Hooray for the weekend, the madness ends!

 Today I wrote my big exam. Phew! 

I still have one more on Sunday, but a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can see the light at the end of this crazy tunnel.

I immediately celebrated this afternoon with a coffee and apricot-almond tart from my favourite bakery.

It's the little rewards in life that really make me happy. That and all the daffodils that have blossomed recently.

ps: do you think phone booths will become obsolete one day?

just wondering.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The blog will be back in full swing on Monday.

oxo

Vanessa.

pps: two things about the royal wedding, other than that it was fabulous...

one: did you see the priest doing cartwheels after the ceremony?

two: Kate's day after dress... I'm so in love!

New Music: Lykke Li - Sadness is a Blessing

I just love Lykke Li. 

And this new video is beautiful, and sad, and troubled, and I love it.

Study breaks, brain food & other moments

 

 Intense studying calls for intense brain food! 

I've been making lots of smoothies, taking my daily vitamin-D, drinking green tea and lots of coffee of course (honestly, nothing improves my focus like coffee does). 

I've also been inventing what I call "study salads", which are loaded with superfoods.... like wild rice, quinoa, nuts, flax seeds and arugula... sometimes with eggs, salmon or tuna. It might be a minor form of procrastination, but you have to feed your brain, after all!

Montreal is really starting to bloom these days, and being locked away in my apartment is really killing me. So I've been taking a lot of walking study breaks.

And  I've been studying in all sorts of locations... trying to surround myself with beauty and sunlight... or at least by a window if it's raining.

...this little guy was spying on us studying, but he ran away as soon as I took his picture!

Well that's all for now... I just wanted to pop in and say hi. I write my exams on Friday & Sunday and then I'm a free woman! I hope you're having a nice week.

oxo

Vanessa

Weekend Moments: Easter in Toronto

 We had a lovely Easter in Toronto with my in-laws. The weather was unexpectedly gorgeous, and the food was obscenely indulgent, as it always is there. 

My cup is now full, and so is my belly... I swear I will never need to eat again.

 Of course there was an easter egg hunt... although kind of ridiculous... aside from the two teenage girls in the family, the average age in this easter egg hunt was around 28!

And now it's back to the grindstone. My licensing exam is 4 days away and I will be studying like crazy until then. Wish me luck!

oxo

Vanessa

Hooray for the long weekend!

Have a great weekend, 

and a happy Easter too!

• Homemade Cadbury Cream Eggs
• I'm in love with this photoshoot
• and these Swedish wooden shoes
• Some great 10 minute meals
• and a bamboo bicycle

PS I LOVE YOU - Facelove from Mitch Fillion (southernsouls.ca) on Vimeo.

Every Day is Earth Day + a little moment of contemplation...

I've been thinking a lot about the earth today.... after all it is Earth Day. 

And I've been thinking about "the three R's"...  

we all do a lot of recycling, 

and we're pretty good at re-using too.... 

but I think the most important 'R' is the one we're all the worst at... Reducing. 

We all need to reduce our consumption.

Big time.

I need to too.

That's how we can make the biggest impact as individuals, even if it's not easy.

This is my goal on this lovely earth day.

xo

Ideas for your humble balcony garden

I can't wait to start planting my little balcony garden. It's definitely one of my spring highlights. Above are photos from last spring... by the looks of it, it was a lot warmer last year at this time!

Unfortunately I can't really start any new projects until after my exam... so I'm gathering ideas in my mind for now...

like these herb labels...

via

and these mini cloud chalkboard labels...

via

and of course, my favourite, mason jar lanterns...

via

Ikea has tons of affordable & colourful garden stuff...

I love these solar lights...

(Ikea)

Creating a potting station like this makes a lot of sense (and might help avoid the royal dirt disaster I usually create)

via

And finally, what garden would be complete without a little wind chime?

So easy to make on your own too... out of anything really...

(via)

And a little bird house too of course!

(via)

okay,  enough virtual shopping.... back to studying I go...

xo

What I want to wear right now....

New patterns, with sophisticated edginess.

(Vena Cava)

All things loose & flowy....

(Sandwich)

wide, embellished necklines

(Anthropologie)

All the right summer stripes...

 

 

(MadeWell)

And all things YELLOW!

(Kate Spade)

What about you... any spring favourites?

Weekend Moments: home cooked food, spring foliage & a little bit of vinyl too

 I had a low key weekend this weekend. It was chilly outside - it even snowed a bit (poor little tulips!).

 I'm in complete study mode these days - with less than 2 weeks remaining before my final licensing exam as a medical resident (last formal exam I will write in my life!). So I've been focusing on trying to stay balanced... healthy home-cooked meals to feed my brain, brief yoga sessions in the mornings, and trying to still get out (even if it's just for 5 minutes) and appreciate all the spring buds that are shooting up (not to mention to walk over to Ben & Jerry's for a much needed treat!).

 Apparently Saturday was "international record store day"... and while I didn't have time to go to my favourite Montreal record store, I did listen to some great vinyl while studying the night away.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

oxo

Nobody Does Easter Like Martha Does!

Let's face it, when it comes to eggs, bunnies and all things Easter, no one quite does it like Martha! Her website is just loaded with craft & decorating ideas.

Here are a few of my favourites....

tons of cute centerpiece ideas

and bunny napkins...

and egg garlands!

and more centerpieces...

And who said decorating outside trees was only for Christmas? Doesn't this Easter tree look adorable?!