Fall Fun Completed.

As winter and the Christmas season are right around the corner, I figured I would see how well I did in accomplishing my fall goals. It was a good list I feel, check it out here, however time and life got busy. I did worlds better completing tasks off of my fall to do list than  I had in the past with my summer list..

1. Corn Maze - That was completed one evening with two of our wonderful friends. We bundled up and had a wonderful evening getting lost in the corn. The highlight of the evening however was not the corn or the great time with friends, ok that was up there, but this huge dome shaped trampoline really was pretty epic. Yes, it was a gigantic, yellow and red rubber dome that you could jump on and fly in the air. They let us have 'adult jumping time' on it, which really made me feel old and I felt a little guilty have the kids get kicked off, but it was totally worth it.

2.Rake Leaves- Not going to lie, kind of sad that this did not happen. Maybe next year someone will take up my offer on free manual labour.

3. Caramel Apples- Another big fail. There were however lots of festive fall treats made, but caramel apples did not make the cut.

4. Fall Crafts- Again, no time for anything. Fall crafts were not completed, well a yarn wrapped wreath was made, but fell as soon as I put it up and before I could take pictures, it broke. Then my niece broke it two more times, I gave up on it and it ended up in the garbage. I have however made up for it with the number of Christmas crafts created. Just wait to see the awesome thing I got a group of kids to make.

5. Pumpkin Pie or Apple Pie - So looking at this list again makes me realise that I was probably hungery when I made it, cause there are some serious junk food going on. I did make some pumpkin tarts with home made crust, filling and whipped cream, so I am calling that winning.

6. Try new Fall Recipes- Well I made the pumpkin pie tarts. I also did some yummy apple sauce cookies (recipe here) and pumpkin cookies (recipe here). Both were a big hit with the pumpkin cookies being the winner. I just loved the icing.  I used the same icing for both. Next time however, I will not store them in the same container, it became hard to know which cookie was which.

7. Carve Pumpkins - This became a family affair as a few of my cousins and I helped our second cousins (? Cousins kids? Feeling old) and my niece carve some pumpkins at thanksgiving. They helped de-gut them, then draw or explain the face they wanted, and then we went to town cutting them out.

Not on the to do list, but always wonderful, spending time with family. We went to Firefest (a local fire truck thing) as they are one of Little J's favourite things. 

My brother re-enacts the war of 1812, it was the bicentennial, so we went as a family, spent the day and watched the battle. 

Family pumpkin carving. 

The best picture (out of like 20) of the little kids with their pumpkins.

Baxter dressed up for Halloween and the pumpkin cookies in the background. 

Little J was a bat, she loves Baxter. 

November Books.

I am slowly but surly getting back on track for getting some reading done. I am a long ways from coming even close to accomplishing my reading list, especially because I might have just put on order all the Gossip Girl books. I do however feel like those will make me feel accomplished in the number of books I read because they are small and fast books.

Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close- This was an easy read. It is also one of those books that you read when you think your life sucks and the last thing you want is to read about people getting wonderful jobs and living in beautiful places and meeting completely awesome people. This tells life more like it is, with having no work, and little gross apartments and boys who don't always call you back. It is a good pick me up. I did however struggle greatly remembering which girl was which as the character development was not well done, but the actual life situation was well explained.

Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson- This book was kind of slow, but I was determined to truck through with it because I knew it had to be going somewhere. The book looks at a woman who wakes up every day forgetting her past. It gets intense, but you need to make it through the first 200 pages. In the end I am glad I kept going. 

July-October Books.

So as I said before, we have been busy. I find that lack of routine or too much time, for me results in no reading being accomplished. I love to read for fifteen minutes here or there, or hoping in the bath for an hour or more. I feel like the summer ran away from me. There was not a single, lay on the beach and read all day kind of day, which I had totally planned on. So as a result, not much has been accomplished on the reading list front. I have really failed with that, but am hoping to make a big catch up, especially now that I am working at the library again.

Sisterhood Everlasting- by Ann Brashares- I was so excited for this book as I have always loved the Sisterhood of the Traveling paints books. I used to reread them each summer, so when I found out that there was a fifth and final book about my beloved characters I was ecstatic. I downloaded the ebook and audiobook before heading on the girls road trip to NYC this summer. I am so glad I did because it gave me something to listen to on the drive, when the ac broke and the wind made it so loud we could not hear each other. I was then also able to read it in bed at night which was a great way to relax. The book was a wonderful and shocking conclusion to a beloved series.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - This was on my reading list as it was a must re-read prior to the movie coming out (I am so excited for Sunday)! I am in love with the books and the movie. I felt as though the second time through the book I actually enjoyed it even more. Maybe because I have already read it through and know how it ends, or because I have seen the first movie so many times, regardless I loved it even more. I cannot wait for the movie.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins- The first time through this book it was a hard read. I did not fully enjoy it and therefore it seemed to take forever. I enjoyed it a hundred times more this time through, but again it took a while. I got busy and just did not have time to read at all, but when I did it was in big chunks of time because I did not want to put it down.

Curling.

Winter sports have always been my favorite. Growing up I played a number of winter sports and always found that to be the busiest time of the year. So after a fantastic summer of getting back to soccer I knew I wanted to do something physical again this winter.  A few months ago I started looking into different options.
Ringette was my number one option as I missed the game and knew it would be a fantastic workout. It was also the first option to go once I started some research as the time commitment was ridiculous especially taking the travel time and expenses into consideration. I was hoping for a once or twice a week activity, not a two or three including out of town games and tournaments. Had their been a local house league/rec league then I would have for sure signed up.

