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$33.00

May 8, 2011 By 5 Comments

This blog post was inspired by Finding my Feet and Kent and Micaela.  I went to some garage sales yesterday morning before work and am going to share my steals!

We went to a local town that was having a huge garage sale day, mom scooped out one on kijiji before we went that had lots of kids things advertised so we met there. I got there about 5 min after mom and I said we were going to meet (7:15am) and mom already had a large pile started. She said that when she got there, there was hardly anything out but they kept bringing more and more good stuff out. We ended up spending $25 at one house, I added up the total cost of what was on the items and it came to $31.25 so I’d say we got a pretty good deal.

((I didn’t get around to taking these photos till night time so I had to use the flash, sorry they suck so much))

$3 – various books. 4 Sandra Boynton. 2 learning books, and 2 animal books. I’m a sucker for cheap books.

$1 – large floor puzzle. This one was too cute to pass up, it’s a Crocodile Creek puzzle and is in a suitcase! So adorable.

$3 – 4 wooden puzzles. Hailey loves the wooden Melissa and Doug puzzles she has, so these were a must buy.

$2 – shapes sorter. We had to buy this the moment Hailey laid eyes on it. It kept her busy for quite a while as we grabbed more stuff.

$2 – gymboree cards. I’m a sucker for alphabet cards.

$3 – Bee Bop Band. This was one of the things mom grabbed before I got there so I didn’t really get a good look at it until we were home. My friend Laura’s son Harry has this and it is one of the toys that Hailey gravitates to when they play together. Here’s what the instruments look like, ours does not have the egg shakers but also has a little ladybug xylophone.

$2 – training pants and plastic training pants. For when we start out toilet training adventure, hopefully before the new baby arrives but I realize that might be way to optimistic.

$2 – size 6 rubber boots. Hailey wears a size 5 right now, so these will be great for when she grows out of those.

$0.25 toilet seat. Again for the toilet training adventure.

$2 – clothes. Cute pjs for next winter, a sweater I couldn’t resist and 2 summery items.

$0.75 – potty for Oma’s house. toilet training adventure.

$5 – outdoor swing. This was one item that I was specifically looking for so I was so excited to see that mom had already grabbed it for our pile! I had been looking at buying these new for about $25 so yay we saved about $20!

$5 – bike seat and helmet. I think this was my favouite purchase of the day. I was also going to keep an eye out for a bike seat and we found one. Mom knows more of the details on this one, I’m not sure why the packaging is on it, if it was used or not. It looks to have a few marks on it, so I’m guessing it was used, but is in great condition. Now we just need to figure out how to get it on the bike.

$2 – an H&M shirt and Old Navy pants These are from a different house, they had some cute stuff but it was priced a bit higher.

$6 – Kids DVDs. Mom picked these up for me after I had to leave for work. We have a DVD player in our car and are planning a long road trip in August so we wanted some kids dvds. So far Hailey has no interest in tv so these might not get used, but we are going to have them handy for our sanity!

And those are all my garage sale purchases! It was a lot of fun, I’m excited to go again.

 

Filed Under: Garage Sale, life

A day is more than the sum of its parts

April 4, 2011 By 4 Comments

I’m not a morning person (though I aim to be), but my days start at 6:30am just before my boyfriend goes to work. After he has showered and donned his day’s suit, he crawls back in to bed with me. He rubs my back, strokes my cheeks and forehead and tells me he loves me. Sometimes I am awake, sometimes I am not, and sometimes I pretend to be asleep just to enjoy the moment.

After crawling out of my den of soft blankets and duvet, I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast and check out what is happening with my favourite job advertisement websites. I try to apply for a few jobs a week, and I enjoy writing cover letters and tweaking resumes at my local coffee shop over a foamy cappuccino. Though this week will be spent researching for an approaching interview.

Later, I head out for the day. I didn’t realize just how much time I would spend on subways and busses when I moved to Toronto, and with the more temperate months coming I have taken to enjoy leisurely rides on the streetcars. While I love my Blackberry and my Kobo, my favourite moment which makes my commutes bearable, exciting even, is sitting down and opening up the free daily newspaper and doing the crossword. I have made a friend in Toronto who has also been bitten by the crossword bug, and we will text each other hints and clues, or just to complain over varying levels of difficulty.

