Too Fancy for Pants

Hope y'all had amazing weekends! We attended S' company Holiday party on Saturday. That's a story on its own...I'll save that for another post. But here are some pics for now...

  Wool Sweater Coat - Vintage, Scarf - Winners, Satin Clutch - Prada

Since I knew S wouldn't let me post a photo with him in it, I did the next best thing and I found someone else who'd hold my hand....

Yes, I'm a dork...

Anyway...I recently met up with my friend K...remember the one I met at the Jimmy Choo for H&M launch, that snagged a bag for me? This time we went for dinner. And didn't even have to wait in line :)

We went to a resto chain that recently opened. It's not new but new at that location. The food was awesome, especially the dessert - a warm white chocolate brownie topped with whipped cream and served with vanilla ice cream....unbelievably good. But the girls that worked there, seemed...um...a little *underdressed*.

No, we didn't hit a shady wing joint. And it certainly wasn't a 5-star resto. But *classy* enough that you'd spend about $35-40/person without drinks or dessert. Yet management seemed to think it'd be a good idea to establish a dress code that left you wondering time and time again, "Um, why isn't she wearing...pants???" The Servers wore pants but the resto also had girls prancing around, mostly just walking back and forth...perhaps igniting fights amongst couples on their first dates. And occasionally bringing dishes to your table. One girl came to our table with a huge dessert plate asking if we'd ordered it...um, we were just about to take the first bite of out of our entrées - poor thing was utterly perplexed when we told her we hadn't ordered it. Too cold to think clearly? Perhaps.

Right now it's friggid cold in Toronto. My glasses have already started to steam up when I get indoors from being out in the cold. Minis are one thing. But stretching and pulling a top down, no matter how much you fidget with it, still makes it a top. All K and I could think was "Where are your pants?" or "But, why'd you leave your pants at home?" or "I can't take my mother here". She'd love the food but the *scenery* not so much.

Anyhoots K and I had a really good time. 2 1/2 hours flew right by. And we left with our stomachs full, and hurting just a little from all the laughs. We are definitely meeting up again.

Seeing as some of these girls looked young enough to still be living at home, another thought that crossed our minds was "There's no way in heck your parents let you leave the house like that". Which brings me to this question: growing up, did you ever leave the house then change into something else that you knew your parent(s) wouldn't approve of?

I di...I'll tell you my answer in my next post ;)
xx Ela

In The Spirit of Thanksgiving

Lately, I've been feeling overwhelmed.

BIG time.

Sometimes life is hard.

Or at least it seems hard.
At times, it can be.

But then I stop and remember, it's all part of a plan.

And that I have much to be thankful for.

And I am.
Even the bitter, not just the sweet.

xx Ela

p.s. Have a wonderful weekend, see you Monday :)

Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot...

Even though us Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving in October, in conjunction with Thursday's US Thanksgiving, I wanted to do a post on what I'm most thankful for since joining this amazing blogging community...

Note: 0:15 - 0:27 of above is my fave part. I am so thankful none of you have cooties to have met some truly amazing people. When I previously received the Circle of Friends Award I told you about Jaime, Little Rus, Kym, Mayra, Liz and KS. Fortunately a while back, the sweetest and cutest bride-to-be SG passed it onto me once more, which means I get to gush about another bunch of friends I simply adore and cannot do without.

Faux Velvet Blazer - Winners, Skirt - Thrifted, Belt - Vintage

 

LV Epi Pouchette, Multistrand Bracelet-Garbo, Unicorn Cuff, Braided Bracelet-Thrifted

Watch - Michael Kors, Clover Bracelet - Heidi Klum 
Peeptoe Patent Platforms - Michael Kors

SG - Thank you. You seriously beat me to it. Thank you for sharing the joys and even stresses as you plan your BIG and very special day. You will have to video conf us all in cause you can't take us along for the ride and leave us hanging. You are sweet, thoughtful, a fabulous surpriser and all around amazing. Kristian is so blessed to have you in his life. I know you'll truly have your happily ever after :) And we are SO going on that double date one day. But not fishing, k? Cause fish freak me the heck out. Except in sushi form. And I seriously hope your blog name is not indicative of when you plan to shut down your blog. Because marriage does not mean K can have you all to himself 24/7. Uh uh...we'll give you some time off for your ridiculously amazing honeymoon but that's it. 