My second option was curling. I was a competitive curler through high school and the beginning of tournaments. It was a sport I tried out for on a dare and quickly grew to love. That option yet again went off the table once I discovered the price of curling as an adult was almost four times that of a student which I was used to paying.

So just when I thought that there was no winter sport that really fit into the place of life that we are at, mom called. She needed a spare at her local curling club once a month and they had a deal of a membership. It was a fraction of the price of the curling club in town, so even taking into consideration the driving and gas, it is still a steal. So I signed up, am sparing once a month for her, but also joined a weekly league.
Last week was my first time back on the ice in a while. It all started to slowly come back to me, which is something I love about curling, I say its like riding a bike. A few days later I was a little worse for the wear, with muscles I forgot I knew I had hurting, but I cannot wait to keep it up. It is a little frustrating being on the ice and not as good as I once was, I also hope to keep my competitive nature at bay as much as possible and remember I am out there for fun.

So between curling 1-2 times a week and starting up boot camp 2-3 times a week, I am sure to keep busy and active this winter season. I am excited.

Throw Back Thursday. - High school curling team at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. 

That time I lost my wedding ring.

Yea not fun. I have almost officially lost my wedding ring. I say almost officially because I am still holding hope that it is not gone for good. I am heart broken and devastated, but at the same time thankful it is just the one.

I take my rings off sometimes at night because they have a tendency to bother me, and at times leave my skin very dry. I have always put them on the side table when they bother me at night and when I think about it I put them back on. Sometimes in the summer I would go to work without them on, but I rarely leave the house for anything else without them on. If I do, it is the first thing next to my earrings that I remember I have forgotten.

The other day we were running out the door and I remembered my rings. I went searching, and in a hurry only found my engagement ring. I put in on in a rush and figured I would remember to look for the other later. It was another two days before I remembered to look for the wedding ring. When I did, I sadly could not find it. We had company over at the time, so that evening I enlisted the help of the husband to see if he could have better luck. Still nothing. We then proceeded to tare the bedroom apart. Nothing.

The only other location we could guess was that it was in the garbage. They were sitting together on the beside table, the cat loves to knock everything and anything off of the bedside table, so there was a possibility that he had knocked them into the garbage. The issue was that the garbage was recently emptied and in the dumpster sitting outside ready to be picked up in the morning. Yes the dumpster, in that a huge bin full of garbage from everyone in the entire condo. I was in such a panicked disheveled state that I was completely willing to go dumpster diving at 11pm on a work night. I am however, extremely blessed to have such a wonderful and caring husband that he took one for the team and went through the dumpster on my behalf, while I just went through our own individual bags.

An hour later and about 8 bags of our own garbage found, I was exhausted, disgusted and frustrated. We had no luck. But at least we could rest assured that it most likely was not in the garbage, and at least we tried. So the search continues in that we are keeping our eyes open. I thought I would miss it a lot more than I do. I wear the one and have yet to be questioned about it, which honestly was my biggest fear.

So we keep frustratingly looking for the ring and praying that it turns up. Lesson learned I guess. When I take my rings off now, they either go in the tea cup in the bathroom with my earrings, or in the bedside table drawer. I wish I never had to learn the lesson that way however.

Busy Bees.

The last little bit has been fairly quiet on the blog front. To be honest, we have been in a very busy season that is lasting a fair bit longer than I would have liked. There have been a number of changes happening and we are yet again working on figuring out a new routine. Weekends with no plans are quickly filling up and we have been starting our weeks already in catch up mode in an attempt to not fall into complete disoray every week. Even the simple act of getting groceries is a stressful, rushed process.

My last job finished about three weeks ago and I have been back to work at my old job at the library for a week now, which means some sort of structure to our lives. At the same time however, as I currently work on making a work schedule (for five people=stressful), it means a bit of inconsistency in terms of working random evenings and weekends. We are being required to schedule better and plan more efficiently or we are left with practically no food in the house and over committing ourselves so there is no time to shop.

Life as of late has been wonderful. The friend filled evenings, small group sundays and family visits have been good for us. We are left feeling loved and cared for, but at the same time busy. It is easy to be gone from the house every night of the week with errands and comitments. I am looking forward to getting into a routine that includes organization and planning. We plan to start schedualing working out and meals, as well as normal everyday things like cleaning the washroom and doing laundry. I will let you know how that goes, but currently it is the plan.

If we could all have the life of a kitten. {Love Him}

Currently loving...All Groan Up.

All groan up is a website I had found a few months ago when I was researching my reading list for the year (see it here). I read a little and without hesitation I signed up for the email list which allowed you to get a free ebook of the 21 things to know about in your twenties (my thoughts can be found here). Anyways, I now get emails once or twice a week and they are honestly so full of valuable information, completely relatable, encouraging and so raw that they are hilarious.

So if you are in your twenties or really any age and life is not going how your planned I highly recommend heading over to the website (here) and reading a few articles. It is hilarious and insightful at the same time. So I just wanted to share that I am currently enjoying the encouragement that I am not alone in my struggle of finding full time work and understanding what I actually care about. 

Fall Fun List.

So I love fall. I love everything about it and I am so excited that this week marked the beginning of another fall season. So like with the spring, when I decided I would make a list of things to do this fall, I decided that I would do the same thing with the fall and attempt to get a few more crossed off the list.

Mr Baxter Update.

