OrganicTan Edmonton

This is a sponsored post however all opinions are my own.

When I was approached by Alitta from OrganicTan Edmonton to try a SunnaTan spray tan I was super skeptical. As a red head I am used to staying out of the sun and have grown to like my very fair skin. I really was scared to try a spray tan at first because I thought I’d look unnatural or at the worst like a carrot. Besides, I’ve never had a spray tan before, so I was certain I would pass on this opportunity.

But then I saw on Instagram Stories Alitta’s lovely personality and the spray tans she had done on other Edmonton gals. They looked fabulous! Every person she airbrushed with her magical formula looked even more beautiful, healthier, with the perfect color every single time. So I got my courage up and booked an appointment with her.

I’m so glad I did! From the moment we chatted on the phone, I started feeling at ease with Alitta. She is one of those women that is so much fun, you feel comfortable with instantly. And that’s always a great thing if you actually decide to “bare it all” as I did during a spray tan session. But we’ll get to that later. ;-D

A couple weeks ago I visited Alitta at OrganicTan Edmonton located at Lipstick Empire, a local laser spa that also offers other services including micro-needling, eyelash lift and tint, facials, microblading – the list goes on! And I must mention it’s also a beautiful place to hang out. I mean look at the decor:

So onto my experience. At first Alitta told me why OrganicTan came to be. Established in 2011 in Calgary, Canada SunnaTan was born from a desire to provide a safe alternative to harmful UV tanning, and to prevent the permanent and irreversible damage it has on skin. Because it’s based here in Alberta, the tanning colours are lighter and meant for us naturally pasty winter women who have no sun for eight months of the year unlike our Californian counterparts who are blessed with year round sunshine. An OrganicTan is also hypoallergenic, paraben-free and alcohol- free, has no chemical ingredients, and is packed full of organic skin nourishing ingredients including sunflower oil, bark extract, gotu kola, echinacea and green tea.

Then Alitta assessed my skin and decided to go with medium-light so we could start subtle and work towards darker later on down the road if need be. She also mentioned the tan should last for 7-10 days, I leave it on my skin for 24 hours, then I rinse off in my shower and I’m my new “golden self”. Then I asked her the most important question – “Do I get nekkid for this?” She said it’s entirely up to me, but she explained I might want to leave my underwear bottoms on to so there will be a tan line to show the difference in colour. I thought that was a great idea! So in the end I went topless and was so glad I did as it was nice to not have bra strap tan lines when I wore an off-shoulder sweater to an event later on.

Now for the tanning part. Alitta does the spraying via airbrush so the tan is applied evenly – no automation here! Now I am super scent sensitve with an ultra powerful nose so I could slightly smell the tan as it was being applied. I wanted to eat it because to me it smelled a bit like coconuts – soooooooooo goooooooood! And it felt invigorating.

So here’s my before and after:

Unfortunately the lighting in the tanning room made it difficult to really show how perfect my tan is. After the 24 hours was up and I washed the excess bronzer off it looked lighter and so perfect! And the great news is my tan looked awesome for the whole 10 days! This is one happy gal right here. 

So do yourself a favour and check out Alitta at OrganicTan Edmonton. You can also follow her on Facebook, and Instagram.

This is a sponsored post however all opinions are my own.

My Ten Favourite Pins I've Pinned On Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest? What a coincidence – so am I! I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my favourite recent pins I’ve pinned and a write up on each. If you want to pin the original pin to your collections, then just click on the pic and it will take you to it on Pinterest. So, without further adieu…

One of the things that both Tim and I share is our love of the autumn season. The colours are beyond fantastic and are inspiring! Unfortunately the fall season is too short here in Edmonton but I always seem to find wonderful pictures of places that I hope one day to visit in September or October when the colours seem to be at their peak.

My first PinPic therefore is this wonderful lakeside scene. I can just imagine chilling out with a blueberry tea, warm sweater and loads of relaxation time. Just looking at this picture calms me down and puts me in a cheery mood. Ahhhh….serenity now!