Throughout the day, the girls and I are talking to each other and updating each other on all topics (our current favourite is the future baby name of this girl) via our Facebook group. I must check that thing 20 times a day or more, and I love getting a notification that one has posted a new thread. Some of them are silly, some of them are serious, and some of them are celebratory. It’s where all the good gossip is shared and I am thankful for this bit of the internet that has brought us even closer together.

Late at night after my roommates are in bed, I arrive home. The house is dark and warm, I unpack my day’s bags and sit on the bed and say Hi to Tim. The satisfied sigh he makes in his sleep when he realizes I am home, and reaches for a hug make any of the day’s misfortunes dissipate. Before I hit the hay, I have a glass of wine and check my favourite blogs.

Overall, my life is not very exciting these days but my days are about finding joy and comfort in the small things, and finding solace in conversations with friends and family. I have a feeling there are a lot of positive events coming up in my future, and that this year is going to bring even more changes in my life. Life sometimes feels like a waiting game right now, that I am sitting semi patiently in the doctors office, that the doctor has test results and I can’t wait to hear them, but I am reminding myself to take it one day at a time and just be present in the moment.

Filed Under: home, leah, life

Loving on Spring

March 16, 2011 By 3 Comments

After a crazy snowstorm on Friday, it seems Spring has arrived. At least for the time being.

Tonight Scott, Hailey and I took advantage of the nice weather and went shopping after dinner. Hailey loves the outdoors and we didn’t have the right clothes yet for the season. With every season change now, we need more clothes. We have hardly had to buy any clothes for her since she was born, and it’s fun to get to pick out her stuff now! We got her a cute yellow and white polkadot rainjacket. I wanted matching boots but we were not quick enough at Old Navy and ended up getting some pink boots and black rain pants. She doesn’t exactly match, but she will be dressed for the weather!

Hailey already loves to twirl, maybe these boots will inspire her to be a ballerina.

Filed Under: life

On My Mind

March 7, 2011 By 4 Comments

So much is on my mind lately and I just feel the need to get it out.

-work: I don’t mind being back to work, much to my surprise. I really thought I would hate being there and being away from Hailey but I’m handling it well. However I don’t like that now I feel like I have no time to do the things I love to do. Like play with Hailey, show her the world and take photos, which is something else  I love to do. It makes me sad to look through my recently taken photos and have nothing to be proud of because they were all taken indoors, when the light was bad and I was chasing after a toddler, or running away from her because when she sees the camera she must have it. It’s tough for me to think about, because I had so long (1 year) to myself and Hailey. We could do what we wanted (mostly, Hailey’s naps are pretty important to her) and we got to hang out together. Now I live for 4pm when I leave work and get to go see her, but then I get so exhausted and can’t wait for 7pm (aka get ready for bedtime), which makes me feel horrible because I never get to see her, so I should love the time I get with her, which brings me to my next point…

-toddlerhood: Hailey is becoming a vocal testing toddler. She is happy go lucky sometimes and grumpy crying the next minute. I know this is normal with a toddler but it’s such a hard stage. It’s so hard when she only wants to be with me while I’m cooking or cleaning (which rarely happens these days to be honest), if I’m not holding her she’s crying at my feet with her arms in the air to be lifted up. I love that she has such a personality, but I could really do away with her grumpy times.

-wishing time away: I’ve also started doing something since I’ve been back at work, which I know lots of people do- wishing for the weekend. Monday arrives and I already dream about Saturday. But we are getting busy in the barn again on the weekend, need a babysitter for Hailey and before I know it the whole weekend has passed and I’ve hardly seen Hailey any more then I did during the week. So as I wish my life away, Hailey gets older, we get closer to the new baby and time flies by. I need to learn not to do this, but it’s so hard.

This is a photo free post because I don’t even have any photos I am half proud of to post in here.

To sum it up: work is alright, time is lacking and Hailey is growing older.

Filed Under: katelyn, life, personal, random

Life in Ottawa

March 5, 2011 By 3 Comments

Since I’ve gotten back from reading week I haven’t done much of anything in the way of schoolwork, but now that I’m realizing that I have a couple of papers due early next week, I’m buckling down and getting them done.  Reading week was amazing at home. I really just hung out with my family and played with Hailey and Casey, saw my friends a few times, and worked as a ski instructor almost every day.

