Folk Festival: What to Wear

Folk Festival Outfit by Light A Candle featuring leather combat boots

This is an approximation of one of the outfits I'm planning to wear to the festival! I just received the blue and yellow bag in the mail from ASOS yesterday and I am soo excited to use it. It's so bright and colorful, and folds in half so it looks more like a messenger bag then a purse.

Tonight Mr. Nick and I decided to forgo Capital X in favor of the Cowboys vs. Aliens premier! I am SO excited for it. Especially since I found out Keith Carradine is in it. I have a weird fascination with him since he appeared in Dexter. Gotta love 'em!

A Little Leggy

 Wore this outfit the other day, felt great in it. I purchased this comfy, light sweater from Zara when I went with my sister to The Mall. For the longest time (and if you check out my pinterest you will see) I've been loving the look of a sweater or casual shirt with a pretty flowy skirt. Something about the contrast is so much fun to look at. I ordered a flowy orange skirt from Dorothy Perkins a few weeks ago that I am dying to pair with this sweater.

This particular skirt, however, I'm not all that fond of. It's actually the only piece of clothing I purchased in London a couple years ago. I didn't even love it at the time, but we had spent a whole day shopping and somehow none of the clothes fit me, I think because I didn't do enough research on what my UK size would be before we left. It's kind of funny to me now because I do so much shopping online from stores like Dorothy Perkins, ASOS, and TopShop.

The necklace was a gift from my intrepid cousin Jackie! Thanks love.

 I've been thinking about my outfit choices the last couple days (I've been kind of stuck on what to wear, to the point that I'm skipping breakfast some days because I try on so many outfits before I decide!) and how I always seem to want to wear dresses and skirts. I guess the warmth of the summer is so intoxicating I want to be pretty and girly and most of all  leggy at all times.

I think part of the reason for this is that this is my first summer not working retail, and back when I was working for HBC we had to wear black full length pants every single day and because I worked full time in the summer I missed out on all the skirt and dress wearing! I remember always being too hot, always being uncomfortable, and always longing for short skirts. I guess that's just one of many (but perhaps one of the best) perks of leaving retail behind me for good!

I didn't realize when I chose this picture for editing that I look half asleep, haha. I probably was.

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Folk Festival: What to Bring

As I said yesterday, I've been to the Folk Festival twice: once for the whole blessed weekend and once for one evening session. I've seen all kinds of weather at the festival and have a pretty good idea as to how to prepare. Last year when Nick and I went it rained almost the entire time and because we had only come for the evening, we were relegated to the steepest part of the big hill for the performance. The rain made mud, annnd the mud made us slide on our buts continually down hill. This year we're bringing some small tent pegs to stop our chairs from sliding. Wish us luck!

Festival by Light A Candle featuring a flap bag

Anyway, here's my list. I want to bring a waterproof jacket that can be rolled up and stuffed in one of our backpacks, my boots since last year I was wearing sandals and my feet were veery uncomfortable and soggy, our chairs, tarp, water, bug spray, and most importantly some sun protection!

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A Little Bit Eighties

I am in love with this 80's vintage dress I purchased (on sale!) from theparaders on Etsy for just 15$. It's in extraordinary condition, and is of great quality. It's 100% linen and I love the way it drapes and twirls. Of course, how can we talk about it and not mention the ridiculously bright Florida print. All those playful colors just make me smile! I'm sure it will be a great piece to wear on rainy days ( like this one) and for transitioning into fall. I'm really excited to style it with a sweater over top or something like that.

Speaking of rainy days, these photos were taken on Tuesday. The sky's opened up and it poured, hard, until mid afternoon. However, us tough types working at NAIT decided not to let that stop us and we all piled into a few cars and attended Taste of Edmonton for our lunch break. Delicious... but wet. My shoes were barely staying on my feet they were so damp and slippery. But the food, the food was great. I had a calzone, a papusa (can't resist!), a chocolate covered strawberry, and baklava. We had a great time, despite the weather. Mr. Nick and I are going back to Taste tonight for dinner, and taking his parents along for the ride. I'll be sure to get some pictures this time.

