The Power of Six

Emily and Kyla are both excellent list-makers. Emily's 'Five Things' post are so lovely, and I am always amused by Kyla's Monday lists of five 'Ramblings of a Monday Afternoon'. I enjoy these posts so much that I'm inspired to start regularly posting my own lists - but with my own twist: 6 items. SIX!  (6 was always my favourite number when I was a kid.)

So in no particular order, here are six things I wanted to blog about today (warning - it's long!):

1 - Mid-Blog Crisis

I think I might have just gone through my first mid-blog crisis. I've spent the last few weeks floating around trying to figure out why I blog, and what I hope to put into my blog and get out of it. Truth is, I'm not comfortable in the spotlight and a blog that posts outfits and how I look everyday has been very powerful in making me feel uncomfortable about myself and my new hobby. But I've come to the conclusion that I still enjoy it. I have been a reader of fashion blogs for years, and absolutely love the way blogging about fashion has completely transformed the industry, and I'm excited to be a part of it. This is the part about blogging I have decided I need to focus on - being part of a community that is so passionate about some of the same interests as I am. I need to put away the worries about 'exposing' myself or 'looking stupid' and just keep going. Cos I'm really having fun, lovelies!

2- WIW Giveaway

Jessica is one of the very first fashion bloggers that I ever followed. For years she's been paving the way for independent fashion blogging and I really think she's been such a pioneer - she is an inspiration for any girl (or guy!) with a fashion blog out there. She took something that she really loved and turned it (and herself) into a huge success...and now has her own book! And what's better? She's giving away 10 signed copies! Check it out here to get yourself into the contest. 

3- SALES

I went to the mall today. My sales-sense was tingling and had a feeling it was a good time to check out some deals - and I was right! Everything on sale at the Gap was 25% off the sale price (my favourite sales are always the ones where you get a discount on the discount), The Bay had a huge sale (hellloooo new JS jeans!) and summer dresses are marked down all over the place. Love this time of year :)

4- Long weekend numero uno

Because I work across the Ottawa River in La Belle Province, I gets me a holiday this Friday. the best part about this is that it's not a holiday for the rest of Ottawa (well, except for those who also work in Gatineau), so things aren't crazy busy. D and I plan to take advantage of the weekday breakfast deal at the local diner (we never get to do that!) and then bum around for most of the afternoon (I also have plans to check out the new consignment shop in my neighbourhood, but he doesn't know about that yet!). Then the weekend will be filled with cottage. Fun!

5- Clinique City Block Face Protector

I need to lecture about the sun for a minute. YOU NEED TO PROTECT YOUR SKIN. I have been blessed (no really!) with the ancestry of the world's two palest nationalities - Irish and Finnish - and have to realllllly watch myself in the sun...I burn in minutes. So protecting my skin is so important (but really, no matter what your complexion, you should all be protecting your skin from the sun, yo!). I hate most sun screens for the face...I find them too thick and make me feel like my pores are getting all blocked up. But last year I purchased Clinique's City Block Face Protector in SPF 25, and I *love* it! It has a slight tint to it so it can be used as a primer base (which is what I normally do) or on it's own. And it's so light I don't even notice it's there by the time I put on the rest of my face make-up. So go protect your beautiful face!

6- Summer Reading

The minute I finished my last course of my Master's degree last summer, I picked up a (non-academic) book and read. And I haven't stopped since. I've always been a huge reader, but 2 degrees kind of took that passion out of me and didn't give me much time for fun reading. But now that I have time for leisurely reading, I can't get enough. I put a lot of work into coming up with good 'summer reading'. There's something about the summer that says I need to find the perfect summer books that will allow me to sit outside and get lost in a good story. This summer I'll be reading:

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Ugh, my bestie J got me into the Twilight books and as much as I hate admitting it, I enjoyed them. I am by no means a "Twi-hard" or whatever they call people who are obsessed, but I am keen to get this last book finished to see what happens next.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I've already read a few pages of this. It's freaking hilarious.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

I have a thing for books that tell stories about people affected by war. The strength - fictional or otherwise - is so inspiring.

Gosh, that was a long post. Guess I had to get 10 days of no blogging out of my system. Thanks for listening :)

xo J.