the happy list

I feel like I've been slacking in the productivity department here on my blog, I'm sorry! I've been so overwhelmed with work and getting everything prepared for when I move to England (which is in a week by the way... wow).  I figured that with all the crazy changes going on, I'd make a list of things that are making me happy right now. I saw this post from Gia at Lovely Serendipity and Camie at Wild-Spirit! They're fantastic bloggers who I aspire to be someday. So here they are, a list of things that are making me happier and happier everyday.

1. My countdown to England... it frightens me and amazes me all at the same time!

2. Listening to new artists I've found - Time for T, Wilcox Sessions, Rusty Clanton

3. The feeling I get when I've helped my younger sister with her math homework, and she understands! Yay!

4. The Vampire Diaries - ok, so I know I'm behind on the times, but I just started watching it yesterday and I'm already hooked!

5. The March Instagram Challenge that I made for myself (and anyone who feels like doing it!) - it's helping me take more photos of things I normally wouldn't take a picture of :)

6. My first blog comment! Thanks Shainee :) <3

7. Cuddles with my dogs after a few days of not living at home with them.

8. Making mental lists of things to see and do while I'm in England - now just to get them on paper!

9. Feeling comfortable in my own skin wearing less makeup than usual!

10. Coffee Haagen Dazs - I may or may not have eaten an entire pint last night in one sitting while shamelessly watching around 8 episodes of the Vampire Diaries.........

Hope you enjoyed reading those little happiness facts about me, now go make yourself happy too!

Madelaine

A (un)productive day filled with dreamy jazz and lazing in bed

Do you ever wake up one morning and realize that as much as you want to be productive that day, you just can't seem to think of what you should do? That's how I've felt the past two days. I was really hoping to get lots done, but I just couldn't find enough things to work on to keep me occupied and not procrastinate or get distracted. So instead of doing things that I should be doing, I watched chick flicks on Netflix, read self published books online, and lazed around eating cookies and drinking tea. Oh dear... definitely not what I'd call the most productive day out there. I feel like there's so many things I should be doing to get ready to move to England, but I just can't think of anything else!

So here I am, sitting on my bed as per usual, listening to beautiful playlists on 8tracks and enjoying the company of my dogs. It's a bleak winter day outside, but I feel all cozy inside. Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Holiday are playing through my room and I'm day dreaming of wandering the streets of Paris on a rainy spring day.

February Playlist: LOVE from designsponge on 8tracks Radio.

The weather is still very much wintery here in my small town, but a girl can dream, can't she?

Madelaine

Instagram - No.1 January 2013

I've challenged myself to a year of Instagram photos, and so far, it's going alright! I forget to post some nights and then do a massive 3 or 4 days worth of posting on another night, but I still take the photos every day at least! These are January's photos all compiled into one blog post. Enjoy!

1. Cross country skiing on New Years Day 2. GF cookie and a London Fog
3. Chocolate Banana cupcake turned extreme cupcake sandwich
4. Received my Christmas package from Amanda in the mail!!!

5. My high school art teacher's art is featured at work! 6. Sleepy dogs
7. Whole 30 breakfast 8. Daytrip to Nelson with Dad

9. Juliana's "glasses" 10. Dogs and cooking took over my day
11. Little me feeling elf-like 12. Gluten free pizza!

13. Clare's interesting "do" 14.  My latté art from work!
15. I <3 RSS - save our school 16. My messy room :(

17. My UK Visa came in the mail! 18. My 2013 memories jar is filling up!
19. Cutie Lulu asleep on the floor 20. Bath time after a stressful day at work

21. Gorgeous day in the neighbourhood 22. Frosty trees
23. Downtown at night 24. Winter Carnival!

25. Getting geared up to be a bear! 26. Mom and Clare playing in the snow
27. My new best friend (iPad Mini) 28. A gorgeous winter wedding in the mountains

29.  Visiting Grandma in the hospital after her knee surgery
30.  Sketching the chalkboard sign for the wedding dinner
31. The final product the night before the dinner!

January in Photos

This is a big jumble of photos from the past couple weeks. January was a month filled with work as well as play! From my town's annual winter carnival, to my beautiful coworker's outdoor winter wedding in the mountains!

I dressed up for the parade in this lovely bear costume, repping my old high school and giving love!

Mom, Clare, and I watching the bobsled races

Me, Mom, and Juliana heading up the chairlift for the wedding!

Kristin before the wedding! Rawr!

Rhea looking lovely up the mountain!

I think Clare's a bit tired of waiting around for the bride and groom...

Pretty Mommy

Dad's "smile"

Say "cheese," Hailey

Making an aisle of skis and boards for the bride and groom

The wedding aisle

Mom, Clare, and Dad

Wedding aisle

Julia - the beautiful bride!

Erik and Julia got hitched!

I made up a little bag for the cards, inspired by their invitations!

