High Five For Friday- 31.03.17

Happy, happy Friday!  This week blew past me, but in a most delightful way.  Here are the highlights:

1.)  We hit the road to see family this past weekend.  It was a quick weekend with a lot of driving, but we always have so much fun at my in-laws house.  Miss. E did beautifully on the drive (6 hours!) and she had a blast playing with her grandparents and uncles.  Miss. E had her first haircut last weekend and she did really well.  She was so excited show everyone her "fancy haircut".

2.)  Last weekend my in-laws kept Miss. E for a few hours while Hubby and I went on a lunch date.  It was a little tricky navigating the menu because I am on Whole30, but I had a delicious steak with veggies.  It was so so good.  We enjoyed having time to ourselves to chat!

3.)  Work was pretty good this week and I left on time (or nearly on time) every single day.  That is quite impressive for my job!

4.)  Miss. E had a fun play date at the park and I got to enjoy time with a friend this week.  The weather has been gorgeous and we are ready to welcome Spring.

5.)  I had a wonderful visit with a girlfriend last night.  We talked and talked for hours.  I see this friend rarely, as she lives quite far away.  I love that she and I can pick up wherever we left off.  It was a great evening.

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

Spring Wardrobe- 2017

I love Spring.  Everything comes to life and the weather turns warmer.  I love the sunshine and hearing the birds chirp.  Naturally, when Spring arrives I am completely fed up with Winter.  I am ready to chuck all of my heavy winter clothes into storage, which is something that a Canadian on the prairies can never completely get away with.  

This year has been a bit strange.  I haven't perused the malls or looked online to see what is in style.  I haven't made a shopping list and I haven't daydreamed about the new Spring clothes that I want to add to my wardrobe.  I embarked on a No-Spend Year at the beginning of 2017, so there will be no shopping this season.

I have a basket that I keep my off-season clothes in.  I keep this basket in my closet so that warmer clothes are close at hand.  (We have had snow in May.  Ugh.)  I packed away all of my winter sweaters, blanket scarves and my leather leggings.  I also pulled out my lighter scarves, tops, pink jeans and a floral dress for Easter.  I am excited to wear dresses, skirts and cropped pants.

I am eager to learn how to work within my wardrobe.  I am looking forward to learning how to be content with what I have.  I am discovering how to take proper care of myself so that shopping isn't an emotional crutch.  This is an important skill to have.

I am actually surprised that I don't feel the compulsion to shop.  I am shocked that I am not lamenting my inability to add a few new items to my closet.  It feels good to be content.  

Here are a few items that I am looking forward to wearing again this season.  I have taken these photos out of my previous Capsules, so you may recognize them.

Happy Spring!

Let's Chat

This past weekend was a whirlwind.  I am so excited because we got so much done!  We have finished our bathroom renovation to about 90 % and I finished painted the kitchen and dining room!  The house is looking much fresher, cleaner and it feels like it is ours.  The house we bought hadn't been painted in at least 5 years (probably longer) and it really needed to be done.  My kitchen and dining room were originally red, but we changed the colour to a light grey.  I love it.  The grey has blue undertones, so it feels very coastal (in the middle of the prairies, ha!).  I like my house to be light and bright so the colour change has really made me happy.

We also decided to tackle potty training this past weekend.  Oh boy.  It went a LOT better this time, but it was still quite a process.  While she is not 100 %, but Miss. E is doing really well.  Hopefully our momentum will continue into this week!

I started to pull out my Spring clothes, as the weather had really warmed up.  The next day it decided to get cool again.  Ugh.  Oh well.  I love seeing brighter colours and lighter fabrics when I open my closet.

Thanks for reading this super random post.  I really meant to get some blogging done this weekend, but the renos took longer than we thought they would.  I should be able to get some blogging done this week so you aren't having to read any more ramblings!  😉  Have a fabulous week, friends!

High Five For Friday- 17.03.17

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I am a wee bit Irish, so I really love St. Patrick's Day!  We really have nothing planned for, as we will be at home working on some renovations.  Miss. E and I are feeling better after being sick last week so this weekend should be more fun and productive!  Here are 5 highlights from the last week:

1.)  Guacamole.  I have a serious obsession.  My father-in-law makes great guac and shared his recipe with me.  It is quick, easy and sooooo delicious.  I have been making it a lot lately.

