happy halloween!

♪♫ Season of the Witch - Lana Del Rey

Happy Halloween! My Halloween was pretty good! I worked from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm and it was an easy shift. Barely any youth showed up, so I mostly hung out with staff and ate Halloween candy. I also got my picture taken to enter my work's Halloween costume contest! I'll post the picture below... if you can't tell, I'm the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland! I doubt I'll get first place, but second or third would be nice, haha!


After work, I went to get my flu shot, went an appointment at the bank, bought some wrapping paper + tins for cookies, and bought a new bus pass. After that I met up with my dad at a local restaurant. We both got vegetarian chili with cornbread and chatted for a bit. It was really nice! On my way home afterwards, I stopped by the post office to mail some Etsy orders. It felt so good to be productive and get lots of stuff done!


When I got home, I passed out candy to trick or treaters for about an hour, then I passed the responsibility to someone else and went into my room for the most exciting part of my day aka my yearly Halloween tradition; watching Halloween and eating lots of candy! I put on my comfy pajamas, turned all my Halloween lights on, and began indulging... which is what I'm still doing, haha! I just took a break to write this blog.


Oh and I also received my new sleep mask in the mail! I can't wait to use it between night shifts. I think it will definitely help me with sleeping better! Anyways, I hope everyone that celebrates Halloween had a good one and ate lots of yummy candy!

we are the jack-o-lanterns in july

♪♫ The Phoenix - Fall Out Boy

The past week has been both lovely and extremely stressful. I'll start with some good news: I got my beginner's license! I actually got it before my last blog, but I forgot to mention it. I also signed up for driving classes/lessons which start in September. In the meantime, my boyfriend is going to give me some lessons to help me get used to the basics again. That way I am at least a little bit prepared for the classes/lessons. Wish me luck!

Another exciting thing: I got my planner stickers in the mail! They turned out super cute and I will definitely be making my own stickers again (yes - I designed them!). I'll post a picture below of what they look like. Oh and I also made a few purchases recently! The most exciting one is a little Hedgehog Cactus that I bought at a local market. I have always wanted a cactus and I finally decided to buy one! I've named her Freckles and I love her already! I also purchased a knock off pop socket (which I've wanted for a while & I found one with a trippy sun on it!) and a Ginny Weasley paperclip for my planner (it was less than $1.50 on Ebay - including shipping).




Today I'm picking up my passport (so beyond excited!), mailing out a few orders (my Twin Peaks inspired rings on Etsy), and going to work. Should be a decent day! However, work yesterday was the extremely stressful part of my week. One of my coworkers kinda made me feel stupid after I made a few minor mistakes (I'm new - its bound to happen). I felt awkward and uncomfortable for a lot of my shift and it was awful. I think its important to be supportive, patient and understanding with coworkers to create a positive team dynamic... but that isn't how it went. I felt like I was on my own and that is not a good feeling in the field that I work in. Hopefully things get better!

I'm going to get ready for my day now. I hope everyone is doing well!

Update on July 30th @ 9am: I got my passport a few days ago!

new job, planning a trip, & more!

♪♫ Lie and Look - Zheani

So much to talk about since my last blog! I'll start with two big pieces of news; the first is... I got my dream job!!! I am so beyond happy!!! I am now a youth care worker at the youth homeless shelter that I did my internship at. My first shift is Monday/Tuesday from 11pm - 7am. I never did an overnight shift during my internship, so it will be a new experience for me. I'm excited!

The second big piece of news is... I'm going to Hawaii next year! I have never been on a plane or traveled anywhere outside of Atlantic Canada (except for a day in Maine when I was a kid). If you don't know already, I am a huge fan of the show Lost, which was filmed in Hawaii. So, for the tenth anniversary of the show's finale, there is a four day convention happening on Oahu. The convention includes tours of the filming locations, watching the pilot and finale in recognizable filming locations, trivia contest, costume contest, q&a with actors/actresses from the show, autograph signing/picture taking with actors/actresses from the show, and more!

As soon as I seen it, I thought "ugh... I wish I could go!", then I thought "wait... why can't I?". I have the money to do it, and my new job allows a lot of flexibility with vacation time... so I'm doing it! I already purchased my convention ticket, I have the money for the convention extras (like getting an autograph/picture), I booked my Airbnb, and I have the money ready to purchase the plane tickets (I am in the process of getting a passport now). I just need to save some money for spending, which won't be an issue at all. Also, I will spending an additional four days to enjoy the beach, shopping, hiking a volcano, and more! I am so excited!!! I even got a cute jar at the dollar store for my Hawaii fund. I will be putting extra money into it as often as I can.


