Feliz Navidad

I am super excited for Christmas this year! Cohen is going to have so much fun. Last night we did out little family christmas (just my husband, Cohen and I). Everytime Cohen ripped off a little piece of wrapping paper he said "woah."
I'm starting off my Christmas with a morning yoga class at the gym. We are offering it free to the public and I think its going to be a great way to just relax and get ready for the next few days.

Tonight we head to Jason's parents where I know for sure Cohen will be spoiled! With presents, yes, but with lots of snacks as well! What happens at Grandma's, stays at Grandma's.

Tomorrow morning after opening the gifts and eating breakfast with my side of the family, we are all heading to Grand Forks, North Dakota to spend a few nights in a hotel. We decided to still give gifts for the kids but for the adults, getting a way for a few days is all we wanted (besides cute handmade stocking stuffers!)

My hope is that all of you have an amazing time with family and friends and enjoy this Christmas time. It only comes once a year so take it all in:)

I'll be back in the new year to share some of the gifts that I made this Christmas

oh yeah.....update on all that studying:
I passed my Personal Training exam!!!! 83% on the written and 97% on the practical...that's an average of 90%. WOOHOO!!!!


MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

tamara
xoxo

MIA Due to the Following...

source: google images

First of all, as per post below...last week started off a little rough. The same day, I was at work, and I get a call from my dad who is watching Cohen that he just puked all over the office (TMI, I know). I picked him up as soon as I could but by then he had puked again. He slept most of the day and all night. By the next day all was well. I went to work Wednesday evening as per usual. In the middle of my last appointment , the sickness just hit me. I made it home and layed on the couch. Over the course of the night I got sick twice. Spend Thursday laying on the couch again. Thursday night Jason comes home from worship practice sick and he was sick until Friday afternoon. And now that brings us to Monday.

Monday I found out that the Personal Training exam that I had scheduled to take this coming Friday had to be rescheduled. I didn't want to do it next week because I still have a ton of Christmas presents to finish!!!! So that left...TODAY!!!!

I have been scrambling trying to prepare everything and study study stduy. I went to practice my practical exam with a coworker and discovered that I hadn't been given the complete instructions on what was and was not needed for the exam. I way overplanned (which is better than not having enough). Needless to say, I can't wait for today to be over.

As a reward for my exam (fingers crossed that I pass!), I have booked myself a 1 hour massage at the spa on Friday evening. No baby. No making supper. Just me and some tea and spa-goodness! (thank Goodnesss for a MIL who gives me gift cards to the spa)

I'm off for some last minute studying and possibly a shower..if I have time! Brains before beauty today!

tamara

xoxo

O.T.I.S

Yesterday we had to say GoodBye to our first pet. My sister and brother in law brought home a pug just after they got married. Otis was like a nephew to me. Part of the family. He was a purebred pug and we could not have loved him anymore. He wasn't very old...he was three in August. But his health has not been good for a long time. He had really bad allergies and some kidney and hip problems. The vet said that anything they could do would be short-term and his quality of life would continue to get worse.

My sister, Tynille, was the one who took him to the vet. She was so strong and held his little face the whole time.

Its been a rough few days for my family so please keep us in your prayers as we go through this together. The hardest part will be when the kids ask where he is. They are still very little so they probably won't remember him or this event too well.

I leave you with some pics of Otis Kehler. We love you puppy!

love auntie

xoxo

Christmas*Countdown {18 days}

Gingerbread Men are probably the cutest cookie to decorate. You can make any shape you want and decorate with all sorts of colours and candies. We were boring this year. I really just liked the brown cookie with the white icing (and more importantly that was Jason's request, he cares about random things like that.)



This recipe (as seen in the photo) was given to me last Christmas and was printed on a Christmas card. How neat!

Here's the recipe:

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar (I've seen them made with both white or brown...I used white)

2 eggs

1 cup molasses

1/3 cup hot water

6 cups flour

pinch of salt

1 tbsp baking soda

1 tbsp ginger

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, molasses, and hot water. Mix well.

In a separate large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda and ginger. Add to wet ingredients in increments. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4" thickness. I did this in steps I grabbed a chunk of dough, rolled it out, cut out the cookies and then grabbed another chunck. Use more flour to get rid of some of the stickiness. Cut into shapes and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.

Bake for 9 minutes or until lightly browned. (In my oven 8 minutes was perfection.)

When 100% cooled, decorate with icing and candies if you wish.