Tomorrow is Friday already! Insane. We're planning on squeezing Capital X in tomorrow night, and I reeallly would like to attend the Heritage festival Saturday morning. It's too bad it doesn't open until noon because I have a birthday party to go to in the evening, Nick is working, and I'll have to bus it around town to get there. I'm thinking I can probably squeeze in a couple hours at Heritage and then make it back in time for the birthday. Maybe. We'll see if I can find someone to go with me!

Sunday I'm leaving for a few days at Moose Lake camp so I probably won't be able to post again until Wednesday! Just a heads up!

How do you feel about wearing vintage? Do you have a favorite era?

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Edmonton Folk Festival

I've been thinking about it for months and finally finally the time has come for the Edmonton Folk Festival! It's only a week away!

The first time I went to the festival, in 2008, I attended with my Dad and my sister. We bought the full weekend pass and had an absolute blast!

Dad took these photos in 2008

The year after I was in Greece when the tickets went on sale and missed my chance to purchase some, last year Mr. Nick and I were only able to attend one evening, since the weekend passes sold out record fast. The good news is that this year I was online 15 minutes before they went on sale and managed to snap up a pair of weekend passes for Nick and I!

To celebrate the impending festival, (and what I'm sure will be the highlight of my summer)  I'm going to be sharing a few different festival themed posts in the next couple of weeks, including what to pack, what to wear, and of course some music sharing!

To get things started, here's a few songs by the amazing Brandi Carlile. She is one of my all time favorite musicians and last year Nick and I were so happy to have seen her on the Folk Festival main stage. She was such a bright light, so joyous and filled with wonderment when she saw all of the people waiting to hear her even in the rain!

Brandi:

That Year:

Dreams:


We are sooo excited that Brandi is coming back this year! Seeing her live only embedded in my mind how wonderful a person she is, and how talented an artist! I hope she never stops coming back to the Folk Fest. ;)

Do you have anything awesome you look forward to all year long?
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Why do I post outfit photos?

 I took these photos on Monday, Mr. Nick decided he wanted to hang out with his dad for the evening but I was determined to get some outfit photos done since I was set to wash away the straight hair the following day. Besides that, I was wearing this new Dorothy Perkins dress for the first time! It would have been a travesty to have no pictures at all. So after I got home from work ( I bussed home, the bus broke down, blah blah) I snapped these photos with my camera and a tripod! A bit different for me!

After reading a blog post on why people post outfit photos, I spent a lot of time musing over the things that were said, suddenly, and for the first time, wondering why I chose to post outfit photos despite the fact that I don't have an expensive wardrobe or consider myself to be super photogenic. This is what I came up with.

1. I like to think they allow people to get to know me because I get to show a bit of my personality through my outfits, poses, etc. Instead of keeping an online and public journal, I get to mix my thoughts with fashion which I think more people can relate to.

2. I'm interested in fashion! Well, obviously.

3. It forces me to break out of what I would usually put together from my closet and be more creative by creating new pairings and outfits I wouldn't have necessarily tried before.

4. My blog becomes my virtual closet, documenting all the things in my wardrobe, trends I want to try, and what I wore when so that I don't repeat myself.

5. Forcing myself to have photos taken helps me document my life. A few months after my photo happy friend Amy moved away I realized that since she had left, no one had, and I hadn't taken any pictures of myself or Nick! I missed having my life properly documented and having an excuse to take pictures ("I have to do it FOR THE BLOG") has helped! There are so many memories saved here, it's like a virtual scrap book! And it started with outfit photos!

6. Taking photos also helps me feel more comfortable in front of the camera, and way more confident in real life! I used to rely heavily on opinions from my mother or sister to decide what I was going to wear, but taking outfit photos has helped me build confidence in my own personal style.

7. Outfit photos have also helped me become more comfortable with my own body, my body shape, and my body flaws. The more photos I take the more I understand what looks good on my body, what trends I can pull of and which I should leave alone. You might remember not that long ago I posted pictures of myself in a Bikini, a few years ago I never would have had the confidence to even wear one! But realizing my body can be dressed and draped in ways that flatter it to the point where yes, I can wear a bathing suit, I feel a lot better about sharing.


