loveliness. | Live, travel, adventure, bless and don't be sorry. | Page 55

- honeybadger don’t give a kiss
  
  Posted at 4:13 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 18, 2012
  
  My work Christmas party was last Thursday, and I seriously had so much fun. In the afternoon I joined a team for The Amazing Race: Honeybadger Edition, which was basically a scavenger hunt all around San Francisco where we had clues and challenges to figure out, and we had to try to make it back to the office in the shortest time.
  
  We were literally running all over the city like crazy people, sweating in ugly sweaters, wrapped in Christmas lights and wearing reindeer antlers, and it was a lot of fun. The great thing about this city is that there are so many crazily dressed and insane people wandering around all the time, that nobody even gave us a second look, it was pretty funny.
  
  Later that evening we had a big party with food, drinks, ice sculptures and karaoke, and it was a blast. I got to meet a bunch of new people at the company, and party with my fellow AC’s. I absolutely love karaoke, I used to go to karaoke all the time in Hawaii, but I haven’t been since we moved here and I missed it.
  
  Honeybadger ice scuplture
  
  Oh Canada
  
  I will take literally any excuse to sing “Piano Man” at the top of my lungs. The night ended with me singing a stirring rendition of the Canadian national anthem with the 2 other Canucks that work in our office.
  
  My ugly sweater was a casualty of the evening, I can’t find it anywhere. Apparently I am destined to be forced to to hunt down a new one every year.
  
  Posted in holidays, life | 0 Comments
- attribution
  
  Posted at 4:21 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 14, 2012
  
  One of the theories that was most interesting to me when I was taking classes for my MA in Communication was Attribution Theory.
  
  It basically says that people look for cause and reaction in their everyday lives, and in the actions and behaviors of those around them, but that we are more likely to attribute our successes (winning a race, getting a promotion) as internal (we are smarter, stronger, faster, etc than the other guy) and our failures as external ( the other guy cheated, the stakes were unfair, etc) and we are more likely to attribute the successes of other people as external (they were lucky, there was less competition) and other people’s failures as internal (they aren’t as smart, they are lazy, lack motivation, etc).
  
  I feel like this is very applicable in real life, on a pretty much constant basis. We know why we do the things we do, and we all like to see ourselves as good people, so we are able to rationalize our actions and behaviors in a positive way.
  
  We also want to understand why other people do what they do, but since we don’t actually know what their motivation is or what they are thinking or feeling at the time, we basically have to guess, and it can be easy to make judgements about people based on these guesses, even though at the end of the day we really have no idea why that person acted the way they did.
  
  As a personal example, this was a long time ago but I still remember it like it was yesterday, there was a guy from my high school who I kind of knew but not very well. He messaged me online one day, so I was chatting with him, and he told me that he thought I was a stuck up bitch basically, because I never said hello to him, even though he never said anything to me either.
  
  Now, I am kind of awkward and shy if I don’t know people pretty well, that’s just the way it is, so I just figured he was the same way, and never really thought about it again, but he had rationalized to himself that the reason he hadn’t said anything to me was that he was too shy, but that I was deliberately not talking to him because I was stuck up and rude.
  
  We both rationalized each other’s behaviour, and assigned motivation to our actions, even though, really, we had no idea why the other person hadn’t said anything.
  
  That’s just one example, but it happens all the time, to everyone. They say first impressions are everything, but you might miss out on a really great person, or an awesome friend because of a judgement you made about that person based on nothing but your own rationalization of their behaviour.
  
  Basically:
  
  Try giving people the benefit of the doubt, they might just surprise you.
  
  Posted in thoughts | 0 Comments | Tagged attribution theory, communication, life, thoughts
- winter wonderland
  
  Posted at 4:44 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 13, 2012
  Last night we went out for supper in SF, then got Starbucks and went for a long walk before we went skating at the Embarcadero center.
  
  SF at Christmas
  
  Skating was really fun, although they had “hockey skates” and I use the term loosely. They had absolutely no edge, and I kept waiting to crash head long into the boards and take 4 or 5 unlucky souls with me. I managed to stay upright but I really missed my picks, and regretted my decision not to bring my skates to California with me.
  
  “A good skater can skate in anything”- Just Friends
  
  Trying not to die
  
  Here are few of my favourite things about this time of year:
  - skiing, skating, tobogganing, etc.
  - coming in out of the cold and warming your hands on a steaming mug of hot chocolate (see above)
  - it seems like people are nicer to each other, and go out of their way to help even complete strangers
  - finding the perfect gift for someone that you absolutely know they will love (extra points if it’s on sale)
  - all of the cookies (especially these), and other delicious treats
  - there is always an excuse for a party, cute new dress, or cocktail
  - holiday movies, especially Home Alone, and Love Actually
  - when you’re wrapping presents and you manage to cut all the way across the wrapping paper in one smooth line, without stopping and without ripping it. Success.
  Posted in California, holidays, life, San Francisco | 0 Comments | Tagged Christmas, holidays, San Francisco, skating
- anticipation
  
  Posted at 4:24 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 12, 2012
  
  I’ve been eagerly awaiting this week because it is basically going to be an epic lineup of fun-ness and joy. Plans for this week include ice skating, putting up our Christmas lights, and frolicking.
  
