Weekly Gratitude - Autumn and Spinach...

I'm still here dollies! So sorry for the lack of posts the past few weeks - school was starting again and I getting back into the swing of things has been occupying my mind. But there are many posts coming up, including an August Favourites post tomorrow, so stay tuned! However, for now, we have weekly gratitude - enjoy.

• Thank you for school starting again - I love this season!
• Thank you to a friend, for always being able to bring a smile to my face.
• Thank you for the weekend - I have so much to do, so it's not "two days off" at all, but just being able to sleep for one or two more hours than usually is so valuable!
• Thank you to my aunt, for being home again! She was abrought, but knowing that she's safely home with her family, is so nice - welcome home :)
• Thank you for autumn - I love all the autumn colours, will be showing you some favourite polishes soon!
• Thank you for spinach... I know, that's a strange one, but unless you've tasted fresh, mountain-grown spinach (or that´s what we call it here... I'm not talking about the tasteless, artificial, perfect-looking spinach!), you really haven't tasted spinach - so good with strawberries!
• Thank you to God, for giving me so much, so many people, to be so grateful for.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Autumn, My Aunt and Ice Cream!

• Thank you for autumn coming upon us so gracefully - I almost don't want to say it, but I feel happy about summer coming to an end and fall taking over... I can't wait for rich, deep hues on lips and nails, the autumn leaves and school... there is something so oddly charming about school starting again.
• Thank you to my aunt for stopping by this evening - she made my day!
• Thank you for ice cream... the perfect food for extending summer into fall.
• Thank you for Barnaby - ever watched those movies? I don't know if they're aired in the US, but it's a British series of movies about the police man Barnaby, who lives and works in a small town in the countryside. Lovely!
• Thank you to my new followers - I hope you like what you signed up for ;)
• Thank you to my mom and niece - the three of us went for a long ride on our bikes today. The weather was as nice as the company, and the tour was lovely.
• Thank you to God, for letting us know that our loved ones are doing what fills their life with purpose and happiness - it's an unexplainable feeling, knowing that they're doing fine, that they're happy, that their life is the best it can be.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Edinburgh

I just came back from Edinburgh, Scotland, and oh my. What a city! It's my third time there, but somehow, this time was different. I've loved the city since I first came there, but this time, it was like coming home. And leaving for the flight was like leaving home... strange :) I'll do a second post on it as I always do when I get back from travelling, with pictures and descriptions, and of course you will also be seeing a "haul from Edinburgh" in a few parts. But let's get into weekly gratitude! Oh, and on another note - I hope you liked the posts I posted the past week - I was trying the "scheduled" post system. I quite like it!

• Thank you to my mom, for being the best travel-companion in history!
• Thank you to Angela and her family, for running the best B&B I've been to... I think that was a big part of why we felt so at home in Scotland this time.
• Thank you to Scotland and Edinburgh, for welcoming us with great weather and great people - there was only one rainy day, which is quite special when it comes to Scotland!
• Thank you to Kári for taking care of my kitty while I was away...
• ...and thank you to her for being patient while mommy was away - I'm so glad I'm back with her :)
• Thank you to God for returning me home, safely...
• ...and for letting me know that my loved ones are safe and happy, and making the people they love happy - it means everything to me.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Skylight Confessions and Fresh Apples

• Thank you to Mary Hoffman, for writing the touching book Skylight Confessions. I'm currently reading it (just about halfway through) and it is truly amazing.
• Thank you for travelling season! So many people are travelling the world now, experiencing new things, seeing new places and meeting new people. It doesn't only bring a load of fun, but also maturity and understanding.
• Thank you for the kilo of fresh apples we have sitting around in our kitchen. I can't wait to do something with it! Apple pie with ice cream sounds nice enough to me :)
• Thank you to the doctor whom my uncle visited, for he is now well - he had an awful cold, in the middle of summer, and couldn't go outside.
• Thank you to my aunt, for helping out the other day - we can't be without your laughter!
• Thank you to polish companies, for bringing very interesting fall collections. Although I'm still enjoying summer, I'm really excited for fall as well, not least because of the fall polish :)
• Thank you to my friend Maja, for trying out my pudding cookie recipe :) (Psst! She loved them, maybe you will too... only one way to find out!)

