Runs on Coffee and Cream

My goal for 2017 was to get more organized. I found myself stressed out and scatterbrained in 2016 and I vowed to make a change.

Since I opened up the pages of my new planner I have found myself obsessed with it. I actually enjoy making time to sit down with it and plan out my upcoming week and make to-do lists for the next day. I'm sure it helps that I've loaded myself up with planner stickers and washi tape to make the pages more fun and inviting to look at.


It's only been about two and a half months but I wanted to share some dos and don'ts that I've encountered since starting to use my planner daily:

• use paper clips, bookmarks or other things to draw attention to certain pages. I find it easier to locate important pages with these items; such as my list of books to look up, and my 2017 convention dates. 
• be creative whether it's with stickers, doodles, washi tape, or coloured pens. It will add some fun to your planner which will make you want to keep coming back to it.
• don't use too many stickers. I killed the month of February with heart stickers that I found cheap at Michael's. Well, it left little to no room on certain days. So be aware of the space you leave to write in.
• use the internet as your inspiration for planners. Both pinterest and instagram have some amazing planner ideas and layouts to keep you organized and on track.
• don't judge and compare your own planner to some of the works of art online. Some people have been addicted to planners for years and some just have a natural creative talent to make things look pretty. You are the only one who needs to be happy with your planner!
• find what stickers work best for you. I've found I need checkbox stickers because I make constant to-do lists. Etsy is a great source for all different types of planner stickers.
• don't be afraid to make mistakes. I use pen for most of my planner and I've just started crossing things out if I make a mistake. No one is going to proofread what I write or criticize my errors so who cares?
• have fun and remember the planner is meant to help make life easier!

Found at Michael's.

Look how cute these are! These are from Plannable Designs on Etsy.

Found at Michael's.

Found at Michael's.

When I was approached by Wayfair to share some tips about how to stay productive at home it got me thinking. How do I stay productive at home? I've been running my Etsy shop, selling at conventions, and working with other websites while also working at a steady job for years and years now. Ten years to be exact. I feel like staying productive at home has just become routine for me; it's my way of life.

Don't get me wrong, there are days when I feel like staying on the couch all day and watching television. Especially on chilly or rainy days, and when a cat has snuggled up with me. But even on those days I feel guilty not being productive at all. So those unproductive days tend to be pushed away by mid-afternoon and I get back to work, no matter how small the task.


Tips to Stay Productive

Here are some of my tips on how I push myself to be productive at home, especially on the hard days:

• Plan ahead of time.

All these items can be found in the Wayfair's Office Furniture section.

How cute is that Potted Pen Stand? And I'm surprising myself more and more when I pick white over other colours, but it's become my favourite backdrop for pops of colour through accessories.

What tips do you have for staying productive at home?
xo Jen

Recently I've been spotting flared jeans more and more... it's like my high school days have come back to haunt me. It's funny how fashion trends come in and out of style. I tend to gravitate towards the fashion styles I wore in high school. I'm not entirely sure why. Maybe it's a comfort thing? Either way, I'm happy to see flared jeans again and to give my legs a breather from all the skinny jeans.

Flared Jeans

I picked up a pair of high waist, flared jeans from American Eagle and I'm so in love with them! The downfall though? They're not great in snow since you can't tuck them into boots. But believe me when I say I'll be rocking them come Spring with flats and sneakers.

Source

Source

Cabin Socks

I stole two pairs of Adam's oversized cabin socks years ago. I wear them to bed or around the house during winter. They're huge, thick wool socks that are so comfy. But I can't wear them out of the house because they're too big. So I've invested in a few pairs of ladies cabin socks to wear out of the house. I'm obsessed. Warm, comfy socks have become my weakness. I basically live in them with leggings and my furry winter boots. It's very similar to the look below (but add on a winter coat).

Source

Source

Swing Dresses

I've been addicted to swing dresses since I bought my first one at Old Navy a year or so ago. Since then I keep picking up more whenever Old Navy puts them on sale; different designs, long and short sleeved ones. They're beyond comfy, perfect to pair with leggings and easy to dress up or down. I'm actually nervous for when the style will go out of fashion because where will I buy more? But after checking out the 2017 spring fashion trends, I think they'll be sticking around with styles from the 70s being strong this year.

