PRINTABLE MAY CALENDAR!

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Hey hey heeeeey! It's May and I can officially say, I'M HAVING A BABY NEXT MONTH....oh my gosh!!!! Right now our house is covered in dust as our bathroom is being renovated but man James is doing an incredible job...(follow along on snapchat to see the behind the scenes- @lauraliira) He's had some amazing help from our friends- Isaiah, Tim & Mike (thank you guys!!!) and it's looking like it's going to be getting wrapped up in a week or so! But I'm off to clean the dust and organize the Lion's room. Tonight I'll be taking some maternity photos...I'm feeling very large and in charge but amazed that my body is growing our little boy...what an honour to be able to grow LIFE! :) 

Hope you enjoy the calendar!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE MAY CALENDAR

XO,
laura

OUR HOME // BATHROOM (RENO IN PROGRESS)

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Our bathroom reno has officially started! I forgot what living under renos was like....not ideal for a almost 34 week pregnant lady but it could be worse. Thankfully my dad lives around the corner and his suite is empty right now! 

About one year ago, I posted what our bathroom looked like when we bought the house. The old owners defs had an under the sea vibe going on. We painted it white and added a fan and it remained my least favourite room in the house. The tub was old and gross...so gross that I refused to have a bath in it..hahah 

But the day has come and James is making our bathroom dreams come true! After it's all said and done, I'll get him to write a post on everything that we did. We've been buying things slowly over the past two months which has been awesome because we've been able to find some good deals. We decided to go with the white and black vibe...here are a couple photos that are inspiring us...

1 // 2 // 3

So far we've changed out the lighting to pot lights along the ceiling (my brother in law did that, if you need an electrician, he's your guy!), and put the new bath tub in which you can see in the photos below. Tonight James is planning on fitting the drywall in the tub area so he can start the subway tile tomorrow! 

Wooohooo, exciting (BUT CRAZY) times!

xo,
laura

PREGNANCY POST // 8 MONTH BUMP UPDATE

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How far along are you?

I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant...OH MY GOSH. Just over 50 days to go, that's if he comes on time...but most likely it will be a little bit longer because first babies tend to cook a little more...but a girl can dream/wish/pray he'll come early righhhhht???

How big is baby?

At week 33, baby is the size of a pineapple. Over 4 pounds (EEEEEEEEEEEE!) and over 17 inches long!

Feeling:

ALL OF THE FEELINGS. My body feels pretty good, other than some lovely pelvic pressure and general soreness if I've had a long day. It's been quite warm here so the cankles are coming out! Oh my gosh, remind me to not wear skinny jeans and sandals on a hot day...because my ankles look like sausages! I just switched my wedding rings with a fake set because I'm nervous there will be a day when I can't take them off anymore! I started chiro and that has been AMAZING. I'm trying to do all that I can to get this bod ready to bust out baby. ha.

Emotionally I'm feeling so excited/in denial that this is actually happening. We did prenatal classes this month and they have been so amazing. (If you're local, I highly recommend the ones at the hospital through camosun with the instructor Kimberly Yates...she's AMAZING) The classes have been so informative and are making me feel real good about labour. I know, I'm naive. It's my first baby and all and I'm a highly optimistic person BUT I'm getting excited, the way I felt before my half marathon. I know it will be insanely hard but I know my body was made to do this so all I can do is keep training and trust in Jesus. 

He's moving around all the time, and every time, my heart swells knowing it's one day closer until I get to hold him on the outside, stare at him all day long and kiss his delicious cheeks.

Food love/hate:

I'm really trying to eat a pretty balanced diet. I've been loving smoothies in the morning, I actually crave them! I've also been craving nuts so I made sure to grab a big batch at costco this week. And as per usual, I can't really go a day without sweets...gotta keep it balanced, ha!!!

Exercise:

Still walking to work a few times a week, noticing I have to go at a much slower pace. Still going to the gym 2x a week with some home exercises as well. My chiro recommended I cut down on running and do more elliptical so I've done that and have noticed my joints don't feel as sore. I bought an exercise ball this week so I'll probably incorporate some home exercises with it...and hopefully it will help me labour!!

Clothing:

Lately, I've been loving my bump so you'll usually find me in maternity jeans or leggings and a tight t-shirt or tank. I'm noticing my tanks are getting shorter and shorter so I'll probably run out to Forever 21 this week to buy some long ones! I'm also on the hunt for a dress for my shower and potentially a maternity shoot...hoping I'll find something there!

What I'm looking forward to:

Our bathroom reno starts this weekend!!! I'm a bit scared because I know there will be days when our shower is out of commission...not to mention when the toilet gets switched (but I'll most likely stay somewhere else when that happens because I pee every 2 minutes)!  But it will all be worth it when we have the new tub in (which I'm planning to labour in!)  and heated floors (THANK YOU JESUS!) I honestly have the greatest husband in the world. He's worked so hard on this and will be working insanely hard to get it all installed. I'm so thankful, I seriously feel like the luckiest woman alive.

I'm also (obviously) SO looking forward to meeting our boy and becoming a mama. Oh sweet Lion, we can't wait to meet you.

Thanks for following along on this journey...can't believe it's 7ish weeks to go!!!!!

