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Yes, folks, I’m writing an entire post on tea. Have I lost my mind? To some people, maybe. But to anyone who knows me..this is right on target for my personality. I am a sucker for branding. Proper marketing, good design, typography..it sucks me in every single time. And DAVIDsTEA, is no different!
 
I had first heard about DavidsTea via Instagram. A few online friends that I follow were posting about how much they loved it or when they stopped by to refuel and, while I was interested, I never thought I’d get in to an actual store and went about my usual Insta-browsing. That is, until I came across DAVIDsTEA in Saskatoon this past weekend. When I strolled up to the store I was completely surprised! I had no idea it would be in Canada let alone Saskatchewan! My impression immediately was a good one. I walked up and before even entering the store a super friendly girl offered a free tasting of Razzmatazz, a sweet raspberry flavored tea that I fell hard for.
 
I walked in a few steps and was completely overwhelmed by everything they had to offer. Everything looked so pretty and inticing..I didn’t know what to look at first! But then this super sweet girl came up and helped me out, answered all of my questions {and then some}..I was hooked immediately..

 
After filling me in on everything I needed to know the girl left me to my own devices, checking in on me every now and then to see if I needed any more questions answered. I stacked my basket full people..I just couldn’t choose!! I picked up a super fun “Perfect Mug”, a vast array of teas and even a starter kit, just so that I could pick and choose my favorites by tasting as many as possible..
 
When I brought out my camera phone to take a few photos, every one that worked there became very intrigued as to why I take photos. When I explained that I was “a nerdy scrapbooker” they just gushed over it. They loved the idea of photographing everything in my life and scrapbooking it. Asked tons of questions and was genuinely interested..I can’t tell you enough about how good they made me feel!! I couldn’t quit gushing! I just wanted to wrap each of them up and take them home with me to be my new friends..I loved them all:)After I made my purchases they sent me on my way with a large steaming mug of delicious tea and it sealed the deal for me.. I’m in love with DAVIDsTEA!!

 
Don’t you just love my new mug?? So far I’ve tried Chocolate Rocket & Cookie Dough..and I can’t choose a favorite..I love them both..tommorrow I think I’ll try Sleigh Ride..or maybe Read My Lips..or maybe Alpine Crunch…hmmm, decisions, decisions….

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  • dawn - WOW, that is a lot of tea, great pictures. I’ve never heard of this kind, all I drink is the Lipton and I’m a big tea drinker too.

    Hope you make a layout about this, would look so cool. Enjoyed reading this and your pretty new mug.ReplyCancel

    • Dawn Cosgrove - Dawn, I only heard about this thru Instagram and never thought I’d go to one..but so glad I did! Honestly they were such nice people and so far..the tea tastes amazing!!ReplyCancel

My husband snapped this photo of me this past weekend and I cannot tell you how much I love it. We were just heading out to do some holiday shopping when I took a moment to enjoy the falling snow and he picked up my camera and caught me in a moment that I will always cherish…

 
This photo symbolizes pure joy to me. It captures me in exactly how I feel about life in general right now. I have an amazing family, I have a full and satisfying life, I have a husband whom I adore that loves me more than I think I’ll ever know and we have some big exciting things going on in our life that just make us smile. I tell ya, I’m giddy just thinking about it! And while, yes, I can complain about how cold it is outside just as good as the rest of them..you will never hear me complain about it snowing..I love it. I’m like a child in a rain puddle..I’ll jump and run and play in it all day if I can..
 
What brings joy to your life? Whatever it is..I hope you hold on to it, nurture it and let it completely consume you…
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  • dawn - What a gorgeous and happy picture this is, that hubby is awesome for taking it. I can always see the joy in your pictures and especially your words. I love how bubbly and giddy you are about life and THE LITTLE THINGS. That is one thing we have in common. So happy your life is good right now and you live each day to the fullest. I’m pretty happy now too, Thanksgiving is in one week, YIPPPEEE!!
    Take care and keep on SMILING!!ReplyCancel

Whew! Week 45, you totally blew me away! I have said it before and I’ll say it again..October-December is truly my favorite time of year and this year, is no exception! November has truly started off with a bang! It feels so full, so exciting and its as though it is just bursting with possibilities. I have loved this week and, although I’m sad to see it go, I’m really excited to move forward and see what is next!

We just came home last night from our amazing weekend in Saskatoon, so my head is bursting with knowledge and inspiration and although I will touch on this weekend here in today’s post..I have so much to say about the last 3 days that I will be doing a whole separate post for that as well! We made it to Saskatoon and back safely, which I feel very fortunate for as I just learned that another couple were not as fortunate Saturday night on a highway crossing just North of us. Our first winter storm of the season hit us pretty hard this weekend and the prairies are now covered in at least a foot and a half of snow. Visibility was extremely poor in some areas and unfortunately for this specific couple, their journey ended in a tragic head on collision with a semi. I can’t imagine what their families are going through right now and so please, take the time to think about everyone involved. And remember, drive safe everyone..winter is officially here!!