My icing recipe was 1 cup of icing sugar, whipping cream until desired thickness. You can add food colouring if you want.

These are really fun cookies to decorate with your kids or nephews and neices. Our son is too young but he did enjoy eating them:)

tamara

xoxo

Christmas*Countdown {20 days}

I love Christmas! It is full of magical snowfalls and cozy hot-chocolate filled nights. I love the hustle and bustle of baking, making handmade, thoughtful gifts and celebrating with friends and family. This year I'm especially busy because I'm trying to finish my Personal training course before Christmas. That means alot of studying on top of everything else.

For the next few weeks I'm going to share some of the things that I'm keeping busy with during this Christmas season.

Today's recipe is my #1 Holiday treat: Marshmallow Squares or Confetti Square

note: this image is from google as we ate all ours before a photo could be snapped!

What you'll need:

1/2 cup of margarine

1 cup smooth peanut butter

2 cups butterscotch chips (make it a chocolate square by substituting choc. chips.)

1 to 1-1/2 cups of coloured marshmallows (it just looks nicer than plain white ones)

1. Line a 9x9 pan or 9x13 pan with waxed paper (both the sides and the bottom).
2. Place margarine and peanut butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir until they are melted together.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Stir in butterscotch chips immediately until they are melted.
5. Set aside and let cool until the bottom of the pan can be touched comfortably.
6. Stir in marshamllows and pour the mixture in lined pan.
7. Refrigerate for approx. 1 hour.
8. ENJOY:):)

I have so many memories of my grandma making this at Christmas time! I plan to make it part of my family traditions for my son.

Even as I'm typing this I get all giddy inside for Christmas. Christ's birth is such a reason to celebrate!!!

tamara

xoxo

First Vintage Purchase

I just made my first vintage clothing purchase...and it wasn't even for me!!!

I bought this amazing toddler blazer from 3ringcircus.

Thanks holly for leading me to it!

click for more details

I'm so so so excited! I can't wait to put it on Cohen. He will be so stylish for all those Christmas functions.(sshh I told the hubby that I would save it for a Christmas present...but I think I'll have to break it out before!)

I have a busy weekend planned: a grand opening party, movie night with my little family, party on Sunday, and I guess I'll probably watch some football.

Have an awesome weekend:)

tamara

xoxo

Today we are crossing the border. We are risking our lives on our winter roads..hehe. My husband's boss takes all the staff and their families to Grand Forks for two nights once a year. And that time has come again.

There will be super target...I could spend the whole weekend there.

A yummy mexican place for supper tonight...chips free..dinner extra.

Ice cream.

Starbucks of course.

Its also our first time travelling with a toddler. The longest we have ever gone is an hour and a half. Grand Forks is only a few hours but I'm more worried about us all sleeping in one room. There is a pool at our hotel and I'm so excited because.....I can wear my bikini again. I never thought that day would come. I tried it on yesterday and I actually felt comfortable and confident. Its been a year of very hard work and I've tried so so hard to get back to my pre baby state. My tummy skin is still a little loose but there isn't much that can be done about that.

I need to start/finish packing!

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend..I know I will:)

xoxo

tamara

hair inspiration

I have an appointment with the talented Holly for Monday afternoon...I googled some images and here's a few styles/cuts that I like.

I remember even in high school, Jessica Alba has been a huge "hairspiration" for me. Its probably we have similar face shapes and colouring. I'm always drawn to her styles.

Any suggestions????

tamara

xoxo

Baked French Toast

Cohen and I were getting bored of breakfast. We were hungry but were wanting more from that first meal of the day.
He loves pancakes, waffles, etc. so I decided to make french toast. I could remember the basics of french toast making but wanted a reminder of the quantities of ingredients. The only recipe that I could find in my cookbooks was for Baked French toast. Get this...its made with yogurt!!! You will need:
3 eggs
1/4 cup of your favourite yogurt (i did blueberry and pomegranate)
2 tbsp of sugar
dash of salt
1/2 tsp of vanilla
1/2 tsp of cinnamon
4 slices bread of your choice (I used twelve grain..for fiber)

Beat your eggs by hand and then beat in all the rest of the ingredients.

Dip each slice of bread in the mixture getting it all soggy.

Pick it up and let the excess drip for a few seconds.

Place your slices on a well greased baking sheet or baking mat. Pour the extra egg mixture over top of your slices. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes PER SIDE:)

These were so yummy and will taste different depending on the flavour of yogurt you used. We just put a little syrup on ours and gobbled them up. But you could do icing sugar, syrup, or even berries and whipped cream.

