Currently

I've never done a currently post, but now seems like a good time to try it out. 

Currently....

Reading - The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith - It's fantastic although not really a quick read 

Writing - This blog post...

Listening - To Sing by Ed Sheeran, over and over again...

Thinking - That I'm excited to eat Pad Thai tonight for dinner, and that's the only thing that will get me through my day

Smelling - Whatever Axe Ryan just sprayed on himself.  It's fine once it's on but it makes my house stink!

Eating - Oatmeal with blueberries and maple syrup

Wearing - A housecoat.  I generally get dressed about 2 minutes before I have to leave for work!

Wondering - Why no matter how much I blow my nose it doesn't really seem like I've accomplished anything

Just because it's pretty....

My Day In Real Housewives Gifs

Ok so I'm a day late to the party.  But better late then never, right?

First of all, did you know that gif is apparently pronounced JIFF?  I just can't do it though, so I pronounce it as it's spelled, with a G.  Second of all, aren't they fun?  Every blog post is better with gifs.

So here was my day yesterday:

I've got a serious cold going on. Who gets a cold in July?  I didn't know that was a thing, but apparently it is.

  

And then I thought:

 

Because food can motivate me to do pretty much anything.

And all of today and yesterday I have basically felt like this every time I thought of something I had to do:

 

Unfortunately, I have responsibilities and so I just had to go to work today.  Blah humbug.

So then yesterday at about 2:30 I thought:

 So that's what I did.  And I have felt that way all day today as well, but they frown on me napping at my desk, so I have resisted the urge.

And all the while I'm a sniffling, coughing, sneezing, runny nosed mess.  And I'm complaining as if this is a man cold and not a common cold.  What has happened to me.  Moral of the story, colds:

My Favourite Blogs

Today for Blog Everyday in July (which has turned into blog when I want to blog) we are sharing our 3 favourite blogs!  This is a tough one because there are so many good blogs out there!  But at the same time I love talking about my favourites and giving them some well deserved recognition!

My absolute favourite blog that I read religiously is The Workout Mama. Tamara is, you guessed it, a mom and a personal trainer.  But if you don't have kidlets of your own, that doesn't matter.  She has tons of fitness tips for everyone!  She also runs these online bootcamps, which I have participated in twice and they are amazing!  She just had her second baby so her blog is full of family stuff and mommy tips too if you are interested in that.

I love Megan K Graham, previously known as Across the Pond.  She's kind of in transition since moving to the States, but I still always enjoy what she has to say.  Plus she typically has this way of keeping her words to a minimum while still keeping a lot of meaning in her posts.  (Aspiring Kennedy does this too, I strive to be able to write like these girls)

My favourites on Megan's blog is her conversations posts.  These are conversations between her and her Irish husband, usually based on cultural and language differences.  They are hilarious!

Ok and I thought long and hard about the third one and I'm not just choosing this because she is one of the host's of Blog Everyday in July, but I do believe that The Other Juliette is one of my favourite blogs!  Juliette keeps it light and I always find her posts funny and entertaining.  And some days, that's exactly what we all need!

 

Making a Diaper Cake

So as much as I want to be a crafty person, I'm really not.  Usually my DIY projects and Pinterest projects are fails.  So why I got it in my head that I should make a diaper cake for a work shower, where my diaper cake would be the centre of attention, I don't know. 

Luckily for me, and for the mama to be, it turned out pretty well.  And if I can do it, you can do it too!

What you need:
Diapers - I used a box of size 2 because I heard that some babies don't fit in newborn and size 1's for long.
Small elastic bands
A few large elastic bands
An empty paper towel roll
Double sided tape
Ribbon
Other decorations if wanted
A platter or cardboard for the bottom of the diaper cake

First things first, you need to roll those diapers.  I rolled them up so that the white side was out and the top of the diaper was in the middle.  This made them look more uniform.  Just roll and throw an elastic around each one.

Then I set my paper towel roll in the middle and started building the diapers around it.  Each time I completed a circle of diapers, I put an elastic band around the entire circle.  (You may find it easier to put the elastic band around the paper towel roll or the existing circle of diapers and then to insert new diapers into it, otherwise you might have diapers falling everywhere!)

 Do this 3 times on the bottom layer and then add 2 rounds on top of that, and one more round for the top layer.  I actually did 4 rounds on my bottom layer as I wanted a ledge to set additional gifts on.  But it's up to you.

 Then wrap ribbon around the middle of each layer to cover up the elastics.  Attach it with double sided tape.  Add other decorations as desired.  You can either use a platter to support the bottom or cut a piece of cardboard in a circle.

Another thing that I thought was a great idea was to use a bottle of wine for the centre instead of a paper towel roll for the new mom and dad to enjoy after the baby is born.  They will probably love you for it!

And voila! You have a diaper cake!  It wasn't too hard and everyone will be very impressed by it!  The entire thing probably cost me less than $40, but the diapers were about $30 and I still have leftover tape and ribbon for future projects.  (Get your supplies at Walmart if you aren't super concerned with the quality, much cheaper than a craft store like Michael's!)

Finishing My Sentences

The thing I like about these blog every day things, is that 

a) It gets me blogging.  Obviously.

b) It gives me ideas for how to let everyone know a bit more about me

c) Sometimes they are just fun

Today is c.  We were provided with some sentences and we are just supposed to finish them off.  Fun fun!

When I open the fridge, I always hope I find...cookie dough.