2.)  Whole 30 has been going well.  I already feel like I have more energy and my brain seems less foggy.  I am only day 5, so I am excited to see how things progress!

3.)  I painted my toenails on Sunday night.  It is strange how happy this makes me.  I am not allowed to wear nail polish on my hands for work, so I usually just do my toes.  Hubby and I then watched another episode of "The Crown".  I am seriously obsessed with this show.  It is so good!  We are almost done Season 1 and I can't wait for Season 2.

4.)  Friday nights are for soaking in the tub, reading books and drinking tea.  I am looking forward to tonight!  (Peppermint tea is so much better than green beer!  Ha ha!)

5.)  Miss. E and I had a successful shopping day in the city yesterday.  It is so nice to be able to purchase everything on your list.  I had to grab a few 'specialty' items in the city for my Whole 30 experience.  I am always floored by the huge selection that is in the produce section.  It is so nice!

How was your week?  Link up with the lovely ladies below and join in High Five For Friday!

Self Care- Trying Whole 30

I have been putting a lot of research into nutrition lately. I have been tired, feeling sluggish and foggy.  In general, I have not felt well in a long time.  I have peaks and valleys but the last 6 months have possessed a lot of valleys.  Along with the general blah feeling, I have been dealing with some other health issues. Our family has also been sick so much this year.  I know that it is part of having a child in daycare (daycare can a bit of a petri dish), but it would be excellent if we could prevent some of these viruses from infecting us.  I would love to have more energy and less headaches.  Good nutrition is a part of self care and I wanted to focus on eating well this month.

After a lot of reading, I have decided to give the Whole 30 a try.  I did a similar plan when I was trying to get pregnant.  After I became pregnant, I let my nutrition slide a bit.  I would say that I generally eat well but I don't restrict much of anything.  I feel like my consumption of simple carbohydrates, cheese and sugar are likely contributing to my low energy and headaches.

I read the book "Whole 30" by Melissa and Dallas Hartwig.  I am ready to give myself 30 days to "reset" my nutrition and hopefully gain some energy.  My Hubby and daughter are not going to participate fully.  They will be eating Whole 30 supper meals.  I am the main cook in the family and I will be making meals that I (and the whole family) can enjoy.

March 13, 2017 was my Day 1.  I made sure to enjoy my favourite restricted foods the day before I started, but I didn't go overboard.  I had some Mac and Cheese and some perogies.  I do tend to love cheese, but sometimes I wonder if it is an energy suck.  I tend to eat HUGE portions of rice and pasta, which isn't a healthy way to consume food.  I am interested to see if my addiction to simple carbs will be helped with this process.

Have you ever done the Whole 30?  What were some of the things you gained?  What were some of the challenges you faced?  Do you have any great recipes that want to share?

New House, New Cleaning Schedule

I am a routine/schedule person.  I like having what needs to be done laid out for me.  I thrive when I know what is required each day.  I am prone to procrastination, but I am also a "rule follower".  This means that I am much more apt to complete a task if it is set out in a specific timeline.  I am more likely to clean the bathroom on Wednesday if that is the routine I have chosen.  If there was no routine, I would push off cleaning the bathroom until the weekend along with every single other chore that I need to complete.

I have moved from "zone cleaning" to a more task-oriented schedule.  You can find my old schedule here.  My new schedule translates better to our smaller home.  I am hopeful that the new schedule will help me continue to do housework daily, preventing the need for a super long cleaning session every week.

DAILY TASKS

A.M.  

-make beds       

-put a load of laundry in the washing machine

P.M.   

-dry and fold laundry from the morning

-do dishes and clear off kitchen counters

-vacuum mat at the door

WEEKLY TASKS:

MONDAY: 

-disinfect kitchen counters

-scour sinks

-wipe down fridge, stove and cupboards

TUESDAY: 

-dust house

-water plants and wipe down plant leaves with a damp cloth

WEDNESDAY:  

-clean bathroom 

-change out towels

THURSDAY:  

-vacuum floors

-wash floors

WEEKEND:  

-change sheets on beds

MONTHLY TASKS:

-descale coffee maker

-wipe down couch

-clean microwave

-dust blinds and light fixtures

-clean large appliances

QUARTERLY TASKS:

-dust baseboards

-wash shower curtain liner

-wash all bedding

-vacuum mattresses

-clean oven

-clean out fridge and freezer

YEARLY TASKS:

-get a furnace tune up before winter

-wash windows

-wash curtains

I used Pinterest to help guide my schedule.  I found a lot of useful information that I adapted for my own home.  Do you use a cleaning schedule?  What works or doesn't work for you?