The point is, I don't post outfit photos because I think my clothes are the best, or because I think I dress so amazingly, or even because I'm super duper vain. (Although I am a little vain. Let's be real here.)  Nor do I consider myself a 'fashionista'. I'm just a person who enjoys and is interested in fashion, who wants to make a connection with people, and who is currently cultivating her own sense of style! And keeping this blog has helped a lot so far. 

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Weekend Wedding: What I Wore

Vintage Dress from Huckleberry Vintage, Vintage necklace, Hat is from the bay, Trench is from Winners, Flats are from Ardene's, Belt is vintage, bag is Bootlegger.

I didn't get any really great pictures, but here's an idea of how I dressed for this weekends rainy wedding. On the left is what I wore beneath, and how I would have dressed for the wedding had it been sunny outside, and on the right is how I modified my outfit for the rain. I had to wear my big floppy hat to protect my straightened locks or I would have ended up a poodle half way through the night!

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Aaron and Bonnies Wedding

This was the first foray for my sister into online shopping, I'm so proud ;p

 So after the six hour drive to Dawson Creek we were able to really enjoy the beautiful wedding we had come to celebrate. Bonnie and Aaron are a really sweet, loving couple and their wedding was very intimate and joyful.

I couldn't get over how enthusiastic he was as soon as some music he liked came on

 The ceremony was intended to take place outside, unfortunately it rained and poured so we ended up in a church for the ceremony. Luckily however, the rain cleared up long enough for the bridal party to have all their pictures taken. While they were doing that, we went off to our hotel and checked in, watched a little Iron Chef America, and then headed off to the reception which was held at a little community venue outside of Dawson where the wine flowed and we were treated to a home made dinner of boiled potatoes, sausages, corn on the cob and much more.

Straight hair! How bizarre!

All in all we had a lovely, if tiring, weekend. It was fun to spend time with my sister and her boyfriend too. Mr. Nick and Dallas are actually best friends so the four of us have a pretty good dynamic. Next up, a bit more detail on what I wore to the wedding!

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Dots and Spots

I kinda love this outfit, haha, I felt inspired when I realized there was nothing stopping me from mixing polka-dots and an 'animal print'. This top is so comfortable and is quickly becoming the most remixed item in my closet. These shoes are also my new favorite pair! They're sooo comfy, which is amazing considering I have great difficulty finding flats I find comfy and I bought them for ten dollars from Ardene's. Who would have thought.

 This week Mr. Nick and I are planning on doing a lot of laying about to make up for our exhausting car trip on the weekend, haha, but I would really like to get out to the Taste of Edmonton festival and Capital X sometime soon. Neither of us are big rides people, but I love the midway! And I've never had a boy win me a teddy bear before which, if you believe films, is a pivotal moment in a relationship.

Next weekend I have a family birthday party on Saturday, then we're leaving for Moose Lake Camp for a few days! I haven't been for years, but when I was growing up we went every year with my cousins and always had a blast. This year Mr. Nick is coming, I love to share with him places and people who have been important in my life and this is no different. I hope he enjoys himself despite the fact he's not a big camp person!

How is your summer going? What are your plans? How do you like to spend your summer, lazing around in the sun, entertaining, going out?  I would love to hear from you. :)

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Road Trip

We have returned safely from our road trip to Dawson Creek BC and we greatly enjoyed seeing our friends at the wedding. Unfortunately it rained and rained the entire way there. Luckily we had sun coming home, so I suppose things balanced out. All in all  I escaped most anxiety, but the rain didn't help ease my mind.
Next weekend we're heading out on the road again! Tomorrow I'll give you a peek at our road-trip!

Save or Splurge #1

I've loved this Marc Jacobs dress since I first saw it, however.... 400$ is a little out of my clothes budget. So you can imagine how excited I was when I saw these very similar striped dresses in my forays throughout the internet! Cool right?

The Green Dress

 The Green Dress -- I don't think there's any coincidence involved with Mr. Nicks favorite color being green, and having to wear a scarf with this dress to go to work so that my cleavage is hidden -- and the fact that this is Mr. Nicks favorite dress on me. A couple of weeks ago I wore it over a flowy blouse, and this time I styled it down with a figure defining belt and one of my favorite scarves. Two summers ago I bought this scarf, can't remember where anymore, and I'm pretty sure I wore it with every single outfit all year. It kept me cool in summer and warm in fall. It's getting a little ratty now -- doesn't hang the way it used to, but I still love it!

