Life as a Grown-Up

When I was a little girl, I used to beg my Mom to buy me the "cool" band-aids with Disney characters on them. She never did. Her reasoning was that the Disney band-aids cost twice the price of regular band-aids and regular band-aids work just fine. No matter how much I pleaded or pouted, expensive cartoon band-aids were a major "no go" in our home. We were spoiled with lots of other things in childhood, but I could never get Mom to cave where overpriced band-aids were concerned. She would always come back with "when you're a grown-up and you have your own money, you can spend it on whatever you want."

Fast-forward twenty years later, and I'm living on my own in my own apartment with a full-time job. I'm in charge of my own bank account and you had better believe there are Disney band-aids in my medicine cabinet! :)

Life as a grown-up. Gotta love it.

xo

story of a blog name

Today marks day #2 of the 30 Days of Blogging challenge and today's prompt is to talk about your blog name. My blog name is, obviously, Here's Looking At You Kid.

Many of you may recognize that line as a quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, Casablanca. For those of you who have been living under a rock have not seen the movie, the quote is made by Humphrey Bogart in a toast to the love of his life, Ingrid Bergman. Because I'm such a nerd, I actually did a little research and found out that the line (which is now one of the most famous movie lines of all time) actually wasn't written in the original screenplay. According to information collected by The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Bogart actually made the "here's looking at you, kid" comment as he was teaching Bergman to play poker off-set. Directors loved it so much they incorporated it into the movie.

As for me, I love this quote for so many reasons. I love it because it's sweet and affectionate without being over-the-top mushy. I love it because it's something I would say. I tend to call everyone "kid" regardless of their age. "I love that kid!" .... "I can't believe that kid!" ..... "Listen, kid ..."

I love it because my Dad isn't one to use terms of endearment (he's never called us "sweetheart" or "honey") ... but he does call us "kid". All my life, no matter how many birthdays I celebrate, I have always been and likely always will be referred to as "the little kid" by my Daddy.

I wish I had some heartwarming, fascinating story as to how this movie quote became the title of my blog, but I don't. I needed a blog name, I liked the quote and next thing I knew I was typing it in. I know it's not the most original blog name in the world & I've thought of changing it a few times but I can never bring myself to do it. This ol' blog just wouldn't be the same without my favorite movie quote up there.

So now I'm curious - what's the story behind YOUR blog name? If you're not playing along with the 30 day challenge, I'd love for you to spill the beans in the comment section below. Come'on, inquiring minds wanna know! :)

xox

30 Days of Blogging

I stumbled across this fun challenged on Eva's blog, Lovers in a Dangerous Time. Basically the idea is to get to know your friends in blog-land a little bit better. Everyday, for 30 days, there are simple prompts that will get you writing about topics you might not usually cover in a typical blog post - things like habits you wish you didn't have, bucket lists, cravings, your day job, etc. It sounds like fun, so I'm joining in!

For day #1, the assignment is to post a recent photo of yourself and reveal 15 random facts. Easy peasy, right? Here is a recent photo of me (snapped about a month ago ... wait, is that recent?)... It was taken by the crazy talented Chelsea from CBR Photography.

And here are 15 random facts about me ...

1. I absolutely LOVE living in Vancouver and don't see myself moving anywhere anytime soon but, if I were to pack my bags and go, I'd probably move to London. Or Paris. Or Geneva. I would love to live in Europe someday, at least for a year or two.

2. Speaking of Europe, in university I applied to go on a student exchange to Geneva but pulled out at the last minute. Bottom line? I was a big chicken terrified of leaving my parents. That decision remains one of the biggest regrets of my life thus far.

3. I begin every day with a warm beverage - coffee, tea or hot chocolate, depending on my mood.

4. I am a history buff. I love reading historical novels, watching PBS documentaries, soaking up the facts. I even minored in history in university. In spite of all this, I'm absolutely terrible at remembering the dates of major historical events! I can remember the order that things happened and precise details of what took place, but the exact date? Forget it.

5. I can't wait to get married! :)

6. I can't wait to get pregnant! :)

7. My hair has been blonde, dark brown (almost black), red and every shade in between. Being a redhead was my absolute favorite. I'll be going red again one of these days.

8. I collect chandelier earrings (they're my favorite fashion accessory) and I refuse to wear necklaces because I think they make my neck look fat.

9. I cry every single time I watch How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.

10. I don't watch much TV these days but when I do plop down on the couch for some down time, I usually watch the Food Network or The Real Housewives of New Jersey. Don't judge me.

