The Adventures of Skinny Mini Kiki: July 2011

July 21, 2011

gone fishin'! on hiatus

Well, I was going to dedicate this post to that most ellusive of creatures.. summer shorts. lol. Instead, I write about taking a short break from the web. I'm fried. Burnt toast. I was going to write some harsh words here but.. it really isn't a big deal and it doesn't change anything. Not really. What I really do need is to recharge and forget it all.

And to forget it all, I need to turn my computer off. Completely. So I'm taking a slight short break. I hang up a sign that says, "Gone Fishing". It's been so wonderful reading all your lovely comments lately and I really appreciate all of them. I want nothing more than to peruse my favorite sites and blogs and get inspired. But I need to recharge my batteries and try to enjoy the summer that is passing me by.

Tomorrow is Keira's last summer swim class and after that, we'll try to head to the outdoor pool and enjoy this summer heat wave.

I'm hoping you all enjoy your summer and find some time to relax, enjoy your loved ones and sink into these lovely sunny days! À bientôt mes amis! I'll be back soon (hopefully inspired & full of new photos) and will want to see & hear all your news!

July 20, 2011

summer lovin'

My sister sent me these pics of all the fun that was had..

There is nothing more that I'm grateful for than my family. It's been such a hectic month and as complained mentioned in a previous post, work has been non stop as well. So much so, that I have had to work pretty much every single night for about a week or two. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful to have a job but I wish it weren't jammed into such a short period of time.

So while the Mister went off on a business trip, my sister took Keira for 3 whole days! Three whole days of summer fun with her cousins and neighborhood friends, of my sister's amazing cooking & parenting skills. Remember the movie Freaky Friday (no, not the remake version with Lindsay Lohan, I'm talking the original stuffs with Jodie Foster)? Yeah, I pretty much wished I were in Keira's flip flops for those 3 days.

Did she give me a hug and kiss before she left? Um, nope. Did she hug and kiss her Papa when he dropped her off? Um, she had to be gently 'reminded' to. What she wanted was to get on to the business of summer fun! Never mind the parents who missed her like crazy. lol. Apparently, she listened, she behaved, she ate well, she had fun. Can't ask for more!

All thanks to my amazing sister, brother in law and my nephews for taking care of my little taco.

July 18, 2011

pinkarnaval de jean paul gauthier :: montreal

On Saturday, after the souper terrible at the korean restaurant, we dropped my mom back to her place and decided to turn around and head back downtown. We'd heard that there was going to be a parade. Not just any parade: a Pinkarnaval Jean Paul Gauthier parade! In conjunction with the exposition of his work at the Musée de Beaux Arts de Mtl, this parade is also a guest parade of the Just for Laughs Festival that just kicked off. Summer = Festivals!

We made our way to the new Place des festivals and waited at the tail end of the parade run. In true Gauthier style, the parade was spectacular! I think there was even more people than at the St Patrick's Day parade. Stripes, cone boobs, Eiffel towers, costumes, dancing, floats, all came down the street with terrific music playing. The cherry on top? The last float with DJ Ève Salvail blasting music with Jean Paul Gauthier himself following the float on foot and a mass of people dancing to the beat all around him! Keira included! Do you remember Ève Salvail? Montreal model who rocketed to the top grâce à JP. The masses and music moved towards the Place des festivals.. Keira wanted to see more, move more but after a full day of sun, fun, swimming an entire afternoon and an evening meal, she admitted she was beat. So we headed back home. We definitely did not regret seeing this parade.. I hope Keira remembers this when she's older, a memory to savour..

