Lost

I fell like a hamster on a wheel going around and around, always doing the same thing. I have no idea where my life is headed, I have an idea of what I want but no real direction. Im not sure if we should make a really big decision affecting many people around us. I feel a little lost, a sense of uh is something missing? Am I really happy where I am right now? I need to find a direction and move towards it...

Blue Love

There is just something about this little blue box or any other special little box with a beautiful promise of a lifetime of love together and oh that ring! Im over the moon excited right now for that wonderful person with that promise on her left hand.

Happy Spring

Happy Easter!

Easter really marks the beginning of Spring for me, like a fresh start, new beginnings. The Lord has risen this day and its a time of celebration of life and love.

With spring comes the warmth of the sun shinning,

new growth in nature that surrounds us.

and new life so what a perfect time of year to be blessed with the growth of a child in a mothers' womb (not me). I am beyond excited about the growth of this little one!

I went away to visit my good friend in PEI and her little baby girl who is 6 months now. I was soo nice to catch up, enjoy each others company with plenty of girl bonding time. We went shopping, watch episodes of shows we both enjoy, played with baby lots and hung out with a few other friends, one on Skype(he's away). It was great!

I read this funny diary type entry of a mother of 3 young kids and since I was on baby duty, watching little Chlo bear while her mama went out with the bf for the night, I thought I would do a similar one to my night taking a stab at motherhood.

7:00pm feed baby cereal
7:30pm put baby in bath
7:47pm change baby
put pj's on baby
put pj's on myself
feed baby
burb baby
8:20pm put baby to bed
8:30pm worry baby is not breathing, check baby she is fine and sound asleep
start watching a movie
9:23pm check on baby again
10:20pm check on baby
go to bed
11:10pm still awake worrying I might not hear the baby, check that monitor is on and working
12:13am still not asleep, look at monitor light
check baby
12:40am baby wakes up
change baby
feed baby
burb baby
1:16am put baby back to bed
go back to bed, hoping she will sleep till morning
ZZZZZ's
7:50am hear baby making coo-ing noises, jump up and get baby wondering on long she has been awake
change baby
thinking I need coffee and have to pee
feed baby
burp baby
play and talk with baby
8:34am pee
get dressed
play with baby
9:20am try consoling/playing with cranky baby
9:56am put baby to bed
10:10am her mom gets home and I'm off "duty"
10:20ish make coffee and relax ahh

Its been very busy around here. We had a lovely, low key weekend going to the dog park and a sugar camp and then bam the week hit.

I have been teaching all week :D at my favourite school and am there the rest of the week too! Overall, I have been teaching lots lately and loving every minute of it.

So far this week I have been teaching everday, 4 tutoring sessions in the past 3 days and a French presentation(done tonight, got an A+, woo) and 2 workouts and personal training, busy, busy.

I do wish that I had another time to workout other then 6am but I have to fit it in and the morning is great to get it over with and to start the morning.

Im looking forward to tomorrow night when I can relax with my hubby *today is our 9 year anniversary since we began dating <3's

This weekend I have a very special little girls birthday to attend, she is turning 2! I also need to make her cake...ah i better go shopping

A picture

Today is a blah day, a f*%$ it all day, so to try and make me feel better

the best picture ever.....

This picture represents fun, care-free, summer days enjoying the company of friends and family with a few drinks, lots of laughs and great memories!

A typical Sunday

Sundays are probably my favourite day of the week. They are almost always low key and relaxing, preparing for the week ahead.

Today was a typical Sunday....

slept in and snugled with my hubby as we awoke to the sun shinning in the window.

We brought our baby Dakota to the dog park and the sun didnt last long (there were flurries)

This afternoon I was in the kitchen baking cookies (3 dozen) and then no bake protein balls, while r. was watching the race.

We spent quality time together and had a relaxing Sunday.

Lots going on

There is lots going on in my life right now,

teaching lots :D LOVE IT!

Tutoring, working on-call for Peel at the group homes(getting more hours lately), taking my French class and working on my fitness by going to the gym, working with a personal training and being more active and eating well.

Lots going on but its all good and I am taking more time to focus on me and my wellness.

And enjoying a quiet afternoon at home with the hubby, sipping a lattee and relaxing.

Then we will be watching the Daytonna 500, of course.

Oh weekend

What a great weekend! Ever have one of those fun filled, amazing weekends that fly by?

Ours was, it was splendid even though it didnt start till Saturday morning (I worked Friday evening). I woke up before 8am to bake a cake for my friends baby shower, then headed to the gym before going to a nice cafe for lunch with my mom and sis.

