During March break I got the flu and it caused me to slow down. I had time to teach art and do a lot of soul searching and living in the moment. I enjoyed being away from social media and blogging. I enjoyed it so much that I’m calling a halt to blogging for the time being. I pushed my self into doing a lot of work and creating a lot of content. I’m the type that likes to deliver good and amazing photos and create amazing blog posts. I always go above and beyond and this has caused me to feel anxiety and stress. The opposite reason I got into blogging.
Some people think its amazing to received PR samples, don’t get me wrong I’m grateful and I don’t want to sound rude. PR Samples come with a lot of work. When I receive samples I photograph them, read up on the product, I test it out for a while, write a blog post and do a video sometime. I put a lot of time and effort into it and sometimes way too much.
The funny thing is that people with high social media following sometimes receive PR samples and all they do is show it on camera and then say “oh look! Thank you so much for the samples” and they are done. Wow right? Then I look at my self and say “what the fudge! Something is wrong here! I literally spent over 8 hours or more on one blog post!” How come I have to do so much work and they just showcase it like the friken Price is Right!
My time is valuable to me and I need to use my time wisely. So I don’t want to work for free anymore. I’m done with it. I think this happened to me last spring as well. But it is my fault I fell back into it. I truly feel that no one should work for free. I don’t care if it’s the most expensive or posh brand. I won’t do it anymore.
My future posts will be more lifestyle, recipes, art, culture and travel. I will have some products but they will be products that I’m finishing up and products that I buy on my own.
*I can feature products on my blog from PR but I have a fee. Please have a look at the PR and DISCLAIMER Page.
In April I’ll be mostly living in the moment and vlogging on my vlog channel. I like vlogging because there is no pressure and it feels relaxing. Please Join me there if you like. I will also do a couple of blog posts like I did last spring and summer of my travels in and around Toronto.
Here is a piece I did when I was teaching art in March. The kids and I worked on Abstract and collage work. We used a small sponge foam to paint instead of brushes. I enjoyed challenging the students’ to use foam shapes instead of brushes. I’m currently planning a Spring Painting Party for Kids and one for Adults.
I’m truly grateful for everything that has come my way. I’m truly blessed and I definitely need more courage in my life do you? Sending you oodles and oodles of Courage in your life to speak up and do what you love. We learn from our mistakes and weaknesses and it’s okay to have faults and bumps a long the way. I encourage you to learn from mistakes and not to be so hard on your self. We are only human and the beautiful part is living, loving and learning.
Currently Reading the book The F Word , written by Lily Pebbles. She is a YouTuber and now a number one selling author. The book is lovely so far and talks about friendship. I look forward to reviewing this on my blog.
So my friends, this is a beautiful new beginning and I’m very excited and happy. I feel courageous and inspired. I look forward to April and I feel it will be a MAGICAL one!
On the weekend we had a lovely snow storm in Toronto. I love storms because I find them peaceful to look at but not to travel in.
I took the Red Rocket (subway) to meet the lovely and talented Voula Halliday, the author and chef of the cook book “Eat at Home”. I absolutely love Voula’s Cook book and really recommend you check it out. Her recipes are fresh and easy to make. The book is the perfect size and the recipes so delicious!
I’ve reviewed Voula’s Cook book on my blog, if you like have a look.
When I arrived at the restaurant I was so excited to meet Voula. The restaurant power was flickering when I arrived. I have that effect with the powers of the universe. lol just kidding. The power was going on and off because of the storm but that didn’t stop us from having a great time. We had fresh salad and green beans that were absolutely delicious! It was amazing getting to know Voula. My instinct was so right about her. She is so incredible! A beautiful, energetic, bright, optimistic and lovely woman!
We talked and brainstormed, we came up with so many lovely ideas. We are so creative in many ways and so similar! We also have the same love for food. It’s so amazing when you find a friend that you can easily talk to and be your self. It was so amazing to get to know Voula and talk to her. I am so happy to call her my friend. She is so kind hearted and beautiful inside and out!
I look forward to our next lunch together Voula! Much love! xoxoxo
Happy February! Wishing you all a beautiful and magical month filled with love and gentleness. Be gentle to your selves and give your selves extra love and attention. I tell my girls this all the time, they need to take good care of their body, mind and soul. My girls always worry to please us (mommy and daddy) and friends and teachers but I always make sure to tell them to take good care of themselves first.
