Due Date

I have been agonizing over this date since December 18th, 2010. I wasn't sure how I would feel or how I would make it here...I was sure that I would be a total mess when this day came.

Today was our due date for Lauryn and so far I haven't cried nor do I feel the need to. I am thinking of Lauryn A LOT today and wishing that she was here and that I was able to snuggle our sweet baby girl in my arms, but unfortunately that won't happen and I've come to terms with it.

Instead of focusing on what could have been, I am focusing on what is. I am thankful that everything that happened went as well as it could have, thankful that I was able to have Lauryn in my life (if only in the womb), thankful that Lauryn never had to be in pain or suffer, but most of all, I am thankful for what I have been blessed with.

I have been blessed with...

A healthy, happy, adorable little boy who is the light of my life and a handsome and caring husband

A family who supports me through everything and lifts me up when I need it most

And friends who are the worlds best

As you can imagine, all of the above make for one happy girl.

Don't get me wrong, today is definitely a tough day, but focusing on the positive is the best that I can do and it's helping.

Love you baby girl. xxx

So What Wednesday

I'm linking up with Shannon from Life After I "Dew" today for the first time and here is what I am saying so what to...

- if blogger is acting up and won't let me add in the So What Wednesday button as a link and I totally had to swipe Shannon's button

- if I am jumping on the bandwagon today, at least 7 of the bloggers I follow participated in todays So What Wednesday

- if I have nothing to blog about lately, my mind is blank when it comes to ideas and we have a lot going on right now

- if I have zero motivation to count my points this week and wake up at 5 a.m. to run? I did super well last week and loved it, but not so much this week

- if I couldn't care a less about the election we just had on Monday, Osama being killed or the Royal Wedding, all I care about is Pippa and Harry hooking up

- if that's all I got

10 Things I Love

Annie at Our Little Family tagged me in "10 Things I Love". The rules are:

State who tagged you:

Annie at Our Little Family, she has the sweetest family ever with two adorable children...little Blake and baby Olivia, go and visit if you don't already know her, you won't be sorry I promise.

State 10 things you love:

1. My family (of course!) and friends...I have a great husband (Ryan) and an adorable son (Cole), along with amazing parents (and in-laws), sisters & brothers (in-laws included) and nieces & nephews. I am also so blessed to have so many great friends who are always there, you can read about one of them here.

2. Shopping...what girl doesn't love shopping really?! I love to browse online all the time and even more love clothes shopping.

3. Renovating...this is a new love/hate that we have just recently begun to discover. We love the finished look of the project, however, the cost and overall time consumed...not so much. Bathroom pictures to come as soon as I find the perfect shower curtain (open to suggestions...looking for something to match gray).

4. Flip fops...I LOVE FLIP FLOPS...there is nothing better than when the snow melts away and the sun and warm weather finally come to stay. I broke out the flip flops 2.5 weeks ago and aside from work I don't take them off.

5. Summer...Flip flops, sun, tans, warm weather, swimming, boating, fishing, BBQs, parties, wedding season, I could go on and on.

6. Food...I love to eat (hence being constantly 20lbs heavier than I'd like to be). Favorites are shwarmas, anything Mexican, burgers, chocolate, popcorn, butternut squash fries...k, now I am hungry!

7. Water...You will RARELY find me without a bottle of water on hand.

8. Social media...I'll admit it...I'm a Facebook, Twitter and Blogger junkie...anyone else? ;)

9. Grey's Anatomy...Meredith + Derek - need I say more?

10. Travelling...our last trip was to Turks and Caicos for our honeymoon last June and it was by far the most amazing place I have been yet. I can't wait to go back again and to travel to new and exciting places.

Tag 10 friends and tell them about it.

1. Lena @ Mom2MemphisandRuby

2. Lindsay @ A Small Town Life

3. Ana @ Adventures in the District

4. Amanda @ Baby Bear Blog

5. Stacy @ Blogging with Stacy

6. Nan @ Dancy Days

7. Jennifer @ Small Town Life

8. Danielle @ A Day In The Life

9. Beth @ Just Me And My Life

10. Jill @ Jill's World

And of course anyone else who wants to join in the fun!

