Style, Halloween edition

Arrr, ahoy me heartys! I keep this short, because I have a whole lotta swashbucklin' to do today.

A few words of wisdom: Fly the jolly roger with pride, beware of scallywags, and don't overdo the grog. But don't underdo it, either.

Shiver me timbers, have a happy Halloween!   

Costume: Spirit Halloween; boots: Target; knife and rum: my husband's

Yo-ho-ho! (And a bottle of rum.)

Ya wench, Miriam

Linking up with The Daily Tay, Helene in Between, Rachel the Hat and Penniless Socialite

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Some strange facts

Oh hi, fancy seeing you here! Or should I say, seeing myself here? 

I decided to jump back into Blogtober for the last 2 days, to make it an uneven 17 days of participation in total. 17 out of 31 isn't too shabby, right? At least I crossed the halfway mark.

Today's prompt is facts about ourselves. As bloggers, we tend to talk a lot about ourselves: in our posts, the tricky About page, that little blurb on Instagram, in the form of the photos we share. (Did you notice my shameless plugs haha?) Every time someone finds out about the blog, they want to know what it is about, and we give them a quick overview. It is a bit like writing a resume over and over! Maybe that is why we bloggers are so aware of our needs and wants, because we think about them so much. Blogging definitely improves self awareness - one of the many things I like about it. However, trying to think of facts that you might not know yet makes this challenge quite challenging indeed!

Well, I dug deep, and came up with 10 weird facts about me:

1. After years of consuming diet products, I am now terrified of them. Particularly diet pop. I'm convinced they make your insides rot - so much so, that I now feel physically sick whenever I accidentally drink one. (The power of the mind.) At the rare occasion that I have a pop, it's full sugar all the way!

2. I have wacky dreams almost every night. One that repeatedly shows up is bathroom dreams: Bathrooms with no privacy, people watching me, or the old classic: I go into a stall and lock it, only to find out that there are no walls between the toilets. What does it mean?? It's such an annoying dream.

3. Since I don't like cheese, Mac'n Cheese has never appealed to me. My version when I crave a bowl full of pasta: Noodles with ketchup. Delicious! Don't knock it till you've tried it!

4. The corgi and I sleep bum to bum at night. Round bums unite!

5.  I am toying with the idea of a capsule wardrobe, as inspired by Jenny. The idea thrills and terrifies me simultaneously.

6. When writing, I google a lot of words/expressions, to make sure I use them correctly. I hope google hasn't let me down without me realizing it?!

7. Speaking of which, one of the search keywords that has led one lucky soul to my blog is "vbhbfv afhv". (I took great care to copy it down exactly.) Have I ever said that??

8. After approximately 12 years of not caring about my hair at all, I have developed quite the attachment. Normal or worrysome? I can't decide.

9. Also, after steadfastly claiming that "I don't do DIY", I did, in fact, do some DIY recently. I made glitter bunting and some garlands, and - dare I say it? It was fun! I want to do more! I'm even contemplating some home made Christmas gifts this year. Who AM I? I blame Pinterest.

10. I never flossed until I came to Canada at the age of 23, and have the cavities to prove it. Now I am religious about flossing!

What are some of your quirks? Share below!

xo Miriam

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Big-bottomed girls

Hi humans, Lily here.
That's right, I'm a blogger too. Even though I prefer the term cogger - corgi+blogger. Much more accurate. I've watched my mom plenty of times, and it doesn't look hard. Just typing and drinking coffee. I'm not drinking coffee though, I tried it and it is disgusting. Water tastes so much better. I drink it out of mom's glass sometimes when she isn't watching.

I need to talk about butts today. My philosophy is: the bigger and smellier, the better.

Fluffy is best, but you can't all be perfect. That's okay. Here is what I don't understand: Humans saying their butt is "too big". What do you mean, too big? That is not possible. Did we not just agree that bigger is better? If you are the biggest, aren't you the bestest? It is completely logical, and should not be difficult to understand.

