April Events

Just a couple more pictures for the end of the month! 

After mom's graduation a couple of weeks ago, Kayla came over for dinner and we made tacos. Tacos are a pretty big deal for us and we like to go all out when we have them. Kayla even offered to buy us each a drink on our drive home from the graduation. I am thinking I might need to make some tacos again later this week for Cinco de Mayo! Who wants to party with us?

Haig and I got out a couple times this month, but I hope the weather is going to get warmer and warmer because the sun has been super deceiving the last couple of days. It usually looks bright, warm and sunny outside and once you get outside its chilly and windy! Haig is just itchy to do some golfing. He is going this weekend but I would love to see him play a round soon, or we might get out to the driving range that's down the street from our new apartment to have some fun!

I love going to young women's with our Charlottetown girls. They are so funny, talented, creative, unique and wonderful. We held an "art after dark" type activity. We watched a artist's step by step video on painting a gorgeous mountain landscape. The girls did really great and towards the end some of the girls decided to really let their creativity flow! I decided not to participate in this activity because I thought I would be leaving early to get some more sleep for my night shift, but also because mine would have looked like a big blue, black and brown blob, so that would be been really pretty......

April 2016, you've been so much fun! Now it's time for MAY!!!

Double Chocolate Chip Muffins

Okay, so I am not sure why these are called "skinny" muffins, because they are so delicious that you are going to want to eat four in one sitting! My mom found this recipe a couple of years ago and they have become somewhat of my "treat" muffin when I am getting tired of my blueberry or banana muffins. I really need to experiment with some more muffin recipes. I have a ton pinned on Pinterest but I really love my staple muffins! 

end of April

Hello! This week seems to be rushing by. On Tuesday night we fed the missionaries. We had homemade pizza and Caesar salad. I also went visiting teaching that evening. I really enjoy visiting teaching! It is a great way for me to get to strengthen relationships with the sisters in our church congregation. My companion is so nice and I love being able to serve with her. I worked a night shift on Tuesday so Wednesday I practically slept all day except for getting up to shower around lunch time and watching a couple episodes of the Mindy Project. I also went to Young Women's and our girls had a fun night of painting. I worked a second night shift last night, so I was able to get some rest this morning and now I have an afternoon to spend with my wonderful husband. I am going to Moncton this weekend to see my Aunt Helen with my parents and Kayla. Mom and Dad are going to see Alan Doyle on Saturday night and I am very excited for them to go! I am going to miss my husband so much this weekend, I think I've only told him that 368 times by now but I hope he's still okay with hearing it until I get home on Sunday afternoon.

too close to home

Yesterday, my mom sent me a picture on a Facebook message. I couldn't really tell what she was trying to show me at first, then she told me that the field behind my family's home was on fire. She told me about what happened and that the firefighters put it out. It wasn't until seeing the pictures later that I realized how bad the fire was, and that it could have burned down my family's home, their belongings, the things they work so hard for. I know that people experience worse every single day. I know that I wasn't close to home to have to go through this. The situation however is still a scary one. I can't imagine what would have happened if my family lost everything. I am glad they are safe and that no one was hurt.

We live in a small community. We already know how the fire was started. Young kids experimenting with smoking. I am very disappointed that this could have created such a terrible situation for my family and neighbours if the fire had spread any further than it did. The black burn marks in the field are just a mere 20 feet from our garage. I hope these young people will take a lot of time to reflect on their actions and even apologize for being so naive, careless and down right stupid in my opinion.

A special thanks to the Firefighters at the North River Fire Department. I am grateful for their hard work and dedication to helping others, especially those in a time of need such as this one. Thank-you to our wonderful neighbours that are always looking out for us. A special shout out to my family, I love you all and I am glad you are safe.

Pictures (except for the last one) by my talented brother, Bryan Fraser using Canon Rebel t3i, 

using 40mm and 55-250mm lenses.

Mom's Best Banana Bread

This recipe is a treasure. I debated sharing it with everyone because it is MINE, and I love it so much. So if you love this recipe, please tell me, and please make it often. I make it about once every two weeks!