I also know that the fall season also gets me more in touch with my spirituality. Seeing all the glorious colours reminds me of God’s splendour. For those of you who follow me on a regular basis, you`ll know that I`m a big fan of essential oils. Here is an oil blend that will help you tune in to your spiritual side….perfect for getting you into the mood for “all that is fall”.

Now here is a dog that is simply in the moment. Taking in the sun, enjoying the pool and happy to be alive. We can all learn something from dogs! While this isn’t Zeke, I love this photo because I’ve seen Zeke be this Zen like. Huuuuummmm.

Pinterest is great for finding recipes and I was looking for a great bunch of munchies for my upcoming birthday party. This should fit the bill nicely!

Last year I saw these cute ornaments at a craft sale and thought, I should make my own! This tutorial should have me making these cute reindeer ornaments in no time!

I have always loved peacocks so I made a special board on my Pinterest for all things peacock. Isn’t this photo beautiful?

This shirt totally makes me laugh. Maybe If I wear it, it would cheer me up so much that I could actually become a morning person. Naaaaaaah.

I am currently in the process of decluttering, and organizing our home. I have created a great organizing board on Pinterest to help me on my daunting quest for house organization. Not as difficult as world domination but close.

Scarves intimidate me. I guess it’s because I only had two ways of tying them. Twelve different ways might make me feel just a bit more scarf savvy. 

Another diffuser blend? Why yes, because I want my house to eventually go from smelling like fall to smelling like Christmas. And this looks like a good one!

So, these are a few of my favourite pins! What have you pinned lately that you’ve found Pinteresting? Let me know in the comments below!

My Goals For November

Is anyone in shock as I am that it’s now November?!?! I don’t think I’m the only one. At least I hope not. As it is getting closer to the end of another year, I thought I would share my monthly goals each month with you until the end of the year. 

So every New Year I create a vision board with all my goals for the year on it. I haven’t looked at this board for some time now so I thought I would take it out and see if there’s anything I would like to add to my list for this month. After checking it out and coming up with a few new goals, here’s my list of goals for the month of November:

1. Get every product up on our new business website The Rear Gunner Clothing Company.

2. Make a monthly schedule for blogging and get ahead with my posts.

3. Start walking on the treadmill three times a week.

4. Finish organizing and cleaning my house.

5. Get my first spray tan ever.

6. Get my hair cut.

7. Clean the garage so we can fit an actual car in there.

8. Plan out my Instagram photos.

9. Do a bunch of OOTW shoots so I don’t have to do them when it’s freezing out.

10. Go to bed by 10:00pm every night and be asleep by 11:00pm.

So there’s my list! What are your goals for this month? Please let me know in the comments below! Now goal get them! 😉

How To Kill It On Instagram

I get asked a few times a month why I have so many followers on Instagram. I thought it’s time to create a post so I can just send a link when someone asks as it’s a lot to keep typing out.

So here’s what has worked for me. Hope you can find things off this list that will work for you.

1. Find People Who Genuinely Interest You And Follow Them.

To me Instagram is the most fickle form of social media. But I have been blessed to find people who I love their style and their personality. When someone takes the time to comment on more than one of my photos with well thought out comments, I will comment back and follow them. Comments like “Pretty!” or random emojis are lame and not worth a follow back. Often the people I follow will follow me back and a comment relationship and possible friendship begins. It’s a beautiful thing!

2. Create Awesome Content.

I find it sad that I have to say this, but post great content. There are plenty of articles on the Internet to read about how to create a great Instagram page. I have read many of them and it has truly helped me.

3. Be Consistent With Your Posting.

It drives me nuts when someone I follow doesn’t post for a few days then bombards my feed with three or more posts in a row. The bottom line is set a posting schedule for yourself and be realistic. I only post once in 24 hours because that’s all I have time for. If you can realistically do more than that, then go ahead. Just be consistent.

4. Run Great Giveaways.

I have gained many followers by running giveaways pretty much every three weeks. I run these giveaways by myself or I team up with one other company. I don’t like loop giveaways and probably will never do one. I think they are too time consuming for my followers and due to the high volume of entries a chance of winning are extremely low. I don’t enter them either.

