Summer 2014 Book Challenge!

I totally stumbled across this late, but I'm definitely jumping in. I haven't figured out all of the books I'm reading, and I still have to finish the book I started before May 1st, but I'm so excited!

I've already picked out books for a few of the categories...

Freebie! I think I'm going to go with Redshirts by John Scalzi. I originally looked at it for my dad, but I think it's something I might enjoy too, and it's definitely different from what I usually read.
Read a book from the children’s section of the library or bookstore. I'm going to use one of my three re-reads for this one and re-read A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Read a book that was/will be adapted to film in 2014. Definitely going with The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. I'm super excited about this one.
Read a biography, autobiography or memoir. I bought Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her for my mom a couple years ago. (She's a Barbie Doll collector.) I'm not sure she ever read it, but I'm going to snag it the next time I'm over there.

Some of them I still need to think about...

Read a book that was written before you were born.Finish reading a book you couldn't finish the first time around. (This is going to be tough, even if I'm not enjoying a book I try really hard to finish it.)
Read a book that is on The New York Times' Best Sellers List when you begin reading it.
Read a historical fiction book that does not take place in Europe.
Read a book with “son(s),” “daughter(s)” or “child(ren)” in the title.
Read a book written by a blogger. (Would definitely love some suggestions for this one!)
Read a pair of books with antonyms in the titles.

Do you have any books you're planning to read this summer? Any suggestions for categories I haven't picked a book for?

Outfit of the Day. Err, week?

This my friends, is why I am not a fashion blogger. And why you will not see "outfit of the day" posts here. This is me, five days a week. As far as uniforms go, it's not too bad. (Although black pants + a cat and a dog are a bit of a nightmare.) And sometimes, I actually like wearing a uniform.

There are lots of pros to wearing a uniform: when I get up in the morning I already know what I'm going to wear, I spend less money on clothing (J would say that's debatable!) and I don't ruin any of my own clothes at work. My company provides everything except my shoes, which is pretty great.

Truthfully, the uniform isn't the only reason I'm not a fashion blogger. I'm not fashion savy - at all. And as much as I love to shop, I have a hard time finding things I like in my size and in my price range. I have a bad habit of buying things and wearing them once or twice, either because the quality isn't there or because I changed my mind about actually liking the way I look in it. I'm trying to work on this, I'm trying to only buy things I really love and know that I'll wear. And I'm going to try and build up some "staple" items. Maybe some day you'll even see some real "OOTD" posts here. :-)

Happy Friday!

xo,
Sara

Outrageously Excited!

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Okay, somebody please tell me that I'm not the only person who is ridiculously excited to hear that there is going to be a live-action Jem movie? I loved Jem when I was a kid! (I could never decide who I wanted to be more, Jem or She-Ra.) I haven't heard of any of the actresses who have been cast so far but I'm dying to find out who'll be cast to play Jem/Jerrica's boyfriend, Rio. I hope the movie ends up being set in the 80s, I just think it would make it that much more fun.

Are you excited for the Jem movie? Are there any other movies coming out soon that you're excited for?

Going Green

I bet you thought this post was going to be about saving the environment, didn't you? Surprise - it's not. I'm actually going green for mental health awareness and participating in Ashley's "Go Green" accessories swap. This is my first swap since I've been blogging here and I'm pretty excited about it. I love green, I love accessories, and I think mental health is one of those topics that too many people consider to be taboo.

Ashley has posted some facts and statistics on her blog, but I thought I'd track down some Canadian numbers for any of my fellow Canadians who may be reading. (All information is from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia website.)

- Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague.
- Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem.
- Mental illness affects people of all ages, educational and income levels, and cultures.
- Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives.
- Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe impairment.
- Suicide is one of the leading causes of death from adolescence to middle age in both men and women.
- 20% of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime.

Big thanks to Ashley for setting up the swap, and for being my swap partner.

xo,
Sara

Weight Loss Wednesday

The rented bridesmaid dress - Aug. 2005

A couple weeks ago I signed up for Weight Watchers on-line. This isn't my first time trying WW, I've done it four or five times over the past nine years. The only time I was really successful was the first time, and I think at that point it was about the motivation. I was standing in my best friend's wedding and we were renting our bridesmaids dresses. I had to fit into that dress, there was no two ways about it. (Plus I was single, working part-time and going to school, and living at home. I think that all played a part.)