High Five For Friday- 02.03.17

Hello everybody!  Are you pumped that it's Friday?  I am!  I am looking forward to a few days off (including today).  Here are 5 highlights from my past 2 weeks:

1.)  We moved!  I am happy to report that we are in our new place and are somewhat settled.  Miss. E is loving the new house and so am I.  It feels like home and I am excited to make it feel more like home in the coming months.

Miss. E helping put the table back together.

2.)  Our tub renovation is almost complete.  Our plumber has to come back on Monday to finish a few things, but I am so happy with our new tub.  It looks great!

3.)  I made some super yummy guacamole this week.  Hubby enjoyed it, as well.  He isn't normally a huge guacamole fan, but he enjoyed this batch.  I think it was because I went easy on the cilantro.

4.)  Miss. E has come home from school this week very excited about her 2 best friends.  It is so nice that she has found kids that she really enjoys having fun with.

5.)  We watched the first season of Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events.  It is dark(ish) humour, but we really enjoyed it!

What has been making your week great?  Link up with the lovely ladies below and tell us all about it!

Have a fabulous weekend!

February- Goals and The No Spend Year

February was crazy!  We packed up our lives (again!) and moved to a new house.  We own this house, so we are pumped to not have to move again any time soon (thank goodness!).  I was happy with the way I kept to some of my goals this month.  Other goals received little to no attention, but I think that is normal during busy times in our life.  Here is a recap of how my 2017 goals went this month.

Goal #1-Complete a no-spend year.

I have had another successful month.  We got possession of our new house and aside from the few things were are renovating, I have not purchased anything for the house.  

We are currently renovating the upstairs bathroom.  The tub had no enamel left so it was rough and porous.  The vanity top had been 'painted' by a previous owner, but it wasn't done properly.  This resulted in a rough, weird texture which isn't really wipe-able (yuck!).  We will complete the bathroom renovation with a new fixture and medicine cabinet.  These aren't necessary (like the tub and vanity top) but we want to get all of the bathroom renovation done at one time.  We are also painting the upstairs walls.  The walls were red (yikes!) and grey.  The paint is in rough shape so it needed to be done.  We are not counting these against my no-spend year.

Can we talk about triggers for a second?  I really despise the window treatments in this house.  Ugh.  The blinds are ugly and not functioning properly.  The curtains aren't what I would have chosen.  I do have 3 sets of curtains from the rental and I plan to use 2 of them in this house.  I am, however, resisting the urge to buy anything new.  No new blinds and no new curtains.  This is a challenge for me, but it boils down to the fact that window treatments are decor and I can make what I have work.  I also want to purchase another mat for the front door, even though what I have will work. The kitchen in our new (to us) house is also strange and set up poorly.  I would love to purchase some shelves for the kitchen and some organizers for the pantry, but I feel that those items would fall within the "want" category and would therefore violate the no-spend year.  I will wait on those items.  If I feel that I still want those purchases next year, I will make the purchase at that time.

Goal #2- Establish a self-care routine.

I was able to continue with most of routines that were already in place, despite the packing, moving, painting and renovating. (Win!)  I haven't made any headway on any of the other goals, so I plan to put some focus on those goals in March.

Goal #3- Say yes to family time.

We have done well with this goal.  We have had to say no to certain things to make sure that we have kept in line with our family time goals.  Hubby and I joined the Daycare board (our town's Daycare is run by volunteers).  We decided that we wanted to be involved with the decisions being made about our daughter' Daycare so we joined together.  Miss. E will come to meetings with us.

Goal #4- Start school in September.

This goal was neglected again this month.

Goal #5-Learn more about traditional prayers and incorporate them into my prayer life.

This goal was also neglected this month.

Goal #6- Establish a routine for the blog and stick to the blog's vision.

The blog has been quite neglected this month with the move/renovations.  I hope to remedy that in March.

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This month has gone well, considering everything that we had to do  It is inevitable that a few things will hit the back-burner when something time-consuming (like moving!) happens in our life.  I am looking forward to a calmer schedule in March and I plan to work towards my goals a bit more.

How is your year going?  Are you reaching your goals?  If not, don't despair!  We are only 2 months into the year!  We have plenty of 2017 left to reach our goals!