I Think I Almost Just Passed Out

So, I just received an email from my all-time favourite band, Our Lady Peace, containing the following set of teaser vids...


standalone player

This spring, OLP are embarking on a historic tour where they will play two of their most epic albums, "Clumsy" and "Spiritual Machines", in their entirety during 2 nights. I am lucky enough to hold a pair of tickets to their "Clumsy" show on March 12 and honestly am bursting with excitement! Now that these teasers have been released, I can't contain this excitement any longer!!!

To make things even better... also the reason I almost passed out, I just heard an interview with OLP front man, Raine Maida, saying that there's a very good chance that 2010 will be another year of new music! Not only are OLP working on releasing another album this year (hasn't even been a year since their last new one!! excited!!!!!!), BUT... Raine is also planning on releasing another solo album this year!!!

Phew! I need to take a little breath here!! Someone pinch me!!

The Magical Moulin Rouge

Umm excuse me? Where has this movie been all my life?????

I don't know why, but before last Friday, I had actually never seen this movie before. Me! The one who absolutely loves musicals! Musical shows, theater, movies! I honestly can't say why I never watched it before, but oh my am I ever glad I did! It's never too late, right?

Moulin Rouge has always held a place high up on C's favourite movie list and we've talked about watching it before, but never really found the time to actually put it in. Last Friday we were both tired from a long week and decided it was the perfect time to snuggle up and put this movie in. Knowing my love for musicals, C figured I would love it and boy did I ever!!!

I remember him telling me as the movie started that the first 15 minutes or so could be weird and it seems to throw a lot of people off from the entire movie. I think I almost completely blanked him out at that point because the moment the movie began I was hook! I didn't want it to end! The music! The sounds! The colours! The scenery! The VOICES!!! Wow! I honestly never realized how good Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGreggor's voices are!

I have this odd little knack when it comes to hearing/seeing new albums/movies that I absolutely love. The love kind of turns into a mild obsession for a few weeks. I don't know why, and I can't explain it, but it happens every time. Moulin Rouge was brought into my life last Friday and I have not been able to stop listening to my favourite songs on the soundtracks over, and over, and over! (thankfully C has both soundtracks as well) I have even asked C to bring the movie over to my place tonight so I can watch it again this weekend. I am in love!

...so do you think I'm crazy yet???

Thinking Positive and Moving On

I am back and my mind is racing with ideas!

Some of you might have noticed that I had gone on a little hiatus from this blog over the past couple of weeks. There has been some personal issues that I had to deal with which I just didn't really feel like broadcasting on here. Through the help of some great friends, I have worked through my issues and am now thinking much clearer and trying to promise myself to look towards the positive in all situations! Life's too short to be down on yourself right?

Along with these personal issues, I've been having trouble figuring out where this blog should lead in 2010 considering my new goals and aspirations. I don't want to lose readership by any means, however I don't think I should ever be struggling about what I should be writing about - all while thinking if readers would like it. I had promised myself when I started this blog that I would just write about whatever I felt like at any given day. No pressure. So this year, expect to see many more pictures of cupcakes, posts about etsy, and really anything else I can think of. ;)

Now that I am in a more positive frame of mind, I have decided that it is the perfect time for me to start moving forward and acting on all of my ideas that I have for my potential Etsy store.

...I also just realized, that I've mentioned Etsy a few times here without explaining it. And maybe not everyone knows what Etsy is. So for those of you who are finding yourself stuck with this look of confusion on your face, Etsy is an online world where people buy and sell all things homemade. If you've never ventured over, I definitely recommend it.

Anyway, what was I saying? Oh yes. Positive thinking and moving forward with an Etsy store! I've been wanting to open up my own store for a while now and ideas have been flowing constantly. I just haven't really gotten myself to the point where I was ready to start acting on these ideas and getting things done! I mean, I didn't want to open it up and only have 1 or 2 items to sell. I wanted the unveiling to be amazing with several different lines of things to sell! After some thinking though, I realized that some times my ideas are a little too large for this particular point in time. I'm certainly not abandoning my ultimate goal AT ALL. On the contrary!

