Sorry for being MIA. Here's an update about Exclusively Pumping!

Hey guys, sorry I have been MIA for a little while.. but I has a baby!
I had a sweet little baby girl on March 13 2014. So far it's been a great and crazy journey, but it's been a blessing!
I wanted to share with you today the decision I made to start exclusively pumping. When Sydney was first born she latched great! (or so I thought) but as time went on I think she must have gotten lazy or something because her latch got worse and worse.. which means my nipples suffered!
After 2 days of trying to improve her latch and not getting anywhere I decided that I had to do something else.. After all I still wanted her to have breast milk but, not through my bleeding, cracked and blistered nipples... eww!
So I decided to start exclusively pumping. What a great decision! The only problem was I didn't have a good reliable pump.. but then I found this site. What a life saver! It's called The One Stop-Breast Pump Shop and it really did save my breastfeeding dreams. They have great reviews of every breast pump and I was able to get mine shipped overnight. They have searched the web and have found the best deals on all pumps and even breast pump accessories.. how awesome is that!
If you are like me and are in need of a breast pump seemingly overnight I would check out this site.. like I said it saved my breast feeding dreams!

Here's Sydney all snug a few days after bringing her home. What a cutie!

DIY Monday: Rustic Coffee Table Plans Included!

Hello all, 

Today I wanted to share one of the projects I FINALLY finished over the weekend. Using a slightly modified version of the plans found on the site, More Like Home I built this coffee table... Yes that's right. I BUILT it. From scratch. All by myself. I'm super proud of myself, since this is the first thing I've ever built on my own. Oh, did I mention that I'm also 9 months pregnant as of this Wednesday? Oh yeah, well that too. Just one more reason why I'm very proud of myself as I'm writing this post. 

For those of you who have thought about trying one of these plans or Ana White's plans but have always been skeptical about how easy or time consuming it is to complete one, here's some advice. Just do it! It was so easy as long as you follow the instructions!! I can't say that enough! Read ALL of the instructions before you start and refer to them constantly while building the project. This is something that you could make yourself on a long weekend and it will add a great rustic charm to your living room!

Below are some pictures that I took along the way:

This is a picture of the frame. The frame itself took me about 1 day to complete. I messed up a few times actually because I didn't follow my own advice and read the instructions all of the way through..

If I were smart enough to follow my own advice I could have easily gotten to this stage in one day. It's basically done. The drawers took about an hour to put together and were soo simple it's not even funny. I'm currently trying to think of other ways to incorporate this drawers into my current furniture or other areas of my house because they were just so easy and cheap to build (When I say cheap, I mean about $2.00 a drawer INCLUDING hardware).

And here is the finished project! 

After sanding down the entire table to a nice smooth finish, I used Jacobean Stain which you can buy here. Jacobean is my absolute favorite stain to use. I love how it's a darker stain, but not so dark that you don't get to see the characteristics of the wood. 

I found an awesome deal on knobs for the drawers. Only .99 cents each! You can get them here.

I also always use polyacrylic to finish of my projects. I used to use polyurethane until I found out that over time it can turn and off yellow colour.. not the look I want to go for after a few years of use. After I let the stain completely dry (only about 4 hours) I applied 3 coats of polyacrylic to the entire table. Again, here's a link to Minwax Polyacrylic that I use on ALL of my projects.

Oh right, here is a link to the plans that I used to build this table. Coffee Table Plans

These awesome plans from More Like Home are super easy to follow. They include all of the measurements and cuts you need to make as well as a detailed shopping list and what tools you will need to complete this project. She did a great job putting together the plans, no wonder this is one of the most popular DIY pinterest pins. Congrats More Like Home!

After seeing how easy this coffee table was to build I'm much more confident in my building capabilities. I'm looking forward to sharing more of my successful pinterest DIY's with you. Hopefully this will inspire others to start a wood building project this weekend! Let me know what you think and what you build!

Enjoy!

Pregnancy Outfit & Baby Shower Gift Haul!

I wanted to do one more pregnancy outfit post this week. Here is what I wore to my last Doctors appointment. Just basic maternity jeans, a pink maternity blouse and a green army jacket. Just super simple and most importantly comfortable!

The jeans are from Thyme maternity, the military jacket is from Walmart, and the blouse is also from Thyme.

I also wanted to share what I received as gifts for my baby shower!

My wonderful grandmothers both came through and bought 2 of the big items that I asked for. 

One was the Graco Pack N' Play in the Roundabout pattern/colour scheme. 

The second was a Baby Trend Travel System in Envy.

 I was soo happy to have both. To me the travel system was a must, since I wanted to be able to travel with the baby as easily as possible. This will make trips to the park or grocery store sooo much easier since the car seat just pops from the car right into the stroller. YAY! This way if she's sleeping it won't wake her and I won't have to stand outside in -30  trying to get her from the car into the stroller in the winter.

