Category Archives: Nicole’s Favourite Things

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Isolation Chamber Edition

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Full disclosure: I had a very different Favourite Things planned for this month, but I decided to write a little about my experience with The Plague instead. You’ll just have to wait for Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Daily Glow-Up Edition! I’m sure you are all dying to know about my new favourite CC Cream; soon, my pretties.

Okay, that’s cruel. It’s by IT Cosmetics and it’s called “Your Skin But Better.”

As I mentioned in my last post, all four of us came down with The Covid, and our experience was that it was very, very mild. I have been pretty sanguine about the whole thing for several months now, but I do not want to tell you how to feel or to negate your experience in any way. I am just sharing my experience.

To be honest, if this was pre-2020, we would have just gone about our normal day-to-day lives with the kind of symptoms we had. Obviously we followed all the protocols as soon as my son tested positive, but remember back in the Before Times, when we would have just Pushed Through? Remember taking Advil Cold and Sinus and just going to work or to school, never thinking of calling in sick unless we had literally one foot in the grave, merrily spreading our germs to all and sundry? Thankfully, those days are gone, and I have to say it was kind of nice to be forced into isolation without being very sick at all. Forced rest is quite lovely, and we were lucky to have such mild cases.

Well, I say “lucky,” but a big part of that was due to the efficacy of vaccines. My husband has a couple of health issues that are largely controlled but that have been linked to severe outcomes, so I credit science and his vaccination status for his bout: he merely had a sore throat for about twelve hours, and an on-again-off-again headache for a couple of days. Had this happened a year or more ago, things could have ended up very differently, and I will always be breathtakingly grateful that this was our experience.

I think it goes without saying that one of my favourite things is VACCINES. I will get boosted for the rest of my life, if needed.

Again, this is my lived experience. Yours might be very different. I have many friends who are very wary and anxious about contracting Covid for a variety of reasons, so I am definitely not minimizing those feelings. I am saying that we all got off very easy – my younger son, for example, NEVER developed any symptoms at all. Many people have reported that they had symptoms like a “mild cold,” but I wouldn’t even say that. The only symptom I had was being tired and low energy for a couple of days. I know many people who got quite sick with fevers and pain, and others who have suffered Long Covid, and I feel very, very fortunate. I am generally a very healthy person, but similarly healthy people have had very bad experiences with Covid, so general health isn’t always an indicator.

This is a very long preamble to say that I wanted to share with you the things that helped me through my bout, and resulting isolation.

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Isolation Chamber Edition

My Beauty Has Always Been A Curse; Ew, David

My love of the Golden Girls is well known. I have loved that show since the 80s and I was excited to see that it’s on Disney Plus, which is one of the many streaming services we seem to have that I never use. I have been watching one episode week, just like it’s 1985, and at this rate I’ll finish the series in 2029, give or take a few months. My kids like to say I’m binge-watching something if I watch more than three episodes a month, so I guess I’m binging?

The writing is just so good in that show, and I love the costumes and set design. I read that Rue McClanahan had it in her contract that she could keep all of the clothes she wore on the show, so I like to imagine her closet overflowing with super-colourful separates. Also, she was only four years older than I am now, when the show started.

I know I’m about seven years late to the party, but my husband and I have started watching Schitt’s Creek, and WOW, do I love it. So far we’ve finished the first season, and I have heard – from all my friends who have been telling me to watch it all these years – that it only gets better.

She Puzzled Until Her Puzzler Was Sore

I love puzzles, but I never start one unless I know I have time to become obsessed with it and have it completely take over my life. Well, hello there, Covid Isolation!

Isn’t this cute? One of my students gave it to me a few weeks ago, and I felt like this was the absolute perfect time to put it together. It was not a difficult puzzle at all, which was good, as I was kind of fuzzy and exhausted, and it was a really cute and fun one to do. I quibble with the “world’s cutest dog” label though; in my mind, that title belongs to Barkley.

I Heart My Library

I’m always a little surprised when a person tells me that they don’t like to use libraries; when the libraries closed in 2020, I felt like a little part of me died. Don’t get me wrong, I love OWNING books and I HAVE many books:

But I read well over a hundred books a year, and if I were to buy that many books I would be a) broke, and b) drowning in books. I only have so much space, people! I always have a nice big stack of library books on my side table, usually because I put a ton on hold and then they all come in at once, even the ones for which I am way down in the queue. Isn’t that funny when that happens? Luckily I had just picked up several holds before the plague hit us, so I was able to work my way through the stack.

This is my current stack, and oooohhhh you guys, I’m excited about all of these titles. Reviews to come!

Relax and Restore

I love restorative yoga and I do one such practice per week. For those of you not familiar, restorative yoga is made up of very slow-moving, long-held asana, usually with bolsters and blankets. The goal is very gentle opening of the body, while being completely comfortable and supported. To give you an idea, when I used to teach restorative classes, there would be about four or five relaxed, supported asana in a one-hour class. There are a ton of books on the subject, and I’m sure many examples on the internet, but here are two of my favourite postures, that do not require any blankets or bolsters – although you could use them, if you wanted.

