How Times have Changed (Part 1)

Hi peeps!

I recently started a new job ( hip, hip, hooray!) and the other day, they had me outside working on filling one of the raised flower beds with soil. They didn't have any gloves, so I was working in my bare hands. And to my surprise, I actually loved it! I loved have the dirt under my nails, to have that distinctive soil smell left on my hands, and to feel the interesting moist yet dry texture of it on my skin. But if you had asked my younger self about touching dirt, you probably would have been met with my iconic "grossed out" face and something along the lines of "Ew, gross". And this made me realize that there are a few other things that I absolutely hated as a kid, but love as an adult.

1.) Cow Saliva

My baby from last spring, Aberdeen, giving a cheeky little wink to the camera

 

Before you think I'm some weirdo who has an obsession with drinking cow salvia ( that's probably actually a thing *shudder*), it's not like that. See, I grew up on a farm and we raised cattle there. When a cow has twins, she will only be able to take care of one. The other one becomes a "bottle fed" and my siblings and I would take care of them. Now just like human babies, calves drool. A lot. Like a lot, a lot. And it is gross. When I was little, I hated for it to touch my hands. But if you don't hold the nipple of the bottle, they will pull it off and the milk will be wasted. Needless to say, this happened a lot when I was little. Like a lot, a lot. But now that I'm older , I actually don't mind it touching my hands. I can always wash it off later.

Look at me, unleashing my inner farm girl.

2.) Brown Bread

It was disgusting when I was little and my Mum rarely bought white bread, so I was forced to eat it. I used to hate it SO much I threw the crust behind our TV stand when my mom wasn't looking. She found them years later. Try explaining that one...

3.) Long Car trips

They were boring! And my parent's made me listen to ABBA, the BeeGees and the Mama and the Papas ( which now I all love...there's another one!). Now I love them because I can either have time to jam out to my music or think ( when I travel alone) or I can spend time talking to my family with little interruptions. It's quite nice.

4.) The TV Channels my parents watched

If it didn't have cartoons or Miley Cyrus in a blonde wig, I hated it. Now channels like A&E, VisonTV and the History Channel are my jam!

5.) Museums

Dude, I wish I could go to this museum!

 

Once again, when you're little, museums aren't really a kid friendly zone. But now, I love all kinds of museums. I like learning about the world. It's actually pretty neat. I mean, we live here so we might as well learn about it!

6.) Snakes

Oh no wait, I still hate those. Ew.

Those are only I few things I can think off the top of my head that I hated when I was little but love now. As I think of more, I'll keep posting more blogs about it. Kind of like a blog series. Oooooooo, look at me, a blog series! So if anyone reading this has anything they hated as kids but love now, please feel free to share! It's cool  and interesting to see how much we change over our lives, so why not share!

Over and Meowt
Marli J

Backstreets Back, alright?!

Hi peeps!

Last night, the dream I've had since the 90's came true. I, along with my older sister Bryn and roommate/Best friend Holly, went and saw the one, the only, The Backstreet Boys in all their synchronized dancing, unforgettable songs, Nick Carter gyrating glory. And. It. Was. AWESOME.

You're welcome, 7 year old me!

Here's how the day went. After getting ready all afternoon ( okay not all afternoon), Bryn and I went for a quick supper on the University Campus where I'm currently living. We then hopped on the train and went downtown to meet Holly after she was done work. We then hopped on the train again to go to the concert venue. After having our tickets scanned, walking through a metal detector and having our purses searched ( my guy told me "looks like you're clean! No crack!", which just made me giggle) we found our seats. We had just enough time for a couple group selfies ( one of which is below) and then it was time for the opening act.

(L-R) Bryn ( outfit: pregnancy top and pants fr. Babies R Us since she is preggers with my first niece or nephew!!!, and comfortable shoes) Myself ( outfit: basic tank top from H&M, high waisted skinnies from Sirens and combat style boots from Walmart. Yes, Walmart) and Holly ( Outfit: Cardigan from H&M, lace tank top and plain white tank top from Sirens, blue pants from H&M and flats from Ardene's

 

 

The opening act was Victoria Duffield, a resident Canadian. Though I only know a couple of her songs ( Bryn and Holly were clueless as to who she was all together), I do have to say she is a very talented young lady. Crazy good at dancing. Which, speaking of dancing ( smooth transition there!), her dancers were crazy hot. And good at dancing. But mainly hot.

 

 

Then it was time to wait for the main event. I was so excited to see all five of them back, as Kevin was not with them for a few years and did not go on their last tour. It was time to play the waiting game....

 

 

Then it was here! They were here, in front of my very eyes. Can I just take a moment and say how well each of the boys are looking still!? I think they've actually gotten better with age. Well that, and the 90's fashion/hair was just...interesting. To say the least. They can still dance like it's no one's business and effectively reminded me how much I love men dancing in synchronization. And gyrating. Thanks for that Nick and AJ. I would have been lost without you!