Okay..so many things I’d like to remember about this week!! Shall we begin?

-I want to remember waking up on Monday and thinking, “how is it that we have been married for a year already?” time just flew by us!! I feel blessed, humbled and grateful every single day for this man in my life..
-I want to remember driving up to Saskatoon on Friday and realizing that, one year ago, we were wandering the streets of Paris {seriously, pinch me people..it still hasn’t sunk in!}
-I want to remember driving home from the post office and chatting with my daddio about some family issues we are currently dealing with. I want to remember that I came home, let myself cry for a minute and then went on with my evening. I’m not trying to be the strong one but this is just something we have to deal with, but, I needed to let myself break down for a minute before picking myself up..its just how I deal with things, I guess!
-I want to remember driving to Montana this week and picking up some fun packages of crafty goodness that I had recently ordered for December {who knew a box of glittery goodness could make a gal so happy?}. I then proceeded to show Adam every little thing in those boxes and, not so shockingly, he wasn’t really all that interested {to his credit, he really did try! lol}
– I want to remember the fun wiener roast we had on Thursday. Sitting outside in a light jacket and enjoying the crackling fire with my husbands family…then falling asleep that night and waking up to a foot of freshly fallen snow!
-I want to remember how every single morning Adam woke me up gently, wrapped me up in blankets, told me I was the most beautiful woman in the world, kissed me on the forehead then slipped away to work while I drifted back to a most blissful sleep…every, single, morning …*sigh*
-I want to remember sitting up really late Thursday night and giddily talking about all our plans together. Making lists, making plans, growing, laughing and just all around revelling in how lucky we are
-I want to remember trying to ignore the massive amount of snow that had fallen by Friday morning because I was just that darn determined to meet Kelly Purkey {she travelled for 15 hours to be there, I figured we could drive the 4.5}
-I want to remember first meeting Kelly and totally feeling like the new kid in school. It felt like everyone knew someone at this crop but me, and those kinds of situations make me so freaking uncomfortable!! {side note: I was taken aback by how vast the age difference was at this crop full of 120 different women..and, decidely, Kelly & I were probably amongst the youngest in the group! I was kind of surprised by that}
– I want to remember our dinner date Friday night at the Samurai. It is one of those places where you sit in groups around a large grill and they cook your food right in front of you. We ordered a great tasting bottle of wine and laughed and talked all night…loved every minute of it!
-I want to remember the taste of my first Starbucks Peppermint Mocha of the season..every year I drink a sip and proclaim, “Its Christmas in a cup!”
-I want to remember getting some Christmas shopping done as well as browsing some amazing Christmas displays. I was repeatedly mentioning how much I would love it if my job was to just work on Christmas product design all year round {something to ponder} It made me want to come home and start decorating for the holidays!
-I want to remember walking in to class on Saturday and being way more at ease then I was on Friday…such a good feeling!! I was able to open up and chat with the other ladies in the room as well as answer questions about my projects that have been published in magazines,  the whole experience made me feel pretty darn good 😉
*I want to remember getting a text Saturday night from my brother in law’s girlfriend….they’re engaged!!! I’m so happy for them, they are truly a great couple and I’m beyond ecstatic to finally have a sister! To complete the package, my future sister in law has a sweet 5 year old son so, now I also have a nephew..and I love them both so much!!*
-I want to remember waking up and heading out for breakfast with my cousin Tammy, whom I have always looked up to but barely get to see with so much distance between us. She lives in Saskatoon so now, every time we come in to the city, I am sure to let her know the dates so that we can always catch up!!
– and finally, I want to remember wandering the mall today before heading home and coming across DavidsTea. Now, the only reason I know about this place is thru some lovely friends on Instagram. I had no idea this place even existed in Canada so, you can imagine my surprise when I came across it! I am a huge tea drinker, I love it and am always after a cozy cup of something tasty, especially now that the temps have dropped! 30 minutes later with a bag full of goodies and a warm mug of fresh tea in my hands, I considered my world officially rocked by DavidsTea {pls…if you see it, get some..its awesome} I haven’t unpacked my purchases yet because everything is just so pretty..the colors, the typography, the packaging..gosh, good design gets me every single time!

Starting out in class Friday night
 
it was super chilly in Saskatoon!!
 

I’m still wrapping my head around this week..it truly has just been that amazing..
I will be back this week with a personal post about this past weekend, some thoughts I’ve come away with, things I’ve learned and, of course, more Kelly Purkey class thoughts/photos! Have a great Monday everyone!!

