Step 4. F

Wednesday 24 September 2014

There's more to it

Ever get that feeling, that thought that 

'There has to be more to this life'

Maybe I've become very contemplative because I've been on bed rest for over two weeks now. 

I have to apologize for being away for so darn long! But I've been dealing with health issues for a few weeks now. This year has sort of been putting me through the ringer with health problems. These challenges have landed me straight on my butt with not a whole lot of energy to get back up. I've had very little inspiration to blog since I've been in this bed of mine. But I've been thinking about this very subject for days, so I thought I would swing by my blog, say hi, and talk about this with you. 

So, do you get that feeling in life? That big question of 

"IS there more to my life than this?"

I guess with so much time on my hands- I have gone there. 


  • YES I'm a mother to the most wonderful child


  • YES I have the love of my life 
  • YES I have the pleasure of staying home to raise my family, and take care of my two loves


But in a way I almost feel like there is no 'ME' there in the mix of my own life. 

I've always wanted to raise my family. It's been my dream since I was a little girl who had been moved around a lot from one family member to the next. But I feel like that is only a part of who I am. 

Am I the only one?


I'm hoping to come back here more regularly next week, or the week after- depending on how I'm feeling. But thank you for the continued support, and patience as I start to feel better. 

Sunday 7 September 2014

Hiatus

Hi all, 

I know I've been away for quite some time now. And I keep meaning to properly sit down and write a post for the day but I've had a lot going on in the past little while. 

For some reason stress has taken over- along with a liver cleanse that was absolutely needed at this time in my life. The move took a lot out of me. I'll be very honest with you about that. There's a part of me that loves constant change, thrives in it actually. But two moves in one summer really did me in. 

So I guess what I'm doing right now is taking it easy and slowly making this new apartment feel like my home. I promise I'll be back soon to give you a full update on life. For now, thanks for hanging tight, and thanks for staying with me. 

Peace. 

Wednesday 20 August 2014

Moving 'to do' list- time out!

Ok, as I've said at the beginning of the week I'm a tad busy with this whole move. But Wednesday's are very important to me, as I'm really excited to share The Self Care Series with you, and I started Part I with you last week. But to be honest with you (which I absolutely need to do), I have not been able to keep up with week 1! I've done a meditation here and there, I'm also keeping up with my health cleanse, but I'm just not able to stay committed this week. So as next week approaches I will continue to try and find the time to do at least the 5 minute relaxation meditation that I have on my phone. Next week I will come back fresh... hopefully unpacked and ready to start in on the exercise series ok? 

Please bare with me :) This is what my life looks like right now (excuse the sloppy writing, I blame it on my 'lefty' hand. I'm damn creative, but I'm a messy creative!).

Because I've moved so much, I would think that by now I'd had a system down. And I do (I'm even trying to colour code the boxes as I tag them for different rooms- hopefully I remember along the way!). We are moving into my uncle's 2 bedroom 2 bathroom, walk in master closet apartment as he takes the next step with his girlfriend and moves in with her. He is SUCH a sweetheart for letting us take over, as it will give us a chance to save up for our wedding *happy dance!!*



Tuesday 19 August 2014

Toddler biking (review)

The best part of my day today was watching my son ride his bike outside for the very first time at 25 months old. He was incredibly conscientious of his surroundings making sure not to run over anyone who was lying around in the grass. Such a little sweetheart!  





Here's my review of the Strider bike- AMAZING! He's been small since the very first day he was born. I researched the best, and smallest version of a balance bike I could find and at a price of $110 I was sold. Its light, easy for him to move around, and more than light enough for me to carry if he wants to take a break and rest on my hip while we walk. Worth the buy if your looking.