Some other minor exciting things that have happened recently are; getting my new book in the mail, ordering a new planner, trying a breakfast sandwich with the new Beyond Meat sausage, celebrating Canada Day by binge watching The Walking Dead (I just started watching it &; I love it!) and enjoying delicious garlic fingers and cream soda, making a giant pot of vegetarian chili (with no jalepenos this time), and making Twin Peaks inspired rings to sell again on Etsy (which are available now!).


This weekend, I'm going to visit my boyfriend. He is taking me out for dinner to celebrate my new job! Wooo! I'm not sure what else we're gonna do, but I'm sure it'll be fun. However, I do need to try to stay up really late the next few nights in order to be able to do the overnight shift. It will probably be brutal. Wish me luck, haha! I hope everyone is doing well!

i graduated from college!

♪♫ Walk Me Home - P!nk

I can't believe I finally get to say that I graduated from college! I did it! I got my diploma! Wooo! I am beyond happy. Words can't even express how good I feel right now. I used to be a homeless high school dropout with a drinking problem and severe mental health issues (primarily PTSD). My life was utter hell and I never thought that I'd turn it all around. It all feels so surreal. This is my biggest accomplishment thus far! Here is a video of me receiving my diploma...



Here is my diploma...


After my graduation, I went to lunch with my grandmother, my dad, and my boyfriend. We went to one of my favorite restaurants, which I chose. I had a lentil burger, sweet potato fries, apple pie, vanilla ice cream, and a root beer. It was so yummy! Everyone gave me a gift, which was lovely! For gifts, I got $1100 in cash and the following items; a graduation mug, The Book of Revelation for Dummies, and a kit to name a star! I am saving most of the money, but I did spend a few hundred on stuff I needed; a frame for my diploma, a pair of black Vans, five new tops, a package of new socks, two new bras, and other random small things that I needed. The tops and Vans are needed for when I get a job (when I wear t-shirts & hoodies to work, people assume that I'm a youth, so I decided to get some more mature/professional looking tops to stand out as a worker, & the Vans are good for being on my feet all day, which I will have to do for every job in my field).



I also already have a burgundy one just like the first two and a rose pink one that is similar to the first two, but has a v-neck. I have one for everyday of the week & in a variety of colors!
Today has been a busy day. I did laundry, cleaned my room, went through my stuff and got rid of stuff I don't use/want, and worked on Twin Peaks inspired rings to sell in my Etsy shop. I used to sell them a couple years ago and they were my best selling item. I sold 2-3 per day! I found a bunch of the supplies needed to make them in my storage room and decided to spend $30 on the rest of the supplies needed, so that I could make some money. I'll be able to make about 50 rings in total, which will be a profit of $750. I anticipate it will only take 6-ish weeks to sell them all. Maybe two months at the most. I'm going to save all the money from them and put it into my savings for driving lessons! I will only have to sell 3 rings to begin making profit, which I'm sure won't take long. Oh, and I got a couple of the things that I ordered online in the mail today!


I'm so in love with the top & the makeup bag! They are gorgeous!
That's all for now! I'll leave you with this meme that I waited 3 years to post...



Also: the 18th was my blog's 9 year anniversary! ♥

lift me up to the stars

♪♫ Gnosts N Stuff - Deadmau5 ft. Rob Swire

I keep forgetting to blog! So sorry! A lot has happened since I last blogged. I'll start with Valentine's Day; I was unable to spend it with my boyfriend, so I watched That '70s Show and ate Reese cups by myself. It was fun to have my own little celebration! My boyfriend and I got together and celebrated Valentine's Day two days later, when we both had the free time. Sadly, I was very sick with a cold. It was awful. Despite my sickness, we cuddled, watched TV, and ordered Chinese food to celebrate. It wasn't fancy, but I loved it! We also exchanged cheap gifts (we decided to keep it under $5). I bought him a little box of Reese cups (just like the one I got for myself) and he bought me a horror book (he knows me well).


The week after Valentine's Day, I was mostly sick. However, I did manage to have a pretty decent week! I received my mini coffin shelf in the mail from Sourpuss. Its so cute! I'm not sure what to put on it yet, but I'll figure it out at some point. For now, its sitting on the top of my book shelf. Also, I ended up ordering a collector's edition of Wild at Heart on Blu-ray. I've had my eye on it for months, so I finally decided to get it. Last but not least, I finished reading The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It was so good! The ending was so well written and creepy as hell. I definitely need to read more of Shirley Jackson's books!


