Here's the 411

So many of you have messaged me about my current situation. I know my previous post was about how we have decided to remain in Ontario. I now have to add that..... Cory's home! Cory came back from British Columbia last week and I can say with much relief that he is here for good. We have promised each other that we will never do the long distance thing again. It is so emotionally draining on one's relationship. It's even more difficult when you throw a child in the mix. M is over the moon that she has her daddy back. As for me, I'm equally happy but now comes the hard work. Trying to find a place for my family to live. We are still staying at the Holiday Inn, aka mom's house. It's cramped and loud and not my home. It's amazing of them to be so hospitable and let us crash here until we get on our feet. I am beyond thankful. Even though they throw around the phrase "my house is your house" I can't help but feel that it's not my home and it's not my space. We are, however, trying to make the best of it!
Cory had a job offer here in Ontario prior to up and leaving No Mans Land, BC. I am working on getting back to work after having a year off with my best girl, M. I cannot wait until we have a routine and balance back to our lives.
I am so happy that my little family is back together. It should have been this way all along.

Note: at the time I wrote this post I hadn't found a place to live. Well this week we did and we will be in before the end of the month. I look forward to a new beginning!

XO
Amber

So blessed

I have the best friends in the world.

I know everyone probably thinks that and if it's true then you are all lucky! They say if you have at least one really good friend that it's better than having 100 friends.

Yesterday I was out for coffee with Kathleen, my maid of honor and one of my best friends. While thumbing through magazines we were surprised by our mutual friend, Kimberly.  The three of us walked through the bookstore, attached to the coffee shop, and discussed the latest developments in our lives. We then stumbled upon some amazing bracelets. There were three colours: grey, purple and green. Each colour of bracelet had a inspirational word on it. We thought they were so cute and suited us perfectly. Kim jumped at the chance to use her gift card to purchase all three, one for each of us. I took the grey one that says blessed on the little silver plate which connects the strings together. Kathleen took the green one- lucky (her favourite colour), Kimberly took purple- fierce.  I love my new bracelet and it looks so cute paired with the tennis bracelet Cory bought me for Christmas.

Thank you Miss Kimberly for being my friend. I am so blessed to have you and Kathleen in my life!

XO

Amber

Getting my blogger butt in shape

I have been absent from here and I hate that. I believe the reason for that is my lack of exercise.

I am a person who needs to exercise in order to be happy. It greatly affects my mood for the better. As some of you know, I was a regular at the gym. I would frequent it at least 5 days a week. Just before Christmas, Cory and I decided that I'd move out East to live with his Mom in order to save some money. It was at that time I decided to quit the gym. I thought I wouldn’t have time to pack and keep up with my workout regime.  Well, the plan to move changed. I still had to pack everything up and store it but the cross country trek was off. We've decided to stay in Ontario with my mom because we are finally planning our long awaited wedding. June 2nd, 2012 we tie the knot. Along with a wedding comes the many meetings, the dress fittings and bridal showers. Due to all that I need to get done in the next few months it was best for us to stay put and plan away. Everyone is pleased with my decision to a) get married and b) stay in Ontario. I am also quite content to not have to pack up life and move out East. However, I am not content with my lack of exercise because of all this commotion. I decided in the past two weeks to start finding things I can do outside of the gym to stay fit and save money. My first and most loved workout is Hot Vinyasa Flow yoga. This yoga class is focused on increasing flexibility and getting rid of toxins. To assist in this the instructor has the room set at 100 degrees. I believe this is the most wonderful thing to participate in. I love how the heat loosens up muscles and really helps me get into the poses. It makes me feel so strong and powerful afterwards. I especially love doing hot yoga at Yoga by Sarah on Thursday nights when they have a charity drop-in class. Most drop-in classes are $17.00 but the charity classes are a pay what you can class. Proceeds are donated to a local charity. It’s a cheap and fun way to get an amazing workout and also help out the local community. The class starts at 8:30pm and lasts an hour. I suggest going early because it fills up quick, it’s just THAT good! (http://www.yogabysarah.com/)

I am also trying out new workouts at home. I purchased a Jillian Michael's DVD about weight training to shed pounds. It focuses on the use of Kettle Bells and the effectiveness they have at toning muscles and scorching calories. I bought it for a whopping $8.00 at Wal-Mart. I know not everyone is aware of what a kettle bell is or what it entails. This DVD is great for beginners as it starts you off easy with level one and as you get better and stronger you can proceed to level two. I purchased my kettle bell at Winners for the low price of $16.99 (they are around 25-45 at Wal-Mart, depending on size/weight). It is a 15lb weight but I would suggest a 10lb for those just starting out. Jillian also suggests using a dumb bell if you aren’t quite sold on the kettle bell. Since I already have to take in my wedding dress significantly I thought I would just try and tone up my body, especially my ‘wave goodbye’ arms. I can already feel all my muscles being awakened and whipped into shape after only two workouts.

