Saltwater Living

Andrew and I decided to go out for a little drive to Conception Bay South while the sun was out for a bit and it wasn't raining. In Newfoundland, we have to take advantage of those scarce moments lol. First, we stopped at the wharf in St. Phillips for a couple of pictures then headed to Topsail to get a couple more. Outfit details are below.

I love seeing monthly favourites from other bloggers and YouTubers because it’s a great way to find out about new products :) I'm going to try and post my monthly favourites on a regular basis. Here are my picks for November 2016:

Being pregnant does have it's perks... For instance, not feeling bad about not wanting to go downtown drinking :) I was never big on going out, unless it was a special occasion, but now I don't have to worry about flaking on plans for the next little while. Staying in on a Friday night is more fun to me, anyways. I can snuggle up in my onesie on the couch and read a book, or work on my blog. I love just hanging out with Andrew and watching movies and eating junk, especially around Christmas time when it's cold out and I can turn on the Christmas tree lights. I also love lighting candles and drinking a hot drink from Starbucks (I'm so basic, I know). I think I'm totally ready for this "staying at home and being a new mom" thing :)

Today was pretty chilly compared to the warm weather we experienced over the past week here in St. John's. However, it was a lot "sunnier" out than it was last week, so we decided to go for a little drive up to the Quidi Vidi Battery. We got out to snap a few pictures of my outfit, then had to jump back in the car after 5 minutes to warm up. (Outfit details below).

Christmas shopping can be a very exciting, yet daunting task. I've always found it hard to come up with gift ideas for the women in my life so I usually end up just getting them a gift card or straight out asking them what they want for Christmas. But that approach takes out the element of surprise and excitement on Christmas morning since they already know what they're getting. This year, I tried to subtly ask everyone what they need/want for Christmas just to get a basic idea of what to look for, but I still made the final decision and am just hoping the recipient will enjoy what I picked out. I created this Holiday Gift Guide to use as an inspiration board. This list consists of 10 items that are pretty safe to buy for almost any female on your shopping list and will fit any budget :) Happy Christmas shopping!!



1. Ugg Slippers: I've been a fan of Uggs since high school (so, at least 7 years). The quality is excellent and they are so comfortable. I know some people might disagree, but I think they're pretty stylish :) Ugg slippers are an excellent gift idea for someone who appreciates nice things but might not buy them for themselves. I found these ones on sale at The Shoe Company for $91 (bargain!! since they normally retail for $125).

2. Blanket Scarves: They're such practical, yet stylish gifts. They are perfect for travel and sporting events because you can wear them as an accessory and then use them as a blanket when you get cold. Multipurpose products are always an awesome gift. I was super grateful to have mine at the last St. John's Ice Caps game I went to :) I got this one from Chapters for $39.

3. Michael Kors Watch: Michael Kors is so popular these days, that I bet whoever you get a MK gift for would love it. Their jewelry is pretty affordable in comparison to a lot of other brands and the quality is excellent.  It's a very heavy, durable watch and has it endured many bumps and bangs and still looks brand new. I got this one for around $250 at Bogart's in the Avalon Mall and it goes with every outfit and isn't too flashy or tacky.

4. Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade: This is definitely a holy grail make up product that's good for pretty much anyone who wears make up. Anyone I've recommended this too has loved it and the colour selection is great. Dip Brow lasts forever, is very practical, and it's something that people might not even know exists. There are so many eye brow products on the market right now and I can safely say I've tried most of them; but this product is by far the best and lasts the longest. It's only $23 at Sephora and can easily last over a year.

5. Mugs: Mugs are always so useful and there are so many different ones that you can always find one to give someone. Chapters has an amazing selection for only $10-$15 and I found so many cute ones for friends and family members that I'm sure they'll love.

6. Make-up Gift Sets: MAC and Sephora always come out with the best holiday gift sets during this time of year. They are the best value for your money and come perfectly packaged as a gift. Someone always gets me a make up gift set for Christmas and I'm always overjoyed to receive it. They are excellent for anyone from beginners to makeup-obsessed people like me. It's a great way for people to try several different products before they invest in the full size. They come in all different price ranges so they'll suit any budget. I love the new Beauty Blender Gift set which costs about $55 at Sephora and this Nude Lip Gift Set from MAC for $42.

7. Cozy Hoodies: I love oversized hoodies to wear around the house and when I'm out camping or out for a walk. They just feel so cozy like a big piece of material is giving you a hug haha. East Coast Lifestyle makes some really cozy, yet stylish hoodies and their selection is so large that you'll find something to suit everyone on your list. They are a good way to show your pride for living on the East Coast and would be a great gift to give someone who is living away from home. You can buy them at Pseudio or on the East Coast Lifestyle website for around $65.