Earlier this week, I met up with my dad for supper at the mall. It was really nice to spend time with him. I hadn't seen him in a couple months. I also went to the book store and bought two books; Magic Tree House #17: Tonight on the Titanic by Mary Pope Osbourne and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. It was about $10 altogether for both books. Such a good deal! Even though I had a good time at dinner and the book store, that day was a stressful one. I ended up crying when I got home from all the stress. Sometimes you just need a good cry. I felt a lot better afterwards though!


A few days ago, my cousin got the insurance money from the flood we had in our basement. She couldn't decide how to divide it up, so she ended up splitting the money evenly between the three of us (my grandmother being the other person). So basically, I got $600 that I wasn't expecting! Wooo! I've decided to save most of it, but I did spend about $100 of it so far. I went to visit my boyfriend this weekend and I took him on a date. We went out for lunch at a local restaurant, then we went bowling. At the bowling alley, I won a Pikachu plushie in a claw machine! It was only $1 and I got it on my first try! He also took me to Wal-mart, where I bought three pairs of jeggings (I need them for school). It was a great day!


Today I found a bunch of supplies from a few years ago when I sold Twin Peaks inspired rings on Etsy. I ended up purchasing $30 worth of additional supplies on Ebay and now I have enough supplies to make fifty rings! Minus the money for supplies, I will make a profit of $620! They were my best selling item back in the day when I had an Etsy shop. I sold at least one per day! I just need to sell three rings to cover the supplies, then its all profit after that. Wooo! I can't wait to get back into it! I'm going to use the money I make from them to pay for driving lessons.

That is all for now. Hopefully I will remember to blog again soon!

its been too long...

♪♫ Northern Wind - City and Colour

Its been quite a while! A lot of awesome stuff has happened since I last blogged. For starters, I bought tickets to see an artist that I've loved since I was fifteen or so... City and Colour aka Dallas Green! It was $55 per ticket, which is pretty cheap for a concert! Its happening this Thursday in the evening time, and my dad is coming with me! I'm so excited! I even bought a cute dress for $10 to wear that night. Plus we're going to eat at a vegan restaurant before heading there. Its gonna be amazing!

I added an extra day onto my upcoming trip (I'm going back to my old city to see friends). Since I have limited money, I originally planned to stay six days... but I thought "why not just make it a full week?", so I decided to scrounge together an extra $50 for the extra day ($20 for food & $30 for the hostel). I contacted the woman who runs the hostel to add an extra day to my reservation and guess what she says to me? No charge! Apparently you get a free night when you book a whole week! So now I just need an extra $20 for food, which is not an issue at all. I'm so happy!

I'm sure everyone knows by now that I went vegan a month or so ago, so I thought I'd update everyone on how its been going. Three major things that I've noticed are; I have a ton of energy, my acne has almost entirely cleared up, and I'm losing weight even faster (despite eating more calories - I don't know how that is possible). I'm really enjoying vegan food... like a lot. I'm also getting over my fear of carbs. Most of my diet is mostly carbs now actually... As far as fats go, I get mine from ground flax seeds, walnuts, and the occasional avocado (I aim for about 30g of fat per day). When it comes to protein, I get about 50g per day on average (which is 10g more than needed). Protein is actually quite easy to get on a vegan diet, as long as you consume a few servings of protein rich foods like beans, quinoa, tofu, etc on a daily basis. I track everything I eat to make sure I'm getting proper nutrients, and most of them have been easy to get! The only one that I find slightly hard sometimes is iron (without trying I get about 80% of the daily recommended intake - but I have to add more iron rich foods in to reach 100% or more). I also take a B12 supplement everyday, and I've just ordered vegan vitamin D2 supplements (since I live in a place where its not sunny enough). Anyways, here are some pictures of delicious vegan meals that I've had in the past few weeks...


I also got my hair cut recently. I decided to go for a new look, so I got bangs along with a basic trim! I'm loving it! I feel so different with bangs... but in a good way! Its been quite easy to keep up with them too. It takes maybe five minutes after I shower to spray on some heat protectant and straighten them. Plus its only $6 a month to get them trimmed (plus a $2 tip - so about $8). Anyways, here is what I look like now...