 

 

They played a lot of their old classics, like I want it that way, Larger than Life and Shape of my Heart. Those really took me back to the days when I was in the basement back home, dancing around, singing and goofing off with my older siblings. We owned that shizz nizz! But they also included some new stuff, which I really enjoyed, not only because it was catchy but because they were playing instruments as well! Nick with a guitar and Kevin on keyboard!? Be still my beating heart! And they also showed off all their tattoos, and in Brian's case, took off his shirt and showed us his body. Alls I can do is ask him, "Are you a beaver? Cuz DAYUM!". Looking good for his age!

 

 

 

Obviously, I took way more pictures than this, but you'd be here all day! And I took a ton of videos too, but not at all too surprising ( but definitely embarrassing), I'm singing like a tone deaf cow in the background of them. Whatever, it was worth it! I got to see the men who sang the songs of my childhood perform and I got to do it with two of my favorite ladies! What more could I ask for?

 

As well, aside from seeing this band, I also very happy for my older sister to have the chance to see them. She is the whole reason I know about them and is an even bigger fan than me, so to share that moment with her is really special and I will never forget it.

 

 I will just say, I'm surprised that I still have a voice today, since I was screaming and singing my heart out last night. Hopefully this is a good sign for when I go to see One Direction ( with their opening act 5 Seconds of Summer! The most perfect concert if there ever was one) in August. I may pass out at that one!

 

Have a good long weekend for anyone who is Canadian! Mine sure had a great start!

 

Over and Meowt

Marli J





Style Icons

Hi Peeps!

I'm not tooting my own horn, literally I'm not, but the people in my life often tell me I'm very fashionable. In all seriousness, I don't see why they say this. I've never considered myself this way mainly because I've never really had a set "sense "  of style or "taste" in clothing. To be honest, my whole life, I've just bought and worn clothes that I like at a certain point in time. And yes, that has meant some very bad choices in outfits, even for the time they happened at. And yes, some of them have caught on film. In my school yearbook. Forever.

I try not to dwell on it.

To this day, buying and wearing the clothes that I personally like is still my style philosophy. However, since I turned 15, I have been also slightly influenced by certain celebrities a.k.a my style icons. They have changed and evolved as I've grown up, which is to be expected, as I would not want to continue dressing the same as I did when I was 16 or some other age. Actually, I'm a little embarrassed about who my first "style icon" was. But then I see some of the others who followed and it makes sense.

Perhaps you're expecting me to say Lizzie McGuire (Hilary Duff), and trust me, I loved her clothes when I was but a wee one. But I never actually tried to emulate her style basically because I wasn't the one paying for my clothes. My Mum was. And she was much more practical about clothes shopping than I was. So if she was paying for it, not only did I have to like my clothes, but she also had to like them to a certain extent. I'm kind of thankful for that now, but boy, did I ever hate it back then!

About 3 or so years later however, I did find another style icon. When I was 15, a little known movie which I was absolutely obsessed with ( and don't tell anyone, I still sort of am) came out. You may of heard of it, it was called High School Musical 2. And no, I refuse to feel any shame for liking it. As you'll see, I pretty much have the taste of a girl who is eternally stuck in the hormonal teen years of her life. And I'm A-Okay with that. But back on track: I drew some fashion inspiration from a character in that movie. You're probably expected Gabrielle or Sharpay but no, it wasn't them. It was, in fact, Troy Bolton ( Zac Efron) himself.

 

 

And no, not his whole style. Just one small part. That ring he wore throughout the movie inspired me to start wearing rings. Yes, a ring. That probably has to be the weirdest choice for my first style inspiration. Judge me if you will. But that...that was it. Yup.

 

In all seriousness, I'm really happy that I was inspired by Troy/Zac because it was what got me into trying out not only different kinds of rings ( thin, chunky, knuckle rings. I LOVE knuckle rings at the moment) but also other types of jewelry, such as bracelets ( layering them on use to seem so stupid to me. But now that I've tried it, I rather like it! Guess the old adage "don't knock it 'til you try it" has definite merit!) So you could say that Troy Bolton started it all for me.

 

He also was my first real live person/celebrity crush. I say "real live person/celebrity crush" simply because up until that point it was just mainly cartoon show characters and Disney Princes. I lived a sheltered life.

 

But my style stealing tips from guys did not end with Troy/Zac. Oh no, no, no, no. A few years down the line, One Direction came into existence. And I, being the  forever teenage  girl that I am, fell in love with their whole being. Not in like a creepy way ( though others around me may differ on that point), but in a, I guess, sort of proud way?  I was proud of what they stood for and of what they were like. I loved their persona: Normal Lads, cheery music, the faces that you just want to smoosh up because they're so stinking adorable. You know, that sort of stuff. *ahem* But aside from loving their faces and music, I also had to go and draw inspiration from their style. Their early days were very preppy and I was all over that! I had the red pants like Louis. I had multiple plaid shirts like Liam. I nearly bought a Varsity jacket like Zayn ( but I'm poor and decent ones were expensive, so...) and if I could pull off a polo like sweet little Niall could, you know I would've been all over it. Weirdly enough, Harry did not inspire me in the clothing department, but I chalked it up to that no one can pull off a blazer quite like him. NO ONE. Not even myself.

