support local

I cannot deceive you all with the title and make it seem like I frequently "support local." Although my heart would love to, my budget and frugal driven mind could not justify it.

I am the person who is always looking for a great deal and does 90% of her shopping at wal mart and the other 10% on amazon. However, if I can support local or at least Canadian vendors, I like to do so.

I was searching Etsy the other day looking for Christmas gift ideas and I happened upon the cutest teether ever for Adele. This little wooden faux iPhone engraved with her name for only $12 !

Pros:
* Easy on the pocket book
* Vendors are from Ontario, Canada (www.3princesses.ca)
* Made with Canadian maple and finished with baby safe unscented beeswax polish (unrefined beeswax, olive oil, carnauba wax)
* Saves my iPhone from any unfortunate biting incidents
* Lasts as long as we don't lose it (& if we do I'm sure I'll buy another one)

Cons:
* Absolutely none come to mind

Here are some pictures of our phone that arrived in the mail today !!!

(I was in no way endorsed to write this blog post - just a very happy customer in love with the product !!)  (Phone purchased from www.3princesses.ca)

pumpkin cheesecake

Well, thanksgiving has long since come and gone - but I'm still thinking about the pumpkin cheesecake I made for dessert. I got the recipe off of pinterest (of course) and here is the link for it : http://www.bestyummyrecipes.com/pumpkin-cheesecake/

I'm usually extremely lazy about recipes and if there are a ton of ingredients or numerous steps I don't even attempt it. However the picture looked so delicious and the thought of two amazing things like cheesecake and pumpkin being mixed into one made me feel obligated to give it a try.

Miss Adele, who was 3 weeks old at the time, blessed me by napping for the evening while I made this. :)

Already looking forward to next fall so I can make this again !!!

the recipe says to soak the pumpkin in paper towels to remove excess water - the puree I bought didn't need it, so check out your puree and decide if you need to do that step or not.

pressing down the crust mixture... not sure if my finger should be bending like that or not ?

using the mixer my mother-in-law bought me last Christmas

mmm first part out of the oven

second level of deliciousness

yummy topping = crushed ginger snap cookies and caramel sauce

all done.

(Also note - not the best idea to take home the leftovers when you are trying to lose baby weight and your husband doesn't eat anything with pumpkin in it... or cheesecake for that matter. Oops haha.

push presents

I was reading Today's Parent the other day and they had an article on "Push Presents."

Definition: A present your husband is supposed to give you because you just pushed out his child.

While the thought of getting a gift is nice - and when I first read it I started thinking of all the things I wanted and could ask Dan to buy me as a belated "push present" I realized that ADELE was my push present. She was the gift I was given after I worked so hard to push her out. Why should I expect some material thing to be given to me when I have been given the gift of a newborn life? Any material thing I could want would never make the pain of childbirth any less, or take my mind off the repercussions my body was going through. BUT the little one I held in my arms - she took my mind off of those things and she made it all worth it.

And it seems that is exactly how God intended it to be.

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. (Psalm 127:3)

Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain, because her hour has come; but when she gives birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy that a child has been born into the world. (John 16:21)

I love you darling Adele. Best push present ever.

Adele Norah

Well it's been two weeks since we welcomed this little beauty into the world.

 (Photo credit: Alana Atyeo)

There have been ups and downs, crazy emotions flying about, and some 6 hour straight sleep nights and some 4 hour straight awake nights.

I still have no idea how people successfully make plans and schedule their baby, as it seems I always have somewhere to be right around the next feeding time and am unable to feed. I also have no idea how people successfully make plans and DON'T schedule their baby - as it seems I make plans and then she wants to feed just before I leave the house. Not only feed - but also projectile spit up all over my duvet cover ? Haha. I guess for now I'll just plan on not making plans and sit at home enjoying my little one :)

I couldn't have asked for a better man to go through this whole thing then the one God gave me... Dan has been amazing (as always.) But I've especially noticed it when it's been a terrible night and he'll come down to the living room just to sit with me and give me some support while I'm feeding for what seems like 3 hours straight and all I want to do is sleep. I usually send him back to bed because I feel bad that he has to go to work the next day... But those few minutes are so thoughtful and so precious.. I don't know what I'd do without him.

So here is to another two weeks... Of what I can only imagine will be more craziness. Bring it on. 

the good & the bad

Well let's be optimistic and start with the good... 

Dan and I had applied to the town for a minor variance so we could build an addition onto our house (giving us three more bedrooms and a basement) and also build a nice sized garage for Dan to work on his beloved vw bus. Well tonight we had our town council meeting - and unless someone appeals the motion - we've been APPROVED ! :) let more renos begin !

Now for the bad... Try not to laugh too hard... But seriously - check out these cankles. 

Thank you baby Chisholm for those beauties.

4 weeks

Congrats to my "new momma" friend Katie who gave birth to a beautiful healthy baby boy on Monday night ! 

Only 4 weeks until our own precious bundle is due to arrive - so seeing her and her hubby Shawn at the hospital with baby Quinn got us all the more excited and anxious for it to be our turn. Looking forward to play dates with our babes in the near future.

This was just one week before she had her little man and she was already five days over at this point... Doesn't she look fabulous ?! I blame my hugeness on my multi-layered shirt, super arched back, shorter torso and not so flattering angle haha. (Bunch of excuses I know :P)