In my last blog I talked about how I ordered a set of reusable cloth pads from LunaPads. Well... I tried them out... and I love them! They're so much more comfortable than regular pads! They're also pretty easy to clean, surprisingly. I'm also impressed by their absorbency. I had no issues with them at all! On a similar note... I noticed that my period was light and didn't last as long. I think this is due to being vegan... I've heard a lot of women say that their periods got a ton better after going vegan. I'm pretty glad to be honest... I've always had super heavy and painful periods for my entire life...

Last, but not least... I re-opened my Etsy store! I've got seven items up for sale right now, so go check them out by clicking here! I'm also selling my Twin Peaks inspired rings again (since they were such a hit last time), so check them out if you're a fan! Aside from that, there isn't much else that is new. I will try to blog again before going on my trip in a couple weeks. By for now!

EDIT: I forgot to mention that I bought some DVDs for the first time in ages! I also bought some vegan cheddar flavored popcorn, which will last for four movie nights. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm excited! I hope it tastes like Smartfood popcorn... that stuff was so damn good, haha.

stay in the shadows

♪♫ Burn The Witch - Radiohead

Well, a few interesting things have happened since I last blogged. For starters, I ordered a ton of new electronics! It cost me 1/5 of my savings, but I still have a lot of savings left, so its all good. I got a new laptop bundle, an external hard drive, and a cheap tablet. I also ordered a screen protector, a sleeve, and a 32gb memory card for the tablet. I really needed a new laptop, because my old one has reached that point where its not working right and the battery dies after five minutes of being unplugged. Since I'm possibly going to school in September and starting an online business in a month, its important that I have a working laptop. The external hard drive is to replace my old one, which doesn't work anymore. It kept saying there was an error and it wouldn't stay connected to my laptop for more than five minutes. I should have replaced it years ago. And finally, the tablet... which is my present to myself for getting my GED. Its going to remain in my closet until I hopefully pass the math test in a little over a week. I can't wait to use it!


I've already got the laptop bundle and the tablet in the mail. I'm just waiting for the external hard drive. I got my new laptop all set up already. I love it so far! I also opened the tablet up, turned it on, and set it up. I just wanted to make sure that it worked and didn't have any issues. It would suck to open it after passing my test to find out that its broken and I have to take it back/wait to get another one! Anyways, here is my laptop...


I've named her Jo after the character from Supernatural!
Speaking of my math test... I'm very stressed out about it! I've been studying for a few hours everyday, and will continue to do so until I take the test, but math has always been my weakest point... so I'm very nervous. My teacher says she thinks I will pass it, which boosted my confidence a little bit... but I'm still scared. I can't wait to just get it over with. Then I'll never have to complicated math ever again! That is pretty much my motivation right now... knowing that if I bust my ass now, that I won't have to do it ever again, haha!

I got an email this morning from the college I applied at... they've put me on the wait list for the program I applied to. The wait list is fairly short, and people usually drop out the summer before a program starts... so I think my chances are good for getting into it. I just hope that I find out before mid July, because I'd need to apply for a student loan and find a place to live before school starts. Hopefully there are dorm rooms left. I want a large single room, and apparently they usually have some left because they're pricey. I hope everything works out! I'm kinda nervous about it all. I hate not knowing exactly how things are going to go!

I'm officially under 200 lbs! I weigh 197 lbs now! That is a total of 53 lbs lost, which means that I have 62 more lbs to go! I can't believe I'm almost halfway there! Since I'm almost halfway there, I've added lifting weights to my daily routine. Its pretty impossible to build muscle on a low calorie diet, but I can maintain my current muscle mass which will keep my metabolism from slowing down too much. The only downside to my weight loss is the fact that I have hardly any clothes that fit me. I'm just getting by with two outfits right now. I can't wait to reach my goal weight. I'm gonna buy so many clothes!

Another thing I want to say is: please consider donating to the Red Cross for the Alberta fires appeal if you are financially able to. If you're not aware of what is happening, there is a raging wild fire in a place called Fort McMurray, that is basically wiping out the entire town. Tens of thousands of people (somewhere around 80, 000) have had to flee from their homes. They've lost everything and have no place to go. Its an absolute tragedy. If you look up videos of it, it looks like a scene from an apocalyptic movie. Where I live in Eastern Canada, a lot of people go to Fort McMurray for work. My uncle is one of those people. Thankfully he moved to Edmonton a couple years ago after being in Fort McMurray for several years. But a lot of other people here have family and friends that were in Fort McMurray when the fires started, and they've lost everything. Even just a dollar will help! And remember: the Red Cross is the only legitimate place to donate for this cause!

