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7 Signs He’s Into You


August 31, 2009

Love & Sex

For many girls dating is daunting, but worse yet you never know if the guy is into you. So next time you find yourself perplexed make sure you think about the seven telltale signs that a guy’s into you.

1. He always looks happy to see you. When you meet him he smiles at you and his face brightens up. Any look of concentration, or stress, is removed from his face because he’s thinking lovely things about you!

2. He touches you often. When someone likes you they want to touch you. This is true for friends, family and lovers – the more they touch you the more they like you.

3. He makes time for you. Everyone has overscheduled days and no time to spare, but when someone likes you they’ll always take your call, and make your dates.

4. He text messages you to tell you he had a great time. If a guy likes you, he wants to make sure that you know he has a good time with you. So if you get a text message after your date it’s a very good sign!

5. He initiates regular plans with you a few days in advance. This is a classic one. If a guy likes you he wants to lock down his time with you. He’ll ask you a few days in advance to make sure he gets the prime times. If you get last minute invites or you have to do the asking he may not be so gaga over you.

6. He introduces you to his key friends. Most guys keep their cards close to their chests, and keep you as a secret until they really like you. If you get a low key invite to meet his friends, like to a dinner party or casual drink, he’s ready to show you off. He will usually chose a low key event so you’ll get a chance to chat with his friends, and they’ll get to know you too.

7. He does things with you that he would never normally do. If a guy doesn’t drink coffee, but he’ll sit for hours at Starbucks with you, it’s a very good sign…and if he’ll watch girly movies with you in the theatre that’s an even better sign!


       
 

Fashion Find – One Fab Dress in 6 Sexy Ways!


August 28, 2009

Fashion/Beauty

A few weeks ago I went to Frugal Fashion Week. It was a very cool event, with lots of small designers and boutique owners showing their clothes, jewelry, and beauty products.

I went with a friend and we had a lovely brunch accompanied with some mimosas. I’ve never understood why everyone loved brunch but after a light meal, girl talk and a slightly smiley feeling from my mimosa it all became clear!

After our brunch we headed downstairs to the silent auction area. I always love to give to charity so I was keen to find something that I could bid on…and find I did!

I won the bid for this AMAZING 6 way dress from Fashion Crimes! I went into the store to figure out how the dress worked and was blown away by the various uses and looks for this dress. I’m sure every recessionista will love this!

The dress comes in a variety of colours, and I couldn’t resist the bright blue. I got some help from the lovely Robyn, a stylist at the store, who showed me all the different ways to wear the dress. From conservative to downright sexy this dress pretty much has it all!

I’m not sure where I’m going to wear it to, but I can’t wait to travel with it. Imagine one dress that’s wrinkle free that will give you six different looks!


       
 

Organic Beauty Product Review


August 27, 2009

Fashion/Beauty

In my constant search for healthier beauty products I stumbled upon some that might just be what I’m looking for! I posted earlier that I wanted to find products that are organic, and more friendly to my little body. Initially I tested out deodorants….without much success.

So I turned my attention to moisturizers and cosmetics.

I found a multi purpose colour stick for lips/cheeks/eyes/décolletage, called Freedom Glow Beauty Balm from Revolution Organics. It comes in a creamy and compact tube and is perfect for travels! It is long lasting and I loved the bronzed colour – perfect for my olive skin!

I also tested out some of their moisturizers and I found an All Over Body Balm that is quite lovely. I really liked it for my hands and dry cuticles. I put it on before bed and when I woke up I had soft and supple hands, without the greasy feeling.

So it seems my search for healthier beauty products was not in vain. Yup, now I’m looking sexy minus the guilt!


       
 

Seven Secrets to Success


August 26, 2009

Life Planning

I was at a conference recently and there was a lot of chatter about success. When I got home I took a reflective moment to figure out all the things that make us successful in all aspects of life and in love.

From my early life on a farm without electricity to my life now there have been some clear things that have helped me along the way.