I decided a couple of months ago that I’m going to go back to school for another semester.  It was a hard decision because I was planning on going home for the summer and not having to leave my family again or go back to school, but I kind of need to, so I’m getting more and more used to the idea every day.  One upside is that I’ll get to be on the cheerleading team for another semester, and go to another Nationals competition.

Also, my friend Amber recently moved to Halifax for an internship, and I’ve persuaded her to keep up with the blog that she started for a class, so go read it here!

Filed Under: life, ottawa, university

Ends, Goals & Accomplishments

February 18, 2011 By 2 Comments

Tim and I went on a date tonight. Going on dates is a very welcome change, in Calgary our ‘dates’ generally consisted of the grocery store and Canadian Tire – somehow we didn’t see each other much even though we lived together – but now that our schedules jive a bit better, we can spend more time together. However, adding a roommate in to the mix (we rent an awesome apartment with Tim’s best friend, Chubbs), we still don’t get much alone time to just hang out. Lately, Tim has taken on the habit of asking me out on official Dates, and it always makes me feel like a giddy little girl. Actually, I take that back. The first time he asked me I was convinced terrified he was going to propose, and I started the date off by saying “You know, this really ISN’T a good time to propose.” Let’s just say it wasn’t the greatest start to the date (to say the least). Now that I know they are innocent dates to spend time together, I am back to being a giddy little girl. He really is my best friend, I just love him.

I love our dates. I always promised myself that if I ever get to the point in a relationship where dates consist of silent dinners staring at the nearest television or ceiling tile, I would never go on dates with that partner ever again. Alas, we have a lot of fun on our dates, fun conversations, serious conversations, googly eyes, you get the point.

Tonight the conversation turned to my job situation (as it often does). I currently hold two jobs – one in retail and one as a bartender, but neither of them are in my desired field (aside: I have an interview next week! REJOICE!). Tim is one of my biggest cheerleaders, he encourages me and he pushes me. Tonight, he found out the difference between pushing me, and pushing me over the edge (cue tears). Tonight, we took the opportunity to set some goals for ourselves. There are times that I feel so left behind, that all of my older sisters and family and friends are all moving forward so quickly, but I am sitting so stagnant, torn between insane jealousy of their lives and relief at the low levels of responsibility in mine (Lauren: unmarried, childless sister solidarity unite. At least we can go out every Friday and Saturday night and not have to worry about babysitters or screaming babies during hangovers!). Tim recognized my frustration and pointed out that once I get a job, it will be the end of job searching. Once we finish paying off debts, it will be the end of debt (until a mortgage, obviously) et cetera, et cetera.

I hate that word, end. I told him I have had too many ends this past year, that I can’t take any more ends. However, beginnings isn’t a great word because beginnings aren’t always easy either. Goals doesn’t work because it’s overused, and often loses it’s meaning to me. Tim suggested that we set ‘accomplishments’ for ourselves, both individually and as a couple. I loved the idea of reaching an accomplishment. It gives me the connotation of a real pat on the back, of working hard towards something and really being able to reap the benefits. Tonight we set some very serious accomplishments for our lives, both in the immediate future and a long ways down the road. I’ve been feeling very ‘blagh’ about my life lately, but after talking to him, I feel more excited about my future. Once we have reached all of our accomplishments my life will be in a much different place, but a place that I am excited to be in.

(P.S. For all of you waiting with bated breath for an ‘annoucement’ from Tim and I – stop! Both fortunately and very unfortunately there will be no announcements anytime soon. This is mostly for Tim’s Dad, who is very, very excited about the prospects of weddings and grandchildren. Sorry, John!)

