Confessions

We were in Utah this weekend (you can check out the pics on the travel blog if you so desire) and it was confirmed that I am a woman with fine fine tastes.

First I tried on a Wellendorff ring . . . oh my mercies they are more beautiful in real life! Hahaha there was about a month where I dreamed of one of these for my wedding band. Then I looked up the price. Not quite within our budget. Oops. Unless that was the only line item in our wedding budget. But oh my, they are gorgeous.

In case you don't want to click on the link and haven't seen a picture it is these lovely little beauties:

Then we stumbled across an art gallery of a photographer whose work takes my breath away: Michael Fatali. Here is a little shot of one of his prints:

 

 

We had first noticed his prints all over the Spa at the hotel that we were staying at. C. Ann and I were commenting to each other about how much we loved them. And then right there on main street was his gallery. What a privilege to see his art work in person. If I ever win the lottery . . .

 

 

My final confession has to do with a book I finished, the Paris Wife by Paula McLain. It caught my eye because it was about the first love and as some critics believe true love of Ernest Hemingway. I hadn't thought much about Hemingway in the past, but when we stopped in to see his favorite haunt in Havana, he was at the fore front. I was thinking that I just might need to grab a book of his from the library to check out.

 

So anyways, I picked up the book and was drawn into the artists world from the early 1900's in Europe.. Their take on marriage was so contradictory to what I believe and it left me so saddened to know how Hemingway ended up throwing away a marriage that others were marvelling at.  So sad. Leaves you with a new resolve to ensure that Jimmy and I never leave our marriage open to so much temptation. How important it is to cherish it and cultivate it during times of ease and happiness so that when we hit hard times, we have a solid foundation to help us through!

 

And of course, a good way for Jimmy to cultivate the marriage in our times of ease would be a lovely little Wellendorff or Fatali to show how true and deep his love really is . . . hahaha. . . . just kidding!

The fantastic weekend didn't stop there

It continued on with a fantastic shopping date with Susan. We have had it on our list to wander through Inglewood and Sunday afternoon was the perfect time. She wasn't working, the guys weren't playing hockey until later and Calgary finally saw a sunny break.

Other than the lovely conversation my favorite has to be the Silk Road Spice Merchant:

Doesn't the store front scream 'come in come in'! So we did. And I picked up a few new spices to try.

A little lavender vanilla sugar. I was thinking sugar cookies or shortbread and Susan was thinking coffee. Just might need to bake a little something and invite Susan over for coffee to compare:

 

Next up, some Sel de Provence and oooh is it tasty. This would taste delicious with a homemade bagette (found a fantastic recipe here at Dinner with Julie for just the thing) drizzled with olive oil and some homemade ricotta (Dying to try your hand at ricotta? Patent and the Pantry has a fabulous recipe here)

 

And finally the spanish smoked paprika. The smokiness smelled and tasted delicious. It was the perfect compliment for these lamb wraps (my brother and sister are getting into sheep for all those interested so Jimmy and I figured we need to figure out how to cook this meat so we can be supporters of the cause) that I found in a delicious new cookbook that mom gave me for Christmas (thanks mom - there are so many good recipes in there; excited to try some more!).

Thanks Susan for the delightful end to a perfect weekend!

SkinCare Wonders

Jimmy did an awesome job with his Christmas gifts this year. As it was (2010) the New House Year and the Engagement Year, we really weren't in the position to buy extravagant gifts. Rather we needed to save for the Wedding Year (2011). As such the agreement was stocking stuffers up to a reasonable limit.

To give you a little background, I am the kind of girl that loves cosmetics. All of it - the lip balms, eyeshadows, creams, hair shimmer. If it is the least bit girlie - I love it. I don't know why. I am not addicted to them (as I saw on the preview for that crazy new show) nor do I wear a lot or even use them on a regular basis all the time. But I do love them. I don't think Jimmy really knew that I love them - but sometimes he has the lucky pick that turns out perfect (kind of like when he picked me . . . . )

Sometimes it is the packaging that draws me, sometimes the name, other times the promised results, the scents, the flavors and sometimes just cuz. So when I opened my face care products from Jimmy, I was excited. The packaging was beautiful. They smelt so nice and light. And even though my skin has been the perfect look for a proactiv commercial, I was excited to give it a whirl. (Fully expecting of course that the product would be too heavy and not usable but I would use it the odd time travelling or on a Saturday).

Well, if I can share, I LOVE IT!

Avani is an absolutely incredible product. After a year on Proactiv my skin looked okay but certainly not great. After 3 months of Avani, it has a glow and a refreshed look that I haven't had since I was 20. It is soft and smooth to the touch. I even head out of the house without yes I said without makeup sometimes.

The cream is heavy but it doesn't feel anything but moisturizing on the skin. Jimmy bought me a cleansing toner, night anti aging/repairing cream (not sure what he was trying to tell me there - hee hee), the moisturizing cream pictured above and a face mask. Love them all!

So if anyone is looking for a new skin care line or is as addicted to cosmetics as I am, here is a great one to try.