Monday, February 28, 2011

Ready To Slip Out Of Sweaters And Into Spring

When fall comes around I'm excited to pull out my sweaters and start to layer up, but by the end of February I am so over it.  I miss the easy of throwing on a dress, sandals and light accessories.  I'm currently saving up for a spring shopping trip (its hard with my 40 dollar a week budget) and my wonderful friend Ash suggested that I check out the Urban Outfitters web site. 

These pieces would fit right into my wardrobe, this girl has some saving to do!!








Feeling like swaddled baby who would love some naked time I love the ease and breeziness these pieces make have.  Hoping when I actually get to the store (its in Toronto, about 2hrs away) I get the same feeling.  Common spring we are all waiting for you!!

Love Kaydee

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Is Your House a Home?

Although I might not be the best at keeping my house clean, I have worked very hard to make it a home.   I've filled it with nicknack's, memories and pieces that make us happy.  I could never live as a minimalist, I find homes decorated with that look are beautiful but seam sterile and unlived in.  I'm a collector at heart, and love blown glass animals which are the worst thing in the world to dust.  I also love boxes and anything that will hold books.  Our ceilings in this house are really high and painted rental antique linen (looks oatmeal to me) so wall art is really important to me.  I love to be surrounded by colour, so I try to create some colour using art.  I'm sure my house is a cleaning ladies nightmare, with so much to dust but I love my things (sound a little bit like a hoarder) they show our personality in our home.

 Mr.N's Grandma's perfect egg timer, which he used to make me brunch this morning..sigh...
 My glass animal, and other brickabrack collection that's hung on my bed room wall.  I used a drill to hand the shelves myself!!
 Amazing shoe pictures my Mom gave me for my wedding shower.  She knows the way to my heart!
 My favourite corner in my house, helps give my bedroom that French feeling that I love.
 My beloved Lay-Z-Boy couch, we use an old steamer trunk as a coffee table that my mom found in a basement in her early twenties. 
They may be made out of black plastic, but I love the way they look tacked to the wall.








My house make me happy, I love the mix of old and new we have collected over the past few years.  I want to give the impression of a cozy home that you can use the bathroom and put your feet up on the coffee table. 

Love Kaydee

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Needed Treat: Viva Glam Gaga Two

I had a boring long Saturday which involved eight hours of first aid training.  I hate sitting in a chair having to behave myself for long periods of time.  Plus with it being for work I really do have to be grown up when all I want to do is fidget, talk and gossip.  To save the day El and I decided to make a quick trip to the mall to touch stuff we would like to buy. 


Luckily I had some HBC points I could redeem and decided to look for a new lipstick at MAC.  I've been wanting to buy a nude lipstick forever, but since I pull orange I've had a hard time finding the right shade.  Anything with a peachy background looks cheep and well orange on me.  I was pretty excited that the Gaga has more of a brown undertone and stays nude and pretty on my lips.

The best part is that all the proceeds for Viva Glam lip products go towards the MAC AIDS fund, which is a great cause to donate to.  So tonight I got both good Karma and a new lipstick, so happiness all around.  Can't wait to pair Gaga with some shadows from my naked palette to create a new look. 

So glad first aid training is done for two more years.

Love Kaydee

Thursday, February 24, 2011

What Could You Donate, Who Would You Help?

As I have said before I love to shop, which means I have lots of clothing... more than I can ever wear.  Plus being as I'm not getting any younger my body has also changed and clothing that looked on me good at 22 are wretched at 27.  While I was trying to battle my ever growing mound of laundry I noticed that I didn't have enough hangers for the clothing I actually like to wear.  This was the catalysis for a ruthless clothing purge, three garbage bags of mine (kitchen size, but still) and one of Mr.N's.  If it didn't fit anymore it went, if its slightly out of style it went, this was done with no emotion.  I promptly tied the bags close so that I couldn't run back to my old clothing with regret.

I'm going to take my old clothing to my local women shelter, maybe it can help someone with starting her new life.  Mr.N's is going to salvation army, I've given him a week to go though it to save anything, he hasn't batted an eye so out it goes.  I feel great about this for two reasons, helping people should always feel good plus I now have room for more stuff!!