P.S. What the heck is with Bloggers spacing issues?!?

What I've Been Up To

Besides being in the middle of a bathroom renovation (Ryan) and my house being completely upside down, I have been attempting to get my craft on. If you know me, you know that I have no artistic abilities, no talents and no patience. I'm pretty much boring. BUT, lately I have seen so many cute little things all over blogs that I had to try my hand at something. So many ladies have made adorable wreaths and I needed something new for my front door. In honor of Spring (even though we had freezing rain this morning!), I have made the wreath below and will be hanging it up very soon (as soon as I add some more to it).

The colors aren't exactly as they are in real life...a little weird looking in this picture

Any suggestions for a little added fun?

This beautiful Mommy-to-be is 35 weeks and is looking absolutely fabulous! Some of the fire department gang got together on Sunday to help celebrate Katie, Jason and little Baby Jackson. I made two little onesies pictured below (excuse the terrible quality of the pictures).

That's my excitement and while it may not be much to most, it really is for me. I rarely do anything creative or crafty and this is the extent of it. I'm going to continue to try my hand at being crafty, here's hoping it gets better and better.

Hopefully the bathroom renovations will be completed tonight and I can get some pictures up for everyone to see...Ryan did a fantastic job!

Do you have any easy, fun craft suggestions?

Comments

Back in February Taylor posted about the things she's learnt about blogging and it definitely helped me out with some questions I had but never wanted to ask or never bothered to learn on my own. One of the things that she mentioned was enabling your e-mail. There are few things more frustrating than seeing this when I want to reply to a comment by e-mail... noreply-comment@blogger.com . Please oh please enable your e-mail... I love getting comments and equally love responding to them, but I can't if you don't have your e-mail enabled. So, please go to your dashboard, click on edit profile, then click on 'show e-mail' and then save! Voila, that easy and then you can continue your conversation by e-mail. Just a thought in case anyone isn't aware of this or how to do it.

I Think It's Time...

for a hair cut!

Look What I Got...

{from Google images}

Christmas came early (for real!)

Sigh...I love it!

WILW

This is my first time participating in What I'm Loving Wednesdays over at Jamie's and here's what I'm loving:

-That next two weeks are short weeks, thank goodness for some well needed time off to spend with family and celebrate Easter.

-That tomorrow morning I will get to spend some extra time with this sweet face before taking him to his very first dentist appointment.

-The warmer temperatures that we have been so blessed to have lately (keep it coming please!)

-My boys (look at how young Cole is here...ahhh!!!)

-My amazing family and friends

-My craftiness...pictures to come once I have all of my little crafts completed.  So exciting! :)

♥ BP ♥

Being from a small town it often seems that our days are filled with darkness.
Today is one of those days.

The small town that I grew up in lost an amazing woman today and while it comes natural to say positive things about people after they have passed, Betty really was that good.  This woman was a substitute teacher who made each and every child feel special.  She tutored children in French after school in her home, watched all of her students play hockey at the local arena and always came out to support the fundraising events in the community

Betty had such a great sense of humor and was always smiling and laughing.  I remember joking with her that if we ever got caught doing anything bad by the cops, we would have them call her.  She would always just laugh and say I'll be there in a flash and truth be told, she likely would have been.

Knowing everyone in a small town has it's ups and downs.  It's amazing the support that the community will give when something happens good or bad.  The compassion that can come from such a small town is outstanding and almost unbelievable.  The down side is that we see sickness and death so often or so it seems.  Every couple of months there is some sort of tragedy or an illness to face and come together as a community to grieve.  I know this may come across as very negative, but it's quite true and I'm sure that so many people from home would agree.  We seem to be unlucky, whether it be an accident, a death, an illness, we see it often.

