Friday, August 30, 2013

5 Fave Friday

5. I really love this idea for fancy nesting tables from A Beautiful Mess. I think the legs are my favourite part.

4, Speaking of good ideas, Katie has been blowing my mind with her brilliant fashion solutions (here and here). So simple and so smart!!

3. I saw this onesie on Christie's nephew on her instagram and just about died! Milo is getting one for sure!

2. I really like this dress!
Remarkable Without a Cause Dress in Plaid from ModCloth

1. Ivan found this and I think it's so funny. Twin Peaks summarized in one scene.

Today is Friday! In case you forgot. I love the weekends because it means extra Ivan and Milo time which is adorable. I hope you have a great weekend.

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog and contribute to my family. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Sponsor Feature :: August 2013

Hello there! I have one great sponsor to introduce you to today as well as tell you about some changes to my sponsor program. First the sponsor!
Go show Alison some love!

Now the changes. Starting in September I am going back to managing my own ads. I still think that Passionfruit is an absolutely amazing option for managing sponsor programs but honesrly, my sponsorship has decreased to the point where it will be easy enough for me to look after it myself.

I actually thought about just getting rid of the option to sponsor my blog but I decided to keep it around and make it a little more laid back. My ad options will remain the same for September and I will still have a sponsor feature next month but things will change in October. I haven't made my final decisions but I will be going with just one ad size at a lower price and no sponsor feature option. I think I will enjoy the change and I feel good about the decision. We will see how things go.

So, if you are interested in sponsoring for September check out my sponsor page for more information and then email me at loveelycia AT gmail DOT com. As always, I appreciare your support!

Have a good Thursday everyone!

♥elycia

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Review :: Castegram

Hi!

The lovely folks over at Casetagram offered to send me an iPhone case recently. I had been thinking about getting one on and off ever since I first saw them so obviously I accepted the offer and proceeded to cover my phone on babies! Fur and human.
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I just wouldn't feel right choosing anything else.
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There are a lot of really neat shape options (the polkadot one is so cool!) but I choose to fit in as many photos as possible with this one.

The case itself feels very sturdy (although I am not a phone dropper so if you are I am not responsible for a broken phone. Now that I've said this I'm going to drop my phone. I hope I don't. Anyways, I should probably close this bracket statement) and they are available for more than just the iPhone.

So there is my fancy new phone case. Have any of you designed Castegram phones? Show me a photo!

Today I am headed out to the group at Barefoot Babies again. I really look forward to Wednesdays now. It's great to get out and talk to other people even when my tendency is to think that I would rather stay home. I come back from outings like this feeling so energized and great about everything! I hope you have a great Wednesday too!

♥elycia

PS. Milo's awesome onesie is from Threadless and was a gift from my friend Alex!

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

What I Wore :: Watermelon

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:: head to toe ::
glasses :: c/o BonLook
shirt :: c/o OASAP
cardigan :: c/o OASAP
pants :: Winners
shoes :: Art Fair Maiden Bootie c/o ModCloth

These photos were taken just before I changed my hair and I can absolutely say that I happy with my new blond 'do. I'm not sure though if I want to go more towards a darker blond or get it even more white. We'll see!

This watermelon shirt has become one of my favourites because it is nice and loose and easy to nurse in. Plus, I have a special little trick to make it even easier...
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This polka dot thing is actually a skirt that I picked up at Forever 21 on mega sale a few years ago. It was less than $5 and I have used it so many different ways in the past, as a skirt, shirt and now a nursing top. I have a fancy nursing tank top but it is a pain sometimes to unhook the straps and my friend told be about some she got that just sit under your bra so I decided to use this multi-purpose piece of clothing for that. It works great!

You may have also noticed that these are my most worn pair of shoes at the moment. They are so comfy and most of all so easy to slip on hands free that they have been getting a lot of wear. I wish they still had the turquoise ones in my size.

I hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

♥elycia

 This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog and contribute to my family. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

Monday, August 26, 2013

Photos :: 365 (August 19 - 25)

231/365 :: I've had this print for a while but I finally decided to swap out one of the clipboard pieces and put this one up instead. It matches the room a little better.
232/365 :: I love this guitar onesie. I wish Carter's still sold things with guitars on them!
233/365 :: Another photo of 2 month old Milo. I love how sweet he looks in this one.
234/365 :: My friend Melissa came over to visit Milo and, oh my gosh, he loved her! I have never seen hin smile at someone (other than Ivan & I) so much!
235/365 :: I took a whole bunch of photos of Milo chilling outside but this one just made me crack up.
236/365 :: The lovely spread at Chantilly's wedding party. Sundae bars are such a good idea and look at those pies made by the bride herself!
237/365 :: We had a fun day with Chantilly & family on Sunday but I forgot to take a photo of anything all day. I remembered right before bed so here is a photo of my yarn lamp. I love lamp.

We had a great weekend and, unless I am totally blocking out or completely forgetting a feeding, Milo slept from about 9pm-4am last night! It is completely unbelievable so I could very possibly be forgetting a feeding but I really don't remember waking up to feed him before that. Let's see if it happens again!

Today is super dark and rainy out. I don't really mind because I have a bunch of things to do inside today and this way I won't feel bad about not leaving the house.

Have a great Monday!

♥elycia

Saturday, August 24, 2013

Baby :: 2 Months Old

Milo turned two months old on August 21st so we took photos of him like we did at one month on his blanket with his big carrot. Holy bananas, or should I say carrot, he has grown so much!!
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This past month has flown by and Milo has changed so much! Here is the comparison between one month and two months.
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Isn't the difference nuts!! I can't wait to see what he looks like at three months.