11. My favorite kinds of food are Italian and Thai.

12. My dream vacation is to go to the Santorini Islands in Greece.

13. I am known as the "cupcake queen" amongst my friends and can bake several kinds of yummy cupcakes. I have not, however, been able to conquer the art of icing and almost always end up using store-bought icing.

14. I'm the kind of person who washes her dishes immediately following a meal and can't fall asleep at night if there are still dirty dishes in the sink.

15. I waste way too much time on Facebook. What can I say?! It's the perfect place to procrastinate! :)

If you want to play along, just take a look at the daily prompts (Eva posted them all on her blog) and write your little heart out!

xox

just a friendly reminder ...

Have a beautiful Thursday!

xox

Goodbye Summer + a giveaway

Well folks ... summer is officially over. I know some people claim autumn doesn't begin until mid-September, but as far as I'm concerned summer ends when school starts up again and leaves begin to hit the ground. I'm back at school now and I just snapped this photo of a bright red leaf sitting in my front yard ... which means my days of relaxing at the beach, eating ice-cream and wearing flip-flops are over until next year. This summer was a quiet one, compared to summers in the past, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.

Autumn 2009 is a big deal for me, for many reasons. I am officially entering my last semester at Concordia University and as long as everything goes according to plan, by Christmas I will be a university graduate! You know how people tend to say stuff like: "today is the first day of the rest of my life" when they get married? Well, I kind of feel that way about Autumn 2009. I expect the next few months will be a time of big decision making and life changes ... and while I don't know exactly what the future has in store for me, I am confident that it will be an awesome adventure ... and I'm hoping that I'll be able to use my blog to share some of that adventure with you.

Speaking of my blog ... you may have noticed that things look a little different around here. For the past few weeks, I've been hard at work with the lovely Dionne from Studio Chic Design, working on making this blog a little more "me". She was EXTREMELY patient with me as I kept changing my mind over and over, but in the end I think it all came together quite well. If you're having problems with my new blog (like the writing of my posts overlaps onto the pink background) it just means that your browser is an older version than the one Dionne and I use. (I finally made the switch from Internet Explorer to Firefox and highly recommend it.)

Soooooo anyways .... to celebrate the beginning of my new life adventure AND the new look of my blog, I think a giveaway is in order!

For your chance to win some scrapbook goodies leave a little comment telling me what you are most looking forward to this autumn. (If you're not a scrapbooker, I'll make sure to send you some other kind of special treat). I will randomly select a winner on September 20th.

xox Stephanie

For Melody ♥

Yes, Mel ... this post is for you ... I heard this song & immediately thought of you. Don't ever give up hope, because our God is faithful and He will never forsake you.



sending hugs & prayers down to ya in North Carolina.
-xox-

Sometimes it's a good idea to talk to strangers ...

Contrary to what you may have been told as a child, sometimes it's a good idea to talk to strangers. They just might give you a flower. Seriously. I'm not making that up - it happened to me today on my way home from work. I was just walking along, minding my own beeswax, when all of a sudden a car pulled up and this lady calls out to me and I go over to the car (because apparently I forgot everything I was taught in pre-school about strangers in cars) and she hands me this pretty yellow rose. Apparently she was participating in some kind of Random Act of Kindness challenge and she had to give the rose to the next person she saw ... who just happened to be me. YAY!

Moral of the story? Talk to strangers, but only sometimes. :o)

xox

Who are YOU rooting for??

The Miss USA pageant is on tonight. I watch it every single year and I take the whole process very seriously. (Just ask Jessica, she watched it with me last year and was a little taken aback by my enthusiasm. She was only allowed to speak to me during commercial breaks, poor thing.) Usually, I root for Miss Texas but this year I've decided to stand behind Miss Kentucky. I'll be sure to let you know what happens!

xOxOx

Ten Things I Love Tuesday ...

So every Sunday one of my favorite bloggers, Elsie, has been posting ten random things she loves. I've noticed lots of other bloggers have been following her lead and I decided to jump onto the bandwagon too (except I'm going to post mine on Tuesdays, because I think Ten Things I Love Tuesdays just has a better ring to it). In this crazy world of ours, I think it's important to take time to sit back and remember the little things that make us happy and bring us joy ... so, without further delay ... these are ten things I am loving on right now::

1. Oatmeal Cookies with chocolate chips and banana .... We're having a pot luck breakfast in one of my history classes on Wednesday and I am making these delicious cookies ... they smell sooooo good ....