  Last night we went to the skating rink at the Embarcadero so I could show off my mad skater skills, also known as how I once picked myself in the armpit, and also ended up with a goose egg the size of a hockey puck on my forehead. But I can still shoot a mean duck, true story.
  
  Tomorrow night is my Christmas party, so I will be decked out in all of my ugly sweater glory, and also probably this hat:
  
  Friday night is Derek’s Christmas party, dinner, dancing and cocktails at a hotel in Marin and I get to wear my favourite dress and try not to make a fool of myself in front of high ranking military officials.
  
  Saturday night is the Nutcracker, and I can’t wait. I am so excited for the show, for a night out in the city with my boy, and to wear my lovely new dress.
  
  I currently have no plans for Sunday, but I can imagine they will involve a lot of this:
  
  And also eating mass quantities of this.
  
  Posted in holidays, life | 0 Comments
- puppy chow
  
  Posted at 4:14 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 11, 2012
  
  It truly isn’t Christmas for me if I haven’t gotten at least 3 stomach aches from overconsumption of puppy chow. This week I made a massive batch so I can give some out to people that I like.
  
  Only 4 ingredients, that means it’s healthy, right?
  
  Or keep it and eat all of it myself, I’m still on the fence. I used this recipe. If you’ve never made it before, try it.
  
  I want to be in you
  
  It’s very simple, extremely delicious and addictive to the point of worry. It is food crack, as evidenced by the fact that I couldn’t wait for it to cool and ended up with a pretty severe chocolate burn on my fingers.
  
  Enjoy!
  
  Posted in chocolate, recipes | 0 Comments
- favourites…
  
  Posted at 4:29 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 10, 2012
  
  Things that are making me happy right now:
  
  I bought us tickets to go see The Nutcracker at The Opera House in San Francisco. My mom took my sisters and I to see it when we were younger, and it is one of my last good memories with my Great-Grandma Dolly before she passed away.
  
  It’s also something that we definitely haven’t done together yet, it will be a festive date and a good excuse to get dressed up and drink champagne with the boy.
  
  There are only a few weeks until we leave for 8 days in Ixtapa with my family. Bring on the sun, surf, and other tropical things that start with ‘S’.
  
  Me in 2 weeks. Probably.
  
  The above the knuckle ring I got from Etsy. I am constantly afraid it is going to go flying across the room every time I gesture, but it actually stays put.
  
  Essie Turquoise and Caicos Nail Polish
  
  The most expensive mushroom soup ever. Canadian Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup is sooo much better so I made Derek bring me back two cases in his suitcase, but then his suitcase was overweight and he had to pay $75.00 to get it on the plane.
  
  He didn’t even get upset, he is pretty much a keeper. He did say that I better eat it for every meal, but since I know I won’t be getting more for a long time I’ve only eaten one can, and I am squirreling it away in the back of the closet like a doomsday hoarder.
  
  Posted in Canada, favourites, Mexico | 0 Comments | Tagged Essie, etsy, favourites, the nutcrackers
- awake in someone else’s dream…
  
  Posted at 5:08 am by jasminedesirees, on December 10, 2012
  
  Love this. Goodnight 🙂
  
  Posted in inspiration, loveliness | 0 Comments | Tagged inspiration, loveliness, quotes
- anatomy of an ugly Christmas sweater
  
  Posted at 3:39 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 7, 2012
  
  It’s Christmas time again, the time when a young woman’s fancy turns to thoughts of finding the most hideous sweater ever knitted. My work Christmas party this year has adopted this popularly festive theme, so I am prepared to dress accordingly.
  
  Ideally, you have an eccentric great-aunt with an attic full of novelty holiday wear available to anyone brave enough to climb the rickety ladder and battle through years of accumulated dust and cobwebs, but that’s generally not the case.
  
  There are plenty of online options, people hoping to make big bucks off of those of us who have waited until the last minute and are torn between ordering something on Ebay to be overnight shipped into our waiting arms, or actually teaching ourselves to knit via YouTube video and whipping up what will surely be the ugliest sweater at the party, and not in a good way.
  
  Buying an ugly sweater online, while certainly convenient, feels inauthentic to me somehow. Sure you are at the party, maybe your sweater is uglier than anyone else’s, but that’s why you bought it.
  