Source

Source

What fashion trends are you coveting?
xo Jen

I love fandom recipes. I love recipes inspired by anything geek-related. Well this month I was able to explore that interest more and find so much inspiration thanks to IGGPPC. September was a food-themed month and I had the opportunity to interview two amazingly talented ladies. Their geeky creations have left me wanting to run to the kitchen to make all the food!

The first food blogger I interviewed was The Gluttonous Geek. I'm amazed by how she comes up with recipes from tv shows and movies. Her interpretations are perfect.

Orange is the New Black: Corn and Leek Quiche from The Gluttonous Geek

Through her blog I was also introduced to #PokeNOM. Earlier this year I had made Pokemon Starters Cupcakes for the 20th anniversary of Pokemon and I was up to the challenge of coming up with another Pokemon recipe. So I spent a busy couple of weeks trying to think of another Pokemon recipe I could make easily since September has flown by for me. Then I woke up one morning with the thought of doing another Starters-themed recipe: Candy Bark! You can see the post I wrote for IGGPPC here. The directions and ingredients are listed in the post.

Pokemon Starters Candy Bark I made and posted on IGGPPC

The second blogger I had the pleasure of interviewing was Pixelated Provisions. So not only are all her recipes inspired from video games, but her photographs have me wanting to up my game too!

Overwatch: Pass into the Sundae from Pixelated Provisions

You can find both the interviews on IGGPPC here and here.

Now that I'm  hungry from looking at so many food photos, I should be off to try out my next recipe!
xo Jen

I recently finished re-watching the third season of The O.C. It was a hit TV show during high school and I found myself addicted to the drama pretty quickly. Plus, I loved Seth's geeky side and I couldn't get enough of the soundtrack (I have to thank Seth Cohen for introducing me to Death Cab for Cutie).



Not until I found The O.C. boxsets for dirt cheap did I consider picking them up. Even though I didn't miss an episode when it aired, the show quickly took a nosedive in the third season and I didn't know if I'd ever want to watch it again. Well, I have to say I'm happy I picked up the boxsets. I've enjoyed watching the bromance between Seth and Ryan again and I really am a fan of the Seth/Summer relationship.

Now, Marissa was never my favourite character. And I can say after re-watching the first three seasons, she still doesn't win me over. Unfortunately Mischa Barton wasn't the best actress, and the drama that was written into the show for Marissa was made so much worse by the lack of good acting.

But with that being said, I noticed that Marissa's wardrobe (especially in the later seasons) is my dream wardrobe from that time. I don't think I realized how much fashion from the early 2000's still influenced my outfit choices of today.



I want to wear Keds again, pull out all my long, layering necklaces, and stock up on beach-appropriate sun dresses. And to this day, I still long for Marissa Cooper hair. Long, beach waves have been my ideal hairstyle forever.

So maybe Marissa Cooper influenced me more than I thought...

Have you ever watched The O.C.?
xo Jen

As I've gotten older I appreciate and enjoy Winter more. I'm a big fan of hibernating indoors with hot drinks, blankets, and wearing layers upon layers. But it comes to a point when I start to long for sunshine, a warm breeze, and opening up my windows to let in fresh air. I'm at that point.

I love baking. I took cake decorating classes a few years ago and I'm always up for baking a batch of cookies or frosting some pretty cupcakes. It's one of my top passions in life.

This year I want to grow and challenge myself as a baker. I want to try new recipes and techniques. I want to experiment more with flavours and decorating styles. Lately I've found myself getting lost on Instagram and Pinterest looking at cake and cookie photos.

2015 is almost over. This Friday is January 1st, which means a new year will be upon us. At the end of the year I enjoy looking back at what happened over the last 12 months - the good and bad. I like to see how I've grown, what mistakes I've learnt from, and how things have changed. From this I find inspiration for the new year. Motivation, inspiration, life lessons. I don't necessarily set goals for myself for the new year, but I do jot down ideas, dreams, and things I'd like to try during the upcoming year.

This is my list:

Baking

Baking is a huge passion of mine. I've definitely grown and become more adventurous but I have so many more ideas that I'm excited to start working on in 2016. I started a notebook a little over a month ago where I've been writing down all my ideas for treats. I'm beyond excited to start baking and decorating which is a really good thing. Though, I'll have a lot of sweets on hand, so please come over and eat some!



