In the Beauty Bag

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I am by no means a fashiony person. I’m pretty sure there’s a word for it, but I’m so far from fashiony that I’m using the word fashiony. I’ll stop now.

These are just a few things that have become my go-to’s as of late and I like them enough to share them.

bumble and bumble Surf infusion- My hair dresser recommended this to me when I had my hair done a few weeks ago. It’s just like the surf spray except there’s also oil in it. I love this now that my hair is shorter to create a soft, tousled look.

essie nail polish in watermelon- I only use essie because I’ve found it to be the best brand [in my price point]. I love this shade because it’s fun and I can wear it year round without it looking too out of whack. Plus, pink nails make me feel girly on days when I don’t brush my teeth or have a nice batch of baby barf running down my leg.

Maybelline THE NUDES palette- I picked this up after seeing others rave about it and I now believe the hype. The colors are on point and the duo/trio/quad recommendations on the back really help take the thinking out of applying each shadow. Not that I use them a lot, but it’s nice for when I do go out- I look a lot more put together than the effort I actually put in to it.

Carmex Lip Balm Cherry Stick- This is the ONLY balm I use. Year round. I’ve been using it for years and have found it to be the best for curing chapped, dry lips. Biggest downer? I don’t think any retailers in Canada carry it anymore! I make sure to have my mom send some up or I stock up each time I’m home. I need one in every pocket, every purse, every room in the house, and the car. #addicted.

Maybelline Brow define + fill duo- I had previously tried wands and waxes to fill in the ol’ eye hats, but this duo pencil is pretty neat AND easy. One side has a wax pencil to help define the brow while the other end holds powder to help fill the brow. After reading a magazine article recently about doing at-home brows, I just realized I may have bought a shade darker than I need, but I still find it to be a quick and portable way to put a little definition on my face.

Rocky Mountain Soap Co. bath bombs- These are bath time GAME CHANGERS. I drop one in the water behind my back once I’m already in and boom! it’s love. The initial fizz while the bomb dissolves feels really awesome on my back and the resulting water makes my skin silky and fragrant. I’d feel like I were at a spa if it weren’t for the whale shaped bath mat or the handful of baby toys lurking in each corner. Only downfall: the colored bombs leave a ring around the tub. It’s not hard to clean, but it does require cleaning. Which can kill the whole point of taking a bath….to relax!!! Amiright?

What fashiony things are you loving lately? 

Weekender

Hi there, ho there friends! How was your weekend? Ours was great. Not a lot happened and it went by FAST. Backin’ it up….

Friday: Well the day can’t start off that bad when you’ve had 10.5 hours sleep! I had a little extra pep in my step throughout the day and it felt glorious. We had pancakes for breakfast, took a walk in the afternoon, enjoyed burgers for dinner, watched a bit of TV and hit the hay.

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WAIT, THERE’S MORE—> I was feeling overly ambitious and whipped up a batch of Rocky Road Cookie Bars while Wes napped. Combine the smell of those babies (the cookie bars, not the actual baby) in the oven with an hour of wonderfully fresh air afterwards on our walk and I was in heaven!

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#nomsohard

Saturday: If you’ve been reading for a while, then you can probably guess how Saturday went. Home Depot and Costco. THRILLING. We bought so much meat, we’re in meat debt. Except we’re not really in debt because you can’t pay by credit card at Costco. So that means we’re meat…rich?

Oddly enough, the only photo from the day is a combo of my favorite beer + my favorite human.

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I took the dogs for a super long walk through murder town. It’s what I refer the neighboring community as since there was a murder there last summer. It’s not dangerous in the least bit, but I’m paranoid city and opted to jog off and on. I don’t know why I told you that, it’s a better community than the one I live in and they have better walkways.

Tyler made pizza for dinner and if I wasn’t beer-full, I would’ve probably eaten the whole thing. It’s so good. I’d invite you over to try some, but that means we’d have to clean the house and BAHAHAHA not happening.

Sunday: I’d like to rename it BAEday. It has a good ring to it PLUS bacon and eggs are the bomb dot com.

Besides the usual laundry, workout, walk, blah blah blah, I also made a slow cooker pot roast.

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That’s pretty much it from this end…Ok there’s more but I don’t feel like typing it right now. Time to catch up on Mindy Project and paint the ol’ digits.

How was your weekend?

From the Week

Icy Conditions + Desire to spend approximately ZERO dollars = we didn’t do much this week. Besides walking the dogs (which was an absolute nightmare) I didn’t leave the house. Except for Monday when we went grocery shopping and then I broke a jar of salsa in the garage when we got home. That was fun.

Still, there are things to share! I suppose.

Passed out on the job:

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Eats from the week: Turkey BLTs, Grilled Cheese & soup, Taco Stuffed Zucchini Boats, Salsa Chicken.

I made Double Chocolate Chip Cookie bars that were delicious. I used this recipe but subbed white chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips. I baked them for 15-ish minutes. They’re gone already!

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I also made slow cooker applesauce which is out of this world delicious. 12 apples + 2t cinnamon + 2 T lemon juice on HIGH for 4 hours. MmmmmMMmmm.

