High Five For Friday- 30.10.15

I am ready for my weekend!  Woo hoo!  Here are five highlights from the past week:

1.)  After some tough decision making, I had a discussion with my boss.  I have had some issues with my returning to work and the schedule that I would have.  I prayed about it and came to a decision on my part.  The discussion with my boss was very constructive and I hope to hear the outcome this afternoon.  I am thankful that my boss was willing to listen and work with me on my scheduling.  

2.)  It is Halloween tomorrow!  I am looking forward to it!  Here is a flashback photo from last Halloween.  Melts my heart!

3.)  I don't carve pumpkins.  My Hubby is the pumpkin carver in the family, but he is away for work this week.  I took the easy way out and painted a face on my pumpkin (which Miss. E insists on calling an "apple").

4.)  Yesterday was National Cat Day.  In honor of this holiday, here is a picture of my fur-baby.  Pepper is now 9 years old.  She is a SPCA rescue.  She was 3 years old when I got her.

5.)  My Mom really helped me keep my head above water this week.  I needed help with child-care this week (much more than I anticipated due to heavy workload at the health centre).  She came over on Wednesday and Thursday for some last minute babysitting duty.  I so appreciate her helping us out.  I am very lucky to have such a caring Mom.

How was your week?  Link up with the ladies below and tell us all about it!  Have a great weekend and a Happy Halloween!

Wardrobe Wednesday- 28.10.15

My awesome Hubby/photographer is away for work this week.  That means that my photos are lovely mirror photos.  Sorry about that!  Here are this week's outfits:

#1)  Cape + Light Chambray Shirt + Black Leggings + Brown Boots

This outfit is practical and warm.  These are important attributes in my wardrobe.  It also feels stylish, which is always nice!

#2)  Leopard Top + Military Style Vest + Black Leggings + Brown Boots

This outfit screams "Safari!" to me.  Though, you probably wouldn't actually want to wear this on a safari, just saying.  I like the fit and it is great for day to day life with a toddler.

#3)  Graphic Tee + Black Dress Pants + Black Shooties

This outfit is super comfortable, but also manages to look put together.  I am so in love with the t-shirt.  It is a nice length and weight. 

#4)  Black leggings + Black & White Striped Top + Black Poncho + Tom's

Can we just state the obvious?  A poncho is a socially acceptable way to wear a blanket in public.  I love it.  Seriously.  It has been cold up here!  I scraped ice off of my windows this morning.  Yuck.  This poncho is cozy and looks nice too!  Yahoo!

Happy Wednesday!

Minimalism/Organization Project #27 -Miss. E's 2nd Closet

My daughter has 2 closets in her bedroom.  One of the closets has a built in desk/change table in it.  The previous owners used it as a desk and then as a change table for their baby.  We liked the idea and left the closet to be our change area.  I went through the closet this weekend and organized it a bit.  I should have taken more pictures, but I wasn't thinking.  The before and after look similar but I did make a lot of progress.  I threw away a small garbage can of baby lotions.  Miss. E had terrible eczema in her first year of life.  It has since cleared.  It was caused by her allergies and once we removed those foods from her diet, her skin cleared up.  I got rid of any products that we don't use or that didn't work.  We tried a lot of products so there was a lot to sort through!

Before:

After:

The visual difference is not noticeable, but I am happy that I sorted through everything.  We now only have the products that we use.  I also moved a few books that I had set aside in this closet to the bookstand in the other closet.  It looks much better.

Here is a look at the products/garbage that I threw away:

Yay!  Miss. E's room is neat and tidy again!

High Five For Friday- 23.10.15

Happy Friday, everybody!  This week was busy, but I feel like I am always saying that.  Here are my highlights from the past week:

1.)  The Canadian federal election was on Monday.  I am a big advocate for voting.  It is a right denied to many people around the world.  I am thankful to live in Canada and I always vote.  My leader didn't win the election, but I am still glad that I cast my ballot.