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  • dawn - Welcome home again Dawn!! What fun trips you’ve had lately, YIPPEEE!! I love reading this list, what a sweet husband you have! Happy Anniversary to you both! So thankful you guys made it safely, how awful for that other family.
    Can’t wait to see more photos and hear more about your trip and meeting Kelly, LUCKY GIRL YOU ARE!!

    I did post on my blog about your Christmas cards,hope it’s going well for you.

    p.s. we put up our outdoor Christmas lights on Sunday. It was 70 and sunny so we decided to do it then instead of when the cold/snow comes. This is the earliest we’ve done them and we noticed others doing theirs too.
    Can’t wait till our Thanksgiving 9 more days!!ReplyCancel

My ‘Week 45; What I Want to Remember’ post may be up a little later than usual this weekend as we are off to Saskatoon today for what I’m anticipating to be an amazing, memory filled 3 days. This week so far has been amazing, our 1st wedding anniversary was Monday, we have had some major progress on the house, Adam has surprised me more than once this week..and, as if it couldn’t get any better..we are off to drive 4.5 hours to stay at this beautiful hotel..

honestly, isn’t it gorgeous..
 
Last time we were here (January) we were in Saskatoon for a farm show..but this time, we’re here more for me. Because I get to meet an idol of mine, I get to meet this girl:
 
 
Yup, I’m attending Crop & Create: Saskatoon and attending a couple of classes taught by the       Kelly Purkey..yup, that one. If you can’t tell, I’m ridiculously excited for this. In fact, when I first read Kelly’s blog this past Spring when she announced her upcoming classes, I am pretty sure I squealed a little and scared my hubby. And I remember that day distinctly because I read it while sitting on the sprayer with my farmer in a field out in the sticks. And when I told Adam about it and he agreed that we would go, I squealed again..
 
I have loved Kelly’s work for a few years now..her work is amazing and every time I stop by her blog I’m inspired. Her talent is effortless and now that she has struck out on her own with an amazing line of stamps, I’m 100% behind her! I love what she comes up with every.single.release! And her first book {above} was just released last week..please, please go and check it out! I have studied it from cover to cover and walked away feeling ready to take on my stack of photos waiting to be scrapbooked.
 
So yes, I’m beyond excited for this weekend..no amount of snow could keep me away! And the best part? I have 2 classes, one tonight and one tomorrow night..and the rest of the time I get to hang out with my hubby and do whatever we want in the city {you can bet a stop or two at Starbucks for my first Peppermint Mocha in a red cup of the season will be on my list}This is going to be a weekend for the books folks, I can feel it already!
 
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  • dawn - How exiting for you and what a great trip for your anniversary!!ReplyCancel

Most Novembers that I remember have never been as warm as this one we are currently in. The snow is expected to return again today {ugh} but this week we enjoyed some beautiful weather {I’m talking t-shirt outside kinda weather} and yesterday, we were determined to soak it all in! Adam & I got up in the morning and started a bonfire with all the extra pieces of wood laying around from the construction..the fire kept going all morning and so my father in law suggested a wienie roast and my gosh, was it ever delicious!

getting things nice ‘n hot!!
 
The dogs were especially excited for the wienie roast..apparently they misunderstood the memo and thought all the food was for them!
 
 
I love this next photo..its almost giving you a view from the perspective of Jakey..
 
 
Then it was time to roast the wienie’s!
 
 
YUM!!
 
 
Adam was thrilled to have lunch outdoors with the bonfire. In so many ways he’s just a really big kid! And his enthusiasm was catching!! I will admit, I quite enjoyed not having to a) make lunch, and b) do dishes! Not only that, a roasted hot dog in November just seems to taste better {I think because its such a rarity!!}
 
 
I’m really excited to print these photos off and get them in to my PL album..its a nice memory to look back on and say, “remember that November when it was actually warm out?”
 
We have a crazy fun weekend ahead of us that I’m 100% giddy for {will write more about this in my weekly recap post} until then, I hope you have an amazing rest of your week/weekend everyone!!
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  • Lynette - We call roasting meat in South Africa a “braai”. A bit like your BBQ. As most of us are crazy about outdoors and our weather is mild…it is a favorite thing for most of us to do. We “braai” kebabs, ribs, lamb tjops, boerewors (traditional South African sausage) and spend hours chatting around the fire.ReplyCancel

    • Dawn Cosgrove - Hi my friend!! I love that you have taught me this!! I’m definitely going to tell Adam this 😉 isn’t this just the best? Thousands of miles away from each other yet, every day, we can chat and learn something new! Love it!ReplyCancel

  • dawn - I love when we get warm days in November too, we just did this weekend. What a great idea to have a weenie roast, have never done that only smores. It does make everything better when you can do it outdoors. Great pictures of this fun memory you will have!!ReplyCancel