Child’s resting pose is so great for the back and shoulders, and if it is painful for the knees to be in this position, you could add a rolled-up blanket between your knees and hamstrings, or support your chest and head with a bolster or pillow.

Viparita Karani, or legs up the wall, is probably my number-one favourite restorative pose. It’s so great for the back and for circulation, as well as allowing a very gentle stretch for hamstrings. If your hamstrings are a bit tight, then simply move your body farther away from the wall to allow for a more gentle experience. I will sometimes lie like this for twenty minutes; if you like guided meditations, this is a good posture in which to listen to one.

I wanted to include these photos to show you that lack of space need not be a deterrent in yoga. You can see how tight we are for space, but it works. Would I rather have a devoted home studio? Obviously yes but I take what I can get, and what I can get is the space between the kitchen and the dining room.

Food, Glorious Food

I couldn’t believe how hungry I was when I had Covid. I certainly did not experience any loss of appetite, taste, or smell. If anything, it was the opposite: even though my activity level was about 1/20 of normal, I was ravenous constantly, and everything tasted great. I am, as you all know, a big proponent of Listening To My Body, and my body was telling me that it Needed Food To Heal. Is this what it feels like to be a teen boy? I was So Hungry, even after a full meal, and so between meals I grazed constantly, for three straight days.

This is a good time to tell you about one of my favourite things: dried fruit. Now hear me out! I am constantly mocked in my family for my love of dried fruit, but if Fruit is Nature’s Candy, then Dried Fruit is Nature’s Gummy Bears: delicious, sweet, and chewy.

These are my favourite dried fruits, which I buy at Costco, but they aren’t always available. Each type is only available a few months out of the year, so I tend to buy a few bags at a time. Am I hoarding? Maybe. I regret nothing!

My sister-in-law (and my brother, too, but let’s be real: it was my sister-in-law who arranged this) sent me this incredible Edible Arrangement and a box of cookies for our anniversary and my son’s birthday – both yesterday! – and I feel that this is the time to mention them because a) Fruit Is Nature’s Candy, b) chocolate-dipped fruit is the greatest thing ever invented, and c) cookies.

Several cookies somehow went missing BEFORE the photo was taken! There are thieves among us.

Those were my Favourite Things this month; this wasn’t what I thought I was going to talk about, but it sure was fun. What were your favourites this month? xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The I Choo-Choo-Choose Me Edition

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I am obsessed with the song i by Kendrick Lamar. Do you know it? When he heard me playing it and singing along, my son told me that i is on The Greatest Hip Hop Album Of All Time, which I didn’t know, but which made me feel like this:

Or maybe this:

I would probably feel more hip if I didn’t hear the song on a Peloton ride, which, like all middle-aged suburban ladies who have joined the Peloton cult, is how I am exposed to all new music. Case in point: watching the Superbowl 2021 halftime show, I exclaimed “I know this song, I heard it on Peloton!” It was, of course, The Weeknd, which was top of the charts for much of 2020. This is what happens when you keep the radio tuned to 70s on 7, you miss out on the trends.

Note: the Superbowl 2022 halftime show was the best halftime show in the history of halftime shows, and I will DIE ON THIS HILL.

In any case, i is a great song, and I love myself goes through my head over and over on a regular basis.

It’s pithy but true: if we don’t show love to ourselves, how can we show up to the people around us or the world at large? We can’t.

Back in August 2020, I read the book Your Body Your Best Friend, and I am not exaggerating when I say that it was absolutely life-changing. I had picked it up on a whim at the library, and ended up buying a copy for myself, so I could reference it whenever I wanted.

I strongly believe that we need to be our own best friend, our own best cheerleader, and our own best supporter. We can’t show up as our best selves without loving ourselves, just as we are. One way to accomplish this is to do little things for ourselves, every day. We need to choose ourselves, and to choose things that make us happy and contented, and on that note:

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The I Choo-Choo-Choose Me Edition

Lube Up, Baby

I love the body lotions from Bath and Body Works, and a couple of times a year I go for the buy 3, get 3 deal. Every morning, right before my shower, I choose the scent I want for that day and set it out. It’s a pleasant tiny ritual that makes me happy every time. What a fun thing to choose every day! Warm Vanilla Sugar for a cozy day at home, Japanese Cherry Blossom for teaching, Saltwater Breeze for groceries?

It’s risky, but I have been choosing new scents in the store without being able to actually smell them, because of mask-wearing. One such new scent was the Fresh Cut Lilacs, and the first time I wore it, I smiled every time I caught a whiff of it, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. After a day of wearing it, I realized that it smells exactly like a Yardley body powder that I used to give my grandma for Christmas. Remember those? I am not saying that you want to smell like your own grandma, but I’m kind of saying you might want to smell like your own grandma. It’s very pleasing and happy-making.

Day By Day

This is my bedside table, and on it, among all the various items from my children and a clock radio dating from the early 90s, is a page-a-day calendar. I hadn’t had one since I worked in an office – probably it was a Far Side one – but I saw this while Christmas shopping and was immediately charmed. It’s put out by the New Yorker and every day has a short love story. I bought it thinking it was romantic love, and there is certainly that, but it’s much more: familial, friendship, unrequited. There are a lot more stories about breakups and death than you might think, but they are all very charming. I mean:

Another recent one was about noticing a person with the same groceries in her cart as the author, and wow, that resonated with me and my little life.

