Hope you like them as much as I do!

Loveitalot

These two ladies own a shop called white elephant vintage on James Street North in Hamilton.  I love their blog, and their store.  You should go and check out both.

Shutterbean

I have such a girl crush on Tracy, who writes this blog.  She is so crafty, and makes delicious food and is super mom.  Her recipes are simply, delicious, and sure to impress!

The Ebb and Flow

A bit of a “quarter life crisis” survival guide.  Smart, insightful and full of good advice and heart.  Oh, and written by my fabulous bff.

City Love

Meg writes about living in Hamilton, being crafty, other people who are crafty, and her life.  I think Hamilton loves her as much as she loves Hamilton.

Crackers

I originally put this blog off, thinking it would be all “uppity” because it’s based on being very conscious about where you food is coming from, and how to make things as natural and close to the earth as possible.  I was so wrong.  I loooove crackers, and I’m always so interested to see what they are getting up to next.  And because they are from my area, I can check out all their cool finds for myself.

Ok, that’s all for now.  No need to overwhelm yous.

First of all, she decides when it is time to go for a walk, and I resent that.  I am the boss, I will decide when we go for walks, not you with your pathetic eyeballs and door sitting.  Second, I don’t enjoy that open-endedness of the walk.  I like rules, regulations and boundaries.  I would like to know specifically when the walk will begin, and when it will end.  Walking seems pointless and time wasting to me.  Unless you are walking to go and get something to eat, or walking to the LCBO to get some delicious cocktails, I really just feel like the walk is an exercise in futility.

So, after this little rant I still have to talk the bean for a walk.  I wouldn’t mind if someone was around to go with me on my walk, that serves as a distraction and I can deal with that.  So, if you would like to come over and walk her with me, that would be great.  Even better, you come over and take her for a walk while I sit on the couch and watch Intervention, because it’s Monday night and that’s what I do on Mondays.  You can come in and watch too, after the walk.  If you’re not too creepy.

Poop scoop bags included.

Neighbour #1- A couple who take up TWO parking spaces, when I get none.  Not that I have a car, but people who visit me do and I would like to use one once in a while.  They are always fighting, but about boring things.  He doesn’t like things she cooks, or he works too much and other such things.  How mundane.  When I stand in the hallways listening to yelling I want juicy gossip not same old, same old.  The male half of this couple owns the Mr.Sub above which I reside, but staunchly refuse to patronize.  The reason for this is because one time, he accused me of using his Mr. Sub dumpster (which I did NOT), took a big bag of garbage and put it right in front of my door.  How. Rude.  I am not a very confrontational person, but this spurred me to knock on his door and tell him off.  It felt good.

Neighbour #2- Crotchety old chain smoker lady.  This woman has lived in her apartment for 25 years.  That is a very long time to live in a bachelor apartment, and also a very long time to be filling it with smoke.  I’m not even joking, the smell of smoke comes through the wall I share with her and then I spray Febreeze on it.  I rarely see her, and when I do she gives me a dirty look I did nothing to deserve.  I can see in her kitchen window when I take Iris out to pee, and sometimes I try to sneak a peek, but I never get a good luck.  I don’t have too many other complaints, but the stink alone is enough.  Believe you me.

Neighbour #3- Nice Chinese family.  These neighbours are lovely, and they cook delicious smelling food that I wish I could be invited over to enjoy.  The run the convenience store across the street, and my bf is like totally their new bff.  They love him, and he always goes to their store and buys things that we need, like noodles and chapstick.  They have a very cute little baby who waves at me, and a son who plays the piano really well for his age (he’s like 8).

Those are my neighbours.  Welcome to my life.  If you’re ever in my area, please for my sake do not buy the rude man’s subs.  Please.

#1- Natalie’s Pick: Aveda Botanical Kenetics Hydrating Lotion.  $32 for the small bottle (5oz) and $68 for the big bottle (16.9oz). She assures me it lasts!  Available at any Aveda salon or store. 