I can’t believe that January is gone. In all honesty I haven’t completed things I wanted in January. I’ve been looking for work and It’s been a challenge. Mentally and emotionally challenging. It’s very difficult to find work in the time frame that I’m looking for. I talked to my good friend Stashy over lovely coffee and dessert about finding work and she gave me many great tips for the interview process. A huge thank you to her! She also bought me a beauty brush that I’ve been wanting for a very long time and it’s the MAC blending brush 217. Thank you so much Stashy! It was so amazing spending time with you. StashMatters.com
Thank you to Cinnabon for the lovely complimentary Cinnabons. I kindly received the coupons last year and I wasn’t able to use then until now. Cinnabon just opened up in Scarborough Town Centre. It was so delicious! The best part was spending time with Stashy and having a good heart to heart conversation.
I wanted to make a video of my Best In Beauty 2017 BestDayBlogger.com but that didn’t happen. I’ve been so busy. Mom life has me going in circles. Not going to get into the mom talk right now but if you like I can write a blog post on how crazy mom life can be? Let me know.
I’m planning to make a video for my recent favourites. Things I’ve been loving in December/January. Hopefully this will happen soon. Not sure though. The process of making a video and editing takes so much work. Some people think it’s very easy or fast but it takes about one hour just to set up and film, then editing can take two or three hours which includes the upload because my computer is ancient.
Last month I attended a Beauty Event! OMG yes! Can you believe it? Usually events fall on hours I can’t do. Last month I had to say no to three or more lovely events which makes me sad but that’s life. The hours that these events fall on is when I pick up my kids from school and during their bed time. Family comes first so I graciously declined. But I was able to go to the Dior Event because they had it set up in the morning! I’m so happy they set the time so perfectly because I was able to drop the kids at school and make my way downtown Toronto to the lovely and luxurious THE ADELAIDE HOTEL. It is the prettiest hotel I’ve ever seen! So luxurious! Fresh flowers everywhere!
From the moment I walked in I was treated so nicely and offered tea, coffee and food. All the Dior ladies and also bloggers were so lovely and kind. The atmosphere was the nicest and I felt really loved. It was the most comfortable and cozy beauty event. I loved it!
I learned so much about DIOR fragrances and foundations. I learned about the new serums and face cream which I’m so excited to share with you. I’ll be posting a blog post right after this one in more detail. I would like to say a huge thank you to Darline Chalmer and the other lovely Dior ladies. The event was beautiful and I kindly received a gift bag when I left. I’m blown away by the incredible products. I was in shock when I opened it up. I’ll share everything in the following post.
Overall I’m truly grateful for last month. I had the opportunity to spend time with my good friend Stashy and also attend the DIOR Beauty event. What a blessing! I’m truly grateful. I also shared many lovely blog posts last month and I hope you had a look at them.
Happy 2018! I wish you all the best this year and I’m very excited and look forward to many wonderful, positive and happy experiences. Life is a gift and I’m grateful for everything. I feel happy and excited about learning, loving and living. I would like to make 2018 the very best that it can be.
December was a hard and challenging month. The loss of my brother-in-law was difficult and emotional for the entire family and of course his friends as well. The entire experience taught me never hold on to grudges, to let go of the past and focus on the people that surround me.
In December I did a lot of reflecting and spending time with my husband and children. I thought a lot about what my purpose is as a creator and I’ve made huge plans! I’ve made a bucket list for this year. I hope I can accomplish a lot on the list. I don’t know if you remember my last year’s video about my goals for 2017? I think I did about 2 things from that list. One was to get my nose pierced, second one was to be in an article and I was so honoured to be a part of the BUZZ MAGAZINE #BodyPositive Movement with other beautiful and inspirational people. Read more about the feature HERE.
I hope in 2018 I can cross off more things on my bucket list. Would you like to hear more about my bucket list? How about your bucket list? Did you do something that you’ve always wanted to do? Do you make a bucket lists or goals for the year? Would love to know.
During the cold December I baked delicious chocolate chip cookies from the book * “Brad Long On Butter”. A really fabulous cook book. Brad Long’s passion for cooking comes through each page in this great Canadian Cookbook. If you love butter as much as I do you will love this book. The writing is humorous and very fun. The recipes are delicious and I can’t wait to try more recipes from this cook book.
The weather hasn’t allowed us to get out doors as much as we would like because it was too darn cold. I’m okay with -10 but it got down to -21 or more. I also hate when it is too windy. Cold Wind drives me crazy. I would LOVE to do outdoor things like skate, ski, snowshoeing, building a fire and all that lovely hugge living. The Danish know how to make things cozy! So I lit a lot of candles, played games with the family and also read the book “THE BREAK” written by Katherena Vermette. She is a Canadian Author and the novel is Fiction. I’ve given this book a 5/5 on goodreads. It’s a really amazing and heart wrenching novel. It’s sad, emotional and yet the women in this book are strong and stick together. The story overall is very emotional. The characters are very well developed and very believable. This novel is about identity, gangs, rape and healing. A very moving novel and a must read in Canadian Literature.