He'll be able to grow into this bike as well as the whole bike adjusts as he grows. The one thing that I might comment on is the seat for his little bum, it doesn't seem that comfortable, but he doesn't seem to mind it :)


Ease of use:

5/5

Comfortablility:

3.5/5

Longevity of the product:

5/5

Lightness & Durability:

5/5

Coolness factor:

5/5

Anytime we take his bike out for a ride he's always turning heads. People come up to him and ask me how it works. He just loves his little bike! I also ran into a cute youtube video of a 3 year old doing dirt biking trails with his dad (I'm going to assume it wasn't a hardcore trail- as he was only 3, but how cool is that?). Needless to say, Toli's dad is now urging me to take him out to practice everyday so the two of them can go off into the sunset and bike into the forest together :) If your in the Vancouver area, and want to check out the store I got my sons bike at its called Bike Doctor. Hope your enjoying your week!

Monday 18 August 2014

The weekend report

Well, I must tell you that my Thursday night was a lot more exciting then the rest of my weekend.

Toli and I made our way over to Nanaimo to stay with my close friend at her new pad. I feel like I see her more now than I did when she lived in the city (goes to show how 'busy' one can make their life when simple friendship is probably one of the greatest things in the world).


So today, its gonna be a short one. 

One very awesome tidbit- Thursday was Toli's very first ferry ride! We ended up playing at the top of the boat outside the entire time (which left him out cold for a good long 3 hour nap when we arrived- which made for great girl time!). He then awoke and made a cute little new friend whom he loved playing with for the whole of our stay!

** Mommy/ Parent tip** Do something NEW with your toddler every so often! I'm not a big fan of routine but I know its necessary for a child to thrive when they have things that happen everyday- but giving them a little excitement will stimulate their mind, and the side benefit for you (and them) is that they will have a really good sleep! 

He's also adopted a new "Auntie", he only has a couple other's and he's decided that this is what she is to him- so endearing how he chooses his relationships :)





And don't expect too much more from me than that today haha! Saturday I picked up some supplements where my friend works, and brought my son home for nap time. We had a lot to do that day like; grocery shop, clean the house, amongst other boring household chores. 

To my demise that day my son lost my only set of house/ car keys (which are STILL missing!). So we ended up sitting at home all day waiting for his Dada to come back from a fishing trip- UGH! Needless to say, as irritated as I felt I ended up taking some action and upping my liver cleanse by juicing some great vegetables for my liver- check out my Health Cleanse blog here . And yesterday was spent at numerous furniture stores, and Ikea- where we looked for couches, mattress's and other necessities for our new apartment for the end of the week. That was it. Sorry to be so uneventful this weekend, but that's how she goes! 




I'm hoping to stay up to date with my blog this week, but with packing going full tilt as of tomorrow I'm just hoping to have all of my ducks in a row for the move come Saturday.

Please bare with me, as I may be attempting to pull my hair out during this move :) Moving with toddlers is not fun.... but maybe he'll be used to it this round? I can always hope, right?










Friday 15 August 2014

Recipe of the week: Quinoa Salad


This weeks recipe is by far one of my most favourite new simple recipes. I will say beforehand to cook a batch of quinoa (which can be used for days for salads, or breakfast dishes). I didn't have any quinoa pre-cooked, so before dinner time came, and while I was reading blogs I cooked 
  • 1 cup of quinoa
  • 2 cups of water
  • a splash of coconut oil
  • Himalayan salt. 
It cooks just like rice if you've never cooked with it before, so it takes 20 minutes in a pot with a lid. Once its cooked I will take the lid off, and use a fork to fluff up the quinoa before I let it cool a bit with the lid off.


After reading my blogs for the day I took out a nice big salad bowl, and filled it half way with salad greens that I had in my fridge.

                  

Next I took out everything I wanted for the salad

  • 4 radishes
  • 3 inches of cucumber
  • 1 handful of blueberries
  • 5 slices of turkey bacon
  • 1 cup of cooked quinoa
  • Extra virgian olive oil
  • Balsalmic vinegar
  • Himalayan salt, and my pepper grinder for some fresh pepper 

                  

Mmm, my guilty pleasure- turkey bacon!