Lastly, I love to run. Running and I have a special bond. There is nothing liking hitting the pavement for a jog. The energizing feeling you get when your heart and feet are working together to push you that extra mile is out of this world. Running is the best workout as it fires up so many muscles  and allows for total body fat burning. I know running can be intimidating but like most things it takes time and you need to learn how to do it properly. I can now go for 7 km at a time and hope to push that up to 10 km this summer. I started off not even being able to run for two minutes. I began by doing interval training. So basically you’d walk for 5 min, run for 2 minutes. Slowly I would increase my run time and lower my walk time. I didn’t become a runner overnight but it is now something I couldn’t live without. I still do some interval training, especially if I only have 20 minutes to get in a workout. Interval training allows your heart rate to peak and fall, which in turn spikes your metabolism and keeps it working at a faster rate for a longer period of time, resulting in a mega calorie burn. If one person ran intervals and the other just ran at a steady pace the person who ran intervals would burn more calories over the course of the day than the person who ran steady. Thinking about taking up running? I suggest investing in a really great pair of RUNNING shoes (not cross trainers), trust me your shins, legs and feet with thank you. Also take it slow and work your way up. Set a goal like a 5km run 3 months from now. Running is so empowering, I love it!

So I am hoping that with the increase in endorphin releasing activities I’m doing that I will be in a better mood and more motivated to do other things I love like blogging about my upcoming nuptials

XO
Amber

3 days of happiness

Hello all!

I know I haven't blogged yet this month but I assure you it's for a good reason (blog to come regarding my absenteeism). I am excited for this weekend and thought I'd share my plans with you all.

Saturday will be a lazy, go-at-my-own-pace day. I love those days because I hate being rushed and

on-a-time-sensitive schedule. Sure I have errands to run and things to do but I can do it all whenever I want. 

Sunday my mom is off work and that's always nice. I love spending time with my mom and M. Sunday night I am headed to my dear friend, Mrs. F's, house for the season 2 premier of Khloe and Lamar. Khloe is my favourite Kardashian and I believe the most real. I am obsessed and, after all, who doesn't have one or two guilty pleasures also known as reality television.

Monday is Family Day. I hope most of you aren't working and can actually spend it with your families. I know I will be. M and I, along with my mom, will be heading to White Meadow Farms to have their amazing pancake breakfast. Also partaking in the food frenzy are my cousins Alicia, Janice, and Alicia's daughter B. After that, M and I will be baking up a storm making cupcakes. I'm hoping to convince Alicia to join in the fun. I don't think that will be hard considering she initially sparked my love of cupcake making.

All in all I have high hopes for this family filled weekend of fun! I hope everyone else enjoys some much needed rest and relaxation with the fam.

** On a side note, I recently signed up for Pinterest. I'm addicted already and it's only day 2. Follow me: http://pinterest.com/infinitelove44

Happy Weekend!

XO Amber

Urban Decay Eyeshadow

I am a very upset beauty blogger today and I am writting this post to vent about my situation.

It's regarding my new eyeshadow. I know I could, and do, have bigger problems but I am really bummed about the latest addition to my makeup bag. I purchased an amazing colour from the Urban Decay line. I actually stumbled upon it while looking at the Naked Palette they've created because I've heard such amazing things about the range of neutral colours it has. Since I didn't like every single colour in the palette I decided to invest in just one of the colours that I absolutley loved.

The shadow's name is Toasted ( 0.05 oz $20.00 CAN $17.00 USD). It's a great crease/lid colour that was right up my ally. I was so excited to try it out on my lids the next day.  It was even more beautiful on my eyes than it was in the tester swatch on my hand pre purchase. The application was so smooth and blended very well. Also, the colour was perfect. I was very happy with my new eye shadow....until the end of the day. When I got home from my cousin's birthday party I happened to look in the mirror and was disapointed when I noticed my eyes. My new shadow was creasing and looked terrible by the end of the day. It dawned on me that maybe this is why UD has created a Eyeshadow Primer Potion. I heard that it claims your eye makeup should last 10 hours and that it has put an end to creased lids. I have never had an issue with creasing in a very long time. I'm talking highschool, long time. I normally use a Mabelline palette nearly everyday, no problems.

 So even though there are many good things people have to say about the UD Primer Potion, I just never felt the need to purchase it, until now. They (makeup companies) have finally got me. I fell victim to their cruel marketing ways. I am madly in love with my new shade of wonderful - yes I'm talking about my eye shadow. So I guess I'll have to invest in the Primer Potion now if I want flawless eyes that last all day long. (0.37 oz $23.00 CAN $19.00 USD)

Please learn from my mistakes my friends.

XO
Amber

Lipgloss and M

Happy Friday everyone!

Hope you all have amazing plans for the weekend! I plan on attending my little cousins 3rd birthday. M and her are the best of friends and I am so happy that they are so close. My cousin getting a year older, and soon growing out of toddler status, only makes me think about M turning 3 later this year. Where has the time gone? I feel like it was just yesterday when I found out I was pregnant. My baby is growing up so fast. She is figuring out her likes and dislikes. She is learning new things everyday. She is exploring who she is and what makes her happy.