15 degrees

Yesterday it was finally nice outside! Haig and I took a walk downtown on the waterfront. I just love the boardwalk the wraps around the Delta Hotel. It was 15 degrees and I was loving walking around in a short-sleeve top! It was still a little chilly down by the water, but I couldn't be bothered too much by it. 15 degrees and I was one happy girl. I especially like being around this happy boy too.

Happy Earth Day

Today, I took some time to appreciate this beautiful Earth we live on. Where flowers can grown and rivers stream. I am so glad that I live in this beautiful world, my Heavenly Father created for me. I know that each day, I need to be taking just a little more time to appreciate all this beauty around me, especially as the seasons change. We are finally getting some warm weather. I only had a short sleeve shirt on as we walked downtown on the waterfront and it has been a long time hoping for this day to finally come!

Happy Earth Day Everyone

now go play outside.

longboarding

I haven't seen Haig ride his longboard in a long time. It was almost refreshing to watch him ride tonight along the boardwalk. Well, w itas also refreshing to get out of the house for the first time all day around 5:00pm. I came home from my night shift and I slept until noon, and then I got up and showered and we made a big lunch and I also made a double batch of banana bread. I did some reading in the afternoon while Haig did some things on the computer. I wanted to sleep as much as possible in the evening, so we decided to go for a walk to waste some of my energy so I could get some more sleep for the night shift I am currently working. 

Haig really likes to longboard. I am so happy we have his longboard back being without it for so long since his mission and then coming home from his mission. Tonight I watched as he zoomed by me and he rode down the boardwalk and I walked behind him. Sometimes I wondered at what point he would turn around and be back at my side. At one point, he rode around a corner and I couldn't see him for a little bit. I kept walking and surely enough, when I saw him again he was heading towards me. I love you Haig, so much. I feel so lucky to have you all to myself, for now, and that we can go and do fun things like this. I want to do this more often. I love watching you ride your longboard. Just please don't get hurt okay?

as of lately

So much and not much has been going on. Isn't that strange? I guess most days I just feel like a robot because I am preparing for night shifts or recovering from night shifts. It is so nice to have days off during the week and my hope is to plan to get together with friends or do something fun, but I always end up being really lazy. On Tuesday, my day off, we cleaned the car. It was soo bad from this winter. Neither of us really enjoy cleaning the car. It is so much work to take it home to vacuum and wipe down the interior. While we were home I also unloaded a tote with my summer clothing and I cleaned out most of what was in the closet in my old room. When I got it all home I was a little overwhelmed, especially with all of the clothes. I started to do some cleaning up and hauling out. I worked for a long time getting my dresser and closet organized, that when I took a short break to lay down on the bed, I knew it was time for a nap. I slept for two hours. I didn't really know my body needed the rest, but I guess it did. In the evening, we took a drive to value village to drop some of the donations off. Then we made a trip up to Winners to look around, and the dollar store to get some treats to watch our new show 'daredevil'. Our go-to treats are munchos, strawberry straws and kit kat bars. I also picked up a lemon san pellegrino and Haig got some black licorice candies. Today, I got a lot of rest this afternoon, preparing to go to work at midnight. Its tough, but its not all that bad. Tonight I will take my current read: PS, I Love you by Cecelia Ahern and also some snacks. Basically my life is all about snacks okay? I will hopefully be able to nap a little more later this evening, but for now I am heading off to my "first" night back at Young Women's. I have been called to serve as the second counselor in our ward and I am excited for this new opportunity to hang out with the sweet girls in our church congregation!

Nora's Blueberry Muffins

Today, I am going to share one of my favorite muffin recipes.  This recipe is especially great to make on early summer mornings (don't want that oven on in the middle of the day!) and this recipe is so delicious with fresh blueberries.

