• Gut Health Help: Article Roundup.

    12/04/2017 - By 

    I have massive problems with my gut health and I have had them since suffering severe food poisoning two years ago. Since that day, my gut has turned into an unhappy monster. I now have a severe intolerance to gluten (although my doctor says she suspects that I have always had a sensitivity to it) and I am adverse to a bunch of other foods (including sweet potatoes! *tear*). What happened? I was out with my mother-in-law and Grammy-in-law a couple of years ago for my husband’s bday dinner. The restaurant we were thinking of was takeout only. Since it…

  • Lashes by Loud Lash

    Lash Extensions at Loud Lash (Or, Why Did I Wait to Get These?)

    07/04/2017 - By 

    I LOVE discovering local businesses. People doing it for themselves rather than chain stores makes me so happy! I think part of that is growing up with my family owning a business and the trials I saw us go through. I want every small business that is worthy of attention to succeed. And I found another worthy business. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was about to go on the Sweat Alberta Retreat.  Since it would be a weekend of sweating and working out, I didn’t really want to mess with mascara every morning. Also, most mascara causes…

  • Find your Girl Gang. Photo Credit: Jenna Matthews

    Halfway to Banff….

    29/03/2017 - By 

    We are halfway through the week and it is almost time for me to go on my girl getaway! I am going to something called the Sweat Alberta Retreat with girls from my fitness group! If you are new here, I should backtrack. A year or two ago now, I bought a fitness program online that you can print out and do at home. It is called “BBG: Bikini Body Guide” by Kayla Itsines. It has an enormous Instagram following and that was a big draw for me because I love IG! I figured it would keep me motivated seeing…

  • I Am Very Busy….

    06/03/2017 - By 

    I forgot how fun crafting is!! All of those little steps that most people find SO tedious, I find calming and spark my creativity. Cutting carefully around tiny inside corners is my happy place. I understand it isn’t for everyone but I love it. So today I was very busy…. Today, so much is done by computers and at desks. I wanted to feel soft felt and glue and paint in my hands. I wanted to create something that people could grab and hold that was soft and wonderful. Coming soon to my shop will be something you can use…

  • Sometimes all you need to lift your mood is some pretty soap and a hot shower.

    Depressed? Internet Mood-Boosters!

    15/02/2017 - By 

    Yesterday was Valentine’s Day and I spent part of the day doing some self-love rituals. A package came for me the day before (perfect timing!) of some bath products I was being gifted, so I decided to have a long hot shower and use the bar soap. (I promise to put a full review later of every product, even though she didn’t ask me to, but I did use the soap yesterday and it was divine! It was also the prettiest soap I have ever used in my entire life.) I did my workouts for the day. Afterward, I used…

  • Five of the Easiest Ways To Get a Handle On Your Finances.

    25/01/2017 - By 

    The other day, Josh and I sat down and made the beginnings of some very big decisions. Actually, a long time ago we did that. We made some very vague goals for our future a few years ago, did a couple of quick meetings with advisors (who gave us some vague advice) and patted ourselves on the back. We are great at being adults, we thought. We, of course, followed through on nothing and a few months later felt stuck-again. Like hamsters in a wheel, I tells ya. So we made some more decisions and some promises to each other.…

  • Hey, Canada! Shop Locally this Christmas.

    05/12/2016 - By 

    We all have a couple people on our Christmas list that are hard to shop for. Whether it be the man in your life that doesn’t want anything, the grandma that already owns everything or the secret Santa person you pulled out of the hat at work (but barely know), there is always someone hard to shop for. On my list, it is usually my husband. He is a man that wants for nothing and has everything he needs. If I have to buy him one more tie because I’m at a loss, I’ll scream. So, instead of shopping on…

  • Rescue a Feline Life This Christmas.

    02/12/2016 - By 

    People I befriend instantly hear about one of two things: my kids or my cats. Thorin was a rescue cat that chose us at the MEOW Foundation. We originally (okay, it was all me) had the idea in mind to adopt an all-black cat. Unfortunately, all of the black cats HATED me. Hissed at me and went right to Josh for petting. Urgh. So we went downstairs and this odd-looking (to us, initially) orange and white spotted cat approached us. He won us over when he let both Josh and I pet him and the kids play with him.  He…

  • Discovering Green Butterfly Co.

    30/11/2016 - By 

    I am going to continue my Discovering YYC series this month to help all of you fellow Calgarians and Canadians to shop more locally this holiday season. These are all businesses I have come across that have impressed me. I am continually awed by the talent of young entrepreneurs in our growing city. So much talent right in my backyard, so to speak, and I get really excited to do these features. Next we have a company that I also met at the Hallow’s Eve event in October. I was blown away by the passion and knowledge with which she…

  • Discovering Alchemy Soaps

    14/11/2016 - By 

    A couple of weeks back I attended a Harry Potter event in Calgary, “Hallow’s Eve in the Village”, in East Village here in Calgary, AB. Although the event was kind of a bust overall, with nothing really for decorations and very little entertainment to the shivering people with a pass to get in early (I wish they had theater kids come dressed as Harry Potter characters and entertain us in character or some stage props to set the scene), it wasn’t a total loss as I was able to meet some very talented vendors. A couple of them stuck out…