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Old Pictures, New Followers and Nice Neighbours

• Thank you to my uncle's dogs - for giving us the opportunity to hug and kiss them, they're so cute!
• Thank you to my mom for finding old pictures that I loved looking at.
• Thank you to my aunt for giving me the most amazing leather purse. Oh my, it's beautiful. I'll maybe blog about it soon!
• Thank you to my new followers, for liking what they see :) Welcome!
• Thank you to my neighbour, for cleaning the whole street! We are all so grateful, and our street is so clean.
• Thank you for today being Saturday - it means cozy night tonight :)
• Thank you to God, for being with the grieving nation and families of Norway. Please pray for the people who lost their loved ones yesterday in this terrible tragedy.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - The Sunset, the Moon and Red Polish...

• Thank you for the sunset I saw last Thursday. I was picking my aunt up from the airport, and saw it when I was on my way. So pretty, to see the moon rising and the sun setting at the same moment. I love this time of year!
• Thank you to the lady who did my pedicure a few days ago :) She was really great, and my feet feel amazing...
• and look amazing, so thank you for red nail polish :)
• Thank you to my friend for meeting up the other day - so much fun!
• Thank you for the fresh cherries I located on Saturday - the shop has them flown in from New York almost every day, so they're very fresh and so yummy!
• And on a similar note, thank you to my friend who told me where you can buy fresh, organic vegetables straight from the farmer - not only cheaper than the store-bought ones, but also better tasting and healthier!
• Finally, thank you to God for giving water to the thirsty - sometimes, coffee just doesn't do it :)

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Fresh Spinach, Nicole by OPI and Lazy Days!

• Thank you for fresh spinach... so good!
• Thank you for the great weather - an evening walk in the sunshine is so wonderful.
• Thank you for my summer vacation being just around the corner! I can't wait for some lazy days :)
• Thank you to shop owners for bringing Nicole by OPI to Iceland! Yay! I've been looking at great shades from them for so long, lemming them, and finally, they are here!
• Thank you for a great weekend - just relaxing, taking long walks and meeting family and friends.
• Thank you for zucchini - yum! (And yes, I know, about half of all my weekly gratitude posts are about food... that's just me :)
• Thank you to God, for bringing the people into our lives who make our loved ones happy when no one else can.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Swimming and Nice Songs

• Thank you for the great weather today! We had amazing sun last week, but the weekend was rainy. However, the sun is back now!
• Thank you for a fun trip to the swimming pool last night - I swam for almost an hour, and it was so lovely. Just me, the water and the evening sky.
• Thank you for healthy veggies and fruits being in season!
• Thank you to my furry friend, for waking me up so sweetly this morning :)
• Thank you to the radio, for playing nice songs today. At work, we often have the radio on, and it's so boring when they just play the same songs over and over the whole day.
• Thank you to the flies of Iceland, for politely flying where I'm not walking/biking... This might seem like a funny one, but flies are really not my thing!
• Thank you to God, for letting me know that my loved ones are safe and enjoying summer!

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Kiwis and Great Weather

I feel like it's been ages since I last wrote a weekly gratitude post... has it been? Anyways, enjoy, and there are lots of beauty posts coming up!

• Thank you to God, for the safe journey we had on our vacation.
• Thank you for the yummy vegetables I had today!
• Thank you for fruit being in season those weeks - it feels like summer when your snack cabinet is filled with fruit of all kinds!
• Thank you for the super nice and beautiful weather we've been having here lately - I don't expect it to last, but I'm sure going to enjoy it while I can!
• Thank you to my co-workers, for all being in a great mood yesterday (as if they aren't always!), when we were having a Mexico-themed day. We played sports, grilled and had an amazing time!
• Thank you to my mom, for being great at finding things... I am so good at losing things, but I can't find anything, even if it's right under my nose! That's where my mom comes in ;)
• Thank you for kiwis and pineapples, they're so delicious!