5. Get Yourself A Blog.

I have been blogging off and on since 2013. Many of my followers read my blog and then decide to follow me on Instagram. The most successful Instagram accounts I have seen almost always have a blog or website attached to them. I view Instagram as an added benefit to my blog and not a stand alone business. Not everyone wants to just look at pretty photos because they want to know you and see content. Many people want an actual article to go with those photos. And no, writing a long dialogue to post with your Instagram photo doesn’t work. Most people don’t read the write-ups that accompany Instagram photos. Instagram is not the forum for blog posts. Get an actual blog.

I hope these suggestions help you to become the Instagram superstar you want to be. Did I miss something? Have a comment or question? Feel free to comment below.

Off To The Races - The Canadian Derby

This is a sponsored post.

It’s the biggest event in Western Canadian racing—the thrilling afternoon where the past and present collide and the sport of kings gets the full attention it deserves. It’s a day of glamour and action, filled with history and tradition. It’s the Canadian Derby and this is how it began.

Robert James Speer was an Ontario-born racing fan who moved to Manitoba in 1900 when he was 18. Over the subsequent decades he built several racetracks across Western Canada, including Winnipeg’s Polo Park, which opened in 1925. Five years later, Polo Park inaugurated the Manitoba Stakes—an annual race limited to Manitoba-bred horses. Six years later, the race was renamed the Manitoba Derby and opened up to all three year-old Canadian thoroughbreds.

It stayed that way for another five years before finally officially becoming the Canadian Derby. From 1941 to 1956, the race drew the top competitors from across the country to Winnipeg, including legendary Canadian racehorses Budpath (who won in 1941) and Chain Reaction (who won in 1953).

Following the closing of Polo Park, the Canadian Derby moved to Edmonton’s Northlands Park, where it has been run annually for nearly six decades, growing in importance and prestige throughout the years.

Now when I was invited to take part in the 88th running of the Canadian Derby this Saturday August 19th, I literally squealed with delight. Watching gorgeous horses race. Check. Eating awesome food. Check. Drinking alcoholic beverages. Check. Getting my husband to dress up. Check. Having a date during the *gasp* day. Check. Wearing a pretty dress. Check. Wearing an awesome hat. Check. Which nicely segues into the rest of this post. Yep I made a hat for the occasion.

First I went to Value Village’s 50% off sale and bought a dress and hat. Then I took the belt off my dress to the Michael’s and the Dollartree and got some flowers and assorted things that matched. I ended up not using the feathers shown in the photo below. Then I got a pair of scissors, a glue gun, and some wire together.

Next I glued all the butterflies to the stems so they wouldn’t fall off. 

Then I cut all the flowers off the bouquets and glued them to their bases.

Then I secured the butterfly cluster by bending the wire and feeding it though the hat band. I then tied it with the wire and attached it with the wore to my hat. Then I glued the hat band to the hat.

Then I just started in the middle where I secured the butterflies and worked outwards on each side gluing flowers and leaves to the hat. To keep them from falling off, I glued various petals to the hat.

And that’s it. I’m derby ready!

I suck at crafting so if I can do this so can you! To see my full outfit, head to the races Saturday! Grab your tickets here.

So, would you try this? Let me know in the comments below.

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are my own.

 

My Music Playlist For Summer 2017

Anyone remember mixed tapes? Anyone??? I sure do.

Summer you have are going by so fast you should get a speeding ticket! These past few weeks there has been so much going on. Tim (husband) and I are getting our clothing business off the ground, all three of us had the stomach flu, we’re planning our holiday to Comox, British Columbia, a good friend of ours passed away, James (toddler) hit my neck out of alignment, until yesterday the weather has been rainy and cold, and I feel frazzled because I just need three hours alone to chill the heck out. Thanks for reading this because I now feel better getting everything off my chest.