                 

Here's my cooled quinoa

                 


                  

Once I chopped up my veggies, and cooked bacon I added it all to the bowl of greens

                  

I don't really measure how much olive oil or balsalmic I use because you either like your salad really saucy, or a bit on the drier side, so I'll leave that to your discretion. 

Salt and pepper to taste.

Here's the final product! It was incredibly yummy, and when I served it to my son he had a great big smile on his face :)

Hope you enjoy! 

                 

Thursday 14 August 2014

Health Cleanse


A couple of posts ago- I mentioned that we are finally going to be setting a date for our long awaited wedding!

As always, things move fast (although, not my wedding plans until just now), I've started this Self Care Series which will run for the next 5 weeks after this week (and also means I'm practicing everything I talk about everyday). We are moving soon, and also buckling in for some great life changes at home for the long haul (I'm talking buying our first home, and expanding our family). So a lot is happening around me as I sit here and blog about it. Oh, did I mention I'm night weaning my toddler? Ah!!

No need for stress, its time for action! I want to feel and look my best not only for my wedding (but yes, it is a major plus to have a date to push towards with some healthy lifestyle goals), but for my life. So what did I do amongst all this chaos? 

I started a liver cleanse.. Was it a great idea for such a busy and hectic time in my life? I'm not so sure about that, but I'm doing it anyways. You know why? Because there's never a time like the present. No, my liver cleanse isn't planned and 100% ready to go (I had such a stressful evening I didn't get around to my tumeric tea- tomorrow is another day!), but I did a little research and instead of perfecting, thinking, dreaming and wishing I would just do it already, I'm doing it.

I've recently been talking to a friend- who is in the nutritional field- about liver function. And it hit me after that conversation that some things needed to change so I could have glowing skin for my walk down the aisle! Because of medication that I used since I was a young child, it has not been good for my poor liver, add in a couple trips to Vegas and free booze in Mexico I think its time I said "hey liver, I love you too!", right? Couldn't we all show some appreciation for such a wonderful organ that is our basic detoxification centre? The skin will usually try and help the liver by expelling toxins through the skin, so its time to give all of my organs the love that they so truly desire.

Amongst other things, here are a couple of links about foods that cleanse the liver, how to boost the functioning of your liver, and release toxins



So far, I've started drinking warm water (half boiled, half cold) with half a lemon in the mornings before I do anything (other than make my son gluten free toast with fruit for breakfast), I'll also be adding more liver supportive foods as I go along. I'll be doing more as the days continue, but for now I'm solely focused on my morning routine of lemon water with a tumeric milk tea before bed (yes, sounds a little strange, but the liver absolutely LOVES tumeric- add black pepper for optimal results).

On top of that, from one of the articles above it says to do tumeric milk for 3 months. I plan on doing that, but for at least 21 days I'll be doing a good enough (for my lifestyle, and I'll be doing as well as I can with a toddler, trust me, I'll be happy) liver cleanse.

Here's my recipe with links about tumeric included at the bottom

Tumeric Tea:

1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp organic tumeric
As much black pepper as you handle (I like my tea a little spicy!)
Honey to taste

Heat milk slowly, add tumeric, black pepper and honey. Once steaming, drink.

Voila!


Sorry if this post is a bit lengthy, I think my inner Wellness Geek is coming out to show the world some love :)
This picture is courtesy of Anusorn P nachol/ freedigitalphotos.net

Wednesday 13 August 2014

The Self Care Series: Part I




Today's post is going to be fairly short. This move that we're doing, along with having my grandmother in town is taking a lot of my time. Lovingly, I am with my grandmother, as she is helping me finally pick out my upgraded engagement ring! I'm thinking today- if I can make it happen to either keep looking for a ring, or maybe even window shop for my wedding dress! Oh, did I mention we are getting married in April (more on that on a later post, let the wedding blogs begin!)?

So todays post is on Meditation like I promised last week. The reason I wanted to share meditation with you is because I know the mass amounts of reasons of why it is good for you; mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally.

