Friday Favourites on a Monday!

 

 I missed Friday Favourites last week -- so I'm doing Monday favourites. Same deal, different day. So even though the link up is closed -- it's still good fun!

We had a busy Saturday this weekend. I went for a 10k run in the morning while we had people view our condo, followed by a mani/pedi with my momma and then crisis responder volunteer work from 4-11. It was definitely an exhausting day.
Thankfully Sunday was completely empty which allowed for lots of relaxation in between laundry and cooking. It was much needed and very enjoyable!

I love the part of daylight savings where we get an extra hour of sleep, but the darkness so early is not the best - especially for running. I was able to run Thursday as soon as I got home from work around 5, and it was just starting to get dark, but now it's already darkening by 5:00 and looks like night by 5:30. Since the area I run through has lots of parks and ravines leading off of it, it isn't really safe in the dark. Guess I'll have to figure that one out.

Anyways, time for my Monday (Friday) Favourites!

1. Vanilla Bean Noel time




I know I'm not that only one who loves this scent -- proven by the mass amounts they produce at bath and body works and have to keep restocking. I used to be OBSESSED with B&BW but over the years I've stopped going as much. I still love their 3 wick candles and many of their warm winter scents, I'm just not a fan of the mall so I rarely go. However, I will always go to restock my VBN because it smells exactly like Christmas. Everything from this line smells the same and it's all perfect.


2. Neogen Naturals Serum in Oil Drop White Truffle

 

 

What a mouthful. This is an ipsy gem that I'm really enjoying. I definitely need more than the recommended two drops (not sure who that would work for), but the serum has done a great job at keeping my skin from getting all sketchy and dry as the weather turns colder. I think I see a full size product in my future. It's not oily at all, not sticky like some serums and doesn't leave any sort of residue. It literally absorbs in seconds and then you can apply your eye cream and moisturizer right away. It's lovely!


3. This Mellow Eye shadow

 

 

 

Blogger fail. I totally didn't take a photo of the name. Oh well. According to ipsy it's either coco or plum so I'll go with coco. I actually got this colour ages ago, and decided to try it out because I had run out of my fave neutral (and can't really justify buying eye shadow when I have so many. So I gave this one a shot and it's just lovely! I'm actually kind of bummed that I didn't try it earlier. It does have a shimmer, but it's very muted and it has an amazing look when you add a bit of water to use it as a liner. Really gorgeous. I'd definitely recommend not only this colour, but this brand!

4.  Thoughtful co-workers

 

Should have taken a pic of the inside!

Our favourite receptionist/legal administrator is the only person in the office who makes sure we celebrate holidays. Whether it be valentines day or Halloween, she makes sure we celebrate in some small way. Halloween was a truly dull affair, with just one new person asking if we were going to do anything. I told him that sadly, no. There would be no celebrating that I knew of. Our only festive person was on maternity leave. Well guess who showed up with Halloween treats?!
She came with Halloween cupcakes for everyone and because I can't eat cupcakes she made me my own pumpkin tin of treats with things she knew I liked. It was just the sweetest! I can't wait until she's back, even thought it's a good 10 months from now :(


Anyways, I think that's about it. We are headed out for Miami this Thursday, so I will definitely miss Friday Favourites again this week. Boo.

Happy Monday & stay warm! It's supposed to snow a tiny bit on Thursday, but sadly we will probably already be in the land of palm trees and humidity by then!

A 'nothing to do with Halloween' post on Halloween day!

 

 

When you're an adult without kids and living in a condo (so no trick or treaters), Halloween doesn't really feel like anything other than a normal day. How boring, right? It will be nice when we have kids and a house and can make Halloween fun. It will be fun buying half off candy tomorrow though!

I feel like with our vacation coming up next week, I am just counting the days at work. It quickly got cold here, so coming back from Winnipeg was really just coming back to a different kind of cold. I can't wait to be in Miami!

To prepare, I bought some shorts online because I don't really have shorts (I don't wear them aside from exercise or comfy lulu ones), But since all things have to be wife appropriate for these trips, I got some online at the Bay. Unfortunately, with it being October, they are really just selling off whatever they have left from the summer. So I got a nice white pair that fits well, and a denim part that is quite big, but will have to do. I know I could have looked elsewhere, but the Bay is just so easy to shop at and so close to home if you need to do a return. I pretty much buy anything I need there related to clothing/shoes/accessories/home ... if they sell it, that's where I get it. Our superintendent must think we have a shopping problem, since he always accepts our packages. Funny thing is we return half of it. Shopping at the store is absolute torture, but they've got their online world down pat!


So pretty

I also bought a new purse, because sadly beige doesn't hold up well in my world. I'm not a purse girl, so I usually get one and use it until it dies. I loved my beige coach purse, but unfortunately it became very dirty and the drycleaner wanted $150 to clean it. I can buy a new purse for that price! And I did!
So I bought this new CK purse. I love it, but it's bigger which I'm pretty sure just means I'll be cramming more into it. Ah well.