Burger Love 2016

Well, we are already half way through April, PEI's Burger Love month. Sadly, I have only had two burgers, but the price just gets me. I understand we are supporting local farmers because all of the restaurants use Island Beef, but most places are still very pricey for a burger, fries at an extra charge as well. One night, Haig and I had an impromptu dinner at Papa Joe's. We really loved their Burger last year and this year's was very delicious as well. Another night Kayla and I went to Brickhouse. We also had their burger last year, but I was not a huge fan of the burger this year in comparison to the one I had a couple days before at Papa Joe's. I think we will hopefully have two more before the end of the month, but we will have to wait and see if the bank account allows for it!

My mom went to college!

Six years ago, my mom went back to school to take a new and exciting program at Holland College! This program was for individuals that were already working in the childcare field but did not have their early childhood education diploma. My mother has worked in an early years setting my whole life. She has a degree in recreation from Dalhousie University. This program was very exciting for the students because they were able to continue to work full time, manage their home and family life while obtaining their education. Many of the women that graduated on Saturday carried on with their lives as this program happened, many got married, had babies and continued to work hard. My mom gave a reading at the graduation ceremony and I was really inspired by the whole thing from start to finish. When the diplomas were being passed out, most of the course instructors had tears in their eyes. This program has been a long time coming and it has been able to change many lives, and will continue to change lives as these early childhood educators continue to work in the field with our little ones.

work & school & summer 2016

Just a little update about what we've been up to! April had a pretty busy start with our move and a long weekend of general conference. Then, I started working some night shifts in early April. I was really worried about them but they went better than I had hoped, but I don't really want to work them long term, but we will see what happens I suppose. Haig is finishing up his first year of school! It is very exciting, but it is difficult to realize how much longer he has in school. He will work full time this summer as part of his cooperative education program, so that is a silver lining. We are simply trying to get our summer organized little by little. I work every second weekend and from now until August it seems we have something going on every weekend that I don't work and it looks something like this

I'm worried because everything is planned for the next couple of weeks that everything is just going to happen so fast. I really want to be able to enjoy this summer because it may just be our last summer for just the two of us. We certainly have a lot going on, but I am looking forward to the simple nights of a walk on the beach, ice cream dates and watching my husband play golf. Work is work. We both worked really hard last summer and we hope to do the same this summer, but there will always be time for these little things that I enjoy most.

Best Ever Oatmeal Cookies

Hey! So I am so excited to announce a new blog project. I am not 100% sure of the details yet, but every month I am going to share some of my favorite, most used recipes around our home. Baking and cooking can be pretty complex, but I've decided that simple recipes really do wonders for those learning some new skills in the kitchen.

I decided to start off with something I made yesterday. We always have either a batch of cookies or muffins made at once, and then once we finish I'll make something else. We haven't had these cookies in a little while mostly because making them can be somewhat time consuming because it makes a lot of batter. A tip for making these cookies is to grease your hands with some butter or cooking oil when you are rolling the cookies into balls so it doesn't get too stick on your hands.

make it! picture fridge magnets

I am a big fan of the love taza blog. I have been reading her blog for a number of years now and following her and her husband on instagram. Their lifestyle is very fun and upbeat. In a couple of her posts, here & here, you can catch a glimpse of the dishwasher in their kitchen that has a bunch of picture magnets. I love my instagram pictures a lot and I am always looking for sweet ways to actually make prints of my photos these days, because not too many people make prints anymore! 

One time when I was making some prints through Photolab.ca, I noticed they had a print selection 

of 4x4 prints. I knew that these would not be as small as the ones on the dishwasher, but I was willing to order them to see what they looked like. Photolab is my favorite print service. Sign up for their emails so you can get updates about deals and promotions. You can also get free delivery to your local superstore and you have the option to pay in store for your prints. I got my first patch of prints late last summer and I just ordered my second batch to add some to our "new to us" kitchen.

 Once I got my prints, there are a couple simple things you can do to 

turn them into your own fridge magnets.

This step probably isn't 100% necessary, but if you have worked in childcare like I have, you like to use a laminator for pretty much everything you make! If you have children, you know that sometimes hands can be a little dirty or greasy. If you laminate your prints you won't have to worry about them getting wrecked. My mom has a laminator for work and I used scotch laminating sheets. I put 

about 4 pictures in each sheet.  

After your prints have gone through the laminator, cut the prints down to your desired boarder size. 