Changed a few things on the blog, I'm working on improving my layout now that the style and feel of the blog is a bit more established. At first it was all about making it as pretty as possible, but now that I know what my blog is about -- I wanna make it more representative of me!

This weekend we're off to a wedding in Dawson Creek BC, tonight I need to dye my hair, buy some new makeup, do my nails, and pack, and tomorrow I'm straightening my hair before we leave. I want to be able to do a pretty braided up-do or something, and crazy curls are not really conducive to that. We'll be doing a lot of driving this weekend, so wish us all a safe journey, I'm not really excited about it. The good news is that we decided to take my sisters boyfriends car so he will probably be doing most of the driving and that means Mr. Nick can sit in the back with me and keep me from going mad.

Have a good weekend everyone! And if you're in Edmonton, remember there are some wonderful events going on! Check out Capital X, the Taste of Edmonton, The Indy, or try the newly opened Queen Victoria outdoor swimming pool! I know I'm excited to!

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Lace by the Pool

 This is the outfit I wore on Saturday when we went to the Street Performers festival. I was attempting to dress down the lace by pairing it with a brown belt and a casual vest. I added the scarf for a pop of color and sophistication. That was the idea anyway. We took the pictures by the pool/fountain because I love the light blue color of the water! Tricky devils have actually painted the bottom of the pool that color to keep it looking inviting. And inviting it is!

 We've had such funny weather in Edmonton this last week -- every day it's beautiful, sweltering hot and blue skies until about five or six when the clouds roll in and it starts to rain. I know quite a few people from BC who come to Alberta very excited to see some famous Albertan thunder storms. To me -- kinda scary. But some people love to watch the thunder, lightening and rain, and BOY to we ever have a lot of all three. Last night Nicks dad was planning on barbequing steak and it started to rain so we decided, enough of this, and headed to the nearest Boston Pizza for pasta Tuesday.

Apparently I have an H&M addiction.

Well, the week is half way through already! On Friday Nick, my sister, her boyfriend and I are all driving up to Dawson Creek BC for a Wedding on Saturday. I'm pretty nervous about highway driving since the accident so wish me luck! Nicks dad is a psychiatric nurse and has offered to sedate me so maybe I'll take him up on the offer. ;)

Happy Hump Day!

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Uniquely Me. Uniquely Us.

This morning I read Elizabeth’s post on thesubject of uniqueness. She expressed great wonder and awe at the fact that she even exists, praising the process of one sperm uniting with one egg and creating one person who then goes on to recreate the process that brought them into the world and create, for example,  me! She went on to explain that there is only one of you in the world, one person with your exact combination of genes, experiences, and personality and that struggling to fit in is so hard because it is completely contrary to the uniqueness of your person! 

Anyway, reading Elizabeth’s post made me think about my own uniqueness, things like my curly hair – which must have been some recessive gene fluke since there is little to no curly hair in my family – and my passion for writing. I was one of those funny kids who went to college open houses in grade 9. I had the program I was going to take picked out when I was 16, whereas my sister had to take a year off to decide what she really wanted to do after high school. What made me so decisive? A combination of how I was raised, the teachers who brought amazing books into my life when I was young and mouldable, and my genetics predisposed me to this career, how cool is that! 

One of the things that blows me away the most is the fact that although there is only one of me, and no one else communicates, thinks, or feels exactly the same way that I do: I still managed to find the one person in the world I want to spend my life with. Now how cool is that? I am so awed and humbled when I think of how he is so unique and special, how he was raised just right and how his experiences up until now have molded him in such a way that he should fit right in with me. That he was brought up so close to me, but we didn’t meet until it was the exact right time in both of our lives to begin a relationship. 

Took this photo of Mr. Nick on Saturday after the Street Performers festival, poor boy was ready to fall asleep on the train! But I couldn't stop thinking about how handsome he is and how lucky he makes me feel.