 2.)  My daughter has a milk and egg allergy.  We are hoping that she will outgrow her allergies, but in the meantime she has to avoid dairy and eggs.  I have been experimenting with some ideas for baking and I successfully modified my Mom's chocolate chip cookie recipe!  I was so excited.  They were very good.  I ate way too many!  Miss. E enjoyed the little bits of cookie that I fed her.

3.)  My daughter and I accompanied my hubby to the city and he decided to get his haircut.  Miss. E and I waited in the vehicle and played with Mega Bloks.  She is enamored with her blocks and will actually sit and play with them for long periods of time.  They are awesome!

4.)  I was sick over the weekend and the beginning of the week.  I made myself some chicken noodle soup that really seemed to help.  It was also delicious!

5.)  I have been participating in Vlogtober with Whitney from Come Home For Comfort.  It has been a blast and I am really enjoying getting to know everyone through their videos.  Check out the other vloggers involved:  Whitney, Katie, Emily and Nikki.

How was your week?  Link up with the ladies below and join in H54F!

Wardrobe Wednesday- 21.10.15

We had a few warm days in the past week.  We even got to 17 degrees Celcius (62 Fahrenheit).  Mostly it has been cool.  10 degrees Celcius (50 Fahrenheit) or less.  I am happy to snuggle up in my sweaters and coats.

#1)  Striped dress + Black leggings + Military Style Jacket + Tom's Shoes

I love the way this outfit feels.  It would have looked better with heels, but I needed flats for my day.  I was warm thanks to the thick knit of the dress and the warmth of the leggings.

#2)  Black Faux Leather Jacket + Red sweater + Skinny Jeans + Black shooties

I love the way this outfit makes me feel.  Confident, bold and put together.  It is a great outfit and it is warm.  Win win.

#3)  Red Sweater + Oatmeal Cape + Skinny Jeans + Brown Tall Boots

This outfit is warm and chic.  The cape is made of wool so it is very warm, but also itchy.  I always wear a long sleeved sweater underneath.

#4)  Buffalo Plaid + Skinny Jeans + Tall Brown Boots

This outfit is quintessentially fall, isn't it?  Buffalo plaid and boots.  I wore this when we went to take some pictures with the Fall leaves.  

Hope you are having a Happy Wednesday!   

Minimalism Project #26- Miss. E's Clothes

When my daughter was born, our friends and family were more than generous.  We were gifted many adorable outfits for Miss. E.  Combine that with enthusiastic grandparents and we have a lot of clothes that our daughter has now outgrown.  I went through these clothes.  I threw away clothes that were stained.  I donated outfits that we didn't really use much (largely because of the fit).  I organized her dresser drawers, took out the summer outfits and I stored away the clothes that we want to keep for any future children

Here are the before pictures:

Here are the after photos:

All of the "stored" clothing was put into Ziploc Vacuum Bags.  I was given this tip by a friend and these bags are fantastic!  I can now store a year's worth of clothes on one shelf in the basement, where I used to only be able to fit 6 months of clothes.  The bags were awesome and super easy to use.  (I am not being compensated for this opinion.  I just want to share a great product with you.)  I have all of my daughter's clothing in 3 of these Ziploc bags.

Here is the loaded bag before vacuuming:

The bag after vacuuming:

They worked great!  I highly recommend them. 

High Five For Friday! - 16.10.15

Happy Friday everyone!  We had a good and busy week!  Here are my five highlights:

1.)  My brother-in-law, mother-in-law, and father-in-law came to visit.  We had a lovely visit and Miss. E enjoyed seeing her Grandparents and Godfather.

2.)  I got to see my brother and parents for Thanksgiving.  We had so much fun and the food was delicious.

3.)  We took some Fall leaf pictures.  They turned out okay.  Here are two photos that we took of Miss. E:

4.)  I got to see a friend who lives all around the world.  She and her family move from country to country with her husband's company.  It was so good to see her!  We have the type of friendship where we just pick up where we left off.  It was such an uplifting visit.