Once I got home I finished the cake and waited for my guests to come for a sleepover.

These 2 little cuties:

Their mom said they were literally bouncing off the walls waiting to come to my house. When they arrived, we played the wii a little, played an imaginary game(with their rules of course) and we baked cupcakes. M. was waiting for "ritchies" to come home and kept asking how much longer. Once he arrived home they were both excited to see him and said he was gone a long time, lol too cute. Then we decorated cupcakes of course we let them each eat one.

We played Mousetrap and then changed into our pjs and snuggled up to watch a movie and of course have chips ;)

Around 8am this morning(Sunday) we heard 2 sets of little pitter patter feet sneak into our bedroom and whisper to wake us up. I pretended I was asleep and hubby told them it was ok to jump on the bed and wake me up, they did and had lots of giggles then I sprung up and they ran down the hall. We played and hubby chased them up and down the hall.

Then hubby made us breakfast and made the girls special heart and teddy bear pancakes:

The are 2 of the sweetest kids and are very well behaved, well-manered little cutie pies. It was so nice having them visit and of course they asked if they could come back for a sleepover soon and said Thank yous. Hubby said having them really maked him want kids :D

This afternoon I attended a friends baby shower for her 2nd little bundle of joy, another girl!

I was asked to make her cake and am very proud of how it turned out...

Vanilla soft sponge cake with buttercream icing and french vanilla fondant
I used a soccer ball cake mold for the belly and 2 cupcakes for the boobs

Happy Valentines!

I hope everyone had a great Valentines Day. I love this day of hearts, and love and kisses and NOT for the flowers, chocolates, teddies, or jewelry(do people actually get diamonds for V-day?)

I love this day because of the little Valentines cards that kids pass out at school, because of the pinks and reds, because of the little treats, because the world seems full of love(I wish it would last longer)

My hubby and I don't really do much on Valentines day, except give little chocolates to the kiddies in our lives. We normally have a nice low key meal at home and do a little something special for each other, maybe a card or something small.

I put this in hubby's lunch:

Made these for dessert, yum!
My husband bought me new New Balance sneakers when he was away, he did a great job picking them out, they fit great and are very nice.

Saw this little questionnaire to complete about my love and I.

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?
We started dating the year I was in grade 12. Its been 9 since we first became more than friends.
2. How did you meet? {What’s your “love” story?}
We meet in high school through mutual friends. I was actually dating one of his friends. We became close friends and hung out all the time. After a couple years of being friends and falling in love we started dating :)
3. If married, how long have you been married?
We are married :D, 9 months now.
4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?
We got married in the same church my parents were married in and that I was baptized in our home town. We had a medium size wedding with about 190 guests.
5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share
We call each other babe. I call him hun a lot and he calls me hunny bear or sugar tits, haha yup sugar tits.
6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.
I love how considerate he is. Of me, my firends and family and everyone around us.
I love how funny and witty he is. He alway makes me laugh and we fun together being silly.
I love how supportive my honey is in every aspect, he has always been my rock.
7.. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a relationship strong and full of love.
Have fun! Enjoy each other, have fun with one another, act silly, laugh a lot and dont take each other to seriously.
8. Tell us one thing you’d like to do with your significant other one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?
Travel to various places together. Rent a villa/cottage somewhere for a month in a new place.
9. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day.
What we did was have dinner(his fav.), had chocolate covered strawberries and went to a friends place, thats about it.
10. Show us a picture of what love means to you

Spending my weekend......

I am spending my weekend.....

in bed and on the couch because I am sick.

I have had a head cold for a few days and then the flu hit me yesterday while at the grocery store. I had to leave all my stuff at the cash and run to the washroom to vommit.

Great, at least when i returned the cashier had everything done and I just had to pay and leave.

I came home, called in sick to work, put my pjs on and stayed in bed.

After A LOT of sleep, I feel better this morning and have all the supplies to fight this sickness:

Now I'm snuggled on the couch watching movies and waiting for my hubby to get home from the States. Im going to attempt eating a piece of toast and pray Im back to normal in the next couple days.

A Beauty?

This afternoon, I stopped at the coffee shop by my place. Figured a coffee and some Pinterest would be the perfect quiet afternoon. I didn't expect a free coffee :)

A guy with an accent was behind me in line and told me I was a beauty. Uh what? me? I was definitely taken back. It went like this:

dude with the accent: "Miss, I must say you are a beauty"

me: awkward "umm, thanks"

accent: "let me get your coffee" and he handed the money to the cashier.

me: turned to him "thank you" then i took my coffee

accent: "a beauty and obviously well taken care of" as he glanced at my rings and then he took his coffee and said "enjoy your day"

me: "you too"

Was I actually being hit on? When was the last time that happened? My husband "hitting" or complimenting me doesnt count as being hit on. Perhaps he was just a nice strange man, but telling me I was a beauty. I most certainly do not consider myself a beauty. Pretty at times sure but not a beauty, or a beautiful woman.

