I hope all of you are enjoying a happy holiday, I know I am.

I have drunk the required hot chocolate and enjoyed the traditional cookies and even been given a shot of some traditional scotch (that was very, very gross).

Tomorrow, I work, but we also plan to open stockings and eat ham and maybe even watch our family’s traditional Christmas movie, Young Frankenstein. (hey man, don’t judge, don’t judge.)

What are your holiday traditions?

It’s been awhile, but I’ve been recovering from school ending and doing more Holiday related things, like write Christmas cards.

Are Christmas cards a thing of antiquity? It certainly seems like they are. As I wrote in my most recent letter, finals turned my brain into a special kind of mush this term. All I want to do is sit and listen to music and enjoy not doing anything.

But Christmas cards are a nice start. Handwritten letters add a special touch to any present, even if it is the gift of saying ‘hello’.

This was a nice sentiment on written letters and handwriting, I thought I’d share:

via the essential man

Give it a try this year! It is never too late for handwritten hellos.

Dad: “So… I have four days off. Wanna… (wiggles fingers) hang out?”

Me: “Don’t you have some golfing to do?”

Dad: “Well, YEAH. I mean, you’re right. I need to golf every day so that I can be a pro.”

Me: “Trying to cram in a few years of training, right?”

Dad: “Well, I need to train a lot if I want to be the golf champion at Wimbleton.”

Me: (stares at my father) “…”

Dad: “Maaaaybe this is why I suck at golf.”

Golfing doesn’t run in the family, but pursuing silly things sure does. I can’t wait for this term to be over so I can increase my pokemon to sleeping ratio. Or maybe antiquing to writing essays ratio. What does ratio mean anyway? Maybe this is why I suck at them.

Why hello there, lovelies!

I know, I know, it’s been awhile. And I’ve been busy, what with school and work and actually attempting to have a social life beyond the computer in my bedroom. Fun fact: I got a call from Australia last week, commending me for focusing on my studies instead of blogging.

I’m breaking my silence this week because 1) I miss writing to y’all and 2) I had to share… of course I am still thrifting and finding neat and random things to wear. 3) Also I am tired of analyzing Renaissance poetry. REALLY.

Two weeks ago I attended a booksigning for the lovely Winona’s new book, Closet Confidential, where I got my autographed copy and enjoyed some sparkling apple cider at Mabel & Zora.

Me and my sister at the Closet Confidential party!

Shiny, right? I was ecstatic to find an appropriate party to wear my sequined dress to. The drive home in the rain-slick, lamplit dark night was super fun, as every stoplight we drove through made a mini disco-ball-fueled rave in our old car.

On the subject of sequins, they are among my new favourite things. I mean, we’ve discussed how much I like sparkles.

I am wearing my silver sequined shoes everywhere, even though my feet get wet in the rain.

And yesterday, on an unexpected Goodwill run, I found this little number:

I’m thinking: luncheon with my great-aunt, afternoon tea with The Duchess…

I don’t know if this is a post saying that my blog is going to be on semi-hiatus for awhile. All I can say is that I’m really overwhelmed with school and work and long-distance and it’s really frying all of my creative outlets.

I am still taking outfit photos, and I am still planning on updating this blog, as I go, this is just a formal announcement that it’s going to be patchy for awhile.

This weekend I took a day off from work and was carted off to the beach my two of my favourite customers and their lovely dog, Max, who I house-sat for a few weeks this summer.

The Oregon Coast is sunny, warm and bright for about three days every summer. The rest of the year it cold, blustery, rainy and wet. Which really is how the beach is supposed to be! The Pacific ocean is freezing and the sand is puddley and the wind blows you about like a leaf.

It was a relief to take a day to just be–my weeks have turned into a frantic run-around of getting things done and What Project Is Next, which really is hard to enjoy.

I took a collective breath of fresh air and am knuckling back down to it. I’ll still be around, posting, but I do feel the need to announce: The Lemon Life is a bit crazy at the moment.