Last night I made beef and broccoli for dinner.

Delish!

I packed my cook books, so I didn't have access to my tried and true recipe so I used this one from Jo Cooks. I didn't use the cooking sherry, because I didn't have it, and for the vegetables I also added some carrots and red peppers but otherwise I followed the recipe. It's so easy to find gluten free soy sauce and chicken stock these days, so I didn't even really have to think about edits/changes to make it gluten free, because those ingredients already are in my home. This is why I firmly believe in using regular recipes with small adaptations. It's so much easier to stay close to the original intention of the recipe without adding a plethora of extra ingredients. I know gluten free cookbooks can be useful, but I just found them to be frustrating with a page and a half of ingredients. I like simplicity, especially on a Monday night!
I think I'll be using the slow cooker this week - I feel like enchiladas. So that's coming up. My simmers cookbook has some excellent recipes, seeing as she's southern. We'll have to say what tastes are presenting later in the week.

Have a happy Halloween!

Back from the 'Peg

 It's been a week of radio silence -- I must apologize. I didn't bring a computer for my trip, and typing blogs on my phone would have been impossible.

So I'm back from Winnipeg -- and I'll say that the conference ate up so much of my time (understandably) that I didn't really have a chance to see much else, though I did get to see the Canadian Human Rights Museum.

Pretty impressive building, with meaning in every piece of it (specifically designed that way) Ex: The walls inside are unfinished because human rights work will never be complete.

The people who lived in Winnipeg spoke highly of the community engagement and general care for each other, and it was nice to know that they do try to help those around them who live in shelters or the street and rely on donations of clothing and funds to get by. It definitely seemed more closely knit than other places I've seen. I can't say it's somewhere I would desire to go back to -- but it did encourage me to explore Canada a bit more. Whenever I travel I immediately think of other countries, but I've not seen much of what my own country has to offer. So something to consider for sure.

Landing in the prairies was definitely different than landing anywhere else I've been!
 

Last week, or prior to today's post is probably more accurate, I took the plunge and made squash soup for the first time. I'm not a fan of making soups that need to be blended, but I had an intense craving for some squash soup so I went for it. A fellow blogger had posted her recipe for squash soup and had also given me a suggestion to avoid the hassle of peeling and dicing the squash. Am I the only one who gets sliced up fingers when I do this? It literally seems that the squash peel rips the skin off of my fingers. Disgusting and painful. I googled this and I'm not alone -- just an FYI ;)
Anyways, her suggestion was to first roast the squash and then the skin would easily be removed. So I had husband slice it lengthwise down the middle, I scooped out the seeds, drizzled a bit of evoo and sprinkled some salt and pepper. Then I roasted it for about 45 minutes at 425. Not only did the skin literally fall off, but it was already so delicious. I'm pretty sure I ate way too much of it in the moving it to the pot process.
I followed the rest of the recipe process, editing it only to add in my own spices. I wasn't quite sure what would taste best. Squash is quite savoury, so I knew that things like allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg would taste good, but I wanted kick. So I added little bits of those to complement, but also added in a hefty dose of black pepper and red pepper flakes. To say it was divine is an understatement. We ate practically half of the pot that first night, and I froze the rest, which I defrosted it when I got back on Friday and we enjoyed it again. There is one little serving left with my name on it. I'll likely make it again this weekend. I just love squash soup. My MIL also makes a mean squash soup - every time she sends some over, I pretty much claim all of it. It's an obsession.
As an added note: Definitely use a real blender rather than an immersion blender to make the soup smooth once everything is added and ready to blend. I tried an immersion blender first and it was pretty useless. I think if I'd be ready to devote a good half hour to the process, maybe it would have eventually smoothed it out, but I wasn't willing to wait. I had to blend mine in three batches to fit it all and I added a bit of water each time because it was quite thick. Maybe a quarter cup each time. A more high tech blender like the vitamix or ninja probably wouldn't need added water.

Mmm, could go for some right now.

Well, that was a really long discussion of soup. Anyways, in lieu of my last weeks Friday Favourites, I did want to include some fun little things that happened.

I got free sweet potato fries at my favourite lunch spot (three cheers for having a delayed lunch and being there during a lull!)

Not a great photo (afternoon sun-fail), but the serving was so big I took the rest home and had it with breakfast Saturday morning

I finally got to my parents house to open my ipsy bag with my mom (ever since someone started stealing my mail, I send smaller packages to my parents house). This bag was one of the cutest (red with a black lace-look overlay), but I wasn't terribly impressed with the contents. I love getting eye cream, so that was nice, and the nail polish is a beautiful colour, but I generally get shellac manicures and pedicures, so I don't use much polish (despite my burgeoning collection). I don't have large pores, but I'll try the powder -- maybe it will de-shine as well, and I wouldn't mind using the eye shadow primer if I'm going out. I already used the hand cream. It has such a beautiful peach smell. So 2/5 things I love, and really for that price, you can't beat it. I have bought many full sized items following items I've received from Ipsy which is one of the things I love most about the bag. I'm relatively new to the world of makeup, so trying new things is really fun (plus I haven't had to buy mascara in AGES!) 