Random thought…I would like to travel to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland this year. It’s a dream to check these countries out. When I was younger my mother would come home with photos, postcards and clippings from various countries. I loved collecting them and I would look at them everyday and envision my self traveling. The pictures that I remember most were from Switzerland. As I got older I had the opportunity to visit Zurich and I fell in love. It’s a beautiful most magical place. The food and people are amazing and the city is so clean. The architecture so beautiful. This year I’m going to cut out clippings and images and do some serious visualizing!
In December I was Vlogging a little and If you would like to watch Vlogmas 2017 you can check it out HERE.
Here is my most recent Vlog. I would love your support. Please Subscribe to my channel. I truly appreciate it. It is really important to me to develop my Vlog channel this year. I love my vlog channel a lot because it shows who I am and my lifestyle. It is more rough cut editing and I my self watch more vlogs then other videos do you? I enjoy sharing parts of my life with you and I hope you feel the same way too.
I also made a Beauty Video for my Beauty Youtube Channel. If you like have a look at my most Recent Video. CHANEL NEAPOLIS
I haven’t blogged for a long time because I had the children home for two weeks and they kept me so busy. I was in the kitchen almost all day. Cooking breakfast, cleaning up, prep for lunch, cleaning up and prep for dinner. It’s a lot of time in the kitchen but I really love it. I enjoy cooking so much! It makes me truly happy to cook and feed my family. There is nothing like a home cooked meal!
A few PR samples came in the mail over the holidays and I wanted to share them with you. I’m always grateful for PR and in 2018 I’m incorporating the PR in my blog posts. I really love and enjoy mixing it up. My lifestyle and everything in my life is free flowing and I enjoy it that way. I hope you enjoy my posts better this way.
I received some lovely delicious dips for December. The family really enjoyed them. Sabra Hummus! Very yummy and thank you so much for the PR samples! How perfect are these for snacks and a party! Festive and fun!
For Christmas my husband and I bought a Nesspresso maker and we love it! The machine makes so many different coffees and also steams up the milk. It’s fabulous and we’ve been enjoying our coffee a lot. He got some stencils for coffee and sprinkled cinnamon on my coffee. How sweet is this right? He is a huge romantic! I love him more and more each day. Love makes the world go round and so does coffee.
I was kindly sent two pairs of socks and I took a photo of one pair before my phone broke down and died and I lost all my photos. Make sure you back up your phone and save your photos. On that note make sure you download your blog as well and save your blog posts, photos and info. Did you know you can do that? Thank goodness for apple care because I got a new phone. I use my phone a lot so i’m so GRATEFUL for that.
The socks that I kindly received are from * DEAD SOXY. My daughter took them from me right away and says that they are her favourite socks because they are soft, comfortable and they don’t fall down like her other socks. As you can see in the photo she loves them.
I kindly received * Neal’s Yard Remedies Essential Oils and a beautiful Book that talks about each oil and what the uses are. It explains everything and I absolutely love the oils. They are my favourite Essential oils for December. They really help relax and soothe. So good for my family’s health and wellness. I add them in the bath and in the diffuser but I also add the lavender topically on the family before bed to relax and help them sleep. We have all grown to really appreciate and love Neal’s Yard Remedies oils. My favourite one has to be the lavender and bergamot. Thank you so much to Neal’s Yard Remedies for the organic and natural oils. They are absolutely amazing and if you are thinking of buying oils I highly recommend Neal’s Yard Remedies. They are fantastic!
Avon’s New Spring items! Thank you so much AVON Canada. First Look at Spring. Exclusive Fashion, beauty and decor. Very beautiful floral patterns, bold colours and all so fresh and vibrant.
This is the *Savannah Blooms Beauty Collection. It Includes Gel Finish 7-in-1 Nail Enamel in Clover, Avon True Color Glazewear Lip Gloss in Citrus Shine, Wash-off Waterproof Mascara in Black, Avon True Colour Matte Eyeshadow Quad in “On the Vine” Flora Print Bag, fully lined. Top zip closure with the prettiest tassel pull. This set is $35.00.
Nails are Darling in Pale pink, bright orange, deep royal blue, soft mint and sunshine yellow this spring. Reminds me of pretty spring blossoms! *The yellow is in the colour “Limoncello” and the blue is in the colour “Sapphired Up” $5.99 each. Avon.ca
Last week I received a lovely package from the beautiful Julie.