Enjoy

tamara

xoxo

Whew...what a long day...

Yesterday I was at our local craft show!
It was a long day but I did have a lot of fun.
Traffic was a bit slower than anticipated.

upcycled tank tops = cute crochet embellished tote bags

fruit cozies...i personally love the owl on the right hand side.

Can't wait for more shows. Its so scary to put yourself out there like that. All the prep work, the late nights, and putting your work out there for everyone to see and critique....scary stuff.

I guess it will be a process to gain some confidence in what I'm trying to do. Our local craft scene needs some young, fresh blood so I'm happy to be involved:)

tamara

xoxo

Yabba Dabba Good Time

Growing up we never participated in trick or treating, but always dressed up and went to fun carnivals at our church.

Its not different for our son. We dressed up and visited grandparents and then spent the evening playing games and collecting candy at church. Here are a few shots of our evening...

Here's Cohen (aka Bam Bam)
Here he is hunting and gathering for supper..hehe

My niece, Pebbles

Cohen and I (Betty and BamBam)

Wilma & Pebbles

Betty & BamBam

We had lots of fun. Jason didn't want to dress up as Barney...I call him the party pooper. But he was a trooper taking pictures and lugging around Bam Bam. Thanks honey!

53 days until Christmas

woohoo!

tamara

the journey

Sometimes when I sit down to prepare a post...I have nothing to say. I'm so busy that I must have something to share right???

Well, I have realized that I'm so busy doing stuff that I don't have time to think. Not about how I feel, what I'm doing, what's important in life. I think it's okay to be busy. If I'm not busy I get lazy..so at least for me it's a good thing.

What I'm striving for is BALANCE. I want to work towards giving the right amount of time with my family, working, being active & healthy eating, and my relationship with God.

I'm going to start to be more reflective so I don't feel like I'm running around for no reason. I have signed up for Kristin's Journalling Saves Journal Prompts. I'm hoping it will give me the push towards writing down how I'm feeling or at least force me to think about it.

I need to get back into doing yoga more regularly. My mind, body, and spirit will be working as one and that will definetly help with the whole balance issue.

Does anyone else feel like this world is spinning so fast? How do you deal?

tamara

xoxo

image via seeds-of-intention-blog.com

If you like ice cream...

Do you often have an ice cream cone as your night time snack? Any type of snacking can be a hard habit to break. Knowing that there are alternatives out there can help you curb those cravings.

I got the following idea from by employer at the gym, Deanna.
Take one ice cream cone which, depending on the brand, only contain about 10-17 calories.
And take some yogurt. I like Yoplaits Source yogurt. There is no sugar added and they have a dessert selection line that is so so yummy.

If you eat these two at the same time you hit that craving for the crunch with the cone and yogurts the next best thing in terms if ice cream.

You can also but your yogurt into your cone and freeze it so its nice and crispy and then you have a fro-yo cone without the extra calories.

Try this out tonight!!!

tamara

(images via google)

My First Ever Craft Show

This weekend, I participated in my first ever craft show! It made for a really long weekend but fun nonetheless. I did fairly well. My goal for this craft show was to get my name out there. The next craft show I'm doing is on November 6 so it gives me some more time to add to my inventory and create a few more items:) Here are some pics of my table!

My prized possession: I had one kid tell me that he was sure it was for a playstation. I couldn't believe that kids don't know what typewriters are these days. It makes me feel really really old:)

A few people wanted to but it..but I'll never let it go!

I had to sacrifice the weekend with Cohen to attend. But he forgives me...Look at that face:)

love,

tamara

Recipe Wednesday

The biggest difficulty I find being a wife/mom is meal ideas. I have several goals when meal planning:

• save money





• enough prepared food for leftovers





• quick prep





• healthy as possible

My boss told me of an idea that I think is the most genius thing ever! Slow cooker chicken! I know, I know..you are thinking what's so ingenious about slow cooker chicken, right?

Easy peasy...take at least three FROZEN chicken breasts and put them in your slow cooker. Sprinkle some sort of seasoning over top. I used some poultry seasoning but you can use whatever you want. Turn you slow cooker on. And that's it. I had my on low for at least 6 hours. Or overnight and then keep it warm until you are ready to eat.

Your house will smell of roast chicken..yum! Take the leftover juice and add some cornstarch and you have a perfect gravy.