Line By Line

I am NOT a journal-keeper; I feel like this blog is journal enough. However, you may be surprised to know that I don’t share everything here. I know! Didn’t I just talk about my chin hair and my average tampon usage? Is nothing sacred? But it’s true, some things are private, even if I don’t mind talking endlessly about my moustache’s sudden youthful resurgence and what kind of bras I wear.

I don’t like the thought of writing in a traditional journal, but I decided to buy a five year, line-a-day journal and I love it. It’s so easy to summarize the day in one little line, and I don’t need to go into my feelings in depth or anything.

It’s kind of perfect for these times when I can’t remember when something happened. My great-grandma kept a journal that was literally just weather, what she had planted in her garden, and something small about her day; it sounds like not much, but I really like looking at it, and I want to have a similar record for my own use. Who knows, maybe I’ll have a great-granddaughter who will read it and think wow, boring, and yet scintillating.

Accessorize!

Back when I was 14 or 15, a guy said to me that I “wore more jewelry than Mr. T,” which was an exaggeration, but only a slight one.

I mean, he wasn’t wrong. I do love jewelry, it’s true; I enjoy the little ritual of choosing my jewelry each day when I get dressed. Some things are default; I always wear my rings, watch, and Pandora bracelets, but I like to choose different necklaces based on what I’m wearing, plus left-wrist bracelets and earrings.

A funny story about earrings: I generally wear little silver sleeper hoops, and I don’t take them out. Back before Christmas, I was over visiting with my sister-in-law, and I realized that one of them had fallen out. I couldn’t find it and honestly, I was a bit devastated. I have quite a few other pairs of silver hoop earrings, gifted to me over the years by my parents, and so I wasn’t devastated for long. I just got into the habit of choosing earrings each day, and it was pretty fun.

Then, just this past week, I was putting clothes in the dryer and lo, there was my earring! The thing is, I lost the earring before I got the new dryer. How did it get there? Was it in a sweater I hadn’t washed until now? That seems suspect, but I guess it could have happened. Anyway, the positive thing is I have my favourite pair of earrings. The negative thing is now I’m just…wearing them all the time and not choosing new ones daily. Wow, life is hard.

Put On A Happy Outfit

I already wrote about clothes this week, and how much I love getting dressed every day, but what I didn’t write about was how I also love putting on my workout clothes. Sure, I could wear just anything to work out in, but why? Why not something cute and fun? I set out my workout clothes every night before I go to bed, and it’s always fun choosing a cute tee to go with my tank and leggings.

This last one cracks me up; it was in my Christmas stocking this year, and I texted a photo of it to my similarly Austen-loving sister-in-law (HI JO). Whenever something crappy happens, our shorthand now is “Fuck Lydia.” When the diploma exams were cancelled, I got a text from her saying only “Fuck Lydia,” which I think sums up things nicely. You should try it! It’s surprisingly wide-reaching.

Slight digression, I was chatting with my friend Nicole (HI NICOLE) about this shirt, which led to a conversation about Which Austen Character Are You? We all want to be Elizabeth, but like Marie says in When Harry Met Sally, “Everybody thinks they have good taste and a sense of humour, but they can’t ALL have good taste.” Everyone wants to be Elizabeth Bennett, or Jo March, but not everyone can be Elizabeth Bennett or Jo March. (I’m an Amy, honestly). I admitted to Nicole that I think I’m actually Charlotte Lucas, not because my husband is a Mr. Collins – NO, he emphatically is not – but because I am a very practical person and I make life decisions for practical, rather than emotional, reasons. She admitted that she’s a Mary, and every time I think of that, I laugh. Literally, no one else in the world would admit to being a) Charlotte Lucas, and b) Mary Bennett. What a pair of Nicoles we are! Maybe we are just really self-aware. I don’t want to think of any alternative explanation.

These are all my favourite daily things this month, things I choo-choo-choose every day. What do you do to choo-choo-choose yourself? I hope it’s something lovely. xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Hygge-Chaka, Hygge-Hygge-Hygge-Chaka Edition

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I can’t stop this feeling, deep inside of me, January you just don’t realize what you do to me…when you are cold but it’s getting more light you let me know everything’s all right…

Ever since I read The Little Book of Hygge, I’ve been a bit obsessed with the concept: winter in Calgary is long, and being intentional about being cozy fits the bill. This January has been all over the map, weather-wise, from extreme cold to pretty mild, but windy days.

Some of the things featured in this month’s Favourite Things have been featured in previous Favourite Things; because of that, I had some doubts. Should I continue with Favourite Things if I’m repeating them? Should I press myself to continue with this monthly feature if I’m just going to write about the same things over and over? Do I have no new ideas for anything and is it all for nothing? Nothing, I say???

