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stranded with pants down
Every girl in the world has had this experience. You run home, dying to go to the loo. You get to the door and have to fiddle in your jacket, purse and pants until you find your keys…you’re just barely maintaining control and why, oh why, is this the time you can’t find your keys!
So you finally find your keys, you run through the door, you don’t take your jacket, shoes or purse off and you get as fast as you can to the toilet.
When you finally make it into the batroom you aren’t sure if you have enough time to take your pants down. EEEKS!
But YOU MAKE IT!
You finally sit down and do your business. Only to reach for the toilet paper and find the toilet roll empty.
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An albino gecko - Nature has some strange plans!
Did you know?
- Butterflies taste with their feet
- Elephants are the only animals that can’t jump
- A snail can sleep for three years
- All polar bears are left handed
- It’s physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky
How strange is that?
A snail can sleep for three years! What?
And butterfiles taste with their feet? How?
Sometimes everyday things all around us, the things that seem normal and well, kinda boring, are actually pretty interesting little things!
Recently on a trip to Florida this little albino gecko was discovered…which got me wondering about all the strange things that normal everyday animals do.
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The other day I was at a friends place, helping her out in the kitchen.
I forgot my hairclip, which is a major drag when you have heaps of curly hair that seems to end up all over your apartment.
So, in the absence of an old scrunchie I found the perfect makeshift hairclip. It may not look cool, but it totally works!
In a pinch you can use a shower cap for a hair clip!
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Over the last few weeks we’ve been on a road trip throughout the USA. We started in Toronto, went to Washington DC for Christmas and then on to Charleston, Savannah, and finally Florida.
Our first stop in Florida was outside of Jacksonville in a road hotel. We were both too tired to continue on, and we’d been stuck in a never ending traffic jam that took us 3 hours just to get outside of Savannah. As frustrating as it was, it was also heartbreaking. Originally we couldn’t figure out why the traffic was taking forever to move…seriously, we were going 20 mph for 2 hours straight. It was like we were in a street parade for Senior’s Day!
So of course we started getting frustrated and agitated…until we came upon the real reason the traffic had been so backed up. There was a massive crash involving a semi truck and four cars and all of them were completely destroyed. There were five police cars around, skid marks everywhere, a few tow trucks…and a Hearse. No ambulance, just a Hearse.
This whole scene really haunted me. The cars all looked like they had been put through a garbage compactor and I couldn’t stop thinking about the people that used to be in them. Mothers, daughters, sons, friends, colleagues…those people could be so many important things to so many different people.
And now they are gone.
Then of course my thoughts turned inside our car, and thinking about how much I care about my fiancé, and how I would be completely devastated if he wasn’t with me.
So after holding back some tears we chatted about how many crazy accidents we’ve seen on this trip. And how none of them were worth it.
We decided to slow down, enjoy the drive, and chill out with the passing, speeding, and other carryings on that put us closer to harms way.
Sometimes it’s okay to get to a destination later, especially if it means you arrive alive.
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I love real estate. I watch shows on it, I check listings online all the time, I come up with different dream houses, investment opportunities and everything in between almost every day.
And yesterday I saw a house online that has taken the new spot on my dream house list.
From the outside it doesn’t look like much. Just a simple one level house
But the house is actually built on the side of a hill, so what looks like a one level house is really three stunning levels with sweeping views from every room.
the dining room
the living room
the kitchen
the outdoor dining room
the bedroom - can you imagine waking up to this view
even the bathroom has a gorgeous view!
The only challenge is that this house really only works in a year round hot weather environment.
I guess we’ll just have to move somewhere tropical!
…What I can dream, can’t I?
Photo Credit: Propgoluxury.com
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Ok, so I’m a tad late as the original blog delurking day was Jan 11, 12, or 13 -depending on who you ask. But hopefully you’ll be nice and blog de-lurk anyways since it was my birthday on one of those days, and this could be like a nice little late bday present!
So won’t you please de-lurk and leave a comment? I would love to get to know all of you fabulous readers.
In case you’re wondering what to do – why don’t you ask me a question, and I’ll answer it in another post?
Image Credit: Joe Prose
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Like many engaged women I will shortly be leaving my apartment to move in with my fiancé. The whole thing is very exciting, but even better because the recent sale of my condo turned out to be a big win.
I bought my condo in 2007, and it was a major achievement for me. It was a dream that I’d had in my back pocket for so long, but it just seemed so hard to scrape together a down payment, and then the monthly payments that seemed to last forever were also extremely intimidating.
But, despite it all, my dream came true. In August 2007 I bought my first place.
the messy kitchen that I bought
the messy sleeping area pre-renovation
When I bought it I looked at it like an investment, a necessary step to get me to the next place in my investment goals. I planned on living in my place for 2.5 or 3 years, and then I would sell it – and hopefully make a big, fat profit – or I would rent it out while it continued to increase in value.
making improvements to the apt
Two and a half years later I decided I would list it, and prey for the best.
So, in the beginning of December I put my place on the market. While the real estate market may be suffering in most of North America, things are not so bad in Toronto. Actually they are pretty good. I wanted to make sure that I didn’t miss out this opportunity to make money off the sale of my apartment. What if things fell sharply in the Spring? What if the new buildings in my neighbourhood – set for construction to be completed in Spring 2010 – were more appealing than my 3 year old condo? What if the economy slipped into more of a recession and nobody was buying?