I like to leave about a 1/4 inch on mine so the 

pictures stand out on our white fridge. 

The craft section at dollar stores is your friend, your best friend. Look for these individual magnets compared to magnetic strips. I used magnetic strips with super glue for the first batch I made and the magnets have not stayed on as well as the individual magnets. I use superglue to put them on but a glue gun would work great too.

And voila! You've got your own cute fridge magnets and you didn't have to pay 

more than $10 for them ;)

home organization binder

I have been feeling super disorganized lately. I am not really sure why. I guess maybe I just feel lazy when it comes to getting our home, finances and appointments/meetings in order. Everything always seems to work out so why plan for it right? Nope.. wrong! I think family organization has been very important for Haig and I in the early stages of our marriage. When we are able to sit down and talk about what we have planned for the week or what we need to do with our money, I feel us becoming more unified. When we actually take the time to talk about these things, we are ensuring that we can be prepared for whatever comes our way.

I have heard about "home organization" binders, and I knew I would be able to find tons of printable pages on pinterest that I would like to incorporate for our family. I decided to stick with a monthly planner because I find that works best for us, but some families might prefer to use a weekly or bi-weekly planner.

Some of the templates I used can be found at the links below:

Month at a Glance

I love the simplicity of this print. I really like that it incorporates everything that I have been looking for in terms of goal planning, organization, and budgeting. I have also been pretty obsessed with writing down every time we make a bill payment in my own personal planner. I am looking forward to using this print instead.

Monthly Budget Planner

Haig and I decided that we would move into a new apartment this month. When we decided and started to move some money around to pay for the damage deposit on the new place, I started to get really worried. We figured that the best time for us to move would be when we are both starting to work full time, as I start my new job and Haig finishes up his first year of school. We really, really need to use this print. As we start to make more money over the summer, it will help us to see how we need to budget for when we are not making as much money in the fall when Haig goes back to school. I really hope we can be consistent with using this print.

Risk & Rest Challenge Set 

I adore this set of FREE prints, I need to be doing more of these things. I am a giver, so I really like the "lift & love" page. I usually have a big pile of note cards around the apartment for when I think someone needs to read a little note of encouragement! I also really like the "wants & needs" page because I feel like I usually have an on-going list in my head of things I really "want", but I know I don't necessarily need. I know this will help with figuring that out.

Freak Lunchbox CHARLOTTETOWN

I think I am the happiest person in all of Charlottetown because 

Freak Lunchbox is finally coming to the island! 

I have been a huge fan of their store for a long time. The first time I visited their store was when I was in grade 8 and I had to visit the IWK. I have a picture of me standing with the oompa loompa outside and my face is as white as a ghost from getting blood work done and sitting in a hospital bed all day. I visited the store a couple more times over the years with friends and family, and then of course with Haig and also his family. I would say that visiting Freak Lunchbox in Halifax is part of our love story. Walking inside just gives me such a thrill. I really like buying candy that I've never seen before or have a hard time coming across in the stores. Some of my personal favorites are bottle caps, sweet-tarts, Wonka chocolate bars, mint m&m's and pineapple jones soda. The staff have always been super friendly and outgoing. The smell of sugar is so strong in the store it's no wonder they are so bubbly all the time.

I am so excited to have one here in my hometown, 

but the store in Halifax will always be close to me heart too.

Photos taken by Laura Dunford, August 2015.

 

shout out

just a quick shout out to the very best husband in the world, who stood by my side as I passed out getting my blood work done and then throwing up in the pan he was holding for me.

He's great and I love him. 

Also, got blood work done because I haven't had it done since 2004 (I'm not pregnant). 

okay cool.

how to live below your means

Growing up in the LDS church, I was taught a number of principles about finances. I was taught from a young age about donating 10% of all my increase to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. We call this tithing. Over the years I have never once been worried about paying tithing. I was taught to pay tithing as soon as I was paid. I have realized the blessings of paying tithing and in more recent months, Haig and I have been so blessed to receive help when we need it most because we are full-tithe payers.