I haven't been doing too badly on my journey so far. I lost 2.6lbs my first week, and another 1lb the second week. I've already noticed a huge difference in my energy level. I've cut out pop almost entirely. (I've decided to let myself have one small bottle on the weekend for now because I'm worried I'll cave in through the week if I don't.) I'm packing my lunches, and I made a healthy meal plan for our suppers. I'm drinking tons of water and eating a lot more fruit and vegetables.

I know eating better is only the first step, and that I need to start moving more. I'm struggling with it though. I keep telling myself I don't have time, or if the weather was nicer I could walk Daisy but the truth is I do have time (I could be on the treadmill right now!) and Daisy has no problem walking in this weather.

I'm not sure what will work. I'm not sure if it's settting goals, or finding the right motivation, but I know I need to figure it out! If you're on your own weight loss journey, what motivates you? How do you keep going?

Have a great day!

xo,
Sara

Tunes on Tuesday

This "25 Songs, 25 Days" graphic showed up in my Pinterest feed the other day and I thought it would be a neat idea for some blog posts. Instead of 25 days I'm going to do it over 25 weeks. Every Tuesday I'll do a "Tunes on Tuesday" post from this list, probably in the same order as they appear on the list. I may post a different song from time to time if something comes up, but for the most part I'll be sticking to these ideas. I'm kind of excited to get started. :-)

Today's song is a song from my childhood. I'm sharing "The Sign" by Ace of Base. This song was released in 1993 when I was in grade 6. I remember listening to this song over and over again on my walkman. I think it was the only song I listened to on the whole tape for a couple of weeks. Even now when I hear the song it makes me smile. (And I still know all the words!)



What was your favourite song when you were younger?

xo,
Sara

Weekend Update

I've been lucking in to a lot of Saturdays off lately, it's kind of nice! This weekend I was off Saturday and Sunday. We didn't do anything too exciting, but it was nice to spend a couple days with J.

Saturday we slept in, then headed to the mall to try and find a birthday present for my Dad. There's a store at Mic Mac Mall called RUA Sports Fanatic that sells all kinds of "fan gear." J loved seeing how much Avalanche gear they had. (His birthday isn't until June but I think I already know what I'll be getting him.) We picked up a Blackhawks t-shirt even though Dad already has tons of them. Nothing else really jumped out at me unfortunately. And everybody can always use t-shirts...

We spent some time roaming the mall trying to find jeans for J too. He hates shopping, and hates spending money on himself so it was a bit challenging. In the end we gave up. I think he's going to have to go out some time by himself.

Supper Saturday night was at my parents with my brother, his girlfriend and my uncle to celebrate Dad's birthday. Mom did a feast of ham and scalloped potatoes and attempted a berry flan for dessert. Now that it's just her and dad in the house Mom is getting adventurous with cooking and baking. Every time we go over she's trying something new. It's nice, but I wish she had done more of it when I was home. :-)

After supper J and I headed in to the city for a Moosehead's play-off hockey game. (The Mooseheads play in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.) Our seats were in the upper bowl but it was an AMAZING game. Super intense. We ended up winning 3-2 in overtime. Probably the best Mooseheads game I've ever seen. They're playing in Val D'Or, Quebec tonight and if they win they're off to the next round. Fingers crossed!

Hockey game selfie. Go Moose Go!

Sunday was the usual flurry of church, dinner with J's folks, and grocery shopping. I actually did up a meal plan for the whole week so hopefully that will help keep me on track with Weight Watchers.

Hope you had a great weekend!

xo,
Sara

Happy birthday Daddy!

Today is my dad's birthday.

Dad has always been there for me. Always. Even now, if my car won't start I know Dad will drive me to work. Need someone to feed and walk Daisy because I'm running late? Dad will do it. Need to borrow fabric softener to try and get paint out of the carpet? Dad will do it. (That's a story for another time...) Need someone to call and get tickets for an event because we're working? Dad will spend 45 minutes on the phone to get us tickets. And these are just examples for the last month or so.

Every girl thinks that her dad is the best dad in the world, and I'm no exception. Happy birthday Dad!


xo,
Sara