You two-legs don't seem too clever sometimes, even though you invented milk bones. You worry too much. Such as about the size of your butts. Life is too short. Listen to someone who's life moves 7 times as fast as yours. I'm only 1 in corgi years, yet 15 years old in human years. Which explains why I'm already so smart - teenagers know everything.

However. Despite my personal philosophy that big and fluffy is cute, small and unfluffy is lovely, too. What you need to remember is: Any size bum is okay. Stop worrying about it. I got a round derrière (score!), but my best friend Phoebe doesn't, and she is pretty as can be. Just look at that luxurious, long tail!  And what's most important: we have so much fun together!

As long as you have fun, everything is good.

But one fact remains a mystery to me: How you humans don't greet each other properly. What's up with that paw shaking business? You haven't met someone properly until you have sniffed their butts, round or not round. Or at least their genitals. Think about it, and you will have to agree.

 

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What do you do for love?

The other day, I went window shopping. Which, strictly speaking, wasn't window shopping at all, since I entered the stores - but I had no intention of buying anything. It was a beautiful, sunny day, yet bafflingly, the stores were crazy busy. (I usually never go shopping when the weather is nice, I much rather hang out at the farm - but the weather was playing tricks on us that day. It was supposed to be raining. Do people always go shopping even if it's nice out? Or did they get caught in the same trap as me?)

Anyway. 

What struck me, was the amount of husbands/boyfriends accompanying their wives/girlfriends on shopping trips. And I'm not talking the man-friendly electronics or hardware store: we are talking real girly stores! I went to a book store, an antiques store, a home decorating store, and - the pièce de résistance - a fabric store. There were guys in all of them! And not single guys, maybe looking to pick up a date, but guys in relationships, trudging behind their women, with slightly pained expressions on their faces.

I was in awe.   

It would never, in a million years, occur to me to ask my husband to come to a fabric store to me. To be honest, it was quite unfamiliar territory to myself, and I didn't last very long. 

I'm not a sewer, and all those rows and rows of fabric, lining, and whatever else they had, was quite overwhelming.  

But I, at least, don't have a Y chromosome that is impeding my understanding of these feminine domains. (Even though it felt that way. Those ladies were speaking a foreign language of ruching, pleating and hemming that I had absolutely no concept of.)

It got me thinking. Either these ladies have a powerful tool of persuasion to get their husbands to tag along (what is it?? Help a sister out!), or they have a tradition of going shopping together on the weekend. Whatever it is, I thought it was sweet. And obviously, my next thought was: "What do Rich and I do for each other that we may not fully understand, but tolerate out of love?"

Here is my (hopelessly incomplete) list: 

He tolerates my crazy (it's really more of an obsession) love for our little Corgi-girl Lily. She was supposed to be "our" dog, but she's a 100% mine. And I'm loving every second of it. Rich probably pictured our having an inside dog differently, but he acts like he's totally fine with it. And I love him for that. 

I support his (obsessive) love for birds. We have hundreds of them, and despite claiming all.the.time that he will "cut down by half", it hasn't happened yet after all these years. It never will. But I'm a-okay with that. It makes him happy, and they sure look pretty, don't they?

Once in a while I will get the urge to re-decorate, or randomly string fairy lights all across the living room. He didn't say a word. It was only after I took them down again, stating that "they looked ridiculous", that he expressed his gratitude for doing so. He had not liked them at all, yet was supportive.

I will always feed the animals for him if he's busy, away or simply too lazy. You're welcome hubs!

He supports my habit of taking pictures of everything. He will even take pictures of me if I really beg, or reluctantly agree to the occasional selfie.

Again, he with all the animals.

I, being fine with it. (And supportive!)

This picture has nothing to do with any of this. I just thought it worth posting. 

October, you sure are pretty!