Now my rings are another thing, they truly are a beautiful sight. My hubby did an amazing job and what these rings represent, well they just make them even more beautiful.

The man with the accent, this stranger was correct. I am very well taken care of by my husband in many ways, each and everyday.

Start the morning off right....Yummmy!

Slept in this morning...ahh it was nice. When I woke up my husband was making a less than healthy breakfast and I said No i didnt want any. Instead I tried a new recipe, here is how it turned out:

"Oatmeal" without the oats?! Yes thats right and it was goood! Topped with fresh strawberries and Liberte yogurt, delish. Check out the recipe below.

Now im heading out for a morning walk to the local coffee shop and coming back home to enjoy my coffee with some Pinterest ;)

“Oatmeal” Minus the Oats
Ingredients:
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 banana, mashed
3/4 cup liquid egg whites (or 3 egg whites) *I used 2 egg whites*
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (add more if desired)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
Whisk together egg whites and almond milk and then stir in walnuts, ground flax, banana, vanilla extract, and cinnamon; blend well.
In a medium saucepan, warm the mixture on the stove, stirring frequently, until the “oatmeal” reaches the desired consistency; this should only take a few minutes.
Top with berries, nut butter, seeds, or whatever else your little heart desires

Waking Up is Hard to Do

How do you go from this?......

to this:

Determination!
I find it difficult to get out of my nice comfy, warm bed with our oversized duvet and start my day early. But I am determine to do just that. I wanna jump up outta bed and not think about it before I change my mind to stay nice and cozy.

If I work in the morning or not, I will be starting my days earlier. My husband starts his at 4:20am and sometimes even an hour earlier -gawd.
I used to enjoy the mornings and be a morning person and I will get back to that. I feel so much more productive when I start my day early.
Tomorrow morning I will be starting this trend.

Do you have trouble getting out of bed some mornings?

Girl talk

A friend recently wrote a post about Sex and the City, who doesn't love that show?

I know, i love the glamour of living in New York, the fashion complete with fab shoes, dating adventures, and time with girl friends.

I have watched the show for years and always tune in when its on tv. I love how all the girls are so different and the best of friends.

I am fortunate enough to have many girl friends including all my closest girlies in the sorority.

We don't seem to be as glamorous but still have lots of fun and are about triple in size(at least).

My close friends that live near me and that I went to High School with, still get together but not as often as the gals in Sex and the City seem too. But the other night s., b. and I all went out for dinner and im sure it was like watching Carrie and the girls with our conversation about our men, sex but with a lot of talk of children and babies. (b. has 3 beautiful kiddies under 7 yrs. old and s. has a toddler and one on the way!)

Think Sex and the City with more kids and as in the movie when Samantha is in LA, well sadly we were missing one of our girls because she lives the big city life in Toronto.

The 4 of us have many fond memories from years ago and all the many boys we dated, parties we attended and girl talks we had. Its always a great time when we get together.

Cherish your girl friends and make time for them.

Goals

New Years resolutions or goals....Have you made them? Plan to? I have but not because its the New Year, which most commonly happens as people say this year I will, this year I plan etc.

I believe it is important to make goals all year round and as you accomplish goals to move forward to others. So whether you made some for 2012 or just to set goals, Go for it!

I have just started collecting things for my goals board (also known as visions board), its a great visual to help you keep in mind those goals you set and reasons why you set those goals to keep you motivated :)

My goals mostly center around health and fitness because this is the biggest area that needs to improve and I have goals for.

So for my goals:

Health & Fitness:

- Eat clean, wholesome foods including more veggies and fruits

- do something active everyday

- work out 3-4 times per week

- start running/learn to run

- lose weight

-do yoga 2-3 times per week

Professional:

- get my name out there at more schools

- continue my education with French courses

- create a resource lesson plan binder

Life:

- read 1(mininum) book per month

- plan a date night every 2 weeks with my hubby

- spend more time at the dog park with our baby girl Dakota

$

- save for our vacation this summer

- pay down debt significantly ($5,000 by the summer)

What are your goals?

