• Trusting My Gut and Making New Friends

    24/03/2018 - By 

    The room was full of unfamiliar faces and small groups of chatting coworkers. It was an introvert’s nightmare. I longed for a glass of wine in my hand, but I had given up drinking for the year so I was on my own, so to speak. My husband and I were at his company Christmas party. I longed for a seat at a table where I could feign interest in the centerpieces and water glass. Thankfully, Josh could sense my anxiety and quickly suggested a seat at a table where he recognized a few people. The people at our table…

  • Gluten-Free Eating: How and Where to Shop

    20/03/2018 - By 

    I have been eating gluten-free for a few years now. I am by no means an expert, but I do feel that I have some tricks and tips up my sleeve and love to share, so here we go! First, a little background. Why am I gluten-free? A few years ago, I suffered an extremely harsh bout of food poisoning, which ruined my gut villi and lining, making me extremely sensitive to gluten. I react to gluten like a Celiac, so I avoid it all even though my diagnosis came back as “extreme gluten intolerance”.  Looking back on my medical…

  • Organizing what you love makes a house a home.

    The Confusion Surrounding Minimalism: Why I’m a #hyggeminimalist.

    08/03/2018 - By 

    When you think of minimalism, do you immediately think of empty show home-type rooms? Or clinical white walls? That is what I thought, too!! There is a misconception that you can’t own anything extra and call yourself a minimalist. That you can’t own collections, your room can’t be comfortable, and you can’t have anything on your shelves. Arrange mindfully. Let each piece have room to breathe and shine. Create a shelf where the mind is calm but the eye lingers on each part separately and lovingly. THAT’S NOT IT AT ALL. Hygge and minimalism don’t have to be mutually exclusive.…

  • How I Stay Motivated To Workout.

    06/03/2018 - By 

    What motivates me to workout is not what you think. Yeah, I want more energy and I want to look good in clothing…but those two things don’t keep me motivated long-term. They should. But they don’t. If I rely on that, well, I find myself on the couch, eating gluten-free snacks and crocheting instead of going downstairs to lift weights or ride the exercise bike! I also don’t feel inspired by all of the young, fit, twenty-year-old role models flooding IG, since some of their bodies seem perpetually out of reach for me. The biggest motivator for me is seeing…

  • Sleep Stories

    03/03/2018 - By 

    I have never been the best sleeper. I think it is because I get anxious at night- I always have. This cartoon explains it perfectly:   Usually those thoughts crop up when I am in that hazy place between asleep and fully awake, which means that as I am about to drift off or just as I am about to wake up, I go to a very unhealthy place, emotionally. And if life is good? (Which it usually is now). My mind will make something up or think of something from years ago! Did I chew my food too loudly…

  • Timeless French New Wave Fashion

    01/03/2018 - By 

    In which I buy myself a new look and discover it is French New Wave style…. The other day, I went through my closet and saw that I had a lot of clothing that I thought I “should” be wearing at my age, as a mom, rather than what I want to be wearing. I ruthlessly cut out what I didn’t wear or want to wear anymore. All of that went into donation bags. I embraced the fact that I love to layer and need a lot of long sleeves to keep me warm when I get a chill. I kept…

  • Surviving the Introvert Hangover.

    27/02/2018 - By 

    I feel a little jangly today. My stomach feels off, probably from all the sugar in the apple crisp last night (worth it!), or maybe all the socializing, and my muscles are sore from working out. We had a busy weekend and now I feel “hungover” of sorts. I get like this after a big weekend. (#introvertproblems) Except for my workout classes of cardio ballet at Ballet Barre Works, I will probably hibernate from other social obligations this week. I will focus on housework things that I have been ignoring, like changing sheets and finishing laundry. I will pet my…

  • Fastest DIY Harry Potter Inspired Chore Chart. Plus a Chore List Freebie!

    13/02/2018 - By 

    *Note: Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts characters, names and related indicia are trademarks of and © Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. Harry Potter, Fantastic Beasts and Pottermore Publishing and Stage Theatrical Rights © J.K. Rowling. All Rights Reserved. The use of Harry Potter here is for entertainment only and not for sale or profit.* I have turned my entire family into Harry Potter fans. Josh took some convincing, since most widely popular teen novels aren’t something he would be interested in, but he finally read the novels and was won over. Isabella read them and is a new fan- I would…

  • Memories of Getting the Mail With My Mom.

    08/02/2018 - By 

    We are under a winter snow warning! This has been the snowiest winter I’ve seen in Calgary since I moved here in 2007. A lot of the snow has gathered on our trees and mailboxes, as you can see here, in the blue early morning light:     A lot of people hate that we don’t have door-to-door delivery anymore and have these central boxes instead, but I like it. It’s not waiting at your door for a person to steal but is carefully locked away. It is fun to walk to the box in anticipation and unlock it to…

  • Organizing what you love makes a house a home.

    Organizing Collections and Letting Ideas Flow.

    06/02/2018 - By 

    I am supposed to be working. I am supposed to be writing some articles to submit, paying my bills and doing my online course. But I can’t settle into it because my bookshelf is untidy. Also, I see a dust bunny on my floor, and my cabinet is too crowded. I’m having one of those scattered days where every little piece of dirt is a distraction. When my house becomes messy, I literally CANNOT focus on work. I see all of these crowded creative spaces online where they say the “method is in the madness”- you know the ones, paint…