*End Of My Pissmoaning*

Anyhow, I love music. It has helped me stay somewhat sane over these past weeks. I am not the biggest fan of current music so you will notice there are songs on this list from the 1970’s up until last year. So here are some the songs I am crushing on for the summer of 2017:

Don’t Dream It’s Over – Crowded House

More – Usher

Bad Blood – Neil Sedaka

Everybody Talks – Neon Trees

Hallelujah – Jeff Buckley

Uptown Funk – Bruno Mars

Things Can Only Get Better – Howard Jones

Too Much Time On My Hands – Styx

Dream Come True – Frozen Ghost

Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N Roses

Pompeii – Bastille

Already Gone – Eagles

Tears In Heaven – Eric Clapton

Pressure – Billy Joel

Let Your Backbone Slide – Maestro Fresh Wes

Angels – Robbie Williams

One Night In Bangkok – Murray Head

Panama – Van Halen

Knights In White Satin – The Moody Blues

All Fired Up – Pat Benatar

Happy – Pharrel Williams

You Should Be Dancing – The Bee Gees

Fire And Rain – James Taylor

Got For A Soda – Kim Mitchell

Goody Two Shoes – Adam Ant

Fall At Your Feet – Crowded House

Looking Out For Number One – Honeymoon Suite

Sing – Ed Sheeran

Hope you enjoyed my playlist and maybe found one or two new songs you will like. What’s on your playlist for summer? Let me know in the comments below!

How I Practice Self-Care

It’s been a rough few weeks. A show where I sold my jewelry ended up not making as much as I hoped, finances in our household are tight, Tim’s health has been poor, James isn’t sleeping well – hence none of us are sleeping well, one of my friends lost her baby, we laid to rest Tim’s Mom, both Tim and I are not eating well, and I’m overwhelmed by the disarray in or house. There is probably more, but I think that all of this is enough to stress anyone out. 

So how am I keeping sane? SELF-CARE. And lots of it! The past Joelle would be totally losing her s**t right now because she never looked after herself. As a matter of fact she thought it was selfish to do so. Then she got really sick with postpartum anxiety after having James.

After a lot of psychotherapy and use the Discover cbd oils to undo that way of thinking occurred and here we are. Now I place self-care at the top of my list and you need to as well.

The whole saying is true, “You need to put your own oxygen mask on when the plane’s going down before you can help others.” or something like that. A dead person can’t help others. And a frazzled, stressed out, insane person can’t be a good wife, mom, friend, productive member of society etc. And don’t think for one second you are being selfish by doing so. You are actually being selfish by not doing so because eventually you will be so drained you will need to rely on someone else to help you, thus possibly draining their energy supply.

So first you need to look at why you believe self-care is selfish. Take some time to sit down and write out the reasons you think looking after your needs is wrong. Next examine each thought and ask yourself, “Is that really true?” Then write out how you’d feel if you were better rested, less stressed, more positive etc. What you’re writing out is actually how you’ll feel after practicing self-care. Finally, write out all the things that you can do for yourself like taking a bath, buy bath bombs on laweekly painting your nails, reading, watching Netflix, going for a walk, getting a massage, spending time with friends, meditating, going on a mini retreat, etc. 

Now for the best part. DO THE THINGS YOU LISTED FOR YOURSELF. At first I felt hella guilty when I quit working at a reasonable time and went to bed with *gasp* things unfinished. Or when Tim looked after James and I had a bath. Or asking for help when I needed it. I used to be too proud and thought I could be super woman. Enough of that nonsense! I’m a regular mortal, and so are you. Self-care is like learning anything new – the more you do it, the easier it gets. My guilty feelings used to be at a ten, but after doing this for a year they are now at a one or two. Sometimes they are not there at all.

Yes it pisses me off that it self-care seems to come a lot easier for most men without the guilt and most women have to work harder at taking me time. But at the end of the day it’s just another difference between the sexes. There’s really not much anyone can do about this and it doesn’t really bother me any more. But I do know that when I wasn’t taking time for myself, I sure got more angry at Tim for taking time for himself. Just sayin’.

What I have found in married life is creating a schedule with Tim has helped tremendously. I am one to get really edgy if I don’t get alone time or I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to work on my own projects. With a schedule, I now know when I get work time and when I get me time. Knowing this also helps me get through the not-so-fun parts of my day so later on I can get things done for myself or have some fun.

So in closing, I hope this post will help you on your journey to self-care. Did I miss anything important? Have something to say in general? Please let me know in the comments below. And happy you time!