1. Risk taking. What do Gandhi, Steve Jobbs and Rick Hansen have in common? They all took a huge risk. What if nobody cared about their political cause, computers or wheelchair ride across the world? What if….there are so many “what if’s” that make us second guess and stop in our tracks. Only risk takers follow through and expose themselves to the “what if’s”……

2. Innovation. Doing the same thing over and over again will rarely get you different results. But doing something new or changing something slightly makes all the difference. Look at Starbucks – they didn’t invent coffee, but instead they looked at coffee drinking as something different, more like an experience, and sold it accordingly. Some of us have the creativity to come up with a completely new idea, others of us can improve an existing idea – either way doing something different makes all the difference.

3. Talent. Notice this is not number one? It never is. Talent is the natural ability to do something well and it’s something you have or don’t. Talent alone won’t get you far, but talent combined with all these other parts make us successful. Don’t know what your talents are? Expose yourself to new things and also look at the things you love doing – usually, we enjoy things we are talented at.

4. Courage. Courage my love, you have done me well! I would not be the same person at all if I didn’t have courage. After university I picked up and moved to France….without speaking any French, and the experience helped mould me into a better person. Sometimes courage places us in foreign territory well outside of our comfort zone, but it’s what keeps us going on, and on, and on, to find greatness.

5. Honesty. Being honest enough with yourself to admit what works, what doesn’t or why you succeeded or failed at something will get you far. Only after you look honestly into success and failures can you learn from them and move on to bigger and better.

6. Luck. Ever been in the right place at the right time? Met a pivotal person in your life by chance? Sometimes we take all the right steps and it’s not until something happens that’s a little out of our control that we truly make it big.

7. Happiness. This one is usually overlooked, but is so critical. Would we ever realize we were successful if we weren’t happy? Likely not. Happiness allows us to not take it all so personally, to stop responding to everything in a hurry, and instead be more planned and strategic, and happiness also allows us to step back and smile at what we’ve accomplished. Ever met one of those people who has everything yet they are full of complaints? This went wrong, that is working, this guy is a dummy, and nothing is ever their fault – it’s just bad, bad things that keep on happening to them. They may have everything that qualifies them as a success, but without happiness they’ll never realize that they actually are a success!


       
 

Can Turbulence Make You Fall in Love?


August 25, 2009

Love & Sex

There are some moments in life where you realize how much you care about someone. On my way to Washington, DC I had one of those moments.

I was with my boyfriend and we were flying from Toronto to Washington…about an hour and a half flight.

The flight was short, but definitely bumpy! At one point I went into the washroom…only to have the announcement come on that we were hitting some serious turbulence. I had just locked the door and immediately the plane went dipping and dropping and bumping all over the place!

I was trying to be very calm but inside I was totally freaked out! I was sitting on the planes bathroom floor with my knees clenched around the toilet, one hand holding on to the bathroom door, and the other hand holding onto the sink. I was bouncing off the floor and getting tossed around. I kept on telling myself to be calm and that everything was going to be fine, but a little voice inside my head was saying “please don’t let me go this way….as if I’m going to die on this plane, and I’m not even sitting next to my boyfriend!”

It really scared me, and I felt such a huge feeling of sadness come over me.

Luckily the turbulence relented and I quickly ran back to my seat and did up my seat belt.

When I looked at my boyfriend I was overcome with lovely feelings and just then realized that this person next to me means so much, and if I were to go, I’d really want him to be by my side.


       
 

Weekend Warrior: Washingon D.C.


August 24, 2009

Travel

Recently I went on a weekend trip to Washington, DC. It was my first trip to this part of the country and I went with my boyfriend and his parents to celebrate his nephews 3rd birthday party.

Luckily for me we stayed at a lovely hotel downtown. I was excited to get a chance to do touristy stuff but also, since it was the first time I was meeting his brother and his family it seemed a little strange to sleep in their house.

We arrived in Washington on Saturday morning and after we checked into our hotel we did some touring around. We went to the White House, the Reflecting Pools and War Memorials, and the city streets around our hotel.