♥elycia

Friday, August 23, 2013

5 Fave Friday

5. These are soooo cute!

4. I love this skirt.
Cafe Cutie Skirt from ModCloth
As I've mentioned I'm a big fan of skirts and this one is so adorable.

3. These glasses are so pretty.
A girl can never have too many glasses right?

2. I love lilacs and this vintage print is really pretty.

1. This tote bag!!
This would look so good hanging in Milo's room! (which I still have to take you on a tour of)

Milo has been taking slightly more predictable naps this week so I have been able to get a few more things done around the house. I even baked some muffins! I used this recipe and they are so delicious. I made them right before Milo was born as well and they were my main source of food for a few days.

I hope everyone has a great Friday! This weekend we are headed up to Peterborough for a special lady's wedding partay. I say "partay" because there will be a bouncy castle and that's no regular party.

♥elycia

This post contains affiliate links which help me run my blog and contribute to my family. For more info on affiliate links click here. Thank you for your support!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Recipe :: Beet Sandwich with Cashew Ginger Sauce

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This isn't so much a recipe as it a delicious sandwich that I have made for myself a bunch of times this week that I just had to share with everyone. Also, it isn't really a beet sandwich...beets are just my favourite ingredient on it. So really, my whole blog title is a giant lie. Don't worry, you'll forgive me if you try this sandwich.

Here is what's on it:
Tomato
Cucumber
Lettuce (any kind you like, this is spinach with some other mixed greens)
Beets (thinly sliced, uncooked, I just cut off the outer layer that looks dirty)
Carrots (I used precut matchsticks)
Cashew Ginger Sauce (as you can see mine is a spreadable consistency. I think I went heavy on the cashews!)

In my opinion the beets and the sauce really make the sandwich. I have recently realized that I am obsessed with raw beets. They taste so amazing! The first time I had this sandwich it was on a fancy bun but it is equally delicious on regular old sliced bread.

Let me know if you try this sandwich and if you think it is as delicious as I do!

♥elycia

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Parenting :: We made this!

It has been two whole months since little Milo made his grand entrance into the world so I thought I would take a bit of time to document how I feel about being his Mom so far.
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I don't think anything can really prepare you for being a parent. One of our friends who had a baby in January told us that we might think we know what it will be like but really we have no idea. That was so true.
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The first day I think Ivan and I were both just really happy. I don't remember feeling much else. The first night we didn't want to sleep at the same time and leave Milo "alone". He slept on a cookie tray between us or in one of our arms as the other person slept. The day after he was born I felt amazing. I was under strict orders to take it really easy but I felt so fantastic and I wanted to go out and show Milo off to the world. I obeyed orders and we stayed home and relaxed but both Ivan and I felt so great about everything in life.
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The next couple of days were still good but I dealt with some crazy horomones and cried about absolutely everything. It was also sinking in how different things were going to be. I was still really happy but crying so much was definitely annoying. By the end of the first week I was feeling a lot less teary but I was frustrated that I was still so sore and couldn't get back to regular activities.
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Ivan had two weeks off of work and I am so glad it wasn't any less. I was sad to see him go back but at that point I felt like I was back to feeling like myself emotionally.
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One thing that has been important to both of us is to make sure we still go out to do things and don't just stay home all of the time. We just forced ourselves to start doing things and now it feels pretty normal to do regular stuff with the added bonus of a baby. We have been out for dinner, visiting people and even away for the weekend a few times.
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We say all the time how lucky we are that Milo is such a good baby. He is pretty calm most of the time and sleeps well at night. Saying he sleeps well really means that he consistently has at least one stretch of 3 hours at night. He now sleeps in a cosleeper with mesh sides between us or sometimes on me if he won't settle down. (Don't worry, I'm careful, very aware of his movements and I never move in my sleep) Ivan and I both feel like we're getting enough sleep most of the time which definitely makes it easier to function and enjoy our little guy.
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We have had a few rough patches where Milo has just cried and cried and we weren't able to calm him down in the usual ways. Thankfully that period only lasted a few days (although I'm sure it will happen again at some point) and I discovered Wonder Weeks which I found very interesting and it helped me feel better about the whole situation.
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So, yeah. Being a parent is really awesome so far and I am enjoying the newborn stage but also looking forward to what is coming next. It is awesome to see Milo smile more and more and I have been told that I will pretty much die the first time he laughs! Ivan and I love Milo so much and can't wait to get to know his little personality better.
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♥elycia

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

What I Wore :: Skirts & Shirts

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:: head to toe ::
glasses :: c/o BonLook
shirt :: Hello Apparel
belt :: c/o ModCloth
skirt :: c/o OASAP
shoes :: B.A.I.T. 

This is what my typical outfits look like lately. My style before I got pregnant was a lot more structured but as I mentioned, nursing a baby has forced me to switch it up a bit. You never know when a baby will decide he's hungry and I really don't want to be taking the top half of a dress off in public! I have been wearing lots of high-ish waisted skirts with looser shirts for easy access and I can nurse pretty discreetly in public. Also, I have my Moby wrap on a lot of the time so that helps as well.

This skirt is a bit longer than what I would normally choose but the colour is so great I'm giving it a try. I could always shorten it a bit if I change my mind about the length.

So, my wardrobe is now more laid back with really easy to wear pieces. Nothing too fussy for me at the moment. I don't mind it so far and it has been fun looking for more skirts and cool t-shirts!

♥elycia

PS. If anyone is wondering, Milo is wearing a very stylish white onesie from Target and cute Thirsties diapers from Barefoot Babies.