What I do know, is that a lot of people tend not to meditate- including myself. For the last two years my life has solely revolved around my son, and my fiancee. At moments I'd have people comment on how "parenting is a form of meditation", but it just didn't feel the same as sitting peacefully by myself with nothing at all to think about.

So here I am, re-entering this world of peace, space, self care, and health.

Oddly enough, I signed up for Oprah & Deepak Chopra's 21 day meditation that started just 2 days ago! What a coincidence, especially since this post is on meditation.

The meditations are based around Expanding Your Happiness. The recordings are about 20 minutes in total, with the meditations lasting about 9-10 minutes after Oprah introduces the subject, and Deepak talks about it more in depth before you actually have to close your eyes. Its incredibly easy, even if your a Mama like me. And if your not a parent? Well, then you have no excuse! Right? 

I'm kidding! Life gets busy, I know! But, I'm sure if you knew it helps you to de- stress, increases your immune system, balances emotions, helps with skin issues like psoriasis and eczema, helps to clear your mind for optimal mental health, among many other wonderful benefits. 

The benefits don't stop when you open your eyes, it stays with you throughout your day- what a bonus!

If you want to look into more information on the health benefits, come check this out

If you really feel short on time (and you have an IPhone), look into one of my favourite apps called 5 min relaxation. Before the 21 day meditation started I only put 5 minutes aside for meditation just in the last week. Any time you put in will be beneficial!

So why not give it a shot? What do you have to loose?

I'd still love to hear your thoughts on any ideas for the last 1-2 weeks of this self care series. Is there something you'd like to me to cover? See what I plan on covering here, and drop me a line by signing into your google account, or use the open ID in the comment section just below.

Thanks! Guess my post wasn't so short after all, was it? Time to start the day, and I hope you have a good one!



The photo above is used courtesy of adamr/ freedigitalphotos.net

Tuesday 12 August 2014

Mental Illness



You must've seen this one coming. I'm sure I won't be the only one who blogs about the passing of Robin Williams. The topic of mental illness is not an easy one for me to talk about, as I have a very close family member who has dealt with this illness since I was a little girl. And when the pain is so close to home, you know your going to be affected by that person, or from the illness yourself for an undetermined amount of time.

It is so sad that Robin Williams may have taken his own life (as stated from the media), because of depression. I didn't know anything about his personal life at all, but from his movies, and his comedy acts he was a bright and shiny star- but maybe he had some demons behind that act. 

There are a few mommy groups online that I am a part of, and they're all talking about the passing of such a great actor, but also that if you have someone who has this illness; to be with them, and take care of them as long as they need it. I personally, cannot agree with that. Even when a person has such an illness they need to want to be helped. Otherwise you are having your energy sapped every time you help, every time you take care and every time you listen. I'm starting my new Self Care Series tomorrow, and I still have at least 1-2 more topics to cover for the 6 weeks that I plan on blogging about it- please join the conversation if you have anything you'd like to add to the list.

The reason I bring up the Self Care Series is because there has to be a line of what is 'ok' for you as well. Yes, someone close to us may need our help, our assistance. And maybe we're willing to give it for as long as they need it, but there may come a point when you can't. When the help you're giving is draining you of your own wellness. That's not ok, because it will then affect your life and those around you. Its like a tornado affect if not taken care of properly.

It saddens me to know that he has passed. Like many of us who grew up with his movies; Aladdin, Jumunji, Mrs. Doubtfire (one of my classic favs as a child) to name just a few- he was very talented, and will be sadly missed by a lot of people around the world.


Rest In Peace Robin Williams, your light shined on a lot of people around the world



Please remember to 

Take care of those around you as much as you can, but make sure you look after yourself 1st!

As you will have nothing to give anyone if you are empty yourself.





This picture above was taken from my night last night. I'm not one to really talk about how the moon effects our moods, but I think this super moon really got me. My theory is that I was in a pretty damn good mood during the last super moon. Honestly, I tried to harness some good energy when the super moon was out, but I just didn't' have it in me. Yesterday was crap!