Natalie likes it because: 

•  It’s not heavy or greasy. It is made with natural products, so it smells really nice.
• It is heavy enough for dry winter skin and light enough to use in the summer. (The only draw back is that it doesn’t contain an SPF.)
• It makes my skin soft and gets rid of dry skin after one use. It also absorbs very quicky and blends with makeup well. 
• She has expensive taste.  (I wasn’t suppose to include that!)

(It got great reviews from what I saw online, and it says its best for “combination skin”.) 

#2- Jana’s Pick: Bath and Body Works Aromatherapy Pillow Mist, Eucalyptus Spearmint.  $10 for a 4 oz bottle.  Available at any Bath and Body Works and online.

Jana is a chronic stresser, and this scent is the “stress relief” one, and if she says it works, it works! 

She likes it because:

•  It is a nice before bed ritual.  
• It switches you into sleep mod and it is very comforting. 
• It is small, so you can bring it with you wherever you go (on a plane, sleeping at a friends etc). 
•  It smells lovely / relaxing

#3- Jacquie’s (aka rouge une) Pick:

Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Lotion.  $5 for 15oz at drug stores (what a steal!).  How very retro!

She like its because:

• You know it will be easy on even the most sensitive skin (red heads have very sensitive skin. Fyi.).
• Cause it is the BEST smell ever. Its helping her to relive her youth. And by youth she means infancy.

 #4- Jen’s (aka Rouge deux) Pick:  Clinique 3 Step program.   About $50 for the whole set.  Available at any Clinique beauty counter, or online.

Jen says: “I’ve always had issues finding the right products that won’t make me break out (God, I sound like I should be pimping out Proactiv), but Clinique has been the best. Keeping in mind that you get the right “number” for your skin type, for me, the face wash doesn’t dry out the skin, the toner is good just by itself if you’re lazy, in a hurry or need a “refresher,” and the moisturizer is long-lasting and doesn’t feel too greasy. It’s a bit expensive but it lasts and lasts for a super long time!!”

And, if I may… (She may)  

Runners Up: Marc Jacobs Daisy perfume (light, fresh scent that lasts) and Dove Pro-Age Body Cream

#5- Amanda’s Pick:  The Body Shop’s Vitamin E day cream.  $16 for a tub.  Available at any Body Shop and online.  (Fyi- It’s part of their “Vitamin E” line). 

Amanda likes the cream because:

• It’s light, not greasy, and still keeps her face “moist” (she has a very moist face) all day.  
• It mixes well with her foundation in the morning, so she can get light, sheer coverage (Those are my words, not hers.  Her entry was via text and very brief.  But she’s a busy girl, so it’s ok.)

On a lighter note, I got a prize today!  From Sweetspot.ca!  They did a huge give away a couple weeks ago and I won a french press from Kitchen Stuff Plus.  I just went to pick it up today, it was all very exciting.  I can’t wait to use it.  Again, keeping you posted.  

The new edition to my kitchen!

Recently, i’ve been pretty lucky with the internet winnings.  I won this awesome grown up business lady laptop bag a few months ago from Career Bags.

It even had my initials embossed on it!  I love it, and the girls in my office love it and I feel very grown up when I have it with me.  My advice for internet contest winnings is quantity!  I spend a gross amount of time entering contests online.  Magazine websites are a great place to start!  They have tons of giveaways (because they have tons of stuff to give away).  Also, TV channel websites are another great place to look for internet contests.  Check out FoodTV, W Network and City TV.  

Good luck!  And be careful what you eat tonight!

Ah, the long weekend. Canadians love them. Cheap domestic beer companies love them as well. And sunscreen companies maybe too. And I love them! How could you not? It’s an excuse to be outside and drink during the day, and if you’re lucky enough to have a campfire then you get that awesome campfire smell in your sweatshirt. Mmmm.

A not-so-long weekend-y thing I did this weekend was shop. Oh my, how I shopped. The following is a list of things I bought. You might want to get a snack.

- 3 burning oils from The Body Shop. Green Tea, Lemon Basil and Poppy.

- A green dress

- A yellow dress

This, but in yellow

- A chain for the bf

- A pair of totally cute sandals from Aldo

- Earrings to match the cute sandals

They didn't have a good picture of the earrings, so picture this without the chain.