Nicole - So unbelievably sweet you'd think you might just get a cavity but never ever sickeningly sweet. Gee...where am I going with this? I can't help it - when I think of Nicole, "sweet" is the first thing that comes to mind. Sweetness and sincerity are written all over Nicole's blog, her eyes, her smile, and I can't help but light up whenever I *see* her, read her comments or her emails. I feel blessed to call her my friend. And if I were a Betting Betty I'd say anyone who knows her feels the exact same way. She also takes amazing photos and I've recently learned she's quite crafty (DIYs not devious plans). She's going to be opening up an Etsy shop featuring some fabulous jewellery so stay tuned! 

Kristen - aka Ryan's lover. aka Mark's stalker. aka Nerd monger. But as much as she professes love for other dudes her heart belongs to only one: incredibly lucky Kent. I'm not sure if those sparkly eyes of hers have special powers but she hooked me from day one. This lil Taco aka K Puff strutted her stuff into my blog, my life, my heart and though I can't remember how it all started, I'm just glad she did. We recently had our first phone call, there were no weird awkward moments, just giddy school girl talk. Truth is she makes me giddy all the time. Oh wait, I lied. ONE awkward moment...I called her and when she picked up, I said "Hey Summer!" darn redial messed me up. It happens. I can't wait to see what the new year has in store for this amazing ever-so-deserving-of-all-good-things-happening-to-her lady. I just know it'll be a good one for the Lawlors :) And I cannot wait to see her face to face next year!

Summer - Having met Summer through Kristen, I entered S and K's world and make no mistake I ain't never leaving. Grammatically correct? Not quite, but so very true. We recently shared our first call. Time sure flew but it was so good to hear my lil DimSum's voice. There was even talk of the B's making a trip down to Toronto! T.O. or NYC, either way with just 8.5 hours between us (7 if you drive with S) this is soon to be non-virtual. She's openly shared her deepest desires and even her heartaches. And when you see her heart break, yours will break just a little (or a lot actually). As you join her on her journey, you'll find yourself amazed and inspired and cheering her on because you just know her future is bright. Because she and Adam deserve it so very much. And I just know that the lil brownies are just lining up in Heaven, hardly able to contain themselves wanting nothing more than to come down and be a part of the Browny bunch. And just in case you hadn't heard, it was a REALLY, REALLY BIG day for Summer and her embabies yesterday. I know with all my heart that prayers are heard and answered. Please keep your prayers and happy thoughts strong for Brownie mama, papa and embabies.

If I didn't mention you above, please don't take it to mean that I don't value your friendship. Although I can't do a blurb on each of every one of you (on this post), I truly am thankful for ALL of you. You guys make my day. I heart you. And if you're new to my blog - nice to meet you! Leave me a comment so I can visit your digs :)

Wishing all my Stateside friends a Happy Thanksgiving! And for you who dare to venture out on Black Friday, please BE CAREFUL. And stay away from Walmart. Seriosusly. I mean it.

xx Ela

p.s. Even if YOU had cooties, I'd still be your friend ;)

Things I...Ch 2

Sorry for the lack of posts and commenting lately. I miss you guys like you wouldn't believe. Last week got the best of me. You ever have one of those weeks when you had so much going on yet you felt like you didn't actually get anything accomplished? Sigh.
I've been feeling that a lot lately. Over the last few months I've limited blogging to MWFs because as much as I love it, I can't seem to manage it everyday on top of my daily to-dos. Whenever I get on Blogger, I always seem to get carried away and forget to attend to my daily to-do lists. Note to self: Must master time management when it comes to blogging...

Until then, thanks for bearing with me. And forgiving me when I miss important posts, days when you're down or under the weather, have exciting news or just need to vent. I hate that I miss out on them. Please know that it's not for lack of caring.