We have had Mr Baxter now for about two months now and we are falling even more in love with him every day. He is a ball of fun, but also a lot of work. He has finally been declawed, de-manned (that is what I call it because I can never remember if its spay or neuter) and micro-chipped. He has also doubled his initial weight. I still love that he follows me around and has to be 'helping' me do everything. He is my little shadow and I love it. Everyday Baxter is also becoming more cuddly. He greats us at the door when we get home and loves a good post work cuddle session.

He tries to drink out of glasses but his head is too fat and his face too flat to be successful. He got my nieces plastic up stuck on his face the other day and spilt the little bit of water all over the table, he then proceeded to lick it up off the table very proud of himself. 

He loves to run into the fridge. If it is open he will run from the other side of the room if required to attempt to get inside. If he is successful he then heads straight for the back and makes himself comfortable. Sometimes he holds onto things as you try and pull him out to make it more of a challenge. We have tried to close the door on him to deter the activity, but it honestly does not appear to bother him in the slightest. He loves the fridge. 

This is a very common relaxed position. Such a funny guy. 

While I get ready for work in the morning I run the tap just a little so Baxter can play in the water. He loves the water and it allows me to get ready without him attacking the cords and such. If the water is not running he has started to love just curling up in the sink. That is where he waits until I am out of the shower before coming and licking the water from my toes. He is so weird. 

I now know that I need to wash the bowl before every use. Everything and anything that is his size is fair game to be a new bed. He has however never actually used the cat bed we bought him. 

The end table is one of his favourite relaxation places. When he gets a little bigger I think we will need to move the breakables.

He loves all company. Most likely the attention they give him. We think my niece is his best friend. He always follows her around and sort of lets her attack him. She is the tough love kind of kid and 'Baxer' usually willingly comes back for more. 

Thirty-One.

I attended my first thirty-one party a few weeks ago and a number of things stood out to me. It was another home party yes, but it was one I went to very excited. I had already shopped the catalogue online and knew there were a number of items I wanted. I was shocked at the number of bags I loved and the wide variety of patterns I also loved. I never imagined I would love it so much. Did I mention my love for it? Sorry, I know I need a thesaurus, but when I get this excited it is hard to think of variety.

The second thing I loved was the basis of the company. Thirty-One is not just a good name, it is actually based on Proverbs 31. The idea is to provide quality, low price pointed items to women who work hard at what they do and deserve to reward themselves.

Once I signed up it was quick to realize that the company was awesome. I got a phone call a day or so later welcoming me to the team and asking if I had any questions. The customer service has been fantastic. I email with a question and practically a few minutes later I am getting a call to answer all of my questions. I love the company, the product and the parties.

Last week I hosted my own party. Some family and friends came and it was a wonderful night. It was a little stressful with the long work day prior and preparing everything. The benefits of hosting a party were also fantastic. The number of items I got for free or half price was astonishing and I now cannot wait for the order to come in.

Anyways, I just wanted to share what was currently happening with me. If you have never heard of Thirty-One before, I encourage you to check out the site. It is some pretty awesome stuff. I am loving mine.

BAMM Employed!

I am so excited! After almost three months of no work and almost a year of no work in my field, God has answered all of my prayers.

The job is kind of in my field, it is using GIS type skills to take location data and information on all street signs within the county. It is kind of a ton of tedious and monotonous work, but I am excited and kind of like it. Currently it is just an 8-10 week contract, but there is the potential for more work in Essex, and even more work in the future as the inventory that we are completing is supposed to be done on an annual basis in order to meet MTO standards.

The work is long hours, about 50 a week. Which is a drastic change to staying at home and occasionally babysitting. So far I am enjoying it. I am realizing that we cannot have plans every night of the week and still be able to function come Friday evening. The uniform is kind of ridiculous as women should never wear men's pants, but I am the only female so it's a hard argument for me to make. I make it work.

So the basis of the job is that every single sign in the county needs to be recorded. We stop at each sign and I take data such as a GPS location, direction it is facing, condition of it, what kind it is etc. Meanwhile my partner is putting a barcode on it and taking reflectivity readings. So pretty much it is a lot of in and out of the van and having my head down working on a tablet. So far it is hot and exhausting, but I am getting to see a ton of the countryside, which is kind of beautiful (read flat, corn and windmills) and the people are super nice and interesting, so its good.

So that is that. I have been working two weeks and love it and am so thankful to be back to work. So thank you for those who have been praying for me. God is Good!

NYC Road Trip {Day7}

Day 7 highlights- Amish Country and Penn's Cave

Check out the other days of our trip (day 1 here, day 2 here, day 3 here, day 4 here,  day 5 here and day 6 here). 


Day 7 turned out to be our last day of the road trip although we had planned for one more. The day started nice as we headed for the town of Intercourse and wondered around the Amish market. However, quickly the heat started to get the better of us. It was HOT. We were going to take a buggy ride to an Amish farm, but decided better of it because who wants to be behind a horse in a closed in buggy in 100 plus degrees? We did not. So instead of doing much other than shopping we left Amish country and headed for the caves. 

We had a long drive ahead of us and the heat was making us exhausted and frustrated. At one point we ended up seeing beautiful lakes everywhere from the highway, we were desperate and wanted to swim. So we pulled off looking for a local beach or swimming spot. We found nothing, we even stopped and asked someone who gave us crazy directions to a spot about 20 minutes away. We followed the directions anticipating a wonderful swim in the lake. We changed into our bathing suits in a parking lot and headed excitedly for the water. Instead of a wonderful swimming hole we found a kind of marshy river that really was gross, like to the point of we questioned if it was safe to swim in. 

