Planning a Bridal Shower

Some days, as I'm scrolling through Pinterest, I get a little sad that it wasn't around when I was planning my wedding. However, now that I'm planning a wedding shower for my sister-in-law to-be  I get to take full advantage of the wonder that is Pinterest.

Tracey's shower won't be until May, but I've got so many great ideas already! Here are just a few of the things (I think) I've decided on...

Burlap & Lace "Bride-to-Be" Sash | I haven't decided if I'll order this adorable one from Etsy or if I'll try to make my own, but this sash is absolutely perfect from Tracey. She's a country girl at heart so we'll be going with a rustic theme, and our bridesmaid dresses are a pretty plum colour.

Burlap & Lace Invitations | I love these invitations! I love the colours, the fonts, the style, EVERYTHING. As soon as we nail down all the time/date details I will be ordering these. I just can't get over how perfect they are.

Burlap Countdown | I thought this was just really cute. I'm looking forward to making some of the small, personal details that Tracey will love. I'll probably make a similar "sign the guest book" sign, but I haven't figured out what kind of guestbook to go with yet.

Picture Garland | I think this idea is really sweet. I've already asked the groom-to-be to start gathering up as many photos as he can. I'd really like Tracey to be surprised when she's sees the pictures on it. It looks so simple to make too.

I've got so many more ideas floating around in my head, I can't wait to put it all together. Have you planned any showers or parties recently? Any tips or things I need to make sure I remember?

Currently; January 2015

Trying out a new link-up this month. I'm linking up with Jenna and Anne to share what I'm currently up to. 

 

Planning
I've just started planning my sister-in-law to-be's bridal shower. The shower isn't until May but I want to get a head start on things because life has a funny way of getting crazy when you least expect it. J and I are also planning our vacation to Washington, DC. It's still a ways off, but we love checking out all the different things we'll be able to do while we're there.

Hoping
We get a bit of snow overnight tonight and tomorrow night. J's little brother is home from university in Florida and they're going skiing on Saturday. There's not much real snow down and I know they'll have a better time if it's not all "fake" snow. (I'm also hoping that after this weekend we don't get any more snow for the rest of the winter. I hate driving when the weather is gross.)

Baking
I did a lot of baking over the holidays so I'm focusing on cooking actually meals right now. I'm hoping to bake some healthy muffins (like these) soon though.

Wearing
My day off "uniform" of a sweater and jeans. Super boring.

Resolving
To keep my goals I set for this year. (You can check them out here.) I'm doing pretty well with a couple and horribly at a couple others.

What's going on with you?

Meal Planning Success

I'm feeling kind of proud of myself today. Last week I sat down and planned out all of our suppers for the week. Some new recipes and some old recipes but a real, home-cooked supper for every night. So now it's Thursday and I'm excited to announce that I've actually stuck to the plan! (And I know, so far that's only 4 out of 6 days but for me that's a record.)

On Sunday afternoon I made this Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Stew from the Scrumptious Pumpkin. We had it Monday for supper and then Tuesday and Wednesday for lunch. Usually I avoid slow cooker meals that have multiple steps (I like the ones where you chuck everything in and then forget about it) but I'm glad I tried this one out anyways. I also usually avoid anything with cooked celery (or leave it out) but I'm trying to eat more vegetables so I made it with the celery. It wasn't thick and creamy like you'd expect from something with "pot pie" in the title but it was still enjoyable. Next time I think I'd use chicken broth instead of vegetable broth, but I definitely do plan on making it again.

Supper Tuesday and Wednesday night both came from Ali at Gimme Some Oven. I find her recipes are really easy to follow. I'm still very much a novice, but I'm trying to get more comfortable cooking. Tuesday night we had the 12-minute Chicken & Brocoli. Even though this was my second time making this dish it still took me longer than 12 minutes. Supper was still on the table in under 20 minutes though, so it was perfect for a Tuesday night since I don't get home from work until after 6:30. On Wednesday night I stepped out of my comfort zone (and dragged J out of his) by making Ginger Beef, Mushroom and Kale Stir-Fry. I am not a lover of mushrooms. At all. But this recipe called for shiitake mushrooms and baby portobello mushrooms. So I bought them. And used them. And ate them. And didn't hate them. And then there was the kale. I really feel like I should eat kale. So every so often I throw it in something, hoping it will grow on me. It still hasn't. (But that doesn't mean you shouldn't try this recipe.)

As I'm sitting here typing this tonight's supper is cooking away in the slow cooker. We're having Slow Cooker Cream Ranch Pork Chops & Potatoes from Six Sisters' Stuff. This is one of the few meals that I've made a number of times. It's one of those slow cooker recipes that I love, you throw everything in the slow cooker and in 4 hours (or 6 depending on what setting you're using) you have an amazing meal. J is very much a meat-and-potatoes kind of guy so this is something he really enjoys. I think it's tasty too, but my favourite part is definitely how easy it is.

