Favorite Seasons + Throwback Thursday

After two very hot and humid days here in Ottawa, it looks like things will finally be cooling off a bit thanks to some much needed rain! I love summer, don't get me wrong, but it's actually not my favorite season. If I had to rank them all in order, I would say my favorite is spring, followed by fall, then summer, and finally winter. I know it's early, but I am kind of looking forward to fall already! Since I'm such a visual person, I think spring and fall appeal to me so much because they are such visually stunning seasons. In spring, buds and blossoms appear, and an otherwise dreary landscape becomes full of life again. Comparatively, in fall, the leaves change color from green to shades of yellow and red, and the air becomes cool and crisp. What's not to love? 

In any case, I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of July! We still have a whole sunny month of summer left, but it's already starting to feel like it's slipping away so quickly! I remember when I was a child, how much I used to hate how summer seemed to go by too fast. Even though I was fairly good at my studies, I never much cared for school, so as you can imagine, I lived for long summer days! 

I'm sure a lot of my nostalgia for summer comes from the fact that it usually meant some kind of vacation (since my mum is a teacher with the summer months off from work), and I LOVE vacations. Who doesn't!? Anyway, for today's Throwback Thursday photo, I picked one of me and my mum in a swan boat at Rainbow Valley in P.E.I. As I mentioned in a previous post, we actually went to P.E.I on two separate occasions, and I loved it both times!  

Potted Plants

Yesterday was an incredibly hot day, and today is more of the same here in Ottawa. Summers here can get very hot and humid, so it's important to keep cool and stay hydrated. Most delicate flowers have already come and gone by now, but the heat hasn't affected the success of the lilies in the city! While I was walking yesterday, it got me thinking about what plants and flowers do the best in the hottest of the summer months here in Ontario. I certainly don't claim to be an expert, as my knowledge is basic at most when it comes to plants and flowers, but I have always really enjoyed being outside surrounded by trees and greenery. Once we eventually get our own home, I am very much looking forward to growing my own little garden! 

In any case, since that probably won't be a reality for at least another few years, I've been putting some thought into how to make our apartment a bit, well, greener! I personally love roses and peonies, but keeping fresh flowers like those in the house can be expensive, since they don't last forever and need to be replaced fairly frequently. 

What's really been getting my attention lately have been potted plants! When I was growing up, my grandparents always had a collection of cacti in their dinning room that always fascinated me. Lately, I've been really interested in getting a small cactus (or two!) and a few succulents to decorate our next apartment. They look so fresh and exotic and compared to most flowers, and are fairly low maintenance. I still have to figure out where in Ottawa I'll be able to find some of these little gems! If you've got any suggestions, please go ahead and post in the comments section below! Once I get some, I'll be sure to do a post all about how they look in our apartment and even more importantly, how to keep them alive! 

The Astronaut Wives Club

Today's post is all about a great new show I've quickly become obsessed with! I first heard about it from Julie, who is also a fan! So far I've seen the first two episodes and it's already got me hooked! I'm hoping to get my hands on a copy of the book at some point, which I found on Amazon easily enough. If you enjoy anything from the Space Age era in the United States, I'm quite sure you'll enjoy watching this show!

The show was developed by Stephanie Savage for ABC, and is based on Lily Koppel's book of the same name. The series documents the story of the wives of the Mercury Seven astronauts, namely: Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra, Gordon Cooper, and Deke Slayton. 

Personally, I love period pieces from the 1950s and 1960s. Although I certainly wasn't alive back then, I find the era incredibly fascinating! I've always joked that if I could have lived in any other time period, it would have been then! I love the outfits, styles, and attitudes depicted in the show, and the friendship and sisterhood that has been developing with the wives.  

I've tried to encourage my mum to watch it with my dad since he's interested in NASA and space exploration. I won't deny that the show is geared towards women (after all, it's all about the wives), but that's not to say that it isn't enjoyable for men to watch. The cast is great, and even features two notable actors from Dexter (Yvonne Strahovski, and Desmond Harrington). 

It's a highly entertaining show and I'm very much looking forward to watching upcoming episodes! If you're interested, you can check out the trailer for it right here:

Married!

I am officially a married woman! 

After finishing work on Thursday evening, I headed downtown to meet up with my aunt and Ryan for a late dinner and to pick up a few things that my mum had sent ahead with my aunt. We ended up choosing D'arcy Mcgee's, primarily due to it's great location right by the Parliament buildings, and near both The Lord Elgin and The Chateau Laurier. After dinner we headed back to our respective hotels to rest up for the wedding on Friday morning.