I am praying for Betty's family and those who have been affected by her death.  May your memories strengthen your faith and heal your hearts.

Happy birthday Betty...♥

Surgery

As mentioned in this post, back in December when we lost Lauryn, our family was going through another hardship.  Today we are away with my Father who is undergoing major surgery.  I'll be back sometime soon with more details, but until then please send prayers and positive vibes our way.

Top 2 Tuesday - Top 2 Songs on Your iPod

Today is Tuesday which means Top 2 Tuesday over at Taylor's and this week is the Top 2 Songs on your Ipod.  This one is so easy, but so hard at the same time as I love every single song on Britney's newest album.  I'm going to shy away from Miss Britney just this once (don't hate...I still love you Brit!) because I just can't get enough of these two songs...they make me want to tear up the rug and remind me of our fabulous girls weekend from two weeks ago.

1.  Rihanna - S&M...this song is seriously addictive and has such a good beat.

2.  JLo ft. Pitbull - On the Floor...amazing!!!

What top two songs are on your iPod/music list?  Head on over to Taylor's and link up.

Play List

Alright ladies, I have a favor to ask of you.  As mentioned previously, I am in the midst of learning to run and while I am still really enjoying it, I need your help.  I have been trying to update my iPod with songs that might help keep me motivated.  That being said, what songs/artists/music helps keep you going when you are working out?

{via}

Girls Weekend

I am beyond excited for this weekend as I am heading away with 8 other friends for a girls weekend to this beautiful place.

There will be tons of fun, loads of laughs, many crazy stories and pictures to share upon our return.

Hope your weekend is fantastic.

Express Spring Swimwear

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Express for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

 If you are anything like me, bathing suit season is front and center on your mind.  Between working out and eating well, I have been trying my best to get in shape so that I can wear a bikini this year and that has had me browsing online to find the perfect suit.

Express has a great selection of women's swimwear and I am crushing on this one:

 

I plan to spend a lot of time in the water with my boys this Summer and a new bikini is just what I need for the beautiful days that are quickly approaching.

Express has a great selection of bikinis, two piece swimwear and they even have swim shorts for men in case you are looking for something stylish for your man.  At Express you can shop bright solids, on-trend graphic prints, the essential reversible style, nautical-inspired striped and sleek metallic styles.  Some designer details include flirty ruffles, sexy self-tie sides, glam beaded embellishments, polished metal hardware and removable padding in tops. 

Don't forget to check out their Spring essentials accessories, including sandals, tote bags, sunglasses and hats for him and for her.

Also, if you sign up for Express e-mail you will have a chance to win one of ten $200 Express Gift Cards.  Hurry though, the sweepstakes ends 4.21.10 at 11:59pm, EST (check out the sweepstakes rules for more information).

Talented

I grew up in a really small town.
A really small town.
A town of 2000 people.
My high school graduating class consisted of 60 students (give or take a few?).

One of those students was Julie Corrigan.

In fact, Julie and I went to school together from the age of 4 until we graduated from high school.  I remember going to Julie's and playing Barbies together and listening to Natalie Cole's LOVE

and Julie would sing along like she did to most songs.

Moving on to high school...if you knew Julie chances were that you heard her sing.  She liked to hum and sing almost all the time and it was by no means a bad thing.  Her voice has always been amazing and her personality matches it perfectly, she is and always was one of the kindest people.

To this day Julie still sings.  In fact she has several songs available on iTunes and even had one of her own songs played on our local radio station Hot 89.9. 

Julie also had a YouTube page and all of her songs and covers are there for you to check out.  Some of my favorites...

Been Through The Fall



Born This Way

Just The Way You Are

Take A Bow

Julie is such an amazingly talented person and I am so proud of her for following her dreams.  Get going and check her out, you'll see just how lovely she is.

Top Two Tuesday - Two Random Facts About You

It's been a while since I've linked up with Taylor's Top 2 Tuesday and today's topic is two random facts about you.

