new news

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/10863271/?claim=muztnb4htjc">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Okay first things first: I am now registered with Bloglovin' as stated above. So yeah... no obligations to follow me on there or anything. I have no idea if the link thing above actually works or if it is just a bunch of strange letters and numbers and symbols all jumbled together. If you find that it doesn't work, I'm sure typing in The Fieldguide on Bloglovin' will send you to where you need to go.

Secondly, I will be taking part in the October Dress Project. I've heard of this before, but I never knew where it originated. Apparently the "founder" is a family friend of ours. She goes to our church and I never even knew. So that's a fun fact.

I'll be doing the project this year and that should really be interesting. I'm still undecided about which dress I'll be going with, but I've narrowed it down to two recent buys. The first is a dark blue, canvas-like, shirt-dress that is simple, thick, and plain. Something that I could accessorize easily but isn't that interesting. It is a little long to wear under a skirt so the outfits might get a little boring after a while... My second choice is a little dark red lace dress that I thrifted yesterday. It is a little  short so I'll probably be wearing skirts overtop more often. I want to go with this one because while it isn't plain and simple, I think it will work with a lot of my pieces in my closet. Plus I'll probably be less bored of it by the end. I'll probably go through all my clothing this evening and try and determine which of the two dresses will be the better candidate.

I'm actually happy to say that this isn't one of my choices. Not that there is anything wrong with it, it just isn't even remotely my style. A little too girly. However, it is the closest I could come to showing you the dress without taking pictures of the actual dress (I'm a little lazy right now). The dress I actually have is a greyer shade of blue, has no ruffles or a sash or a collar, has longer sleeves that are buckled, is made of a canvas material, has pockets, a straight skirt, a deeper v-neck,  and large brown buttons down the front. There are loop-holes for a belt but it didn't come with one (thrifted and all). The overall effect of the dress I have is more rugged. Kind of like what a mountain hiker would wear. Definitely something I would wear on a hike if it wasn't too strenuous. 

I would love to say that this dress is one of my choices because I love this shade of yellow, but it isn't. However, my second dress option is exactly like this one but in a burgundy. It's a little big around the waist, but it isn't anything a belt can't fix. The dress I have also has buttons down the back and a zipper on the side instead of a an elasticized waist. But other than that (and the colour) the two dresses are pretty much identical. Wait, actually, this dress looks like it is made of stretchy lace, but mine has no stretch whatsoever. I'm leaning towards this one a little more because it is more summery and I want to get a lot of wears out of it before the really cold weather gets here. 

This season will be super busy for me. Not only am I in the first semester of my last year of high school, I have a blog to keep up with, the dress project in October, NaNoWriMo in November, a novel to keep up with, and-- actually that's it. It doesn't seem so intimidating when it's all laid out but I'll probably be way over my head when stuff actually starts happening.

I'd love to hear your opinion on which dress I should wear. I'm having a tough time deciding and an outside eye would be awesome.

only way is up

I didn't realize  how messy our entrance was until I already took these photos and the ones from the previous post. And by that time, I was too lazy to retake them. Oh well, at least you can see how our house looks like on a regular basis. Actually, this is pretty clean for my family. 

Yeah... two outfit posts in a day. I've never done this before, but I did a midday outfit change. Feelin' like a celebrity. Anyways, I started out with the outfit from the previous post and I went thrifting with it. On my outing, I bought these amazing brown oxford heels and I just had to wear them for church. Plus the weather turned out warmer than I thought it was going to be so I ditched the cardigan and changed my white belt for the brown belt since I no longer had the matching socks on. There is a little less going on here, but I like how I kept the three main pieces (top, skirt, tights) and yet made a whole new outfit. I feel very accomplished. Someone give me a medal.

No, I'm just kidding. A medal would never fit in my closet. I have way too much clothing. And that is why I just got rid of like five whole pieces (impressive, right?) for the winter. I'll definitely put away more, but I am a hoarder and I'm constantly worried that I'll regret giving/throwing/putting away something. And that is why my room looks like a garage sale. I have tons of old wine/beer bottles, dozens of candles, and books galore. I did manage to get rid of most of the junk on my window sill. Then again, I did just replace all that stuff with books, but at least it looks way tidier. 

As I was cleaning out my room, I realized just how much of my clothing was thrifted. I think there is only like two pieces (a top and a dress) that I bought from a real store in the past year. And one of them was on sale. Sure there are other pieces that I've had for years, but at least 75% of my clothing is thrifted. I'd say I was proud of myself for being careful with my money, but the truth is because I go thrifting and spend a lot less on each individual piece, I give myself permission to buy a lot more and because of that, I'm not as picky with what I buy. So I end up with a lot of junk that I wear once and don't even like that much. 