Pants - Aritzia, Boots - Diba/Bronx

 

Feeling a bit like Sherlock Holmes in my Cape - Burberry (Kids, via eBay) 

Clutch, Black and Gold Bracelet/Watch, Tassel Bracelet - Thrifted,

Multi-strand bracelet - Garbo, Belt - Gucci (Vintage via eBay)

Watch on other arm - Michael Kors

Thank you, to this little lady for reminding me to wear my accessories!

Seeing that my week was pretty random, here's a recap of what I did, what I thought, etc. in another chapter of Things I...

Things I Will NOT Do: 
1. Get into an Escalade with one dude driving and another in the passenger seat who stops right front of me as I'm walking in a parking lot and says, "Hey, we've got an awesome home entertainment system in the back....blah, blah...an order fell through now we have it...blah, blah....do you want it? It's FREE!"
Ela: No thanks.
Dude Driving: Are you sure, it's practically free.
Ela: [Thinks, "um, what happened to just FREE?"] No thanks. Really NOT interested (or stupid).
One Dude turns to the Other: She thinks we're nuts.
Ela: [Silently concurs...and walks off very briskly.] 

Things I Like to Do in the Car: 
1. Sing along to songs. Even if I don't know the words. Bugs the heck outta me if someone else does it though. Unless they're singing with me. Then that's cool.
2. Apparently, talk to myself. Just a few words here and there. Not even full sentences. Just thinking outloud. That's normal, right? 

Things I Hate to Admit:
1. For someone so little, I've got quite the case of road rage. I'm still working on it.
2. I heard the doorbell go off 10 times (in one go - who does that btw???) and did not answer it. Sorry, not a big fan of drop-ins. Especially if all I've got on is a robe.

Things I Did Last Week:
1. Started my Christmas shopping. Booya! And intended to buy lots for others but picked up way more stuff for myself. Not so booya...
2. Ate spaghetti and meatballs on far too many days than anyone ever should.

Things that I Will Never Get Used to Hearing My Mother Say: 

1. "Bling" or worse yet, "Bling-bling". Yeah...it's just not right. No more buying sparkly accessories when Mumsy is around.

Paris Vogue, Scarf, a Sweet Note and London Keychain

A special thank you to Grace from vitaMinn Style who sent over these goodies when I won her giveaway! If you haven't *met* her yet, DO, she's fabulous! I can't wait to hunker down on the couch with my Vogue. Maybe I'll polish up on my French too. How I graduated from middle school with the French Award is beyond me. I guess I should've kept up with it in high school. Ah well, c'est la vie.

Je vous espère tous ont un beau weekend!

xx Ela

p.s. I don't even know if the above is right, LOL. Forgive me if it's not.

Cinched

Full Skirt Trench and Skirt Underneath - Winners, Belt - Versace (via eBay)

Boots - Diba/Bronx 

Whoever invelted the belt was a genius. It was probably invented to hold up pants, or wait is that suspenders? Regardless, I love belts because they add some definition to my straight figure, which by the way, Wiki defines as "Banana". Mmmmkay. Never quite thought I was built like a banana but then I found this [via Google Images]...

Yeah...I kinda see the resemblance. Besides, a certain banana I know is pretty cool so I'll take it ;)
I rarely leave home without a belt, especially when wearing flowy dresses or tops. I need to draw in that waist because there's nothing I despise more than hearing the words, "Oh my gosh!!! Are you pregnant?" 
Seriously, seriously??? 
Seriously, when I'm preggo, everyone and their grandmother will know. I'll be shouting it from the rooftops so puh-lease, get your hands off my belly and save your question for someone with an actual bun in the oven.

Awk...ward...moving on, the winner of my recent giveaway is Elaine from Clothed Much! Congrats, missy! I'll be sending you an email to get your info.
Thanks to everyone who entered. And I'll be having another giveaway  soon so stay tuned!

And I've also added some Gucci, Prada and Leather Goods to my online shop MyDesignerFinds.com so do take a peek! See something you like that's out of your budget? Make me your best offer and I may just take you up on it!

Happy Midweek Everyone!
xx Ela
p.s. Special Thank You to Clare at Clarabelle for the sweet shout out! BAH, forgive me for seeing this 6 days late. Thanks, hon :) And for those of you who haven't *met* Clare, you must! Get!