Pretty pretty bag

Last, I went for a 10k run on Sunday with one of my running friends and although we went a slower pace than last week, I was really pleased that I was able to make it through the whole run much better than last week. I was still fairly breathless throughout, but I know it's a process of getting back into it. I also managed to make it to the gym in Winnipeg. Mind you, they were definitely stretching the truth in their "world class gym" statement on the hotel website. So I have completed week 1/6 of husbands goal-setting for me to get my Christmas decoration that I posted a few posts back. I'm definitely a girl that needs goals!
That's it for today!

Happy Monday!  Here's a picture of Snicker for your enjoyment.

Can't you tell that he thinks we're just peasants there to serve him?

Friday Favourites

Lord help me. How is it Friday?! This week has completely flown past me. I swear life is on fast forward right now. We had a huge work event in the community last night which has been sapping my time for awhile. It went SO well, but man am I glad to be done with it! Last night I didn't even leave work until 10:30. 14 hour days FTW! Sigh. I ended up eating perogies around midnight because let's be real. I was starving by that point.

But we are here for Friday Favourites so here we go!

1. This scarf

I look weird in this photo and I am totally "bag-ladying" it up, but whatever. You can't really see my coat, so I need to work on a better picture of that (it's my new Karl Lagerfeld coat), but this scarf is my new favourite. My mom got it in a monthly subscription box and didn't like it, so she gave it to me (haha). I love it though! I've been wearing it at least twice a week! Also, grey manicure still going strong. It's been almost two weeks with nary a chip. Guess that's what happens when they stick you under the UV light 15 times because of screw-ups. Sigh.

 

 

2. Royal Botanical Gardens of Ontario

 

I went to a conference earlier this week at the botanical gardens and it was so beautifully decorated for fall. There were pumpkins EVERYWHERE. So I went to the bathroom and ended up lingering for a good 15 minutes taking pumpkin photos #oops
Y'all know me and pumpkins. I couldn't help myself. I was lucky enough to get free passes, so I will be forcing husband back with me to see the gorgeousness. I want to go a little closer to Christmas in hopes that it will be decorated with little cranberries and pine trees and I can't handle it. This festive time is year is my very favourite!

#3 These booties

Link found here

 

I have a shoe problem. For reals. A colleague was wearing these booties at a meeting a few weeks ago and I seriously haven't stopped thinking about them. She had them in grey and they were too gorgeous. So far I've resisted, but I feel like that ability is fading fast. because seriously. Have you seen these?! Too much. They're sold out in most places. I'm torn between wanting to get them before they're gone, and knowing full well that I just bought a new pair of shoes like a month ago. Decisions decisions!

#4 Winning my step bet





It was frustrating at times, tiring some nights and downright annoying but I won, I didn't lose my money and I made a cool $9.19 USD (haha - honestly). So yeah, stepbet isn't going to make you rich anytime soon, but it's a solid way to force movement, especially for people with office jobs. Last week on Friday, I was a little worried. I had to hit my stretch goal and we were at a dinner party (and I was wearing my new Kate Spades, which aren't exactly walking shoes -- though some butt butter (for cycling) helped prevent blisters! We got back to our hotel around 11:15 and walked around our hotel floor in circles until I hit my goal. It was definitely close. I think I almost missed it by 10 minutes. Saturday I had to hit my stretch goal again, which was much easier and that was that! I've already recycled my $40 entry fee into another stepbet starting this weekend. Husband isn't too pleased, but he's just a poop who doesn't like walks, haha.

Anyways, that's it for me today! Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Talk

 

It's Tuesday, and on Tuesdays we talk!

I want to talk about breakfast, because I am a creature of habit and have the same breakfast Mon-Fri. It's easy, fast, and despite it coming up on a year of having this for breakfast daily, I'm still not sick of it (and neither is husband, who has a short attention span).

So for breakfast each morning I blend:

2 cups almond milk
4 tbsp hemp hearts
1 tbsp of cocoa powder
2 thawed bananas

Then I split it in half and breakfast is served. It fulfills the hunger, isn't heavy at all and has nothing in it that causes sketchy stomach business. As someone with a super sensitive stomach, I'm all about avoiding sketchy stomach stuff. The hemp hearts also have a nice amount of protein -- I believe 3 tbsp. has 10 g, so we are a bit below that at 2tbsp of hemp hearts each.





Doesn't look too pretty, but it's the only photo I have of it.