Do you plan your meals in advance? What do you find helps you stick to the plan?

More (My 2015 Resolutions)

This year I am going to keep all of my New Year's resolutions.

Okay, so maybe that's a tad bit unrealistic.

But I am going to share them here. And I am going to post updates periodically. And I am going to do my best to do as many of them as possible.

And, because I couldn't figure out how to organize them, here they are in alphabetical order.

Blog more.
Considering I haven't blogged in five months, I figure this one should be easy. We'll see though! I just need to remember that this is my space, and my blog isn't going to be the same as anyone else's.

Cook more.
We eat out way too often. And we eat way too many frozen pizzas and other prepared, packaged foods. This year I want to cook whole-some, healthy meals. (And some not so healthy meals too.) Instead of just spending all my time pinning delicious looking recipes on Pinterest I want to actually take them time to make some of those delicious looking recipes.

Do more.
I love reading, and I love snuggling with J and Daisy on the couch watching TV, but I don't want that to be all we do. I want to try new things and go new places. I want to learn to crochet and I want to go see concerts and I want to go for walks at the park.

Move more.
I need to get off my butt. I want to not be winded walking up a flight of stairs. I want to take Daisy for a run, not have to hold her back when she wants to go faster. I want to feel better in my clothes and in my skin.

Pray more.
I'm really great and praying to ask God for things, but I forget to say thank you and to praise Him even when things aren't going exactly the way I want them too. I need to start spending more time in the Word too.

Wife more.
Okay, so that's not really a thing. But I want to be a better wife to my husband. I want to do more things with him and for him. I want our time together to be quality time, and I want to do the things that he likes to do. I want to put down my phone and talk to him more often. And it's sad that I have to make that a resolution. But I do, and it's one of the most important resolutions on this list.

Happy New Year!

Return of the Blogger (And an Introduction)

My desire to return to blogging was prompted by a couple different things. One was a Christmas present from an old friend. When it comes to my writing she's always been my biggest fan. (And she's one of the few people I know "in real life" who ever read this blog.) She gave me a book of writing prompts for Christmas, for when writer's block hits. She lives in South Korea currently but I was lucky enough to get to spend the day with her and her son on Friday. We talked about blogging a little bit, and while I still think she should start her own blog, the discussion made me realize I miss this.

A Thirty-One Day Blog Challenge graphic popped up in my news feed on Pinterest recently as well and it seemed like a good way to start getting back in to the habit of blogging. I'm a few days late, and I'm not sure I'll use all the prompts, but it's nice to have lots of options.

I am going to use the day 1 prompt today, even though it's already the fifth of January, and give you a quick introduction.

I'm Sara and I'm 32-years-old. I've been married for about five and half years to an amazing guy. (Jonathan, or J here.) We live just outside Halifax, Nova Scotia with our two furbabies. We have a beagle named Daisy and a beautiful cat named Sydney. They were both adopted from the SPCA and the expression "who rescued who?" is very fitting in my case. I work as a department manager at a grocery store. I'm in charge of the cashiers and customer service staff and I'm one of those rare breed of people who actually really enjoy what I do. (Not every day, but most of them.) I'm an avid reader, and my favourite way to spend my down time is curled up on the couch with a book or watching Netflix with my husband.

Five months later...

I'm coming back.

I know, I've said it before. But this time I mean it.

See you soon!

Book Review; Miss Fellingham's Rebellion

Miss Fellingham's Rebellion by Lynn Messina

Published: June 14, 2014

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me with this book to read and review.

Publisher Says...

Twenty-four-year-old Catherine Fellingham keeps a low profile—in society and in her family. A practical young woman, she leaves the spotlight to her beautiful younger sister and prefers quiet pursuits such as reading. But all that changes the moment she learns of her mother’s very excellent scheme to keep the family out of debtors’ prison. The scatter-brained Lady Fellingham has been selling commissions in the king’s army, and Catherine must shake off her indifference in order to save her family from a potentially ruinous scandal. Lady Arabella, her mother’s partner-in-crime, readily agrees to abandon the plan but only because she finds a more absorbing project: nabbing a husband for Catherine.

Catherine pays no head to her ladyship’s lavish claim that she’ll have her engaged by the end of the season, but that’s before she overhears Arabella instructing the handsome nonpareil, the Marquess of Deverill, to flirt outrageously with her and bring her into fashion. Mortified, Catherine resolves not to be taken in by the charming marquess's cruel game—and even implements a very excellent scheme of her own. This sensible young lady seems to have everything well in hand. Or is she about to learn that her heart is a great deal less practical than her head?

My thoughts...

I really enjoyed this novel. The characters were perfect in their imperfections and the storyline was cute and entertaining. If you're looking for a fun, well-written romance I would definitely suggest trying to get your hands on this one. I don't think you'll be disappointed!