1.  I can not stomach the feel of loose cotton.

Cotton balls make me almost vomit and I am actually gagging as I type this.  If there is cotton in a pill bottle I can't take it out or if I have blood work done and they put a little bit of cotton under the tape my stomach turns until I take it off.

2.  I don't drink pop but I crave Pepsi and Ginger Ale.

I haven't really been a pop drinker since I was 16 or so.  However, for some reason I actually crave Pepsi (either fountain or directly from the can) and Ginger Ale (with crushed ice) randomly.

What are two random facts about you?  Head on over to Taylor's and link up to play along.

Update & Bachelor Finale

Just wanted to post an update to keep myself accountable.  The last time I weighed in (March 3rd) I was down 2.5lbs (for a total of 4lbs, 7.5 from goal) and since then I have been pretty good at continuing with working out and eating well, with the exception for the first Saturday night when I had a few too many drinks. Oops...

I have been going to kettlebells 1 night a week and running 3-4 times a week and the cardio has been a huge help with losing the weight, while the kettlebells has helped me shed some inches.  I am so happy to report that I am down a size in shirts and pants.  I can't believe that after only losing 4lbs that it would make such a difference in my clothing, but apparently inches are greater than pounds.

Last Wednesday I bought Jillian Michaels 6 week six-pack DVD and I have done it 4 times so far.  I definitely think it will be a good workout if I am consistent with it (which I will try to be 4 days a week).  As usual, Jillian combines cardio with abs and strength in this video and the best part - it's only 30 minutes long.  It makes it so much easier to do when you think that all it takes is 30 minutes.  If I can ever get my butt out of bed for a morning run and then do this at night, I'd be set!  Someday, someday...

{via}

I can already feel a difference in my abs (they are hurting!) and I am noticing a change in my body shape even though I've only done it 4 times!!!  I can't wait to see what the end result will be.  I'll definitely keep you posted on how it goes.

Did you watch tonight's finale of The Bachelor?  I am so pleased that Brad chose Emily to be his wife, she seems like such a kind soul and they truly do seem to be in love.  I did like Chantal as well, but you could see just how crazy Brad was about Emily throughout the entire season.  Here's hoping that Brad and Emily work out and that Chantal will be the next bachelorette.

  

{via}

Bob Harper DVD

I recently won a giveaway over at Marissa's blog and I couldn't be happier!  She was giving away a copy of Bob Harper's Ultimate Cardio Video and yours truly won.  I am so excited to get the video so that I can add it to my list of workouts  Thanks so much Marissa!  If you don't know who Marissa is, you best be checking out her blog.  She is a wonderful blogger who shares delicious recipes and wonderful workout tips all the time.  Marissa also has an amazing weight loss story that she shares on her blog, along with a Wednesday Workout Blog Hop, so what are you waiting for, get going and tell her I sent you.

Weekend Plans

Yes, I am a terrible blogger with little to no consistency...I'm a busy woman, what else can I say?

We've been pretty busy over the past two weeks and thankfully this weekend is looking pretty quiet and we are planning on spending it at home, working on our house.  I had a hair appointment tonight with the lovely Kristen and then we went for supper at The Works and oh.my.goodness. AMAZING!!!!  I ordered the Red House which was a burger topped with roasted red peppers, avocado, beechhouse sauce & havarti cheese and it was delicious!  Mmmmm...
 For tomorrow, our first order of business is to hit up Home Depot on Saturday morning to get some tile ideas for our bathroom and our kitchen back splash and to buy some paint for our bedroom.  I am thinking of doing our bedroom in Pelican Bay...

The kitchen, dining room and living room is very open concept and we have rounded corners which makes it difficult as to where to change colors.  We I have decided on the colors below for the living room/dining room/kitchen:

Darkest GrapePencil Point

Burnished ClayElephant Skin

The burnished clay seems to have a pink tinge to it in the picture above, but it's more of a grey tone.  I got inspiration from a color card I found a while back at the store and I love it.  We may or may not paint anything the darkest grape, however, it will be used as our accent color for decor.  We also have big plans for our cupboards, table and hutch.  We will be refinishing them all a darker color.