For example, a few months ago, I bought a light blue and white dress that came down to my calves. The material was thin and a little cheap but I liked the shape and it reminded me of peasants. But then my mom and older sister both said that I reminded them of a nurse. I changed right away and haven't looked at it since. I totally get the whole "stay true to yourself" and "wear what you want" deal, but when something isn't appropriate for an occasion (I was going to church) or if it sends a strange message that others could take badly, then you have to be more careful. 

On another note, my family (and the cameras) are back, so the next outfit photos should be better. Unless, I don't have any time. Using a phone was way faster and I --for some reason-- felt less obligated to make them look great and be numerous in number.

Top: thrifted/ Forever 21
Skirt: thrifted
Tights: Fairweather
Belt: thrifted
Necklace: thrifted
Shoes: thrifted

Just a quick update on the whole "changing blog name" thing. It is still going through. I'm just trying to put everything together so it's a one time thing instead of dragging it over a few days or a week.

downgrade, update

As you can tell, I'm using a phone to take the photos here. My family has gone to Waterloo for the weekend and they ended up taking both of our cameras. Thankfully, my mom left her cell with me so I wasn't totally deprived. But this means that the number of photos will be extremely small. Like two.

Top: thrifted/Forever 21
Cardigan: thrifted/Bluenotes
Skirt: thrifted
Tights: Fairweather
Shoes: Old riding boots
Socks: gift/Roots
Belt: thrifted
Earrings: Suzy Shier

I just want to let you know about the couple of changes that will be coming to this blog in the next day or so. I've realized that this blog means more to me than I thought it did and I want it to become more of a permanent thing. So, I want to make a few changes that will slowly move the blog towards what I want it to eventually be like/look like/feel like. And one of those things is the name. While I really like the current name (The Eating of Acorns), I also realize that it has nothing to do with anything I'm ever going to do on here (unless I make a post about acorn printed clothing or one about a acorn recipe which... will probably never happen. Although, I'd love to have a shirt or sweater with acorns printed on it. That would be perfect for the autumn).

Haha, another foot shot. I couldn't help it. I haven't done one in a while. 

So, since the name of the blog will be changing, the url must also change. I won't be making these changes right away so that all of you can get this information and not be completely confused when typing in the url theeatingofacorns.blogspot.com and finding out it doesn't work.

So, if the url suddenly doesn't work, you will be able to find me at the-fieldguide.blogspot.com, which is also going to be the blogs new name. The Fieldguide. 

summary of summer

The weather today was ridiculously nice. It felt like summer all over again. And I got to wear this shirt for the first time.

I first saw it on Modcloth but it was like $25 and (as I've stated numerous times previously) I can't actually buy anything from Modcloth. So I started the hunt for it on other websites. I eventually found it on Amazon for like half the cost. I scooped it up as soon as I could.

I've been trying to expand the colour limits of my wardrobe recently. I tend to buy a lot of reds, yellows, and browns, a lot of natural colours. I also lean towards simple clothing that can go with almost anything. However, I'm trying to experiment with more interesting pieces. Like that bird shirt from my last outfit post. It has print and colour and yet I've worn it at least three different ways. 

This shirt, however, is a little harder to style without going for the traditional jean and boot route. I wanted something a little different, so I pulled out these pair of shorts that I've been using as pyjamas since they're so soft. I'm not used to seeing myself in such an outfit (short shorts, plain t-shirt, purple) but I'm trying to expand my style and see where it leads me. 

Top: Modcloth
Bottom: Walmart
Tights: Fairweather
Shoes: Payless Shoe Source
Belt: thrifted
Bow: Sassy Steals

wishlist // ruche sweaters

I'm still craving sweaters. I haven't been able to go thrift shopping in a while and with the weather getting colder, I need to buy myself a few sweaters. Ruche always has a few fantastic ones, and even though their stock is more limited compared to Modcloth, they always have great stuff. And Canadian buyers don't need a Paypal account to buy anything which is like a double plus for me, because I can actually buy stuff instead of just window shopping.

 I'm still trying to decide if I like open cardigans or closed sweaters better. It is way easer to layer with cardigans and you can see what you're wearing underneath which I really like, but closed sweaters are simple, easy, and wearing them by themselves (obviously with pants and whatnot) is perfectly fine and clean looking. It is a very simple look which is really nice when you don't have a lot of time or energy to put into an outfit.

wishlist // modcloth sweaters

I live in the basement of our house. The heating doesn't work so well and Canadian winter nights can get as low as -20 degrees Celsius. Anyways, I realized a while ago that I've been living in this situation for years with only two American Eagle sweaters at my disposal. With those long gone, I think I only have one real sweater left in my closet. I've been on the search for some warm yet fashionable sweaters.

