I think my earliest memory is meeting my new sister in the hospital when she was born.  I remember wearing a blue and white mini-checkered pattern dress and being totally enamoured with her tiny feet.  Apparently I held her and didn't want to give her back.

Thinking back on this feels so special; my first memory is of my sister, what a sweet one.  And now that she is a mother herself--as of just over a week ago--it's almost surreal seeing how small we once were in these photos.

What is your earliest memory?


Fall Inspiration / Love

Click above to see details & prices for each piece.
 
I hate that everyone is talking Fall--summer is so short, why are we rushing!?--but at the same time, I can't help but get excited for some Fall fashion.  I have a distinct idea in my mind of what I want to wear this Autumn, providing the weather cooperates--so not likely--and it involves a lot of dark colours (mainly black, grey, navy & burgundy), chunky moto-style boots, oversized scarves and sweaters--nothing new for me--and getting a cute hat with a big pom-pom on it.
 
 
 

I wanted to share with you guys some groceries I recently picked up.  Since my grocery runs generally look about the same with a substitute of certain fruits and veggies here and there, the basics are always kept on lock.

I love eating healthy and have trained my tastebuds to enjoy the flavours of certain things I know some people don't like.  I'm a huge quinoa fan, prefer whole wheat breads (when I eat gluten), enjoy adding oatmeal in my morning shake, like the taste of unsweetened almond milk, etc.  I try to eat healthy 80% of the time and make healthy food choices.  I will always love pie, pastry, ginger snaps, chocolate & sweets, but try not to overindulge too much.

I typically do one larger grocery shop per week, but tend to hit the store a few times within the week to grab more unique foods that are required for a certain dish or meal I'm planning.  I always keep fruit, yoghurt, eggs and some sort of salad mix on hand.  I frequently eat salad for lunch during the week and usually add some form of protein--hard boiled eggs, chicken or tuna--if I can.  My favourite salads contain fruit--some sort of berry or pears--avocado and nuts (if I have them on hand, which I generally don't).  Most often I make a mix of avocado, grape tomatos & spinach.

I always buy the largest container of eggs as if I don't cook them, I will just hard boil all of them, stick 'em in a vase in the fridge for an easy snack or again to add to a salad in a pinch.

Back in March, when I switched over to a Gluten-free lifestyle--ish--I also swapped out my 2% milk for almond milk.  I was a milk fiend and would drink two or more large glasses per day and go through, what I would call, 'withdrawls' if I didn't get my milk.  This would even result in headaches; I was serious about milk.  The calories and sugar in it though are pretty serious and I was likely consuming 300+ calories in milk alone.  Unsweetened almond milk has 30 calories/cup which is awesome.  I find it's pretty thick too so a small glass is enough for me.  Additionally, I like to buy one regular--for cooking--and one vanilla flavoured for drinking.  Once the vanilla runs out, I will drink the original but prefer vanilla.

The Oikos Greek yogurt is a personal fave and they come in so many flavours now.  Since my last vacation in Mexico, I've become somewhat obsessed with all consumable things coconut, mainly, ice cream.  Unfortunately, coconut ice cream is very hard to come by so last week I tried throwing one of my personal sized coconut yogurts in the freezer and the next day?  Coconut frozen yogurt!  It actually tasted pretty good and is obviously much better for you.  I'd suggest taking it out an hour before you want to eat it as it gets quite frozen.

Hope this post was interesting and let me know what else you would like to see on A.Co est. 1984.





Friday night I organized a girls dinner for my best friend's birthday.  She doesn't like surprises so she knew it was happening but I couldn't resist keeping a few of the guests a surprise, which in turn really shocked her.
Outfit deets:  Cynthia Rowley tee (seen here & here), Walter Baker skirt, Prabal Gurung for Target heels, H&M necklace & Auslini bangle.



I splurged on dinner and got the gnocchi in a rosé sauce with chicken and mushrooms.  The last time I had gnocchi was on my birthday.


I love these shoes but to be honest haven't worn them a ton this summer.  They at the very least look pretty on display in my apartment.


Saturday morning I met up with my friend at Simply Biscotti.  We sipped on cappucinos and I was so impressed with the multitude of biscotti's and dessert treats--and paninis, sandwiches, and more--to choose from (but was good and didn't get any).


