The Home stretch

It is December which means, not only have I officially entered the last 31 days of my challenge (Yay!) but it also means that Christmas is just around the corner. Soooo.... I have been spending a lot more time at the mall lately. Talk about temptation! But to be truthful, it hasn't been as difficult as I had anticipated because I have always found shopping for others just as fun as shopping for myself. So, in fact I think that the holiday season has given me the perfect excuse to shop, without the actual act of buying things for myself.....filling the shopping void so to speak! However I will admit that I have had a heavy hand in 'helping' my husband shop for me....but that's nothing new, I have always given him not-so-subtle hints about what is on my Christmas wish list. It's not that he is incapable of picking out gifts.....far from it actually....in fact there were gorgeous diamond earrings waiting for me in my room the morning of our wedding, he has picked out some of my favourite purses over the years and just yesterday he surprised me with a beautiful necklace with three diamonds on my 30th birthday (one for each decade). Sweet right? Come to think of it maybe I should think about giving up control and succumb to the surprise once in awhile....hmmm maybe next year :) 


But speaking of birthdays, December also happens to be my birthday month so, yesterday I was showered with gifts from my friends and family!! It was wonderful to have a few new things to tide me over for the rest of the challenge. Between that and Christmas, these next 29 days should be a breeze to get through! However some of the gifts have raised an interesting question. At the risk of sparking another controversy (a la the flat iron debate of January 2011) ...does spending a gift card count as buying something for myself? Or is it a gift that I just get to pick out? I tend to defer to the 'guilt factor' for advice when faced with a contentious issue surrounding this challenge. I ask myself, not only if I can rationalize it, but also will I feel guilty afterwards? There have been quite a few situations that I have been on the fence about....you have all read about my few loopholes....and in the end I haven't felt guilty about any of them. My first instinct is that spending a gift card is a little too close to buying something for myself, so to avoid any potential remorse I might just wait until January....it is only a few weeks away after all! Thoughts? 
♥ Lindsay

I think this no-shopping project has made me a better wife

No really...hear me out! My hubby has been whining about how he is so sick of his wardrobe and he hates nearly all his clothes...blah, blah, blah. Cry me a river! I mean I love you babe, but forgive me if my first response to your new found wardrobe woes was not a sympathetic one. Once I got past the initial disbelief that he was coming to me (the girl who hasn't shopped in A YEAR!!) to complain about how badly he needs to go clothes shopping and resisted the instinctive "woe is me"...."You think you need to go shopping....what about me??" sort of responses I snapped back into loving wife mode and instead offered to take him shopping. We talked about what he doesn't like about his wardrobe, decided what he needs most and made a list of items to look for on our little expedition. There was quite the role reversal on our trip to the mall....instead of me leading and him following, my hubby lead the way to all his favourite stores and for once I was the one waiting attentively outside the change rooms ready to give my honest opinions and help with decisions etc. However, there was one role that I always stay true to on any shopping expedition...whether I am shopping for me, my husband or.....anyone for that matter I am forever the savvy shopper!! I helped him find great deals at stores he wouldn't normally set foot in and saved him $50 with my bargain-hunting skills. See aren't I such a great wife?? A totally selfless shopping trip....well mostly selfless at least....I did make a few mental notes for items to add to my 2012 wishlist....hey I didn't say I was perfect! I am still holding to my statement that this no-shopping project has made me a better wife or at the very least a more attentive shopping partner :)




New Additions to the 2012 Wishlist:

Chunky Knit Sweater

Adorable Minnetonka Moccasins!!

Lululemon Gratitude Wrap- perfect for apres yoga. Cozy!

These are the comfiest runners I have ever put on my feet! 