Filed Under: life, love

Winter Thoughts

January 10, 2011 By 4 Comments

Christmas and New Years just snuck up on me, and now that second semester is here, it feels like it should still be October, when school was just starting, Hailey was still under a year old, Mic was still pregnant, and winter hadn’t even started yet. It’s not that Hails and Casey growing up isn’t an awesomely cute thing, and that the new year starting isn’t a good thing, it’s just that I feel like I’m not ready for 2011 yet. For me, 2011 means growing up, and moving, and that when people ask what I want to do when I’m done school, I should have a legitimate answer. I feel like even now, when people ask me that and I have no answer they look at me like I’m crazy, but it’s true! I can’t help but get frustrated and closed up when people bring that question up, and it’s definitely what I dread most when meeting adults and at dinners with adults/people related to me, and believe me, it always comes up. Anyways, in true Lauren fashion, this post is filled with random thoughts that I’ve thought of during class this morning, and am filling my hour break with writing.
First off, here’s a song. I just downloaded it, and I fell in love with it the first time I heard it. Yes, the video is extremely boring, but it was either this or a blurry picture of Lee Brice playing the guitar. So here it is, Beautiful You, by Lee Brice.

I mentioned that I have an hour break today. Well, this semester I have a super weird schedule. Mondays I have four classes- 9:30-10:30, 11:30-2:25, 2:30-4:30, then 6:05-8:55, Tuesdays I have one class- 2:35-5:25, and then my next class isn’t until Thursday from 6:05-8:55. So I have a lot of free time if you’re not counting Mondays. This week was especially boring. I know I could take all this time and be studying and doing my labs and such, but because of Scotiabank’s annoying holding cheques rule (more on that later), I couldn’t buy my textbooks yet, so spent most of my time reading my syllabus for each class, watching movies, creeping facebook, and hanging out with friends. The fact that my Thursday class was cancelled last week because my prof was sick didn’t help either. That would have given me a lot of statistics work to be confused over. So Scotiabank- their slogan is “You’re richer than you think”. I agree with that, because I have money in my account, but because they are holding my cheque and can’t buy textbooks or anything yet, so I think they’re taking that a bit too seriously. So right now I’m feeling poor and hungry, but tomorrow when they hand over the money (a week and a day after I deposited the cheque), I’ll finally be able to eat at school and buy my textbooks.
I was at my friends house a couple of nights ago watching a Sex and The City marathon on COSMO, and we realized something. Life is not at ALL like Sex and The City. Well, I guess we knew that already, but we really started talking about it during 2 episodes. In the first one, Samantha got picked up by a guy walking by her on the sidewalk. In the next one, she got picked up sitting alone at a bar. Of course the whole “that would never happen to me!” conversation commenced. Earlier in the week I was discussing this with another friend, who then challenged me to talk to as many guys as I could by the end of the week. Well, by the end of the week I had talked to 5 guys. 3 were on my cheerleading team, 1 was gay, and the last was my friends ex-boyfriend who stopped by to pick up their dog for a walk. I decided that I failed that challenge. It seems so easy for some people though. I have never had a boyfriend in my 21.5 years of life, but some of my friends have had 5-10 boyfriends, and gone on countless dates. A few, even a couple of days after they had broken up with their long term boyfriend. Personally, I just don’t get it, but maybe that’s just me.
Last thoughts: a blog and a picture from a new years party!
This adorable couple is expecting their first baby any day now! I love reading this blog and looking at the pictures. Enjoy!

Sorry about the red eye ladies, but you know that if I tried to fix it I would wreck the whole picture. The blonde, brunette and redhead best friends!

Lauren

Filed Under: friends, lauren, life, ottawa, personal

In the words of Kirsten Dunst circa 2000, Bring It On.

January 5, 2011 By 4 Comments

It’s no secret that 2010 was not the best year of my life. 2010 brought a major illness, a move across the country, unemployment and more tears than I could have ever imagined. On the other hand, 2010 brought an incredible amount of love and support from family and friends. Love and support that kept me going and made me realize that my life is filled with some seriously amazing people. 2010 also brought more love from Tim, a man who stepped up to the plate and so much more when things got tough.

My attitude towards 2011 is that it will be the best one yet. This year I am looking forward to so many great things – more babies to hug, a challenging new job (keep reading for more info on that!), some traveling, creating my space in Toronto, and planning for my future. I’m  not making any resolutions (although I always resolve to improve my posture), I just want to focus on keeping that positive attitude – to make 2011 my best year yet, and to live as much life as I can. In addition, I have my 25 before 25 list to work on in the next 11 months.

