guilty as charged.

we all have guilty pleasures, little things we enjoy in life that we like to keep to ourselves. perhaps it’s because we are slightly embarrassed to share them with the rest of the world- but lately i have been wondering why. if you like something i think you should be proud of it and should just embrace it. SO- i am going to share some of my “guilty pleasures” with you- and i’m going to be proud of them!

1. all you chloe’s.

the one and only time i watched the x factor i fell slightly in love with emblem 3. although they didn’t win i couldn’t help but have a soft spot in my heart for the trio that perhaps reminded me of my boy band days from the past. they have recently released their first single “chloe” and i’m not going to lie i’m obsessed. i dare you to listen to the song and not get it stuck in your head. it makes me happy every time i hear it- and why should i hide something that make’s me happy. i’m pretty sure they are super young- but they have that laid-back california cool that i am slightly envious of. check out the song- it’s going to be my jump around song of the summer! (i am also currently obsessed with miley cyrus’s song “we can’t stop”)

2. pink.

for some reason i seem to be obsessed with the colour pink- but i also seem to hide it in subtle ways. i currently have a pink screen saver on my computer, a pink case and a pink keyboard protector. i have about twenty pairs of pink underwear and bras, pink socks, pink pj’s, pink notebooks, pink throw pillows, a pink screen saver on my phone. i need to face the fact that although i have been denying it for years- i LOVE pink. i think it was because i had this aversion for a while to being too girly- but i think i am just going to start embracing it. i don’t have any pink clothes but i think maybe i should add some to my wardrobe!

3. two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.

i love pretty little liars. i have only seen two seasons so far- but i am fully addicted. i have been made fun of a couple of times for watching the show by certain people (who have not in fact watched it!). i love the clothes, the hair, the make-up, the silly high school drama. when i watch the show its an escape out of my life into the world of crime-solving best friends. it’s so addicting ladies (and gentlemen!) watch it!

4. timbits.

i have an ongoing love affair with cake and cupcakes and dessert. i’m usually not happy until i have a least something sweet during the day- this is why i find timbits to be the perfect thing! if i am grabbing a coffee i am usually also ordering one chocolate timbit. yes i know it may be weird to order one timbit but it cures my sweet cravings- i’m not eating a whole donut so the calories aren’t as bad- and they are just so cute. lol. i usually go for chocolate but today i tried the new tangerine flavoured timbit and it was amazing!

5. i’m a sucker for sequins.

i don’t think i can pass an item in a store that has sequins and not look at it- let alone buy it. it’s like my body is drawn to sparkles and glitz. i have been attempting to curb my addiction because i have so many sequinned things in my closet- but i am telling you its hard. if it was acceptable i would wear sequins and sparkles every day (and maybe i just will!)

6. the boy who lived.

at any given time i usually have at least one harry potter book on the go (generally “the order of the phoenix”). perhaps it reminds me of when life wasn’t so “grown up” but i love getting lost in the chapters. i don’t sit down and read the book all of the time, but if i’m feeling sad/angry/happy (so any feeling really) i know if i read a couple of pages i will immediately be super happy.

7. what’s in a name.

much like when i’m reading harry potter- i know that if i ever am having a bad day i can watch leonardo di caprio as romeo and i am immediately better. i am pretty sure there was a period of two months where my friend and i watched it every day. not only do i love leo but i am also a sucker for shakespeare so it’s definitely win/win.

i am sure i could go on with more guilty pleasures (reality tv, perez hilton, ripped jeans, mcdonalds ice cream, kids movies, minions, nail polish, and so on and so on).

i think we should start changing our “guilty pleasure” to just simply “pleasures”. if you like something then it’s obviously part of you and you should make it part of you. don’t try to hide it or be embarrassed.

now excuse me as i go eat a timbit, watch pll- all while wearing my sequin skirt and jacket.

ox, kt

expand your mind- it only costs 1 cent.

as soon as my friend told me his new years resolution was to read a book a week for the entire year (52 books in total) i was immediately in on the idea. i read a lot while traveling, commuting, etc. so i thought this was something i could definitely handle. i got a kobo ereader for christmas and everything! i was ready to go! quite frankly, i thought e-books would be cheaper then buying an actual hard-copy- turns out, i was wrong. they’re still basically the same price- and you don’t have something physical in your hand or to add to your library collection (i plan to have a full room library in my house one day!).

so i started doing some research and remembered from my university days that you could buy used books on amazon.ca. well low and behold- you can get them for one penny!!! (and people say you can’t buy anything for a cent these days- wrong!).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

if you are okay with used books (i basically fold mine and tear them up while reading so i don’t mind), then you can pretty much find any book that hasn’t just come out, on amazon for 1 cent. you do have to pay shipping however, which is generally in the vicinity of $5 (you can often qualify for super saver shipping if you are ordering more than one)- and your total cost is still only about $6 total- the cheapest i’ve found any books.

if you know me, you also know i love getting things in the mail- so this is a win-win situation. i find the books usually take about a week to ship to my house depending on where they are coming from- two weeks max.

if you’re not interested in ordering online, you can usually get 40% off books at the superstore or walmart. or if you are in the city there are quite a number of used books stores around- sometimes its hard to find exactly what you are looking for however.

here are some of the books i have recently ordered off amazon.ca and absolutely loved!