I love all of these sweaters from Modcloth, but unfortunately, I live in Canada and I don't have access to a Paypal account (I'm not yet of age to get one), so I can't get anything from this wonderful store. I'll just have to wait till next summer when I turn 18 so I can get a Paypal account and finally splurge on Modcloth products to my heart's content.

fall has fell

The weather today was absolutely wonderful: windy, windy, windy, and cold enough to wear my coat! I love it! Fall has arrived! Layers, here I come. Now, I'm pretty sure it's been this cold before this year, but since I'm homeschooled, I don't get out much.

I bought this coat around a year ago (wow, time flies... feels like I just got it). I originally saw it on Modcloth but it was so expensive. By the time I decided to suck it up and buy it, it was no longer in stock. And so began my search to find this coat online. My search didn't last long. I asked a modstylist who the designer was and I quickly found it on another website. For cheaper. Which was great. And I love it. It works with both pants and dresses/skirts and I love how it looks from the back (kind of like its own dress). I used to be really skeptical about buying things online, but really, you just have to be careful and know your size (don't lie to yourself, you're probably bigger than you think you are). I've bought three things online so far (shoes, coat, and top) and they are all some of my favourite pieces in my closet.

With the cold weather here, I've been wanting to make a few soups. In my mind, autumn and soups/chowders/stews are synonimous. I've been planning on making a corn chowder for a week or so but I haven't really had the time. I might do it tomorrow since my mom is out of town and I have to make dinner anyway. I've never had a chowder but I love corn and I found a recipe that sounds delicious. If the chowder's any good, I'll share the recipe with you.

Top: thrifted/H&M
Skirt: thrifted/American Eagle
Tights: Reitmans
Shoes: Modcloth
Coat: Jessica Simpson
Belt: thriftedBag: thrifted

historical inspiration

Style is definitely something that evolves over time. I've never met someone that has kept their tastes all throughout their teenage and young adult years. Just like fashion, style is something that changes from year to year, from season to season. Although we can't always see it, our style is perpetually changing. And it is only after a while that we can look back and really pick out what has changed.

I've always been a huge fan of history as shown in my previous post A Trek Through Time. And I used to let my love for the past completely dictate my style. I would only buy stuff that would remind me of the Roman period. I bought dresses that looked like tunics, gladiator sandals, and roman inspired belts, including the one I have here. I specifically bought this belt because the metal clasp reminded me of the gladiators. Strange, I know. And although at the time I though I'd always be wearing this belt, the truth is, I barely do anymore. In fact, this is the first time in almost a year that I use it. Probably doesn't help that it is a little big for me. 

Top: thrifted
Skirt: thrifted
Belt: Costa Blanca
Tights: Reitmans
Shoes: Payless Shoe Source
Necklace: gift

meet lincoln!

Here are the long awaited pictures of the newest addition to our family. Lincoln has been with us for only two weeks but he's gotten used to our hectic house really quickly. Looking back, it was only the first evening with the whole family that was a little frightening for him. Now? He's the one usually creating ruckus. He's a crazy kangaroo, jumping everywhere, pouncing on everyone's feet, trying to claw/climb his way up our legs. But then there's his night side. He sleeps with me in my bed and he is absolutely lovely to sleep with. He's always trying to sleep on my face. At first it is soft and warm but then I start missing out on a little something called air so I move him over and he sleeps right beside my face. It's pretty adorable especially since he falls asleep much faster when there's a human limb touching him. All I have to do is place a hand on my bed and he lays on it and is out within a minute. We all love him. Especially my mom and my little brother.

Out other cat Darcy isn't as... er, thrilled about getting a little brother. Okay, he right out hated the little guy the moment they met. Hissing and growling (yup, our cat growls) and playing whack-a-cat. I am so surprised at how cool and calm Lincoln was by this treatment. But he is a persistent little tyke and now Darcy has become a little more tolerant of having a ball of fluff following him everywhere.

Lincoln is a pure ragdoll kitten but his dad looks nothing like a ragdoll cat. His dad is huge and has more silky hair than most ragdolls. Apparently, Lincoln going to look like his dad so I'm happy.