But then I see these things on pinterest, where all these really motivated people are making stuff for the week ahead, like breakfast cookies or those little egg mixtures in muffin tins and I think maybe ... maybe it's time to think ahead (beyond putting bananas in the fridge to thaw out overnight). Maybe I should change things up, and have different smoothies or make eggs in a muffin tin or whip up some breakfast cookies.
Who has the time for this?? I seriously want to know. Do they have extra breakfast making hours added into their days? It reminds me of sitcoms, like Full House, where they did so much in the morning. Did they wake up at 4am to get all of that stuff done? I used to have a boss who woke up at 4am and he said it was the most productive part of his day (from 4-7) because no one else was awake and he could work in peace. But what about sleeping? Y'see, he didn't really sleep. I need a solid 9 hours to even feel rested. And really - whether you're doing stuff at 4am or doing it at 11pm, what's the difference? So that's my dilemma. Do I attempt to force myself to be an early riser and get stuff done in the morning, and find time on weekends to meal prep for the week or do I carry on with my 'fly by the seat of your pants' life where we still manage to eat dinner every night, only buy lunch sometimes and always have a breakfast smoothie? Something I need to figure out before we bring kids into the mix. Who knows, maybe kids would force me to be more organized.

but hey, there's always next week!

Will exercise for Christmas decor

 

 Happy Monday! With a busy week ahead, it's nice to take a few moments to stop and take everything in from the weekend. We had a semi-restful weekend, which was definitely needed.

Friday evening we went to a dinner party hosted by husband's VP and his wife. It's an annual event that is awarded to a select number of people who hit above their target numbers. We went last year and were so happy to be there again this year. One of the waiters (because yes, they totally hire waiters) told us that he was shocked to see us back again, because they never see the same faces year after year. It's such a great evening - lots of good conversations and amazing food. Plus hotel stays for the night are comped which is always a bonus :)
We stayed overnight downtown and went to breakfast at a nice little place in Toronto called Lola's - tons of gluten free, vegetarian and vegan options. It was a bit expensive, but nothing out of the ordinary. I loved being able to have gluten free toast with my breakfast because it's such a rarity unless I'm at home. We both got the "Lola's breakfast" and enjoyed it immensely. Their home fries were also out of this world! Then we headed home, did some cleaning and the photographer came and did the proper photos of our home. We saw the posting now that it's been updated and it looks 1000x better. Here's hoping our place sells soon!

Sunday was pretty much a day of relaxation  -- our power went out for about 2 hours in the afternoon from the crazy storm that blew through. All of a sudden it just got super windy and the rain was pouring down like mad in these huge sheets of rain, our power flickered on and off about ten times and then just shut off completely. Luckily it was still daylight so with the curtains open wide, we were able to avoid having to light candles just to see things. It really only infringed on my plan to wash our bedding after the clothing laundry was done, so I'll have to do that today instead. For dinner we had the autumn skillet hash that I posted a few weeks ago from Speedy Spatula's instagram -- I added some different veggies this time around and it was delicious as usual. Can't go wrong with that meal!

I finished my stepbet on Saturday. Those last two days were definitely down to the wire. I made $9.19, which is exciting (no one joins a stepbet to get rich, haha), so I reinvested my $40 into the next stepbet, Anything that keeps me motivated to move can't be a bad thing. I don't know why fitness motivation has been such a struggle lately, but what I do know is that I need to get into a routine again. Working these randomly late days isn't helping either. So with a new week and some new goals in mind, we reset. Husband has given me some motivation (a Christmas decoration that I've literally been eyeing for three years from Costco) -- so we'll see how things go. I've got a good man, I'll tell you that!  This week calls for 1xrun and 1xgym. Sounds easy, but easier said than done! For someone who used to organize their life around fitness, things sure have changed! I'd like to get into a happy medium and stay there.

This is what I'm working for!

Anyways, that's a quick rundown of the weekend -- always so fleeting. Another busy week ahead, and next week is Winnipeg.

Wishing you all the best Monday yet!

Friday Favourites!

 

 

 

 

TGIF! Short weeks sometimes feel the longest. This week however seemed to just speed by with a higher than usual level of exhaustion attached. I'm ready to relax!
This will be short and sweet and is pretty much fueled by my mom's harassment because this is her favourite post (Thanks mom!) So, as usual, I'm linking up with the ladies in the FF pic to bring you my favourites this week!

1. Kelly's Bake Shoppe

I could write an ode to this place -- for real. They are a local bakery that is fairly close to my work (closer than to my home anyways) and they have gluten free, vegan, nut free treats. Everything falls under the same guideline, so you don't go in there, see something you want and find out it's only vegan OR gluten free OR nut free. It's always all of the above. This is one of favourite things about them. I love my dairy in baked goods, but they make it something you won't miss. They recently developed their own coffee blend. Not sure what they use but holy moly. I'm not usually a fan of a straight cup of coffee. I tend to prefer plain lattes or tea, but a few weeks ago I stopped in and they were giving away free cups of coffee to show people their new blend. I had a cup and now I'm hooked! With a splash of coconut milk -- divine! So this week I had a meeting near there and stopped in for a mini powdered doughnut and a coffee. Perfect mid-morning treat!

