And I will never forget the plans and the silhouettes you drew here...

How do you extract yourself from somewhere dark? How do you manage to tell yourself that everything will be okay? That despite the uncertainty and the monotony, that it'll be fine. 
How do you stop yourself from moping? How do you enjoy yourself when things don't go as planned? That despite the busyness and not being able to see the friends that make you the happiest, you go on. 

You just do. And it's hard. And it's a daily and momental choice. A choice to be happy, to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to choose to be what you want your situation to look like. To shape your circumstances and make the most of it. 

These last few weeks of school are going to be so busy. It's hard to imagine that we only have 16 more days left. September was yesterday, but it was also decades ago. I can see the person I was then and the person I am now, and they are light years apart. I would hardly recognize myself. I wouldn't take the late nights, the multitude of exams and essays, the Starbuck's runs, the afternoon adventures, the laughs, the cries, not anything back, to be that person again. Because I think I like whom I'm becoming. And I have experienced nothing but growth these past seven months. 

"And when at last you find someone to whom you feel you can pour out your soul, you stop in shock at the words you utter -- they are so rusty, so ugly, so meaningless and feeble from being kept in the small cramped dark inside you so long."

I think sometimes things take you by surprise. And you catch yourself as you're pouring out your soul. And you catch yourself as you give them a piece of yourself. And there are several moments in the coming weeks where you get a little panicky because you don't know if you'll be able to go on without it. And there are so many hard moments, and really really good moments. And memories that will last a lifetime. And somehow the uncertainty of the future has disappeared and you're just living in the moment -- with them. 

And that is what I can take with me from this year. All of those times. With her. Because I will never forget the plans and the silhouettes you drew here.

And yes these coming weeks will be a whirlwind, and time will not be on our side, but it's a comfort to know that we did have these times and that we are only nineteen and that the summer is only four months and that next year will just be around the corner...

Winter is lingering...

I was having a rough day today. Stressing. Worrying. A headache coupled with work on a good day is not desirable. 

I wanted to write a blog post and decided, as we crossed the creek up into our yard, that I would snap a couple of pictures of the sunset once it lowered a bit. 

Also to show all you people in the south that it is still very much mid-winter here. 

Minus thirty-five degrees yesterday morning. 

Buried under two feet of snow.

***

These two get quite hyper when you go outside and of course they proceeded to wrestle just out of shot of this first picture. I got them to settle down eventually and took some really good portraits of the two of them together. 

They are the best of friends. Adopted mother. Adopted son. 

Ezra was probably around 4 or 5 when we got Seth and he was definitely too young to be away from his mother because he cried and cried. It was heartbreaking. 

Ezra was a little wary of this little whiny fur ball that had arrived unexpectedly, they adopted each other quite quickly however. Seth took comfort in her at night, and because we had gotten him in the winter, they both slept in our little duplex for those first couple of months. 

They have become inseparable and are a little lost when the other is not around.

Loving // Black Honey

On one of my online shopping sprees I got a few things from Sephora, and I picked up Clinique's All About Shadow in Black Honey. I had this on my wish list ever since I saw it featured in Anna's Autumn Edit (1:10) video on YouTube. 

This shadow is so highly pigmented and easy to blend. And it's such a beautiful rust, brown colour, that it really makes paler eyes pop. I think I've worn this every second day -- at least -- since I've gotten it and it has incredible staying power. In one sweep and some strategic blending you can have a great 5 sec eye, that looks like you put so much more effort into your make-up.

I haven't played around with other eye looks since getting this shadow, but have merely swept it all across the lid, blending it into the outer crease and adding a salmon coloured highlight in the inner corner. It's a great stand-alone look and I haven't had the desire to use it in any different way.

All in all, it's a great shadow that goes with everything, but steers away from the basic taupes and browns; bringing in a muted cranberry/rust red that makes a great statement and a good twist on a neutral eye. 

It's moments like these...

I love dressing up for no reason.

I love experimenting with my makeup.

I love the first sip of hot tea after a long day at school.

I love when all of our family is together just hanging out.

I love being able to capture a moment with just a click of a camera.

I love when I'm nearing the end of a book and I find myself pausing to soak it in before I move on.

I love the feeling of pulling on my favourite pair of jeans and t-shirt combo on days that just don't start out right.

I don't think I love very many things, but here are the ones I can think of…

I love the first few notes of a song starting to play and knowing it's my favourite
I love to see the stars as I lie in bed
I love to dream
I love the smell after rain
I love the moment after I finish reading a book, before the spell breaks
I love the feeling of cold water on my skin, like a reminder that I am here.

Bronté Collett

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Wide, sparkling fields snow vestured lie

Beneath a blue, unshadowed sky;

A glistening splendor crowns the woods

And bosky, whistling solitudes;

In hemlock glen and reedy mere

The tang of frost is sharp and clear;

Life hath a jollity and zest,

A poignancy made manifest;

Laughter and courage have their way

At noontide of a winter's day.