♥ Lindsay

Operation: Renew my stale wardrobe

I don't know if anyone else does this, but with every change in season I do a few minor adjustments to the arrangement of my closet. It usually involves making the current season's clothing the most easily accessible and putting the rest in storage or at least out of the forefront of my closet. So as the warm, sunny days get fewer and further between I have come to terms with the fact that Fall is just around the corner. So it's time to prep my wardrobe for the cooler weather ahead, which means bringing out the sweaters and putting away the shorts and sundresses. To be honest, this is a welcome change for me, because on a cold, crisp day I love nothing more than wrapping up in a warm, chunky knit sweater with a cup of tea. Now don't get me wrong, I love Summer too.....and part of me is sad to put away my beloved flip-flops until next year, but I am also pretty excited at the prospect of getting to access a part of my wardrobe that has been in hiding for the past 6 months or so! I feel this way with each change in season, but I think it is even more pronounced this year because without buying anything new, it is really my only opportunity to feel a sense of renewal in my wardrobe that starts to feel kind of stale by the end of a season. Or so I thought. As you know, this year I have used the hanger test to monitor how much of my wardrobe I am actually wearing and how much is just taking up space. What I have discovered is that although I am more than 3/4 of the way through the year that doesn't necessarily mean I have worn 3/4 of my wardrobe. I still have quite a few items that I haven't worn yet this year, in fact, when I pulled all the items with un-turned hangers out of my closet I was able to make no less than 10 fall appropriate outfits! So, operation: renew my stale wardrobe was born. For one week (next week specifically) I will be wearing only items that I have not yet worn this year, and judging from what I have to work with, I don't think I will even have to wear the same thing twice. Talk about a reminder to appreciate what I have......just what I need to get me through these last few months of this project!

♥ Lindsay

The French word for memory is souvenir......

so according to my logic, making memories in Peru means buying souvenirs. Right?!? Ok...so the actual translation is 'to remember' not 'memory' exactly, but the point is that the memory and souvenir are VERY closely related and therefore in order for me to remember my recent trip to Peru it was necessary for me to buy some souvenirs. So this is my long-winded way of rationalizing a few tiny purchases that I made in Peru.....I mean, really when am I EVER going to be able to buy an alpaca sweater for $15 or buy jewelry made from Andean Opal and Peruvian Turquoise while actually IN Peru? I will have them forever and they will always remind me of my trip to Peru. So, call it what you will.... cheating or just simply finding a loophole (souvenirs are not technically on the no-buy list), the point is that my focus is still on making memories and doing the things I love in life, and I don't think that buying a couple of souvenirs compromised the project in any way. Looking back on the past year, there have only been a few contentious situations (the flat iron, the bras and now the souvenirs), so I must say that if an entire year goes by and these are my only speedbumps, I can still be pret-ty proud of myself and I hope you agree!

Now that we got my little admission/rationalization of 'cheating' out of the way....check out my hubby and I on our awesome trip to Peru! We spent a week in Cusco and hiked to Machu Picchu then headed to the Coast for some surf, sun and relaxation....or as I like to call it...a week in heaven. What a great way to celebrate 5 years of marriage!!

 Cusco 

At the market in Cusco City

Beautiful architecture.....

and TONS of stairs

Viva el Peru!

 Machu Picchu

Aguas Caliente- the starting point for our hike to Machu Picchu

We had some 'typical food' to fuel our hike for the next day

Ya...we also climbed that giant mountain in the background....no big deal

We made it to the top....group photo time!

Post-hike we obviously had to put on our alpaca sweaters and have a few celebratory drinks

Next stop was Lake Titicaca

One of the floating islands on Lake Titicaca

Taquille Island

 Mancora

Drinking coconut milk from straight from a coconut and taking a photo of it...we are such tourists in this photo!

So luxurious to have read two entire books in one week....alot of time was spent in this hammock reading.
Oh how I long to be back in relaxation mode......

Mancora sunset

We splurged and got a 3 hour couples massage at a fancy resort.....it was such a treat!

On our second-to-last day of the trip and post-massage.....don't we look happy and relaxed!?!

Our two weeks were filled with new experiences (Ty leaving North America for the first time ever...YAY!), exciting challenges (lost luggage, language barriers and altitude sickness....oh my!) and adventures (climbing Machu Picchu with an awesome group of people, enjoying Peruvian delicacies like guinea pig and surfing the beautiful beaches of Mancora), but overall, it was a great reminder of what life....and this project for that matter .... are all about.

We only have one life to live, but you really can't go wrong if you are spending time with the people you love....doing the things you love....and living a life you love!