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - My readers and a sleeping volcano

• Thank you to my readers, for being there, for reading and posting comments. It really does mean a lot to me.
• Thank you for my job. A lot of young people here in Iceland will be unemployed this summer, which can damage their financial situation badly.
• Thank you to my co-workers, for being so hilarious! I mainly work with two women this summer, and both of them are sweet and kind, and so funny! You really can't be in a bad mood around them, at least not for long.
• Thank you to my furry friend, for playing with the water in the bathtub... it gave us all a good laugh, and now her face is sparkling clean (I usually have to help her with that, which she doesn't like at all :)
• Thank you for the volcano going to sleep... at least it seems like it is going to sleep, which is good news for the entire country, but especially for the people who live in the neighbourhood of the volcano.
• Thank you to my niece (who is also one of my best friends) for coming to visit me last weekend - we stayed up way too late, watched movies, talked and had the best of time!
• Thank you to God, for teaching me to spot and appreciate the truly important things and persons in my life. Nothing feels better than knowing that you care.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - The eruption and the killing of dolphins

• Thank you to the people who are helping the victims of the eruption in Grímsvötn, which started yesterday. Nobody is in direct danger right now (that I know of), but there is a lot of ash coming down, which is a farmer's nightmare, since the animals can get sick and the grass becomes poisoned. This is the second time in a year, that the same people have had to deal with an eruption.
• Thank you for the brighter, warmer weather we've been having (before the eruption). I know I mention this in every gratitude post, but I just love the brighter weather.
• Thank you for my mother's banana bread. It's delish!
• Thank you for summer break!
• Thank you to the computer specialist, who is coming tomorrow to fix my internet. It will be such a relief.
• Thank you for being amazing readers and sticking with me through finals!
• Thank you to the filmmakers who made the film about the killing of dolphins in Japan. What a horrible thing to watch, but it is so important for those things to come out, so that they can be stopped.

Yours,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Eurovision and a break from nail polish

• Thank you to Time, for flying so fast through my finals - I only have one exam left!
• Thank you to my mom, for baking me muffins the other day - they were so yummy!
• Thank you for Eurovision! It has completely been picking up my mood during finals, it takes my mind of things to sit down for a few minutes to listen to a favourite song... do you follow Eurovision? If so, check out Iceland's song, as well as Denmark, Ireland and finally, yup, you guessed it. Germany! I love love love Germany's song this year. It is just so different and has some kind of a deep soul to it.
• Thank you from my nails to me... for taking a week-long break from nail polish. They have no idea what agony I am going through for them! Staying away from polish when I have so many new ones that I am dying to try out, is harder than I ever thought it could be, haha! I'm addicted :) But my nails really are thanking me, they have become much healthier and I know that my polish will look a whole lot better on when the nails are healthy. Can't wait for Monday though, when I can paint my nails again!
• Thank you to a friend of mine for always making me laugh!
• Thank you for chocolate. I don't have to explain that one, do I?
• Thank you God for having given me the opportunity to meet the people whom I love and care for.

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Sanity, happy days and art!

• Thank you to my friends and family for keeping me sane through my finals - I'm already more than half way through, and I'm still sane... I think... that's a good thing, right?   :)
• Thank you to the sun, for shining so bright those days! It finally feels like summer!
• Thank you to my furry friend, for always being able to put a smile on our faces - she's so adorable and she doesn't even know it!
• Thank you for today being such a happy day!
• Thank you to the artists who put their hearts on the line for the sake of art itself - a world without true art could never be understood, never be seen and never be truly lived.
• Thank you to the very special people who brighten up my day with their presence. We all need some sunshine, and you folks are mine.
• Thank you to God, for giving me the opportunities to get to know those people - and to feel. What would life be without the ability to feel?

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Chocolate coated raisins and those who love us

• Thank you for licorice, chocolate coated raisins and M&M's with Peanut Butter... those are lifesavers when you're studying for eleven finals.
• Thank you for summer coming closer and closer, with the sun shining brighter than ever.
• Thank you for my finals having finally started - I don't like waiting, I like to get things over with.
• Thank you to my furry friend, for reminding us all how important sleep is (though she's maybe taking that a little too seriously...  ;)
• Thank you for those who love us.
• Thank you to you, for making me smile the other day. It brought me to a whole new level of understanding.
• Thank you to God, for he always gives you what you need. Just remember that what you need, is not always the same as what you want. "All in good time", said a wise man one day.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Easter eggs and memories of lost loved ones

This post is one day late, but better late than never, right?