Click here to donate!
That is all for now!

so many things going on...

♪♫ This Is What Makes Us Girls - Lana Del Rey

Sorry I haven't blogged in a couple weeks. I've been really busy and quite stressed out as well. I decided to go to college out of town starting this September (for Child & Youth Care), so I applied and I'm still waiting to see if I got in or not. I'm worried about that, plus I'm worried about getting student loans, having a place to live in the town where the college is, and my capability to actually do the course. If that doesn't work out, my back up black is to become a mortician. All I need for the course is my GED and class 5 license (which I'll have in a year or so). Even if I get into Child & Youth Care for this year, I may still pursue becoming a mortician in my 30s.

I've also passed 4/5 of my GED tests, and I just have math left! I've got it scheduled already too (for May 16th)! I'm very excited to get it all over with! I'm also excited to celebrate with dinner at a restaurant and a bottle of wine. My grandmother says she is getting me a ring too! I think I may be going tonight to pick one out. Nothing too expensive. Just a sterling silver ring for under $100. I'm hoping to find one with a black heart jewel. Wish me luck, haha!

Another thing that happened, is that I've decided to re-open my Etsy shop in mid June. I've already ordered all the supplies to get me started ($150 for everything), I'm just waiting for them to arrive in the mail. I also re-named the shop for a fresh start. The new name is Handmade in Hobbiton! I'll be selling lots of nerdy jewelry, and my Twin Peaks inspired rings are making a comeback! I found an easier way to make them, which I'm pretty pleased about. I had such a hard time before with them. Anyways, I'm hoping to make some extra money to save every month!

I got the used shelf from my grandfather, and its all set up with my stuff now! I'm pretty happy with how it looks! I also ordered a string of butterfly lights from Ebay to string across the top, which I think will look really magical...


I finally got the book that my poem was published in! It was published back when I was 17, but I didn't have the money to buy it at the time. Luckily they had some left in stock when I contacted them, so I bought one for $20 including shipping! Its a fantastic addition to my book shelf...


And last, but not least... the cast for Twin Peaks season 3 has been announced! Its got so many good names (along with some weird ones like Michael Cera - what the hell?)! I'm mostly exciting about the original cast members coming back, but also these favorites of mine who have just joined the wonderful world of Twin Peaks...


Top row (left to right): Laura Dern and Naomi Watts.
Bottom Row (left to right): Meg Foster, Matthew Lillard, and Jennifer Jason Leigh.
That is pretty much it for now. I'll try to blog again soon!

Brownie camp was a blast!

♪♫ Starman - David Bowie

I'm back from Brownie camp! It was a blast! It began on Friday. The leaders had to be there early to set up, then the girls arrived at 7pm, and the fun began! We did crafts mostly, then had a snack and watched The Muppet Christmas Carol (my idea of course). Saturday was exhausting. We did crafts mostly again, but there was also a hike, singing, dancing, a gift exchange, etc. And we just had breakfast on Sunday, then got them to do two little crafts until their parents came to get them. Everything went really well! We did have a couple girls go in time out a few times, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle. Oh, and the food was amazing! We had homemade waffles that were to die for! I need to get that recipe! Anyways, I cannot wait until our summer camp!


I accidentally got my finger in the way of the picture, but this is what the camp looked like.


The name of the camp!


View of the mail hall part one.


View of the main hall part two.


My bed for the weekend!
I got some cute stuff to take home too! I got a penguin pillow, a mug signed by everyone that attended camp, a little gingerbread man that I decorated, and a bag of magic Santa dust that was given to me by one of the girls. The penguin pillow was by far the most popular craft. The girls went wild over them!


My penguin pillow!


The other items that I got!
I got home around noon on Sunday, and I was exhausted. I was constantly on the go all weekend, and had very little sleep. But apparently that didn't slow me down at all, because I wrapped gifts not long after getting home. I got most of the package for Kara/BJ/Bentley/Ava done! I just need to go to the dollar store to get some candy, and maybe a coloring book with crayons to fill the empty space. I'm gonna mail it on December 11th, hopefully. Oh, and I checked my design shop and found out that I made about $200 from Black Friday sales!


This is how it looks so far!
After all that, I had a long bath/shower, put on Seinfeld, and had dinner (pizza and chocolate milk). I fell asleep pretty quickly too. I'm still sore from camp, so I'm gonna spend the rest of my day in bed. I'll start being productive again tomorrow. That's all for now!