a rough week

Sorry for my blogging absence the past week. I haven't felt like doing much of anything. Not only has my morning sickness got worse but I still have this stubborn cough that is now hurts in my chest. On a side note, only 3 more days until the expected due date. I'm really hoping and praying that the baby comes, I do not want to be in the hospital for Christmas, and I want him here for Christmas. I'm starting to think that will never happen, less than 2 weeks away.

Phil is coming down this weekend, and were are going to go for long walks hoping to rush the baby out, let gravity take its tole. Also, our 1 year anniversary is this Friday, pretty crazy how things work out I suppose.

Well anyways, hopefully you will be hearing more from me now, and I hope you are all ready for the holidays! I know I can't wait :)

peace.love.shoes.

Baby Bump Pictures

So today was the day to get the pictures done. I must say it was a little awkward, I mean I love taking pictures, but usually I'm in control of the shoot, I\m never the model. They turned out pretty good, he was definitely a good photographer, I suppose I just didn't realize how much weight I've gained since I've been avoiding full length mirrors and cameras for a while. But we still got some cute shots, which I will share :)

So we do have a few cute shots :) I'm so thankful that Phil's good friend did them for us, I think the pictures turned out gorgeous <3

peace.love.shoes.

H&M Winter Collection

So I know it probably came out a month ago, but H&M Winter collection is here! AND of course it's amazing- from women to men, from toddlers to teenagers, so cute <3 Thought I would share!

Want to see more? Click Here.

peace.love.shoes.

2 new recipe trys: Hashbrown Potato Casserole

All week I have been creating this cheesy hashbrown casserole yumminess that a friend used to make- so I've set out to find the perfect recipe to try a duplicate that. I will be making this for dinner, along with a yummy meatloaf- also a new recipe to me.

So to be inspired I have been to multiple cooking websites searching for the tastiest sounding recipes, and so far I've only come up with one: Hashbrown Potato Casserole. I will try this tomorrow and let you all know how it goes :)

What you will need:

2 lbs. frozen hash browns, Southern style (thawed)
1 stick melted butter
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 pt. sour cream
1/2 c. chopped onions
10 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar cheese

Topping:

1 c. crushed corn flakes
3 tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients. Arrange in baking dish, 9 x 13 inches. Sprinkle with corn flakes. Top with butter. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Want to read this and more recipes from cooks.com? Click here.

 peace.love.shoes.

Christmas Instagram Splash

peace.love.shoes.

Cyber Monday Splurge

So as most of you know yesterday was Cyber Monday- a difficult day in the year to control my online shopping, and since I'm already done my Christmas shopping there was no reason for me to be looking. However, since Forever21 had a sale that I simply could not resist I took a gander. As you know I was in desperate need of boots, so I got them at a good price along with a couple rings, all and all I only spent 40 dollars! AND! shipping was free! So it worked out OK, I did peek at other stores, but I simply cannot afford shopping sprees anymore- so my Visa was safe yesterday.

Here are my new wonderfuls that I am waiting to arrive <3

Aren't they just wonderful! I can't wait until they arrive! What did you buy from Cyber Monday?

peace.love.shoes.

37 weeks!

37 weeks, which means baby is officially grown. I can pop any day now so I have to be ready. I have my hospital bag packed- and baby's too! My room is de-cluttered and scrubbed (finally) baby's clothes are washed, bassinet and change tablet are set up, the only thing that really needs to be done is my room tidied up from all the Christmas shopping I've been doing. Definitely want to get that out of the way before baby comes, I think I'm pretty much done, there may be just a few things I need to pick up and I am waiting for an online order to come through this week, but that's all! This is the first time I've finished shopping before the Christmas decor is even up. We started today though- once finished of course I will give you a tour!

So baby is the size of a watermelon, and man can I feel him! I'm never comfortable anymore, I have insane heartburn all day and night, if I lay on one side for too long it feels like my hips are being crushed when I try to move (OUCH!) I'm really hoping he comes early, or at least on my due date, I want him here for Christmas. Christmas eve and Christmas day are so special in my family, and tradition we've had since I was born- so I'm so excited this year to share is with my new addition, my extra special bundle of joy!

On another note, I'm so excited because Phil might actually be here for Christmas- which the past month we were thinking he may have to work! It's still not 100% for sure, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Also, I may get to move even sooner that though- perhaps January 1st! I probably won't move in that early but I will be there a lot getting the place ready and the baby's room setup which I am so thankful, I was really beginning to wonder if the baby would ever be able to sleep in his crib- there's definitely no room at my house. I can finally get started with MY family, the thing I will cherish most in the world <3

It's almost December, are you excited for Christmas?

peace.love.shoes.