I have always want to donate my hair to Locks of Love, but can't because its too thin to grow that long and my grays must be dyed regularly.  I really want to make more time in my life for charity and helping others.

If anyone has any good charity ideas let me know, maybe I can help.  Please donate to others who are in need, even something small can make a big difference in someones life.

Love Kaydee

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Confession: I'm A Gleek

Lets start off with saying that I LOVE musicals, I wish we broke out in song though out our day to show how we are feeling.  I also love Camp, by that I mean cheesy, over the top, theatrical entertainment.  Therefor Glee fulfills all my happy needs, I look forward to Tuesdays nights all week.  I look forward to a good Rachael Berry storm out, and a new Journey rendition.  But my favourite part of the show is a song mashup, which is when they sing two songs at the same time.  I have always love old and new mixed together in many things, furniture, clothing and now song. 


I'm so obsessed with the show that when Sephora came out with an OPI line of polish for Glee I had to have one.  Maybe I need a polish intervention, but when El pulled two out of her purse at her Bday dinner I was over the moon.  We had her friend pick which polish we got while our eyes were closed, and I ended up with Mashup and couldn't be happier.  My camera does not pick up the opalescent of the metal gray, but it reflects pink and green in different light.  I'm not impressed with the application, it took three coats and is bumpy in parts.  But that could be due to my need of practice applying metallic Polish.

Greys Anatomy needs to come out with a line, I would be all over that!!

Love Kaydee

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

I Joined The Gym...Again...

.........but this time for the right reasons.

In the past I have joined to get skinny, because my friends have or to troll for cute boys.  This time I joined for my health!  I have a bad back with some annoying soft tissue damage that really can cause me some issues.  Its annoying because there isn't much to be done about it, other than go for massage and strengthen my muscles.  I was skipping the strengthen the muscles part, being a very happy couch potato. 

I heard a co-worker say to a patient one day "you have to be responsible for your own health care", and that really stuck with me.  If I want to be active and quite frankly, upright for my whole long life I need to have strong muscles.  Now I just started yesterday, but I feel fantastic I forgot about the endorphins that you get after being active.  Mr.N is going to help me with weights (he is into weight training, big muscles and such) and I am going to do at least one cardio class a week.  I rode the stationary bike for 1/2 and hour tonight and watched T.V.,and surprise enjoyed it.  Plus I think its good for me to get out of the house more often, being the happy little hermit I am.

I really hope that since I am doing this for my health I can stick with it, maybe I will get under the three hour mark for walking a half marathon this summer because of it?  I want to be able to play and have fun for my entire life, which mean taking care of the only body I have. 

Must go drink more water, I'm a very thirsty girl!

Love Kaydee

Monday, February 21, 2011

I Love A Sequin!

Last night I went out for El's Birthday, it was so nice to have a relaxing dinner with just girls.  I actually wavered on going for the sake of saving money, but Mr.N said "you need to spend time with your friends" (winter hermit am I).  We went to one of my favourite restaurants in London, On Cello Super Club, its swanky, sexy and has great food.  Plus right now they have Cellolicious on, which is a three course meal for twenty nine dollars.  Even better last night was five dollar martinis, and they garnish them with candy (I love accessories).

It really was a great night, I love El's friends which made the conversation easy and fun.  Plus this gave me a great reason to dress up.  I tried something new last night, patterned tights, and I loved the results.  Although I did snag my new tights on the table, but they were on sale for five dollars at The Bay so easily replaced on my budget.

I also used this occasion to wear one of my favourite trends SEQUINS.  I freaking love sequins, I don't know if it is my dancer-figure skater past but I can't get enough of them.  I look for them in T-shirts, I covet many a black sequin mini and want a winter hat with them sprinkled all over.


I felt so great last night, I'm wondering if I can fit more sequin and patterned tights into my every day life?  I'll post pictures from our night out when El's send them to me.

Wear what makes you feel pretty, you'll feel like you dropped ten pounds.