XO!
laura

MY CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES

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My love for Sephora runs real deep. It's a beauty playground that I could spend hours in. I have often said to James, "Sephora is to me what Home Depot is to you." HA.

They had their spring sale (everything is 15% off for VIBs, 10% for regular folk) last week and I took full advantage. I didn't go crazy because #budgetlife BUT I did buy a few things I was running low on/would be running out of at some point soon because you might as well get it at 15% off! (Can you tell I have a background in sales? :) 

I haven't shared my beauty favourites for awhile, so I thought I'll give you an ol' update. My beauty routine is pretty much the same most days (foundation, concealer, blush, contour, eyebrows, eyeliner and lip chap) but some days I like to change it up (eyeshadow or brown eyeliner instead of liquid).

MY CURRENT BEAUTY FAVOURITES:

1. MAKEUP FOREVER HD FOUNDATION- I just started using this one and I am a HUGE fan. I was using this smashbox one and I loved it but I'd heard so many good things about this one so the girl at Sephora put the two on either of my cheeks and I gotta say, the Makeup Forever one defs had a smoother finish!
2. SMASHBOX HIGH DEFINITION CONCEALER- I started using this one last year and it does a pretty good of covering up my dark circles without being super heavy on my skin! It goes on smooth which I love but it doesn't last all day...which is fine because it would probably have to be thicker to do that so if I'm going out after work, I usually just apply a little bit more and I'm good to go!
3. ESTEE LAUDER PURE COLOUR INTENSE EYELINER- I received this one in my first TOPBOX (Rip Birchbox Canada :( !!!!!!!!) and I love it! It came with half brown and half black and I've been using it on days I can't be bothered to do liquid. It does run a bit but it goes on very dark and very smoothly so if you plan on wearing this day and night, be sure to stick a few qtips in your bag to clean it up before you go out at night.
4. BENEFIT ROLLER LASH MASCARA- This my friends, is my most favourite mascara EVER! I've tried A TON of mascaras and I have to hand it to Benefit because this one tops them all. It lengthens, separates, thickens AND curls. I tried this Two-Faced one last year after I'd heard so much about it and I was so disappointed (way too thick and ran down my face!!) Roller Lash actually stays on my eyelashes all day and isn't insanely hard to get off either. I 100% recommend this mascara! It's a bit pricey but so worth it.
5. STILA LIQUID EYELINER- Courtney introduced this liquid eyeliner to me last year and I am sooo glad. It's one of the easiest, most fool proof liquid liners to apply and it stays on almost all day (unless I rub my eyes or have a nap lols).
6. BENEFIT GIMME BROW- I purchased this with my Birchbox points last year and to be honest, I didn't really use it much. But recently, I've started to use it if I'm going for a more casual look. It thickens the brows you already have and also helps keep them in place. If I'm going for a more dramatic look, I use MAC Brun eyeshadow for brow powder then shape the brows with Gimme Brow.
7. VITA LIBERATA SELF TANNING NIGHT MOISTURE MASK- I've noticed that on days I get the comment "Oh you have such a pregnancy glow!", I've used this self tanner the night before. heehehee! You apply it at night before you go to sleep, miraculously, it doesn't come off on your pillow and when you wake up you have a gorgeous glow! I received this as a sample in a Birchbox last year and am so glad I did because it's lasted forever and I absolutely love it. I will definitely buy the large size when I've run out.
8. CLINIQUE SPF 40- This has been my staple sunscreen for years! It's light enough to wear under makeup and it protects my face from all those horrible UV rays! I haven't strayed from it, because it works so well for me!

Well there you have it, my current beauty favourites. I'm always up for trying something new so please tell me what beauty products you can't live without!!

XO,
laura

HELLO WEEKEND

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How about that lilac though? The lilac trees are blooming all over my city and it makes me so happy. I really want to plant one of these beauties in the future!!

I have today off (!!!!) so I'm pretty pumped to get a jump start on the weekend. I have plans to hang with one of my besties, hit up a baby store and do some projects around the house. I borrowed a friend's battery charger so I can finally shoot and show you the progress on the nursery and the complete bathroom before! Our tile floor arrived and we are getting sooo excited to start this reno....it's crazy because after reno, it will be a few weeks until the lion comes...sooo insane!!!

I can't believe I'm 32 weeks pregnant. Next week I'll post my 8 month pregnancy update but man, time is flying by!!! We had another amazing prenatal class this Tuesday and man oh man, it's getting REAL! We assembled our stroller (we bought this one with the tan fabric off Used Victoria and love it so far) and my heart melts whenever I look at it. So excited for summer walks with my boy eeeeeeee!!

I defs took advantage of the Sephora sale earlier this week. I didn't get any new blush but I did go with this foundation instead of this one. I'll try it out this weekend and report to you on Monday how it is!

Okay swimsuit season is coming up and I'll be rocking the postpartum bod so I'm in search of a cute one piece...how sweet is this one (in black obvs)? I love how J Crew gives you every option in each pattern! And oh my gosh, have you seen these ban.do pool floaties? 

I'm 100% obsessed with snapchat these days. Seriously, I'm on it more than instagram lols. I'm posting lots of stories, so follow along if you like baby things and cats and flowers lols (@lauraliira)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

XO,
laura

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