Blogging - The Dos And Don'ts Of Working With Brands

Looking to monetize your blog? Working with brands is a great way to do so. Am I ready to quit making money elsewhere in order to blog full-time? Definitely not. But along the way I have learned what works and what doesn’t when working with brands. Today I’m going to share my dos and don’ts with you.

Do A Check To Make Sure You’re Being Professional

So often I see bloggers swearing on their Instagram Stories or worse yet calling out other companies by name who have done something wrong. This is so not professional. Think about blogging like having a nine-to-five job. Would you swear at your job? Would you dress inappropriately? Would you bad mouth others? If not then don’t do it when you’re representing your blog.

Do Your Research

With the invention of the Internet, it has never been easier to get information on anything you need to know and yet people have never been lazier. I can’t count how many times I have been asked things that someone could just Google. Make sure you do your research before you contact a company to request working with them. They don’t want someone to represent them who comes across uneducated or needing hand holding.

Do Contact The Company First

I see it all the time. Bloggers who are sitting around and waiting for brands to contact them and work with them. Don’t wait! If you see someone you want to work with, contact them. Make sure to be professional and be ready with your blog information and statistics. You’ll be surprised by how many times you will get a “Yes!”.

Do Try And Be Patient

Success never comes overnight. The bloggers who are making good money have been working their butts off for many years. Getting in a flap about not making money when you been only blogging for a year is not going to help you out. What is going to help you out is posting regularly, having great content, and working prefessionally with others.

And now the don’ts.

Don’t Lie About Your Statistics

Definitely make a PR kit. There is lots of information on Google about how to put one together. However when making your kit, DO NOT lie about your blog statistics. Companies have ways of finding this information out and if you lie and they do find out, not only will that company not work with you but word will travel and you will find yourself out of many more jobs.

Don’t Over Promise

Sit down and think about what you will offer brands when working with them. Come up with something reasonable that you can provide 100% of the time. For example if you decide that what you will do for a brand includes a blog post and posting a pic to all of your social media, then that’s what you do every single time. Whatever agreement you enter into with a brand, make sure you hold up your end. I always like to go above and beyond what I promise and that has served me very well.

Don’t Get Used

Time and time again I see bloggers being taken advantage of by companies. The latest trend is “The Brand Ambassador”. Yeah that may sound really cool and official but it’s a total joke. The company wants the blogger to buy their stuff at a “discount price” and then promote said stuff for free on the blogger’s social media and their blog. So let me get this straight. Despite the “discount” the company is still making money off the blogger. Then the company gets their stuff promoted for free. Wow! That sounds great! For the company that is. What exactly is the blogger getting? Discounted product. Am I missing something here because that totally sucks! The product should be free and in a dollar amount that represents how much the blogger wishes to be paid per hour. Then and only then is it worth it. And never pay for shipping or duties.

Don’t Be Underpaid

Sadly this happens way too much! I was just approached to promote a company for a $12 product. After I received said product I’d have to post three photos on my Instagram. Oh I’d get it for free, but let’s take a look at why this is a bad idea. My photo shoot of the product would take an hour. Then I’d need to choose the best three photos. Then I’d need to edit them. Then I’d need to plan when each photo is to be posted in my Instagram schedule. Then I’d need to post each one over the next few weeks. My time spent in total for these three photos posted on my Instagram feed is approximately 2.5 hours. Take $12 and divide by 2.5 hours and you get $4.80 which is the amount I’d be making for two hours of my time. What the heck?!? That’s way less than minimum wage! Yet I see many bloggers doing this all the time. Something is dreadfully wrong here. Needless to say I turned down their offer. And you should never waste your time on such things. Know your worth and don’t settle.

Hope this helps you out when working with brands. Have I missed something important? Please let me know in the comments below. Happy blogging!

Best Chili Recipe EVER!!

Okay. You’re probably asking yourself “What the *insert expletive* is Joelle doing? Is she actually going to share a chili recipe on her fashion/beauty blog?!?!” Well in short, the answer is “Yes.” Yes I am going to share the BEST chili recipe on my blog. I’m freezing right now and wish I had said chili hugging it to my chest – in a bowl of course. And this post will save you a heck of a lot of time searching the internet looking for the best chili like I did for a few years.

