PREGNANCY POST // 4 MONTH BUMP UPDATE


4 month bump update!

It's about time I update you on this whole pregnancy thing hey? I'm excited to give you some monthly updates that I will continue until baby Liira's arrival!

Well, first of all the day has come...my bump has arrived!!! Clearly, I'm very happy about it as I spent most of the first trimester feeling very bloated most of the time. So hello bump! It's so nice to meet you :)

How far along are you?

I'm just at the start of my 4th month. Can't believe I'll be 15 weeks tomorrow! I feel that the first trimester went ridiculously slow and now I'm all like HOW IS IT 15 WEEKS!

How big is baby?

Right now baby is the size of a large lemon and tomorrow he/she will be the size of the pear! It's insane to think that this little baby started out as cells..makes me think how amazing God is! He knit this little one in my womb <3

Feeling:

I'm finally starting to get my energy back (PTL!!) yet last week I had the flu…which sucked! I hadn't been "sick" in six years so I guess it was about time I got sick again. During my first trimester I was nauseous most of the time and very tired at night but miraculously, no puking! I definitely feel like I have more energy except last night I strangely went to bed at 7pm!! I guess I'm finding my balance with how much I can handle. I try to squeeze a lot in a day and God is teaching me to listen to my body and rest when I can…and if I don't…I'm forced lols.
I've also started to get heart burn a lot!! If it's still real bad by the time of my next doctor's appt (end of Dec), I'll end up asking her for something stronger than tums.

Food love:

I feel like I'm just starting to get cravings. On Monday I HAD TO HAVE A VEGGIE CONE from a local Japanese market. Something came over me and OH MY GOSH I HAD TO HAVE IT. It's nice to actually start craving food instead of just bland crackers and bananas.

Food hate:

Strangely, I want nothing to do with pasta…especially cheesy pasta in my first trimester. There was a pasta bar in the buffet on our cruise and I literally had to hold my breath or plug my nose every time I walked by! I still don't want anything too cheesy. I also want nothing to do with leftovers or super saucy salads.

Exercise:

I'm still going for runs and to the gym a couple times a week! It's been pretty sad to see my pace go down but I know I can't push myself too hard. I don't want to give up though. I know you're allowed to exercise so I'm finding the balance of doing it right without over doing it.

Clothing:

Right now I'm still wearing my old jeans (with the help of the good ol rubber band trick). My shirts are mostly loose so I will probably be able to wear them for a LONG time. I do want some new flat boots and maternity jeans which I may purchase on a post-Christmas trip to Vancouver (HELLO TOPSHOP!)

What I'm looking forward to:

CHRISTMAS! Right now all I want to do is get into pyjamas, snuggle up with James (or Coco lols) and watch Christmas movies. Our Christmas tree is up and our mantle is decorated and I could just stay in my living room forever. I'm also very much looking forward to our ultrasound in January where we find out if Baby Liira is a boy or girl…oh my goodness the waiting is KILLING ME.

Oh and funny story….When I originally took the mirror selfie above I immediately had to retake because I was horrified by the state of my room. I quickly cleaned a bit and then took the photo but that's not real life so below is the original photo…

 
4 month pregnancy update!
 

Ha, how awesome is Coco's tail!

With love,
laura

5 COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY THIS CHRISTMAS


Delicious cookie recipes to try this holiday season!

We're almost halfway through December and I haven't done ANY Christmas baking!!!! I usually attend a cookie exchange but because of crazy schedules, it just isn't going to work out this year BUT don't worry James, I plan to get my bake on this afternoon and I AM SO EXCITED!

I'll be baking a few of my classics that I make every year and adding a new one, so look out for another recipe soon!

But in the meantime here are 5 cookie recipes you should totally bake this Christmas!!

1. CHEWY GINGERBREAD COOKIES W/ CREAM CHEESE ICING

The perfect chewy gingerbread cookies with white chocolate cream cheese icing!!

OH MY GOSH. YOU GUYS. These are my absolute favourite cookies to make at Christmas time. Soft & chewy gingerbread and cream cheese icing..say no more! I'm baking a bunch of them today. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.

 

2. THICK AND CHEWY CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

The best chocolate chip cookies you will ever eat.

These are the best chocolate chip cookies you will ever eat. I am seriously not joking. You can ask James and he will tell you. They are thick and chewy and have the perfect amount of sweet & salty. I make them ALL THE TIME and they get devoured so quickly! CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE!

 

3. SWIG STOP COOKIES

Let's get our holiday baking on! 5 Cookie recipes for you to try this Christmas season!