~ L.M. Montgomery ~

A couple of weeks ago we were able to fill our once empty living room with couches that our dad got from the city. It's one of our favourite rooms in the evening, where we can read and relax by the fireplace without getting distracted by whatever is being watched on t.v. 

Recently, however, in the evenings we've been enjoying watching episodes from the British television series, Call the Midwife, on iTunes.

It's funny how close you can tell it's getting to Christmas, everyone is posting pictures of Christmas tree hunting and decorating, Christmas music playlists are being made and the students at school are getting restless!

Our last day of school is on the 21st so we have quite a bit of time left before our Christmas Holidays. With diploma exams coming up in January (worth 50% of our overall mark) we're getting close to the wire, it hasn't hit yet though, no the pressure will start building once the Holidays are out of the way. 

For Christmas this year I think almost everyone from my dad's side of the family is going to be coming up. I can't help feeling this is going to be the last time we're all able to be together, so I'll be cherishing this Christmas for a long time. 

I've been working on some things for Christmas presents as well as getting my brother, Christian, who is in the city to pick up some things ;) if all goes well I'll be done and able to relax once we're out of school.

Yes I think all in all this Christmas will be one to remember...

A Warm Fall Day

A high of at least 30 degrees, I'm afraid this was the last day of "summer" in the midst of September. It was of course a couple of weekends ago, for it has been rather windy and cold of late. The chilly evening air is threaded through with silver from our warm breath, nipping our ears and leaving our fingers swollen, the farmers are collecting their harvest and school is in full swing. However this is the time to indulge in pumpkin…everything, drink hot chocolate by the fire and take long walks with a sweater, mittens and a chunky scarf. Fall is definitely my favourite season by far! 

I have a week full of tests to look forward to but on a better note it's a long weekend and we're going to the city for my cousins wedding which will be very nice! Can't wait to see everybody :)

The Fruit of our Labour

We've been packing/organizing these past couple days, which is really quite exciting! This "little" project of ours took at least 4 or 5 years, the actual building has only been about a year and a half though. So you could say it's been a long time coming! I can't wait to recreate my bedroom decor that's been forming in my head these past couple years and of course a dish washer and a working washer/dryer and a library and…and I could go on and on. 

Tomorrow we are going to put some paste wax on our concrete floors and then thursday is going to consist of some hardcore packing!  Wish us luck!
Oh! And did I mention those cherries are from our very own Cherry Tree!

Platinum

I did it! I finally bleached my hair! It was quite nerve wracking because when I first bleached it with this it was quite yellow. After going to the salon and getting some violet shampoo and conditioner it helped tone it down a bit to where it was just a pale white/yellow. Not quite what I wanted we decided to die it again with this ash blonde thinking, "it can't get any worse". And it turned out wonderful! I really love it…and my brother's Harry Potter references (Lucius, Malfoy, Draco etc.) seemed to stop, which is a bonus :) he now wants me to die my hair red so he can call me Ginny…I don't think that will happen anytime soon! Well tomorrow I'm off to help cook at camp for a little over a week with my cousin, Bretley and her Aunt, we should have a fun time! Lots of Laughs! Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans :)

Au Revoir!

Perfectly French

I think I look a little like Jean Seberg in my striped dress and cropped hair :) I plucked these beautiful tulips from my dearest Great Grandmothers garden. She was worried that it was going to rain so she got me to come over and mow her lawn but, mostly she wanted to keep up with her neighbours, who had also cut their lawn! Anyways she told me I could take a bouquet away with me.

Lately I have been in a sort of reading limbo, so to speak, I haven't the will to read a new book but my old favourites are almost all in a box downstairs, stowed away until the day we move into our new house. The house by the way is coming along fast, we had someone come in to mud the drywall as well as prime, he finished yesterday. Anyways I have a book waiting at the library for me to pick up, A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. My dad has read almost all his books and I can remember when we were on holidays he would read a chapter or two to us as we lied in bed :) 

I felt like reading a perfectly french themed book, probably because I felt nostalgic about The Paris Wife which I read last year and because my graduation trip with my Grandparents is going to be in France. I dream about sitting at a cafe having coffee and reading a book! No tours, just exploring and getting to know the people at our yet to be decided location. I will of course insist on a few trips into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower and get lost in the Louvre, but I want a rural French experience. 

Well I hope your week was perfectly lovely and that you will have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend with your mom's! I love my mom so much and I'm so proud of her hard work at our house and the time she takes to make our days here at the duplex feel like home <3

Hello

My name is Bronté Laurel Collett, i love to read, write and crochet. I'm just a regular student living in a small town in one of the coldest places on earth Northern Alberta :) i find lots of my inspiration in the blogs that i follow and Pinterest {www.pinterest.com/brontec/}. A new home building project allows me to dream about my room and my decorating options {which no doubt you'll be seeing pictures of in the coming months -- depending on whether or not our trades people show up and get the job done}. As of now we are at the drywalling stage. i plan on enjoying this new page in my life and maybe documenting some of it on here :) as well as some things that inspire me and things that i am working on.

Love,

Bronté

Julianna Collett Photography