Please, lets all send out some positive energy to those around us who need it, and take a moment of silence for Mr. Robin Williams <3

Sunday 10 August 2014

The weekend edition

This past weekend was once again full of adventure. My fiancee is going to be away more often for work, so we took some time to just be together as a family before he left for the week.

I must let you know I'm sitting here in a little bit of a sad state because the house isn't as full as it usually is with him around. This week its just the two of us- mother and son.

We started off the weekend with a nice little bike ride- we bought our son a balance bike last year, and he is just starting to love it!


On Saturday we drove out to Steveston in Richmond, BC. My fiancee spent some time here growing up before he moved to Vancouver. Its such a quaint little town bustling with tourists at this time of year! We ate some fish and chips from a place called "Pajo's", did some boat watching, played in the sand, tried to teach Toi how to play frisbee, ate watermelon sorbet (my sons absolute favourite fruit at the moment), and ended off our Steveston day on a harbour tour around the water. My son loves boats, he loves water, and he loves the sunshine just like his parents do, so this day was just perfect day!










As you can see, our son had the time of his life! What were you up to over the weekend?


Thursday 7 August 2014

What I'm reading

Well, now that I've let you in on my little world here is what I'm reading. I will let you know that I do judge books by their cover. I don't know why. It's just a thing of mine. I love fantasy/ romance novels but if there is a half naked muscular man on the cover with a half horse body- I'm sorry, I'm not buying it!

1. Get Rich Blogging



This book is written by Zoe Griffin. I've recently started this one and it is absolutely inspiring! I almost didn't buy this one just because of the the title name- kinda cheesy but I'm glad I gave it a chance because she talks about all her little blips and moments of growth which I think is great. She's candid about her journey and is very interactive in the way she writes her book. I have a writing journal next to me when I read her book. 

2. Start your own blogging business




At first glance, this looks like a text book for school. But it really is a great educational read! I'm going through the chapters and taking notes as I go along. I'm excited to get through this book as it's really going to help me become more professional with my blog. I feel like my blog is constantly evolving; I'm moving things around, doing more pre-planning, and learning more and more about social media everyday. I'm still building everything, and its nice to have a book to sort of lead the way as I feel pretty blind most of the time.

3. I love you rituals



I'm still getting into this book, but I love the concept. Not only does it have great tools, and games to play with toddlers, but it helps parents to create healthy connections with their children. I realized a little while ago that when I was pregnant, and when my son was a newborn I was into reading about how to raise him, and what his developmental stages were. I'm very confident in how I raise him right now, but I think that there is always room for growth.

I love you rituals helps parents enhance children's self esteem, as well as helping families like mine who are very busy- to stay close.

4. Shadowfever


This is my guilty pleasure! Shadowfever is the 5th and final of a series that I'm completing. The story just drew me in! Its inspired by the HBO series "True Blood"- something else I'm kind of into. Its not so much about vampires, and werewolves- it's similar in a way but it has its own flair which is good because I kind of got sick of reading about vampires. I love a good fantasy novel, but there is only so much of something that you can read about!

Do you have any guilty pleasures that you read, or something that your really into right now? I'm always looking for something new!

Wednesday 6 August 2014

Introducing: The Self Care Series

This image is courtesy of artur84/ freedigitalphotos.net

I've been wanting to post about this for quite some time. It just took some 'urgency' to do so.

After this weekend I realized how much more effort I want to put into myself. I don't know if you read my Monday post this week, but I had a moment with my fiancee (check it out here), and in that not so obvious moment of realization I knew it was time to put my foot down- with myself. I say, enough with the mommy look!

Here and there I make time for myself, but its not a routine. I don't make an effort everyday, and its something I'd like to do because I always feel good when I take care of myself. I feel refreshed, and recharged! 

This Self Care series will be split up into a few different posts, and with my new schedule I just posted for blogging yesterday (check it out here) you can come back next Wednesday for another addition. 