My mum has an expression many of you have probably heard, there’s a lid out there for every pot, she says, and I have to add, there’s a key out there for every lock. Think about that: how each key is shaped in such a unique way that it only opens one thing. That key has to be made for that specific lock in order for it to be opened. 

For me, that’s one of the greatest miracles of our individuality – that even though we’re all so different, there’s someone out there who is the perfect blend of different-ness to mesh with you! How lucky are we that out of all those pots and all those lids, we managed to find the exact right fit? If we were all the same life, and relationships would be so boring not to mention difficult. I know that if Nick and I had the same personalities we wouldn't be able to stand each other for long. It’s so easy to find things you dislike in people, and in yourself, but why not celebrate the quirks that make you who you are – and that make you different.

Anyway, that’s my take on the subject. Thanks Elizabeth for starting the discussion! 

You can join the discussion too by clicking here and leaving your comment below the post!

Street Performers Festival 2011

On Saturday Mr. Nick, a friend, and I all took in a bit of the street performers festival. We only stayed for an hour-ish because the heat was pretty intense, but we enjoyed it immensely.

The fellow on the Unicycle was pretty hilarious, in the picture where his mouth is open he is trying to bite a piece of gum off of a knife he is juggling. Haha, very brave. We also saw a pretty curious ukulele band who performed Outcasts 'Hey Ya', and Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody'! I'm a pretty big Queen fan so that was pretty entertaining. :) Also, the finding Nemo thing -- two people in green unitard wearing sea anemones made of balloons and walking veeerrry sloooowllly. Tres awesome me thinks.

Tomorrow I'll share with you what I wore to the Street Performers Festival, but later today I have a very special post inspired by Elizabeth at Delightfully Tacky's post about originality. 

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Style Inspiration #2 Jackie O

One of my greatest inspirations, not just in fashion, is Jackie O. Ever since seeing the picture of her in the car trying to collect her husbands scull off the trunk I've been fascinated by her. Her story is one of so much tragedy and yet she really triumphed over everything and focused on what was most important to her: her children. Seeing pictures of her with Caroline and John Jr brings so much warmth to my heart.

Besides being a fantastic, strong person she was of course one of the greatest style icons of all time. She never looked less then perfect, even relaxing on the beach with her children or simply walking across the street. She had an iconic and personal interpretation of classic fashions. As you can see, I had a great deal of difficulty even deciding which pictures to share!

And here's my modern interpretation of something Jackie would have worn:

Jackie O by Light A Candle featuring tahitian pearl jewelry

Her legacy is a real emblem of strength and grace and as I grow older I want to emulate her style more and more.

Who are you inspire by? Scroll down and comment here!

Musical Monday: July 18th

New playlist for you: a few favorites. Discover some new music!



I had a pretty nice weekend, the weather is getting warmer here at long last and I'm looking forward to having some time off in a couple of weeks so I can enjoy it!

Nick and I went to see our friends play, "Village of Idiots" on Friday night, and then stopped for a few drinks and really delicious nachos. On Saturday we took in the street performers festival, and had a lovely lunch out with friends which was concluded by a delicious waffle. I might be a little obsessed.
Pictures will be coming!

On Sunday my sister and I made a pilgrimage to West Edmonton Mall, and spent a good three hours shopping before the mall closed.  Going to WEM is exhausting, but so worth it! There's so much more variety there. I went into Zara for the first time and found a couple cute things, but unfortunately I couldn't find anything at Urban Outfitters to spend my 50$ gift card on. A first! Ah well, next time.

I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well.

Seaside Resort

 I had to buy this dress when I saw it on sale at H&M for 10$. Why? Because the print reminds me of sail boats, which reminds me of the ocean, which reminds me of beaches, which reminds me of how desperately I miss beaches. It was a little cool the day we took these photos, so I layered it with my denim shirt and some patterned tights. The little flats are surprisingly comfortable, and I love the scalloped edge detail on them, they remind me of oxfords.