I have decided that this weekend, I am going to work on beginning to attain this ultimate goal. I've got to start somewhere right? So why not start small? I've begun to make ceramic coasters which I think are pretty darn cute! They're stylish, and they'd make an amazing gift for someone! I considered posting pictures, but I want the Etsy store to be a surprise for everyone. I'm pretty proud of what I've accomplished so far, and don't want to share it until I know it's 100% ready. So, if all goes as planned, I should hopefully have several sets finished on the weekend and get this thing started!

Only have one tiny issue that I'm trying to work out right now.... I need a name for my store! I'm so bad at choosing names for things! You'd have no idea how long it took me to even think of "Tidbits From My Mind". Do any of you have suggestions??? I'm 100% serious here!

From My Kitchen

The latest cupcake creation to come out of my lovely little kitchen. My icing skills are slowly improving each time!

Chocolate with key lime frosting


I Can Always Dream .. Right?

It's the dead of winter, everyone around me is either already away on vacation, or is going to be leaving very soon. Everyone but me. I was crazy enough to buy a house at 23 allowing me to never have enough money to ever go on any sort of actual vacation. I've never actually been anywhere during my 26 years aside from going to Disney World twice as a kid, and LA once when I was 16. I've lived a pretty sheltered life in that aspect, but boy do I have dreams.

As much as I would love to vacation in a warm sunny spot during the winter, like many Canadians do, I would pass up that opportunity in a heart beat if it meant I could save for my dream vacation.

If I had the choice to go absolutely anywhere in the whole world, my choice would be Rome.

To those of you who are new readers to this blog and might not know, I received my Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in Classical Studies -- which in basic terms is Greek and Roman art/architecture/literature/history. Although everything about ancient Greek history is amazing, I really found myself drawn towards everything Roman during my 4 years of university.

Absolutely everything about Ancient Roman history interested me and within my last 2 years of school, I found myself completely immersed in that world all while day dreaming about the moment when I would actually be able to physically immerse myself into everything Roman. I honestly am having trouble putting my feelings for Rome into words to write this blog post. The ancient Roman people were a brilliant group of artists/engineers/architects. It still completely blows my mind that so many of the structures such as buildings, aqueducts, arches, etc. are still standing over 2000 years later! You can't even find more recently built structures standing even close to that long. The Romans were geniuses in their own rights and should always be recognized for that.

After my first class in Ancient Roman Art and Architecture, I knew that I had to go to Rome. I have been dreaming about that vacation ever since and to this day, it still remains my number one MUST-GO-TO place. I constantly find myself dreaming of the moment where I can plant my feet within to Roman Forum. Standing on ground that was once walked on by the likes of Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Augustus! Wow! I must sound like a HUGE nerd in this post, but the passion I have for this is intense! I remember when I was writing my thesis on Augustus' role in Roman art and architecture, I made a pact to myself that I would one day visit every landmark that I learned about and wrote about. It will absolutely make my life to be able to see everything built be the Ancient Romans in person. It would be incredible to actually get a true sense of the sheer size of everything, but most importantly to walk on the same streets as so many great people.

One day I shall go to Rome!

So now I pose a question to you all, I'd love to hear your answers!

If you could go absolutely anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?

The Friday Night Knitting Club: A Review


I think I picked up this book for the first time back in November. ..... WOW this one took me a while to read! I'm not going to lie, for some reason it took me a while to really get into this book. I really don't like starting to read something and then just dropping it, so I kept giving it a chance until finally last week, I got a point where I really did want to keep reading. Once I really started to feel an attachment to the characters, I found myself not wanting to put it down no matter how tired I was! This past Saturday, I picked the book up with about 1/3 left to go and about 2 hours later, I had the thing finished!

Looking back, I really did enjoy this book. I think the only reason it took me so long to get into it was that I decided to start reading it right before the busy holiday season. I was so busy through November and December that I found it really hard to just sit down and read. I know this is so, because when I really had the chance to immerse myself in this book, it was wonderful! Kate Jacobs tells a wonderful story about how women from different walks of life are able to be brought together through a common interest - knitting. These women manage to bind together through good times and bad and overall the story is really uplifting. It actually made me a little jealous wishing I had a group of women like that around here who have my back!