Again we asked a local and they suggested not swimming there, but that there was a pool down the street. We headed right there and even though it cost $5 a person (which is crazy!) we didn't even hesitate and boy did it feel good. I don't think much has ever felt so nice as jumping in that pool. From the pool we continued onward to Penn's Caves. This was the point where we decided we would stop at the caves and then continue driving home to attempt to capitalize on the cool night air. 

Penn's Caves was in the words of Taylor Swift 'miserable and magical o yeah'. It was a totally awesome experience being in a cave in a boat having water drip all around you and looking at the breathtaking caves. On the other hand, I have never considered harming a child, or maybe just the parents because who takes their probably three month old baby on a boat inside of caves. The temperature inside the caves is always 52 degrees, it is wet and dark and not a place for babies. That being said, about five minutes into what was supposed to be a 55 minute tour the baby started screaming, and I mean screaming, not just crying or fussing, but blood curdling screaming. This then continued the entire time. The guide offered to turn back and drop them off, but they did not want to, so the rest of us suffered. We missed out on a lot, we could not hear the guide, who was awesome until the baby started crying, and the entire thing was very rushed. 

Hands down however, I would do the entire thing again, I loved it. With studying earth science at school I learnt all about rock formation and subglacial formations and it was honestly awesome to see things that I learnt about in school first hand. If I did it again I would just pray that it could be a bit more peaceful and a baby would not ruin it. We left Penn's Cave around 7pm and continued the 7 hour drive home. When we got home at about 3am, we were hot sweaty and exhausted. I would certainly do it again, I loved NYC and I cannot wait to go back. 

NYC Road Trip {Day 6}

Day 6 Highlights: Hillsong NYC and the Hershey Factory.

Check out the other days of our trip (day 1 here, day 2 here, day 3 here, day 4 here and day 5 here). 

Sunday (day 6) was our slow day and our last in NYC. We started to morning packing and checking our bags and then took the subway and a short walk to Hillsong NYC. I have honestly never been at church 45 minutes early without a good reason and have never ever even considered standing in line for church. But then again, I had never been to a Hillsong church. It was certainly worth the wait. We got there about 45 minutes before service was to begin and already the line was down the street. A few minutes after we joined the line it was then around the corning and half way down. The wait was fine as members of the church came around with water and we were excited to get inside. 

Hillsong NYC in is an old club, well a still active 6 days a week club, but it is an old building, so it gives a very interesting feel. There are couches and chandeliers and a bar and you have to hurry to get seating. It quickly becomes standing room only and it made me glad we got into line so early as I am pretty sure we got the last set of seats together after a bit of a crazy mad dash. The church experience was interesting and wonderful, however I could not imagine this being my normal place of worship. It was busy and crowded and most likely 80% of people there were tourists. It was just a bit too much for me.

Hillsong NYC. The line down the street and around the corner.

Waiting in line for church.

My favourite picture of the four of us.

This was our spot in line. 45 minutes early. 

So from Hillsong NYC we grabbed some quick lunch and headed back to the hotel to pick up our bags. We then cabbed it to Penn Station where we again attempted to figure out where we were going. This time thankfully we had a better idea and only stood in one wrong line. We got our train tickets and waited for the next train. Once on the train, the over crowded train, we attempted to fit out luggage and find a seat for the thankfully short trip to the New Jersey Penn Station. We then grabbed the worlds most sketchiest cab and headed for the hotel. Leaving the city certainly was a lot easier than heading to the city. We grab the vehicle and started out journey towards Hershey Pensilvania.

Last time waiting to take the bus back to the hotel.

About an hour or so into our drive we started to feel like the vehicle was not as cool as it once was. It seemed like it was gradually getting hotter. We were sadly right and we realized the air conditioning was not working. I had hoped we had simply ran out of coolant and that was the reason why it stopped working. The reason for that was it was the only thing I knew we would be able to fix. We stopped at a gas station in some itty bitty town off the highway to get gas and change into less clothing. We were hot, sticky and gross. It was so hot out that even when driving with the windows down it was HOT, it was gross and we were quickly getting cranky. There was a car of guys at the gas station who offered to take a look at the vehicle for us to see if they could tell what was wrong with it. Sadly they could not and because it was still under warranty we couldn't just take it to any old repair place. So we knew we needed to finish the 10 hour trek home with no AC and in weather of 105 before humidity. 

Driving down the highway with all windows down.

So with no AC we continued on to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was a rough go and we were all getting more than a little testy. Thankfully it was worth the drive. We just did what was free and spent a fair amount of time in the gift shop, but it was still pretty cool to see. You go on this moving cart that takes you through kind of animated making of the chocolate with singing and commentary to go along with it. I think the target audience is most likely 4-10, but we got a kick out of it. It even ends with a free chocolate. We wanted to go again and again. 

Part of the free chocolate making tour/ride. It was kind of awesome and the best part it was FREE.

The gift shop at Hershey's world I am not going to lie, was a bit of a disappointment. I was hoping for rare and exotic types of chocolates and things like that, instead I got huge candy bars and kiss shaped ear rings. The ice cream however was honestly the best I have ever had. From Hershey we headed to a super cheap hotel in Lancaster.

Amanda loved Hershey's world.

Outside Hershey's world with the worlds best ice cream (personal opinion, but I speak from experience).