On Saturday evening we had a big family dinner and on Sunday we had my boyfriend’s nephews 3rd birthday party. It was very cute, but very different for me too. I realized that living a very “downtown” life in the city, with mostly single friends, or at least most of my friends don’t have babies, I’d never been to a birthday party with all families. I think I was the only woman at the party without a child!

It was interesting to see how all the kids different personalities worked and all the families interacted very differently. It was so cute to spot the very curious little personalities looking at everything, putting their fingers in places they don’t belong, chasing the bubbles from the bubble maker and smearing cake icing all over their little faces!

On Monday morning we woke up late and did a bit more touring around, this time to Capital Hill and the train station. The train station was fascinating for me. It was so beautiful and had such great design inspiration inside. It’s one of the few train stations I’ve seen in North America that is spotlessly clean and has facilities for tourists and travellers, but also restaurants and cafes for locals.

I really enjoyed Washington, DC. It is a beautiful city and I’m excited to go back already. I’m hoping to go back in the Spring, and see the famous fruit tree blossoms – so fresh and beautiful…and everywhere!


       
 

Ring Flings


August 21, 2009

Fashion/Beauty

I have a confession. I love big rings…well not even big, more like HUGE rings. I think they really make a statement and they compliment the shape of my fingers quite well.

Here are some of my favourites.

Yup, my boyfriend knows he’s in big trouble.


       
 

Buying My First Place – On My Way to My Dream Life


August 20, 2009

Life Planning, Money

I’m a big believer in having life goals, and working towards those goals with solid plans. But one of the funny things about achieving a dream life, is that it takes a lot of work and determination to get there. For me, buying my first condo in 2007 was a dream come true.

I bought my condo at a bit of a turbulent time in my life. I’d recently broken up with my long term boyfriend and it was a less than perfect ending, I was pulling crazy hours with a full time job and endless nights at university finishing my master’s thesis, and I was in a long distance rebound relationship. Needless to say there was a lot going on in my life, but I stayed on track so I could get that much closer to my dream life.

When I bought my place I felt so accomplished. I’d dreamed of getting into the real estate market for so long, and scrimped and suffered to save up for my down payment. It was something that I had wanted to do for years, but my long term relationship was holding me back from doing this. While I sacrificed to save up to buy a place, without a supportive partner when you are in a relationship it’s almost impossible to make your dreams a reality.

So when things ended I moved into a different phase in my life where I didn’t have to compromise my goals anymore.

Finally I was able to buy my first place. I was filled with pride that I’d been able to succeed in one of my long term dreams…and best of all, it made me realize that I am able to achieve my dream life. Not only did I feel so proud for getting my first place, but it made me realize that relationships should bring out our better selves and make us closer to achieving our dreams.

After I bought my place I was done with spending time in relationships that held me back, or didn’t enhance my life.

And that’s one of the little changes in my life that has made a huge difference overall.


       
 

Stolen Moments


August 19, 2009

Life Planning, Simple Things

Sometimes we’re given stolen moments of time, when our appointments end early and we have no pressing plans. Of course we have things we could do to fill the time, clean, go to the bank, call our boss, check work emails……..but really since no-one is expecting us at this time why are we in a hurry?

These are the stolen moments that help restore some of the peace in our lives. So sit back, look around, sip a cool drink, and relax. Take some time to reflect and cherish your stolen moment. It will help to restore some of the balance in your life and you won’t feel so hurried in your life all the time.

Feeling guilty? Don’t! You’ve earned it.


       
 

The Joys of Being a Girl


August 18, 2009

Simple Things, Top Posts

I love being a girl.

There are special privileges afforded to us, just because we’re girls.

Eating cereal or toast for dinner and nothing else.
Being indecisive on things, then making up our minds, only to change them again
Getting weepy as soon as the sad music starts in movies
Squealing in delight when we see the perfect shoes or purse
Spending a long time thinking about which nail colour is the perfect fit at the nail bar
Being able to blame pretty much everything on hormones and PMS

But most of all, I love being a girl because…

That lovely sisterhood bond we have with our bestest girl friends. The sweet and supportive friendships where you get to just be yourself, and you know you can count on your girls whether it’s to share a laugh or a tear.