This book was definitely not what I expected when I first started reading, and I'm really glad I didn't give up on it. All in all, a great book.

Haiti Is In My Thoughts

..and I did what I could do to help and donated $20 to the Canadian Red Cross. It's not much, but every little bit counts right?

I just can't comprehend all of the devastation over there right now from the earth quake and the fact that there are still people vacationing in the Dominican Republic only 600 miles away! One of my coworkers has a trip booked for the Dominican in 2 weeks and according to his travel agent, everything is still good to go! Personally, I just would not feel right vacationing so close to all of the death and destruction. Actually, I wouldn't feel right vacationing in the Dominican ever considering even before the earth quake, Haiti was considered a 3rd world nation. Something just doesn't seem right about sitting on the beach holidaying on one end of an island while millions are suffering on the other end.

My heart and soul goes out to all of the people of Haiti, and any readers who's friends/family are over there.

I only wish I could do more.

Lemon Bells

I received a phone call last night from my brother - something that is a rare occasion. We had a really good chat about my running plans and ideas flew through out minds about potential races we could do together including the famous CN Tower Climb. After a nice 15 minute chat, he said there was a reason for his call. That reason: he asked me if I would be a part of his wedding party - as a grooms 'lady'! I am so excited! I had felt a little down lately knowing I wouldn't be in the bridal party since his fiancee has 3 sisters. I just never expected him to ask me to stand up with him. I can't wait!

Why the lemons? They had decided right from the start that the theme of their wedding will be lemon water. I am so interested to see how everything is going to unfold. Looking forward to July 3rd!

Tasty Treats

My second attempt at cupcake making was a great success! This recipe turned out absolutely perfect! Anyone want to buy a batch? ;)

Lemon Coconut cupcakes with a Lemon Cream Cheese frosting

Cooling waiting to be iced...

The finished product

Sudden Urges To...

Redecorate/rearrange!

I don't know why...

I can't explain...

But last night I got a sudden urge to rearrange my bedroom tonight. So in order to take care of this urge, I am planning on doing a good overhaul of my room later on tonight (after 8pm) when I finally get home from my day at work, and ride at the farm.

This isn't the first time I've gotten a sudden urge to redecorate. These sorts of urges happen to me from time to time and they have been happening to me since my teenage years! And I really just can't explain why they happen. It's like at a certain moment in time, I just can't stand how things look anymore and just must do something about it. Look at my kitchen makeover! I had some sort of epiphany one particular day that it must be changed, and 5 days later it was complete! I really don't know what gets into me. I think I might just be a tad craaaazy!

Please tell me I'm not the only crazy one!

Sleeping In Is Overrated

Like the majority of people out there, I used to always look forward to the weekends mostly so that I could take advantage of the opportunity to sleep in. During my high school years, I was never really one for sleeping in much. But come time for university, many late nights resulted in my sleeping in regularly until almost noon! I was so stressed and tired with the school work load, and of course did my share of partying during those four years, so the extra sleep was more than welcome. Once I had been in the work world for a year, and moved into my own home by myself, the hours of extra sleep diminished naturally, but I still found myself looking forward to the weekend for that extra sleep.

One month ago, I started my second little job of taking care of cleaning the barn where I board my horse every Sunday morning. The owners of the farm gave me the option to come and to the work basically whenever I wanted during the course of the morning. I didn't want to waste my entire day for a few hours of work, so I figured the easiest thing to do would be to stay on my usual work schedule - get up with my alarm and get to the farm for 8am, just like I do for my full time job. This new job left me with only one day where I could possibly sleep in. After some thought, I realized, the best thing for me and my body would be to just leave my alarm on 7 days a week and just take advantage of having the opportunity for a lazy Saturday morning.

This is the 5th Saturday that I've gotten up with my alarm and you know what? I'm actually really liking this early wake up! I'm writing this while all cozy on the couch, coffee in hand, as I watch it gradually get lighter outside. I've already got one load of laundry in the dryer, and after one more cup of coffee, I'll be ready to get on with my day! The best part about it, is that I'll be ready to get going before 9am! 6 weeks earlier, I was still just barely dragging myself out of bed around that time! It's amazing the kind of day you can have when you actually have a whole entire day to do whatever you like! I really honestly think that I am always going to try and get up early because even the extremely quiet downtime that I am having right now is so incredible after a long week at the office. I much prefer being able to enjoy it while actually being conscious!