When You Eat This You Won’t Be “Chili” Recipe

First make the seasoning mix:

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander
2 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
1 1/2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Oregano
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Then make the chili:

1 1/2 Pounds Ground Beef or Ground Turkey or Ground Chicken or Tofu Fake Beef
1 Tablespoon Minced Onion
1 28 oz Can Of Diced Tomatoes
1 15 oz Can Of Tomato Sauce
1 Can of Navy Beans
1 Can Of Kidney Beans
1 Can Of Mushrooms
2 Stalks Of Diced Celery

Directions:

Mix together seasoning mix. You will only need 5 Teaspoons for this recipe so get a small container and store the rest for later.

In a skillet cook ground beef or whatever you’re using until no longer pink. Drain. Add onion, celery, and 3 Teaspoons of seasoning mix. In your Crock Pot (or pot on your stove top) add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beans, mushrooms, and two more Teaspoons of seasoning mix. Add meat, onion, and celery to the Crock Pot (or pot on your stove top). Cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours in your Crock Pot. Or bring to boil on your stove top then reduce to min allowing it to simmer for 4 hours.

You’re welcome.

Let me know if it was tasty in the comments below.

It Is Well With My Soul

It sure has been a rough few weeks. First my mother-in-law suffered a heart attack then passed away. Tim failed his treadmill stress test and had to get an angiogram (the test where they shoot dye through you to see if you have a blockage in your heart) three days after his mom’s funeral. He indeed had a 90% blockage so he was immediately taken in for surgery – an angioplasty – where they put a balloon in his artery so they could put in a large stent.

Needless to say all of this kinda stressed me out. The good news is that Tim is doing great. So great in fact that when he had he last EKG before being released from the hospital, the tech said this was the first time she had never seen damage after an angioplasty. Tim is as good as new! Thanks be to God!

Now many people have asked me how I was doing through all of this and I always said, “Stressed, but fine.” I now realize I was in shock. It has taken a couple of weeks to sort out how I feel. I really felt alone. I am a devout Catholic, and try my best to trust in God, but I also know that previously in my life when things would start to go great for me, then crap would hit the fan. I thought it would just be my luck to be happily married for eight years, then for God to take Tim away. I freaked out every moment I was awake.

You see, Tim means so much to me. He came along when I was at my lowest and lifted me up. I was poor, unhealthy, depressed, and overwhelmed. He changed my entire life. His love made me bloom into the financially stable, healthier, happy, adventurous, business woman, wife, and mom that I am today. He literally saved my life in 2008 when his knowledge helped me when doctors sent me home to die. He believed in me so much, I ended up believing in myself. And to think I could lose all of that in an instant was too much to bear.

My only recourse was to lean on the Lord and to trust Him. This was extremely hard as I thought He might want to take Tim away from me. The thought of not having more kids and having to raise James by myself was so scary! But I prayed lots, put on tons of dōTERRA Balance, tried to get sleep, talked to friends and soon everyone was praying for him. He actually became somewhat of a star on my Instagram Stories. And when things worked out, everyone was so happy for him. And for us. 

But what did I learn from all of this? People wanted to be there for me, I just needed to let them in. And I shouldn’t catastrophize things. I went from Tim’s getting surgery to me raising James by myself in just a few moments. That way of thinking certainly did not help my mood. And as grim as this sounds, both Tim and I need to get things together so if one of us does die someday, the one left won’t have to do much planning for a funeral etc. And most importantly that God is good. He listened to my prayers and was there for me. And eventually I knew that even if Tim did die, God would still be there for me. I kept remembering this line, “Whatever my lot You have taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.” (from the hymn It Is Well With My Soul). This gave me so much peace to know that things might not turn out the way I want but with God things would be okay.