Love Kaydee

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Nail Art: Swipes and Paws

I was at home all day yesterday fighting the beginning of a bad cold, and got extremely bored.  So after much sleeping and movie watching I decided to try something new with my nail.  Using a fan brush I painted on random swipes over the bottom of my nails.  I kinda stole this design from Daily Nail again, I never claimed to be an original.  Looking at the picture my cuticles are a mess, between winter and washing my hands a million times a day at work, they need help. 

 I used my new China Glaze pelican gray for the base and for the swipes I used OPI Ski teal we drop and China glazes Seduce me.  These are two of my go to colours, I love rich jewel tones I find they really suit my pale skin. 



As the day wore on I got even more bored so I started to play with Bella, which is when I noticed that her nail needed to be trimmed.  Which made me want to paint them (Peta don't hate me), I used a Sally Hansen quick dry in pink.  I think she looks pretty, Mr.N hates it and thinks I'm crazy!

I think Bella is walking proud today with her pink toes!

Love Kaydee

Friday, February 18, 2011

Check Dinner Party Off My List...

Last night I had a dinner party for El's Birthday, nothing big just Chili, wine and YouTube.  I was super stressed all day worried that I might be a disastrous host.  It turned out that I really enjoyed myself and I think my guest had fun too.

want the rug
I make a great chili and I know this since I am super picky, my secrets are my mothers just add some ketchup and small apple pieces.  They make it sweet, which cause the spice to stand out more without burning you tongue.  I even clean up as I went along, although El helps me tidy before our other guests got there (seems like she is always cleaning my house).  For desert I picked up six different cupcakes for RazzleDazzle in London, I'm not a huge cake eater (unless its there), but these are truly desert gems.

I got so caught up in the party I forgot to take pictures for this post, I know I'm a very bad blogger.  I'm so happy to cross my fist thing of my mist, only 49 more to do!!

I'm going to add learn to knit to my list, I have always wanted to make cozy socks for myself.  I'm going to start with something more simple like a scarf loop, in a thin grey cashmereish wool.

I promise not to forget to take pictures of that

Love Kaydee

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Being A Grown Up Sucks: Groceries

I hate spending money on food, as much as I love to eat there are so many things I would rather buy than an onion.  As I stand at the counter watching the dollars on the till move up and up I almost want to cry.  We worked so hard for that money and it will literally end up going down the toilet eventually.  As gross as it sounds standing at the checkout I could see flushing flash before my eyes.

I try to keep a modest grocery budget of 100 dollars a week, but with a husband who eats with the abandon or a teen aged boy that's hard to do.  I also like fresh foods, which means making more than one trip a week.  Does it bug anyone else that to eat healthy you have to spend more money, its like the world wants us to eat frozen pizza and Cheetos for dinner.  I know that this is a huge rant, but I felt very frustrated tonight while at the check out.  Value mart does not give me the same joy as a meal at a nice restaurant.  Definitly not the same joy I get from buying a new shirt or lip gloss!

Really when you think about it eating cause half of our work.  You have to actually work to buy the food, then shop for the food, then cook the food, then clean after and then eventually clean your bathroom.  Think about all the work you could skip if you didn't have to eat.

Meal planning absolutely takes a lot of the pressure off, but I find with Mr.N's erratic work schedule even that is hard to do.  I'm not one to cook a meal for myself, I'm happy eating toast and cheese or a bowl of pasta with butter and salt.  I've been known to eat popcorn for dinner out of lazy uninspiration.  One desperate day I even e-mail Rachael Ray to do a segment on cooking for one, I received no reply and no segment :(

Wish I had bought shoes today instead of red peppers..

Love Kaydee

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

My Valentine

Since it was our first Valentines day being married, and it was really important to me for it to be a great day.  My expectations were not a 200 dollar bunch or roses or something in a little blue box (I would except both lol). 


I started the day with taping hearts that I cut out of construction papers and wrote little love notes all over the house.  As Mr.N walked from the bedroom out the door he got to see how much I loved him one little note at a time.  After work I got all dressed up and cooked a steak dinner with all the trimmings, ending with molten lave cake (thanks M&M's). 