Legs in the air like you just don't care

And because this part was Keira's faaaaavorite, I share with you this video:

July 17, 2011

friends for the weekend

Our friends came over Friday night til yesterday. I wish they had been able to stay longer but they were tired and I'm not the only one with a heavy load at work. So we decided to bring our parents to a korean restaurant for supper yesterday. This is the first time I've been to this particular one and though the meal started off promising with a cold sweet soba noodle soup, the rest went downhill afterwards. I guage a restaurant on it's panchan and bibimpap. Both were lackluster in taste and looks. After the meal, I think there was a unanimous agreement on how everything was not up to par. So sad since I had been looking forward to a korean meal for months! Ah well, next time, I will head to restaurant where I know I can get amazing good food.
It was a terrific day though. We took the kids to the community pool and spent the entire afternoon there while our friends went off for a much deserved time off and enjoyed an afternoon at the cinema. Great summer day...

July 14, 2011

sneak peek: orage sundowner girls winter & ski jacket

Sneak Peak! :: Thinking of winter? I wasn't until Keira's ski jacket came in! Here are some sneak peeks of Orage Junior Girls FW 2011/12 Sundowner jacket I got for Keira this winter. It is so WOW!
In stores soon...
www.orage.com

July 13, 2011

orange fizz et rebelle, oui oui! chanel

I went shopping with my sister last weekend and splurged on myself. Crrrazy! I did not buy anything for Keira but only because I couldn't find her any shorts. Unbelievable but apparently I can not find shorts to buy in summer. I'm going to try Joe Fresh.

My sister and I headed over to the Bay downtown and wowsa! What a transformation it's going through! Not the stale old lady department store anymore. I dragged my sister to the Chanel counters and was going to go for the Mimosa nail polish as it looked so sweet on the lovely Shirley of Lovelylanvin but got distracted and fell in love with Orange Fizz instead. lol. That's me in a nutshell: distracted! I love the name too. I also went wild and got Rebelle Rouge Coco Shine. What can I say, I am un 'tit peu rebelle!

July 12, 2011

butterflies

Keira, getting ready to go to her friend's birthday party, #2 of the month. This H&M butterfly dress is getting too short so she wears it as a top now.

Keira's summer swimming classes have started. She'll be heading to the pool every evening for the next 2 weeks. Having gone to the outdoor pool several times now with me and her Papa, Keira's been going wild over swimming under water. In the past 2 weeks, she's improved quite a bit! So much so that last night, we could see her able to kick her legs better and swim underwater. She's like a torpedo! A silent one since she doesn't splash all over the place. lol. This summer swim class is much smaller than the one during regular season. Which is terrific since the kids get a little more extra special attention.

While Keira's learning to swim, I'm currently drowning at work. With the art director gone on paternity leave and no one else left in my department, it's pretty much down to me. Staying late at work is impossible as I have to take care of my kid (plus, who wants to work in an airless, windowless box?), make sure things get done at home and we stay organized what with so much activity going on this summer. Especially this month. But once the kiddo goes to sleep, I turn my computer on and remotely connect to work and try to make some headway into the mountain of work I have. I feel like I'm burning my candle at both ends.. I am however, trying to take full advantage of summer and the hot days. It's just very hard to enjoy when you've got stress nipping at your heels and all you want to do is fly away like a butterfly..
sigh.. okay, whining session is over!

July 11, 2011

kristina klarin necklace :: compai blog!

Here is the beautiful Kristina Klarin necklace I won from the Compai giveaway! I first saw Kristina Klarin's necklace on the ever stylish Kristin of KLTworks blog and loved it. I always love heading over to the Compai blog for delicious eye candy on a weekly basis. When they announced a giveaway for one of Kristina's colour popping baubles, I added my name to the long list of entries. I was extremely surprised when Justina contacted me telling me I had won! I literally jumped for joy. Kristina's necklaces are all the rage right now and it's easy to see why: they're the right pop of colour to accessorize pretty much any look you want, from casual & fun to classic & chic.

Thank you so much Compai blog and Kristina for my new necklace, I love it!

Check out the Compai blog here: www.compaiblog.com and also Kristina's beautiful blog here: kristinaklarin.blogspot.com. You can always get your very own Kristina Klarin necklace over at her shop: kristinaklarin.bigcartel.com

Here are some outfits I pulled together and how I'd pair it with my new necklace! I also styled the outfits with my beloved Fournier necklaces as well.. What do you think?