Below are some other pictures of what I got as gifts. A ton of outfits, some sleepers an infant bathtub shaped like a whale, some hooded bath towels, and some essentials such as Lansinoh nipple cream, Sudocrem, and some Live Clean Baby bath supplies. Live Clean is my favorite brand especially for little ones. The products are all very gentle on sensitive skin and do not include as many harsh chemicals and other body washes and lotions. I can't yet recommend Sudocrem or Lansinoh cream since I haven't actually tried them yet. I'll have to wait and see! 

The whale bathtub I was talking about!

I'm so thankful for having a family that is so supportive of Fraser and I! Next week I'll hopefully be sending out thank you cards to everyone who attended. I've found a cute little poem and layout that I'll be showing you in a post next week. 

I still need a few things that I'll be surfing kijiji and sales for. I'm looking to get a breast pump, a bottle warmer, and a few good nursing bras. But other than that we are ready to bring baby home!

Gluten Free Mediterranean Chicken Recipe

Today I wanted to share my recipe for Mediterranean Chicken. A great plus, it's gluten free! This is one of my favorite healthy recipes to make on a weeknight because its sooo simple and quick to make. Above is a picture of the finished product. I know it kind of looks like slop.. but trust me, it's delicious!!

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 can of Hunts gluten free diced tomatoes

half an onion, sliced

1/4 cup of Sun-Dried and Tomato & Oregano Dressing

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried oregano leaves

1/4 cup of green olives ( I leave these out since I HATE olives with a passion)

2 cups of brown rice

Directions:

1) Begin to cook the chicken and onions in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the chicken is browned on both sides. Begin to cook your rice.

2) Add tomatoes, dressing, garlic and oregano and stir gently until mixed. Cook the mixture for another 5-6 minutes. Add olives. 

3) Spoon rice onto a plate and top with chicken and sauce. Fraser and I both like to add some parmesan cheese on top as well.

And that's it. 3 easy steps and 15 minutes to a great, healthy dinner. 

Enjoy!

34 weeks Pregnancy Outfit

Here's just a quick picture of what I wore recently while going out to grab some groceries. 

It's just a super simple outfit that I like to wear when running errands. It's nice and warm with the vest and the scarf so it's nice when it's too warm for a winter coat but not warm enough to get away with a spring jacket. I always wear my lovely fossil watch that I got for Christmas a few years ago with this outfit. You can buy the exact same watch here.

And also a quick update on my 34 weeks of pregnancy!

As you can see from the picture above, I've gotten HUGE! Some days its like I don't remember I'm pregnant until I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and get surprised lol! I still don't have too many stretch marks. I had quick a few on my boobs but as soon as I started using Palmers Cocoa Butter they vanished! I'm very impressed with the product, I'm even trying to use it on old stretch marks to see if it will magically make those vanish as well. Here's hoping!

My baby shower was also this week! I'm so thankful for everyone that came out to support Fraser and I. We are so excited for her to arrive and it was great to celebrate with family and friends!

I've started to pack my hospital bag this week, so hopefully I'll remember to do a post on that sometime this week. I also have a breastfeeding course this Wednesday evening, so hopefully that goes well.

I'll keep you posted!

Recipe Tuesday: Hashbrown Casserole

Welcome to Recipe Tuesday... being written on a Wednesday.. oops!
Today I wanted to share my recipe for hashbrown casserole. This recipe is a tried and true favorite in my house. You can eat it morning or night, I usually make it every Christmas morning, since it's such an easy crock pot meal and everyone requests it. It's also just a nice meal to make the night before and throw in the crock pot in the morning. It only takes about 15-20 minutes to put together, and you can even make it shorter by 'cheating' and using bacon bits instead of bacon. 

Ingredients: 1 bag of hashbrowns

1 can of mushroom soup

half an onion

250mL of sour cream 

1 pack of bacon

seasoning salt (enough to taste)

Pepper (enough to taste)

shredded cheese

Directions: 

1) Start by cooking the entire pack of bacon until it is crispy. This is the step where you can 'cheat' like I was saying. This step takes the longest and using bacon bits cuts out about 15 minutes prep time. As the bacon is cooking begin cutting your onion. Once the bacon is cooked, rip/cut it into small bit-sized pieces and add it into the crock pot. 

2) Next you are going to want to brown the onions. Once they are browned add them to the crock pot. 

3) Next you'll want to add the hashbrowns, sour cream and the entire can of mushroom soup into the crock pot. Add the seasoning salt and pepper as well.

4) Stir everything until it's well blended. 

5) Cook the casserole on high for 3-4 hours. In my new crock pot I only cook this casserole for about 2.5 hours, but in my moms older crock pot it takes about 4 hours. The cook time will depend on what sort of crock pot you have. Add the shredded cheese on top when it has about half an hour left to cook. It will melt, but it won't stick to the sides of the crock pot.