Crafts

This past year I attended a few new conventions and craft shows where I sold my products. I really enjoyed myself and did well at these events which means I'm planning on selling at these shows again in 2016. Because I was selling to a new crowd or at a different type of event, I made note of what was selling better than other things so I definitely have some ideas on how to properly stock for these shows next year.


Home

We worked on our house and yard a lot over this last year. But for the upcoming year we already have plans to paint 3 rooms and replace some of the flooring. It's super exciting for me because I've been itching to start on this process and it seems like it's finally going to be happening in the first half of the year. I cannot wait to have freshly painted walls where I can finally hang art and photographs.



Health

I'm starting off the new year having my carpal tunnel checked out. It scares me so much since I rely on my hands for everything I do and love. But I cannot keep waking up at night due to pain in my hand and pins and needles in my fingers that make me cry. I'm hoping getting this looked at will be the start of a positive and healthy year for me.

The past few months have been a trying period. Struggles with health issues, what feels like working opposite shifts to Adam's most of the time, unexpected bills, dark days, exhaustion. This isn't completely new to me. I've had crappy times in the past where I just have to keep on fighting.

I've been working on making things better - both myself and my life. During this I've been pushing Adam to make some positive changes as well. Things like getting out of our comfort zones, doing things that might scare us a bit, scheduling dates, scheduling time to rest, eating more fruits and veggies. Our social calendar over the last month has been more packed than it has in years. It's crazy. Fun, but exhausting. After a night playing board games with people, I want to hide in our home for a week to recover. I don't know if this feeling will last forever. But I really do prefer my cats to humans most days.

Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson couldn't have come at a better time. Jenny writes about her life with mental illness - good days, bad days, struggles, her phobias, and tells some very interesting stories about her life. She is a fantastic writer and absolutely hilarious. The book itself is such a wonderful look into life with depression and anxiety. Not only did it make me feel more normal and less like a freak, it gave me encouragement to keep going forward because good days are around the corner.

“You learn to appreciate the fact that what drives you is very different from what you’re told should make you happy. You learn that it’s okay to prefer your personal idea of heaven (live-tweeting zombie movies from under a blanket of kittens) rather than someone else’s idea that fame/fortune/parties are the pinnacle we should all reach for. And there’s something surprisingly freeing about that.” 
― Jenny Lawson, Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things

I cannot recommend this book enough to everyone. I'm actually looking forward to re-reading it because I have a feeling I'll laugh every time and it'll give me some comfort.


December is sneaking up on us and I'm hoping the month of Christmas lights, baking, movies, wrapping gifts, and cheery music will be a fun one and that I can find some balance so I don't wear myself out.

xo Jen

We recently finished watching Season 4 of Mad Men. I really enjoyed this season - watching them struggle and work hard to get their new company off the ground. I also really enjoyed Peggy Olson in this season. I've always had a love-hate relationship with this character in previous seasons. She's an amazing women and it's nice to see her standing up for equality and pushing the boundaries, but her desire to please Don all the time takes its toll on me. I'm not a huge fan of Don Draper so I'd rather see Peggy start to step away from pleasing him, which I think she's doing.

You can see that Peggy has become more confident and comfortable in her own skin during this season. She wears cute, fashionable outfits in every episode, and I'd like almost everything she wears!


I love the friendship she creates with Joyce (Shoshanna from Girls) in this season as well. Joyce really brings out a different side to Peggy. I hope Joyce sticks around in the following seasons.

February is a short month. It's also the last month of official Winter in my eyes. Yes, moving North means Winter sticks around longer. But March can be hit or miss. Sometimes you get a stretch of mild days that melts a bit of snow. This means I need to fit in Winter activities over the next month in case Spring shows up sooner than we expect.


I'm predicting February to be a fast month. There's IGGPPC things happening (bake-alongs, themed recipes to be made, challenges to participate in, etc.), a Valentine date night, and sewing!

I'm not going to lie and say I'm not excited for Spring and more sunshine! But I definitely want to take advantage of all the snow and ice before it disappears!