Mr.N gave me everything I needed, a small package of chocolate, foot rubs and told me how grateful he was for everything I did.  We cuddled on the couch watching a movie, then went to cuddle some more in bed.

I enjoyed every minute of the day, and spent today glowing in the aftermath or simple romance.  I hope that the simple things in life and in our relationship always make me this happy. 

I also took time out of call my friends and wish them a happy Vday, since there is lots of different love in the world.

I Hope you felt as special as I did yesterday!

Love Kaydee

Sunday, February 13, 2011

It's The Little Things....

If your haven't already figured it out Valentines Day is tomorrow, and I'm sure there are some couples out there feeling the pressure.  But here is the thing, this really should be a pressure free holiday.  Sure big grand gestures are nice and all, but its the little things in life we tend to remember.

So instead of that 200 dollar rose bouquet, how about a box of her favourite candy and a home cooked dinner.  I would love a bag of Swedish Berries and any meal I didn't have cook, plan or clean up after.  If she has an addiction like chap stick or gum, stock her up.  All you need to do is look in her purse when she is out of the room and see what her go to brand is.

One thing not to forget is a card, a lot of girls keep these thought the years to look back on when your both old and gray.  Tell her how much you love her and give an example why.. ie  I love you cause you snort when you laugh or your cheeks go red when your trying to hide something.  This tells her that you notice the little things about her.

It doesn't take much to make someone feel special, and of course this should be done all year around.  Even if you think that Valentines is a Hallmark made up Holiday, unless you really are getting her treats and flowers just because you need it.  What I think it does is reminds us to cherish those around us, for instance I made Mr. N and our roommate J heart shaped pancakes this morning.  Now they both feel loved and cared for!!

Take the time out of your day tomorrow and make someone feel special!!

Love Kaydee

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Shacking Up

Living together before marriage is a very personal decision, and not one to go into lightly.  I decided to ask some of my friends and family how they felt about it, everyone had really strong opinions.  No one was like, oh it doesn't matter either way, they either felt it was a must to live together or a must not to.



My thoughts:
Personally I have always felt that you should cohabitate before you tie the knot, maybe because my parents lived together first.  I like to think of people as shoes, you have to try them on first before you know they fit.  What if your new white shoes pinch, are too big or god forbid cause blisters and your stuck wearing those for the rest of your life.  Instead of frogs I tried on many a shoe, but I did insist on being engaged before living with Mr. N.  My reason for that was I didn't want to be one of those couples that gets around to getting married after ten years or so, being married was important to me.  I believe in marriage, I don't thinks its required to make a strong family but I think it helps.  Mr.N is the only man I have ever lived with, mostly because he is my only long term relationship.  Before him I dated around, maybe kept a guy around for six weeks or so.  Living together is hard work, and being married is hard work and I am glad we didn't take on both those tasks at the same time.  Its kinda like for two years we were practicing marriage, warming up for the big day.  If we had broken up before the wedding it would have been messy but not impossible, now it is splitting up a family, my family, for me there is no option of out its forever now.

My Friends thoughts:
I have one friends who did live together before marriage but wishes she didn't, and she is still very happily married.  She feels this way mostly because her husband moved from his mothers house into theirs.  He never had to fend for himself, so she basically took over the role of mother.  No one wants to be a wife and a mother to a man at the same time, that is way to much work.  If they had waited until marriage he would have lived on his own and have a better set of house hold skills and knowledge.

I asked two friends who feel strong about waiting, one is married and the others big day is coming up this summer.  They both feels that marriage is a new beginning to start together from scratch, moving into your home together is exciting.  They feel this is going to make a stronger bond in their union, learning the quirks of life as husband and wife.

My other friends that I asked agree with me, cohabitation is a must to know what you are getting into.  That when promising your life and undieing love to a person you have to know who that person truly is.  Mr. N said that there is a difference between knowing a person and knowing how to live with them.  Just because someone is an amazing person doesn't mean that they are a good match for your living style.  I'm a person full of quirks and not everyone would be able to handle them 24/7.  I could have never married a neat freak, he would have rung my neck after the first week.