What can I say, we are in a global pandemic. Dark moments, even about silly blog features, happen. Originally I started Favourite Things with items that I had recently purchased, and now I just like to celebrate the things I like. Apparently, some of these things deserve celebration OVER AND OVER AGAIN. Celebrate the good things! Right? There are no RULES to Favourite Things other than being things that I love that month. There’s no LAW I can’t write about bum warmers over and over. THERE IS NO LAW.

Anyway. This month it is all the things that make me feel hygge. If you can’t feel hygge in January, when can you? Well, if you live in Calgary, there are plenty of opportunities, but I digress.

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Hygge-Chaka Hygge-Hygge-Chaka Edition

All The Sweaters, All The Time

I follow a number of fashion blogs, several of which are in California, one in Texas, and one in Florida. The latter blogger once mentioned that she had two sweaters for cooler temperatures, and when I read that, I stared into the distance for a while. Two! I can’t even imagine a world in which I didn’t have a sweater on for nine months of the year. Nine months AT MINIMUM. I have an enormous collection of sweaters: some are light, for mildly cold days, and some could be considered a cold-weather jacket for warmer climates.

Bonus: fuzzy slippers and fuzzy dog, both hygge.

I wear a lot of long cardigans, especially on teaching days when I need to strip down to only two layers (yoga tank and long sleeve tee) for class, without ruining my hair. If I’m not teaching, I wear pullover sweaters with layers underneath. Always, always layers. I can’t think of a single instance wherein I would have a sweater on without at least a tee or tank underneath.

Warm Up That Booty

I have mentioned bum warmers so many times, but they deserve a mention for their place in the hygge lifestyle. A local woman makes these out of thrifted sweaters, and they are just so cute and snuggly.

I have three that I alternate between, but this one is my current favourite as it’s a little bit longer. The other two have matching mittens, but this one goes nicely with my battery-powered heated mittens.

She’s Got Legs, She Knows How To Warm Them

Bums aren’t the only thing that need warming! I wear legging-style yoga pants most days, and those thin pants are just not enough for warmth. On teaching days I wear fitted, stirrup-style legwarmers to keep me warm in that cold, cold community centre; the floor is linoleum over concrete, and it is VERY cold, even in the spring and fall.

Years ago my mother-in-law knitted me several pairs of legwarmers, and they are incredibly thick and cozy. I wear them for walks on days that are cold, but not cold enough for snow pants.

They are too heavy to wear indoors or while teaching but perfect for walking. Options! It’s good to have them.

Sock It To Me

On non-teaching-but-still-wearing-yoga-pants days, I like to wear super-long socks as an extra layer. I have a number of pairs, mostly in black or charcoal.

It takes me a significant amount of time to get dressed in the morning.

It’s Tea Time, Bitches.

One of the interesting things, reading about hygge culture, is that Denmark is a huge consumer of coffee. Me too, Denmark, me too.

The very first thing I do every morning, before I drink two glasses of water, before I wash my face and brush my teeth, before ANYTHING at all, is start the coffee pot. I drink essentially a pot of black coffee every morning and I am not ashamed to admit it. The coffee is not strong, I just like a lot of it. Don’t worry: I drink a ton of water every day too, about 4 litres a day, so I am pretty hydrated and also, yes, I do have to use the bathroom a lot. Sometimes I’ll meet someone who doesn’t drink coffee and never has, and I will be in awe, wondering what that’s like.

Anyway, I have developed a Tea Ritual in the afternoon. When you drink an entire pot of coffee before 8:30 in the morning, you probably don’t need more caffeine in your life. I mean, you do you, but I don’t need more caffeine in my life. However, I like a nice warm drink in the afternoon as sort of a break in my (not-so-busy) schedule. It’s a little treat to look forward to, choosing an herbal tea from my massive stockpile and sipping.

Remember this mug? Leanne sent it to me (HI LEANNE) in the Secret Santa Mug Swap, and it is absolutely perfect for an afternoon cuppa. It’s the perfect size and shape, and it makes me feel cozy and hygge just looking at it, let alone drinking from it.

Girl Put Your Apron On, Tell Me Your Favourite Song

You know what is super hygge? Baking delicious things!

I kind of combined two recipes, and made some changes to end up with this pumpkin swirl loaf, which turned out to be super delicious. The boys asked me if I EVER follow a recipe exactly and I had to really think about it. Pie crust! I never deviate from a pie crust recipe because, let’s face it, pie crust is a bitch to make.

Here’s a Happy Homemaker Hint for you: when rolling out pie crust, roll it between two pieces of wax paper. Take off the top one, and just flip it over onto the pie pan, and peel off the bottom layer. It’s so much easier, although it can still stick and make you swear.

Anyone who knows me knows I despise pie, particularly apple – it’s a grievous waste of good apples! – but I lovingly make them for my family. Well, lovingly and swearingly; as you can see, I had to do some crust patching. Ah well, the whole thing lasted less than 24 hours, so I guess no one cares about esthetics.

Those are my favourite things for this chilly month of January; things that make me feel all the hygge. What are your favourite things? xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things; The I Love December Edition

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I love the month of December. It just feels so magical; objectively it’s a cold and dark month, but it doesn’t feel that way to me. I mean, it IS dark, it IS cold – it is minus 21 this morning! – but I don’t mind. I mean, yes, I would rather not spend ten minutes layering my clothes to go outside, but at least I can put on Barkley’s festive scarf when we go out.