 

 

Shortly after I discovered 1D, I discovered another awesome nugget of UK talent, Little Mix. These ladies still inspire me to this day, but I went hardcore in their earlier fashion days. I bought collared shirts, bow ties and cute socks to emulate Jade's Preppy style. I got floral prints and headbands to be more Boho like Perrie. Anything with spikes or slashes I grabbed because of Jesy's rocky style. Bright patterns and cool shoes? Yes please, I'll look like Leigh-Anne's 90's style that way. I went way crazy for these ladies' over the top fashion choices and still do to this day for their more subtle choices.

 

Recently, I've started to buy some more grungy style clothing, which can be partially due to the fact that both of my above fashion icons have started to go more grunge, but also towards another new band I love: 5 Seconds of Summer. They are this grungy, punky, pop-rock group and not only do I love their music, accents, voices ( pretty much everything) but I also like their fashion. Really it's just skinny jeans (ripped or not ripped, whatever you fancy) and then some sort of t-shirt ( could be ripped, not ripped, plain, patterned or be a band shirt. Once again whatever you fancy). Simple but effective. So now I've found myself buying something and thinking "hmm, this is like the shirt Ashton was wearing" or " I could totally see Michael rocking something similar".

 

 

But, at the end of the day, I choose clothes I like. Just because I draw inspiration from these bands doesn't mean I agree with everything they wear. Just like they may not if the tables were reversed. Just because you like something, doesn't mean you are obligated to like everything they do just in order to keep liking them. Is that somewhat clear? Just like what you like, whether that's clothes or otherwise. Life it too short to not do what you want, so as Nike once told me, just do it. Even if it means being photographed in a turtleneck/t-shirt combo you thought would look good for the basketball photograph in Middle school but actually didn't. It's cool. I'm completely over it. Maybe. Ya. I still kick myself for that one. But at the same time, I understand that that moment, and many other ones like it, helped me to become who I am today, to wear the clothes I do today. Maybe now it seems bad, but at the time it was good ( maybe not). Maybe in the future the clothes I choose to wear now will seem hideous, but the point is, I liked them at the time. I liked them, so therefore I wore them. You should not wear clothes for anyone else but yourself. You've gotta be you. And hey, if you need a little inspiration from someone else, that's fine too. Just don't go overboard and do everything the exact same. Bring you to an outfit and you'll always look awesome.

 

Over and Meowt

Marli J

 

 



DIY:Ways to upcycle candle jars!

Hi Peeps!

I really haven't been on in awhile! For that I apologize. But there was finals, and then I went home for a bit and I'm just amazing at procrastinating anyways, so you know, just a lot of (lame) excuses for my absence. But for my "grand" return I thought I'd do some arts and craft and show you three ways I have reused old candle jars.

This pass year, I discovered I have an unrequited love for candles. Use to just hate them and see them as pointless when I was younger, but now as an adult, I'm hooked. But now that I 've been buying them more regularly, it leaves me with an uncanny amount of jars once I've used them all up. Probably the reason behind me not being a fan of them when I was younger. What do you do with them?! Of course you can ( and should) recycle them if you wish. But sometimes the jars are just so pretty ( or at least they are if you buy them Bath & Body Works, my heaven on earth) that you feel guilty. Or at least I do! So I've found three ways to reuse them and give them new life. Who knows, I may figure out more in the future, since I see no sign of me stopping from buying them!

1. Tea Bag ( or jewelry, etc.) Jar

 So simple and makes your kitchen and/or the stuff you're storing look really cute! You can even go one step further and label the jar. I just used a colored permanent marker then painted clear nail polish over it to set it. But you can use paint, stickers or whatever! I've also used some of my other jars to store other like hair bows, bracelets and earrings. You can store pretty much anything!

2. Makeup Brush Holders

Once again, super simple and a great way to organize. Currently, mine our pretty blah, so what I plan to do is to stick some decorative sand or gravel or rocks and maybe even some glitter to make them not only look a bit more colorful but to also help stabilize the brushes. That way they aren't moving around  all willy nilly. Much neater and cuter!

3. Fairy/Dragon Fly  Jars

Lastly, I've used some of my jars to make these really pretty fairy/dragon fly jars. Basically, you just take some glow-in-the-dark paint ( I got mine from Wal-Mart), a paint brush or stick like tool and your jars. I just used the end of a pen, dipped it in the color I wanted and dotted it haphazardly around the jar. I had to  go over with each color twice since they dry pretty translucently, but once done they look really cool. Unfortunately, my camera is unable to get a decent picture of them in the dark, but just know that they are really awesome decorations both in the day and the night.

So there you have it! We've got recycling, DIY and organization ideas all in one post. Try some of these out if you're stumped about what to do with any old jars, whether they're candle ones or not. Hope you enjoyed!

Over and Meowt
Marli J