A couple of weeks ago I decided to photograph a weeks worth of flat lays. I love planning my outfits for the week ahead of time and not being overwhelmed by my closet in the morning while trying to get myself, 2 kids, a dog and lunches all out the door by 7:30 a.m. To be honest my husband helps out a TON and actually does most of the lunches and bags for the kids, and the girls can dress themselves but need a lot of reminders, etc. Anyway, the point is that there is no time for my indecisiveness. I really appreciated having these outfits all ready to go this week as I was really sick and feverish and it took all my energy just to get dressed and go to work. I was signed up for an important three day training session on language development and acquisition for children ages 0-7 years of age, so I really couldn't stay home.
Flat Lay #1 OTK boots, dark skinny jeans, crop top blush blazer
I absolutely didn't get enough wear out of
this crop top at the end of summer so I knew I wasn't ready to place it
in my "spring/summer" wardrobe bin, and instead I paired it up with a
blazer, and a camisole underneath, for a casual day in the office. I swapped out
the OTK boots for my burgundy pumps for two reasons, I had been wearing
them a LOT and I love how blush pink and burgundy go together. Head
over to my INSTAGRAM to see all the flat lays for the week.
I've been meaning to share our families favorite green smoothie recipes for a while. I was introduced to green smoothies by my friend Amber who loves them and was doing a smoothie challenge at the time. I was intrigued but knew with certainty that I was not a person who could replace a meal with a smoothie for two reasons.
#1 I absolutely LOVE eating food and I don't enjoy drinking my meals.
#2 I would be hungry within a few hours.
That being said I liked the idea of packing in some extra veggies and fruits into my children's diet and my own. I started using them instead of a snack once a day over the summer months and over the school year we use them if we are running to an activity but haven't had supper yet. Our smoothie recipes make 4 smaller sized cups, like water glasses, and that's enough for us. The girls love the smoothies and even my nephew, who cringes at the sight of vegetables asked me to share the recipes with his mom. WIN!
Spinach, Carrot, Banana & Berry Smoothie 1 carrot 1 Banana 1 C spinach 1 C berries 1/2 C oats (optional) 1tsp flaxseed/wheat germ (optional) 1/2 Greek yogurt (optional) 1 1/2- 2 C coconut milk
Dinosaur Smoothie 2 C of spinach 3/4 vanilla Greek yogurt 1 C mango 1 banana 2 C pineapple Juice 1 C water 1 tsp flaxseed/wheat germ (optional) 1 tsp coconut oil (optional)
Mango/Berry Smoothie 1 C spinach 1 C mango 1 C berries/we often like to just use blueberries it's our favorite combo 1/2 Greek yogurt (optional) 1 tsp flaxseed/wheat germ (optional) 1 tsp coconut oil (optional) 1 1/2 - 2 C coconut milk
I usually go into a large production on the smoothie bags by buying everything I need at Costco and then making several (20) Ziploc bags to freeze at a time. I label them with the name of the smoothie and it usually lasts us a month or so in the summer, and for at least 2 to 3 months during the school year.
In an attempt to keep myself from seeking sugar during the 2:30 p.m. slump at work, I've actually invested in a Magic Bullet. I make single serving packs, spinach, 1/2 berries, 1/2 banana, to keep in the freezer at work! It gets me through the afternoon and I don't come home at 5:30 wanting to eat the whole pantry while prepping supper.
Last winter I splurged on this Pink Martini cardigan from a local boutique in the city. When I saw it I was initially drawn to it's fuzzy but classy look. I know, fuzzy and classy just don't make sense in the same sentence but they do in this cardigan. I remember showing my best friend, she gushed and said, "Bo, this is exactly like the carpet that I want for my new house!" Now you might think I would be offended but Amber loves interior design like I love running, so it was a huge complement actually.
I kept the outfit really simple because I knew the sweater is a draw on it's own and people always want to touch it. I did throw on a fall, floral scarf to do a bit of pattern mixing but kept everything else simple.
Oh la la. That's what went through my head when my eyes fell upon these beautiful strappy heels and it couldn't have been better timing, as I was looking to purchase a new pair of black pumps. Love at first sight! Bonus, they are super comfortable. I spent all day in them today and my feet didn't feel a thing.
A bell sleeve top was on my "must get" list for the fall but after searching high and low here in the city I was out of luck. UNTIL, I stumbled upon this little top at Old Navy. Often when I venture to Old Navy, I try on a bunch of things and most of the time I walk away with nothing, but not last week. I love the burgundy color, flowy design, and the 3/4 length bell sleeves (the price was a bonus because I had money left to splurge on something else that's coming in the mail any day now ).
One more thing!!! I am now on Instagram and Bloglovin so be sure to follow me there. Have a wonderful weekend!
Happy Thanksgiving my Canadian friends. The whirlwind of a weekend is coming to a close and as I reflect back on it, I am overwhelmed by happiness and thankfulness. On Saturday evening as I looked out of my kitchen towards my living room my eyes were greeted by a happy crowd of people I truly love and treasure. My parents, my in-laws, my grandmother, aunt, uncle, cousin, sister in-law, my nephew and family friends. (I deeply miss my sister and her family at events like these but they are always in my heart and on my mind.) The faces where joyful and the chatter was LOUD. As the evening unfolded we had many laughs, mostly as people across generations tried Miss. H's newly purchased hoverboard, we caught up on our busy lives and celebrated being together.
As our guests arrived one by one, the girls would rush to the door to greet them and asked them to express what they were thankful for. I also had the girls participate in this little activity.