Every year at this time someone decorates the trees lining the walking path, and I am one hundred percent here for it.

It’s been kind of an exhausting week in the Boyhouse, this last week of school. My younger son had two wrestling tournaments in a five-day span and has been going in early every day to catch up on the electro-tech projects he missed due to his cold, and both boys have had numerous big exams and essays due this week. We are all looking forward to the break, reminiscing about the elementary school days when nothing at all was accomplished during the entire month of December except maybe some crafts and caroling.

The break! Today is my last class until January. As I mentioned in my last post, it feels like December is just flying by, and so I am taking time to just stop and appreciate the things I love about it. Without further ado, it’s time for…

Nicole’s Favourite Things; The I Love December Edition

Winter Sky

The sun rises after 8:30 am and sets before 4:30; during the day the sun is so low in the sky as to be always a little bit in my eyes, even at noon. I watch the sky from a dark, dusky navy to completely black, and back again, sometimes with a little colour thrown in.

What December doesn’t have in terms of long hours of sunlight, it makes up for with a special kind of beauty.

It’s Puzzling

My darling friend Allison (HI ALLISON) sent me a Christmas Vacation puzzle, and I felt so seen!

I love puzzles and I love Christmas Vacation. What is it about puzzles? They completely take over my life. I am OBSESSED. All I want to do is work on the puzzle, and I have to be quite disciplined because I find that I’ll sit down to find just one piece and then an hour will disappear. I want everyone to just fend for themselves so that I can just puzzle. MY LIFE IS THE PUZZLE NOW, EVERYONE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE. When I’m in the midst of a puzzle – especially a challenging one like this – I almost forget what life was like, pre-puzzle. What did I do? What did I think about? I found a piece that I’d been looking for for DAYS, and I screamed with joy. My husband came in from snow-blowing and was a little startled, and could hardly understand excited babbling. The piece! That was in the trailer window! I found it!

All of which is to say, this puzzle is one of my Favourite Things, thank you Allison.

Carve It Up

My friend Sharyl and I go way back; we were friends first, and then when I became a yoga teacher she really took me under her wing and mentored me. We used to teach yoga for stroke survivors together, and I learned so much from her and that class. We used to laugh about ourselves at Christmastime, as we were the living embodiment of this meme.

I think you can tell who is who here.

Once in December, we were preparing to teach and Sharyl asked me to put on some music; I suggested a Christmas playlist and Sharyl looked at me like this:

The reason I give you this background on Sharyl is that her husband has been carving and selling Christmas ornaments, the proceeds of which all go to charity. These ornaments are adorable, and beautifully made, and Sharyl’s house must have been, at one point, completely full of them. I love thinking of Sharyl surrounded by ornaments. Now to get her to listen to Christmas music in November. Love you, Sharyl, and love my new ornaments:

Florence’s Art, Again

Remember last month when I told you about my friend Florence (HI FLORENCE) and how she was involved in the Under 100 Art Show? That was last weekend and there were so many beautiful pieces there, and all so very affordable. It was the first art show I had ever been to, and I loved looking at everything; of course, my favourite was Florence’s display.

It was hard to choose but this was my favourite:

Isn’t it lovely? I am looking forward to next year’s show!

Boom! This Stuff Is Amazing

After trying the white chocolate peppermint, I told you last month that I would purchase the dark chocolate, limited edition Boom Chicka Pop and report back, and people, I do not go back on my word. Purchase it I did, and then purchase it again I did, and then purchase it a third time I did because holy moly, you guys. This stuff is incredible. And maybe a teensy bit addicting, so be warned:

You may ask which one I prefer, the dark chocolate or the white chocolate peppermint, and I cannot answer that question. That would be like naming a favourite child. I love them equally, but differently.

I hope you’re finding some beautiful things to enjoy this month! Tell me about them. xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The November Beauties Edition

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I know many people loathe the month of November, but I do not. It’s generally a grey/ brown, chilly, windy month, true, but it has its own kind of beauty:

We don’t all have to be flashy to be beautiful.

November is also a good month for me because the first three weeks are the Exciting Lead Up To The Festive Season, followed by Fully Festive Season. We are IN IT.

But it’s not just about festivities around here, some of my favourite things this month have nothing at all to do with the festive season, I am a woman of many layers and facets. Some things I just love because I love them, and who knows, maybe you’ll love them too.

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The November Beauties Edition

Mary Oliver and Rupi Kaur

Bear with me for a moment, as I know that this will sound Incredibly Pretentious. Every day since the pandemic began, I read a poem prior to my yoga practice (I know, I’m sorry) and then as I practice, I contemplate what I’ve read. All through 2020 I read my very favourite poet, Mary Oliver, and then on the advice of a friend, I decided to add the poetry of Rumi into the mix. I obtained a copy of A Year With Rumi, which, as you may guess from the title, has a poem for every day of the year.

