Life Lately

Where to start, so much has happened lately...

Lately...we attended my sister's wedding. It was absolutely amazing. She never ceases to amaze me with all her skills and hard work. She made everything for her wedding; from the decor to the games, the mass booklet and the invitations. I love you little sister, and I am very proud of you.

Lately...we welcomed home a 4th member to our family. Yup, I delivered my baby. I'll be posting his birth story soon.

Lately...I bought a 50mm f1.4 lens for my Canon DSLR and I absolutely love it. It's a bit of a learning curve, but I feel like my photography is about to hit another level.

Lately...I attended my very first blogging conference hosted by Made in Blog. It was a wonderful experience. I learned a whole bunch and got to meet some amazing local bloggers. Most importantly, I learned that blogging is about staying authentic and true to yourself, without comparison or competition.

Lately...we celebrated my first son's second birthday. He's 2 already, isn't that crazy? When people say time flies and children grow up too fast... it's true! I really have to start appreciating each little moment more. Anyway, I have a whole series of posts coming up on things I made/prepared for his birthday so stay tuned; the first of the series was my eggless white cake recipe, which is amazing by the way, so you should definitely try it out.

Lately...I started thinning out our garden and we enjoyed some very strong tasting radishes. My son was a little shocked.

Lately...I've been taking the Blog Life course by A Beautiful Mess and I love it! I haven't completed much of it yet because I've been very busy, but I've started planning a bit more what I want to blog about and how I want to organize it. I intend to start documenting my home decorating, give some family insights as well as many DIY projects. Lots of new stuff to comes so stay tuned.

Lately...we spent a lot of time outdoors. The winter was so long this year that every opportunity we get to go outside, we do. We went to Park Safari and loved it. As a matter of fact, our car almost got eaten by a camel. It was awesome. We also spent a day at the beach and had a picnic at a local park. We also started some work on our yard and cooked BBQ.

Recent favorites

1. This Egyptian Goddess necklace is just surreal.
2. The Libby bag by Kelly Moore.
3. This gorgeous crocheted flower blanket.

Inspired by

1. This color palette by Design Seed.
2. These incredible photographs with real animals by Katerina Plotnikova.
3. This wire art by Five from the Ground.

Random facts about me

1. I don't like alcohol. I just don't, and I don't see a point in forcing myself to.
2. I have way too many ideas, and not enough time to do everything.
3. I'm an avid coffee drinker.

OOTD: Mother's Day 2014, 33 Weeks Pregnant, Baby #2

I never did a maternity style post during my first pregnancy because quite frankly, I'm not that great at styling a bump! ...and I don't want to buy too many clothes that I'm just going to use for a few months. This time around, I thought it could be fun to try and mix something up for a little photo shoot of my bump, as a keepsake.

Mother's Day was so very special this year. The weather was absolutely amazing and I got to spend the entire day with my two special guys (and a half...). As some of you may know, I'm about to be a mother for the second time and I couldn't be more excited to see my family grow.

The picture below is a Mother's Day special for you guys. I'm always burning with desire to post pictures of my little man and brag about how much of a good boy he is, but I just don't feel like I have the right to post pictures of him all over the internet without his consent. Let's face it, he's a tad too little to understand right now, so when the time comes, the decision will be his. Until then, here's a little treat just for you guys; a glance into my life as a mother to the most precious little boy.

Mother’s Day was so nice this year… I had time to sleep in (until 8AM, but still... I woke up on my own!), I got time to take a long shower, pamper myself & select a pretty outfit. My hubby also made breakfast for me and got my favorite Starbucks drink, a Grande Soy London Fog (yum!). Plus, and this is the absolute best part... I got a letter from my son (written by my husband obviously) thanking me for all the wonderful things I do for him. There were so many things enumerated that it made cry. I also got some flowers, had time to take outfit pictures (finally!) and planted a garden with my son. What more could a woman want? Thank you so much for giving me the most wonderful Mother's Day of all to both of my guys.