This week (after all my rambling), I'd like to start off by introducing you to the topics I have on my mind. I'd also like to ask for input as to what I could write about for self care- ideas are always welcome!!


  • Week 1: Meditation
  • Week 2: Exercise
  • Week 3: Skin Care 
  • Week 4: Hair (oh god- THE HAIR! Did I mention I used to be a stylist?)
  • Week 5: New make up regime? (mine is about 2 minutes..)
  • Week 6: ...help me out here ;)
Please, if there's anything you'd like to see me write about, I'd more than happy to do it! Is there something you've been wanting to do for yourself? Let me be your cheerleader, I can be a good one! I may have fluffy hair at times, but I'm working on it. I think I scared myself when I looked in the mirror this weekend, but that scare was for me to start making leaps and bounds for the woman I want to become. 

Becoming a mother has changed me. Not only is raising a toddler a sometimes hectic experience, but the last few years of life has changed me. In that transitional period I think I lost face- sometimes those moments in life are difficult, and you just forget about yourself, so I'll call this my 'polishing period'. Have you had one of those? This is my terminology, so don't go looking it up ok?

I might even Youtube this.... no promises though, but I'm considering it right now. If I don't Youtube this now, I'll do it at a later date after I write the posts.

Let the brainstorming begin! (please leave comments below this post after you have signed into your google account, or just sign in with "open ID" which is another option. Thank you!

Tuesday 5 August 2014

The Weekend Edition

Hey all! How was the weekend?

Before I tell you about mine I have another announcement. I've been thinking about changing up my blogging week. As much as I love doing my Weekend Edition, I think it would be better suited for Mondays. So at this point, I will do

**Mondays- Weekend Edition
**Tuesdays- will be open for review of products if I feel I have something cool to share (if not, this day will remain open until further notice)
Wednesdays- regular Lifestyle posts
Thursdays- Lifestyle 
Fridays- Food Edition

** indicate new post times/ days

I hope this sits with you alright. Tuesdays just feel too far away from the weekend. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am keeping this post short as well. This weekend we spent a lot of time at the lake in Port Moody floating on the water, and tanning. But the biggest part of the weekend was saying good-bye to my future mother in law who is probably in Russia right now with her mother before she makes her way to Bali, Indonesia to live for an indefinite period of time.

We decided to take Roman's parents on a boat ride as a little send off. It didn't hit us that she was going to be gone (for at least a year) until the day came. I was pretty sad by the end of the night, as was my honey. We are planning on spending some time in Bali come January 2015 for a few weeks- so you can stay tuned for those adventures when they come. Next year brings much travel into our lives as we are also indefinitely planning our wedding. Everything is still up in the air on dates, but that's what we're shooting for..


The Burrard Bridge


English Bay- Gay Pride celebrations going on at the beach here


Driving to White Cliff Park










My beautiful mother in law has such a young soul! Very vibrant, and ready for adventure. I'm happy that she took the leap, and is following her heart. She's been to Bali twice, and wanted to live there at first glance. My heart is a little bit heavy as I loved visiting her, and the great talks we had.

So now that I've probably told a little bit of a depressing story, please help to lighten me up a little. 

How was your weekend? What were you up to?

Monday 4 August 2014

Happy BC Day!

Well kiddos, just thought I'd drop you all a line quickly on this bright, warm a beautiful day. Not only that , but it's one of my favourite holidays today 




My babe's and I have been doing a lot of swimming, which means my hair is either wet, or drying on the go. He looked at me adoringly during dinner last night and said "I love you".

We then proceeded on with the rest of our evening, only to find me looking into a mirror in horror as my hair looked like a major frizz-fest! I love this man. And now I know that he truly loves me, frizzy hair and all. 

Wouldn't hurt to look in a mirror more often though, would it?

Friday 1 August 2014

Drinks!

I don't know about you, but I'm hot! This week has been pretty slow in the cooking department. I've been making my usual toast and coffee to start the day (gluten/ egg/ dairy free bread of course), with some water, and that lovely Green glow smoothie I talked about last week. 