5.)  Hubby didn't have any work on Thursday, so he did all of the laundry.  It was such a relief to have it all done when I got home from work.  It was a wonderful surprise!

How was your week?  Link up with the lovely ladies below and tell us all about it!  Have a great weekend!

Wardrobe Wednesday- 14.10.15

 We are well into Fall here and so far, I am loving my Capsule Wardrobe.  Here are 4 of my outfits:

#1)  Light Chambray + Black Dress Pants + Plaid Blanket Scarf

I am in love with this (thrifted!) chambray shirt.  It is a great fit, comfortable and I like the look.  I also love this blanket scarf which is warm, but not itchy.  Sometimes that kind of scarf is hard to find!

#2)  Leopard Top + Black Pencil Skirt + Black Shooties

I wore this outfit for my anniversary date.  It feels sexy without being trashy.  The skirt is fitted and the top is fun, but there isn't too much skin showing.  I would probably pair this with black patterned tights when the weather gets a little colder.

#3)  Boot Cut Jeans + Black Long Sleeve Top + Military Style Vest + Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf 

This is a comfortable, everyday outfit.  It looks good and is perfect for chasing my daughter around.  The scarf was a birthday gift and I really like it.  It can be worn, like, 10 different ways, but so far I have just worn it as an infinity scarf.

#4.)  Plaid Infinity Scarf + Green Sweater + Black Leggings + Light Brown Booties

This outfit is sooooo comfortable (hello, leggings!), but still manages to look put together.  I love this sweater.  It is slim fitting with a swingy bottom.  It is perfect with skinny jeans and leggings.  My leggings, by the way, are super thick and not see through in any way.  I like how the boots almost elevate the leggings to look like "real" pants.  

If you want to connect with me you can find me on Twitter.  Tweet your Fall outfits with the hashtag #wardrobewednesday.  I would love to see what you are styling for Fall!  You can find me on Instagram with the username @PeacefulSimpleLifeBlog .  (I can't figure out how to link to my Instagram.  Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!)  Happy Wednesday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Everyone!

Today is Thanksgiving, so I don't have a minimalism post for you this week.  We had a fun weekend with my husband's family and my family.  We have so much to be thankful for.  I am thankful for a God who loves me unconditionally.  I rest all of my hope in Him.  I am thankful for my amazing family.  My husband and my daughter are my world.  I have supportive and loving parents and in-laws.  My brother and brother-in laws are so important to us and are wonderful people.  I am thankful for my friends, both the ones that I connect with in real life and you that I connect with through blogging.  I never imagined that the blogging community would be so supportive, fun and encouraging!  Thank you for reading and connecting with me!

I am thankful to live in a country where we are free to express our religious views without persecution, where we have access to education and health care that so much of the developing world lacks and where we can have our say in the government that runs our country.  I am counting my blessings today.

Here are my latest Vlogtober videos.  I hope that you will check out the other ladies' videos as well.  The links to the channels are in the information under my videos on Youtube.  Enjoy!

High Five For Friday- 9.10.15

Hello Friday!  This is going to be a busy weekend.  It is Thanksgiving in Canada this weekend and we will be celebrating with family.  Here are the five highlights from last week:

1.)  Anniversary Date Night.  Last Friday, Hubby and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. We went to the city for supper and then saw a movie.  We saw The Intern, which was pretty good.  Except for one part.  I can't tell you because that would be a spoiler.  Ha ha.  We enjoyed our date and had a great time.

2.)  Yard Cleanup Complete.  We had been hit with a hard frost the week prior, so my flowers were all wilted and some were dead.  I pulled everything out of the garden and flower beds and we took it to the compost at the dump.  It was a cold day and I swear I had a few snowflakes hit me.  They were melting immediately, but still!  Brrr!  I was all decked out in my toque and winter coat.