♥Lindsay 

Shhh! Don't tell my husband.....

....I stole one of his white t-shirts! Now before you judge me, let me explain. First of all he has 9 more in his drawer....and it wasn't as if I took one of his newest ones, I made sure to take an older one. Now why would I steal a plain white tee from my husband you ask?
I mean what is so special about a white t-shirt?

Well....nothing really until you take a pair of scissors to it and transform it into this.....

Voila!! Cute right?!?
What was my inspiration? Well, lately as I walk past store windows and gaze longingly at the sale signs and adorably styled mannequins I have noticed that 80's fashion is making another comeback. I have been seeing these shorter, baggy tees with cuffed sleeves everywhere and I really want one! I also love the idea of having a scooped back, so I decided to try this combination and I LOVE it! The beauty of     the material used in most t-shirts is that it doesn't fray so it makes the perfect no-sew project that takes less than 5 minutes. The result is a cute new shirt, without having to buy a cute new shirt! So go raid your husband or boyfriend's t-shirt collection and give it a try....but don't blame me if you end up with one in every colour and he ends up with an empty closet ;)
♥ Lindsay

Wicked!!!

 As you may or may not know, one of the goals of this project was to stop shopping and start living....in other words... prioritizing my spending on experiences and making memories not on material things. Well friends....if you know me at all, then you know that I love a good musical! I have seen Showboat, Phantom of the Opera and Cats (twice) in Toronto and been to many shows in Vancouver, but bucket list item #17 was to see a musical on Broadway in New York, NY and in fact it was one of the main reasons for our trip to NYC in 2008 (the other was bucket list item # 36: skating in Rockefeller Centre beneath the Christmas tree in December). The show I had wanted to see for as long as I can remember was Lion King, but I had also heard amazing things about the musical Wicked.....how do you choose between those? In my case....well...you don't! My wonderful husband (whose bucket list does NOT include a Broadway musical....if you were wondering) agreed to go to one show with me and because he is not really a Wizard of Oz fan like myself he decided he would probably enjoy The Lion King much more. So two tickets to Lion King and a single seat for Wicked it was! Both nights were amazing for different reasons.....at The Lion King I got to share an experience I had dreamed of for so long with the man I love and see a show that is a true masterpiece....the costumes, the familiar songs and the fabulous cast...outstanding for sure! On the other hand I went to Wicked alone, not knowing the story or any of the songs and having no idea what to expect.....well, I was blown away. It was by far the most incredible show I have ever seen! The only thing missing was that I had no one to share it with, so I vowed that if it ever comes to Vancouver or Seattle then I would see it with my husband....my family...my friends....and really anyone who would agree to come with me!  In September 2009, I saw it for the second time with my husband, my mom, my dad and my brother and sister in Seattle. It was a Broadway Across America production that did not disappoint, and my family loved it was well. My husband likes to say it is his second-favorite musical he has ever seen....I  guess he made the right choice to see Lion King not Wicked in New York :) It was great to be able to share it with them, but there was still something missing.....I hadn't seen it with my favorite musical buddy....so obviously I stayed on the lookout for the Broadway Across Canada production to come to Vancouver. Finally in June 2011, Wicked landed at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver and I went....yes...for the third time, but this time with a great group of girlfriends who love a good musical just as much as me, including my favorite musical buddy Jessie!

It was a wonderful evening and to make a long story short, it definitely added another wonderful experience to the memory jar....and I didn't even need to buy a new outfit, I just repurposed a floral dress into a shirt that I wore with my favorite little black skirt and patent pumps to create a cute outfit for dinner and a show!
Here are me and Jessie posing in our pretty outfits....










and then having a little fun with the Wicked poster.
We are the spitting image of Elphaba and Glinda, don't you think? :)

 ♥ Lindsay

Ahhh.... dang it!!!

Well Vancouver has finally done it! I thought the news about Target coming to Canada was bad. Well this is so much worse because while Target stores won't be open in Canada until 2013, another of my fave U.S. stores is already open.....and within walking distance to my house.
South Granville now has an Anthropologie.....

Oh.... and there is a sale....

Like I said....ahhhh dang it!