I also made up this chalkboard sign for them for the wedding dinner!

Delicious, and beautiful, gluten-free wedding cake

Kristin, Sarah, and Rhea

Cutting the cake!

Gorgeous ladies ;)

More gorgeous ladies!

Found this on my camera at the end of the night... Sarah and her "breadstick"

I'm a horrible blogger...

Yup, I procrastinated as per usual. Gosh, I'm really not good at this, am I? I really am trying! I have all these ideas for blog posts flitting around inside my head but once I open up a blank post... I blank too. I've always had troubles with writing. I do love it, but it takes me a while to find my voice when I do. So here I am, lying on my bed, listening to a playlist from 8tracks, trying to find my muse that will help me write.

Perfect from FashB4Func on 8tracks Radio.

I think one of the reasons I have problems writing, is because I want to write something that someone will want to read. But lately, all I've done in my life is well, normal life things! Nothing very thought provoking, nothing overly interesting. Just regular day to day life. Sure, we've had our annual winter carnival, I went to my beautiful coworkers outside winter wedding, and I've been getting ready to pack up and move to England. But still, finding something in there to write about that people want to hear? That's the part that's not quite fitting for me...

So while my heart, head, and hands try to figure out just what I'll be writing on this blog, I think I'll update you all with some photos. Therefor, the next two blogposts today will be photos from winter carnival/winter wedding as well as a post on my Instagram photos from the past month! Because that's what everyone seems to post, haha!

Lots of love,

Madelaine

Testing testing 123

I bought an iPad Mini this week (YAY!) and thought I'd test out blogging from it so I can see what it'll be like once I move to England. I'm hoping to not have to bring my laptop with me. So far, still getting used to the typing on it. My fingers aren't used to trying to do regular typing on such a smaller keyboard. They want to do the same thing as on my iPhone, but that's so much smaller!

I'm hoping to put up another blog post tomorrow, I've got some ideas of what to write about, it's just figuring out which one to use! I'm also planning on doing another YouTube video hopefully! So definitely check back to see if that's done or if I've gone into my "procrastination hole."

Time to sleep though for me! Had a great afternoon up at the local ski hill. Got a few runs in before I had to make it up to one of the private cabins for a coworkers wedding. It was so sweet! A total Canadian winter ceremony. Uh oh, I feel another blog post coming out! Alright... I'll write about that tomorrow!

Madelaine

the past few days

This photo makes me dream more and more of Brighton,
and England in general...

Why hello there!

I'm sitting here in bed thinking over the past few days. I've been busy working, meeting up with Nadia about England, and resting from crazy days. It doesn't seem to be anything compared to December where I only had one day off other than Christmas holidays, but still!

On Thursday afternoon, my UK visa was issued to me and sent to my front door. I'm not going to lie, I fan-girled a bit just about getting my visa! How am I going to live in sanity in England with everything 1D, Sherlock, and tea going on around me? Oh dear me...

I've somehow managed to get myself back into a horrible routine of not waking up until 10 or 11 on my days off. It's making me a lot lazier when actually getting to work on days I'm supposed to go in! I don't like it. Bad, Maddie, bad! I was planning on waking up early today, but I've been feeling pretty sick the past few days. And after the Neo Citran I took last night hit me, I was out like a light!

I made my first Youtube video which was an insane step for me! You can read my last post about it... so nerve-wracking getting in front of that camera, though! But I've been receiving some lovely comments from other Youtubers on it, giving me lots of hope for the future of me on Youtube, haha!

My Dad and I bought tickets to see Owl City and Echosmith in Spokane, WA at the Knitting Factory. We also booked our room at the Davenport Hotel for the night before my planned flight to England! It's scary how close the move is getting... wow! My younger sister, Clare, is in love with Owl City, so it will for sure be a great weekend! Not to mention the massive brunch at the Davenport on Sunday morning, mmmmm.

I spent Saturday and Sunday working at my Dad's café and it was crazy busy! We've had so many people in town the past week for ski races and other events. Sunday was insane, just three of us and our biggest Sunday yet! I ended up coming home afterwards, immediately stepping into the hot bath, lit some candles, and started reading Pride and Prejudice. I then broke Whole30 (I've been doing it a second time with my Mom, we completed it really well last October!) and had a bowl of ice-cream  I had never had such an insane, hectic, frustrating day at work.

And today, I slept in, went to the café to talk to my Dad about my flights (we're booking them tonight), & picked up Insurgent and three DVDs from the library (The Brothers Grimm, Downton Abbey season 1,  and In Her Shoes). Afterwards, I met up with Nadia and we looked into homesharing with some other people our age in Brighton. Phew! At least now I feel like I had a semi-productive day off. Somewhat.

Well, time for dinner and then I think I'll pop in one of the movies!

Madelaine

-- photo from Pinterest page found here