Currently 04.30.17

Reading

I read a lot this month, which is just fantastic. I'm spending at least one lunch hour a week reading instead of running errands or shopping, and it's very relaxing. I went thorough so many books partly because I spent a lot of time on planes and in airports.

I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh
This was a very suspenseful, twisty book that I think you'd like it you were a fan of Gone Girl.

Before I Fall - Lauren Oliver (YA)
I've been meaning to read this for a long time, but the fire was lit under me when the movie version came out. I didn't actually get to see it in the theatre, but I planned to, so I made sure to read it. I really liked it. It was kind of like a teenage angsty Groundhog Day.

Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins (YA)
I realized in reading this book, that there are three books by the same author that are connected and I read them in the wrong order. Isla and the Happily Ever After was meant to be read last, but I read it first, sometime last year. I totally enjoyed it. Teenage love in Paris - perfect!

Remembering the Bones - Frances Itani
While I appreciated the idea of the story, I found it to be quite slow in spots. It's about an elderly lady who finds herself stranded in a gully after a car accident and thinks back on her life.

When Breath Becomes Air - Paul Kalanithi
This is a nice quick read that's about a medical resident who gets diagnosed with a terminal illness. It was a very interesting angle to view cancer from. I didn't find it too sad until his wife's epilogue.

Clicking

My favourite thing on the internet in so long (maybe ever) was getting to experience the pregnancy of April the Giraffe and the birth of her baby. I was fascinated with the whole thing, and was really sad when the webcam came down. I'm still checking in on them via Facebook updates, and the camera is back on Tuesday evenings for now. I put in two Zara orders this month... remember, most of it gets sent back. I'm still watching lots of YouTube and loved all of the Coachella coverage.


Watching

I watched the very controversial 13 Reasons Why, making it through the 13 episodes in 10 days which is very fast for me when it comes to TV watching. It's been almost a week since I've finished it and I'm still unsure how I feel about it. I don't want to give it away for those of you who are planning to watch but it's no secret that it's a show about a girl who commits suicide and then tells 13 reasons why she did it. I really believe that it opens up a lot of discussion on suicide, but I feel badly for friends of people who have committed suicide who may watch this show and then worry non-stop that they were the reason why the person did it.
I also watched the final season of Girls and the end was very unsatisfying - as was expected for the show - it would have been very weird for it to have ended any other way. I've started watching PLL's final season and as always I feel like the only way I'd ever fully understand this show is to watch it from start to finish at least five times. Last night R and I watched Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising, which was an easy laugh.

Eating

We had restaurant food the whole week we were in Palm Springs so we haven't been going out much since we returned home. I'm feeling under the weather this weekend so unfortunately we had to cancel dinner plans with friends at Ela last night, which I was really looking forward to. There's been more chocolate around lately thanks to Easter. I've hoarded some mini eggs and Lindt bunnies to get me through the next few months. We've still been incorporating lots of vegetarian dishes into our meal planning, the one below being my most recent favourite.

Mango Chili noodles

Drinking

Most mornings at work, I've been making a tea, which is a nice ritual to begin the work day. I had to try the unicorn frapp from Starbucks when it made its short appearance. I had it made less sweet which was a great decision. I actually liked it, but it wasn't something I could see myself ordering very often if it were on the regular menu.

Seeing

I'm write this post in our basement TV room and I can see the lake and the (turning) green grass outside the patio doors.


Smelling

The remnants of my decaf earl grey tea.

Hearing

I have The Social (past DVR episode) on in the background.

Wearing

Jeans, a tank, and a cardigan. I'm also covered in a cozy blanket.

Feeling

Unwell, as I have been most of the weekend. I'll spare you the details.

Anticipating

I've got some catching up with old friends to do this month which I'm really looking forward to. I'll be seeing friends from previous workplaces and physio school.  Mothers' Day brunch is also something I look forward to every year.

Birthday gift from BFF - Pur cosmetics palette

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

Dinner at the Course: Palm Springs

I've been really behind with blogging on our recent Palm Springs vacation. I actually didn't spend a lot of time trying to get photos for blog posts, so there isn't much in the way of outfit posts. I kept it casual pretty much all week. I did bring one less casual dress, but didn't even end up wearing it.

One evening we decided to go to a golf course for dinner. It was called Escena, and R and my dad golfed there the day following the dinner. It was such a beautiful spot, and the food was really good too.

Details 

Shirt:Old Navy

Tank: Gap

Jeans: Zara

Booties: Aldo

Necklace: Stella & Dot

Earrings: What on Earth

Bag: Danier

This golf cart might cost more than my actual car. 

The mountain and desert scenery in Palm Springs is nothing short of stunning. I found a lot of the time, it was so pretty it looked fake. The desert actually had a lot more rain than usual over the winter months, so things were greener this spring than usual.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

My Monthly Purchases: March 2017

Every month, I break down my clothing expenses and share them. My quarterly budget is $500. This amount can be rolled into the next quarter if it's not all spent. My goal is to keep my out of pocket expenses within $2000 a year. Gifts and gift cards don't count towards my budget. Since I've been keeping a budget, I'm much more careful with what I buy, and I will return stuff at the end of the month if I'm not crazy about it after hanging it in my closet.

I always love doing these posts, but especially after I get back from traveling! If you want to see everything I got, check out my previous post as it has all of the birthday gifts I got as well. Below, you'll find what I spent my own money on. Most of this was bought in California.