Visit

I just had a great week with my bestie v. and her adorable baby girl! They came to visit last Wed. and left yesterday :( It was soo nice to have them stay with the hubby and I because v. is one of our very best friends and we never got to spend much time with baby Chloe and she is already over 3 months old. Leaving away from your friends sucks.

When they arrived with piles of stuff and bags of things (mostly the baby's -theres a lot of stuff that comes with such a tiny person) I was so excited! I couldnt wait to get my hands on that sweetheart of a little girl and snuggle her and smother her with kisses. I couldn't wait until I chatted with my best friend and got caught up on life.

While they visited, we went shopping a couple times, hung out with some other mom friends and their little ones, made suppers, had my parents, grandma and others(from away) come visit v. and the baby, played Monopoly(sadly only once), watch tv, v. helped me discover Pinterest(danger!), washed bottles, made formula, had bath times, nap times and all of the joys of having a baby and just hung out and talked. Thats what I liked the most just hanging out, being with each other. Its nice having friends that you can just hang out with and even do your own thing and not have to talk but just be with each other. I will miss her and the baby girl very much. Can't wait for them to come back and visit and for us to go to the island :)

Cherish Every Moment

Last week was an extremely hard week. I received news that one of my sorority sisters died in a car accident. I heard the tragic news but I didn't believe it, there was nothing on the news(yet) or on facebook. I was in shock, how could this possibly happen to someone so young.

Then I read her obituary the next day. It was so difficult to see my friend and sorority sister's name saying that she had passed.

It is tragic.

I made my plans immediately to head up to her home town for the funeral, where another very close friend of mine was and having a difficult time dealing with the news, as they were best friends.

this amazing young women(a year younger than me) had such a wonderful personality and a zest for life that many should try to acheive. She was intelligent, genuine, funny and a true friend. We spent a lot of time togetehr when we were in the same city and attended the same university. She is my sister. She will be greatly missed by all of those whose hearts she touched in her short life.

{some of my IBX sisters}

Cherish all that life gives you, never take anything for granted and live life with a purpose.

Tis' the Season

The wonder of Christmas can be seen in the eyes of children.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper! I really love choosing fun colourful paper for kids and nice christmas-ey paper for others

2. Real tree or Artificial? REAL! We always had a real tree growing up and my husband and I have gone to a tree farm and tagged our tree and then return closer to Christmas to cut it down (just got yours today!)

3. When do you put up the tree? its up now, usually 3 weeks before Christmas

4. When do you take the tree down? After New Years Day

5. Do you like eggnog? Love it, but can't drink it :( I have to make it myself with Soy milk

6. Favorite gift received as a child? a stuffed bunny with a little frilly dress that my mom made me and each of my sisters

7. Do you have a nativity scene? No but would love to get one, Christmas gift maybe?

8. Hardest person to buy for? My in-laws

9. Easiest person to buy for? My sister Mandy

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, shh I'm only finishing them tonight

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? a jacket/sweater thing that it not really me, worn it twice

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Santa Claus and the cartoon Grinch

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? early for some people if i see a gift i like, usually October

14. Ever recycled a Christmas present? probrably

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? all the baked goods only around Christmas -gingerbread men, shortbreads, PB balls, cherry winks

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? depends on the decorations, we have multi-coloured

17. Favorite Christmas song? hehe, all of them! I love Christmas music.

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay home and only travel in our town

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? most of the time I can, Prancer, Dasher, Dancer, Donner, Blitzen, Comet, Cupid, Vixen and Rudolph

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? angel at my parents but Im thinking a start this year for us

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? we open 1 on Christmas Eve (usually our jammies) and the rest early Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? people who are Grinches

23. Favorite ornament, theme, or color? traditional Christmas reds and greens.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? New shoes, clothes and a balance ball

Questions from Simply Sunshine and Daisies

My Baby C.

* I refer to all of my friends babies as "my" babies but I dont have any of my own yet just friends who have wonderful bundles of joy and love.

Baby C. - Chloe is my best friend v.'s baby girl

v. is over at The Best Days of your Life

I love this baby girl so much, from the first time I held her in my arms.

I wasnt there when she was born :( even though I called and tried to get around the hospital rules. This is something I will always regret.

When I first met her, my heart filled with love.

She is a sweet tiny baby girl (she will prob be small like her momma) and I am trilled to watch her grow. I wish we lived closer and that I could see her and v. more but I plan to be there for every big event in her life.

Sometime in the New Year they will be coming to visit me and my family (who love v. like she is our family) and I can not wait to show off my little niece to everyone.

I may not always have money to shower Chloe with gifts but I can ALWAYS shower her with love and that is more important.

I want to be as good an auntie as I possibly can!