Thank you so much Julie!
@trysmallthings
Julie has the most lovely blog. She kindly sent me a lovely positive and inspirational book called “Things are what you make of them. Life Advice for Creatives” by Adam J. Jurtz. Also the prettiest card and most heartfelt message, along with a beautiful and Magical Star key chain! Julie, thank you from my heart! You have filled me up with joy and your kindness radiates and is so contagious! You are so kindhearted and we are kindred spirits!
Speaking of friendship and love I kindly received this beautiful trio by Avon.ca. A cute journal that says “Kiss and Tell” a beautiful candle that smells so amazing and is super cute and sweet lipgloss shaped as lips! SO adorable! Very sweet don’t you think? Just kiss me Lip balm is oh so cute! Avon’s Valentines Day gifts are Romantic. Cute lip-shaped case holds a kiss tinted balm. Flavourless. Comes in a cute gift box. $10.00 each. Lots of Kisses Journal with 90 lined pages. faux leather. $7.99. Home Fragrance Collection “Celebrate love” candle with sparkling citrus tart berries, effervescent musks and rose petals. $12.99 each.
I’ve uploaded new artwork in my ETSY Store. I’m really loving making art at the moment. I make each piece with love and each piece is an original piece.
Thank you so much to everyone who has sent me a PR Samples. I absolutely love everything and I’m truly grateful.
I wish you all a beautiful and MAGICAL new year filled with positivity and love. May you be happy and healthy and have the best year of your life! Thank you for being supportive and so wonderful to me.
I would like to say thank you to God for everything he has given me. Life is a gift and I’m grateful to my mother for bringing me in to this world. I’m truly blessed and grateful for everything and for everyone who is in my life. Thank you all for your wonderful support with my blog and with your positive words and encouragement. I’m truly grateful.
Lovely gifts
Truly grateful for the lovely gifts I received. I’m sharing these with you not to show off or anything like that. Just wanted to share with you what I kindly received.
Here I have a lovely gift from my husband. He bought me a jean jacket from Forever 21 and some amazing aviator sunglasses. He also bought me beautiful flowers and a Michael Kors purse also a HARVARD Sweater. So happy and very grateful!
Last week the weather was so nice I went shopping at Scarborough Town Centre. I bought two lovely camisoles and a pretty handbag from Forever21. I also bought two quarter length sleeve cotton tops from ZARA and two perfumes.
I also had my hair highlighted at the salon.
So today is my 40th birthday and I don’t know if you remember the post and video that I made about ’40 things to do before 40′? Well I wasn’t able to complete all the things on my list but I have half of them completed. Would you like me to update the post with the things that I completed? Let me know. I also want to get back in to my vlogs. I’ve neglected my vlog channel and I really want to work on it more. What are your thoughts?
On Friday I went out with my good friends Leanne and Chris downtown Toronto and I’m really glad I did because I miss them so much and I had so much fun with them. Being a full time mommy I haven’t been able to go out and enjoy my self and It was so nice and really amazing to get out of my routine and catch up on good old times. I have a vlog from our outing coming very soon. We went to the Korean Grill House on Queen Street and it was really great! I’ve never been to a restaurant where you cook your own food so it was a really nice experience. After the restaurant we got some amazing dessert.
Here is a picture of my friend Chris, Leanne and I having fun at the restaurant.
After dinner we walked toward Spadina to grab some dessert and we spotted this amazing tribute.
KeKou Gelato is really delicious gelato. So refreshing and I love the flavours! I got Green Tea Whiskey and Mango. I miss it already!
Here I am with my best friend Leanne. I adore her and she is a sweetheart! I’ve known Leanne for over 20 years and our friendship is truly very special to me.
Love you Leanne! 🙂
I’m truly grateful for all the people in my life including all of you who read my blog and leave me wonderful comments and support me. It means so much to me. Thank you so much! I also want to thank all the people whom follow me on other platforms of social media. It truly means a lot and thank you from my heart!
Thank you to my wonderful friends and family who came over, had cake with me, who left me messages on Facebook, Twitter and IG and on the phone. I love you all!
Thank you all for all your Birthday wishes and love!
During March break I got the flu and it caused me to slow down. I had time to teach art and do a lot of soul searching and living in the moment. I enjoyed being away from social media and blogging. I enjoyed it so much that I’m calling a halt to blogging for the time being. I pushed my self into doing a lot of work and creating a lot of content. I’m the type that likes to deliver good and amazing photos and create amazing blog posts. I always go above and beyond and this has caused me to feel anxiety and stress. The opposite reason I got into blogging.
bestdayblogger.com 
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