That is our excitement for the weekend and I can't wait!  I'll be sure to take some before, during and after pictures to show our progress.

What are your plans this weekend?

Play Date

My little boy is all grown up!

Cole has had play dates with family friends and cousins, but today was his first time going to a friend's house to play!!!  His little buddy from school had asked him over to play last weekend, but we were out of town so we missed out.  Luckily, I spoke to this little guy's mom and we arranged a play date for today.  I dropped Cole off at 9:30 and they played until 12:30 when I went back to get him and did they have fun!  I had to basically drag Cole out of their house (after 30 minutes of coxing/fighting/crying) and into the car.  We made plans to have Cole's little buddy over in two weeks for a play and Cole is so excited and so am I.

I can't believe that we are already at this stage.  And so it starts...

Amazing!!

Amazing it is that we are spending a quiet weekend at home.  We really haven't been home a whole lot lately on weekends and as much as I absolutely love visiting with family and friends, it is soooo nice to sit on our couch knowing that we don't have to get up and work the next day and that we can lounge in pjs all day long.  Although, truth be told...I kind of do that at my parents' anyways!

Tomorrow we are doing some running around town and hopefully I'll get a chance to begin my Spring cleaning.  I figure I am going to start with my kitchen and hopefully get it sparkling in no time.  We are also making a list of things we'd like to get done around the house from renovations to clean/sort/toss/sell.  I am so excited to finally make our house our home.  We've been here for 3.5 years and have yet to paint (aside from Cole's room) or do any renovations inside the house.  We have talked about doing this before and we seem to talk about it and then leave it, but not this time!  I am going to harass Rye until we get going and I know once we are started it will become a huge priority to both of us.

Tomorrow evening Ryan's parents will come over to watch Cole and we are heading out to supper at Al's Steakhouse (one of my favorite restaurants) and I am soooooo excited!  We have a gift card and thought it was a great way to get out for a 'date night, plus Cole is absolutely thrilled to have Nana and Papa over for a movie and popcorn.

I am super excited that I can pick up my ring on the way to dinner tomorrow night.  I took it in on Monday to have it cleaned and plated and I have been lost without it.  Can't wait to have it back where it belongs and shining away at that!

Sunday Ryan has training with the fire department and Cole is supposed to have a play date with his best buddy from school.  This has me so excited and nervous for him as this will be his first time going to a friend's house and not having Mommy with him!  And it might just be THE cutest thing ever...my baby is growing up.  I guess I'll go do groceries on my own, go for a run and maybe get a bit of extra cleaning in.  Sounds sooooooooooo exciting I know, it's the little things that get me these days.

Have a fabulous weekend!!!

Super sad face...I would have been 30 weeks today...xo baby girl.

Belated Love Day

Love comes in all different shapes, sizes and colors...mine just happens to be about three and a half feet tall and 36 pounds of adorableness!

Happy belated love day.

Eat It. Work It. Blog It - Take 3

It's take 3 over at Amber's for Eat It. Work It. Blog It. and this week it's going to have to be short and sweet.  If you aren't aware of Eat It. Work It. Blog It., click here for Amber's original post about it. 

I've been following Weight Watchers since August 2009 and I was able to hit my goal weight in April 2010.  I have gained back 10lbs since hitting goal as a result of getting comfortable once all of the wedding planning was over with and getting pregnant.  I am determined to lose this weight once again, (plus the additional 5 pounds I wanted to lose before) therefore, Eat It. is the big one for me.

