The scariest moment is always just before you start

I've come to the conclusion that I need to write. more. a lot more. 

It's been ages since I've done a blog post and that is entirely my fault. Sometimes I feel quite alone writing these but I know that is no excuse. 

I started this blog as a creative outlet. And now. More than ever. I need that. 

The days are short and long at the same time. Instead of focusing on what I can't do with the limited light, I suppose I need to focus on what I can. 

I can write. 

I've never been one to make New Year's Resolutions, I've always just kind of had a list in my mind of somethings I wanted to improve. 

This is my mental list of what I want to improve this year:

• My blog and it's content -- bring new things into it. Surprisingly I know quite a bit and I have opinions. I can use that. I want to not be so shy about putting stuff on here. Putting myself on here, but what the heck it's my blog!

• My health. I'm not overweight, nor am I underweight. But sometimes I feel quite lethargic and lazy. I want to exercise to improve my mood and my sleep. I want to eat right so I can fuel my body properly. I am NOT however giving up sweets. I cannot. I will limit my self to special occasions -- like Friday nights watching The Paradise. ;)

• I want to find adventure.

• I want to read more. 

• I want to "make small talk". I work as a receptionist but have never really been good at engaging the clients who come in, it's not my forte. I say the necessary things but never anything more. I want to improve on that.

• And finally I want to enjoy every minute of it. The small things as well as the big. Because goodness knows I don't have very many big things to enjoy nowadays.

Christmas 2013

This year I wanted to put together a little video of what a Christmas at the Collett's looks like.
Christmas Eve is always exciting, some years we host a dinner with all of the family that has gathered so far, some years it's just ourselves. 

This year was a little different I suppose, I had to work -- which was really crummy I can tell you that much -- it was only till noon but still. Mom had made a little cake to enjoy in the evening, Christian made a pizza for supper, we opened our Christmas Eve pajama's and watched Elf. It was really lovely!

Christmas morning is early rising generally -- I think we were all up around 8:30 opening up our stockings and presents. Dad plays Santa each year and hands out our gifts one at a time, Christmas morning breakfast is eaten -- I forgot to film that bit :/ -- before we all get ready to leave the house by 12 to go to Grandma's house. 

The past couple of years we have let Ezra and Seth into the porch to enjoy a treat and have a little nap on the warm floor. It was snowing picturesquely while we opened our presents so when we brought the dogs in it smelled of wet dog for awhile haha!

As family gathers at Grandma's everyone claims a spot in the living-room and after a devotional read by Grandpa some presents get opened for each grandchild and aunt/uncle or mom/dad. Christmas dinner follows around 2 and the rest of the day is spent playing games, ski-dooing or going for a walk. 

I really like the finished product of these clips, that perhaps share a slight glimpse into our Christmas time, I might just do a New Year's version as well. 

Christmas 2013 from Bronté Laurel on Vimeo.

All footage was shot on my iPad. Music by David Ian -- I do not own the rights to this song it is purely for entertainment purposes.

A little do it yourself...

This chalkboard used to be in my grandparents basement, they renovated it this summer and a couple of  weeks ago I saw this board in there furnace room. After claiming it for my own I decided to spruce it up a bit, it needed a new coat or two of chalkboard paint and after that was done I then painted the frame gold. 

I really like it, it has added a little bit extra to my room and I'm excited to whip out some chalkboard art skills and change it up upon my whim. Draped with a little pompom garland it definitely adds a bit of festive-ness to my rather unfestive room. 

I'm excited for the holiday season -- even though my break is not as extensive as I'm used to from school, it is nevertheless a break. I've really been getting into the Christmas baking, planning all sorts of goodies I can make -- dark chocolate espresso fudge anyone? 

We managed to get our tree up yesterday -- despite the fact that it is leaning at least at a 45 degree angle -- it's quite cute and smells AMAZING! Mom and I went to the new greenhouse this Saturday that just opened up this fall -- 5mins from our house (!!) -- and picked up some greenery to use as a festive decoration on our new mantle!

The days are getting shorter and shorter…I go to work in the early morning twilight and go home in the dark, it's not the best for getting things done. You end up yawning at 6:00 and start thinking you might start getting ready for bed. It's quite ridiculous!

We just got another big dump of snow and I don't mind it so much now but I think it should stop at this, yeah? It all gets to be a bit much when you think you still have at least 4 months left to look at it. Right now it is adding just enough to my Christmas spirit, so it's not tiresome thus far ;)

E i g h t e e n

Last week was my eighteenth birthday.

It's weird, everyone asking how it feels like being legal now and everything, and I just think, not that different actually, I've been working my way and growing into eighteen since the day I turned seventeen. 