NYC Road Trip {Day 5}

Highlights- Biking Central Park, the Metropolitan Museum, the Museum of Natural History, the Top of the Rock.

NYC Road Trip {Day 4}

Highlights- Empire State Building, MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), Chinatown, FAO Swartz, Wicked.

Check out the other days of our trip (day 1 here, day 2 here, and day 3 here). Sorry that some of the days are long and kind of a ton of detail, we fit a lot into as little time as possible. Feel free to just check out the pictures. 

NYC Road Trip {Day 3}

Highlights - Statue of Liberty, Charging Bull, Trinity Church, St Paul's Chapel, City Hall, Brooklyn Bridge, 9/11 Memorial, Grand Central Station.

NYC Road Trip {Day 2}

Highlights- Flatiron building, 5th Avenue, Washington Square Park, Time Square, Yankees Game

NYC Road Trip {Day 1}

Highlights - Flights landing, Niagara Falls, arriving in Newark.

I am not one for drama. I like schedules and plans and planned 'winging it' time. I do not like when mother nature throws a wrench into life, and that is exactly what happened as we were getting ready to head on our week long NYC road trip.

Tourist Shoes.

My feet are babies. I bring multiple pairs of shoes on a day long shopping trip because I know that my feet will not be able to make it.
I get blisters easily, however will not be caught dead wearing running shoes for something non athletic (although some shopping trips come close). Running shoes and jeans are a big no no in my books, but I have a funny feeling that that might have to change soon.
So with my New York City Road trip just around the corner, I went on a mission to find shoes that would last with lots of walking and being on my feet all day long, but would also look somewhat cute.

I read review after review and blog after blog. I went shopping and tried on more shoes then I would like to admit. In the end these are the winners in my books.

June Books.

Introducing Baxter.

Our little family grew by one a week ago. A part of me wishes I could say that we are pregnant, but we are not, nor are we trying. A few more years till we will hopefully be ready, if you ever really can be. That is a different story in and of itself. Anyways, to keep me content as many of those around us are having babies and such. So we got a kitten. This is a true story. The husband likes to tell everyone.

Spring To-Do Review.

So some might remember that I made a to do list for things I wanted to accomplish this spring. You don't? Well apparently neither did I (it is here if we need a refresher). I managed to successfully accomplish five of my list of ten.

Taylor Swift Weekend.

So this one time we went to see Taylor Swift for our anniversary. Wait that was this past weekend and it was epic. I have really yet to come up with a better way to describe it. It was a fantastic weekend spent in Toronto with the husband. It turned out to be one of those weekends where everything kind of just goes together nicely. Like we are able to do everything we wanted, there was no stress to make it to a certain place on time or rush to get things done.

Deodorizing Disks {DIY}.

I came across a wonderful idea to make deodorizing disks thanks to Pinterest  It seemed to be a wonderful idea for a useful yet inexpensive baby shower gift. So I tucked it away on one of my Pinterest boards and waited for the opportunity to use it. I have since made them twice and I love the outcome as they are easy to make, inexpensive, useful and make a super cute gift. The deoderizing disks are made to go inside of a diaper pale and are said to work for up to a month absorbing smells. The amount of essential oil is so low that they are safe around reusable diapers and after they stop absorbing you can throw the used one into a really dirty load of laundry to help freshen.

The first round of making the deodorizing disks was for a lady in my small group who had a beautiful girl. The next go around was for my best friends sister who had a little boy. I am so glad that I tried them again. On the one hand they were super easy to make, however because the first time around I made them in a hurry and they did not sit long enough, the inside of the jar started to have condinsation. So I decided to give them another try since the only expesive part of making them is the essential oil and I already had that.

May Books.

So Spend Week Review.

A week of attempting to spend no money really was eye opening. I have an online shopping addiction. I can spend a HUGE chunk of my day shopping online. I rarely buy anything, but I love the shopping. I shop for everything and anything. I love it it and it is clearly a terrible habit. I get over 10 emails a day of different sales and deals I can buy. Then if anything interests me I spend a good chunk of time shopping the website of said deal. Some, I even leave in my inbox to shop again when I have more time.

We made it through the week spending only a little money and mostly on things we did not need. I went shopping with my sister in law on Thursday and thought I could resist the urge to buy something. I failed. Winners had my favourite brand of makeup. Winners never has my favourite brand of makeup. That brand of makeup is NEVER on a great sale. Therefore I had to do it. I have been using Joe Fresh cream eyeliner for a while. I kind of liked it, but I really loved my Smashbox stuff. So the eyeliner was a third of the price and then there was a lip liner and lip stick combo stick. I could not resist as this I feel is the key to my perfect red lips. Anyways that is me attempting to justify spending money. I knew if I did not buy it then, I would simply go and buy it on Monday and if it was gone most likely cry. Ok maybe not cry but at least pout. That is enough. I spent some money on some quality make up because it was on sale. I am happy about it.

Then Sunday came and the husband was tired of showering with a tub full of water so we bought some Drano. The tub has been clogged for over a week and because I did not want to spend any money I was attempting every natural form of de-clogging possible. Nothing worked so we broke down and bought some.

So mixed with the eye opening online shopping addiction, I also realized just how much food we actually have in the house. Our kitchen is small, but we did not even come close to depleting our supplies of pretty much anything but bread. This opened my eyes to the fact that we do not need to be buying so much food. This quantity idea will be easier when we have a meal plan for the week laid out, which has yet to happen and I need to get on that.