Boots!

First off I would like to say, Happy Thanksgiving to my American family <3 enjoy the holiday :) Secondly, I am way jealous to all those black Friday shoppers. So in envy to them, I make a jealousy post. What completes the most perfect outfit to make the legs slimming and the body taller? Boots of course! I am in desperate need of some new boots, brown, black, purple, mauve <3 any colour! any heel!

I really love shoes. Boots are a winter weakness. Happy "Black Friday" shopping tomorrow everyone!

BE SAFE!

peace.love.shoes.

25 ways to wear a scarf

This post came from my dear friend Melissa, she found this really interesting article on 25 ways to wear a scarf, pretty nifty if you ask me :) . I'm always looking for new ways to spice up an outfit- and who would have thought, just simple scarf? Love it!

Click HERE to watch video :)

Brought to you by Yahoo!

Hope you enjoyed :)

peace.love.shoes.

week adventures

Baby Bump pictures Phil says. Well, at first all I could think about was I've gained so much weight regular pictures of me aren't even cute. But perhaps with a professional photographer maybe these will look OK. Nothing in the "nude" - nobody wants to see stretch marks, thankfully I have none on my tummy, but unfortunately the rest of my body wasn't so lucky. Here's some amateur shots that was taken at a Woodstock party a few months back.

On another note, this week should be an entertaining one, sadly Melissa and James are going back to Montreal next week so we have planned our last few events :( Twilight Saga tomorrow! yay! then we have baking, shopping, and movie nights <3 very excited. I'm going to miss that lady.

Well happy Tuesday :)

peace.love.shoes.  

Chirstmas Decor Sales!

Looking for some fabulous holiday decor at a reasonable price? Well, I rounded up some coupons for you from each store- but act fast! Some sales end soon!

Merry Shopping! :)

peace.love.shoes.

Make-up Review: Foundation

There are a lot of different kinds of foundation out there, for many different skin types. I have a really hard time finding a good one- that I'm not allergic too. So unfortunately this means, no minerals of any kind- however, I still need a foundation that is going to cover imperfections for at least 8 hours with more of a matte finish so my skin doesn't show to be oily. So I've rounded up all the ones from cheapest to most expensive and I am going to tell you my opinion and how each felt and reacted on my skin.

Face Xpert by Mark: I love Mark makeup, I think it's the best long lasting hold you will get for a reasonable price. This had great coverage, it's not heavy makeup so it doesn't look liked you caked it on- but it still hides the imperfections. The only flaw I found with this product is I used it for not even a month and the make-up got stuck inside and there was no way for me to use it anymore and there was still over half left! Although, if you shake it really hard you can manage to still get some out- but it was not convenient.
Price: $10   Rating: 3/5

Pure Makeup by Maybelline: I came across this one flipping through a magazine, they had a sample. Ever since I tried it I knew I fell in love. It was so weightless it felt like you were wearing nothing at all, but covered beautifully and lasted most of the day. This is a water-based foundation so I definitely recommend to anyone who has very sensitive skin like mine. The only this sad about this, is they discontinued it- well in my area at least- but if you come across it, you must try!

Price: $8   Rating: 5/5

ColorStay by Revlon: This was recommended to me by Dreams and Drifters- while in the market for a new reasonably priced foundation she suggested this one. It's not mineral based so I'm not allergic to it, it provides medium coverage, gives a nice matte finish that I like. I have only been using it for a few days, but so far so good!
Price: $14    Rating: 4/5

High Definition by Smashbox: I have been using this foundation for the past year, and would like to continue to, but it's a little high in price for me right now. Once again not mineral based, it's a very light makeup, and you only need a little to go a long way. The only thing is that it doesn't cover extremely well, so ladies if you have a lot of imperfections I would find something with more coverage- but still a good choice!
Price: $35    Rating: 4/5

Laura Mercier: This I must say is my ALL TIME FAV foundation- 5 stars for sure! It has everything I'm looking for in a foundation, excellent coverage, that non-cakey feeling, and does not make my skin oily! The only problem is it's very expensive- too much for my blood I\m afraid. But maybe a nice Christmas or Birthday present would be nice :)
Price: $59    Rating: 5/5

 Clinique: I grew up on Clinique makeup, only to find- yes I'm allergic. They say it's great for sensitive and acne prone skin, but honestly it made mine a lot worse. At the time they didn't really say if there were minerals in their products but since I broke out from using it I knew there was. So this product is not good for my challenging skin, but I really do love Clinique products and a lot of my family and friends swear by it!
Price: $30 range    Rating: 2/5

So I hope this has helped you if you are in the market for some foundation. My skin is a fussy one, so there's a minimal amount of products I can actually use. Feel free to leave your comments below on your experience with foundations, always love to hear it :)

peace.love.shoes.