2. Message From Your Heart, performed by Kina Grannis ... I just love finding new music that inspires and uplifts me. The lyrics to this song are so pretty and I absolutely relate to them 100%. My favorite part of the song, though, is when she beats on her guitar and it sounds like an actual heartbeat. Awesome, Kina, awesome. Check out the video clip here ...

3. Bubble tea ... getting some tomorrow afternoon with Tara, can't hardly wait!

4. Alaina, the worship leader at my church ... there are some people who are talented and then there are some people who are anointed ... a·noint·ed: to choose by or as if by divine intervention. I really believe Alaina is anointed. What she has is far more than a talent, it is an absolute gift from God and every time she opens her mouth to sing she pulls the entire congregation closer to Him. Talent leaves you in awe of the person, but anointing leaves you in awe of their Creator.

5. Painting ... I haven't worked on a full-size painting in years, but I just started one last night and I am falling in love with it already. I'll be sure to post it when it's done.

6. Spring-time ... it's been raining for the past three days here in Montreal, but I don't mind. April showers bring May flowers and I am sooooo ready for spring.

7. The Case for a Creator, by Lee Strobel ... I bought this book about a week ago and am currently reading it. It's a little complicated (I'm not a science girl, so I'm having to relearn all the stuff I didn't pay attention to in high school) but it is very well written and I am really enjoying it.

8. Kind, caring professors .... I was really lucky to get to take a class with Dr. Lorenzkowski this semester. I hope if I am ever called to teach, I teach just like her. She is honestly one of the sweetest professors I have ever been taught by.

9. Hair bows and headbands .... I am totally loving on these flower headbands from the Lou and Lee etsy shop and these ones from the Motley Handmade shop. They're so feminine and whimsical and I think they'd look fabulous with my big curls.

10. Parties, parties, parties .... yesterday, Jessica told me she was going to throw me a going away party when I move. I got *so* excited! I love parties. I hope she makes cute invites that I can scrapbook. (Hint, hint Miss Jessykins).

that's it for now lovies! Have a great afternoon, happy Tuesday!

xoxo

7 is a lovely number

... and Sarah tagged me in a fun game of 7 random facts about you, so I thought I'd play along! So in no particular order, here are 7 little pieces of me ~

1. I think this place has the best coffee in Montreal, and their hot chocolate is made from real chocolate ... yummmm. On a cold November morning there is nothing better than a warm drink.
2. She inspires me beyond belief. I could listen to her music all day long, everyday, for the rest of my life. Seriously. I discovered her music way before she ended up on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack and I love that she's so committed to remaining an independent artist.
3. I visit this website every single day. Love the recipes, the craft ideas, the cute home decor inspiration.
4. I am sooooo in love with this television show. He's cute AND talented! Bonus!
5. Everytime I go to New York City, I try and make sure I take time to stop by this fab restaurant. Their desserts are to die for.
6. Note to anyone who has yet to buy me my Christmas present: I want this.
7. And, last but not least, this is my favorite Bible verse.

So now it's your turn to play along! If I tag, here are the rules you must follow:

1. Link to your tagger (that's me) and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blog.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

I'm tagging ...

Jessica
Melody
Alecia
Zoe
Holly
London
SJ

xOxOx

Summertime ....

... and the livin' is easy.

These are my awesome red shoes from Steve Madden ... aren't they awesome?! So bright and lovely, they just make me smile. Unfortunately, they're *really* uncomfy and they give me blisters so I probably won't be wearing them much. But I just love looking at them in my closet !!

How has everyone been? I can't believe my last post was on June 13th. I've been a very bad blogger, I know. I've just been crazy busy enjoying my summer vacation and I haven't really had anything interesting to share. I have been working on some fun pages, though, and I'll post those up later this week. I also ordered a TON of Amy Butler fabric and I'm determined to sew a purse by summer's end. (Stayed tuned for updates on my sewing adventures ... last time I tried to sew anything, my mother accused me of trying to break her machine!)

Here are some other random things that have happened since we last chatted:

1) I'm thinking about becoming a vegetarian.

2) I love etsy more than ever. Seriously.

3) My blog has been transformed, thanks to Francesca - aka web designer extraordinare.

4) I discovered the BEST restaurant in downtown Montreal ... a hidden gem called il Cartile.

5) I'm trying to become a Flickr expert, and failing miserably. Any tips on how to use that awesome site would be much appreciated.

On that note, I'm off to enjoy tofu hot dogs. *yummo*

xOxO Stephanie