This pregnancy has been much more difficult than the first. I was pretty sick for the first 3 months (nausea, vomiting, excess saliva, and physical exhaustion). The second trimester was better, but I still came home very tired after work every day, leaving me unable to play with my first born as much as I would have liked. Since the beginning of the third trimester, I've had a terribly sore lower back, thanks to an inflamed sciatic nerve in the right butt cheek. Needless to say, my mobility is reduced and I can barely bend over to pick things up.

I still have about 7 weeks to go, with 3 weeks off (work wise) at the end... I'm looking forward to this time to catch my breath and catch up on some much needed rest (and maybe some projects?). I found working full time and already having a child to take care of, while pregnant, much more difficult than just being pregnant and working; I'm permanently exhausted and I just don't have enough time to do anything. To all you working moms out there... how DO you do it?

And of course… I must wear my magic shoes...I know, not very fashionable, but they are so comfortable that I don't care! Seriously though, they're more comfortable than slippers and are good for your back; perfect for pregnancy. Plus, they're leather and they breathe, so if your feet swell, no problem! I highly recommend them.

Outfit details

Necklace: Aldo
Cardigan: Forever21
Top: Old (simliar)
Belt: Old hair band
Skirt: Jacob (similar)
Shoes: Clarks "Wave" (similar)

Life Lately

Lately... we bought our 21 month old son his very first violin. Crazy? You might think so. His concentration span might not be very long, but his learning capacity is insane (much like any child of that age). He may not yet be able to play, but after a month he can hold the violin and the bow correctly, as well as move the bow across the strings almost in the right spot. All this with only about 10 minutes of practice a week (randomly).

Lately... we visited IKEA to buy a bed side desk for our son. We chose a single, white EXPEDIT shelving unit with a 2-drawer insertion. It's the perfect size. We're trying to do a gradual transition to a twin bed before the new baby comes. So far so good! We just put the twin bed mattress on the floor so he doesn't get hurt if he falls. He just loves it because he can easily climb up or down on his own, and he can do running belly flaps. Lol.

Lately... I've been catching up on projects which have been on standby. Home decorating, recipe trials and lots of snuggle time with my baby.

Lately... I bought some cool paper straws in preparation for our son's second birthday. I want to make it extra special.

Lately... my skin has been clearing up and looking oh-so good. I love what pregnancy hormones do to your body (not counting the first trimester).

Lately... we spent some time in downtown Montreal and ate at Schwartz. It's this tiny little smoked meat restaurant in the heart of the city. It looks like nothing on the outside, and the inside is very plain, but the food... OH-EM-GEE. Seriously, the best smoked meat you have ever had in your life.

Lately... we finally found our fancy dinner set. It took us forever to agree on dishes, yes, dishes. Then one day, out of the blue, my husband spotted these gorgeous mint patterned plates and said: "I like those!" My first thought was; "Really?!?! Oh my goodness, me too!" So we bought the whole set at Home Sense. Such an awesome store for random things.

Lately... I may or may not have eaten all the marshmallows out of a Lucky Charms box.

Lately... I started playing World of Warcraft again; when my little one is sleeping. I don't have a lot of time, but I try to enjoy it as much as I can amidst everything else I want/need to do.

Trying to make recipes from scratch doesn't always turn out the way you'd think. These mini cupcakes look pretty delicious, but they weren't that good. Lol. They were supposed to be coconut/pineapple flavored, but they were dry and tasted bland. Next try maybe. :)

Recent favorites

1. These fox flats from Modcloth.
2. These perfect ringlets hair tutorial by Freckled Fox. So bouncy and cute!
3. The "Spring-Time to Shine" contest by Modcloth. You can win a $50 gift certificate by sharing your Spring Style by 1 p.m. PT on 4/28.

Inspired by

1. This art by Chibird. Seriously the cutest, most inspirational art you'll ever see.
2. This nail art by Pshiiit. Definitely something I want to try.
3. This video. This girl has such an amazing voice.

Random facts about me

1. I love to kiss attack my son. It makes him laugh uncontrollably.
2. I have way too much white hair for my age.
3. I wish I could stop time.