2. Grey nail polish!

I had my nails done this week, and I won't bore you with the story of horror I endured, but it made me realize just how much I love my usual place. So my favourite is the colour. The downside was the crap it took to get it on.

3. This necklace

I got this in Utah but keep forgetting to post it. It's so pretty and sparkly and matches pretty much everything, especially because the colours change to reflect on whatever you're wearing. I love a good necklace!

4. Fresh Cleanser

Link found here

Seriously. Obsessed. Have you noticed yet? This cleanser is so gorgeous. It literally just melts the makeup off your face -- even waterproof mascara. It's so smooth that it just feels like you're rinsing the water off - you won't even notice that all of your makeup has been effortlessly removed. I like trying new brands too much to just stick to one brand, but I think that one day Fresh may just be the only thing my cupboard is full of.

5. Brown gel eyeliner.

 

Link found here

I recently got into brown eyeliner when I realized black was just too harsh. It was making me look like a gothic raccoon and I wasn't feeling it. I made the switch to brown a few months ago and I have really enjoyed the toned down look it provides. It still gives me what I'm looking for (the eye-accentuating), but we've lost the gothic raccoon. I just loved the Clinique one I tried first, but ended up trying out another one because I was lazy and feeling cheap. The Clinique one is about $20, and the one I just picked up is about $7. There are some differences in quality, but not enough for me to care right now. I can't even remember the brand of the current one I'm using, but it's just some drug store kind like rimmell or Maybelline. The point of this favourite is that brown eyeliner is the perfect colour to use if you have paler skin but still want to line your eyes. But I'll use a picture of the Clinique one since it is pretty bitchin'
I also prefer gel because you eliminate the whole 'eyeliner marks on the brow-line dilemma.

That's all for today. I hope next week I can spend a little more time putting together a post. I have SO many things to share, but no time and want to use real pictures instead of stock photos from online.

Have the very best weekend!

Workin' It Wednesdays - Cozy homes

 Today's link up is all about coziness and the home and I am someone who loves everything cozy! There are five things that I believe every home should have to appear and feel cozy.

 

1. Blankets

 

I love a good blanket - my linen closet full of blankets is proof of this. I have been given many knitted and crocheted blankets over the years and have made my own as well. I also love those soft blankets with the fluffy inside, and electric blankets? I can't even. They're just the best. There is nothing better than laying on the couch with a good blanket.

 

The blanket in this picture took me way longer than I'd like to admit to make. I had to take out and redo many parts and connecting the pieces was a pain in the ass, but the results were awesome! We call this the napping blanket, because if you pull it over you, you're sure to have a delicious nap ahead.

Blankets just make a room seem cozier. I also equate coziness with warmth, so it's a good blend :)

 

2. Fireplaces

 

Since we bought a condo, and most condos do not come with fireplaces, we purchased a standing faux fireplace as part of our tv stand. I love that I can turn it on with or without the heat because sometimes I want the warmth and other times I just like to have the effect of flickering flames on a cold day. One of the things our new home must have is a fireplace, preferably one in the bedroom. I wish wish wish we could have a real fireplace, but they don't build homes with those anymore and the houses that we are looking at are in relatively newer areas (probably no older than 20 years), so they don't have those amazing real fireplaces that need chimneys and firewood.
I don't have a picture of our fireplace turned on, so I'll leave you with this photo of it that I found online

Not bad for a fake fireplace amiright?!

 

3. Candles and Diffusers

 

Not a particularly good picture (at all, really), but I recall this evening as super cozy and the photo evokes those same feelings. Plus the smells are amazing. The middle one is custard!

Oh how I love a good candle. We always have an abundance of candles and I burn them all day - usually in the fall and winter (summer doesn't really feel like candle-time) and always the fall scents with pumpkin and the winter scents of either apple cinnamon, or vanilla (vanilla Noel from bath and body works is forever my favourite). At night I diffuse lavender in the bedroom. There are conflicting views about the safety of essential oils for cats, so since our bedroom is largely off-limits to the felines, that's where I diffuse. If I'm resting in the bedroom, which is pretty rare, I'll diffuse frankincense. I love that scent and it just screams cozy to me, but it is so expensive that I don't want to use it, haha. I also love the sound that the diffuser makes. It's got this soft bubbling that reminds me of using a humidifier when I would have a cough/cold as a child. That sound always comforted me because it felt like healing. Doesn't really make sense but there we are. It's hard to control smells when you live in a condo, but we do our best to make sure our home always smells inviting and candles and diffusers help immensely!

I love how you can actually see it diffusing

 

4. Warm drinks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There's nothing cozier than curling up on the couch with a good book and a cup of tea. Tea is always my preferred warm drink at home, but every now and then the husband and I will indulge in a hot chocolate (only in the winter) with marshmallows. There's something incredibly cozy about sitting on your coach with a warm drink while snow and wind blow around outside. I also love sitting in starbucks with a good friend and enjoying a chestnut praline latte in the winter. Warm drinks = cozy!