16 before 17

I've always been a fan of bucket lists and have always wanted to write one up. However, since I'm not dying (at least I don't think I am) I didn't think it was proper to do so. So I've begun doing the alternative. At the beginning of the summer, I started a 16 before 17 list which I almost completely finished by the due date (end of August). I thought I'd share the list and my thoughts about it.

1. Read fifteen books.
I got around eleven of them and most of them were the Harry Potter series. I had never read them before and I found the Philosopher's Stone in a library sale. I scooped it up 'cause it was only twenty five cents and I was hooked. I borrowed the rest from the library and have slowly started my own collection. I have two Philosopher's Stones, The Chamber of Secrets, The Prisoner of Azkaban, The Half-Blood Prince, and The Deathly Hallows.

2. Spend a day outside.
Okay, I admit I didn't really completely complete this one. When I wrote this down, I was thinking of waking up, having breakfast outside, going into our pool, having lunch outside, going back into the pool, and then when it got too cold, reading on our trampoline, having dinner outside, and then spending the evening in our hot tub. That didn't really happen. My "day outside" was spent at Canada's Wonderland. So although I technically completed this one, I didn't exactly follow my own rules.

3. Keep my room tidy for a week.
I totally procrastinated on this point until the very end. But I actually did it. I had done a massive cleanup of my room and decided that with a bunch of my things in storage, it would be easier to keep things tidy. It wasn't really. But I did it so, yay for me.

4. Drink only water for a week.
I did this one fully. Food and drink isn't a huge deal for me so this wasn't too difficult. Also, food was allowed for me, just no juice, milk, or soda. So it wasn't that big a deal. I might actually do this but for a period of a month for my next list.

5. Sleep in a tent.
I have to give the credit to my parents for this. I probably wouldn't have done this had they not taken us camping in Quebec, so I can't really get all the credit.

6. Sleep under the stars.
To my shame, I did not complete this. I was planning on bringing out a mountain of blankets and spending the night on our trampoline, but every night I was available, there were way too many mosquitoes. Even near the end of the summer.

7. Buy flowers.
I actually did this one. Mainly because it only took money and no time. I ended up buying some little white orchids that died after two days of having them. As soon as I brought them home, I watered them and they immediately began shedding their petals. I admit I did absolutely no research on how to care for them (turns out you should only water them once a week). So there I was, drowning these flowers every day, cursing my luck that I had to buy the only defective orchids. So I let them die. I kind of forgot about them until a guy came to out door asking about the airfield we have at the back of our property. He noticed the dead orchids and told us exactly how to care for them. So now, they are actually growing back.

8. Keep up with this blog.
Okay, I admit there were times that I didn't update for weeks and that is mainly because my camera is being a dooface and won't connect to any computer in the home. I'm still trying to get that fixed. But I'm still here, so I say I get this point.

9. Ride the Leviathan.
I actually had a pass to Canada's Wonderland last year but since I was gone for most of the summer, I only ended up going once and we didn't get to go on the Leviathan 'cause the line was simply too long.
So this summer, I finally did it! ... it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. I still prefer Behemoth better.

10. Do a Marvel movie marathon.
My parents hate movie marathons so I'm lucky that I actually did this. Okay, my parents were gone for the weekend when my older sister and I actually did it and only found out when they got home, but they weren't really angry or anything. Anyways, we ended up watching Iron Man 1, Captain America, Thor, and The Avengers. We didn't have Iron Man 2 and Iron Man 3 had just come out of theatres so we kind of left those out but I did manage to watch IM3 in theatres and IM2 only a couple weeks ago so I say they both count counts.

11. Dive off the diving board.
I wouldn't say I'm afraid of heights. I just hate doing stuff that could potentially hurt me. I've always been a little scared of diving headfirst off a diving board that is at least two meters above the pool. But I did it, I'm proud, and I don't have to do it again.

12. Finish reading the Old Testament.
Okay, when I wrote this down, I thought I would have a lot more time this summer. I was really busy with math (which I dropped for the summer), trying to get a job, and a ton of other stuff that simply doesn't come to mind right now. However, I did make it all the way to Isaiah which I'm really proud of.

13. Do devotions on a regular basis.
So, while I didn't finish the entire OT, I did read my Bible on a regular basis. This is something I've always had difficulty with so I'm happy with what I accomplished.

14. Get rid of 10 items from my closet.
This was actually one of the easiest things on this list. I have way too much clothing that I never wear. I still have a ton of stuff I want to donate to my younger sisters.

