Tuesday, February 25, 2014

8 Months Old

 photo milo8_zpsb16500e2.png
 photo milocarrot8months_zps6a99faa4.png
 photo milobaby_zpsfb2d4b15.png
 photo milolaying_zps643ac322.png
 photo milosittingwithcarrot_zps7c050765.png
On February 21st Milo turned 8 months old and once again I am amazed by how quickly the time is flying by. 

Milo is a pro sitter, has mastered his pincer grasp (which is so cute and makes grabbing his favourite food, blueberries, much easier!) and has one tooth with another about to poke through. His hair is also thickening up, that's why he needs to be holding that comb. 

I am pretty positive that Milo is going to walk before he crawls because he has zero interest in attempting to crawl. If you try to put him on his hands and knees he immediately slides to his belly and flaps his arms and legs. He has wiggled his way over to something that he realllllly wants but usually just flaps until you pick him up and help him with his true love: walking. This boy thinks that he should be walking around like an adult already. He can walk himself around holding on to things and always wants help to stand up. He is still wobbly but getting stronger and steadier everyday and I am pretty sure he will be walking in no time.

I think that is everything I wanted to share. I always write these posts and then remember something I meant to mention the next day. I hope you all have a good day!

♥elycia

PS. Just so no one calls the mommy police on me, we don't give Milo whole blueberries. I break them into a star or plus sign shape for him.

Friday, February 21, 2014

5 Fave Friday

5. Stephanie emailed me quite a while back about this cat hoodie. It is so adorable.
I also finally spent some time poking around her blog and it is pretty great.

4. This dress is really pretty.

3. I really like this table.

2. These pencils are cute.

1. Ohhhhh, so pretty.

Hello out there. Luckily I had posts scheduled for this week because I was down for the count. I got sick (again!) and it was awful. I'm still not feeling 100% but I am doing much better than I was. Before I got sick I had been feeling absolutely fantastic so I think it hit me harder than usual.

That's about all that's been going on around here the last few days. I hope you guys are all doing well!

♥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, February 20, 2014

Projects :: 2014 Granny Square Project (Week 7)

Week 7 squares! I started another one but didn't quite finish it by the end of the week. That's ok because that just means that I have a head start on a week 8 square.

I've started daydreaming about one day finishing this blanket and how cool it will look on our bed. At least I hope it will look good. It would suck to have made this gigantic blanket and it just looks awful. Let's not think about that possibility.

♥elycia

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

What I Wore :: M is for Monkey

 photo outside_zpsa993f61c.png
 photo msweateroasap_zpsb3f87860.png
 photo doubleshot_zps2048cb15.png
glasses - Warby Parker :: sweater c/o OASAP :: jeans c/o ModCloth :: shoes c/o ModCloth, socks - ?

As you can see I started out outside and then quickly changed my location. It felt really nice out while we were out running errands but it was pretty cold standing in the shade trying to take photos. So because of that you get to see my silly bright pink socks with black cats on them. I really should have got a close up.

This jeans are definitely a current favourite. I have never tried on a pair of high waisted jeans that suited me. These ones had amazing reviews so I took a chance and I'm so glad I did because they are great! I am a big, big fan.

Oh and...excuse my hair, it looks ridiculous.

♥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!

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Photos :: 365 (February 11 - 17, 2014)

42/365 :: A photo of a photo. I took the Instax on this day as well. Milo is not really into having clothes put on at the moment so if we're not going anywhere I usually just let him hang out in his diaper.
43/365 :: I've already sent out a batch of mail for February.
44/365 :: This blanket just looked extra pretty to me today.
45/365 :: I finally bought some more Instax mini film. I've been hoarding my last pack for well over a year so I figured it was time for some more.
46/365 :: Someone loooves this situation, someone does not.
47/365 :: This is a cracker. I'll tell you more about it some other time.
48/365 :: Not yummy?
Well hello! This weekend was a holiday weekend (Family Day) and we ended up getting lots of things done around the house. We made a lot of things in the kitchen on Sunday and cleaned up a lot of things in Milo's room, the bedroom & the kitchen on Monday. I threw out quite a bit of old makeup and even packed up a few things to donate. Just so we are clear, I'm not donating makeup...I mean jewelry and stuff.

My next task is trimming down my closet. I have so many dresses that I don't wear at the moment and may not wear again. They are still awesome and I still love them but I feel like my style has shifted a little and I wouldn't feel super comfortable in a lot of the things I used to wear. I'm thinking of doing an Instagram sale for some of the particularly awesome pieces before I just go ahead and donate things. Would anyone be interested in that? We'll see!

I hope everyone has a good Tuesday.

♥elycia

Monday, February 17, 2014

Review :: Raw, Quick & Delicious

 photo rawcookbook_zps5eeb084b.png
Ok, let me start by saying that this is currently my absolute favourite cookbook. In fact, Raw, Quick & Delicious by Douglas McNish might even be my all time favourite cookbook. I got a copy to review a few months ago and I flipped through it, tabbed some pages and then it got set aside because I was busy. A few weeks ago Ivan mentioned that he wanted to start eating more raw food so I pulled out this cookbook and I've been making so many recipes from it it's ridiculous.

The book is organized by the following sections: In the Pantry // Breakfast // Smoothies, Drinks and Juices // Snacks // Salads // Dressings // Pasta and Noodles // Main Courses // Sides // Desserts

I have made so many recipes and I'm going to list them quickly just to give you an idea of all the great things in this book: Nut Milk, Hemp Milk, Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes, Teriyaki Sauce, Creamy Alfredo Sauce, Spiced Nut Crumble, Strawberry Cheesecake Smoothie, Easy Italian Dressing, Sesame Garlic Dressing, Zucchini Fettuccini Alfredo, Carrot Pad Thai, Lo Mein Stir-Fry, Lime, Tomato and Avocado Chili, Curried Cashews and Mixed Vegetables, Vegetable Fried Rice, Sheperd's Pie, Mushroom Tart, Exotic Cauliflower, Cheesy Broccoli, Chunky Banana Cacao Soft Serve.