Are you one who sleeps in all the time on weekends, but then finds that there's no time to get things accomplished? I highly recommend staying on your normal weekday schedule and see what happens!

To Shop, Or Not To Shop

How much does customer service REALLY matter to you?

I really started to think about this yesterday as I went out to purchase a new pair of running shoes.

Earlier in the week, I went to check out what SportChek had in terms of selection and most importantly, sales. Upon visiting, I noticed that they had a very large selection which would give me many choices to get a pair of shoes I wanted. However, the only 'sale' they seemed to have in terms of running shoes was buy one, get one 50% off. At first glance, this might sound fine and dandy, but realistically, who needs 2 pairs of shoes!?! Especially when they go for approximately $120 a pair! Now on to my customer service point --- I was in that store for a good 10 minutes looking at the shoes, picking up pairs to examine them, etc. not ONE SINGLE EMPLOYEE came to ask me if I had a question, or if I needed help. Not ONE. It was at that moment when I decided to abandon my quest of purchasing shoes from this particular store.

Yesterday afternoon, I was reminded that our local mall also contains a Foot Locker, so that's where I headed at 5:00 when I left the office. Honestly, customer service wasn't even really on my mind, I was just hoping to find shoes on sale! Luckily, the customer service was phenomenal and they had me sold at hello! (lol corny, but I couldn't not write that) I was looking at the shoe wall for a couple of minutes and the exact moment I picked one up to give it a better look, an employee was right there asking if I needed any help. He put up with me looking for my size of many different shoes (I have teeny tiny shoes and stores rarely have my size). They unfortunately didn't have my size, but he was quick to offer to check online to see if he could order me a pair while the sale was still running. They had one left in my size and I purchased them on the spot!

Walking out of the mall with a smile on my face, I realized customer service really does make a huge difference in our shopping experiences. If I'm ever at the point where I have the money to even pay full price on something and if SportChek has a sale at that time, I can honestly say, I'll be going to Foot Locker again. They have made a good impression on me and I will never forget that.

What do you guys think? Are there any stores out there you avoid due to poor customer service? Any you shop at no matter what due to great service?

As a big company, I am surprised at the lack at service I found at SportChek. I actually expected it to be top notch.

Awardy Goodness!

I have been so behind lately that I haven't even found the time to accept and THANK Ebony Jewel from Seize The Moments for the 2 awards she has given me over the past few weeks!

So Thank YOU!

Now, those of you familiar with the bloggy world will know that in order to accept awards, there are several rules to be followed. Therefore, without further ado, there's some business to attend to here!

Here's the first award! I just love it! And the cupcakes are making me think that I just might have to make some pink girly ones this weekend! In order to accept this award, I must list 10 things that make me happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten my day. For those 10 bloggers, you must also link back to my post!

10 Things That Make Me Happy

1. Hands down, my bf C. He is so much more than I ever could have expected in a partner and friend. Most incredible person I have ever met and I thank my lucky stars every day for getting to be with him.

2. My family. My parents have been married for over 30 years (something that is very rare these days) and they bring such joy and love to our family. I don't know where I'd be without them and my brothers.

3. My pets. You can't explain the unconditional love you get from furry friends. If I'm having a bad day, all I have to do is hug my horse, or one of my cats. I swear they hug me back, and it's an amazing feeling!

4. Blogging and the internet! I've been addicted to the internet ever since we first got it when I was 11 years old. Now if only I can find an internet related job! Perhaps I'll luck out one day!

5. My bloggy/bb friends. Although out in the real world we may be complete strangers, it's amazing the love I feel from my online friends. They make my day every day!

6. My Home. Many people are shocked to hear I own my own house at my age. It's tough to carry financial wise, but it's mine and it's amazing.