- A tunic from H&M

- Earrings to match the tunic

I think that’s all. It was so awesome, except that I spent all the money I got back from my income tax check that I had put away to pay rent. Whoops. Um…maybe my landlord will understand.

ALSO!  I did something so fun! I gardened!  Real honest-to-goodness gardening.  With a rake and a hoe.  (hehe…hoe).  I went to the bf’s lovely abode and we made a vegetable garden with tomatoes, peppers, various lettuces and basil.  How fun and very “green” we are.  I can’t wait to make a garden salad from the garden.  Yummo.

Iris helped too!

I also made myself little window boxes of herbs for my apartment.  I have basil, rosemary, dill, cilantro (my fav!), lavender, a lettuce plant, a tomato plant, chives and thyme.  Wow.  I made stir fry tonight for dinner and used the cilantro, so it’s already paying off.  Iris helped in the garden too.  

my window sill herb garden

It was such a lovely time.  Except I had very dirty nails at the end, and I couldn’t get all of it out so I had to paint them a dark colour so people at work wouldn’t be able to tell.  Shhh.  I got a sunburn too, but really, what else is new.  

That was the story of my lovely little weekend, everyone lived happily ever after and we were all very tired at the end of the day and had to go to bed early.  

Fin.

If I was the boss, Iris would be allowed to come to the office with me a few times a week, but only if she promised to behave herself.

If I was the boss, wearing hoodies and sweat pants would be acceptable, but only one or two times a month. Or three, if it’s one of those months.

If I was the boss, I would understand if you had to come in at noon because you were up really late or had a really bad sleep but still wanted to leave at five. Or, if you had to leave at lunch because you were really tired and feeling uncreative.

If I was the boss, I would let people use the spare office with a couch to have a little nap if they were feeling sleepy as long as they didn’t abuse the privilege.

If I was the boss, we would have a pizza party sometimes when I didn’t want to bring a lunch or didn’t have time to buy groceries.

If I was the boss, it would be ok to walk around the office in bare feet, but only if they were all painted and pretty. Boys with ugly feet have to keep their shoes on.

If I was the boss, I would understand that sometimes it’s just hard to do work so you have to go on the internet to relieve stress.

But I’m not the boss. Yet.

Ok, my apologies.  I read an article on Twitter on ways to increase the traffic flow to your blog, and one of them was to write about bacon or title your blog bacon, or tag your posts with the word bacon.  I swear.  Apparently, the world really REALLY likes bacon!  

Anywho.  This week is the week of sports, and that is a very scary proposition for me.  Technically i’m not playing the sports.  I’m watching them, but people that know me will know that me in a hundred mile radius of any type of physical activity is a danger to myself and others.  I can barely walk around on a daily basis without hurting myself in some way.  

A few months ago, I was walking Iris and *something happened and I fell, cracked my head off the sidewalk and had to go to the hospital.  No stitches necessary, but I got my very first concussion! Woo!

(* I say “something” because I have absolutely no recollection of why/how I fell.  Nothing.  The doctor told me this is completely normal, what with the wacking of the brain and what not.)

About a week later, after logging some serious recovery time, I was ready to get back out into the world.  I decided to go and visit my parents!  I’m rushing out the door to hop on the bus annnnddd….I tumble down my apartment stairs, severely spraining my ankle and canceling all weekend plans.  Seriously folks, this is my life.  I worry friends and family, and provide interesting stories for strangers and acquaintances.  

Sports related beers! Hurrah!

Back to the sports.  Tonight I’m watching Blue Jays baseball (they are currently winning 3-zip, GO JAYS!), so that’s relatively danger free as long as I don’t walk around too much.  Tomorrow is Toronto FC (that’s soccer to you).  It’s a little more of a dangerous proposition because i’m actually going to BMO field and not just watching from my couch. TFC is also dangerous for me because they sell these REALLY REALLY big cups of beer.  

Lastly, this long weekend will be spent with the bf at his house meaning there will be some sort of sporting- biking, boarding, ball kicking. Something.  

I will do my best to get through the weekend unscathed.  I just wanted to warn you in case I never come back and you’re like “Omg where did Lindsay Newton of Lindsay Newton Online go?” and then you’re all confused and sad because I didn’t call. And I’d be all like “I didn’t mean it baby, I can change, I swear”.

