Here’s my list of top wants and needs for Christmas.It’s so much fun to make a list of your wants for Santa Clause, even if you don’t get them all. 😉
(no particular order)
First: I have been craving chilli. It’s that time of the year for warm and cozy meals, and for me chilli is one of them. There is a local soup vendor in Portland, Me that makes the best veggie chilli. Karmasouptra makes everything fresh including their delicious rolls.
Second: I have been watching the Netflix original show, “House of Cards” with Kevin Spacey. It is amazing! It’s a very fresh, intense view into politics, with twists and turns you wouldn’t expect.
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Third: I have been dieing for a new handbag. I am not a fan of paying full price for anything, and I have champagne taste on a beer budget. I am a huge fan of Coach and of Ebay. My last two handbag purchases have been through the wonderful hunting I did on Ebay. I purchased two brand new authentic Coach handbags for under $100 each! It can be tricky purchasing on Ebay, because you don’t want to get scammed into purchasing a fake item that is claimed to be real. I always go by the reviews on the seller and how many years they have been selling on Ebay. If it’s more then 3 years with 100% good feed back I feel pretty safe in bidding and purchasing an item from them. If there is one bad review that mentions a fake item or a customer not receiving their purchased item, I steer clear of that seller. I love the new Poppy collection by Coach, and I am currently watching a few of these beautiful handbags on Ebay. I hope they become mine!
East/West Satchel
Blaire Tote
Forth:I haven’t really been jamming out to any kind of music inparticular. I did however have a little jam out session with friends the other night to 80’s pop music. It was really fun to revisit old favorites. We then moved into 90’s pop and boy oh boy were there some sing-a-longs.
Fifth: I have been on a champagne kick recently. Going out to dinner or just having a night in with friends, my drink of choice has been champagne. Perhaps this choice may have to do with the fact champagne is a very holiday drink, and since the holidays are right around the corner I have been craving the sweet celebration. One of my favorites is Sofia Blanc De Blancs, by Francis Coppola. It is technically a sparkling wine, but it has all the effects of champagne. It’s sweet, tarte, crisp, and it comes wrapped in pink selophaine! How could you not want to purchase it in celebration.
Sixth:Any suggestions on fun activities, foods to try, or drinks to taste? I am always looking to discover new exciting things.
First: Since I bring my lunch to work, and the temperatures have dropped I’ve been looking for a quick and delicious meals to bring for lunch. I have fallen in love with Amy’s organic soups and Wolfgang Punk’s organic soups. They are affordable and delicious.
Second:I recently watched “Farmageedon” which was incredibly enlightening and interesting. I learned a lot about the USDA and their sneaky tactics. They interview my favorite farmer who was in “Food Inc” also, Joel Salatin. He truly is an incredible farmer with ethic practices and is very thoughtful with everything he does on his farm.
Third: I love anything that sparkles! Since the holiday season is just around the corner all the stores are filling up with glitz and glimmer. It’s so exciting!
Fifth: I know I know, this post is very holiday, but I’m super excited about all the warm tastes, cozy scent and holiday decorations. I’m so excited that the gingerbread lattes and eggnog lattes are back. They really bring the holiday flavor back into action. When I’m having a hard or long day sipping on a warm eggnog latte always seems to ring me a little joy.
Sixth:Honestly I’m super excited for all the holiday festivities. All the Christmas parties, ugly sweater soirees, cookie making, gift wrapping and all the delicious food that goes with it. I can’t wait.
First: So I have been crazy in love with a newly discovered Thai noodle dish from my local takeout Thai restaurant. I am a huge fan of yellow curry and it’s usually my go to when it comes to Thai, but I decided to branch out, and boy was I happy I did. It’s called Pad Woon Sen. It’s a noodle dish made with glass noodles which are very thin and light. It has a savory, sweet, spicy flavor to it which is sublime. You can get it made with meat and vegetables, and of course I get just vegetables (being vegetarian and all). It is truly worth the try!
Second: I recently watched the movie “Safety Not Guaranteed”. At first I wasn’t sure how the movie was going to play out, but I was pleasantly surprised. It makes the audience start out thinking that it’s just another off-beat comedy, with it’s clever lines here and there, but it steals your heart away. It turns out to be a very touching, thought provoking movie about acceptance, compassion, support, trial/error, and connection.
Third: I am in love with the thin layering tee. They are super cozy and come in a range of colors, patterns, and fabrics. They are super easy to wear casually with boot cut jeans, and some fun sneakers, or they can easily be dressed up with skinny jeans, a long necklace, heeled boots and a blazer. Definitely a fall essential in my closet.
Forth: I just recently stumbled upon Moby again. I forgot how much I loved his music. He creates such unique sounds and beats. He is a incredibly talented artist, you should take a listen. https://soundcloud.com/moby/saints
Fifth: Herbal tea. All kinds of herbal tea. I just can’t seem to get enough of it. I’ve been drinking it morning, noon, night. I’m a lover of coffee too, but the different flavors of tea have just been perfect for the chilly days. I love everything from earl gray, to green tea, to berries. It’s such a delicious and healthy treat.
Sixth:I really want to try and find an art class to take, just for fun. I’ve always taken an art class in college and I truly miss the undivided time to just focus on a piece of art work, and learn new techniques. I sadly haven’t found one in my area yet, but I’m still on the hunt for one.