Whether you agree with living together before marriage or not you should know that according to this article written by smart people it has no barring on how long a marriage lasts.  One thing I did find interesting is that people who at least discussed, agreed to marriage or were engaged before living together had a better chance at staying married then those that didn't.  I wonder if the people who didn't discuss it got married cause it seams like the next step, more like an obligation.



I'm lucky to be in love, and to cohabitate happily ever after with Mr. N!

Love Kaydee

Thursday, February 10, 2011

T's List Of 50 Things

My co-worker T and her daughter have come up with a goal, they each wrote a list of 50 things to accomplish in one year.  Theses are all things that can be done in a year (no trip to the moon, sorry ladies), some are silly others about bettering themselves as people.

As soon as T told me about this list I said to my self, self you must blog about that and come up with your own.



Here is a sampler from T's list:
1. Throw shoes over hydro wires
2. Learn to speak Spanish
3. Take her daughter for a pedicure (daughter hates feet)
4. Learn to clean her hot tub
5. Cook everything out of "eat,shrink, be merry"
6. Cut her own grass
7. Wear nail polish for one whole week (I would have to go a week without)
8. Vacuum/clean her car
9. Go to a movie by herself
10. Make a new friend

OK, so here is my plan I'm going to figure out and do five at a time and let you know how it is going.

Here are my first five:1. I have also always want the courage and independence to go to a movie by myself
2. Drink only water for one whole week
3. Find and try a new veggie
4. Put ever single piece of clothing away in its home
5. Have a dinner party

Once I have completed those five goals I will move onto the next, giving little updates along the way.  I think everything you do in life is growing experience, even if they are just little growths.

Have any ideas for my list, I'm open to help

Love Kaydee

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Don't Hold Your Pee

I am always being made fun of for how much I pee, its rare that I make it though a movie without going.  Plus with working in the medical service, we always put our patients before our pee.  So I decided to research whether holding your pee has an repercussions.  I found very few articles in this subject, clearly not as many people have an issue holding it as I thought. 

Ok so using this article here is the info I got,


You body uses your urine to clean out your urinary tracts, if you don't pee often enough bacteria can build up and cause infections.  Now if you haven't ever had a UTI consider yourself lucky, they are the worst thing imaginable.  I personally think that prisoners who miss behave should be given UTI instead of solitary confinement.  You would have the most mild manned jail in the world. 

You can also cause your bladder muscles to misbehave.  Keeping the sphincter tight all the time will make it hard to relax in the future.  So when you do go pee you wont be able to fully empty your bladder causing more trips to the bathroom.

So when you have to tinkle, make that trip to the bathroom no matter how busy you are.

Love Kaydee

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

A Little Make-Up Goes A Long Way

At work this week one of the managers has been doing interviews for her department (not mine thank goodness cause I hate change).  One thing that I noticed is that some women were coming in for interviews without any make-up one(one in a hoodie, but can't go there).  For something as important as a job interview you would think that one would want to look as polished as possible.  Now I hate to admit that I rarely wear make-up to working, being as I start at 7am and love sleeping more than pretty.  But I definitely wore some to my interview, even I knew better at 21.

To look polished and professional you don't have to be a make-up artist (I'm def not), and a little goes a long way.  Sorry if I scare you but to show the difference I am giving you one picture without (yikes) and one with simple classic make-up.

I used:
-Mac Mineralize foundation
-Mac bare study paint pot
-Que brow focus in brunette
-Mac eye kohl in phone number
-Dior black mascara
-Lorac lip 3D lip gloss
-Benefit dandelion blush


Ok So here is a split screen of the difference:


No Make-Up

With Make-Up
I pulled my hair back and wore a tube top so you could concentrate only on the make-up look.  But I have to admit I'm a side bangs girl and without them its not my best look.  You can really see the difference in my skin, I have a much smoother complexion and blush on with foundation .  I personally never wear make-up without filling in my eyebrows with powder, I think its really important to frame the face.  This look took only 7min to complete, most of the time spend on mascara I like it think and clumpy.  I hope this shows that even a little make-up helps you look your best.  Lets be honest if it made us look worse it wouldn't be a billion dollar industry.


 Moral of the story please show up for interviews well dresses and looking polished!