Let’s talk about the best Christmas present any fun-employed individual could ask for – a job offer. On the 23rd, I accepted a job offer with a growing not-for-profit in Toronto. Without going in to too much detail, my job will be quite similar to my position in Calgary, working with adults with severe and persistent mental health illnesses. The job gives me the opportunity to expand on aspects of my skills I wish to build upon, challenges some skills I have developed, and provides lots of opportunities for forward movement. After hanging up the phone to accept the offer, I did what any self-respecting adult would do – I cried and hugged my Mommy (who gives the best hugs).

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our readers and friends and family who have commented and called and hugged and supported me throughout my job search. In all honestly, I couldn’t have made it through the past six months the way I did without you. Special shout out to Tim, I honestly feel like words can’t express how amazing he is and how much love and support he has shown me over the past year (can you believe that we celebrated our five year anniversary last month?!). I’m excited as to what our move back to Toronto will bring for our relationship and our life together.

Filed Under: job stuff, leah, life, relationships

Happy New Year From the Fiveblondes

January 3, 2011 By 4 Comments

When the new year rolled around we were a bit too excited about all the new babies arriving and pregnancies being announced to wish you all a happy new year!
2010 was a great year, and we’re all REALLY looking forward to 2011! All of our New Years Eve’s were spent with family and friends, and the morning after, Kent and Micaela left Casey with Kent’s parents for the first time, and Kent did the polar bear swim in balmy Toronto (Okay, by balmy I mean above 0 degrees, which is warm for January 1 in Ontario). I offered up the pond behind our farm to anyone in the London area who wanted to do the swim, but surprisingly no one took me up on it.

To ring in the new year, Erica and D-dawg went to a party with some friends of theirs, Mic and Kent spent some deserved down time with their newest addition, Kate and Scott spent some time partying with Hailey celebrating her first new years, Leah and Tim went to a 70s themed dinner party at a cottage, and I went to a friends house for a party. New years day brought a lot of sleeping in, but also a big family dinner! Mic, Kent and Casey are in the process of moving from Toronto to London to their adorable and perfect new house, so on their way to sleep in it for the first night they stopped in by the farm for a family rib dinner. It was the first time in forever that all of us were in the same room at the same time, so we obviously took advantage of the picturetunity.

And of course a silly one of Leah and I, while Mom, Dad and Casey act like they are in a normal picture.

But Mom’s not always serious- she can’t afford to be with us as children!

As of now I am back in Ottawa for the beginning of my last semester of University! It is also my roommate Emily’s last semester of school before taking her nursing exam and getting out in the real world of nursing, so you can imagine how exciting it is around here. We had a quick ride back to school this afternoon with our cousin Brian-took us almost exactly 6 hours. We flew through Toronto, and had no slow downs, which never happens! I really hope that is a sign of what’s to come for our last semester! Classes start tomorrow-the 3rd-which is way too early in my books, but my break was relaxing enough that I am ready for school to start.

We were talking about new years resolutions on the ride home today. I usually don’t make one, but my roommate made one to take care of her face more- washing it, etc.
What are some resolutions that you’ve made?

Filed Under: life

Thursday Night Confessions

December 17, 2010 By 4 Comments

I don’t know what (who?) Monty Python is. When people make Monty Python jokes – something that seems to happen often – I just smile and nod, or just pretend I didn’t hear.

I cheat at crosswords by Googling the answers. It is less satisfying to complete them that way, but some of the clues I just don’t know – like old movies, song titles, etc.

I have the greatest boyfriend in the entire universe. Last night he asked me on a date, and we had such a nice time walking through the snow and talking. And he makes me Chai Tea lattes. And visits me at work. He should teach boyfriend classes.

I am a serious carnivore. My roommate is trying to get me and my boyfriend to eat less meat, but that is not flying in Tim-land. Last night, the roommate cooked thai made with tofu and Tim looked at the food like it was going to make him vomit. A meal isn’t a meal with out meat (we are clearly farmers).

I sadly quit one of my jobs. Two part-time jobs plus searching for a full-time job isn’t meshing. It’s too bad, but it’s a good thing in the end.

I had an interview last week, and it went great. My references are currently being checked and I will hopefully have some good news for you very soon …

What are your Thursday night confessions? Anything you want to let out?

Filed Under: leah, life
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