And that's it! Like I said, it's a super easy recipe that you really just throw into the crock pot and mix together then cook. 

Hope you enjoy it! Trust me, it's SUPER easy!

DIY Monday: Baby Girl Nursery for under $500!

Hello everyone, sorry for the recent in-activity. I came down with a nasty head cold this week, and anyone who has been sick AND pregnant knows that it is no walk in the park. Anyways, today I wanted to show off our baby girl's nursery. I think it turned out soo well and I'm very proud to show it off. Most of the inspiration came from Sarah Richardson. On her show Sarah's House on HGTV she renovated this beautiful nursery as shown below:

I LOVE the look of this nursery, it's so calm and relaxing and gender neutral. I love how she added some height to the ceiling by adding the trim around the top and placing the painted letters on that trim. I knew I wanted to have our nursery to have the same look since it was such a small space. I also wanted to add some colour, but didn't want to overload such a small room with an entire wall in bright pink or purple. Here is my finished nursery:

When we first moved into the house the previous owners had just painted this room white. Add in the white floors and it was just like an insane asylum. As you can see above, I choose a basic beige for the lower, main portion of the walls. Then I choose a pink for the 'accent' colour on top, a la Sarah Richardson's nursery. I actually didn't put up any trim like she did. I had planned on doing so, so I tapped off the intended area prior to painting. When I was ready to add the trim I pulled the tape off and realized that the white strip that was left behind actually looked fine just on it's own. I also figured that if I didn't have to spend money on trim then why should I?

Next, came a trip to Ikea, YAY! I managed to purchase ALL of the furniture for this room for under $400 dollars. That's not too shabby if you ask me! A total cost break down of the room goes like this:

Crib and matress: $100.00 on kijiji (originally from Ikea)

Bookshelf: $75.00 at Ikea

Changing Table: On Sale at Ikea for $40.00!

The other $175.00 dollars was spent on items like the teal and white curtains, the pink accent rugs on the floor, the picture frames, bedding etc.

Including painting supplies I managed to re-do this nursery for under $500! I think that is a GREAT deal. However, I don't think I would have been able to do it if I didn't use resources such as kijiji or craigslist. Make use of these great resources! One persons junk is another persons treasure!

Thanks for reading, and hopefully I've given some of you some ideas for your own nursery(s).

DIY Monday: Painted counter tops for under $50 dollars!

Hello everyone, today I wanted to share with you a DIY project that I took on in our house. All for under $50!! When I first told my mom that I wanted to paint my counter tops in my bathroom to look similar to granite, she looked at me like I had 3 heads. I know that it sounds crazy, but I think the counter tops turned out beautifully! Here is a picture of the finished project: 

I think it turned out really well! After completing the project I ended up going on a counter top painting DIY spree! I did the counter tops in our master bathroom (which look exactly the same as the pictures shown above) and I also did the kitchen counter tops. You'll notice that they look a little different, and that would be because I actually used 2 different application techniques to find out which one I liked best. The bathroom (pictured above) was painted with a scrunched up grocery bag. The kitchen counter tops were painted with a sea sponge that I managed to find at Michael's Craft Store. Here is a look at the painted kitchen counter tops:

I have to say I think I like the plastic grocery bag application method much better! The sponge almost absorbed the paint too much, and didn't give it a 'granite-y' look like I was going for.

Here's just a quick description of how I managed to paint these counter tops. However unfortunately I lost all of my pictures from this project!! Hopefully my description will be enough.. :

Supplies:

1 can of Oil based primer (base counter top colour) = $20.00 @ Home Depot

Small paint roller (like the one you would use for painting trim) = $ 7.00 @ Home Depot

1 bag of foam paint brushes = $1.00 @ the dollar store

Plastic grocery bag = free!

OR

Sea Sponge = $5.00 @ Michael's Craft Store

Assorted Acrylic paints ( I used 3 different colours) = $1.00 @ the dollar store

1 Can of Clear Satin Polyacrylic = $17.00

Steps:

Step 1: Clear everything off of the counter top that you've chosen to paint. If you have caulking around your sink area, peel it off. I used a razor that I had around the house to peel the caulking off nicely. Plus it was so old that you could just pull most of it off with your fingers. Wash the counter with a TSP mixture just as if it were a wall that you were going to paint. Rinse the TSP mixture off with warm water and a clean cloth. Wipe dry. Apply painters tape around the walls and cabinets if you think it is necessary. 

Step 2: Begin applying the oil based primer that you have chosen to be your base colour. Make sure that it is OIL BASED!!! That's very important. If you go with a water based primer it won't adhere to the counter top as nicely and it won't put up with wear and tear as nicely either. Use your trim roller to apply the primer. Use the foam paint brushes to get right into the corners of the counter. You will most likely have to use 2 coats.

