Basic Bum Care

We are still on the cloth diaper journey. 

I already talked about why we chose to use cloth diapers (here), and how it's going so far (here), but there are a lot of other things to learn and adjust to. 

Before I decided to use cloth diapers, I did a lot of searching and asking around for advice and ideas. I really didn't know what I was getting into at all in the beginning!

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My Doula Experience

I figured I should write down a few of my thoughts from my experience hiring a birthing doula before I forget everything. Ellie was only born three weeks ago but I already feel like the labour and delivery are a distant memory.

An even more distant memory is the internal debate I had about whether or not to hire a doula (you can read my thoughts on that in this blog post). Obviously we decided we would hire one, and if we can afford it, we probably will again for future babies. 

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Garage Sale Finds

Seasons are winding down already. 

Summer and garage sale season! 

We decided to take one more trip out and about to look for some interesting pieces before the cold air blows through town and the selling stops. 

We found a few nice treasures and didn't even spend $20!

1.Baby food jars! They don't look like anything special yet... but they will be crafted into storage for my buttons and little trinkets :) PLUS ... we got the cookie tin for free! Definitely will be used!

2. GAMES!!! Classic games for my therapy at work, including pop up pirate, chutes & ladders (previously known as snakes & ladders.... I guess snakes are too scary now), and a super hero matching game! If you look closely in the pic, you can see little super heroes on top of their red box - this game is amazing for little boys. Sooo proud of finding this! And an adult game too - classic risk board :)

3. Label maker - for garage and craft labels :)
4. Little white trees - for Christmas decorations (Free!!)
5. An old whiskey box - to be put to good crafting purposes (Free!!)
6.A table runner - for Christmas time :)

Then... since we had so much luck... we went out again :) Spending only $30 this time!

7. A wooden stand  - for craft displays :)

8. Scrapbook materials - included these practically unopened cardstock packs, the box, and more!

9. A pile of MDF  - I didn't take a picture of it... cause I didn't really care that much... lol. But Mr. A is excited to have some cheap new wood to build some shelves in the shop/shed!

10. A little stroller - for those days when we are traveling through airports, etc.Barely used and in great condition! And neutral colours of course :)

11. A playpen - This unused playpen was sold to us for $40! It's beautiful and untouched and easy to transport to Grandmas house when needed. We actually bought this one a while ago, but I thought I'd show it off with the other prizes :)

If only there were garage sales to occupy my time all year long! 

{xoxo}

Saskatoon Berry Pie [& Muffins!]

Now that I have all these beautiful Saskatoon berries, it's time to bake them into some delicious treats! 

Here I am cooking my delicious Saskatoon berry pie :) 

And here's my flour-covered baby bump after baking said pie :) 

If that isn't the nicest pie crust you've ever seen... then you're not invited to my house for pie, lol. 

Step two: Saskatoon berry muffins! 

I really just made blueberry muffins and switched up the berries :) 

Both treats were delicious! 

And I have enough berries frozen to make at least one more batch of each :) 

{yumm}

Saskatoon Berry Picking

I got an invite from a friend to pick some of the infamous Prairie berries from her property this year and I jumped at the chance. 

First Saskatoon berry picking was a huge success if you ask me! 

Here's what they look like: 

For those who haven't tried them before (I'm speaking to all you Ontarians...) they are the size of blueberries, but more of a purple colour (sometimes reddish). 

They are not as sweet as most other berries, and they are full of seeds (think raspberries full of seeds).

They have a nice natural sweetness and they're quite good actually! 

After a good long soak in some salt water (to remove the worms... *shudder*) they are ready to go!

These berries are going to get cooked into a nice Saskatoon berry pie!

And possibly some muffins as well :) 

{yumm}

Enjoying Sunday by the River

This was our Sunday. 

Outside. Sunny. Peaceful. Friends. 

What more could you ask for?

We headed out to the river with some friends after church for fellowship, food, and fun. 

We completed the bible study that we had been working on throughout the spring/summer, shared some potluck food (including roasted hotdogs!), played games, and splashed around the river.
It was a great visit and a great day.

Here are some snippets of us enjoying the warm sun together: 

(also, take note of how adorable their two children are!!!)

{xoxo}

Working Towards My Goal

 Of course we picked the HOTTEST day of the year so far to continue working on our gardens!
Part of making my home more me-ish, and part of my goal to "plant and maintain flower gardens"
But I'm determined to have this gardening done this year, and ready for next year.
There's NO WAY this can be as much work next year. Right?! <insert hopeful tone of voice>
So we got down to work. Again.

First we finished removing all of the rock from the front garden.
This was NO easy feat!
The trailor picture below tells you just how much rock was in this thing. Inches of rock layers.
And it's not all gone... probably will never be all gone...

Doesn't it look so much nicer when it's clean though?!

Next step was to begin planting some of the flowers that have been growing up in mom's greenhouse.

Here are the lily of the valley - all ready to be planted in the back garden. 

And here are the dogs helping again. Apparently they don'e like to move when its hotter than 30 degrees.

Ready to plant at the front! The flowers went in nicely. Here's hoping they continue to grow!

(sidenote: I may actually cry if all my plants die and my hard work was for naught)

In the meantime, here are some of the beautiful flowers blooming in my yard! There really is something very satisfying about putting in the hard labour, and watching your work come to life!

I can see why people like this gardening thing! 

All of the flowers below were either transplanted, or planted this year. 

It's nice to see some life coming into the plants.

{grow}