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Wes is eating a LOT more ‘regular’ food which is pretty great, because I can just throw stuff on his tray and eat my own meal while he helps himself. Granted, he makes a MASSIVE mess, but it’s fun to see him do it. His current favorite is pb toast and bananas. Kid hoovers them in! Plus, he’s gotten a kick out of feeding the pups with his pb fingers.

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And we did a LOT of riding on the car. (PS: Check out my Instagram for this week’s #WesOnWheels)

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His second and third tooth (bottom left and top right) are making their way through so he’s gotten up in the middle of the night 2x this week. Luckily, he was easily calmed back to sleep. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN IT WAS SO EASY FOR ME Y’ALL. (PS: Why do I say y’all? I’m not southern) Anyhoo…tonight I’m enjoying a glass of the good stuff.

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And that’s it! We have no set plans for the weekend, so I’m hoping to just get in some good ol’ quality time with my guys. And maybe lots of shut eye.

Grab a Drink: National Beer Hall

It’s no secret I love craft beer. Heck, my relationship with Tyler started on the basis of craft beer! We love it so much, Tyler at one point even brewed it at home (we’re not so good at it, so we’ll leave it to the pros). 

When I first moved to Calgary in 2012, I was looking for a place that not only had an amazing selection of beer, but that also had good food and a fun vibe. Enter: National.

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I first found National on 17th while out with some new friends and it has since been one of my go-to spots when going out for drinks. Their location on 10th ave is in walking distance from my job, so that place was frequented more than 17th 😉

From their website: Our original location, on Calgary’s bustling 17th Avenue, has been a popular hangout since its doors first opened. Long, communal tables and ample seating make it the perfect place to meet new people, and to gather with friends for a late breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The food menu is big and well-considered, and dishes pair well with our curated selection of craft beers from small North American brewers. A huge oyster bar and robust wine & cocktail menu round out your options. This location also boasts a lively, sun-drenched patio in the warmer seasons.

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PS: There are actually FOUR National locations- 17th, 10th, 8th, and Westhills. I am eager to check out the other two!

My friend Susie turned 30 on Saturday, so we headed to National on 17th for a few beer flights. We were immediately greeted by some awesome staff members and snagged a pretty sweet table near the front windows.

You guys, the beer selection is huge. Like, it’ll-take-you-forever-to-make-up-your-mind huge. Luckily, the staff is pretty darn educated in the stuff and can throw out some recommendations (insert hallelujah hands here).

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We enjoyed 2 different flights (12 beers total) ranging from pale ales to stouts to sours to wheat beers. I think I can say with confidence I would order pints of about 10 of them- two just weren’t my style, but that could be because the taste was altered after following a different beer?

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National has 2 features that I absolutely love:

  1. They have several monitors mounted about the bar that display all available beers. It is constantly rotating to show the different beers AND it shows their province/state of origin. NEAT!
  2. The long, sturdy picnic table seating. It makes for a great way to socialize with others. Plus you can squeeeeeze more people in if need be.

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Once we finished our flights, the birthday girl chose a round of cocktails for us: Hound Dog Hooch (vodka, pink lemonade, wheat beer). They were pretty tasty and a nice palate cleanser.

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I could have stayed at 17th for the remainder of our night, but we decided to head on over to the 10th location for some beer and BOWLING! Unfortunately once we got there, the lanes were all booked. We ended up staying there anyways and having another drink (or two…) to round out the evening.

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Once I get my ‘going out’ mojo back, I’ll be sure to head back to 10th to get my bowling (and beer) fix!

Favorites From the Weekend

Hi there, everyone! How was your weekend? Ours was good, but man oh man did it ever fly by! I need one more day with Tyler home with us, please. Family time > any other time. Rather than recapping the weekend, I wanted to pick out some of my favorite things. Ready, set, go…

I bought these shoes. Not counting sneakers, I think this is the first pair I’ve bought in about 2 years! I’ve avoided heels for a while, but I was finally really to bite the bullet and get some cute booties. Now we’ll see how many times I actually wear them considering my mom uniform is PAJAMAS!

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Wes’s new toque! I won an Instagram giveaway for Lil Fox Shoppe and opted for the marble double pom. We picked it up this week (she’s local to us in Calgary) and it fits him perfectly! I still can’t believe Janelle got this made for us..she just had a baby! Hard workin’ mama. Check out her shop- she makes gorgeous knit blankets, hats, and scarves. Now I want one for myself!

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National. This is one of my favorite places in Calgary for craft beer. We went to both the 10th and 17th locations on Saturday to celebrate Susie’s birthday and it did not disappoint. The beers we sampled were really delicious and the atmosphere was great. More on them later this week!

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Tyler painted our bedroom! I am SO happy to finally be rid of the nasty brown color that was in there from the previous owners. We went with Behr Marquee’s Distant Star and now the room looks bigger and brighter. I’m still working on getting the room decorated, so no good photos yet. The newness of the room makes it feel like we’re sleeping in a hotel room…now to update the ensuite…

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Wes! I stayed overnight at Susie’s on Saturday and I missed my little man something fierce. I woke up at 5:30 and wanted to drive back home, but decided to wait until it was light out since it snowed a bit and I wanted better weather conditions. I couldn’t get in enough snuggles on Sunday.

 

How was your weekend? Any favorites to share?