Anyways overall the week I found successful. I think we will definitely be doing it more often as it really makes a noticeable difference in the bank accounts and it was nice to think of things to do and such that do not cost money. I would highly recommend giving the no spend week a chance and see if you can do better than me (not hard I know).

No Spend Week.

I have been inspired by Brianna at Tea with Bri. Last week she did a series of posts on a no spend week, seen here. It is not the first time I have heard of the idea, but this time it hit home as it came at a time of which I am not unemployed. Friday was my last week of work. I finished the day Friday with mixed feelings. A part of me was excited because I need a break from the job, another part of me was slightly freaking out because there are no jobs in the foreseeable future.

With now being out of work, there are a number of projects that I want to get completed in the apartment. Unpack and organize the spare room is a HUGE starter, then there is the palet garden and patio decor that I had wanted to get done for a while. A number of these things require at least some money. Money that I do not want to be spending because we now have less money coming in. I am a shopper. When I am bored or looking for something to do, or anytime really I love to shop. Hence starting my unemployment with a no spend week seemed like the best idea there was.

So the rules for the week are simple. Other then gas and the normal bills that automatically come out of the bank (such as car payment, insurance, internet, cell phones) we will be spending no money. We will be eating the food that we have. I have more free time so I will be cooking and baking and getting a little creative. We will take advantage of the nice weather and do some free outdoor things like taking walks and enjoying the park.

I also plan to use this time of not shopping to plan my shopping. I know that sounds kind of crazy, but I find that if I plan my shopping and stick to it I will not spend on random useless things. For example, if I clean and organize the spare room and decide I need two Rubbermaid's it will save me from buying everything and everything that looks cool and could potentially help instead of simply the two Rubbermaid's.

With this time and the required creativity of food this week I also plan to make a meal schedule. I have been meaning to for a while but it just has seemed easier to find something in the fridge or slip out to the store for one thing and come back with twenty. A meal plan and a detailed shopping list I think will save us a lot of time, stress and money.

So I am excited for this week and if all goes well we may just do it once a month, both to help us save money, to be thankful with what we have and to reevaluate our spending.

Soccer Begins.

Monday night I felt like a little kid all over again. The weather was cold, I was nervous and in no way prepared for my first night of soccer in about five years.

5 Road Trip Saving Tips.

As my girls New York City road trip is getting closer and closer I am looking for ways to make this as budget friendly as possible. I plan to splurg a bit and will most likely see a broadway show and/or Taylor Swift, but I also hope to cut corners wherever possible. I want to do a lot of travelling in my life and the cheaper I do each trip the more likely it will be that a second will follow closer behind. So these are my tips on how to road trip on a budget.

April Books.

This month I clearly did not get a lot of reading accomplished, between the weather getting nicer, working more awkward shifts then normal and lots and lots of boot camp I guess reading just got pushed down on the priorities. I think next month might be a bit better as I am 3/4 done a few different books right now.

New York City Bound. {Road trip}

This July I am going on a road trip with some wonderful ladies. We are going to take a week, pack ourselves and out things in a car and head to New York City. On the way home we will then spend some time in Pennsylvania. I cannot express just how thrilled I am for this adventure. The more I research about things to do and what to see both along the way and in our destinations I cannot help but get over the moon excited.

Blog Under Construction.

I just wanted to give a heads up that my blog is going to be under construction for the next little bit. I have yet to figure out how to make changes, save them and make it so the entire world does not see my rough drafts. I know it must be possible, but I cannot for the life of me figure it out. As a result you will see a number of changes over the next little bit as I work to make my blog a bit more me.

So the husband and I are working hard on the new design and layout so expect (fingers crossed) some pretty cool things and big changes. Just please bear with me as I work out the kinks and try out some new things.

Have you clued in yet that I have NO idea what I am doing? Help/suggestions totally welcome.

New Routine.

This week has seen a new 'normal' in our house and a part of me is starting to really like it.

Previously the husband started work just outside of town at 8:30. I then started work in town at 9:00 most days. This worked out wonderful for only having one car. We both then finished work at 5 and therefore I was able to pick him up most days only about 15 minutes after he finished. This was nice as the wait was not too much and there was other people at the office and he was able to stay inside and finish up work or work on other things. We had a system and a routine and wonderful friends/family who would pick him up when I worked my one late shift a week.

All that changed however when the boss told the husband's office that everyone was now working 8-4:30. Therefore the office closed at 4:30. The mornings have been hard to get up, but well worth it in the end. I now wake up a half hour earlier, take the husband to work and then stop at the Tim Horton's around the corner from work. I go in and get various things accomplished for about 45 minutes before heading to work. It makes me wish that I liked to drink coffee, however the small frozen lemonade is on for $1, so I have been treating myself to that most days.

This week I have completed four job applications, one blog post, countless blog reading, facebooking and read four chapters. I am thrilled about the time that I have and wonder why I have not done this sooner. I feel refreshed when I get to work instead of feeling like I should still be in bed. Who knows, maybe I am turning into a morning person.

The before work is turning out great, and the after work has been working out only by the grace of God. I mentioned we have some great people in our lives and as a result things so far have been working out with the husband getting home from work. Monday night it was raining and therefore a friend picked him up. Tuesday I finished work at a library close to him and therefore was able to pick him up on my way back into town and yesterday a coworker of his brought him into town because she had commitments in town anyways. So the next three weeks (I am done work is three week ahh) will be a little more hectic and require a little more planning, however I am confident that things will work out.

So if you have been helping or have volunteered to help with our families one car drama we are SO very thankful for you and your offers. If it is was not for wonderful people, the husband would probably get very wet and bored waiting for me to get him every night.