And in case you’re reaaaallly upset because you came here with expectations of bacon-related blogging.  Here.  You deserve it.

1.  Lush’s “Mask Of Magnaminty”.  It’s exfoliating (one of my hobbies) and refreshing.  It claims to “sooth, uplift and make you radiant” and it DOES!  I love things that do what they say they do.  It comes in small and large ($9.95-$19.95), I have the small one and would say i got atleast 10 uses out of it.  It has a shelf life of 4 months because Lush only uses fresh ingredients, but if you use it once a week you’re golden.  I have ‘sensitive’ skin (but not overly sensitive) so I would recommend it for pretty much any skin type.  You look like a scary sea monster when you have it on though. Boyfriends be warned.  

2.  The BodyShop’s Matte It Face Gel.  $14.00.  You just pat a little on your TZone under your makeup to be shine-free all night. It comes in a nifty lipgloss-like tube, so you can stash it in your cute but too small bar clasp.  No more awkward shiny patch in pictures (You know you get them, we all do.  Life is unfair).  It says you can put it on your lips as well, but why do you want matte lips? I’m not so sure.  

3.  Vaseline Cocoa Butter Deep Condition Lotion.  This is an oldie, but a goody.  It comes in a huge bottle , which is always awesome (sometimes I can find it at Costco in this super value pack and it comes with a purse sized bottle, a medium bottle AND the huge bottle.  Woah.)  It smells delish and I swear to you, it changes the texture and look of my skin.  A definite summer must.  You can get it pretty much anywhere that sells beauty products and it is about $6.

4.  Aveda Smooth Infusion Shampoo & Conditioner.  Yes, it’s expensive for shampoo ($21 dollars each) but for people with wussy, limp, flat, boring, curl it and 20 minutes later it’s straight as a board hair like myself, totally worth it.  It gives my hair body (my hair! body! who knew such a thing was possible!) and is a guaranteed good hair day.  You can’t argue with a good hair day.  And it smells like a little slice of lemon-meringue heaven.  

5. NutriCap.  This is one of those products that you see advertised in the back of magazine with the “Increase your bust size” pills.  Although, as of late, it’s become more well know and main stream (mostly because of me, i’m pretty sure).  You can get it at Shopper’s Drug Mart and it costs about $20 for a month’s supply.  It’s full of delicious and nutritious natural ingredients (fyi- horsetail is a plant.  I looked it up, no need to thank me.)  You take 2 giant black pills (they are large folks, i’m not going to lie.  But it’s cause they’re filled with good stuff!) every morning and it claims to improve the thickness,shine and strength of your hair.  I have super weak peely nails, and after about 2 months of NutriCap I swear to you I could tighten a screw with my pinky finger nail. And my hair has never been so shiny and thick.  It’s a bit of a commitment product, but everyone knows it’s boys that are afraid of commitment, not girls.

Tune in next week for another edition of “5 Things I Like This Week”.  Same bat time, same bat channel.

For people who know me and spend more then a small amount of time with me, I formally apologize.  I spend most of my free time with Iris and thus she is high on the list of conversations in my repertoire.  I’m “that guy”:  ”Iris did the CUTEST thing last night” or “I think Iris is sick”.  Etc.  But she is hilarious, and very cuddly and she puts up with my harassment of her.  Not ‘call animal control’ harassment, never!  But ‘make her do funny things and tape it’  or ‘dress her up in funny clothes and take pictures’  harassment.  But, I think she secretly likes it.  

Pashmina Iris. She's waiting for company.

Iris’s hobbies include: hiding under the bed, eating things off the floor, wrestling, napping, looking out the window, watching movies (101 Dalmatians is her favorite) and just generally being adorable.  

Enjoy the Iris photo album.  

Checking out the dust bunnies.

Napping!

You can't argue with this face.

Iris loves Pongo!

Watching the world go by.

Iris has her face on the keyboard as we speak and is groaning to get my attention.  

Thank you for indulging me and my pet.  We both appreciate it.  If you ever see us in the park, come say hello!  But Iris will jump up on you with muddy paws.  We’re working on that….