I tried these ones when I was in Salt Lake City last year and I seriously could not get over them. They are apparently famous round those parts and I knew I needed to find a recipe for them. I think it would be super cute to change the icing colour to pale red and green to make them all Christmasy. CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.

 

4. NUTELLA STUFFED BROWN BUTTER SEA SALT COOKIES

Nutella stuffed cookies!

Ok, excuse the junky photography....that was from a few years ago and clearly taken at night LOLS...which I will never ever do again BUT these cookies are a WHOLE NOTHA LEVEL. Just warning, they are quite messy to make but don't let that stop you because nutella + sea salt is a match made in Heaven and you will satisfy the masses with these. CLICK HERE TO GET THE RECIPE.

 

5. SALTED SKOR BIT COOKIES.

Salted skor bit cookies!

These are a ridiculously easy and delicious cookie to make...the perfect thing in this bustling season! It will not take long, so go get your bake on! CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE.

 

Happy baking everyone! I'm off to the dentist (BOOOOOO.) But after I will be in my happy place with my kitchen aid.

XO,
laura

HELLO WEEKEND


Merry Christmas!

Happy Friday everyone! Are you in the Christmas mood yet? It's hit me HARD. Probably because I spent last weekend either on the couch or with my head in a bowl....PTL my flu is GONE. 

I watched The Holiday last night and cried approx 10 times....the old man walking, the cute little girls, the love, oh the love....it may be pregnancy hormones, but I don't even care, it was the greatest. 

This weekend I plan to do all the Christmas things I missed out on last week! There's a Holiday City happening downtown and I'm excited to hit that up on Saturday along with my church's kid's Christmas musical! And on Monday I'm planning to GET MY BAKING ON. I have not baked in sooo long and there are about 5 cookie recipes that I want to bake haha. 

I'm officially in the second trimester and plan on doing a 4 month preggers post to update you on all pregnancy related news...but I will tell you now that yesterday I found out when our 19 week ultrasound is (!!!) cannot wait to find out if Baby Liira is a boy or girl!!!!!

Our Christmas tree and stockings are up (photo above) and my new Christmas candle just arrived! So this weekend, I also plan to spend some quality time in our living room watching a few more Christmas movies....wishing I had these comfy joggers or these pj's (hint hint ;)

Our lovely students left yesterday and this morning and man it feels weird to have just James & I living in our house but I will not complain because we are going out for dinner tonight and we don't have to make sure anyone else has food (GLOOORRRRYY!!!)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the second to last weekend before CHRISTMAS!!!

XO,
laura

20 GOALS // MAKING A PIE FROM SCRATCH


Apple pie 101!

Hello from the other side.....of the stinking flu! Wow, this flu thang had wiped me out since last Saturday but I am happy to report, I'm now in the clear! But the flu while pregnant = the worst!

 So remember when I made 20 goals to accomplish in my last year as a twenty-something? Well three months have gone by and I am proud to say I finally baked a pie from scratch! I've also accomplished a few others, but we'll get to those in a different post. 

My mum gifted my sister and I with a pie baking class for our birthdays and we attended it in November. It was taught by Chef Heidi Fink and I would definitely recommend classes by her!

Pie Making 101

We started out with a baking demonstration where she showed us how to make crust. Now the big debate is whether you want an all butter crust or butter and lard or butter and shortening. We did a taste test at the end and I preferred the all butter crust, which apparently most people under 50 do and most people over 50 prefer shortening! She also revealed how putting vodka (1/4 cup) in the dough helps keep it moist and more supple.

pie making 101

After the demonstration, we were off to do our own bidding. Ohhh another secret she revealed was when choosing your apples, you don't just want to go to the ol' granny smith route but you also don't want to go with strictly sweet apples either! The trick is to get a mix of tart AND sweet apples because tart apples go mushy and sweet apples stay hard when cooked so you need both to have your bricks and mortar! Brilliant hey?

While our pies were cooking away, we got to try the pies that Heidi made and oh my goodness, they were amazing. 

Pie Making 101!

Now my pie wasn't that pretty because honestly, baking a pie is pretty stressful but I'm excited to experiment in the kitchen and work on that lattice crust thang now that I know how to make pie (lols).

 

Well hope you have a great Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow with another Christmas gift guide :)

XO,
laura

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE // FOR YOUR BFF

Oh my gosh it's DECEMBER 4TH! Have you started Christmas shopping yet? I've barely started but I plan to get some done this weekend! My favourite ppl to buy things for are ppl who like pretty things aka MY BFFS! So today's gift guide is all about that person...gift ideas for your BFF!

The perfect gift ideas for your BFF!