Baptism.

I gave my life to Christ in the ninth grade. Four years later the summer before leaving home for university I was baptized  It was something I had put off for years, knowing it was what God wanted for me, but too afraid to make the public declaration of my faith. It hit me that summer however, that if I was not able to stand up inform of my church family and say that I loved God that I would never stand a chance standing up for what I believe in at university. So I took the plunge (literally) and was baptized.

Date Night. {Terri Clark}

Last Wednesday the husband and I went on a wonderful date night. For Valentines day he had gotten me tickets to the Terri Clark concert in town playing at the Capital Theater. It was wonderful.

Date Night. (I wish I remembered my real camera)

The Capital Theater in town is one of those places that makes everything wonderful. It is a restored historic theater in downtown. The place is beautiful to look at and is so small that there is not a bad seat in the house. I have seen a few things there such as Romeo and Juliet ballet and a high school production of The Phantom of the Opera.

Bloglovin.

So I hear that Google Reader is going to no longer exist come July 1st of this year. Before I heard the news of this I had never actually heard of Google Reader. I am reletively new at the whole blogging thing and I actually do not know if what I am using is classified under Google Reader. I just add blogs on my Blogger home page and they are updated there. So is that Google Reader? Who knows.

What I do know is that I do not want to lose my current blog list. I have fallen in love with some of the blogs I read on continuous basis and I would honestly be upset if I lost them. Therefore I signed up for what I have continuously been hearing about 'Bloglovin'. I still have no idea what it is, or how it works or anything. But I am trying it out. So head over there and follow my blog I guess. If you want. That would be kind of cool.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/7157527/?claim=tapeepxmz3p">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

I Want Passion. {Envious of TV characters}

Okay, so as of late I have been struggling with being envious of the most random of people. Mainly fictional characters which really does not make a whole lot of sense. Especially because it is not in the normal ways. Like their life is so glamorous  they have so much money and everything comes easy to them. No in the way that these people seem to have dreams and goals and passion. I do not remember the last time I was passionate and truly loved to do something that I could then in turn make a career out of it or at least fall on my face trying.

Dawson from Dawson's Creek for one. He knew from age 11 that all he wanted to do in life was make movie. Yes he at times questioned it, and was not always the best, but he knew what he wanted to do. Granted I am only on like season 3 so I don't know if he eventually gives up on it and decides to do something else, but at least he has a goal. Or Jenny from Gossip Girl for example. She has a passion for fashion and does everything she can to make it happen (yes I did just say 'Passion for Fashion' and loved every minute of it).

I am jealous and I want that passion. I want there to be something that I love, absolutely love to do and to be able to make that a career. I like nature and the environment, but so far I have not been successful in making that a career. I am also not sure if my love and passion for that is actually love and passion or I just figured I had summer jobs in it, I liked that the work was different every day and therefore I figured 'lets do this'.

So because of my lack of drive or passion, I am now making it my goal to figure out what the heck I am supposed to do. I am going to try and become more passionate about something significant, not just taking my tv watching very seriously. Any suggestions on how to make that at all possible are greatly accepted.

A Thank You Goes a Long Way.

Maybe it is just me and my fear of not being accepted or upsetting people, but I believe that a thank you goes a long ways. I believe thank you cards are essential in a number of situations and one should always be thanked for even the littlest of things. I am not saying that if someone holds the door open for you that you need to send them a hand written thank you note. No, those can be kept for special occasions such as showers and weddings, but the words 'thank you' are often more than enough.

Source.

Barefoot Running Shoes.

So I started running and then started boot camp (which I LOVE, more on that soon). I needed new running shoes and so I started looking around before boot camp had started. I wanted a running shoe first and foremost as I was going to be running after the 8 weeks of boot camp was over, however I still wanted a shoe that would work for boot camp.

When picking out shoes I find it very difficult to find a pair of shoes that are actually comfortable. I spent the majority of my basketball playing days with what I termed 'perma-blisters'. In other words the backs of my heals were always bloody and in pain. I tried different shoes, different socks etc and no matter what I always had blisters. I find everything can give my feet blisters and they really are big babies no matter what kind of footwear I have on.

Carrot Cake.

This is mine and my husbands new favourite cake. Both times I have made it, it was delicious and the end result was great. The original recipe can be found here. I love that blog for great cake ideas, there are a number I have saved that I cannot wait to test out. I did however make some small changes because obviously the sugar spun nest on the top was a bit over the top for me. Also, the original recipe calls for WAY too much icing and I love icing so that is saying something. So if you want a wonderful carrot cake recipe here it is, also the lemon-scented cream cheese icing is to die for. At first I thought the combination was a little weird, until I took the first bite and fell in love. Try it out. Click 'read more' below to find my recipe.

It tastes better than it looks. I needed a little more icing to make it beautiful.

Spring Clean Closet Style.

Number two on my list of 10 things to do this spring (can be seen here) has been complete! I had a friend over, I tried on clothes, I sorted and organized and folded, we debated and in the end, the night was a success. I managed to purge about two garbage bags full of clothes that I  either do not wear, are worn out and have seen better days or that are simply no longer my style.

The end result of clothes to get rid of, plus another bag in the storage room.

March Books.

So at first I was thinking of waiting until the end of the year and doing one huge blog post about the books that I read. Then I started thinking, do I really want to try and remember everything I read come December and write the worlds longest, potentially the most boring blog post ever? NO. Therefore I am breaking it down by month, which will result in about 4 short book reviews type things.