I’m making lemonade, just a bit slower than I have been this summer.

Since school has started, I spend a ridiculous amount of time in my bedroom. I do all of my homework and reading in here, it’s awesome.

I took real ownership of this bedroom this summer. I rearranged the furniture, went through my closet (once or thrice) and started collecting objects and new ways to store my stuff.

For some reason, it makes it easier to work in my room–having the things that inspire me close at hand and organized in my own little way.

How about you? How does your room reflect your personality, or your inspirations?

Welp. I survived my first week of school.

So it happens. And I feel kind of like a dork for Writing A Blog Post about Surviving My Very First Week Of School, but that’s how I roll. I was filled with way more anxiety about returning to school this year than I was in previous years, it boils down these three things:

1. I’ve been in community college for what feels like an eternity now, and this was my first week at University (finally!).
2. I met someone, who now lives far away. University means we can’t talk as much as we have been these past few weeks. (Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!)
3. All the girls downtown wear sexy boots and tights and dresses and ivory-carved necklaces and I have to catch a bus, a train, walk 12 blocks to get to campus AND then run across campus halfway through my day and sexy boots, tights, dresses and ivory-carved necklaces just don’t really fit into those wardrobe choices, right? I have been making do with my brand-new (for the term) graphic tees and my ever-trusty plaid shoes.

I am very excited and also dreading the coming term. I have two literature classes and a history class, which means I will be doing gobs and gobs of reading and also gobs and gobs of writing. Hopefully I can get past my initial hatred of doing work of any kind and find a way to enjoy the inevitable work I will have to do.

Because I don’t live on campus (though I would love love love to) I can’t quite wear the fascinating boots and skirt combinations that 99% of the girls on campus here wear, but I can make my own attempts with flats and my own cute tights. I will post an update on that next week!

So, I’ve been pretty open about how I work for this company where you wear green aprons and serve delicious lattes. I love my job! It’s awesome.

Next week we are releasing a new product called VIA ready brew. It’s instant coffee, and totally delicoius. My problem with getting excited and selling it is the fact that I don’t drink brewed coffee. I’ve had a really hard time becoming excited for something that (I thought) had no applications to my life.

And then I remembered this.

Like I say in that post, there is never an inappropriate time for cake. Lost your job? Eat some cake. Won an award? Eat some cake. Found a puppy? Eat some cake. Got a flu shot? Eat some cake.

But I digress.

Last week I did a quick twitter survey of whether I should combine VIA with a chocolate cake. My three responses were an overwhelming yes.

2 packs of VIA + 1/2 the batter in a chocolate cake mix.

= 1 pretty lookin’ cake.
The marbled effect really doesn’t make a difference in baking, except maybe make the coffee taste a little more potent. And really, the cake just tastes INCREDIBLY RICH. Not so much like coffee.

And here it is frosted, with coffee beans on top! I think that next time I will use chocolate covered coffee beans, and maybe use a little bit more instant coffee. It is SUPER delicious, though!

Overall verdict: awesome. You should try it!

I have been attempting to fully enjoy these last weeks of September summer.

On Tuesday I start school (my first term full-time at a University!) and everything will be crazy and not-so-crazy again. I am definetly ready for a regular schedule. Don’t know how ready I am for homework.

1. Fall.
2. The colour orange.
3. Lion statues.
4. Scarves.
5. Comparing sweet things like romance to Michael Bay films.
6. Cute girls in sweaters.
7. School starting.
8. Toy guns, and girls with old guns in general.
9. Baking cookies.
10. The idea of leaving love notes out in public for strangers.
11. Wearing black and gray.
12. Red trees that look like they’re on fire.
13. Drawing on craft paper.
14. Squirrels.
15. Looking at old photos.
16. Watching old episodes of Recess online.
17. The chilly early-morning smell I remember from childhood.
18. Making plans for Halloween.
19. Gray eyes.
20. Diamond tights and blue capes.

What do you love right now?