My favourite article of clothing is...Lululemon pants (I may mention this frequently)

Last week I was really pissed when...I spent a long time on something at work just to find out my file was corrupted and it wouldn't save.  Luckily it was Friday afternoon so I just went home.  I'll deal with it on Monday...

One thing nobody understands about me is...that I typically need my calculator to do math.  I'm actually better at math then most accountants, I know we're tricky...

One thing I don't understand is...Why Orange is the New Black is only on netflix.  I would like to watch it please.

The world would be a better place if...People weren't crazy.

If I had a million dollars I'd...Pay for my house and cars, and save a bunch.  Oh and probably go on a trip.

If I could change one thing about myself, it would be...I would be less introverted.  

Something that can always make me happy is...my bed.

If I could go anywhere I would go...to Brazil because...we really want to see Iguazu falls but it's so expensive!

If I were an animal I would be a....donkey.  They get fed by the farmers, everyone thinks their cute (or is that just me?), people don't generally ride them.  They're just there, living the dream.... (I was going to say penguin cause I love them, but a penguin lives a hard life!)

A job I've always wanted is...to be a teacher.

My idea of a perfect day is...Having nothing to do...Or playing Super Mario on NES like I did this weekend. I was so bad at it though.

Ok your turn. Finish one of these sentences in the comments.  You know you want to!

Friday Funnies

Today's task is to go to Pinterest and find some funny pins to share with everyone.  Finally a post that I don't have to think for, I just have to laugh!

This is so my house....

True Story....

Always need a good Ginger joke

I don't know what it was about this week, but TGIF.  One more work day and I'm done.  Ok let's do this Friday.

All images taken from my pinterest board.

Summer Faves

Today's prompt is favourite things to do in the summer.  Who doesn't love the summer!  Especially after the six month winter that we had.  Geesh.  

I love going to the cottage.  

I enjoy buying veggies at the local veggie stand.  Local + convenient = love

The Fry Shack.  Enough said.

Outdoor activities such as hiking and biking.  Not as much fun when there's snow on the ground!

Ice Cream.  But then ice cream is good all year round....and I really try to be good and not eat too much of it.

But then there's just baked goods in general.  I mean summer is full of cottage time and get togethers and there are always lots of baked goods around.  And it would be rude to not eat them....

Smore Cookie Recipe

Oh and being lazy and that being ok.  In the summer I'm allowed to sit around and read as long as I'm doing it outside.  Or just stand around and watch the dog run circles around the yard.  That's good too.

I Think I'm Alone Now...

Today's prompt is "Things you do when you're alone"  I guess we're supposed to share all of our secrets.  I don't really think I do weird things when I'm alone, but I guess I'll give it a try!

I definitely talk to my cat when I'm alone.  But I do that when people are around too.  I'm pretty sure she understands me...

I love to make whatever dinner I want and watch reality TV when Ryan leaves me home alone.  I typically play 2048 on my phone as well because I'm addicted.

I'll probably put on my pajamas early.  Because why not?

And I may or may not go to bed early as well.  Unfortunately Ryan always figures it out when he gets home at 10 and I'm already dead to the world.

Boring I know.  I really don't do embarrassing things when I'm alone.  I would probably do most of those things if Ryan was home too...

Things That Make Me Smile

It's Monday, so we need to think of things that make us smile!  

• Coffee in the morning
• Puppies and kittens

• Sunshine
• Reading a good book (right now its The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith aka J.K. Rowling)

{via pinterest}

• Food.  Food always makes me smile.
• A good glass of wine
• The cottage

• Oh and one of my best friends having a baby yesterday.  That really makes me smile.  And cry a little bit.  We're growing up so fast.

Independence Day

Since so many American's were good sports and took part in the Canada Day posts, I think I should probably take part in the Independence Day post.

Some things I like about our neighbours to the South:

• It's pretty easy for us to travel to the states, which makes for the potential for some easy vacations (for example Florida and Myrtle Beach are 2 of my faves)
• Stuff is cheaper down there.  Ridiculously cheaper!  We can't help but go shopping in Buffalo at least once a year to take advantage of all of the deals
• To go with that last one, your Walmart is way better than ours
• New York City - possibly my favourite place in the world is in America 

 

Some things that I don't get:

• Why can't Canadians participate in Survivor or Big Brother?  Luckily we now have Big Brother Canada but this always really bothered me
• Why is your money so boring?  It all looks the same!  I hate when I'm shopping in the states and I have to dig through all of my cash trying to find the right denominations.  And the dollar bills.  They trick me into thinking I have more money than I do.  I need some loonies!
• Why are there so many guns?  I don't like it 

Happy 4th of July!

Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

Ok so that title is something that Jillian Michaels said in regards to fitness, which is really not what today is about.  But I guess we can apply it the same way.  Today we are talking about how we are doing with getting out of our comfort zone in 2014.  This is kind of an interesting prompt because I actually discussed this back in May.

So where am I at?  It's a work in progress.  But isn't that to be expected?

Going beyond your comfort zone is super hard.  But I think I'm doing ok with it.  In my new role as a supervisor I'm trying to get used to saying things that need to be said, doing things that need to be done and having tough conversations.  I'm not sure that it's ever something that will come easy to me. 

In a recent training seminar that I had, the instructor said that one of the most important qualities for supervisors to have is courage.  You will never truly enjoy giving negative feedback or having difficult conversations, but you will succeed as long as you have the courage to start those tough conversations.  So I guess that's what I'm working on.  My courage.  Even though most of the time I feel like this guy...