  It’s not really fair to compare those sweaters with the ones that were actually received as gifts from a well meaning grandmother who honestly thought it was cute, and thusly, must be dug out and worn to every applicable family function between Halloween and President’s Day, so as not to cause offense. Those are the people who really earned the title of Ugliest Christmas Sweater. Respect.
  
  As for me, I am hoping to land somewhere in the middle, by looking at the thrift store and Goodwill. Sure, I will have purchased my sweater, but I think the hours spent sorting through the piles of denim overalls and “Grandchildren tug at my heart strings” t-shirts has to count for something.
  
  This is my sweater from a few years ago. No, it is not the ugliest, or most festive of sweaters, but if you had seen the trail of gold glitter this thing left behind, you would probably vote for me. Sadly, I no longer own it, as it was refused entry into our apartment and unceremoniously tossed from the balcony by this one guy I know.
  
  If you truly must buy your sweater online, please make it this one.
  
  Posted in life, thoughts | 0 Comments
- Wedding Bell Blues
  
  Posted at 6:44 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 6, 2012
  
  I planned my wedding by myself (with help from my fabulous mother and some inspiration from Pinterest), from across the country. It was a bit stressful, but it really wasn’t bad, especially with the wonders of online shopping.
  
  We didn’t have a huge budget, luckily we were able to have the ceremony and reception at my parents’ lake house, which really cut down on costs, but I’ve also never been someone who would want to spend $25,000 on a wedding. Yes, it is a very special day, but wouldn’t you rather put that money towards, say an insane honeymoon trip around the world, or the down payment on a house?
  
  With a little bit of time and effort, I was able to get everything I wanted, and not break the bank.
  
  I ordered our flowers (white roses) from Costco. You can order them in bulk, they showed up two days before and we all made our own bouquets and my mom and aunts made flower arrangements for the tables.
  
  I am so tan
  
  We had a ton of flowers, 200 white roses for around $160.00. I had also been collecting new and vintage brooches for a few months before the wedding, and added them into my bouquet for a bit of sparkle and uniqueness.
  
  I was a bit stuck on what to get for favours, it seemed like a waste of money to give people something just to give them something. I thought about doing edible favours, like baskets of cherries, or homemade chocolate chip cookies (thankfully my sister talked me out of that with a little common sense about what happens to chocolate left sitting out in the 100 degree July heat), but settled on handled mason jar drinking glasses, which could serve a dual purpose as favours, and also let me get away with not buying or renting glasses for the guests.
  
  I searched for quite awhile to find these at a reasonable price, a lot of the time the shipping was twice as much as the glasses themselves ($300 for shipping, seriously?) but finally found some from BarProducts, Inc. It was $200, shipping included, for 150 glasses. I bought cute favour tags on Etsy, and I couldn’t have been happier with the result.
  
  Since the wedding was in Montana, we continued the rustic theme into the centerpieces, using slabs of cut wood as the base (thanks Dad!) and placing different sizes of mason jars with white candles on top. It was simple and beautiful, and fit the atmosphere perfectly.
  
  We made our own cupcakes, with fondant flowers from Pfeil and Holing, and my very talented friend Amanda made and decorated a cake for us to cut.
  
  I toyed with the idea of getting a vintage typewriter for our guest book, I’ve always wanted one, and I figured it would be my wedding present to myself, but then I thought about how much I loved playing with them when I was little, and realized we were going to have a lot of kids at our wedding. I had a horrible vision of going to read our guest book only to discover it was nothing more than pages upon pages of unreadable typewriter text.
  
  I decided to get a vintage suitcase instead, and I found one on Etsy with a gorgeous purple lining. I knew it would be great for our wedding, and also serve as a wonderfully decorative addition to our home afterwards.
  
  I also found some vintage black and white postcards on Etsy, and had the guests write us a postcard and leave it in the suitcase, along with any cards we received.
  
  I plan to put the postcards in a photo album with our wedding pictures, as a fun keepsake from a wonderful day.
  
  A few more special details were this handkerchief for my flower girl, and this cape and ornate glass box for our ring bearer.
  
  Posted in life, Montana, USA | 0 Comments | Tagged Montana, wedding, wedding tips
- fiddle diddles.
  
  Posted at 6:02 pm by jasminedesirees, on December 5, 2012
  
  It was such a miserable weekend that I needed a hefty dose of chocolatey goodness just to make it through, so I decided to make some Fiddle Diddles.
  
  I used this recipe, and these cookies are so fudgey, chewy and yummy that I’ve been eating these pretty much to the exclusion of everything else since Saturday.
  
  Here are some of the best food quotes ever to get you through the rest of the day.
  
  Posted in chocolate, food, recipes | 1 Comment | Tagged chocolate, fiddle diddles, haystacks, macaroons, recipes
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