Getting ready

This week has been exhausting, get everything cleaned and setup for the baby- I'm almost done! Phil and I got so many beautiful gifts from the shower, it's taken me all week to go through everything, I really wish we had a place of our own everything is cluttered to a tiny corner of my room for now, and out computer room is jammed packed with everything else. I will be 36 weeks on Saturday, getting close! I really hope he either comes early, or right on time- don't want to be in the hospital on Christmas!

Here is just some snaps I took with Instagram of the cute things I've accumulated and are set up in the baby's (aka.MY) room.

So those are just a few cute things I've picked up along this long journey...

have a goodnight everyone.

peace.love.shoes.

The "tiny" things in life

Sorry for the drought of posts, but this weekend was so busy! Phil came down Friday, my friend Punam threw me a going away from work party on Saturday, and Sunday was baby shower day! I thought I would share some moments from the shower with you...

Prize table!

 Sugar cookies me and mom spent hours making!

 Dessert table, with my beautiful cake that my Aunt and Gramma made!

 All the gifts! There were so many!

 The beautiful picture mom got framed for the baby's room! (and punch)

 MY lovely guests...

There were so man cameras, I'm not really sure where the rest of my pictures went, so hopefully when everyone posts them I can show you more! I do not look very flattering in most of these pictures, oh well.

I have a busy week still ahead of me, and an OB appointment today. Well Happy Tuesday everyone! Have a good week :)

peace.love.shoes.

A week without love.

First week with no work, you would think complete bliss? Quite the contrary. Everyone at home is miserable, we have been penny pinching for the last 3 weeks because mom has been getting ready for the shower- which means no food or not food you would eat, I've got this horrendous cough that is actually hurting my insides because of coughing so much, and I've been de-cluttering my room all week which by looking at it it seems not much has been accomplished. What a mess this week was. Maybe after the shower everyone will be in a better mood- and once this cough subsides maybe I will feel like actually getting out of bed.

This weekend should hopefully be a change of pace. All my friends are coming into town for the shower (Melissa tonight!) and even the ones that are in town I haven't seen in ages! Needless to say I can't wait for Sunday just to see old friends and catch up. Also, Phil is coming tomorrow- hopefully he can take some stress away, he usually does, and the lovely Punam is throwing a little "going away" work party for me Saturday night with all of our close friends. Should be very eventful. I hope I have enough energy to do everything, the baby is getting so big it's even hard standing for a long period of time. Well here's to the weekend! Hopefully it's a happier one. :)

peace.love.shoes.

Nursery dreaming

Just dreaming of a perfect nursery, while de-cluttering my room. I was in desperate need of some inspiration, even though I can't decorate a nursery for a few months, there's no harm in looking for ideas! All items here we taken from Pintrest by these fabulous people which can be found below. Thanks for sharing your ideas!

1                 2           3                4           5           6

peace.love.shoes.

Beauty Products

So this week is reserved for de-luttering, polishing, organizing, back breaking work. I to a go at my room, I must say I have got a lot done so far, but there is still so much to do, and I would like to be done by the baby shower (this Sunday btw). So whats a better time than any to take an hour out of my busy day and just relax and rejuvenate with my favourite beauty products.

We start with the things my skin loves. First, St.Ives Green Tea Face Scrub, really leaves my skin feeling fresh and soft, it's a mild scrub made with natural ingredients- best part it's only $5! Second, we have Mario Badescu Drying Mask, which is great for problematic skin, I would do the make about 2- 3x a week, it leaves you skin feeling firm and soft while treating those imperfections! Third, we have Mario Badescu Kiwi Face Scrub, not only does it smell like kiwi but the scrubbing beads are real kiwi seeds, a natural exfolitator.

Who doesn't love a good perfume! My 3 top fav are, Viva la Juicy by Juicy Couture, Curious by Britney Spears and Laila by Geir Ness.

Nail Polish! For the perfect Mani and pedi! My fav nail polish is Essie, not only are the colours unique, but they actually last weeks without chipping!  

So these are just some favs of mine, when I like to take some time and just relax and rejuvenate! What are your favourites?

peace.love.shoes.