It's gradual. 

It's not like suddenly when you wake up on the morning of your birthday your a year older. Anyway it was quite quiet I suppose for an eighteenth birthday party, just some family gathered to eat cake and have tea. 

I've never been one to like birthday parties. An introvert at heart, birthday's are just a whole lot of unordinary attention. 

Other than that I must confess the view from where I sit has been rather grey. Work has occupied my days and catching up on my social media has taken up my evenings! It's been rather sad no doubt! 

I can't wait for this stage in my life to be over and yet I dread moving on. I long for all the freedom and experiences of travel and building my own life, but I'm scared. 

I hope this year I can regroup and really focus on my intentions, for after all nothing worth having comes easily, at some point you just need to take a leap of faith.

When I started High School my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see it for miles. 

Now there is a bend in it. 

I don't know what lies around the bend, but I'm going to believe that the best does.

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers."

Thanksgiving has come and gone. 

Christian and Blythe came up for the occasion, and we hosted Thanksgiving at our house for the 2nd year in a row. 

Seventeen of us and a baby gathered at our house on Sunday.

The feast generally starts at 2 and we eat and complain about our bursting stomachs late into the evening until we begin to feel comfortable again and we bring it out for a second round -- the rational of this isn't very sound. 

It never seems to stop us.

Turkey and a full stomach, makes you groggy, but we always drag ourselves out for a walk in between dinner and dessert, when the kitchen and the dining room is somewhat orderly again. 

Mom and I were in charge of the dessert again this year -- lets just say we over estimated the ratio of desserts to people a little bit, so ziploc goodie bags full of their favourites was definitely encouraged!

It was a good time. 

Always a good time with family.

Refuse to be average. Let your heart soar as it will.

Every once in awhile a get a desire to write, 

something both deep and meaningful as well as short and aloof. 

A cheeky little story with minute details that don't seem to make any sense when just read point blank, 

but when dissected, mean everything.


I love to read stories like this too, stories that will send a chill down your spine, 

stories that you marvel at and never really, truly, understand what it is they mean,

but mean just the right thing in that moment. 


After that initial inspiration, the motivation never follows through. 

An idea or concept just does not seem to come into fruition,

and maybe it's the lack of those two things.


It's in these times I really miss English.

Where you regularly exercise this writing "muscle"

Where your given a topic, an image, or a concept and your told to run with it.


You would think straight away what the generic thing was to write,

And soon everyone was writing based around that,

but it only took a little bit of extra effort and imagination to take a seemingly insignificant detail,

and make it the main attraction.


Opening up the possibilities from something so straightforward,

making it blossom into something complex,

and making you wonder how you didn't see it that way in the beginning.

One of those moods...

I've been going through quite the slump...graduation took up most of my thinking in August, we went to Edmonton and dropped off Blythe and Christian at university a week or more ago -- definitely shopped till I dropped -- but hey it was needed stuff like work clothes and...basics, mostly ;) 

Then after that little holiday it was back to work, Calder was back to school, all of my friends were off at Uni and I seemed to be just...left behind if you will. 

It's definitely an adjustment just having me and Calder at home but on top of that I just felt kind of mopey. 

I missed school, and writing, and my friends and the teachers, and my brother and sister. It was quite the shock, plus work can be pretty boring sometimes. 

I've been thinking of blogging a lot, and taking photos and maybe even incorporating some videos into whatever this is, but I just did not have the effort or what seemed to be the time.

My room is a mess, I haven't really been looking at blogs for a couple of months by now, reading a book is just out of the question. The only thing I seem to do everyday is go to work, go on Pinterest, instagram, Facebook, eat supper, go on youtube, perhaps go for a bike ride, make my lunch and go to bed. 

The days are getting shorter and shorter as well!! It's dark now at 9 o'clock and it's going to get worse! 

I'm also in one of those midseason slumps, where I want to be able to wear pants and sweaters and scarves etc. but it's been really hot lately! I just get in these moods I guess. 

And now I am rambling...it has been quite the weird day today as well, but I don't feel ready to share that quite yet.

One of the things I forgot to mention, I went to the Duchess Bakeshop and Provision Shop in Edmonton!! Wow, I felt like I was in a proper patisserie -- it was soooo....nice!

I bought Anna Olsen's "Back to Baking" book and I have been really in the mood to bake, but not really wanting all of this baking around -- I think it is a sickness and I caught it at the cafe in Edm! 

Anyway, I hope to do some more of these posts, I always feel like I can't do a blog post without proper pictures so I put off posts I want to write until I get pictures, and that doesn't always happen and/or I have the pictures but need to edit them! Either way I hope to be doing more of these.