So as I go now to make some supper, I just want to thank everyone for the prayers, well wishes, good vibes, and most of all for the love during these past weeks. Our family truly appreciated it! xoxoxo

Saying Good-bye

There are lots of articles regarding death. It’s been written about so many times over the years that I’m not even sure I have anything relevant to add. Am I a stranger to it? Definitely not. I lost my very good friend and Grandmother when I was four. Then I lost my best friend and Grandfather when I was twenty-one. But it never gets easier saying “good-bye”. It’s because every person is a unique, unrepeatable expression on God’s love. I miss everyone who has gone before me but in different ways.

Why am I choosing to write about death today? It’s because my husband’s mom had a major heart attack and is going to pass away at any moment. It’s been hard to know she’s dying soon, but what’s been harder for me is watching Tim go through trying to let go of his mom. And the whole ordeal makes me think too much. “What am I going to do when my Mom dies? How could I handle Tim dying? What if something happens to James?” (my toddler). Needless to say there has been a huge amount of anxiety kicking around for the past week as I realize how fragile life is.

I converted to Catholicism ten years ago this past Easter. It was the best decision I ever made. It is truly my faith and Tim’s that is keeping us going through this difficult experience. We unquestionably believe that we will see those who died in the faith again in heaven. We just have to keep up our faith and live Christ-like until we die! This is easier said than done though – especially with my temper! Siiiiiigh.

But I’d be remiss not to mention how much beauty I have seen throughout this whole ordeal. The way the family has come together to care for her, the loving talks her children have had with her, the reconciliations that took place, and Tim’s family pushing past their grief to look after James so Tim and I could have a break and sit with her. Such compromise, caring, and love all rolled into one circumstance! So moving and wonderful.

I will always be so grateful to my Mother-in-law for taking me into her home when I had no place to live, for all the meals, for telling Tim to marry me (haha!), for being a loving Babcia to James, but mostly for raising the most terrific friend, husband, and father this girl could ever hope for. 

And I know in my heart that she will be going to heaven soon where there will be no more illness or sadness. And I told her the other day to say “Hi!” to my loved ones who are there and to put in a good word for me to Jesus. ‘Cause hey, it can’t hurt. And we will have another person looking out for us from above where everything is visible unlike we who are still on earth. We don’t understand why things happen or fully know Jesus. But one day when we see him face to face in heaven we will understand and know Him fully. 

“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood. So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:12 & 13

In the meantime, please send good wishes and prayers our way. And thanks for hanging out with me by reading this post. Another day goes by…

My Recent Clothing Haul

Happy Holy Thursday to those celebrating!

I have been madly updating my spring/summer wardrobe lately and thought I’d take a moment to share with you the recent things I have purchased and love.

First off these gorgeous embroidered jeans. I saw them online at Nordstrom’s and feel in love immediately. However at $175 CDN I didn’t love the price. So I scored these babies online for $40 and never looked back. I have styled them recently and will be blogging more about them soon. Go here to grab a pair of your own.

I have hated pink my entire life until a month ago. Now I gotta have all the pink. So when I saw these stunning shoes I had to add them to my collection. Get your own here.

I call these lovelies my “Kendra Not” earrings. They are resin, but look so much like Kendra Scott earrings I thought I’d buy them for $4. They are great! Click here to buy them.

I have wanted a saddle bag like the Chloé ones forever. I was super happy to find this similar one for $45 CDN. The photos seriously don’t do it justice. And it comes in other colours too. Go grab your own here.

And if you’re into white lace and pom poms then this dress is a great pick. I’m 5’8″ and find it a bit too short on me so I’ll be wearing it as a long tunic, but for you petite gals it would be perfect. Head here to grab one.

So I hope this post inspires you to put the spring back in your wardrobe. What things are you looking to buy for a wardrobe update?

Konifer - A Canadian Wood Watch Company

This is a sponsored post.

Max Clement founded the Canadian wooden watch company KONIFER WATCH in 2013 to offer the best wooden watches on the market. Wood has always been a part of Max’s life. His father and grandfathers worked in the forest, and now the he is honouring this tradition by making wooden watches. Konifer sculpts their watches straight from raw materials. Their commitment is to offer you a truly original collector’s item to be proud of. Not just a reliable wooden watch, but a “one of a kind” beautiful work of art, that provides many years of pride and lasting beauty. And the best part is, for each Konifer product you purchase, they pledge to plant a tree via their partner WE FOREST! They strongly believe in an eco-responsible business model. Even though this company is based in Canada (Yay!), they offer free shipping to anywhere in the world.