“One Day” by David Nicholls

“Dark Places” by Gillian Flynn

“The Doctor’s Wife” by Elizabeth Brundage

each of the above books only cost me a penny and provided hours of entertainment. i know that you can also take books out from the library for free- but unfortunately i am one of those people who always forget to return them on time and end up paying ridiculous late fees. you could also try doing a swap and trading with friends if they are interested in reading as well! if anyone wants to borrow a book from me let me know!

reading is an excellent way to learn and get lost in a story. it’s definitely one of the ways i escape.

ox, katie

long hair don’t care.

for as long as i can remember i have always had long hair- until one moment i became completely insane and decided to chop it up to my chin- and i was so excited about it- but then this happened.

although i was alright with my short bob for about a month or two, i started immediately regretting my decision. here i am below, sad about my short hair.

although i had lots of reassurance from friends and family- i really wanted my long hair back. i couldn’t even put my hair into a pony tail- thus resulting in all kinds of awkward up-dos. it was time to start growing back my hair- thus beginning my hair growth journey.

now before i made the fatal mistake of cutting my hair, i would routinely visit my hairdresser every three months for a trim (which i had always been told to do to keep my hair healthy). although my hair was long at the time (and i was happier), it didn’t seem to get to the exact length i wanted it to be. as i got to the sometimes awkward shoulder length stage of my hair growth journey and was debating a trim i stumbled upon an article that really put it bluntly;  “stop cutting your hair”. essentially the article discussed the myths of the three-month trim- guess what!? it’s not necessary! frequent trims that are supposed to help with growing hair do not in fact make your hair grow faster. the hair expert suggested focusing on taking care of your hair so you don’t need to get any spilt ends (and length) trimmed away.

the average person’s hair grows about 1/4 inch a month. so if you are going to get your hair “trimmed” every three to four months and they take off an inch- well you do the math. you are never going to get anywhere. instead there are a number of things you can do to focus on keeping your hair healthy and happy- skipping your “trims” altogether and reaching your hair length goal. here are some great tips i found:

1. massage your mane: proper circulation is key to growing your hair out. get your blood flowing to promote proper circulation and get your hair growing! you can do this by using your fingertips in a circulation motion on your scalp once a day. exercising also helps with circulation- so your gym sessions are good for your hair as well!

2. eat right: what you put into your body directly affects your hair growth. focus on getting essential fatty acids like Omega-3, vitamins A, E, & B, including iron and zinc. these promote healthy skin and hair. these kinds of nutrients can often be found in foods like fish, nuts, and greens.

3. be dirty: it’s really okay to not wash your hair all of the time. shampoo will strip your hair of essential oils that it needs to grow. many experts suggest washing your hair three times max. i often alternate one day i wash my hair and wear it down, the next day i don’t wash and put it up.

4. try new styles: a lot of the time, people cut their hair because they are bored with the style. i suggest doing some research (pinterest has a ton of easy to do hairstyles) and coming up with some new styles that work for you. i regularly rotate my hair styles; one day i have a braid, the next it’s curly, the next it’s straight, then i may have a pony tail. this way  i am never bored.

5. treat it right: this is very important if you are going to focus on healthy hair and skipping your trims. instead of using a brush when you have wet hair make sure you are using a wide tooth comb to get out the knots. if you are using heat tools (i.e. hair straightener, curling iron) always make sure to use a heat protection spray beforehand. also try to avoid synthetic hair brushes and use natural ones instead as they work your hairs natural oils for all over moisture.

6. deep condition: this may be the most important to keep your hair healthy and avoid hair cuts. about two to three times a week i use a deep conditioner/treatment on my hair. my hairdresser suggested using aveda’s damage remedy treatment– and after only one month i have noticed a significant improvement. the treatment works to instantly repair hair, and certified organic. it’s about $26 for a 100ml bottle and after about 15 treatments i haven’t even used a quarter of the bottle.

it has now been about a year since i have cut my hair, and following the above steps, i don’t really need too. my hair is growing at an excellent rate and i haven’t lost any progress due to trims or cuts. here is my hair progress now:

so bottom line- trimming and cutting your hair is not necessary! just focus on keeping your hair as healthy as possible and it’s be rapunzel-like before you know it!

ox, kt

keep calm and blog on.

one of the strongest memories i have of the first house i grew up in was that i could write all over the walls in the basement. it started out with the alphabet, practicing my little letters and capitals. it soon evolved into writings all over the place. jump ahead a few more years and i could be found meticulously practicing my cursive letters, eventually moving on to sentences and stories. throughout elementary school i always loved coming up with and writing epic tales- thinking i was going to write the next great baby sitter’s club novel or goosebumps saga. in high school i could often be found doodling in notebooks and writing song lyrics all over my bedroom wall (i’m sure nigel just loved that)- this continued into university where, low and behold, i studied english literature. over the last few years, although an avid reader and literary lover, i feel that my writing slipped through the cracks and it became lost. thanks to a very encouraging boss and colleagues, i’ve decided it’s time to start writing again- and i might as well keep up with the times and do it digitally, via this blog.

as we were driving to our peacock parade warehouse yesterday afternoon, we found ourselves on a very familiar topic- food! we decided it was well worth our time to make a little trip to tim hortons and of course we started talking about what we wanted to get. being such a beautiful day, one of my bosses, nancy, decided she wanted an ice cap- but that she felt guilty because it’s made with 18% cream. luckily, being the calorie-counter that i am, i recommended to try it out with chocolate milk- much less fat, but same great taste. “geeze katie,” she said, “you know everything, you should totally start a blog!”. with encouraging shouts from everyone else in the car that i should “totally do it!”, and after counting my absolute certain readership of about five people (including my mom! hi mom!) i decided- why not!

last night i was thinking about it some more- and kandidly katie was born. with this blog i promise to be candid and truthful. i promise to share everything wonderful that i find (like if you make an ice cap with chocolate milk it’s way healthier for you and tastes even better in my opinion). i promise to share my happiness and delights. and to myself- i promise to write.

thanks for taking the time to read my first post- i’m looking forward to writing more!

ox, kt