so no need to order it online and deal with a protracted delivery time.

I bingewatched the latest season of Outlander and indulged in my crush on the character of Jamie Fraser.

The books are lengthy and get more and more convoluted to the point of absurdity with each volume.  To be honest, my interest began to wane after Jamie and Claire moved to the New World.  However, the series, out of necessity, cuts out a lot of the chaff without losing the essence of the storyline.  A definite thumbs up from me!  Now I have to find something else to watch.  Any suggestions?

What sort of adjustments have you had to make during lockdown?  Have you seen the cost of groceries going up?  Have you noticed any shortages?

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The Weekly Roundup Netflix Bingeworthy La Roche Posay Takenaka Bento Bowls Lockdown Edition

How are you, my friends?  I do hope you are not just surviving but finding a way to thrive during this new normal.  I think we are all discovering new ways to fill our spare time at home.  My love affair with Netflix has ebbed and flowed over time.  There is a huge array on offer but that means it takes a fair amount of sleuthing to sort out the gems.  I've had a soft spot for Scandi noir ever since watching "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy and my search on Netflix dug up "The Valhalla Murders."

I binge watched this series from Iceland with glee.  Yes, a grim murder mystery might seem like strange viewing right now but the stunning shots of Iceland in Winter and the plot twists and turns were exactly what I needed.  It wasn't on the same level as "The Bridge" but it definitely came close.

I ordered this bento bowl by Takenaka from Chapters.  It has two compartments and has locking clips on the side of the lid.  Yes, lunchboxes and the like aren't really in high demand right now but hear me out.  It is BPA and lead free, made in Japan  so it is a bona fide bento bowl and the bowl without the lid is microwave and dishwasher safe.  It really isn't that easy finding containers that are made in a "reputable country" without paying a premium price tag.  This will be going to a family member who relies on junky restaurant takeout containers for storing her leftovers and has a birthday coming up.  The 50% off price tag made it an easy decision.  My order arrived within a few days which was a surprise as I have heard of very long delivery schedules from the likes of Amazon and Sephora.

I picked up this sunblock SPF 50 by La Roche-Posay at Shoppers.  Father's Day is coming up and mine lives in Nevada.  Even though he has been sheltering in place for months, he does have a back yard.  The Anthelios XL SPF 50 cream comes with a free 50 ml tube which makes it a really good value.  I always find men, especially when they are your aging parent, incredibly difficult to shop for.  They are at an age when they don't really need or want anything.  I do find that simple practical things tend to go down the best.

What have you been doing at home these days?

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April Monthly Favourites Lockdown Edition La Roche-Posay Facial Roller Facial Masks Office Organization

Hello lovelies, how are you all doing?  I hope you are not just surviving but have found a way to thrive as well, notwithstanding the current circumstances.  I thought I would do a Monthly Favourites, the Lockdown Edition, as I haven't done a monthly favourites in..well...months, really!  So let's do this.  First up is La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Levres (Lips).

I have always had a lot of issues with lip balms.  Despite claims of being hydrating and moisturizing, they tend to dry out my lips and cause massive peeling and flaking.  I hate anything that has mint, spearmint, chilli extract, lemon extract or any type of lemon derivative in a lip product.  These ingredients, while they cause an initial cooling effect, actually trigger an inflammatory response that just worsens the condition of your lips.  La Roche-Posay's Cicaplast Levres is a holy grail product.  It is paraben and fragrance free and contains all the good things like lipids that your skin needs to repair itself.  I picked mine up at Shoppers for $10.95 CDN.  La Roche-Posay, which is a French masstige brand, is usually available at the pharmacy.  Right now, with department stores closed, the only place to go for skincare is the local pharmacy or the grocery store. I am sure that, like myself, many of you are keeping a sharp eye on your budget.  La Roche-Posay isn't astronomically priced like other luxury French brands and it isn't cheap as chips either but for a made in France quality product I would say it is good value for the money. I noticed that the cosmetics section at Shoppers was closed off but, thankfully, the masstige skincare section wasn't.

Next up is a new addition to my skincare routine which is this jade roller.

Can you believe that I picked this up at Dollarama (Canada's version of the Dollar Store) for a bargainous $4??  Who knows if it is made of real jade but the cooling effect is the same.  And yes, Dollarama is still open because it sells food albeit the canned and packaged, long shelf life sort which is what everyone is racing around to find anyway.  There is something so soothing and meditative about using this roller.  Believe me, I have been rolling away like mad.

If, like me, you are working from home, you have had to quickly figure out how to set up a home office.  My home office area has become a bit of a bomb site but this handy gadget has really helped to bring in a degree of organization.

The cable organizer was spotted at Dollarama for an inexpensive $1.25.

Lastly, I picked up a selection of facial masks (and no, not the surgical kind, I haven't seen those around in many weeks) at Shoppers.

They were on offer for well under $3.00 each so I picked up a few to put into care packages to mail away.

Stay safe! Stay healthy!

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Comforting Things To Do When You Are At Home

How are you?  I have realized that no one has actually asked how I am doing whilst sheltering in place.  I have been inundated with exhortations to Be Thankful!  Be Grateful! Smile! Cheer Up!  but no one has actually asked me how I am really doing.  Maybe this is you too?  Maybe, like me, you are feeling anxious, stressed, wondering if you are going to have a job at the end of all this,  when will the end come, what will the world look like and so on.  I had to go through a range of emotions akin to the stages of grief.  I realized I was grieving for all those deaths around the world and many more to come and also for the loss of our way of life.  There has been a loss of innocence that strikes right at the heart of our existence.  Those days of blithely spending hours in a crowded restaurant or cafe are long gone.  One day, we will go to a restaurant again but I think there will always be that niggling sense of worry and fear.  Can you even imagine trampling through a horde of people on Black Friday or Boxing Day?  The very thought makes me break out into a cold sweat.  

As the days and weeks passed, I began to settle into a semblance of a routine and to find ways to keep myself occupied at home. I have realized how important it is to nurture one's health with nutritious food and there is nothing more nutritious and comforting than homemade chicken soup.

Break out that fine china and cutlery that you only use a few times a year.  You can easily make each meal an occasion by using the fancy china that you have been saving "for good."  I have a set of Denby cutlery that I rarely use because the handles are made of the famous Denby pottery.  In the above photo, you will see a Denby spoon.

I did a stock take of my kitchen cupboards and came across a tin of Ghirardelli hazelnut hot chocolate.  I truly cannot remember how I acquired this tin but am so glad I discovered it.  It is amazing!

It is so creamy and rich.  The hazelnut flavour combined with the dense chocolate goodness is so satisfying. Diet, you say?  What diet?

I also did some baking.  I had a set of silicone cups that I had never used.  In the spirit of making do with what I had on hand, especially now that grocery shopping is so arduous and flour has disappeared off the grocery shelves, I whipped up some oatmeal and applesauce muffins.

I must say that, in these times, it is important to not just be kind to others but to be kind to yourself as well.  It is okay to feel what you are feeling.  Lean into those emotions.  There is no need for you to come out the other end as the next Mother Theresa or with a degree in astrophysics.  Let me know how you are doing as I truly want to know.