As I reflect on what I am thankful for this year, the list is endless. Here are my top five:
1. My girls and husband. They are my world, the reason I strive to the best version of myself. Sure there are times I feel like I need a timeout, or I am not doing enough, but they are always there to lift me up. Just yesterday we were talking about watching the movie Bad Moms, and miss H. says, "why do you want to watch a movie like that? You aren't a bad mom." Melted my heart. And my hubby, well I am so thankful to have a person who know me so well that he can look at me when I am feeling wound up and just say, "Bo, I think you should go for a run." He always believes in me and makes me feel strong when I feel unsure. He is jam to my peanut butter. :)
2. Family. My family is always there for me; through good and bad, happy and sad, exciting and disappointing. Regardless of my decisions, they always have my back and I wouldn't have been able to accomplished the things I have without them. I am internally grateful to my parents who gave up so much when they fled our war torn country. They fought so hard to pave a path of opportunities for education, health, happiness, and success, for my sister and I.
3. Friends. Sometimes you have an opportunity to meet people and connect with them on such a deep level that they become part of our family. I have many beautiful friends but Amber and Ashley have there for me for years and years. They have become part of the community that helps me raise my family and are always in my corner. My Bosnian heritage taught me that it's important to have a community/village to help you raise your family.
4. Health. Having a body that lets me live life to the fullest and to embrace opportunities that arise. I love being active and I am grateful for a body that allows me to lead that healthy lifestyle with my family, such as getting outdoors regardless of the season or Saskatchewan weather. As I look at my two grandma's I am regularly reminded that our time on the Earth is short and that we need to seize every chance we have to be happy.
5. My home. I actually tried to find out how many people across the world own their own homes. I found various answers but north America seems to have the greatest number of home owners. I love having a big house (I think it's big and since I am the one cleaning it, that's all that matters), a backyard, and a nice community. All that being said, I always keep it all in perspective and know how lucky we actually are. Most of the people around the world share their homesteads with their parents, or in-laws, or they rent apartments. I am not the kind of person that needs all the newest and shiniest gadgets, and I want to pass that on to my children. I am constantly talking to them about how fortunate they are but also that they themselves might not be able to have a "house" and a "backyard" when they first set get started on their own. The prices of homes have drastically increased and there is a good chance that they may need to start off smaller or even raise their families in smaller dwellings. My wish for them is avoid giving into the pressure, of keeping up with the "Joneses", but instead to be thankful for the things that they do have and be grateful for that.
Other: My job. My colleagues. Education for my children. Fresh and clean water. Transportation. Free health care. Beautiful parks and nature at my fingertips. Various community events. Libraries. My puppy. The list keeps going.
Welcome to Bedrock! I am Betty Rubble. (if you are unfamiliar with that it's from the Flintstones) On Wednesday I wore this little cheetah number to work and had many compliments but leave it to a man to say,
"Bo, it's not Halloween. Why are you dressed like Betty Rubble?!?"
Yes. I guess I kind of do look like her but I am okay with that. LOL. In fact, I think this might be my Halloween costume for this year, throw my hair up in a ponytail, throw a bone into the mix, and call it a day.
This dress is fabulous for so many reason. First off, it's an awesome print. Second, and more importantly, it's the comfort of the dress that really sells me on it and keeps me grabbing if off of the hanger. It has a tiny bit of stretch in it so that you can get in and out of it with ease, and though it's fitted through top half, it flows out at the waist. The length is perfect for wearing to a business-casual office or into a classroom. This dress is comfort disguised as work attire.
I love gold accessories with the cheetah print, like this statement necklace I snatched up at a garage sale last summer. I also decided to pull out my amber bracelet that I received from Europe as a gift some years ago and play with different shades of brown.
The day I wore this outfit just happens to be the same day that winter arrived here in Saskatchewan. I dug out my spicy mustard sweater to keep me cozy and warm.
I plan to ware this same outfit again this weekend for Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving). Happy weekend everyone!
On Saturday evening I was down to only one child (insert: gasp, clap hands, happy dance). The "littlest me" was off on an sleepover adventure with her aunty and baby cousin and "pre-teen me" had a friend over. Initially I thought H. and her friend would want to help me out but they had other plans, which was just as well. How often does a mother of two get time just to do her own thing on a Saturday night??? NEVER!
I decided to forge ahead with the project that I had seen on Pinterest. I will be hosting 16 people for Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday evening and I want to do a couple of things to spruce up the space without breaking the bank. These candle/vases were easy-peasy (kindergarten teacher talk) to make.
Materials:
-mason jars (I bought a pack of three but also switched things up and used the ones I had)
-fake leaves
-glue (I used Tacky Glue)
-mod podge & brush
-twine
Procedure:
1. Glue leaves onto the mason jar. I overlapped mine, it looks better if you overlap quite a bit. Initially it was tricky to get them to stick to the jar but once I placed a layer of mod podge over top it was much better.
2. Right after you've glued the leaves down use mod podge to seal the leaves to the mason jar. I found it easiest to turn the jar upside down, with my one hand inside of it, and then to apply the mod podge with a paintbrush. I was generous with the mod podge and made sure I covered every bit of surface. It will appear white, like white glue, but it will dry completely clear. I also repeated this step once more the next day after it had a chance to dry.
3. Let the mod podge dry overnight. I simply then used the twine and the Happy Thanksgiving tags I created to place around the rim of the jar.
4. I used small mirrors and the craft leaves to create a center piece for our dinner table. The candle light, along with the fall shades of the leaves, created a stunning reflection in the mirror. My plan for Saturday evening is to have one long mirror with the mason jars serving as candle holders in the middle of our table and two decorated mason jars filled with fresh flowers. I will update the photos once Saturday actually rolls around. Until then I have used the jars to add some seasonal décor to our regular cabinet display.