Saturday outfit.
Outfit deets:  Gap denim jacket (thrifted and DIY bleached), Walmart trapeze top, Wet seal crochet shorts, Spring gladiators & Urban Expressions bag.


I love this because I plan to wear it to work out plus it will double as a bralette on weekends.  I was eyeing the white one as well but had to pick and choose.


On Saturday afternoon, I took my car out to my parent's place and washed her.  It was a long process since it was so hot, sunny and breezy and the soap was drying on the car while I was trying to wash it--a big no no--but after two hours, she was done.  Feels so good to have a clean car.  I didn't detail the inside but I did that about two months ago and I maintain it so it's still clean inside.


Saturday night, outfit #1.
Outfit deets:  Dynamite blazer, Rachel Roy dress (new & on sale!), Asos heels, H&M belt (worn backwards), Joe Fresh bangles & Ardene clutch.


Saturday night, outfit #2.
Outfit deets:  Zara low-back sweater (a fave), Limité shorts, Forever 21 heels & Aldo clutch (old).

So why am I wearing two outfits?  Here comes the diva story.  Marco picked me up for a date on Saturday night and I totally dressed up, trying to wear something less like what I normally wear--see above--which was a pretty dress with a defined waistline.  When we got to our destination--a hipster taco spot--I felt way overdressed.  I love this restaurant he was surprising me with, but felt really uncomfortable being so dressed up.  We put our name in for a table, which was about a 20 minute wait and he sweetly answered my pleads to take me home so I could change.  #ididthat  

I got home, ran in, threw together the above outfit, which was way more appropriate and I felt way more like 1) myself and 2) comfortable and we headed back to the restaurant.  We got there just in time for our table to be ready and had an amazing evening.


Amazing tacos (beef, pork, lamb x3 & ox tongue).


A sweet dessert surprise: gelato.  I got two scoops, Mister Nico--a peanut butter, chocolate combo--and Skor.


Sunday morning.
Outfit deets:  Dynamite sweater, DIY denim cut-offs (from last year), Spring gladiators & Aldo clutch/cross-body.


Brunch at the Arrow & Loon.


Sunday afternoon I dragged myself to the gym, which was a good thing as I hadn't been in a week--what is happening to me!?  I had a great workout and obviously felt much better afterwards.
"You never regret going to the gym" (it's just getting there that sucks).


I grabbed groceries on my way home and made a delicious strawberry-spinach salad with chicken, avocado & goat cheese for dinner.


The Sunday night tradition is always Dexter and I love to indulge in Ginger Snaps & a peppermint tea.  This time though I poured myself a small cup of the snaps to avoid eating the whole bag!




Today I'm showing you a super simple Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project with my new Northern Reflections sweater.

Yes, I just said Northern Reflections.  To be honest, I haven't gone in that store in ages, since I was a kid and my mom dragged me out shopping for herself.  Northern Reflections always made me think of Grandma-like clothing with trees painted on the walls and wolves printed on the fronts of sweaters.  Boy have things changed.

While Northern Reflections is still geared towards a slightly more mature crowd, they are definitely re-branding themselves to appeal to a younger market.  That said, I was stoked when I circled around the store and found this perfectly faded pink sweatshirt (which also comes in white, blue and grey).  After trying it on, I concluded an x-small would be a good place to start but the snug, restrictive neckline had to go.

Since crew neck and boatneck sweatshirts--plain and logo'ed--are an up-and-coming trend (especially for Fall), I thought this would be the perfect occasion to share this.

Keep reading to see how I changed up this sweatshirt and how I styled it two different ways; for day and for night.

Easy as pie.  From there, pull on the neckline to stretch it out and you're all set.


Pull the neckline off your shoulder and pair it with some hi-top sneaks and an edgy cross-body bag for day...


...or, throw on some booties and a statement necklace and you're ready for a night on the town:


Tell me, which way would you wear it!?

HAVE FUN!


* This post is sponsored by Place d'Orleans, the mall I vlog for.  As always, thanks for reading & for supporting my sponsors!  Be sure to check out the Place d'Orleans Facebook page for more information & promotions happening within the mall.

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