So here is March. 

eReader LOVE.

While working at the library over the past six months I have fallen in love with something that I previously thought to be silly. I have fallen head over heals in love with eReaders. I think they are genius.  They are so light weight and can fit so nicely in a purse, the battery lasts forever, there are thousands of free books and are super easy to use and  read.

A big selling feature for me is  the easiness of reading them. I hate to read on screens be it the computer or my phone. My phone is too small and I cannot concentrate or follow my spot on a computer. In university I actually used to have to print off all of my notes and journals in order to actually read them. Lets just say that wasted a ton of paper and ink.

I spent about a week researching which version of an ereader I wanted. I knew I did not want the kindle as it is not compatible with Ontario libraries (and I intended to pay for as few books as possible), the Kobo Vox/Arc were not options as they are more so tablets (which is like reading on a computer) in my opinion and I liked the idea of the paper write. So that left the sony ereader and the other Kobos (glo, mini and original).

I knew the sony ereader was out because I feel like it is over priced, not as easy to use with the library system (although it can be done directly on the ereader using wifi which is nice) and it was hard to use when hooked up to the computer. I knew these things not through research however, simply with using them enough to know.

So for me that left the Kobo, Kobo Mini and Kobo Glo. I was leaning towards the mini or the glow. I loved the mini because of the size and I totally planned on carrying it around in my purse all the time, but I loved the glo because of the back-light when needed. I could not make up my mind and thankfully did not have to. I came home from work about a week ago and found a gift wrapped from my husband (have I mentioned that my greatest love language is gifts? Was I ever excited.). I had guessed it was a TV series as I love my TV series and was completely blown away with my new hot pink Kobo Glo.

I love it. I love to read it at night, I love how light weight it is, and how easy it is to use. I love everything about it and am still slightly blown away that out of the blue my husband would go and get it for me. He said it was because he had enough of me debating out loud to him which one to get and if I should or should not get one etc. So I now carry it everywhere I go with the hopes that I have five minutes to read. So if you read, I highly recommend and ereader. I love mine.

Boot Camp Beginnings.

Yesterday night I started boot camp and to say the least I am hurting. Yesterday afternoon I was a basket full of worry and was making myself sick thinking of everything that could go wrong. I worried over weather I would be dressed right, or if it would be obvious just how out of shape I am.

In the end I am glad I went. I am glad that I showed up and gave it a try. I loved it. I cannot wait to go back on Wednesday. Granted it was the longest hour of my life and I can currently hardly walk or sit. I love the way it made me feel. I have never been one for individual sports or things like that so I am used to my failures affecting others, therefore a heightened competitiveness in a sense and a fear of failure. This was completely different. Each activity was designed almost so you could not tell how the person beside you was doing, you just knew how you yourself were handling it.

My goal for the night became clear very early into the evening, 'Do Not Pass Out'. I focused on pushing myself as hard as possible and simply to not pass out. My body has an ability to go into auto pilot if I concentrate hard enough and with that piece of wood over my head jumping I just tried my hardest not to pass out and could care less what I looked like. The people their were encouraging and helpful and I honestly enjoyed it. The activities that were terrible did not last very long, so it was possible to push through that minute of terrible because it would soon be over.

Last night I pushed myself harder than I have in ages and it felt great. I am enjoying the pain today because I know in a few weeks it will not hurt as much and in a few more weeks I am hoping the results will be noticeable and that it will all be worth it.

Stranger Danger {Olympus has Fallen review}

Friday night was movie night. The husband and I and a bunch of friends and what seemed like half the people I know in town headed to the movies because really what else in there to do in Chatham? It turned out to be a fantastic night.

Source.

Olympus has Fallen was the movie of choice and I honestly loved every minute of it. I may even go again because I loved it just that much. It was action start to finish and it was wonderful. I am indifferent to action movies typically, I like them, but they are never my favorite  Typically the plot I find lacking or there is an over emphasis on the unnecessary inappropriate relationship and I just never fall in love with the movies. This movie however was wonderful, it had the political, government hierarchy I find intriguing, the idea of sacrificing self for country and it had just awesome awesomeness. I cannot describe it any better other then epicly awesome.

I also believe that the movie Olympus has Fallen is a wonderful example of stranger danger and I may have yelled it at one point during the movie (have I mentioned before that I am a joy to watch movies with?). The only down side to the wonderful stranger danger lesson learned is that anyone young enough to need to remember stranger danger should certainly not watch it. The movie was a touch on the gory/too much detail side of things and a number of times I closed my eyes. A friend of mine ever said she was not sure she breathed the entire movie.

Now the world knows however, if you are under attack NEVER let a stranger and their friends into your top secret super special layer or panic room. The point of one of these locations is for you to go into and panic or stop them or whatever, not for you to then invite the killers in with you.

I would now apologies for ruining it for anyone who has yet to see it (really what are you waiting for?), but really, you had to see it coming. I swear I ruined nothing however because a) you had to see it coming and b) there are so many actual, you never would have guessed it twists that your mind will be blown anyways.

So if we take three things away from this they would be 1) Never trust ANYONE, strangers or friends, shoot first ask questions later (just so no one worries, I do not own a gun and therefore I will not shoot you, but if I were in an epic action movie, watch out!) 2) Watch Olympus has Fallen unless you have a heart condition and then I would still risk it and 3) I have awesome friends who have yet to tell me to 'shut up' during a movie despite my running commentary.