5. Seasonal decorations

 

This is something I've just recently gotten into (aside from Christmas and Hanukkah) and am loving it! Husband is not loving the money spending aspect of it, but that's nothing new. I think there's really something warm and inviting about a home that is decorated for the season - tastefully. This is more specific to fall/winter, because spring and summer aren't really known for coziness. But I love having little accents of fall around the home. It brings a room together and makes it seem more welcoming, but also more comfortable. I think the idea of the colder seasons alone has something inherently cozy about it to most people, so those little extra bits just take it the extra mile. I definitely feel a little more love for our home when it's decorated for the holidays, so now I've extended it to the whole fall/winter season. Cozy cozy cozy!!

 

When it comes to cozy, I can't get enough. It's my favourite feeling and something I strive to achieve. I love sweaters, blankets, hot tea, Christmas movies, fluffy socks, and delicious scents. Check out the other blogs in this link up to see more posts about coziness!

Short weeks are the best weeks!

 

 

Hoping all of my Canadian friends had a great Thanksgiving and long weekend. I know I definitely needed this long weekend and a break from the craziness that life has been! Saturday started out relaxing, but around 1pm we found out that we had a viewing of the condo at 5 and from that point it was madness. We were cleaning like mad (a lot of cat hair accumulates in a week) and on top of that, I had an on-call volunteer shift that started at 4. Of course I was called at 4:45, just as we were trying to get the cats out of the unit, so I was juggling my phone and a terrified cat who was yowling while making my way to the basement. We ended up just waiting in the car - didn't make sense to go anywhere for an hour. The cats were not happy at all. We don't remove them from the condo often. Twice when we travelled we brought them to my parents house, but now my sister just comes and stays at our place when we're away. So they were both meowing loudly and angrily all the way down to the car and then snicker stared at me with hatred while ginger hid under the seats. Poor kitties will have to get used to it till we sell though!
You can see their fear and anger below.




Sunday was another busy day because we went to my parents house for thanksgiving. Dinner was delicious - we wait all year for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner! We had a great time and somehow, despite having a very sedentary morning, I was able to get my steps in.
Yesterday was looking to be a sleepy lazy day, but husband wanted kale pasta for dinner and I typically only buy kale the day I know we will eat it - I find it spoils quickly. So instead of driving, I walked to the mall (grocery stores were closed) and got the kale. Was able to hit my steps no problem! This is the last week of my step bet and I'm still trying to decide if I want to do another. You don't make much money - I think I've calculated about $6 US -- but it's more the motivation of the $40 you have to pay to be a part of it. I really don't want to lose that! So I've still got my rest day for this week and don't plan on using it until Friday. We have a work event for husband that evening, so I can't be sprinting around his boss's home in my heels trying to get my steps in. Plus, my heels are super painful (though beautiful!) so there won't be much walking at all.
One thing I am super happy we did, is we slept in every morning this long weekend. So all that sleep we were missing was recovered. I was super tired heading into Friday, so even with an earlier than usual wake up today, I still feel pretty awake.

My new fall jacket is coming today and I am so excited. It took me forever to pick one, so I'm really hoping it fits nicely. It's a pea coat, but it has this gorgeous hood and I am in love. It also came in the most lovely shade of blush pink, but I had some concerns about matching so I went with black. I had my last pea coat for ten years so it's looking pretty tatty and sad this year. I'm happy to be able to move on :) The new one can be found here





I tend to keep coats for a long time, so they're a pretty good investment for me. I typically buy fairly expensive coats but that way they last for the whole time I have them. I think my other pea coat was probably ready to go 2 years ago, but I was in a crap job where I didn't care how I looked/dressed so I carried on with it. Three cheers for job happiness now!
My doTERRA is also coming this week -- I only ordered one oil for myself - Marjoram. I am trying to collect all of the oils I need for a blood pressure oil. I want to make one for myself and for my mom. I don't have high blood pressure on a steady basis, but it does tend to creep up now and again (genetically I'm screwed). Fingers crossed that it works. I currently have 2/5 oils so still a ways to go. I also ordered for two other people who wanted to try out some doTERRA before joining, which is a great idea for anyone on the fence.
They've come out with some special Christmas oils and other goodies that I'm super excited about!
I don't know if posting this will work, but I hope it will. Feel free to visit my page or send me a message if you want to learn more. Using oils has made a huge difference in my sleeping habits, how long illnesses last, getting rid of rashes/skin irritations and even in my digestion. I use peppermint for headaches instead of advil and 90% of the time, that's sufficient. It also has oils that promote weight loss, help reduce/eliminate acne and dry skin and open your chest for physical exertion. The benefits and possibilities with the different oils and blends are innumerable. I'm all about seeing what other options there are to modern medicine because I react quite badly to a lot of medications, so this has been a real eye-opener for me!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5F8zgz360PNcjFLaTBZRXdjRmc/view

I can't manage to get an image up, so that link will have to do. It's worth a click, I promise you!

Anyways, went off on a bit of a tangent there!