Love Kaydee

Monday, February 7, 2011

I'm Lucky To Live In Canada!

With everything that has been happening around the world (riots, shark bites, etc...)  I can look around me at my life and be truly glad to live in Canada.  I know that I am safe to be who I am and safe to walk out my door.

I'm glad to live in Canada because:

I get to experience all four seasons:  Even thought I complain a lot about winter, no Christmas would be complete without the fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky.  Plus without our ever changing weather what would we small talk to strangers about?

I can walk to a great Poutine spot:  Who doesn't love fry's gravy and cheese all in one dish YUMM

Health Care: As much as our system has its flaws (name one that doesn't) I know that everyone is treated the same regardless of income and stature. That our health care professions have the best training and give the best care to whom ever enters their facility (being as I am one of those awesome care givers)

Our Multiculturalism:  We are known for being a "melting pot" of cultures, blending together to make one country.  Plus that means that I get to eat all the yummy foods from around the world. 

The Nature:  We have a beautiful landscape, with mountains, rolling hills, parries and costs.  Also we have great animals, polar bears, whales and moose to name a few.  We have more than enough fresh air and water to go around.  You can feel the vast space just outside any city, enough to stretch you proverbial legs.

Tim Horton's:  Even as a non coffee drink I love this place, they have great food and low prices.  Plus there is pretty much always one within walking distance of you. 


I have so many reasons to love this country, and have no desire to ever live elsewhere.  I absolutely have the travel bug and want to see the world, but this is where I will always call home.  Here is a great article on reasons to love, I would love to hear some of you own.

Go Canada, Go Go Canada

Love Kaydee

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Nail Art: Fade Black To Red

While browsing my fav blogs last night I can across a post for gradating nails.  I had to try them right away, and love the result I got.

Using instructions from this tutorial from All Lacquered Up, my fav nail swatch blog.



I used My Private Jet and a mini from the Burlesques series both by OPI.  I think glitter polish gives for leeway for mistakes, but it is hard to capture the sparkle in picture.

I love my vampy nails, great for a Saturday night out!

Love Kaydee

Friday, February 4, 2011

Where Is The Hand Book?

Why is it that life doesn't come with a hand book, where is "Are you there god, its me Margaret" for grown ups.  Why hasn't someone realized that some of us have a slower learning curve and its harder for us.  Is it that some people are just natural at life, while the rest of us are flailing our way through it. 


I'm having one of those days that I feel like I have to learn every lesson the hard way.  I'm feeling over whelmed with the tasks of everyday life, from finances, to cleaning, to feeling like a bad friend.  I'm wishing someone would set out rules for me and I could follow them.  You know its a bad day when work seemed easier then being at home.

I find having a three story house overwhelming, like it is a never ending cycle of cleaning and picking up.  I found it so overwhelming that it was just easier to not do anything.  If I just stayed on the couch and ignored everything it would all go away.  Now I know there are no fairies or elves that are going to come and do all the work for me.  I know that ignoring everything is not the answer, but sometimes it just feels so right.  I know its not fair to those around me when I get in one of these funks, but its hard to jump over those mental hurdles.

I have decided to clean just one thing a day, I can handle one thing a day that's not too much.  Not the everyday stuff, but the extra stuff like bathrooms and dusting.  And to my surprise I ended up doing two things today, both the tub and the shower.  I feel like that a good start...

I still wish that there was a book telling me what to do, so when I feel overwhelmed I can use it as a reference guide.  Maybe this book will have pop out Xanax for those really bad days, would I be rich if I wrote such a book?

Well at least my shower is milldew free... for now

Love Kaydee

Thursday, February 3, 2011

It's My Turn To Pay It Forward....

I had the most incredible thing happen today at work, something that truly made this a great day...