What will you do for love? 

xo Miriam

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Style: Rain and shine

Happy Friday my friends! It may not look like it, but in some of these photos it is actually raining. But after only 5 or 10 minutes, the rain stopped, and the sun broke though. Since I'm in a reflective mood tonight, I thought it appropriate to use this as a metaphor for life. Yes, that's right, let's go deep!
 
This time of year lends itself to reflection, don't you think? The juxtaposition of nature slowing down, yet the beginning of a busy social season (Thanksgiving, Halloween, Christmas, New Year's) gets my thinking (and creative) juices flowing. My birthday is coming up in December, and that, too gets me in a contemplative mood. Where am I in life? Have I reached my goals? How are all the skeletons in my closet doing?
Oh, have I not mentioned my skeletons yet? No, I don't think I have. Well, it's about time!
 
My skeletons are all those tedious little annoyances that have accumulated over time: Conflicts, goals I tried to achieve (but didn't), changes I planned to make (but didn't), unresolved problems. In short, unfinished business. The things that keep you up at night. Stuff that you carry around with you at the back of your mind - that you try to forget, but never manage to forget for long.
 
Until about a year ago, that list was a mile long. The skeletons were so plentiful, they formed an army; an army that sometimes threatened to run me over and leave me lying defeated, with no strength left to get back up. They all had one thing in common: they had to do with people. Mostly it was open or subtle conflicts, usually with family or friends; and then there were all those extra tasks I had agreed to, but that left me stressed out and overworked.  

Often I worried that I didn't do life right: Did I have enough friends? Was I a nice enough person? Should I be more ambitions? Or less? Was I missing out on anything?
 
But lately, I find myself less and less worried about these things. When it comes to dealing with people, I have finally, finally come to a few conclusions: 
I am worthy of respect - if someone doesn't treat me with such, I will eliminate that person from my life.
That means, of course, trying to treat every person with kindness and respect as well. If there are misunderstandings, talk about them, don't let them fester.

When it comes to friends, quality over quantity wins every time. 
Not everybody will like me, and that's okay. Don't sweat it!

Nice'n easy, isn't it? And to think that it took me almost 35 years to finally get it! But knowing it and applying it to your own life are two very different things. Over the last year, something has clicked. It's difficult to find the right words - I have found myself, grown into myself, found an inner calm and confidence that doesn't rely on outside approval. I know that I'm good enough.   

As for life's little problems: I am more aware now that after rain, there will always be sunshine. Even the most horrible day will pass, and the next one won't be as bad. I believe that with all my heart: life can always get better! 

And that's just the most comforting thought.

Pose copied from the fabulous Amy (imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right?!)

Sweater: Joe Fresh (last year); hat: Joe Fresh (old); skirt: Le Chateau (very old); tights: Shoppers Drug Mart; boots: Sterling Shoes (old); necklace: Smart Set (old); umbrella: forgotten at our house
by a friend, never returned (you lose, I use)

Yay for Friday!

xo Miriam

Linking up with Rachel the Hat and Penniless Socialite

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Pet peeves

Pet peeves - we all have them. I have so many to choose from - should I share them all? I decided not to, because I would come across as a judgemental bitch because, who has the time?

So here are my top 10 pet peeves:

Complainers. People who love to complain, but have zero intention of changing anything about it. If you don't like it, change it; if you don't want to change anything, stop complaining about it.

Purty. I don't know why, but I hate it when people say purty instead of pretty. Why mess up a perfectly good word?

Like. Kids, please stop saying that in every sentence. Just stop it. It makes you sound dumb.

Literally. If you say "I literally died", that means you did, in fact, die. Which of course you didn't, since you were alive and well enough to make that statement.

Cellphone noise. Texting with the keyboard sound on is the worst; followed closely by having an annoying incoming text ringtone. Unless you have Rue's whistle, that one is awesome!

Personal space invaders. Brr, I don't like that one at all. When I slowly back off, that means you are too close!