I am volunteering tonight with my teen group and looking forward to seeing the other ladies. We have been off for the summer and I missed the first outing because of work, so tonight will be like the first day all over!

Enjoy your short week! I can't believe it's already Tuesday!

Friday Favourites

 

 

 Happy Friday! It's been another whirlwind of a week with too many late evenings and way too much lieu time accrued. But hey, who's complaining?! I actually enjoy my work, so aside from being tired, I don't mind the late evenings.

 

As with all busy weeks, I have completely neglected to take enough photos of my favourite things. Shame really, because I have many. So this will be a short but still worthwhile FF. Since I didn't have time last week, this week is really a compilation of two Fridays. I am linking up with some fabulous ladies who you can find in the Friday Favourites image above!

 

1. Hitting my steps everyday.

 

This has been tough. I don't have a whole lot of steps to accomplish for my stepbet, but working in an office is a very sedentary job. Getting steps is somewhat of a challenge. Last night I had to hit my stretch goal of 10k and it was too late to go for a run. I was able to convince husband to go for a walk with me and easily hit my goal! He hates walks and I love them, so it was lovely (once he stopped complaining). It was a crisp fall evening and just a bit chilly wearing only sweaters. It was nice to finally have it feel like fall, even without an appropriate coat to wear. Note to self: buy fall jacket

(last week). I still have two stretch goals to hit this week (I took my rest day on Monday), so this evening might call for a run! Hope the rain holds off!

 

2. My new panda mug

 

 

I have a serious mug obsession. Not even kidding. I buy them everywhere. When we travel, when a store has a new collection I like, whenever! My mug collection is currently taking up two shelves and I have no shame. they don't match, not even close, but that's how I like them.

I also love panda bears (I even have a tattoo of one!) so after my zoo run, we had to hit up the gift shop for some panda-themed goodies. I got a little stuffed panda and this delightful panda mug. Husband told me it's the last mug, but I'm pretty sure he's been saying that for the last two years.

(last week)

 

3. Fresh Sugar face polish

Image from here

 

 

Ah Fresh, how I love you. Everything they make is just the best! This sugar scrub is not at all rough and I usually use it once a week. If my skin is getting angry, one use makes it all go away. I have fairly sensitive skin and I don't get any redness at all! Plus, the smell is just divine! Seriously, if you're not already using Fresh products, what are you waiting for?!

 

4. My unanticipated new shirt

Morning elevator selfie. Not very clear but the bottom is peplum

 

I was getting in the car for work when I managed to slosh my smoothie all over my shirt. It was too late to go back up and change, so I thought I could clean it off while I drove. Well, the napkins and tissues basically just dissolved and made more of a mess. At lunchtime I had to go buy a new shirt (I had an evening meeting, so going through a 14 hour work day with a dirty shirt wasn't an option).

I went to winners, grabbed every decent looking shirt in my size in the work appropriate section and this is what I ended up with. Definitely not something I would buy on a regular day, but I actually really like it! I think it's the perfect fall shirt! Thankfully when I sloshed my smoothie all over myself again this week, I was able to clean it off with a sponge and soap since I was already at work. Clearly I need a smoothie cup that closes fully (mine has the starbucks type lid) and a washing machine beside my desk.

 

 

5. This sweater

Image from here

 

So soft, so comfortable, and so beautiful. I just love a good sweater! I am a cardigan-sweater-coziness junkie, so I have a billion cardigans and sweaters, but let's be real, can you ever really have enough? Plus, I needed a few thick ones for winter. Since I wear them all year 'round, new ones are necessary :)

 

6. Care packages

 

Image found here



Image from here



Image from here

Image from here

 

I could kick myself for not getting a photo of this, so online photos are my only option. I really need to work on that! I have a lovely friend in the UK (who I have mentioned before) and we send each other care packages a few times a year. She primarily sends chocolate and tea - two of the many things that I think the UK does better than most other places! Husband and I usually battle it out over the fudge fingers, but thankfully he only has my tea once in a blue moon (he's more of a coffee guy). So as I sit here drinking a mug of earl grey and day-dreaming about my chocolate at home, I hope Hana is reading this and knows how much I appreciate her!

 

Well, that's all for today. Our house hunting has come to a standstill while we wait for ours to sell. Financially, this is the best option since we'll know what we are going in with and will be able to buy without imposing conditions of financing. Fingers crossed that we sell quickly, because I am ready to go. In the "everything happens for a reason" mindset, I know we didn't get that dream house for a reason and we will find our real dream house after ours sells. Keeping the faith! Condos don't take too long to sell in this market, so I don't think we will have to wait too long.

 

Happy Friday and Happy long weekend! Hope all my Canadian friends have a delightful thanksgiving weekend with their families and friends.