Ryan and I both woke up fairly early on Friday morning, so we had plenty of time to relax and get ready at our leisure. Since we were staying at the beautiful and very swanky Chateau Laurier, I certainly wanted to make the most of it! Ryan had picked up a bottle of champagne the night before so we got to enjoy a glass (well, two for me!) before heading over to the courthouse to meet our families.

The civil service was just lovely, and our officiant was so kind! She did a wonderful job at relaxing us both with her funny sense of humor! The room was just the right size to fit in both our of parents, and four brothers. After we said our vows we had our mothers act as witnesses and that was it! We were officially married!

Since we had about an hour and a half before our lunch reservations at The Lord Elgin, we all headed over to the park across the street to take some photos. We were joined by Ryan's grandparents and two of my aunts at this point. 

About half an hour into taking pictures, I realized that in all the excitement, I had completely forgotten to bring my bouquet! Luckily, the hotel wasn't too far away, and our brothers all volunteered to go pick it up for me. Once they returned, we were able to finish taking pictures..this time with the beautiful bouquet! 

Just before noon, we all walked over to The Lord Elgin for lunch, where they had set up a private room for us. The decor, service, and food was amazing! I had the butternut squash ravioli and Ryan had the duck poutine. We heard lovely heartfelt speeches, followed by a fun game of "He Said/She Said", and got to enjoy lots of quality time with family! After our main courses, Ryan and I got to cut the cake as tradition dictates. 

We had dessert and coffee, and then it was time to thank everyone and say our goodbyes for the day. After everyone headed home, Ryan and I went back to the hotel for one more night before checking out on Saturday morning. Everything was just perfect and we are so thankful for everyone's love, support, and generosity! 

Spa On A Budget

So it's only two days until my wedding, and I wanted to write a little blurb about how to have a relaxing spa day (or couple of hours) on a budget. Since our ceremony is first thing in the morning, I'm planning on taking an hour or so today, and an hour or so tomorrow to get my spa on! 

Face

Instead of paying the big bucks and having a facial at a professional spa, I'm doing a simple at-home facial, using a single-use package I picked up from the drugstore. Before applying my mask, I used St Ives Green Tea Exfoliating Scrub, to unclog my pores and buff away any dead skin cells. After rinsing, I applied my stress-relief mask and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Using cool water, I rinsed off my mask and applied a simple witch hazel toner. To finish, I applied Nivea eye cream and CeraVe moisturizer.

Mid-range suggestion: Caudalie Instant Detox Mask ($39.00) or GlamGlow Flashmud Brightening Treatment ($76.00). Both available at Sephora. 

Hair

Last night, when I got home from work, I used some AG leave-in conditioner on my hair and let it sit overnight. Since I have fairly thin hair, I didn't apply the conditioner treatment to my roots, and instead focused on my ends. This morning, I used Herbal Essences Mint cleansing shampoo & conditioner to make sure I didn't have any leave-in conditioner residue on my hair. My plan for tomorrow is to use my Kevin Murphy purple toning shampoo, followed by my Kérastase Chroma Riche hair mask, so that my hair will be soft and shiny for Friday!

Mid-range suggestion: Living Proof Restore Hair Mask ($52.00). Available at Sephora.

Body

Before getting in the shower to rinse off this morning, I applied a home-made body scrub (honey, brown sugar, and olive oil) to exfoliate my skin. Since I'm using a self-tanner, I made sure to focus on scrubbing my elbows, knees, and ankles. Once I rinsed off, I applied my Jergens Natural Glow self-tanner and let it dry a bit before getting fully dressed. 

Mid-range suggestion: Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish ($45.00) and Tarte Braziliance Face & Body Self Tanner ($47.00). Both available at Sephora.

Nails 

So, I have to admit that I will be getting my nails done professionally tomorrow morning. I had originally planned to do them myself, but decided that ultimately, I really wanted to have at least one pampering service done for the big day. After all, I'm getting married and that's not something that happens every day! If I were to have done my nails on a budget, I would have used my sugar scrub to exfoliate, followed by coconut oil as lotion, and I would have applied my nail polish myself. 

I personally think that it is incredibly important to set aside time to relax and recharge. Treating yourself to a few spa hours every now and again is great, but it doesn't mean you should have to shell out hundreds of dollars either! That's why I love all the creative budget spa ideas out there! Of course, splurging a bit here and there is fine too, but if you're having a facial every week, the cost can add up really quickly! Thank goodness for DIY scrubs and affordable spa products at the local drugstore!