My parents also admonished my siblings and I to save 10% as soon as we got paid. I did this for a number of years, until I started working and had a debit card and a small savings account. Eventually I stopped saving 10% of my increase. Finally, a couple of months before Haig and I got married, I started saving 10% of my increase again and it has been so great to save a little bit of money.

I started working around 13 years old with a paper route. I worked throughout high school at chain restaurant. I worked throughout my bachelor's degree. Now, I work full time as a caregiver and full-time as a wife and homemaker. I have never had a lot of money, just sufficient for my needs. From a young age, I decided to live with what I have, be frugal in my purchases and save, save save!

Living below your means is used to describe a life that is free of debt and worry. Our church leaders have encouraged us to work hard to maintain a happy lifestyle. An important aspect of this is comparative buying. SO MANY times there has been something that I've wanted, simply because someone else has it.

“Remember, just because your neighbor can afford it doesn’t mean you can.

 In fact, just because your neighbor bought it, doesn’t mean she can afford it.”

I need to start asking myself the question: "Should I afford this?". Haig and I just moved into a new apartment and there has been a number of things that we've had to buy recently without asking that question. A new space required a number of new things including storage compartments, food, cleaning supplies and emergency preparedness items. However, when it came to home decor and finishing touches, I decided to be as frugal as possible shopping at thrift stores, dollar-stores and kijiji. 

Haig and I are hoping to start a family within the next year. The "should I afford this" question comes to mind more often because I know that starting a family will be an investment. I know I will have to ask this question more often when it comes to purchasing something for myself, when I could be saving money for our future.

Debt has always been something I have learned to stay out of. Debt can be very dangerous. I have been told however that some things are worth going in debt for like education or a family car. We hope that the investment we put into our education will have a high return. I think it's so important to stay out of debt. An easy trick for staying out of debt is making rules for your credit cards. For example, our MasterCard is only used for grocery shopping trips or gas. Another good trick is to save and create an emergency fund. Having an emergency fund can help when unexpected expenses come up. 

When you do what you know is right with money, there will be blessings in store. I have seen blessings in our life as we strive to do what is right with money, which for us means saving more and less frivolous spending. We are grateful for what we do have, and we are so fortunate to have jobs that provide us with enough hours to maintain a happy lifestyle. We have been blessed as we give to and serve others, save money and budget in the right ways!  

WE MOVED!

We got the keys for our new apartment on March 15th. At first we thought we wouldn't get electricity there until the end of March. We decided to start moving some of our stuff over to the new apartment so that we could find out where we would put all of our stuff in our new and bigger unit! By the second last week of the month, we were just itching to get out, so we called the electricity to see if they could help us out. Surprisingly they did and we were able to officially move out of Westcomb on the Easter weekend.

Moving into Laurie has defiantly been an adjustment from what I am use to. I will miss my big windows in the kitchen. Every time I'm in the kitchen now I have to turn every light on to see what I'm doing. I didn't love the new shower, but we did get a new shower head installed since moving in and another problem fixed in the bathroom. There's a very loud noise in our bedroom in the morning coming from the baseboard heaters. It's super annoying but I'm not sure there is anything they can do to fix it. And don't even get me started on the internet problem. Hopefully we will have it all set up by next week.

We are excited to be living in a new unit with a great landlord that has given us permission to make some changes here and there to make this more of a home for us. We are excited that we will be able to entertain more and have more space to call our own. We are hoping to start our family (!!!) soon and we needed a little more space in order to do that.

One more thing ... We are still stuck with coin operated laundry so I am not really 100% happy with our place, but if it means the possibility of having a family well, I'll live. 

STILL WAITING

I am so frustrated that we are still waiting to get our internet hook up. Someone came today and told us that the cables in the electrical room are too old to use so someone else needs to fix it before our internet can be set up. 

I have so many good ideas for posts that I want to whip up as soon as I am back for good! 

Some of my plans include

-sharing some of my all time favourite recipes with you! 

-a post about MONEY

-a couple of kitchen diy tutorials !!!

-a spring bucket list 

and...

lots more exciting things that are happening in our life !!!