• Thank you for Easter eggs - they are especially yummy since they are only around for a short while each year!
• Thank you to my mom for her amazing waffles, hers are the best!
• Thank you to my friends, who came over the other night, and we had a great time.
• Thank you for films like My Sister's Keeper which I watched yesterday. It is so beautiful and sad and moving. We need more films like that one.
• Thank you for summer coming closer and closer, with all its goodness!
• Thank you to God for bringing loved ones safely home.
• And lastly, my deepest thank-you to a beloved friend who passed away yesterday, for all the beautiful moments we shared. You could always make me smile, and there was never a dull moment when you were around. We will never understand why you had to leave so soon and unexpectedly, but we are thankful for the memories that you left, to warm our saddened souls. I will always treasure the memory of you in my heart, and I know that we will meet again someday. I will never forget you.

Love, Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Spring, birthdays, and unforgettable persons...

• Thank you for Easter break being here... although I'm already missing my busy schedule :) I like being busy!
• Thank you to my furry friend, for never taking a break from being cute and sweet and wonderful!
• Thank you to Dovey, for having such patience for me... I'm so late shipping your eyeshadows, sorry, but they're on their way and thank you for your patience!
• Thank you for spring arriving - I can't wait to ride my bike again and go hiking!
• Thank you for tomorrow being my birthday - I'm such a birthday girl, haha!
• Thank you to my friends, for helping in making my last year so amazing :) It will be strange without you next autumn.
• Thank you to God, for allowing me to meet people whom I will never forget. You meet so many people who don't affect you in any way, but then you meet one person, and your whole view of life changes. Thank you.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Yummy cakes and Happy Endings!

• Thank you to God for keeping my loved ones safe.
• Thank you to the amazing little furry friend I made this week!
• Thank you to my mother for that yummy cake she baked the other day - haha, I've got such a sweet tooth!
• Thank you for movies with happy endings - they keep our spirits up!
• Thank you to Viktoría for introducing me to the restaurant "Pítan" - haha, I hadn't been there for years, and I loved it ;)
• Thank you to the inspiring people in my life - I don't know what I would do without you.
• Last but not least, thank you to my group of readers, which is growing faster than I ever expected - thank you!

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Spring, my father, cookies and forgiving

• Thank you for the sunshine today - it reminded us all how close summer really is... and that spring is already here!
• Thank you to my father, for buying me so much sparkling water... he knows I can't live without it, haha!
• Thank you to my friend Hildur, for always being ready to laugh with me!
• Thank you for the church in my neighbourhood - going there is simply priceless. God has given me so much.
• Thank you for chocolate chip cookies - life wouldn't be the same without'em ;)
• Thank you to the special people who make me smile.
• Thank you to God, for showing me that all hearts can forgive - my own included.

Love,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Friends, Readers, Memories

• Thank you for sleep - it's so valuable when you're tired :)
• Thank you to Maja, for being such a sweet friend.
• Thank you to the ones who have kept me sane through this week - what would I do without you?
• Thank you to the readers of my blog, who are always there with their nice comments! You make my day ;P
• Thank you for the movie I just watched - sad but beautiful.
• Thank you for the German Film Festival here in Iceland - it's really eye-opening to watch films from other countries, as well as fun. And hey, they're German! You know me, I love Germany ;)
• Thank you to God, for giving me memories which I will treasure forever, and for showing me the strength which can be found in every single human heart.
• And an extra! Thank you to Script Frenzy, for opening up my mind to writing scripts... I've written a novel, many short stories and a truckload of poems, but I never considered scripts until now, so thank you! It might be an interesting thing to try :)

xox,
Miss Diorista

Weekly Gratitude - Cupcakes, Japan, Titanic and Beautiful Moments

• Thank you to the cupcakes I just baked... and ate! You were delicious and you made my day :) I will be posting pictures of those cuppies soon!
• Thank you to the kind-hearted and brave people who are helping in Japan - you have given so many people their faith in the human being back.
• Thank you to my mom, for making such a nice rice pudding today :) How delish!
• Thank you for the small things in life - for they are not small when they are close to your heart.
• Thank you to my niece for finally making me see the movie "Titanic". Why didn't I see that movie before? It is so beautiful, yet so tragic... I'll have to watch it again some day.
• Thank you for the weekend ahead of me - and for making it seem so long when I know it really isn't!
• Thank you to God, for keeping my loved ones safe, and for allowing me to treasure some absolutely beautiful moments in my heart. Thank you.

xox,
Miss Diorista