Shirt: All Saints Oulet
Reg $160 on sale for $32
I could have spent an absolute fortune in this store. It reminded me of an edgier, more expensive, more androgynous version of Aritzia. I limited myself to one shirt. I want to go back there.

Sneakers: Converse Outlet
Reg $100 on sale for $22
Anyone who knows me, knows my deep passion for Converse. I love love love the Missoni collaborations they do. This buy was a no-brainer.

Laces: Converse Outlet
Reg $6 on sale for $5
I bought the blue pair for my new sneakers (see above) and the camo ones for my oldest black pair.

Coin purse: Rebecca  Minkoff via Nordstrom Rack
Reg $65, on sale for $15
My wallet has a built in coin purse,but I'm actually using it for gift cards so I needed a separate one. This was adorable and I should be able to find it easily in the depths of my bag.

Flip Flops: Tory Burch 
Reg $40 on sale for $20
I normally only wear these type of flip flops at the beach. I'll be beaching in style.

Earrings: House of Harlow via Nordstrom Rack
Reg $35 on sale for $5
HOH jewelry is something I'm always on the hunt for at the Rack as they have it discounted so low.

Shirt: J Crew Outlet
Reg $37 on sale for $12
This shirt has a really nice fit and looks rather Parisian when paired with black bottoms.

Shorts: J Crew Outlet
Reg $50 on sale for $25
Strange enough, I don't have black shorts and haven't for a few years. It was a hole in my wardrobe that needed filling. They had almost the same style at Club Monaco last year, but these were much more budget friendly.

Tee: random souvenir store
Reg $15
I wasn't going to buy a souvenir shirt as you usually get them home and then don't wear them, but I really liked this one. It looks vintage.

Tee: Target
Reg $13
Band tees are always on point and RHCP have been my long time fave.

Boots: Topshop
Reg $80 on sale for $28
These were a random find in the 30 minutes I had to shop at the Grove on our day in LA. I'm obsessed with them and I'm already counting the ways I can style them all year round.

Cardigan: Element via Winners
Reg $80 on sale for $17
I bought this before our trip because I thought I'd wear it in Palm Springs. Turns out I only wore it once as I usually had either my denim jacket or bare arms in the evening. I'll get lots of wear of this though. I'm a fan of Element clothing in general.

Original value of items: $681
Price I paid: $209
I saved 69%

This marks the end of first quarter and I'm actually $153 under budget. I was very close to my luggage weight limit for the plane so it's a good thing I didn't buy more stuff. I can't think of anything in particular I'm looking for in the next little bit, but I always like to buy a few new spring tops every season. I might check out a few consignment boutiques and potentially some thrift stores soon to see if I can find any treasures.

XOXO
Glitterary Girl

California Shopping Bags

This post is not my regular monthly shopping budget - that one is coming soon. Here I'll show you the birthday presents I got while I was in California. Most of my family chose to give me shopping money instead of a physical gift this year, knowing I was going away a few weeks after my birthday. I'm so grateful for all my goodies!

Most of my shopping was done at Desert Hills Premium Outlets, a HUGE outlet centre about 20 minutes outside of Palm Springs. It had many stores I'd never seen in outlet form before (Saint Laurent, lululemon, All Saints...) I could have easily spent two days here. We skipped a lot of stores that we have access to at home.

Sweater: Splendid
Reg $198, on sale for $33
This is a beautiful, soft, white sweater that will be amazing on a summer night.

Sweater: Lululemon
Reg $98, on sale for $29
I was really excited to visit the lululemon outlet. I wasn't in need of much in the way of workout clothes, besides a few new tees which I bought at Under Armour and Puma). This sweater couldn't be left for the price and the softness though. I made myself buy a color, rather than the black one I nearly bought.

Romper: Target
Reg $23
This is the only romper I've ever tried on that I liked on me. I'm long waisted, which usually creates rather uncomfortable circumstances in one-pieced clothing. This was totally comfortable, and I think it will look nice with wedge heels and a floppy hat.

Jeans: 7 For All Mankind

Reg $225, on sale for $24

Sorry for the bad photo. These are a super soft -a dark blue with a very cool snakeskin pattern. They are a legging jean and are perfect for those nights you want to wear something more than a basic jean but don't want to wear anything too formal. These are edgy done perfectly!

Jeans: 7 For All Mankind
Reg $189, on sale for $71
Sadly, my black Madewell jeans that I had for only a year had a crotch blow-out. I wore them a ton, but I'd never had jeans do that before and really missed them for the few months I've been without them. Black jeans were the only thing I NEEDED to buy! I was wearing them when I took this awkward photo of the back pocket.

Bag: Michael Kors
Reg $298, on sale for $119
It's pretty hard to go outlet shopping and not come home with a bag. The deals are too good to pass up! I did a bad job of photographing this bag - it's a light gray and it actually has a top handle as well as a cross-body strap. I think the top handle must be folded under the bag here. The tassel is also a nice touch and it's removable, so I can put it on another bag if I want.

Bracelet: Alex and Ani via Nordstrom Rack
Reg $38, on sale for $19
I've been wearing my two Alex and Ani bracelets that I won a few months ago a lot! This one looks nice with the silver one I have as well as with other bracelets I own.

Earrings: Kate Spade
Reg $32, on sale for $12
These were buried at the bottom of a bin that had a bunch of the same with a green spade. I have no idea why they were so cheap. They're too cute, I'm sure I'll wear them a lot!

Soon, I'll share with you what I bought with my own money!

XOXO
Glitterary Girl