I didn’t feel comfortable with waiting it out until the Spring market, so I listed it.
Thank my lucky stars it sold in one week!!!
At the end of January I will be closing the sale of my condo and moving into my fiancé’s place.
And, I have to say, buying my condo was THE BEST INVESTMENT I’ve ever made.
I made 275% return on my initial investment!
I think I might just try this again…
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You can find me at www.facebook.com/cashmereclutch
I’m also on twitter so you can follow me at www.twitter.com/cashmereclutch
I try to friend/follow back everyone so don’t be shy!
Hugs!
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Recently I put out a call for guest writers here, so I thought it would be great to start off with one exceptional guest spot from Lilah, a blogger from Urban Sardines, a design and décor blog. Since I made the big announcement that I got engaged, it’s been a bit of a struggle how my fiancé and I are going to combine all our stuff into one small apartment (especially given my penchant for extremely girly home décor like hot pink walls). Enter Lilah, who’s going to offer up some excellent advice on how to blen your style with your boyfriends when you move into together!
Here’s Lilah!
When you move in with your man, you might expect to fight over who will do the dishes, who will take out the trash, and who gets to pick their favorite side of the bed…but you might be overlooking something far more fundamental.
Consider exhibit A:
If your bedroom looks anything like this, you may be in for a bit of an adjustment. Gorgeous though this room is, your man may feel a bit… um, emasculated…. In this space.
How do you reconcile your gorgeous, girly décor with his barcalounger?
Make It Gender Neutral
Finding neutral ground can be a great way to bond with your partner. After all, the space you live in is a significant expression of who you are as a person, so it should also reflect what you are like as a couple. A great way to find neutral ground is to figure out what colors you both like and build from there. To tone down feminine vibes, avoid detail, scrolling, and rounded edges in furniture and major pieces. Once you establish more “masculine” base, you can add pops of color and feminine touches without causing your boyfriend to need testosterone injections.
Here are a few examples of spaces that are “gender” neutral:
This bedroom from Kishani Perera has dark, masculine colors, but is also very elegant and vibrant:. The bed is a good balance between feminine and masculine, and the pop of color from the flowers brings a feminine edge to the room.
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Steven Gambrel’s living room design is a great inspiration for masculine spaces that are elegant and gorgeous. It’s a great balance between masculine and feminine. The colors are warm, but masculine, the lines are clean and simple.
Here’s another great Steven Gambrel living room. The orange bar station is modern with clean lines, but the pop of orange has a feminine vibe.
Understand Each Other’s Cleaning Habits
Before you move in together, get an honest assessment of what your cleanliness habits are (I’ve known both men and women whose partners complain about each others’ cleaning habits). If your habits differ, consider some modern appliances (without a dishwasher, my boyfriend and I would have split long ago!), and if you can afford it, consider handing over some of the responsibility to the pros. My boyfriend doesn’t do laundry, so he sends it out to an affordable local cleaner every week. Problem solved.
Consider Ditching Some Items
Review each other’s furniture and decide what you can both live with. When I moved with my boyfriend, he got rid of a clunky, broken desk, and I got rid of my extremely feminine bedding. We are both happy with the results (although I miss my lacy bedding sometimes, and I’m sure he misses his desk).
Make a Man Cave
If you have the space, let him create his man-cave while you create your girly haven. For my boyfriend and me, this isn’t an option (living in a small urban space, you usually don’t get a few extra rooms to play with). However, I know a lot of couples who have separate offices or art studios where they can decorate to suit themselves. If I had such a space, I’d channel all my girly instincts into that one spot, and let the leather furniture take over in the living room.
Compromise, Compromise, Compromise
Finally, when moving in with your man, remember it’s an exercise in compromise. You may have to live with his leather couch, but hopefully, he’ll graciously live with your perfume collection, giant collection of heels, and blanket your Grandma crocheted for you.
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Lilah is a writer living in a small Victorian in San Francisco, California. Her small living environment inspired her to explore the world of small-space design. Along the way, she started the blog, Urban Sardines, to share what she has learned about creating a warm, inviting home in a small space.
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10 Years Younger Host Myleene Klass
Most women notice the signs of aging on their face and bodies and don’t know how to shake it. Their skin isn’t as tight as before, their eyes are a bit droopy, fine lines are creeping up, and things just aren’t as perky as they used to be.
Feel bad about it?
You’re not alone!
Recently British tv show 10 Years Younger has had a refresh and is capitalizing on women’s fears of getting older and frumpier.
The show takes two women, both of whom look like they need a serious refresh, through a journey of self revitalization. While one of the women goes under the knife, the other turns to more natural fixes like facials, better nutrition and accupuncture.
While they are getting their appearance in order they also get to figure out their personal style and get a wardrobe makeover, in addition to haircuts and health and wellness advice. Oh, and it’s England, so sometimes they need new teeth too!
It’s amazing to see how the two women look after their transformations! Whatever your position on plastic surgery, you have to admit, it’s pretty nice to see ladies have a whole new lease on life from looking good and feeling great.
But the interesting thing is that the women who have had plastic surgery almost always look just as good as the women who took the natural route. Go figure!