Eat It.
The past week I have been pretty on track with sticking to Weight Watchers and I this morning when I weighed myself I was down another pound.  One pound doesn't sound like much, but to me it's great.  It's a step in the right direction and more motivation for the week to come.  I am thinking that I will go get weighed this Thursday so that I know where I stand for sure (I am only getting weighed once a month or so right now).  My food choices are pretty repetitive these days as it's easier for tracking and I am enjoying what I am eating.  That being said, if you have any go-to recipes for healthy, clean foods please feel free to share them.  I'd absolutely love some spice in my life. :)

Work It.
Last week I ran on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on the treadmill and Tuesday I went to Kettlebells.  Friday was a rest day and the rest of the weekend was a lot of outdoor activities (pulling snow off the roof of the house, shovelling, sliding and my first outdoor jog!) which I like to include as my 'work it'.  I have totally failed at getting my butt out of bed at 5 am for morning jogs, but I WILL do this beginning next Monday.  I seriously need to update my iPod before I can do this and I need to get my butt to bed early (it's currently 11:45 p.m....not even kidding).

Blog It.
This week I am going to continue to Eat It. and Work It. the best I can.  I am hoping to see another loss on the scale and I am hoping to continue to see a difference in my clothing.  I have also been toying with the idea of buying Jillian's 6-Week-Six-Pack and then tonight I saw that Jess mentioned it too.  I've heard that it's an intense work out and that might just be what I need to add to my routine. 

Have you tried Jillian's 6-Week-Six-Pack?
Do you have any healthy staples in your diet?
Please, oh please, suggest some songs that would be good to work out to - I'm begging for help here!

Winter Fun - Skating & Snowmen

Last weekend we spent Sunday afternoon at my sister Melissa's house enjoying the lovely Winter weather.  It was a mild weekend here in Canada's Capital and we thought we would take advantage of a weekend with very little plans and show Cole some fun new things.

My sister and her husband have made a rink in their back yard for their hockey boys (Dante and Roman) and the boys spend quite a bit of time out there every year.  They are both such great skaters and were pretty excited to show Cole the ropes.  Here are some pictures of the boys on the rink:

Not impressed with the falling

The boys taking a break (Cole is clearly having a blast as you can tell by his face...haha!)

I'm done Mom...



Cole did really well with the push bar, we just have to get him to look up when he is skating.  When he thought he had enough, we bribed him from one end of the rink to the other with Smarties. :)  Worked like a charm!  We are going to skate this Saturday hopefully with Cole's little buddy Sawyer (I'll bring the Smarties Kait!).

Next up was building a snowman.  The snow was PERFECT for building anything that day.  We had a fresh blanket of snow and Cole was armed with a bag of accessories for Frosty.

Cole and Aunt Miss, love his face!

Cole and Aunt Miss hard at work accessorizing the snowmen

That was Cole's first time building a snowman ever!  We also had a slight snowball fight, mainly between Roman, Dante and myself after they tried to add some unmentionable anatomy to the snowmen...silly boys.

Sometimes the Winter weather we are blessed with in Canada isn't all that bad, if you get out and make the best of it.

Time

 “Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.”

-Harvey MacKay

The past month I feel as though I have been constantly running and getting very little accomplished.  Since scheduling some sort of exercise in to our already-packed evenings, I feel so short on time.  Time to organize, relax, clean and most of all, time with my boys.  From the time I get up in the morning to the time I go to bed at night it seems as though everything is rushed.  Seeing as it's beginning to seem a bit overwhelming I have a plan!

I am going to start waking up earlier and getting a run in every morning Monday to Friday.

{via}

I figure this will help me wake up and get energized for the day.  I will have my cardio in for the day and I won't have to stress out too much if playing cars with Cole in the evening is the most that I get around too, or if Ryan and I decide to sit down and watch some tv together after everything is done.  I'm hoping that this isn't too huge of an adjustment and that I can make it work - heck - I am going to make it work.

Another thing that I am planning to work on is to schedule regular posts.  After reading some of the fantastic blogging tips over at Taylor's Top 2 Tuesday I have decided that this is the way to go.  I really do love blogging and I find it helps me vent from time to time, as well, I absolutely love having this record of our lives.

I am looking for any suggestions on workouts for my 'love handles', any suggestions?

Do you wake up early in the morning to get your work out in?