February To Do List:
- more ice skating
- snow shoeing
- keep up with yoga
- sew as much as possible and keep Etsy updated


Do you have anything fun planned for this month?
xo Jen

I'm giving Once Upon A Time (OUAT) a go again. I started watching it years ago when it first aired. I really enjoyed it, but during the second season I moved and I just couldn't keep up with the episodes as they aired so I gave up. Recently I've been hearing a lot about this show again. A chunk of my Twitter feed and one of my best friends keep talking about it. So I thought I'd try watching it again. Plus, it's a bit easier now since it's a few seasons in and I can marathon the earlier seasons. I'm now three episodes away from finishing season two and I'm thoroughly enjoying the storyline and most of the characters.

Ginnifer Goodwin has always been an actress I liked (she's my favourite sister wife from Big Love). So I quickly liked and started to cheer for Snow White/Mary Margaret on Once Upon A Time. Ginnifer is adorable and she portrays such a sweet, honest, caring, and brave character on OUAT. And to top off her adorableness, she has a wardrobe I'd like to raid!

Her wardrobe is filled with feminine and soft styles and also some menswear-style clothes. I just adore her outfits. The coats, scarves, and hats they layer her in are also lovely.



I'm excited to keep watching this show and see how the story and characters continue to develop. Do you watch OUAT?
xo Jen

It's cold. Today when I woke up it felt like -40 degrees Celsius with the windchill and it didn't warm up much. This afternoon it felt like -35. It's easy to be a homebody in this weather. Stay in a warm house, drinking hot drinks, and wrapped in blankets. Don't get me wrong, that was how I spent most of my morning and evening. But I have to get out of the house sometimes. I need sunshine and to just leave the house.

So in spirit of getting out of the house or at least off the couch this month, typically one of the colder Winter months, here's my January to do list:

- ice skating on Ramsey Lake
- exercising regularly at home
- have a board game night, even if it's just with Adam
- start prepping for my first comic convention of the season (March is not that far away... eeek!)
- go for snowy but sunny afternoon walks

About a month or so ago I came across the amazing, talented, inspiring world of the Female Geek Bloggers. I follow a lot of people on Twitter who are apart of this group and I also read some blogs with the FGB logo in their sidebar. I finally did some research into the group and I'm in love!

One of the regular blogging themes amongst the group is the Five Fandom Friday. Five Fandom Friday was started by two bloggers whom I admire, The Nerdy Girlie and Super Space Chick, and each week bloggers will write about the same thing or theme. This past week was 'New Years Blogging Resolutions'. This seemed right up my alley since we're only a couple days away from the new year and I've been focusing more on my blog this year.

So here are my New Years Blogging Resolutions:

1. Better photos
I've stated this before but I really want and need to up my photo game. Which means a better camera and trying to find the best lighting in this house. I have been working on lighting and taking my time with photos to avoid blurriness, but it's still something I want to improve.

2. Connect with companies and host giveaways
Because of IGGPPC, I'm becoming more exposed and experienced with contacting companies about hosting giveaways or looking for sponsors for special events. I now need to transfer that experience to my own blog and hopefully find some amazing people to work with.

3. Write ahead
I'm bad with leaving posts to the last minute. I keep a blog schedule/calendar filled with details and ideas so I never go to update a post with no preparation. But it'd be nice to have a couple of posts on hand at all times for when I get called into work or a sickness takes over. That way I wouldn't feel so stressed out about writing and keep my site up to date.

4. Go on more adventures
More adventures in life means more content to write about. Living in a relatively new-to-me city means there's lots to explore but I just need the energy and bravery to head out there!


5. Become more connected with other geeks
Seems vague, but I want to connect with more people at comic conventions, online, through blogs, etc. Networking can be amazing and I've experienced some positive outcomes from networking. I want to do more in the geek community and work with amazing people!

I finished the fourth season of Doctor Who today. I still have the Christmas Special to watch before starting season five however. But oh man, the last episode, Journey's End, broke my heart. This season has been my favourite so far and Donna Noble has by far been my favourite companion.


Donna's relationship with the Doctor is wonderful. I love that it's strictly platonic and she's not pining for him. She stands up to him, she talks back to him, she challenges him. And her sass and attitude is great.

All the adventures Donna goes on with the Doctor in this season are amazing and I loved her wardrobe throughout the season too.



You could say Donna is both style and attitude inspiration for me. Seeing her grow as a person and help the Doctor along the way made me fall in love with this show even more during this season.


I'm definitely curious to see where things go after this season because I know the Doctor and companion are changing. I'm hoping the obsession I had with Doctor Who during this season doesn't disappear.

xo Jen