See?! Isn't that a huge list? There are so many other things to try. I haven't even tried any Breakfasts or Snacks and only one Smoothie and Dessert.

Everything I have made is absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I love that basically everything can be prepared ahead of time so I'm not trying to make sure that dinner will be hot and ready by the time Ivan gets home. If I have time to make dinner at 2:00 pm that totally works because I can just prep it and stick it in the fridge.

Another great thing about this cookbook is that a lot of recipes call for the same main ingredients. Cashews, walnuts and almonds are used a lot so as long as you have those things on hand as well as a few vegetables and pantry staples, you can make something. That's good for me because I'm not awesome at strict meal planning. We have basically stopped eating out because we always have the ingredients to make something delicious.

A really awesome addition to the book is the 'Tips' that Douglas gives in the margin of each recipe. There are so many fantastic tips about certain ingredients, procedures, storage, etc, used in the recipe and I have learned a bunch of new things from them. Amazing.

Another thing I love is that some recipes call for 'In the Pantry' recipes but also give you a quick alternative if you don't already have that particular thing made. I really, really love that because sometimes it bugs me to have to flip to a different page to make sure I have all the ingredients to finish the recipe. It's not a huge deal but I just like being able to stay on one page when I'm making something.

I have made very good friends with the food processor and blender. I think pretty much every recipe calls for one or both of those kitchen gadgets so if you don't have either then this cookbook may not be for you.

Holy smokes, can you tell I'm really excited about this book? If you are at all interested in introducing some raw dishes into your life, Raw, Quick & Delicious is a great place to start because the recipes are so easy and so good. I was sent this book for free but I would absolutely buy it again if something ever happened to it. 

Ivan and I are really in love with raw food at the moment so if you have any favourite raw cookbooks let me know!

♥elycia

Friday, February 14, 2014

5 Fave Friday

5. These little heart rings are absolutely adorable.

4. This is a great umbrella.
PS. Valentine's Day at ModCloth means 14% off anything so make sure you take advantage of that if you have had your eye on something.

3. This anatomical heart necklace is neat.

2. Oh tote bags, I love you.

1. These two necklaces!
It's Canada!!!!! tru.che

Happy Valentine's Day! I decided to do an all heart version of my Friday favourites as I'm sure you noticed. We have no big plans for Valentine's Day, maybe I will make a yummy dessert or something. Are you doing anything special?

♥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, February 13, 2014

Projects :: 2014 Granny Square Project (Week 5)

Here are my week 5 granny squares.
I didn't make a week 6 square because we were in Florida but I have already finished my week 7 square and I hope to make at least one more this week. I feel like I'm running out of colour combinations for the two colour squares (remember I already have a bunch that I made back when I started the blanket) so I think I need to take a look through the ones I have made and see what is missing.

Someone asked how long it takes to make a square. I should really time that and let you know. I'm so bad at estimating how long things take so I feel like I will say a really dumb number. I will get back to you on that one.

Have a good Thursday!

♥elycia

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Photos :: 365 (February 4 - 10)

35/365 :: Milo meets sand. Milo also tries to eat sand.
36/365 :: Milo hanging out at the bar with Grampa.
37/365 :: Yeah, yeah. More palm trees. These ones are my favourite though; they remind me of something from dinosaur times.
38/365 :: Pretty table decorations at Adelheidi's (a great spot in downtown Naples for organic gelato & sorbet).
39/365 :: More pretty flowers on our last day in Florida.
40/365 :: Back at home looking at Milo's full shelf.
41/365 :: Catching up on granny squares.
There we go, all caught up on my 365 project! I know I will say this all year but I can't believe more than a month has gone by already. It's pretty mind blowing how time flies.

This past weekend I finally tackled my emails. It was a pretty overwhelming job because I had emails from September that I hadn't replied to. I know, I'm terrible! It was realllly embarassing and I ended up deleting a whole bunch because I just felt ridiculous replying so late. So, if you emailed me and didn't hear back I am very, very, sorry. I promise to be better from here on out and I am going to try to respond to things daily. Again...so, so sorry if I didn't respond to your email.

Ok, well, that's it for today! Have a good one.

♥elycia

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Photos :: 365 (January 28 - February 3)

28/365 :: Excuse me, I'm reading.
29/365 :: These guys love the fact that we have been hanging out in the bedroom a lot.
30/365 :: Writing out some Valentines to send.
31/365 :: First order of business in Florida, go see some manatees.
32/365 :: It's February and I'm at the beach! I could get used to that.
33/365 :: These two guys.
34/365 :: Palm trees, yes please.
Wow, here I am again. I disappeared for another week. I really need to stop doing that. This time I at least had a good reason...we were in Florida! We had such a great time enjoying the warm weather and it was really nice for Milo to spend some time with his grandparents. Now we are back to the cold and I'm grumpy about having to wear a coat. I really can't wait for spring.

I have a lot to catch up on so I will be back again very soon!

♥elycia

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Projects :: 2014 Granny Square Project (Week 4)

Week 3 was a bit crazy and I didn't manage to make a square. This is my week 4 square. Even though I missed a week I'm going to keep going with the project and not give myself a hard time.

Are you working on any projects? How are they going? Are you able to keep going if you miss a week/day?

♥elycia