Don't forget to be thankful for everything that you have. Tis the season :)

When no place feels like home

It feels like Tuesday to me, but I just realized it's Wednesday. I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend and having a long weekend with a short week next week. I could use a break! We went and saw two houses last night but neither of them felt like home. They were actually on the same street, both big corner houses and were essentially the same, but they had different areas where they had spent money. The second house was marginally more expensive, but had put a lot of detail into their home. Even the bedroom doors were beautiful. They both had massive kitchens, but the second home had this huge amount of pantry space (which is my dream) and nice potlights in the kitchen. Still, it didn't feel like home. There was enough that we liked, but having things we didn't like made it hard to imagine spending so much $$, when we'd have to turn around and put more in. For example, neither home had a finished basement, which would require several thousands of work. The cheaper homes we looked at on the weekend had finished basements. It's all such a mystery to me. Either way, the hunt continues. We are slowly closing in on not having our house for Christmas, but at least I know we will have it for next year. The important thing to me is just getting out of the condo (especially before the maintenance fees are jacked up again in January).

Last night, with curtain steaming and house hunting taking up a considerable amount of time, we resorted to breakfast for dinner. Always easy, and always delicious! Tonight I'm working late again (the Fall is just packed with evening events), so husband is in charge of starting dinner. I also desperately need to grocery shop, but have no time to do so. I'm actually contemplating just ordering my groceries, produce and all, from grocery gateway. Otherwise we will have to manage until Friday. It's already so difficult to find time to grocery shop now, that I have no clue how I will find time once I have kids.

In other no-time news, I am slacking so badly on the gym and running and need to just accept that morning workouts will be what I need to do in order to get it done while we have the house hunting going on. My first goal is to get back to my 6am swim classes this week. They started two weeks ago, and the last two Fridays I knew it wouldn't be possible, but this week I am hoping to get enough sleep Thursday night so that I can swim Friday morning! Fingers crossed. At least now there's some accountability out there.

Well, that's it for now! Have the best Wednesday!

Life needs to slow down!

Seriously, I'm the worst at blogging when I'm busy. Things have been nuts, as usual. We finally listed our place. We saw a dream house and were outbid on it (sigh), so back to the house-hunting drawing board. People think the market has cooled, but when you're actually in it, it doesn't seem that way. We sent 10 listings to our realtor to go and see, and only 4 were left by the time we got to the weekend.

 

We spent the entire weekend cleaning and clearing the place up. My dad came over to bring us a closet shelf that he made when we failed to find one that fit our closet (so he made a custom one within a few days), to do a few last minute fix-its, and helped me move some furniture since husband was fasting.

It's a relief to finally have our home listed - felt like it would never happen!

 

This house buying/selling is very time consuming, and is frying my nerves, but I'm trying to operate on the "everything happens for a reason" mantra, and remind myself that there was a reason that we didn't get that house we wanted so badly.

 

In other news, I am being sent to Winnipeg for a conference for work, so in a few weeks I'm off to the prairies!

 

 

Doesn't look too prairie-ish! Photo found here

 

 

 I've never been to any other provinces, despite travelling in many other parts of the world, so I'm excited to go. Even though it might be very cold. I should probably unpack my winter coat. Goodness knows how deep that box is buried in my parents basement. We were a little starry eyed and didn't think about closing dates while we were packing everything away. So at least it's just at my parents and not in a storage locker or something.

Even though it's only October 3rd, I feel like time is just flying past and October will be over before I know it. I'm looking forward to November and December (short trip to Miami, office closed for two weeks over Christmas, celebrating the holidays in general, etc). October just feels so busy.

 

Last nights dinner was quick, easy and super delicious. I used a recipe I found online at myrecipes.com that and can be found here

and let me tell you - it was the best fish I've ever made (that wasn't deep fried and served with fries that is). We had a wild rice and quinoa blend with it and some broccoli on the side and I could have eaten 10 more pieces. I am not a seafood lover by any means, but we do try to incorporate white fish and shrimp into our meals because chicken and beef become boring very quickly.

 

Anyways, the recipe had very few ingredients and was ready in 20 minutes. it was super easy to coordinate everything to be ready around the same time too. I'd highly recommend giving it a shot. I gave up looking for gluten free recipes a long time ago for meals and now just search up what I want and modify it. For this meal I omitted the lime juice (because I hate the taste of lime) and used gluten free breadcrumbs. Easy peasy! While I am happy to see so many gluten free recipe websites around, they often require way too many ingredients or finicky cooking. For baked goods I think gluten free recipes are needed but for dinners, the substitutions are generally pretty easy. I have only had issues when I come across something that has to be made to be gluten free, like hoisin sauce. That can add a lot more time to cooking.

Today I have to bring our curtains in and exchange them for longer ones. Our ceilings and windows are such a ridiculously random height that nothing works. I think it's better to have too long than too short though, so back to bed bath and beyond yet again. The house we buy had better have good curtains because I don't want to deal with curtains for a long long time after this.

Well, I'm off. Wanted to check in for a random Tuesday post. I will hopefully be able to post more this week. I was especially bummed out to miss my Friday Favourites, because I love that post (and it gets a lot of traffic :)!)

Till next time!