The possibilities are endless with this chicken. Use it for any meal that you need cooked chicken for. For example, soups, pizzas...etc!

Super easy! Enjoy!

Momma Fit

For those of you who don't know, I'm a certified fitness instructor. Healthy living is a passion of mine. I'm not perfect at it all the time but I try.

Long before we were even thinking of starting a family, I started to get myself in really great shape. I wanted to have the healthiest pregnancy. So what started as a desire for pregnancy is now my life.

I notice all the time that once women have children, they kinda forget who they are. The focus is on the children (which is a good thing). But there has to be : BALANCE. That's my word of the year. Balancing: kids, husbands, food, laundry, cleaning, finances, friends, family, church, school..etc.

People ask me all the time, "where do you have the time to work out?" Simple, I make time. Now sometimes it means that I have to stay up later than I would like because I'm at the gym. Or sacrificing an hour with my son or husband in order to work out. Think about it this way, if you make the goal to go to the gym or do somesort of workout 3x a week for 1 hour. That's only 3 hours out of your whole week!

Here are some tips on making that time possible for you:

Include your kids in your workout. Most children thinks its so much fun to see mom work out. Cohen's favourite is burpees. He giggles and giggles. There are so many exercises out there that include your baby in some way. It can be a great time for you and your kids. You are being an example to your kids that exercise is important.

Put your kids in the stroller or have them run with you or ride their bikes along side you. Again this can be a great way to bond with your kids.

If you expecting, exercise is hugely important. Research shows that expectant mothers who exercise regularly througout their pregnancy have smaller weight babies which can reduce their risk of obesity later in life.

Make sure one of your workouts a week is without your kids. Its important for moms to take that time for themselves. You will feel happier and have a boost of energy. And moms everywhere know how important energy!

Exercise isn't the only thing necessary to be a healthy mamma! Nutrition is usually 50% of it too!

That's another post:)

Most communities have mom and baby programs. Research some in your area. Its a great way to meet other moms in your neighbourhood, interact with your baby, and do something great for yourself.

If you have any questions or want some specific exercises, let me know:)

A beautiful Time of Year

I'm back at it. I took a haitus from blogging this summer. One of my goals for this year was to create a blog that I love. Its still a work in progress but here I am.

Fall is my favourite time of year. I love the cool weather and the gorgeous colours. This year my son is old enough to love playing outside in the leaves and at the park. Today we went for a walk around town. I got to enjoy all the beautiful colours and he was rewarded with some swing time!

(source: google images)

He is such a cutie!

You will be seeing more of me around these parts:)

tamara

I should be washing my windows..but I'm doing this instead

(source)

I saw this originally on Rachel's blog and thought I would play along.

1. When do you feel happiest? Sitting outside in the sun on a blanket reading or crafting while my son plays beside me.

2. How do you take care of yourself? I try to go to the gym three times a week. I participate in two bootcamp classes. I shower regularly. I brush everyday (and floss when I remember). I try to put somewhat of an effort into my wardrobe even when I'm just staying at home.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated? I would say..some of both. I motivate myself to not sit around all day and do something useful. Most of my creative motivation comes from others though. I'm still discovering who I am creatively.

4. What do you do for fun? I love to go out for appetizers. If my husband ever asks me what I want to do that's what I'll say. I also like going thrifting. The thrill of what I might find makes me giddy!

5. What intimidates you? Starting something new. Like Rachel and Elsie's Journal Class. I'm a little nervous about expressing my self in that way.

6. What is something you're proud of? My boys..my husband for working so hard for our family. And my 9 month old son Cohen. I love to watch him grow up and learn new things. Words can't describe how proud I am of him. I could talk about him all day:) (but don't worry I won't)

7. Finish this sentence. I never... want to be a "mom". I want to try to always stay young and not let life take over me. I want to always feel like I'm someone my children and husband will be proud of.

8. Favourite vacation spot? Seriously..I've never really went anywhere exciting. So my dream vacation would be to California. Or really anywhere I can see an ocean (except the Artic, I'm talking somewhere warm).

9. Today is a (rate from 1-10). Its only 9 am, but I would say so far a 7. My husband has to work today and I'm on the outer edge of a sinus cold. But I'm optimistic that the day will be fabulous anyways.

10. Finish this sentence: If you knew me really well you'd know... being a stay at home mom/wife is my dream. And I'm so fortunate that I'm able to do that.

That was fun...If you do this too, leave me the link in the comments section.

Bye bye,

tamara

xoxo