Vague Facebook statuses. People who hint at something being wrong, but when they get inevitably asked what it is, say that "they don't want to talk about it". Why did you post it in the first place then??

Tapping fingers. Especially when they have long nails.

Abbreviations. Most of the time I can't remember what they stand for. Please, just use the full word?

Apple/tomato stickers. I don't find the stickers themselves annoying, but hate my husband's habit to stick them to the counter or cupboard. Argh!

What are some of your pet peeves? Tell us!


xo Miriam

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Ball dropper

So, I basically dropped the ball on Blogtober. Not that I'm really surprised - challenges have never been my strength. Be it 30-day fitness challenges, diets, bootcamp, yoga, writing, blogging - put any sort of restraint on me, and my inner teenage rebel comes out. Just when I thought I had outgrown it! ;-)

Instead of catching up on the prompts, I did a whole bunch of other little improvements on the blog: 

I updated my About, Farmlife, and Outfits pages. Take a look! My goal was to streamline this website better, and have various posts easier accessible. Currently I'm working on the "Musings" page, which will take me some time - it has the most posts on it, 120 of them!

I had to use html code, and showed that bad boy who's boss. I'm learning, slowly but surely, and it gets me all sorts of excited!

Apart from that, we enjoyed the (maybe, but hopefully not) last day of sunshine on an unseasonably warm day last Sunday. Instead of catching up on emails and blog reading (like I had planned), I decided to screw it and hung out with the hubby and dogs by the pond. It was delightful! 

Hopefully I will manage to participate in Blogtober a couple more times - for example, tomorrow's prompt is pet peeves, and I can think of quite a few already!  

See ya tomorrow!

xo Miriam

Here are some more pictures from Sunday:

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Happiness

What is happiness? 

So many things:

Capturing magical light in a photo.

The first sip of coffee in the morning.

My dogs.

Crisp air.

Sunshine.

Bright colours.

Living with animals.

Warmth.

Good friends.

A great book.

Bear hugs.

Feeling inspired.

Days off.

Planning future adventures.

Being at peace with oneself.

Long walks.

Finding the perfect dress in your size - and on sale.

Being happy with your life.

The love of a good man.

What is happiness for you? Link up with Helene and Taylor!

Oh, I almost forgot: Happiness is also writing this blog and having you read it!

Much love, Miriam 

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I'm an expert

You may not suspect it by looking at me, but I'm actually an expert. And not only at one thing, oh no - at many things! You could go so far and call me a jack of all trades - especially these ones:

• Talking about a person with that person being within earshot. That is a special skill I have honed since childhood. I have attempted many a time the art of talking about someone behind their back - only to realize that they were actually standing behind my back. To save everybody time, I should really just tell them straight away. I'm working on it. 
• Picking on a scab until it leaves a scar. I don't mean to brag, but I'm a master at this. Acne scars, shaving accidents, scratches, abrasions - I can get scars out of any of them. It's my superpower!
• Taking pictures of thin air. Well, I don't mean to take pictures of thin air. It just so happens in my attempts to capture our animals - mostly the dogs, and mostly the Corgi. They are just so damn fast! (Or I'm too damn slow?) 



See what I mean?

• Inappropriate laughter. If you make the mistake of falling or farting in front of me, you will have to deal with me bursting out laughing. I can't help it (believe me, I tried). If someone is telling an embarrassing story, instead of nodding my head sympathetically (like you are supposed to do), I am the one in stitches, with tears running down my face. Please always remember: I am laughing with you, not at you. Okay?  
• Forgetting names. It doesn't matter what kind of names: of people, books, movies, songs, authors, old teachers, actors, other people's pets - I can't remember any of them. Worst memory ever.  
• Pinning stuff on Pinterest. I'm keeping up Pinterest like it's my job, and let's just say this: if I would get $1 for every pin, I'd be over $3000 richer.

What are you an expert at?

xoxo Miriam

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