15. Go horseback riding.
When I put this on my list, I wasn't really thinking of how I'd get this done. Looking back, if my best friend hadn't surprised me with a free lesson for my birthday at her friend's farm, I probably wouldn't have accomplished this task. I hadn't ridden in a year and it was great to be back in the saddle. I rode for six years but had to quit because of the cost. I need to save up for university so I don't have funds anymore.

16. Finish Barbarian.
I have been writing my very own novel for around a year and I finally finished it. I actually got to around 32 chapters when I decided that I didn't like it anymore. So I scrapped it and restarted. So technically, I wrote two books in a year. It has 29 chapters and an epilogue and is around 95,000 words. I'm super proud of it. It is my baby. I didn't exactly finish it before I turned 17 but it was only like a week later, so I say it counts.

I only wrote this list up at the beginning of the summer and since my birthday is at the end of summer, I only had a couple months to actually do this list. I tried to keep my goals simple and fairly easy to do since I didn't have much time. I accomplished 13/16 so I'm pretty happy. For the other three, I either got close, or I have good excuses. I'm putting together my 17 before 18 list which I'm really excited to start. The goals will definitely be longer and harder but that is all part of the fun. It will be so much fun to look back in a year or so and see all that I've accomplished within 12 months.

the doctor's house

I've never been much of an art fanatic, at least when it comes to paintings and even some photographs. Personally, I'd much rather visit places and and see things with my own eyes. However, I will admit that photography is an amazing hobby that is a special way of preserving memories. And sometimes, I can't help but fall in love with a photograph series.

I found these photographs while just surfing the web and I absolutely fell in love with them. They are so heavy and haunting and the story behind it is quite mysterious.

These images were taken by photographer Daniel Marbaix and are from an abandoned doctor's house somewhere in Germany. Looking at them, there is such a curiosity that arises even if the the backstory is somewhat known. According to Daniel Marbaix, most of the occupants died in a vehicle accident. Head stones were found for them in the house.

The once-impressive house is sadly --and badly-- run down but a lot of the rooms still have gorgeous furniture and features left behind by the previous owners. The house is a mess and apparently quickly abandoned, indicating a sudden getaway by the inhabitants. It has been left abandoned for at least twenty years.

Who were the owners of this beautiful mansion? Why did they runaway so quickly that they didn't even have time to pack a suitcase? What happened to them?

Thankfully, the large amount of furniture and items left in the home gives us a few clues as to who the owners were and what kind of life they lived.

outfit of the month // september

It's not really starting to feel like autumn yet. The weather this year has been pretty strange. First we had  no spring and went directly for summer weather in the high 20's and then only for a few weeks near the end of spring we actually got some nice mild weather. Then this summer has been on and off, either really hot and humid, or cold enough to wear pants and a sweater. And yesterday we had 30 degree weather. In some places of Toronto, the temperature was around 40's degrees and a heat warning was sent out. I believe it is only like the second September heat warning in the past decade. Pretty hot. Today isn't much different: Blazing hot sun, next to no breeze, and sweat stains after only minutes in the outdoors.

Regardless, I've been really stoked for autumn to begin. It is definitely my favourite season. I like the milder weather, the brisk wind, the crisp scent in the air and --of course-- the style. I love layering but it is really hard to do in the summer without melting and in the winter, you are always covered up in a thick winter coat. Spring... well, no one really wants to layer after a season of covering up. 

I've recently gotten a job, so I've become a little less apprehensive of buying new clothing instead of thrifting. And I've got my eye on a few pieces that I'm just dying to have. 

Sweater: Avora Aztec Sweater By BB Dakota

Dress: Favourite Rendition Dress

Boots: For Fold Time's Sake Bootie

Scarf: Heartwarming Up Scarf in Amber 

Necklace: Be-Leaf It or Not Necklace

Earrings: Welcome Bach Earrings

As you can probably tell, I'm obsessed with Modcloth and Ruche. But it is more just being kind to myself than anything else. I try to stay away from more expensive stores, online and not. I don't even look at such stores such as Free People and Anthropologie because I would hate to fall in love with a piece only to be unable to purchase it because of its hefty price or spend a senseless amount on money on one piece instead of spending the same amount of money and getting ten pieces or even more at a local thrift store. I think that is something that people don't pay enough attention to. They say that they are only window shopping but then end up breaking their hearts or their wallets on something that is ridiculously overpriced. At least in Modcloth and Ruche, the items are fairly decently priced and for anything in Modcloth that might be a little expensive, their incredible customer service makes up for it.

My family just got a new kitten and I've been meaning to post pictures but our camera is being stupid and won't even connect to the computer. Whenever I get the photos on my computer, I'll post them and you all can see our little ball of fluff.