People, I am going to say something controversial: A Year With Rumi is just too much Rumi. I feel like I could have happily had A Week With Rumi. Maybe Ten Days With Rumi. I have been reading the daily selection of this collection every single day, every single DAY, PEOPLE, and really only a handful of poems have resonated with me. I know. I’m sorry!

I am the kind of person who Sticks With Something, and the thought of not finishing the book when it’s November, and I’ve been doing this since New Year’s Day, well. But then I saw this poem by Rupi Kaur on Instagram, of all places:

And, oh, my, did that resonate. I then remembered that I have a Rupi Kaur collection, entitled Home Body, that contains THAT EXACT POEM, but I was saving it until after I finished the Rumi collection. This, I thought to myself, is stupid. If I died tomorrow, would I be happy that I spent eleven and a half months reading Rumi poetry on the daily, while NOT reading Rupi Kaur poetry, just because there is a Rumi poem ascribed to each day of the year? Would I? NO, I WOULD NOT. So while I will continue reading my Rumi-poem-a-day (must finish, must finish), I will do it later in the day, and instead will alternate Mary Oliver and Rupi Kaur for my pre-practice poetry. Life is too short to spend reading poetry that I am not enjoying.

It will be interesting, co-reading these two poets: both brilliant women, one young and one who has, like Elvis, left the building. One writes largely about the world within herself, the other writes largely about the world without, the big, beautiful, natural world. I came across this poem from my Mary Oliver collection, Devotions:

It took my breath away, and is also a good reminder that we don’t know what’s going on in other people’s lives, and to live as kindly and open heartedly as possible.

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

Now for something completely different! My love for Boom Chicka Pop is well-documented, so imagine my excitement when I saw this at Superstore:

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn! I immediately grabbed a bag, and my son and I snacked on it during our recent Top Gun viewing. We both agreed that the first bite was weird; the texture is kind of strange and unexpected, but by the second bite we were completely addicted.

Yesterday I was at Superstore and not only did I grab the very last bag of this, but I also picked up a dark chocolate drizzle with sea salt and I shall report back.

This Silly Crop Top

I have had this Flashdance-style cropped sweatshirt for probably ten years, and I love it as a cute layer to wear to the gym. I have never once worn it without something longer underneath, because my midriff-baring ship has sailed, long ago.

There’s a lot of buzz around sustainable clothing lately, and what could be more sustainable than a decade-old top? I was chatting with a friend about this, that I have had flak for buying fairly pricey yoga/ workout clothes from lululemon, but those items have served me so well. I have pants dating back to 2009 that still look great, and numerous tops and tanks that are about to celebrate their tenth birthday, this crop top being among them.

My favourite thing about wearing this sweatshirt is saying to my kids, “Hey guys, look, I’m wearing a crop top! I’m not a regular mom, I’m a cool mom! How do you do, fellow kids?” at which point they give me that polite, yet weary, chuckle of the type you might have when asked if you are working hard or hardly working, or why didn’t you get them all cut, when you mention that you got a haircut.

The Charlie Brown Christmas Sheet Music

I love, love, LOVE the soundtrack to The Charlie Brown Christmas, even though I cannot and will not watch the show anymore. Honestly, that show is really terrible. Everyone is so mean, Charlie Brown is literally bullied and excluded constantly, and the cruelty of children and how it was completely normalized makes me want to set something on fire. I do, however, love Linus’ line “I never thought it was such a bad little tree, it just needs a little love.” Preach, Linus.

But the music, you guys, the music is so wonderful. And also, really difficult to play on the piano. I trained in the Royal Conservatory tradition, and so I consider myself to be a “classical” rather than a “jazzy” pianist. I have been struggling with this songbook for the better part of three years, but one of my yoga students is an actual piano teacher, and she gave me some really great tips on how to play “swing” style. It helped so much and now I feel like I’m actually making music, rather than randomly hitting notes like a chicken pecking at a keyboard.

The key to playing swing-style, according to my student, who is in her sixties, is to behave as if I’ve smoked a big doobie, and just relax, man, and go with it. She also told me to envision the bassline as “one of those guys plucking the strings on a giant bass, wearing a beret and nodding along” and honestly, that kind of visualization was really helpful.

Florence’s Art

I have been friends with Florence (HI FLORENCE) since 2009, when we were both Kindergarten Moms. I always knew she was artistically gifted – she can sew, and craft, and has a great eye for colour and style – and this year she started painting. She painted this for me and it’s one of my very favourite things:

I love it for so many reasons: she painted it especially for me, for one, but she also based it off of a photograph I had taken on a Sunday morning walk with my husband. I snapped a photo of a train going by, nostalgically thinking of the days that the boys would be excited by trains. To my surprise, Florence copied that photo and gifted it to me, and it hangs on my kitchen wall so I can look at it daily and feel the love.

Florence, along with many other artists, will be at the Under 100 Art Show in December, and I am so excited. I mean, how often do you go to an art show that features your friend? This has never happened for me before, and I can’t wait. Tickets are still available, so if you’re in the YYC area, go and get some! They are very affordable and every piece is priced under $100, so perhaps a good time to go Christmas shopping?