3.)  Vlogtober!  I have been participating in Vlogtober, as hosted by Whitney at Come Home For Comfort.  Here is my latest vlog.  Check out the other ladies vlogging this month, as well!  You can find the links to the other ladies' channels on my latest Youtube video's "info" section.

4.)  Date Night #2.  My husband and I attended a supper and comedy night in support of Wounded Warriors.  They are a group who provide support to veterans after they return home from active duty.  The food was delicious, the comedian was funny, and it was all for a great cause.  We had a fun night!

5.)  The Northern Lights  On our way home from date night, the northern lights were amazing!  The sky was lit up with green and pink northern lights dancing around in the sky.  Hubby and I pulled over to watch them.  I don't think I have ever seen northern lights so beautiful.  It was breathtaking.

How was your week?  If you want to join in H54F, link up with the lovely ladies below!  Have a great weekend!  Happy Thanksgiving to my Canadian readers!

Wardrobe Wednesday- Fall Capsule Wardrobe Reveal!

Fall is here.  Definitely here.  The leaves are gorgeous in all the yellows and reds of the season.  The air is downright chilly (3 degrees Celsius or 34 degrees Fahrenheit).  Fall is my favourite season and I was so excited to plan this Capsule.  I really love all of the pieces and I look forward to wearing them in the coming season!  I have a total of 39 items.  I am still looking for a plaid shirt.  If I find one, then I will be at 40, which is sort of my magic number for wardrobe pieces.  I am also looking to replace my jeans over the next few months, so if I find new ones I will just swap them out for the jeans currently in my Capsule Wardrobe.  Here is my Fall Capsule Wardrobe:

Pants:  I have four pairs of pants in my wardrobe this season.  All of my pants are pieces I have used previously in other Capsule Wardrobes.

From Left to Right:  Black leggings (Reitman's), Skinny jeans (Old Navy), Black dress pants (Reitman's), Silver Jeans (Ricki's)

Tops:  I have 24 tops in my wardrobe.  I have room for one more, should I find the plaid top that I am looking for.  My tops are a mix of old pieces and new pieces.

L to R:  Green sweater (Winner's), Plum sweater (Reitman's), Red sweater (Winner's)

L to R:  Grey and black striped top (Reitman's), Leopard top (Suzy Shier), Black and white striped top (Suzy Shier), Grey Gryffindor top (www.lookhuman.com), Black long sleeve shirt (Winner's)

Oatmeal cape (Moose Creek Hat Co.), Cream cardigan (Winner's), Navy and grey cardigan (Winner's)

From L to R: Black sweater poncho (bought from a friend),  Blue boyfriend cardigan (Forever 21), Black cardigan (Me to We Style)

From L to R:  Black tank (Me to We Style), Black Sheer Tank (Joe Fresh), Buffalo check button-up (Joe Fresh), Military style vest (Ricki's), Navy Blazer (Walmart)

Clockwise from top Left:  All You Need Is Less sweatshirt (Joe Fresh),  Dark chambray top (Winner's), Light Chambray (Thrift store find!), and Navy button up top (Winner's)

Dresses and skirts:  I have two dresses and one skirt in my Fall Wardrobe.  Only the striped dress is new.  (Sorry about the camera strap photobomb!)

Striped dress (Joe Fresh),  Black pencil skirt (Ricki's), Black fit and flare dress (Le Chateau-Made In Canada)

Jackets and Coats:  A must have in Canada.  I have one really warm coat and 3 lighter jackets.

Orange toggle coat (Sears), Military style jacket (Aritzia), Black faux leather (Ricki's), Denim jacket (The Bay)

Footwear:  My footwear is all closed-toe and many are boots.  They will get me through the season.  Unless, of course, it snows.  I will then swap out shoes for winter boots.

Light brown boots (Sears),  Leopard flats (Payless), Black flats (Toms),  Tall brown boots (I honestly don't remember where I got these!)  Black shooties (Reitman's)

There you have it!  My Fall Wardrobe!  I am excited to start showing you outfits next week.  Happy Wednesday!