beth & tyler

Beth & I work together and a couple months ago we booked this shoot with her and her boyfriend Tyler for Valentine's Day. They were such troopers, running around in 12 degree weather and still smiling like champs. And they didn't laugh too hard when I was crouching in knee deep snow taking pictures and fell on my butt, so thanks for that guys. ;)

Week 9/52!

currently, february edition

drinking lots & lots of coffee, preferably with samoa coffee creamer

expanding my collection of thrifted mugs... i think it's time to start culling because my cupboard is too full

reading everything i can get my hands on lately

eating whopper's robin eggs & peanut butter m&ms; we love easter candy!

wishing it was spring because i'm so sick of wearing snow boots all the time

getting inspired by my closet again, which is really the best thing ever

wearing all the ugly sweaters until i have to pack them away to make room for summer clothes

catching up on grey's anatomy

making a list of craft goals i want to accomplish

loving all the light parties, everywhere, all the time

becoming a morning person... i never thought i'd see the day (but i love it)

you are cordially invited

It's a light party, and everyone is invited. I will never not be in love with the light that shines through these windows every single day. #brbchasinglight forever.

sassafrass

Cardigan & V-neck: Thrifted, Chambray Top: Target, Pants: Old Navy, Boots: Mom

Necklace: Gift, Lipstick: Kate Moss for Rimmel 101, Nail Polish: Gorgeous Gerbera by Flower

Yesterday it was almost 40 degrees outside and I definitely took advantage of it. I frolicked about in the sunshine, took the long way to the grocery store, and I just had a very very good day. I got up early and did my usual morning ritual of coffee and cereal and blog reading. Justin and I finished our ongoing game of refrigerator Scrabble (which means it's time for me to get some more alphabet magnets!) and we ate pizza and watched Across the Universe last night. I also finished season 8 of Grey's Anatomy last night and was a big sobbing mess...

I dyed my hair this week! Not that you can really tell, but it was supposed to be blonde. There's too much red still in my hair to actually show it, but it sort of looks brown to me right now which I can live with.

I also started spring cleaning this week. Good news: I can see the floor of my closet again... Bad news: Most of my clothes ended up in boxes again. I need a good closet organizing system because I don't have enough hangers for all of my clothes. By the time I'm done cleaning my closet though, I hope to have enough clothes to either donate or do a small shop my closet type sale on Instagram!

8/52; What have you guys been up to this week? :)

my first ugly sweater

Sweater: Thrifted, Jeans & Hat: Old Navy, Boots: Gift, Mittens: Lost & Found

This is the sweater that started it all, but coincidentally only #4 in my ugly sweater series. I found it at Salvation Army, which usually tends to be my holy grail of ugly sweaters. Something about the green cable knit and navy-purple-white accent V just enraptured me, and from that spawned an entire collection that I will probably keep up with for the rest of my life. Ugly sweaters, I love you.

In other news, it's snowing again, and I only got one hour of sleep last night so it's time to curl up on the couch with some coffee and hopefully finish season 8 of Grey's Anatomy!

brb, chasing light

I almost don't want to decorate in the apartment because I love watching light dance across the walls in the mornings and afternoons. The living room gets the best light through the window at about 3 o' clock, and our bedroom gets an A+ for morning sun showers, even through the curtains.

Valentines Day week, you were tough. It was almost like everyone was just off their game this week. My one little word stayed with me a lot this week and reminded me to keep going when things got tough. I realized that since making Unafraid my word for the year, I've been journaling a lot more than I used to. My Moleskine that I've had since my Savannah days is almost full of words and sketches and scribbles; I'll be on the hunt for a new journal sooner than I think.

More than anything this week, I've been yearning for spring. I want to be able to go outside and not have to wear leggings under my pants to keep me warm. I want to be able to wear shoes other than the heavy boots my mom got me for Christmas... though I will kind of miss wearing these mittens I found the other day. I want to break out all my spring lipsticks and my pink nail polish. I want to see grass again, and trees with new growth. I want to take shadow selfies in puddles from the melting snow.

I am yearning for spring this week, 7/52.

#annalovesbreakfast

Breakfast is often my favourite meal of the day. It's routine, it's familiar, it's comforting. I know I'm going to have a good day when I sit down to enjoy my morning and eat breakfast. Lately, breakfast has consisted of coffee with pumpkin spice creamer, maple brown sugar or apple cinnamon oatmeal (with extra cinnamon) or my go-to breakfast cereal: Cheerios. Sometimes I mix it up and make peanut butter toast for breakfast, or if it's a special occasion (like Thanksgiving) I go the extra mile and get up really early and make cinnamon rolls or french toast or pancakes.

Breakfast always reminds me of my grandma. When I was little, she would get me up in the morning and get me ready for school and she would always make sure I ate breakfast. Whether it was cereal, oatmeal or toast, she always made sure I started my morning right. When I had a big test or school musical auditions or something super important, she always got up early and made me something extra special. Usually my breakfast of choice on those days was chocolate chip pancakes... Mmmm.

Mornings are my fave, basically. I'm in love with morning light, I'm in love with breakfast, I'm in love with calm and quiet and still.

#annalovesbreakfast might become a thing on Instagram... we'll see. ;)

(Week 6/52!)

around here

This is my last Burlington post, I promise. My car battery is deader than dead and it's been cold so I haven't been taking photos as much as I would like to lately. Snapshots from around the house + a shot of Adrian's, because I miss it. Happy hump day!

the best time to wear a striped sweater

Sweater: Thrifted, Hat: Old Navy, Jeans: Walmart, Boots: Gift

Third installment in my ugly sweater collection series. Week 5 in my 52 Weeks project. This post could also be titled "The ootd in which I got eaten by the sun."

I went back to work this week. Justin has been sick and we've been taking care of each other. I've been drinking my coffee out of thrifted mugs and making my way through A Million Little Pieces by James Frey that I picked up at the thrift store for $.99... couldn't ask for a better deal. I got a surprise in the mail this week also. One of my aunts down in Florida found my great grandparent's Kodak Brownie kit, still in the original box, and she thought I was the perfect person to have it.

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster emotionally... I'm thanking myself now for making "Unafraid" my word for the year because it has made me accept that I have to deal with the hard stuff.