Every Sunday I would like to start a new tradition of making a list of my top favorite “six” for the week; food, movie, clothing, music, drink and something I would like to do/make/eat/see/listen to.
First: This past week I have been adoring the easy cheese tortilla. It’s such a quick, healthy snack that you can make with so many variations. I love putting any combination of; salsa, hot sauce, avocado, veggie burger, zucchini, and beans. Check out some of these interesting combinations.
Second: I just watched Al Gores documentary “An Inconvenient Truth”, for the first time and it was amazing. I was blown away by some of the scary statistics. There were photographs of places in the world that were once covered in snow and ice in the last 20 years, and are now bare. I am a firm believer in recycling, and trying not to waste anything as much as possible. I think that Al Gores commitment to this worthy cause of educating as many people as possible on this touchy subject is inspiring.
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Third: I’m in love with all forms of the wrap sweater! I have many from seasons past, but there are so many cute patterns that are to die for. I absolutely think the Inca print wrap sweater is a MUST have for fall.
Forth: Recently I’ve been on a kick of techno music. I really love almost all genres, but for some reason the upbeat, playful nature of techno has caught my ear’s taste. Some of my favorites; Deadmau5, Calvin Harris, La Roux, Swedish House Mafia and Benny Benassi.
Fifth: I can’t get enough of Pumpkin spice lattes. It’s the perfect beverage for this season, no matter if you get one from Starbucks, or from your local coffee shop. Any PSL will satisfy your need for a little warmth in your life.
Starbucks
Sixth: I am in need of watching some good old fashioned Halloween movies. Since Halloween is only 18 days away it’s only appropriate to get in the spirit of the holiday. Here is Readers Digest top 13 Halloween movies. Are these on your list too?
Finally this past weekend I was able to make time to go to our local farmers market. It’s held in the warmer months at the biggest park in Portland, Deering Oaks. I was so happy I was able to buy fresh, organic and local produce from these farmers in the area. I bought beets, heirloom carrots, heirloom tomato’s, dilly beans, peaches, kale, chard, and cider. Everything has been delicious so far. Most cities hold farmers markets either seasonally or if your lucky year round. Do you know if your city has one? If so you should check it out!
Here comes fall with the start of fair season which I adore so much. I love the Common Ground Fair. It’s my favorite fair to go to every year, and some years I don’t make it, but I made sure I went this time. It was amazing! It was beautiful weather, and I got to spend the day with my mom which was nice. The Common Ground Fair is an all organic fair from it’s food venders to their farmers, as well as all products are local. It’s put on my MOFGA, the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardiner’s Association. They are apart of many events and farms throughout Maine which I think is wonderful. If you every are in Maine at the end of September you should visit this fair. It is truly inspirational, educational, and delicious.
So I’m a little bit behind in seeing “The Great Gatsby”, but I am absolutely in LOVE with this movie.
I of course read the book in high school and then again in college, and was enthralled with the morally corrupt, love story. Having this book turned into a masterpiece with it’s intense cinematography gave me goosebumps. Some of the intensely colorful scenes remind my of Sophia Coppola’s, fantastic rendition of “Marie Antoinette”. Both movies stand out to me with their ability to create an individual art piece with each scene, capturing your imagination. I understand that some critics didn’t like how director Baz Luhrmann used new aged music in “The Great Gatsby”, but that’s something I feel also made this movie stand out in it’s artistic originality. Luhrmann and Sophia Coppola pushed outside the traditional expectations and used pop culture to liven their images of these “traditional” time piece movies. As I was being sucked into Luhrmann’s magic, I was caught of guard by a stunningly, romantic song that stopped me in my tracks. It really pulled on my heart strings and made Gatsby, just a man hopelessly in love. As soon as the movie ended I HAD to find out who the artist was of such a touching song. It was none other then Lana Del Rey. She has such a unique, beautiful voice like none I have heard in this generation. She has a classic sounding voice that reminds me of songs from the 60’s and the 70’s, and even her look resembles that time period. “Young and Beautiful” that was used in “The Great Gatsby” stops you in tracks. Once you hear it, you’ll want to listen to it over and over again. If you haven’t watched “The Great Gatsby” or listened to Lana Del Rey, it truly should be the next “Google” search you do. http://youtu.be/o_1aF54DO60
I am not ready for the summer to be over, but for some reason it feels like it’s being rushed away. I don’t want the hot temperatures, the beaches, the fresh vegetables, and for the summer fun to end.
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. I love fall and what it brings; apples, sweaters, beautiful leafs, crisp nights, Pumpkin head, fairs, and pies, but not when it’s technically 6 weeks away. I hope summer lingers on for a little longer. xoxo summer
So I am in the market for a new camera and I need some advice. I have been researching for the last month and have at least zeroed in on the brand, Canon. Everyone who I talk to and know loves their digital Canon! I have in the past worked with a Canon and did truly enjoy the smoothness and ease of use. A friend of mine who does wedding photography uses the Canon 50D and loves it (the one in the picture above). I do love the features of this camera and the price isn’t too outrageous (yes I do have a budget, under $1,500). A few others that I have been looking at are the EOS series (7D, 60D) and the Rebel series (T2i, T3i, and XSi).
So, long story short, help! I need some more personal opinions about easiness of use and the functionality. Please I would love to hear your suggestions!
baubles & blueprints 