Today we were in Sephora and I found something I knew M would love. For starters, let me say that she loves anything you can put on your lips. Lip gloss, lip balm, lip stick - you get the point. She also loves Hello Kitty (who doesn't?). I discovered the Hello Kitty line of makeup today, which featured a cute Hello Kitty shaped  lip gloss. When I told M what I had found she was so excited and said "I need my lips Mom!", with a big grin on her face. I lined her stroller up with the cosmetics and showed her how the lip gloss worked and how to put it on. They have a great set up for if you want to try on products but still want to be hygienic. I handed her the tester wand and she went to town. She had hot pink lip gloss on her forehead, her nose and her chin. Some even made it on her lips. I guess she didn't follow my instructions very well. What can I say?  I guess she likes to think out of the box when it comes to makeup application. She is such a girlie girl with most things, like makeup. However, she asked for trucks and cars for Christmas and they all share a toy box with her baby dolls and princess books. She is the perfect mix and I couldn't ask for a more well rounded child. I love her to bits! It is so fun to have her tag along when I go to the mall and she can find things she likes too.

All in all it was a great way to start off my weekend!

XO
Amber

Homemade facial and a polish change

Monday night I wasn't in the best of moods. I was just feeling off and not myself.  I spent the early evening snuggled up with M. We were both quite content watching movies and sharing snacks. After she went to bed I decided I needed a pick me up. I wanted to try out my new nail polish colour. As well try a new facial I saw on the Lauren Conrad website/blog I've been eyeing for a while.

I tried out the 'Oh Sugar Pie Honey Bunch Facial'  before I did my nails. It's a homemade concoction that sounds easy and aids in the drying effects winter has on our skin. It is suppose to exfoliate and moisturize your face. It consists of three ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 tbsp. of milk (the higher the fat percentage, the better)

The amount of exfoliating power will depend on how much sugar you want to put in the mixture.

 I am a huge fan of anything that exfoliates my skin. If it can leave my face feeling soft and be easy on my wallet then I'm one happy mama. I decided to mix up half of what the recipe calls for. I normally only have skim milk on hand but I made a special purchase of 2% for this occasion. A fun fact about milk is that the lactic acid from it will help to slough away dead skin. The fats in the milk with help to strengthen skin and plump it up.

The website tells you to do the following:

1. Pour sugar into a bowl, slowly stirring in the honey, and add quantity of milk desired (the more milk the looser the consistency).
2. Pat mixture onto skin (avoiding eye area, it makes eyelashes sticky and the sugar is harsh on delicate skin). Leave on for 10-20 minutes (whatever you like best and have time for) this mask will not dry on your skin or become tight or hard, it will stay moist and sticky, I suggest wearing an old t-shirt while wearing this in case of any "sticky situations."
3. Rinse the mixture off with lukewarm water; you may use a wash cloth or facial cleansing brush to assist you if you like, but make sure to clean extra well around your hairline or some of the honey might dry in hard sticky clumps. Eew no thank you!
4. I also like to soak cotton pads/rounds in some of the same type of milk I added into the mixture, I put on some relaxing music, and lay on m bed for 5 minutes with the pads/rounds layer on my face!
5. Then rinse, apply moisturizer (don't forget to put one on that has SPF if you're going out in the sun after this facial!), Look at yourself in the mirror and SMILE! You are beautiful, and now you're soft, glowy, clean skin is a little bit more beautiful too!

After mixing together my ingredients I starred at the bowl and wondered just how well this was going to stay on my face. I applied it with my fingers as evenly as possible. I definitely could feel  gravity working because my face would tickle as the mixture slowly moved south. I spread the rest of it on quickly and took to the couch to lay back so I didn't drip my mess on the floor or on anything else for that matter. I waited 10 minutes with it caked on my face. It smelt so yummy and felt really great on my skin.

 I've used other pre-made drug store facials and I've always had a reaction to them. I liked that this was an all natural one. When I went to rinse my face, the mixture came off  well even though I had my doubts. I then applied my moisturizer (Marcelle- Hydra C 24 Hr Energizing Hydrating Gel). I was so happy with how soft my skin felt and how fresh it looked. All in all it was a great quick and easy at home facial that I would definitly do again.

My only complaint is that when rinsing off the mixture it was a bit rough and left my skin feeling a bit tingling but nothing too harsh. So if you are like me and have dry skin this winter I would highly suggest you try this out!

Now that I was all cleaned up and glowing I went on to paint my nails. I was looking for a fuscia colour to add to my collection of nail polish. I was reading an article on InStyle online about the most recent hottest colours for your nails and fuscia made the list. When I was out shopping I found this colour which was a mix of fuscia and magenta. I loved it!! I also loved it on my nails. It was a bright and cheery colour that boosted my mood and brought some life to this dull winter night.

Taking some time to make myself feel good was so worth it. A facial and a polish change was just what the doctor ordered.

XO
Amber

Lauren Conrad Online - DIY Facial: Oh Sugar Pie Honey Bunch Facial

InStyle- Best Polish Buys