7. Music. Listening to music feeds my soul. I can't go a single day without listening to music that I love.

8. Riding. I can never explain the feeling I get when riding my horse, or any horse at that. It's a magical experience and no matter how I'm feeling before I ride, afterwards, I am happy.

9. Television. As lame as it sounds, sometimes I enjoy being a complete couch potato. I have my shows that I watch religiously and they make me so darn happy!

10. Food. So many people around the world don't have access to the types and quantities of food that I do. Another lame one, but omg I love food! Eating makes me happy!



10 Bloggers That Brighten My Day (of course in no particular order)

- pieces of Awesome
- Lost In Thought
- Down the Rabbit Hole
- Seize the Moments
- Three Stride Studios
- Ramblings of A Fab Brunette
- Beauty In The Birches
- Healthy Tipping Point
- MegaNerdRuns
- Frugal Dreamer

Now to the next one... I can't believe she gave me TWO!!

This one is so pretty! Thank you again miss Ebony Jewel! Rules for this one are as follows:

1) Thank the person who nominated me for this award.
2) Copy the award & place it on my blog.
3) Link to the person who nominated me for this award.
4) Tell us 7 interesting things about yourself.
5) Nominate 7 bloggers.
6) Post links to the 7 blogs I nominate.

These ones are always tough! Ok here goes nothing...

7 Interesting Things About Myself

1. I got 100% in my grade 9 typing class. Yes, that was many years ago, but I am tooting my own horn here! My typing skills/speed definitely were a benefit to me throughout my 4 years of university when writing essay upon essay of 10-12 pages, then my 40 page thesis!

2. I wrote my 40 page thesis on the representation of Augustus in Roman Architecture. It was just sort of a mini thesis that I had to complete to finish my degree. I absolutely loved working on that paper. I'm still so anxious for the day that I'll get to go to Rome and see all the things I studied.

3. ..hopefully this doesn't gross anyone out but.. I am a complete carnivore. Honestly, I could not live without meat! Steak cooked rare is like my best friend!

4. I kind of have a 'let's get it done now' sort of personality when it comes to starting/completing new projects. If I get an idea in my head about something in particular that I want to do, I have to get it done right away. ie. I decided on a Tuesday that I wanted to give my kitchen a makeover, and it was completed the following Sunday.

5. I am addicted to the show The Biggest Loser. Bf and I watched the newest season premiere last night and if anything, it motivates us to keeps pushing and doing whatever we can to stay looking how we do and to never put on weight.

6. Almost every day after 5pm, my fancy high heels and dressy clothes get changed for, well at this time of the year, long johns, sweat pants, many layers on top and boots so I can go hang out in a barn for the evening. lol It's like I have 2 separate lives!

7. My hair annoys the hell out of me every day! It's fine and straight as a board! I wish I could make it look like Sandra Bullocks when she puts it up in a pony tail in The Proposal. I have mine in a pony tail right now and it looks OK. By 5 though it will be a disastrous mess!

I now nominate the following 7 bloggers, again in no particular order.

- Woofy's Musings
- In My Corner of the World
- Big Filly Adventures
- Three Stride Studios
- pieces of Awesome
- Lost In Thought
- Coming Home

A New Life Goal

Call me crazy, but after a lot of thought and consideration over the past few months, I have decided that I have a new life goal.

What is this goal you might ask?

I want to run a marathon.

Do I run now? No. But no matter. I still want to run a marathon; the 2012 Walt Disney World Marathon to be exact.

This is going to be quite the journey, something that I know will not be easy. But I believe that the fact that it won't be easy, is part of what will push me to try my little heart out.

Since this is such a huge goal, which I believe will ultimately change me as a person, I have decided that in lieu of bombarding Tidbits From My Mind, the best thing to do was to start up a new blog to document my new journey from start to finish.

Interested in following me along through this journey?

Visit me at.. I Will Run

I am so looking forward to getting started!!

Happy New Year!

Time to start fresh for the new year!

...I chose to ring in the year with a new 'do'!


Before....


I write today from my cozy couch, with long johns on, a heated 'magic bag' on my lap, and a fleece blanket wrapped around me. The plan for today was my usual Saturday morning plan..wake up, have a coffee, eat breakfast, then head out to the farm to ride. I have decided that I was going to give my horse Chelsea a holiday for the month of January, so today was going to be the first day in little Daisy Duke's month of training.