With a desire to continuously improve, Konifer is starting a new project with a partner: a collection of top of the line from Lido Watch customizable watches made of metal and wood. You get to choose amongst 5 different hard wood essences, followed by selecting a stainless steel or black matte finish that fits your style. All of their watches are made from stainless 316L, the highest quality on the market. Once you’ve selected the type of wood essence and metal type, Konifer will create for you a well thought-out and unique watch. They are needing funding through Kickstart so head here and participate while you still can. You might be eligible for a free watch!

I was ecstatic when Konifer approached me to give me one of their gorgeous watches. Being the selfless person that I am, I asked them if I could give the watch to my husband instead. They agreed so I’m proud to present my husband Tim, wearing the stunning ADIRONDACK RUBY watch. As you can see from the following photos, he’s not the only one who is excited about his watch!

“Daddy that’s so nice!”

And after they made this watch they planted a tree! Yay!!

Adirondack Ruby wood watch c/o Konifer

“This watch is something I can pass down to James someday.”

Tim – thanks for being such a great husband and Dad! xoxoxo

This is a sponsored post, however all opinions are my own.

Zombomb IS Da Bomb!

The owner Kathy and her lovely creations!

I wrote about this wonderful company and its fabulous owner a while ago, but I thought I should do an update post. Have you heard of Zombomb? If not, that’s going to change right now.

Zombomb is a bath product company that manufactures everything here in Edmonton, Alberta Canada but will ship to wherever you are. The owner Kathy uses quality ingredients that naturally moisturize your skin. Each large bath bomb is 3″ in diameter and her individual bags of bath salts are 250g bags instead of the teeny tiny 100g bags available in stores by other companies. For sanitary reasons each bath bomb is individually wrapped, because no one other than you should ever touch your bath bomb.

At Zombomb we use quality ingredients that are safe for all skin types. We use only essential oils that are are food grade, oil soluble, organic, body safe and made from all natural flavours – nothing artificial and no alcohol. Our flavour oils are also gluten-free.

She has so many different bath bombs it blows your mind! Thirty-four at my last count. All Bath Bombs contain an Antioxidant with Rosemary made from a special blend of plant extracts. Zombomb Bath Products will not stain your tub! Her bombs are light sensitive but that is because they are made from all earthy ingredients. They contain no heavy dyes, perfumes or chemicals. She ensures a spa experience without the harsh bright chemicals. And why go and catch Pokemons with an app when you can snag one of her cute Pokemon bath bombs. When the bomb dissolves, you are left feeling great and you get a Pokemon toy! Great for the little ones.

The most interesting part is that many of her products are zombie-inspired such as the apple-scented Brain Soap ($5), neapolitan ice-cream-scented Human Heart Bath Bomb ($10), watermelon Scented Flesh Soap ($5), Gangrene green apple soap ($5), super cool eyeball bath bombs, Dragon’s Blood bath bombs that make a the bath water blodd-red!

Corporate colours or wedding colours that you’d like to see in her bath salts? She can work with you to create signature colours to wow your guests or clients and add a special touch to your celebration or event.

Zombomb can create for:

Wedding Showers
Baby Showers
Wedding Receptions
Gift Openings
Gifting Events
Customer Appreciation Events
Private Functions
Fundraisers
Charity Events

Everyone loves relaxation bath bombs and she’s committed to making your next event the most unexpected treat. She also loves to support non profit organizations with gift baskets for auctions. For more information please head over to her contact us page.

For those here in Edmonton, you can buy Zombomb products at the following locations:

Float Wellness And Spa
Mars And Venus
Deadmonton
Pure Artistry
Redemption Boutique
Sanctuary Curio Shoppe
Bling Lashes
Pure Lotus Massage Therapeutics

And you can buy from Kathy in person every Saturday and Sunday at the Old Strathcona Farmer’s Market year round.

And to keep up-to-date you can follow Zombomb on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.