It all started yesterday very early in the morning, I was compliment a patient on her boots, well actually her fake Uggs.  They were grey Bailey Button knock offs and looked super cute with her outfit.  She told me that she got them at Giant Tiger for ten bucks, we continued to talk about what a great deal that was.  At the end of our conversation she said that she was going back there tonight and would pick me up a pair.  I said to call is she got them so I could make sure that I had cash on me (I'm more of a plastic kinda girl), so I could pay her for the boots.  Well low and behold she showed up today with the boots, but said that they were her treat.  How nice is that right, what make it even nicer is that I am virtually a stranger to this women having only met her four or five times.  She used her time and money just to do something nice for me, and I don't think she will ever know what that means to me.  As a society we are not givers to strangers, I like my shirts I would probably not give it to you off my back.  She showed that some people are just kind for the sake of being kind. 


A Friend of mine and her husband has just decided to split up when someone paid it forward to her in a huge way.  This was someone who had been helped before when needed and wanted to pass it along.  My friend was given around 250 dollars and grocery and gas gift certificates with a card that says you'll know when you meet someone who you can pay this gift forward too.  My friend was starting a new life with very little, and knowing that she had someone like that meant the world to her.  When she was telling me the story today I could see in her eyes what it meant to her and that she has every intention of finding someone in her life time to give a similar gift too.


What struck me about my gift today is the fact that I am just someone who gave this women a service, she met me four or five times for around ten minutes each time.  I know that one day I will run into a stranger who's day I can make a little bit better with a small treat .  Do you get the same banker each time you go in, or that girl at the coffee shop who looks like she has a lot on her mind.  Is there someone, somewhere that's day could be brightened up with a small gesture, a small token that says hey your great and I can tell even from that small amount of time I have known you.

Every time I wear my new brown boots I am going to have a spring in my step knowing that someone felt that way about me!

Love Kaydee

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Book Club: Woman In Red

From New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge comes Woman in Red, a powerful story of love and redemption and what one woman will do to overcome the buried secrets of her past.


Alice Kessler spent nine years in prison for the attempted murder of the drunk driver who killed her son. Now she’s returned home to Gray’s Island to reconnect with the son she left behind. Her boy, Jeremy, now a sullen teenager, is wrongly accused of rape, and mother and son are thrown together in a desperate attempt to prove his innocence.
She’s aided by Colin McGinty, a recovering alcoholic and 9/11 widower, also recently returned to the island in the aftermath of his grandfather’s death. Colin’s grandfather, a famous artist, is best known for his haunting portrait, “Woman in Red,” which happens to be of Alice’s grandmother.
In a tale that weaves the past with the present, we come to know the story behind the portrait, of the forbidden wartime romance between William McGinty and Eleanor Styles, and the deadly secret that bound them more tightly than even their love for each other. A secret that, more than half a century later, is about to be unburied, as Alice and Colin are drawn into a fragile romance of their own and the ghost of an enemy from long ago surfaces in the form of his grandson, the very man responsible for sending Alice to prison.

Or so the back of the book says: 

But here is what I think.  This was a book that I couldn't put down, I look forward to my breaks at work just so I can read.  I loved how that author intertwined the characters and time periods effortlessly.  It was smooth, enticing and made you think.  I loved this book so much that I couldn't wait to share it, El already has it for her trip down south.  If anyone asked me for a book to recommend to them, this would be my number one pick.  One thing I did find is the tittle was odd, although the Women in red was a character, I would call her a secondary character.  I wish that her story was more in depth being as she was one of my favourite characters.

Love Kaydee

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Grown Up Hot Chocolate

With the huge impending storm outside El and I decided to have a winter feast with a delicious desert.  So after our huge helpings of meat loaf, mash potatoes and green beans we each made hot cocoa our way with a little twist.

I like to make mine in a pot with equal parts milk and water and lots of hot chocolate powder.  El likes to mix the powder with her milk and add boiling water from the kettle.  I think you always like the way you had it growing up, but the one think we agreed on was the twist, our cocoa needed booze.  We made a special trip to the liquor store to pick out some cream liquors.  I had really wanted to try a Chai liquor but it was discontinued, so I settled with Banana Chocolate and a vanilla cream cooler.






This was the perfect desert for a cold winter day, so perfect that we each had two.  I'm sure if our bellies could have taken it we would have had three.

Hope everyone in my area stays safe and warm during the blizzard, maybe make some grown up hot chocolate of your own





Love Kaydee