Poetry, art, and music, popcorn and crop tops, I am indeed a multifaceted woman with many different loves and favourites. What are you loving, in this month of November? Tell me everything. xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Spooky Season Edition

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OH MY GOD YOU GUYS. LOOK AT THE GRUESOME SCENE THAT WE DISCOVERED ON OUR FRONT STEP LAST NIGHT.

I guess the mystery of the missing gourds is solved – it’s a case of cannibalism!

I don’t know WHO is responsible for this carnage, but a) I love it and b) I have my suspicions! I shall keep you posted.

Halloween is in THREE DAYS. I know. I know. We are all in a place where we wonder where the time went; where did October go, where did 2021 go, where is my life going. But here we are, the last week of October, it’s almost Halloween, we are all starting to talk about Christmas shopping, and wasn’t it just April five minutes ago? I’m having an existential crisis, is what I’m saying.

Three days until Halloween! It’s the month of all things spooky, and apparently pumpkin murder, and that’s good and fun, and someone posted a photo of their baby’s Halloween costume that is an AVOCADO and I wondered, is it too late for me? Can I squeeze one of my six-foot tall boys into a tiny avocado costume? No, of course not. That’s just weird and disturbing. But still. An avocado.

Mother, that sailor suit doesn’t fit anymore.

Enough of my crisis, although why didn’t I dress up my babies as peas-in-a-pod or similar when I had the chance? Opportunities wasted, I guess. Also – and this is just occurring to me now – why do we as a society dress up our babies as food? Peas, pumpkins, avocados. When we are pregnant, we chart the baby’s growth by other foodstuffs – grapes, melons, beans – which makes me wonder, is our society trying to make us think of EATING our babies?

Well.

Apparently cannibalism is on my mind, grossly enough. There is no good way to segue now into Nicole’s Favourite Things, but it’s that time again! Actually, cannibalism IS a spooky thing, so maybe that’s my segue.

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Spooky Season Edition

Spooky Yard

Every year my husband and older son go a little overboard on our front yard, and this year is no exception.

There are also lights and animatronic movements and sounds, and in conclusion I’m glad Halloween is a weekend so that some of the smaller trick-or-treaters can come in the later afternoon, before it gets dark, so they aren’t scarred for life.

Remember last year, when my husband declared himself the winner in the Halloween decoration department? This year he simply attached a CLOWN to his truck. Maybe the clown is giving us the same message. I don’t know, I think it’s scarring ME for life. My husband thought he might buy MANY clowns and hang them all in our trees, or maybe even a six-foot animatronic clown, and I had to draw the line. I don’t think I can live in a house that is clown infested. I would have to go move in with my friend Janet in her No Clowns Allowed house (HI JANET).

This skeleton seems to be manspreading.

Reassuring Myself With Snuggly and Soft Decorative Gourds

My outdoor decorative gourds may be falling victim to predators, but my indoor ones are thriving!

Aren’t they cute? Many thanks to my dear friend Taryn (HI TARYN) who sees soft, snuggly pumpkins and immediately thinks “Nicole!” After looking at the screamfest in my front yard, it’s nice to know that I could cuddle a pumpkin to sooth myself to sleep, if need be.

Oh, who am I kidding. I’m essentially comatose and dreaming of folding laundry by 9:05 pm every night.

Spooky Season Is A Chilly Season

At least, it is where I live. There is a bite in the air, the mornings are frosty, and I would describe my daily walks as “crisp.” Time to layer up, buttercup! This hat was made by my friend Jeni at Chickadee Crochet – she’s got the cutest hats and headbands (HI JENI).

She also has adorable slipper socks that I’m coveting.

Dry, Cracked Lips Are Also Spooky

Are beauty products on theme with Spooky Season? Well, this is orange, so on point? I have been dying to tell you about O’Keeffe’s Lip Repair. I live in a very dry climate, and when the weather starts to turn it gets even drier. Let’s throw some mask-wearing in there, and we have ourselves some very dry, cracked lips. This product is amazing.

For years I have raved about O’Keeffe’s Healthy Feet, which works miracles on dry, cracked feet. I don’t know why it took me so long to buy the lip product, I should have known it would be great. I use the little pot at night and the stick first thing in the morning and voila! Lips are repaired.

Happy Halloween, everyone! What are you doing for it? I have been stockpiling full-size chocolate bars over the past little while – I want to be a Fancy Lady with full-size chocolate bars and also I think kids deserve a big treat after going through our yard – and I am going to be handing them out with mask and tongs, like last year. Because nothing says spookily festive like The Plague! xo

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The “It’s My Bag, Baby” Edition

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Once in a while I’ll meet a person who casually mentions that they never carry a purse, and I am completely struck speechless. If a person doesn’t carry a purse, how do they carry all the things? Or do they carry no things? Or do they rely on pockets? Just…how? And am I carrying too many things?

The above is the stash of things I take to teach; I’m like a pack mule.

I have been wanting to write about handbags forever, and was doubly inspired after reading this post by Stephany (HI STEPHANY). I am not a “handbag person” in that I don’t have myriad bags that I switch out seasonally, but I do have a few that I switch out for different functions on the daily.