8. Pyjamas: I personally love getting pyjamas for Christmas. There are so many cute holiday pj sets out right now and it's a gift that I'm sure any girl in your life would love and use. PINK always has the cutest sets. I got this festive and cozy onesie for $79.95. They've also got these awesome waffle henleys ($35) with matching shorts ($30).

9. Scented Candles: Almost everyone I know loves getting candles as gifts. My mom and mother in law always tell me they want candles whenever I ask them what they want for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Bath and Body Works has a huge selection of candles, especially at Christmas time and there are so many scents to choose from. I typically buy everyone some type of vanilla-smelling candle because it's the least offensive smell that pretty much everyone loves. Bath and Body Works always have coupons on the go and in-store offers. Each candle normally retails around $25 but I have never paid full price there (I normally pay around $12 after using coupons).

Since becoming pregnant, I've found that my skin has just been freaking out. My face has been breaking out (I guess this has to do with hormones), my hands are so dry and itchy all the time, and now I'm worried about getting stretch marks as my stomach grows bigger. These are some products that have been helping to relieve my skin issues this month.





1. Kate Somerville Eradikate Blemish Control Serum: I picked this up at Sephora for $34. I apply it before bed with a cotton swab and just dab it on each pimple and when I wake up in the morning the serum has dried it out and it starts to fade.

2. Cerave Body Cream: Available at Shopper's Drug Mart for $20. This is literally the only cream I've ever tried that actually relieves the itching and moisturizes my hands without making them feel super greasy and irritating them further. I've probably went through 6 tubs of this stuff already so I would definitely recommend this to anyone suffering from super dry, itchy skin.

3. Bio-Oil: You can pretty much find Bio-Oil at any drugstore. I got mine from Shopper's Drug Mart for $10. I cover my stomach and legs in this stuff in order to avoid getting stretch marks. So far, so good but I'm also not huge yet. We'll see how well it works by the end of this pregnancy lol. I like this product because it's hypoallergenic and I'm literally allergic to everything so that's awesome. Bio-Oil can also be used for many different things such as dry skin, blemishes, and scars.

4. Garnier Micellar Water: I had been using a pricier micellar water by Bioderma for over a year until they finally released the Garnier Micellar Water in Canada. The Garnier version is about half the price at $10 a bottle (Shopper's Drug Mart, or really any drug store) and works just as good, in my opinion. It's so important to remove your make up before bed in order to avoid breakouts and this is an easy, effective product to use.

5. L'Oreal Pure Clay Purity Mask: I purchased this mask for $13 from Shoppers Drug Mart. I find this mask to be just as good or even better than expensive masks I've purchased at Sephora. It's great to use once a week just to purify your face after a long, busy week. I'll usually use it after I come home from the gym, before I jump in the shower.

This week is a very exciting one for us! Week 14 marks the end of the first trimester and the start of the second trimester. Apparently the second trimester is the "easiest" one of the three. I had a bit of a hard time with the first trimester and experienced a lot of morning/all-day sickness, loss of appetite, and mood swings. It was definitely hard to go through that while also trying to hide the fact that I'm pregnant from friends and co-workers.

The second trimester is also when the risk of miscarriage decreases dramatically and will continue to decrease until the birth of the baby. So it's safe to say that I can finally get excited for the rest of this pregnancy, as it should (hopefully) be smooth sailing from here until the baby's born.

Since reaching this point, we felt comfortable announcing to everyone on Facebook that we are expecting. It was such a relief to be able to talk freely about it with friends and co-workers, especially since the news is too exciting to keep to myself. Here's the photo we used to announce it on Facebook:

We took this photo in Bowring Park a couple of weeks ago. An older man asked us if we were making an ad for Starbucks (LOL) I decided that I wanted to take bi-weekly baby bump pictures so that I could look back on them and see how much I've grown. It's also a fun way to show my friends and family how much the baby and I have grown. Everyone gets so excited when I send them the pictures :) I bought these milestone signs from an Etsy shop called "PearlPearDesigns". They came in the form of a downloadable file, so I got them printed off at Staples then purchased a frame from Michael's so I could change them out each time I took a bump picture. Anyways, here is my small collection of baby bump pictures (starting at Week 10):  Only 180 more days until the due date (May 20, 2017). I'm so excited to meet our little bundle of joy!!! :)

Is it too early to decorate for Christmas? Probably. But when I saw so many people's Christmas trees on Snapchat and Instagram, I just couldn't resist (making Andrew) haul all of my decorations up from the basement. At first, Andrew was opposed to decorating until December, but he started to get excited once we opened up all of the boxes and he actually ended up doing a lot of the decorating (I know, right?!).