Let me repeat, today was GOING to be the first day... until I realized how flipping cold it is outside!!!! Wow mother nature sure knows how to start a year! Currently the thermometer reads -18deg C with a windchill of -28!!!! (for you American readers, that's -0.4F with a windchill of -18.4!) I don't like riding if it's much colder than -10C, so needless to say, I'm not heading to the farm today. I will spend the day making a new years post and de-Christmasafying (I just made up that word) my house. ;)

I really just can't seem to grasp the fact that Christmas and New Years have already come and gone for another year. I honestly can't believe that it's already 2010! Seriously! Where did the last decade go?? I still remember the whole Y2K thing as if it were only 2 years ago - not 10!! It's insane how much faster I find time goes by the older I get. Now I really understand what my parents were talking about all of these years.

Reflecting on 2009..

When looking back, 2009 was overall a pretty good year. There were some downs with unhealthy pets and such, but everyone is doing great now and I really believe that despite my lack of 'like' for my job, in every other aspect of my life, I couldn't be happier. Mine and C's relationship has continued to grow each and every day and the moment that we always thought was so far away --him finishing school-- has actually come! My parents and brothers are happy and healthy, and 2009 even brought a new member to the family - a furry one - my parent's golden retriever puppy Charlie. I've had a lot of self realizations in 2009 that has only made me more excited for things to come in 2010.

Looking forward to in 2010..

One of the most exciting things that I am looking forward to this year, is for things to progress even more with C. He is currently in between interviews for a placement/internship that he requires to officially complete his program at school. We have discussed things, and as soon as his internship is complete, and as soon as he lands a job, the plan is for him to move in this big empty house with me. It is something that I have been wanting and looking forward to for the past year and really can't wait for this to happen!

Another very exciting thing for 2010 is that on July 3, one of my brothers is getting MARRIED!!! He has been with his fiancee for around 13 years or so?! No joke! They are turning 29 this year and have been together since they were in grade 11, so this is a big deal! It will be the first wedding in our family and we all really couldn't be more excited.

Resolutions. ???

I've never really been one for new years resolutions. So many people make them every single year, and so many people rarely stick to them. As I've mentioned before, I've really had several self realizations the past few months with not liking my work and such, and have decided that it's time to do something about it. There are several projects that I would like to give a go right now and I figured it would be best to just start fresh in the new year and get crackin'!

The first item of business-- I have a goal to de-clutter and get rid of things that I do not use. It's amazing how I've accumulate things over the years and just don't have the heart to get rid of them. Since 2010 marks the year that I should be getting a new permanent roomie, I have decided that it's the perfect time to rid my home of items that I have not touched in over a year. Clothing will be donated to the local women's shelter and I will freecycle any other usable items.

2010 project -- I love to sew and I love to bake/cook. C and I have talked a lot and now that he is well on his path to making a career out of something he absolutely loves, I want to see if I can sort of try to do the same. I know that there is no immediate opportunity for me make a big career change ($ is a necessity when you own a house), but there is an immediate opportunity for me to try my hand at something I love in attempt to make some extra money. What is the answer? Etsy. My love for sewing has been brought back for live the past month as I tried my hand at sewing my grandmother a bag for Christmas (which she loved!). C and I have discussed, and I have decided that I want to try my hand at making more bags, along with aprons and other items to try and sell on Etsy! It's going to be a lot of work, but I love sewing so I think this could be something really great! Stay tuned as this project progresses! All Tidbits From My Mind readers will get a discount. ;)

New Life Goal --- over the past several months, I have decided that on top of everything, I also have a new life goal. What is this goal? Well, I'm sorry, but you will have to wait. I'm not quite ready to unveil this to the blog world yet, but it is something huge and I can't wait to share it with you all and have you follow me on this journey.

Wow this was a winded post!

If you're still reading, thank you for following my thoughts and words in 2009. I can't wait to see what 2010 brings, and share future thoughts and words with anyone who wants to listen.

I wish you all an amazing year! Let's make 2010 great!

xo Laura