Nicole’s Favourite Things: The “It’s My Bag, Baby” Edition

The Big Mama

This is my number one, catch-all, if-I-had-to-run-out-of-the-house-in-an-emergency-I-would-have-everything bag. I love it so much. It’s sturdy, it’s huge, it’s cute, it’s waterproof, it’s wipeable. I take it with me for appointments and to travel (well, inasmuch as I travel these days), I grab it when I am just popping out for a quick errand, it goes with me to teach, and it also acts as a storage container for everything in my life, as you will see.

It has a cross-body strap, which is more convenient to me if I need to be hands-free.

Barkley photobomb! Also, how do people take mirror selfies? It’s hard. Anyway, this bag has tons of room, zippered compartments, a separate compartment for books/ laptop (if ever I carried one, which I do not), and a little mesh pouch to hold a water bottle, which I do take to every class. After ninety minutes of talking, not to mention mask-wearing and talking, I am pretty dry.

The bag is from lululemon, but it doesn’t look like they sell it anymore. I have always been impressed by the quality and size, and the fact that the straps have never suffered from me cramming so many things in it. It’s expandable as well, which is a feature I haven’t yet had to use, but it’s nice to know it’s there.

The “Going Out” Bag

This is the bag I use for all my super-exciting expeditions. In other words, the grocery store. I love my giant bag but it’s not particularly practical for going to Costco and Superstore, even with the cross-body strap. Grocery trips are a workout in themselves – Costco in winter is like CrossFit – and I don’t need a big bag to get in the way.

Enter this cutie! It’s from Matt and Nat and it’s juuuuuuust big enough to hold my wallet and a few other key items, like my actual keys, as well as my phone, grocery list, small sunglasses case, a mask, and a tiny hand sanitizer. There is a lipstick in there too but it goes unused because masks. You know what I mean. Well, masks are the new lipstick, I always say.

It also has the all-important cross-body strap, because until I grow an extra arm I cannot waste the use of one holding a bag while I haul around hundreds of dollars worth of groceries.

The “Walking Barkley” Bag, a.k.a. If It’s Not Scottish It’s Crap

My parents brought this back to me from their trip to Scotland, and I love it. It’s too small to hold a wallet or sunglasses, but it’s perfect for holding keys, phone, a mask, and the all-important stash of dog poop bags. Have you ever been caught without one? I have, and I felt so badly that I went home and came back to clean up.

It has a small zippered compartment that I can stash my library card in, when I need to pick up a book.

Let’s Call This What It Is

Okay. So. I really like this bag for longer walks, it’s waterproof and a good size in case I need to take a wallet with me somewhere. I keep dog poop bags in it as well, along with keys, phone, and mask. It’s big enough to put in my smaller sunglasses case as well. It is from lululemon and it is euphemistically called a “belt bag” but let’s call it what it is: a fanny pack.

Now, let me just hasten to assure you all that I do not wear it as such. Bless you all who love the belt bag but there are a few reasons I do not wear it as intended: first, I feel like I might turn into an older lady in my life who shall remain nameless, and who loved her fanny pack back in the day, and while I love this lady I do not want to emulate her personal style. Second, I actually don’t know how to adjust the straps, and frankly, I don’t want to learn. Third, for the majority of the year I wear large coats on my walks and having something on my waist is impractical. I wear it cross-body, as I do with all of my bags, and is my hand really that big?

WHAT’S IN THE BAG

In my head, I just said that like Brad Pitt in Seven. Not to worry, there is no one’s severed head in my bag. But there are a lot of things!

This is what I keep in my big bag, on the regular. Could I get rid of some of the things? Sure! But why would I? It’s a bit of a storage area for me. Not everything goes with me all the time, it should be noted, like the book and water bottle, and the sunglasses I’m not using. Let’s go left to right, sort of:

Masks: although I always match my mask to my outfit, it’s a good idea to have a couple of extra in my bag, just in case, and yes, that is a Golden Girls mask. Extra dog poop bag, because you never know. Water bottle, for teaching. Book and reading glasses, for appointments. Nail files – I probably don’t need three but you know how it goes. They multiply. Emergency wide-tooth comb for the rare day I have my hair down. Pens, Advil, dental floss, mints. Earplugs – I sleep with earplugs and those are my spares for when we are travelling. Cosmetic bag, wallet, three different sunglasses for different sun strengths, small first aid kit, hand sanitizer, lip products, keys, tissues. Not pictured: phone, because it’s taking the photo.

My friend Sara (HI SARA) gave me this cosmetic bag, and it’s a perfect size to stash all those little things that don’t fit in the zippered compartment.

At last count there were ten lip products in this bag; like I said, my purse is a bit of a storage area. Also in this little bag: a phone charger, travel size toothpaste and toothbrush. You can never be too prepared. You may think that fourteen lip products in one bag is overkill, but what can I say, I like choices. I find it soothing to know that I could have anything from a clear balm to a bold red lip, without having to search cupboards.

All important question of the week: are you a handbag carrier, or are you one of those unicorns who can go without? Are you a bit of a turtle – carrying everything with you – like me, or are you more of a “travel light” kind of person? Tell me everything. xo