Dinner has been pretty easy too. Salad, maybe a slice of chicken... I'm feeling the pull to go Vegan, have I told you? Raw is even looking appealing to me, but I love my mushrooms cooked with coconut oil, salt and pepper. I may go 80% raw, who knows? I'm still contemplating. I've noticed the days where I start with a smoothie, and have 2 salads; 1 for lunch and another for dinner that I feel pretty darn good! Light, and healthy! 

I'll keep you posted on that journey when I make the decision. But for now, I'm gonna switch up my usual recipe share Friday for something a bit cooler, because like I said I'M HOT! 

So here's what I've been sipping on for the week...



A little bit of everything as you can see. I'm not too choose-y, but I do go by taste.

   1. Estacion: On the left we'll start off with the Syrah 2012. I love me some Syrah! For some reason the flavours are always just amazing to me. Personally I feel like a Merlot is actually bolder and heavier in taste, but apparently Syrah is the darkest.. I guess I have my preferences.

The Syrah was great! It's a pretty bold wine, but very easy to drink- fruity, but not too sweet.

   2. Omission: We're gonna skip over to the beer on the right for now. Omission is a gluten free beer that my sweetie picked up for me for the beach the other day. I have to say I am incredibly stoked that they have such a drink! I've been off of beer for a good couple of years. I wasn't too much of a beer drinker, but I sure loved my IPA's- I missed them. That being said, this IS and IPA and is very bitter, and on the stronger side of beers. I love bitter, so this one sits quite well with me.

If you've been off of beer for reasons like mine (being gluten free), I'd recommend trying this one out. Or, if your just into trying out new beers give this one a go.

   3. The beach house: Now, this is one I'm drinking right now. I saved this one for last because I can tell you this wine is PERFECT for hot days! It says so right on the bottle! All I can say is it just purely amazing. I did sneak in some ice cubes (I know! Terrible wine ethics, right?). I've been meaning to try the frozen grapes trick to use as ice cubes in my white wine's, but I haven't gotten around to it. But now that you know I use ice cubes I'm going to put some in the freezer right after I finish this post! This wine is incredibly fresh on the taste buds. I can taste the lemongrass, and gooseberries. 

Mmm! 

Hope you can try out one, or some of these drinks! Have a good weekend!

P.S. If you scroll down to see the pictures, the bottle itself tells you its perfect for hot sunny days on the beach! What more could a girl ask for?



Thursday 31 July 2014

Liebster Award



Ok!...here goes nothin'! I've been nominated by Emily who is another lifestyle blogger over at 

underthescottishrain.blogspot.co.uk 

I'm just becoming acquainted with Emily recently, and I'm so flattered that she has nominated me. I've been sort of daunted by this whole experience wondering how I'll get through writing this blog, so I've decided to Just do it like I usually do. If I put too much thought into it -something I tend to do- I wouldn't do it, so here we go!

    1. Thank/ link the person who nominated you
        Thanks again Emily!

    2. Answer the 11 questions they have written for you

      1. If you could be any animal, what animal would you be and why?


I would be a cat. I would be a cat because they're pretty smooth in the way they move, always landing on their feet (my only wish because I'm such a klutz lol!), and the best part is they can sunbathe any time they choose. This is partly why I blog. I can stay home and wait for the sun to shine on me :)

      2. Which country would you most like to live in?

Anywhere warmer than here really... I've been called a gypsy my whole life because I move a lot. For now, lets say Australia!

      3. Why did you start blogging?

Ooo! I like this question! I started blogging because I LOOOVE to write! I never thought anyone would want to read my words, and before I started blogging I thought "who reads blogs anyways? Who reads about other peoples lives?". But in all truth, I was doing that. I just didn't see it in the cards for myself until I just decided "you know what? who would this hurt if I tried?". The answer? No one! And I love every minute of it.

      4. What is your blogging goal?

Another juicy question! I like it Emily! My blogging goal is to become a monetized business, and live a lifestyle where I don't have to worry about money or wanting to travel. 

