Cottage Season!

Happy, HAPPY cottage season!!! We just had our first cottage getaway on the Northumberland straight and it was our first vacation as a family of three! These are the moments I live for and were already packing to go back for Canada Day :)

 

 It was A-Baby's first time touching the ocean and playing in the sand, we were so lucky to have the weather that we did! I wouldn't be a true mommy blogger if I didn't recommend the only sunscreen I will use on my baby!

 

In my 15 for 15 post I mentioned the only face care that I have found to work for me is Vichy's Normaderm line. I didn't know they had baby products but after doing some research on what to use this summer - their infant sunscreen has proven to be the best! It has both UVA / UVB protection and contains an ingredient safer and more effective to use on our babies for sun protection. An ingredient called Mexoryl - it hasn't been approved by the FDA in the states, but Europe has been using it in their sunscreens since 1991. 

 

Parents in the U.S fight to have stuff like this be an accessible product so buy it for that reason if not for being a paranoid mom like myself! :)

 

 

To elaborate on my mom moment... after all that playing in the sand, my baby slept in for the first time. I got to drink a coffee in one sitting on the deck without warming it up once, a beautiful first.

We threw a little celebration and made Daddy breakfast and took some pictures of my favorite room in the cottage!

 

On our last night we had a little fire by the ocean. We saw about 6 shooting stars in one hour, it was the perfect way to end the vacation. If you have a tablet or I-pad - there are really cool apps that work real time to show you constellations and planets... great summer activity.

I brought myself home a little piece of the beach!

It's working it out as a center piece on my table for now. I took it to pinterest for some inspiration and I have a feeling that this Canada day - I should leave room in the Jeep for a driftwood haul :).

Driftwood mirrors!!!

Found on en.paperblog.com

Found on etsy.com

Found on indulgy.com

Can someone please let me decorate their summer home already!? Love all of these ideas.



Found on alldriftwoodfurniture.com

In the meantime... I'm doing this!!! Beautiful summer centerpiece, great idea for a diy beach wedding too!

Found on etsy.com

This centerpiece would cost next to nothing. What a way to bring the beach home! Always soak drift wood in a bleach / water solution before using it at home to make sure there are no little beach critters hanging out.

Happy cottage season! Thanks for reading!

Fathers Day Gaming / Dressing Room

Happy belated Fathers day! I was lucky enough to spend this one with 3 generations of Dads and lots of food & wine :). Now that I'm back to work the Dad of this household has been full time. 

He hasn't even gotten a chance to hook up his x-box in the new house so he deserved something special. The spare room in our house had kind of turned into a sewing room.. kind of... for the most part it was a junk room..

So after some new floors, paint, doors and pulling together some of his favorite stuff around the house - he has his own x-box dressing room. We both win with this one because we like our own space getting ready in the morning and the sound of his x-box games make me twitch lol.

Before

After

I am not a photographer, I repeat.. I am not a photographer.

The storage ottoman was a must for all of the gaming paraphernalia (Headsets, controllers, remotes etc)..

 

Although if we had more space I might have gotten something like this..

As a budget summary with new doors and floors aside..

We have had his recliner and TV in storage - so happy to see them work for this and NOT be in the living room :).

The paint color was from the oops section in Wal Mart (always has the best selection for around $10)..

The curtains were a single panel from our first apartment that I cut and hemmed into two and I got some new pillow cases from the dollar store ($2 a pop).. Another almost free room!

 

 

 

 

Maybe someday in another world with more boys we can have a room like this in the house. I'd have to take up gaming myself in order for us to make it lol.

 

Happy Fathers Day!

 

5 Deals You Will Convince Yourself You Need

As I was leaving for work today in the pouring rain these lilacs were my little bit of sunshine. I've never been big into flowers (I had to ask my neighbor what these were called.. sad) but this year I planted some flowers and herbs around the house and I've learned that it puts the rain in perspective.. I literally run outside the morning after a rainy day and it's like they have been given life! Maybe it's the long snowy winter, but I'm really starting to love the rain.

Rain and Flowers have nothing to do with my post today. I really just wanted to share some steals Groupon is offering right now. I wish I could justify buying everything that is a good deal.. but I can't so I need to see other people benefit to get it out of my system! lol

Click Click!!

 

$150 unlimited monthly pass for Bikram Yoga. You pay 30!! Unlimited yoga classes!!

Lunch or Dinner at Café 101

I've been wanting to try this place and now I have an excuse! Here is an awesome article from the coast http://www.thecoast.ca/halifax/halifax-hotels-as-dining-destinations/Content?oid=2773221

We used one of these Groupon deals for our last date night to the Wooden Monkey and it was easily one of our most memorable nights and meals to date!

C$17 for C$35 worth of dinner for two or more people

C$33 for C$70 worth of dinner for four or more people

C$10 for C$20 worth of lunch for two or more people

C$19 for C$40 worth of lunch for four or more people

An EIGHT piece $400 comforter set.. you pay $84.99, this one is my favorite! Sets never include the bed skirt!!!

 

Alexander McQueen sunglasses. $585 value and Groupon is offering for 179.99. Wish I was brave enough to buy without trying on, I'm obsessed with these!

Turn your photos into canvas art through lots of sites that are offering up to 90% off.

 

24 piece makeup brush kit, $150 value and you pay $24.99!

 

 



Regular $595.99 for $109.99

Egyptian cotton sheets, self operated vacuum cleaners, laser hair removal, personalized children's stories, so... many.... watches.... all for over 80% off. Thanks Groupon for making luxury items and date night feasible. Go check it out!! 

Regular $589.99 for $44.99

Regular $1494.99 for $149.99

Remember! -  Money saved is basically money made! lol

Kitchen Table Trade and Flip

Before (Kind of) 



After

 

Now that A-Baby is old enough for a high chair I decided to trade our mdf bar height table for a dining height table so we could all eat together :). The before picture above is after stripping the finish off of the top and starting to re-stain. For the legs I used left over paint from the DIY countertops. It's a shade of espresso I found in the oops section at Canadian tire, so far I've used this $5 can of paint on 3 different projects. WIN!

 

I mixed some baking soda and water into the paint to get the chalky finish and waxed em down.

 I love the chalk board because it's a piece of our old home! I found it behind the furnace in the dingy basement and gave it a little makeover. You know how I love my Chalkboard Paint DIY's

 

The chairs are temporary, after seeing this picture I'm going to NEED to paint the legs until we find replacements lol.

 

The dollar store is my favorite place to buy accessories for the kitchen. I'm having a current obsession with glass. All the table accessories (Placemats, tea light holder) and all the glass accessories for my shelf were supplied by this weeks dollar store haul. Got some fun finds for the garden and some materials to build some fun sconces!

 

I'll finish my post with some sconce inspiration :)

 

Lifehacker.com

Curbly.com

Really tempted to buy this one!!! Click for link!