Step 3: Let your 2 coats of primer dry. After the primer has dried you can begin applying the acrylic paints that you have chosen. Start by just doing one colour at a time with whatever application method you have chosen (plastic grocery bag or sea sponge). Try to just apply the colour randomly. At first it will look a little funny, and if you're anything like me, you might start to panic at this point and think that you're mom was right and now you've ruined your counter tops... Just push through these thoughts... It will turn out ok! Let the colour dry before applying the next one.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 as needed. It will depend on how many colours that you have chosen to paint. Be sure to use a new grocery bag for each colour or, rinse and dry the sponge with each colour. Again, try your best to just apply the acrylic colours randomly. After you finish applying all of your colours let it dry overnight. 

Step 5: Once your counters have completely dried you'll now begin to apply your polyacrylic top coat.  I always chose polyacrylic over polyurethane because it won't yellow as it ages like polyurethane does.  I also find that polyacrylic can handle more wear and tear than polyurethane, which is something that you definitely want to keep in mind if you have kids. Make sure you have chosen a clear satin polyacrylic or else it might leave funny streaks. Use your foam brushes for this. I find that the foam brushes just applied the polyacrylic evenly so there weren't any areas that had more polyacrylic than others. I also try to always make my first coat of polyacrylic quite thick. Keep in mind that the polyacrylic WILL dry clear, so don't be alarmed if it looks a little milky when you first apply it. Once you have applied your first coat, let it dry completely before applying your second. If you can, leave it to dry overnight. I applied 4 or 5 coats of polyacrylic and I still haven't found a single chip in any of my painted counter tops!

Step 6: After you've applied your last coat of polyacrylic you can now apply some new caulking around the edges of your counter top and sink area. I had Fraser do this for me because I hate caulking things with a passion!! After you've applied your caulking, that's it! You've finished painting your counter tops!

Let me know what you think about these counter tops or if you have done the same thing in your house. Enjoy and Happy DIY-ing!

Fashion Friday: First Fashion Post!

Hi all, so this will be my first official fashion post! Woot! I don't claim to know anything about fashion, but I'm more just looking to give ideas and examples to anyone else who maybe interested. 

Right now I'm finding it very difficult to get dressed in the mornings. Being 32 weeks pregnant I find it very hard to pick out outfits that are both comfy, stylish and figure flattering. Any other pregnant ladies having issues with this? I'd love to hear/see examples of outfits you've tried and loved or are inspired by. 

Here's what I was wearing this fashion friday (remember, I've never claimed to be a professional photographer.. I hope these pictures look ok!):

Sweater: $25.99 from Urban Planet

Shirt: A great thrift store find! I'm constantly stopping and thrift stores to update my wardrobe especially now that I'm expecting. You never know what you'll find!

Leggings: $7.99 at Walmart. Again, such a great deal! They keep me so warm during these Canadian winters. I'm not sure how much I like them now that I've started to gain a little bit of baby weight in my thighs...

Lately I've been trying to deal with my hair au natural. It's a lot harder than it looks.. It just does whatever the heck it wants really.. It's always been bone straight ever since I was younger and it just sort of kinks in odd places. This is how it looks about an hour after I stepped out of the shower:

I've been trying to keep it as low maintenance as possible since I figure I won't have as much time to do anything with it as soon as our daughter is born. I guess I'm just assuming that if I have time to 'practice' with it right now, it will just make it easier when she arrives. We'll see!

 I'd love to hear what inspires you to put together outfits! Or if you've found any pregnancy 'must-haves' that you just can't live without. Thanks for reading!

Welcome to My Blog!

Welcome to my blog!

A little about me... my name is Courtney, a 20 year old Administrative Assistant currently living in Morinville Alberta Canada. I was born and raised in Edmonton Alberta, living in a few small towns around the city. I went to school in Stony Plain, lived in the city for over a year, then took the plunge and bought land out in Morinville with my amazing fiance, Fraser (pictured above)! We moved out here with our many animals; 2 horses, 2 dogs, and a cat.

I'm currently 32 weeks pregnant! Our little girl is coming in March and we are very excited for her arrival! My hubby is an aspiring wood worker, and I must say he's VERY good at it! He's even inspired me to start making my own wood projects from time to time. We currently live on a small acreage just outside Morinville. Purchasing this property was one of the greatest things that I've ever done. Fraser and I fit perfectly into this property with all of our animals. Granted, it comes with a lot of work (what acreage doesn't) but we love it all the same and wouldn't change anything!

What I'm hoping to do with this blog is to share my life with all of my readers. I hope to share things from pregnancy tips, what it's like living on an acreage, DIY renovation ideas, wood working projects, fitness/eating tips, recipes, style ideas as well as tips that I'm going to learn along the way! 

Enjoy!