That being said, I want to share more travel blogs, and I'd like to get into fashion and beauty in the future, but- at the moment- with a toddler I can barely get a slick of lipstick on! He's a handful, but a lovely one and I enjoy teaching him things everyday. Raising him is the most important to me right now so this is partly what I'll share amongst life adventures with my family.

      5. If you could go to a different time period, which one would you go to?

I am obsessed with the Gatsby time period! The lavish style just has me hooked! I would've been very happy there dancing the nights away in amazing dresses :)

      6. If you were on a deserted island, what 3 items would you bring with you?

I would bring my computer so I could blog about it, a blender to make margaritas with, and sunblock. I don't burn, but sun protection is the key to life...and is the main item for a sunbather to bring to the beach.

      7. What do you want the future to hold for you?

Continued and unending happiness with the 2 loves of my life; my fiancee and my baby boy. May the future bring continued success and happiness to us all!

      8. What is your favourite film and why?

Ooo, this ones a toughie. My fiancee will tell you that I'm so bad with names and titles. I never remember anything! I am however, a movie buff, and the last great movie I saw was "Rise of the planet of the apes". Great cinematography! I highly suggest seeing it in theatres if its not too late.

      9. What is your biggest fear?

One of my biggest fears was deep, dark water. My dad watched one too many scary films for a young child's liking when I was little! I (embarrassingly to this day) still think there are underwater lake monsters, and sharks all over the ocean lol! But I just recently went to Mexico and snorkelled with sea turtles! Best experience of my life! 

      10. What is your wardrobe must have?

MY wardrobe must have?....hmm.. a good pair of skinny jeans :) 

      11. If you could change one thing about yourself, would you? And what would it be?

What would it be.. It would have to be my hyper sensitive body. Anything I put in or on will have a dramatic effect on my health. I would change that in a heartbeat, but I am an incredibly thoughtful person because of it... so now I'm stuck.. yes I would change it..no I wouldn't lol! Ah! I'll leave it at that!

     
     3. 11 random facts about myself

      1. I'm a lover of the sun! Put me in a floaty on a lake, or on a white sandy beach and I'll be happy forever!
      2. I've been engaged for 3 years...enough with it already! Its time to get married! :)
      3. I'm an introvert.
      4. Secretly, not so secretly I want to move away from Canada and blog about my travels
      5. I still need a new engagement ring lol! Yes, a NEW one! Wanna come shopping for one with me? I keep putting it off!
      6. I'm a perfectionist
      7. I've gone back to university and college a total of 3 times for 3 different careers (completed every single one), not once to become a writer though, but here I am writing for a living :)
      8. I don't regret anything. All life experiences are made to help us grow into the person we are today. Remember that!
      9. I'm a nerd. A book nerd. A life nerd. I love learning!!!!!
    10. Now that I'm blogging I sometimes forget to eat...yes, I do.
    11. I cannot lie worth a damn!!! If you suspect I'm lying, watch my face. I'm probably cracking a smile! 

     4. Nominate blogs with under 200 followers, who you believe deserve this award
     5. Leave a set of 11 questions for those blogs to answer, and let them know they've been nominated

      1. What is your all time favourite food?
      2. What is at the top of your bucket list?
      3. What does the perfect date look like to you?
      4. What is your current favourite outfit?
      5. Do you like cooking? If so, what is your favourite meal to cook?
      6. What does your apartment look like right now?
      7. Have you travelled? If so, what was your favourite destination, or where would you love to go?
      8. Are you a cat, or dog person?
      9. What do you do on a rainy day?
      10. What is your favourite type of music?
      11. Are you living your dreams? If so, why, or why not?

Emily, thanks again for the nomination! This wasn't as hard as I assumed it would be, it took some thoughtfulness, definitely worth it to nominate some other rad bloggers who deserve it ;)

Come learn more about Emily here. She has some really great sights and experience she shares on her blog!