 Mr. Nicks mum and sister are away for a couple of weeks and Nick was having a friend over to talk role playing games so I made the boys (including Nicks dad) shrimp pasta for dinner. I used this recipe, but added shrimp and substituted a bag of Italian blend cheese since I couldn't find a block of Parmesan. I think if I make it again I'll add more lemon, as it was a little overpowered by the cheese. Turned out very yummy though! Another cooking triumph. ;)

 Tonight we are heading to Whyte Avenue to take in a play and then onto the weekend! Yay! I hope everyone had a good week, and I hope you all have a great weekend. Get out and see the city! There's tons of stuff to do in Edmonton right now including the Street Performers festival, all kinds of theater, Shakespeare in the park, the art gallery, Whyte Avenue, the Muttart... Have a blast!

Dress and Bracelet H&M, Shoes Ardenes, Shirt Smart Set, Ring LLYMLRS, Necklace gift from Mr. Nick

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Creamsicle

 I bought this dress at H&M the other day while on my lunch break! Didn't even try it on! SO I was super glad that when I got it home it fit me alright. I love the skirt portion to death, the pattern and the colors are so fun and fresh, and the body hugging cream top makes me feel like a ballerina which meant I could only wear it with a bun!

 The weather here in Edmonton seems to be turning around, for the moment. Today it is brilliant and sunny outside -- which makes me wish the mosquito's weren't so bad. I would love to sit on the deck tonight! I'm working with the retail meat cutting program on a project at work right now and I was given a beautiful tenderloin steak as a thank you! Tonight Mr. Nick and I will be enjoying it. I'm going to sear it with butter and then roast it. The plan is to serve it over crusty bread with sweet potato fries and fruit salad. I can't wait!

H&M: Dress, Ring, Bracelet. Joe Fresh: Scarf. 

 What did you guys think of the bread pudding post? Going to give it a try? Are you interested in me posting about cooking triumphs or not? Comment here At the bottom of the page.

Dorothy Perkins knee highs, The Bay boots, ASOS necklace and earrings, Smart Set belt

Happy almost Friday by the way! Haha, tomorrow we'll celebrate. ;)

Cooking Triumph: Bread Pudding

Bread Pudding has always been one of my favorite desserts. I've had it a number of times, occasionally with delicate rum sauce or ice cream, and have always wanted to try it myself.
I used this recipe from allrecipes.com  which I modified slightly.

I didn't have any old bread laying around as we freeze all of our bread. I took out 6 slices and toasted them each in our toaster for a few seconds until they were warm and crisp-- but not brown and crunchy.

The recipe is marvelously easy and the pudding is great for dessert, or breakfast! I drizzled a little cream over mine and had it for both ;)

You could also make it in muffin tins, or with fresh berries on top! Give it a try and let me know how it turns out. :)

A Rainy Day Skirted

 And we return now, to our regularly scheduled outfit post. It was sure nice sharing some of my weekend with you, and I'm excited to also share my little summer vacation, and a wedding, that are both coming up in a few weeks time -- many pictures shall be taken. In the meantime, this is an outfit I wore a little while ago. It's back to rain here in Edmonton and this ASOS maxi skirt has been wonderful for wearing in such weather. It keeps me warm and comfortable while still being... a skirt! Because I like skirts!

ASOS skirt, H&M top and hair clip, Payless sandals, Smart Set belt

I must say that the skirt needs to be taken in a couple of inches on my waist -- it's just not sitting quite where I want it to. When I'll get around to that, who knows!
I had a bit of fun with the color combination, I don't know why exactly I felt the need to throw some teal in there, but a little teal never hurt anyone did it! I quite like how the teal looks with the mustard color.

 I also had an excellent hair day. Just saying. Those don't come 'round too often so I must comment when they do.

LLYMRS ring

I'm a twirler alright.

I hope everyone is excited as I am to be crossing over hump day and spiraling into the latter half of the week. My sisters boyfriend is in a theater play and Mr. Nick and I are going to see it on Thursday. Tonight I am rudely intruding on boys night and hanging out with Nick and his friend (also Nick coincidentally). I expect I will be playing video games on  my own while they work out their next role-playing event. I'll probably also feed them at some point. On Saturday we're meeting up with a friend for lunch and then (if the weather is any good) going to  take in the street performers festival. (I happen to know that WannaWaffle will be there!)

Later today I'll be sharing a recipe with you! Stay tuned!