Author Archives: Kara

Library Finds

Posted in Books, Library Finds by

I am a self-proclaimed lover of books. I love reading them. (Who doesn’t?) I also love buying them. In fact, I spend way too much money on them.

Kyle has been suggesting to be for a while to go to the library and check out books that I wouldn’t mind reading but don’t necessarily want to buy. Really, he’s brilliant, but I rarely listen to him. He figures I shouldn’t be paying for a book that is “OK” but I bought anyway and read in three days. He’s right. (Don’t tell him I’m actually agreeing with him!)

Our library system is quite fantastic in that you don’t have to pay for a membership. It’s run by the government, so it’s a tax-payer perk I guess! I used to take books out all the time when I was little, until I became too “cool” to read in my spare time. Now I’m addicted again and have spent way too much money on books. Bookstore gift cards are always in my Top 3 birthday and Christmas requests!

Anyway, after browsing newer titles at the local library online, I finally decided that I’d go ahead and check some books out. They were already checked out, so I put a “hold” request on them. Luckily, they both became available within a day of each other, so I was able to pick them up at the same time!

So what books did I check-out? I thought you’d never ask!

Bossypants by Tina Fey and Room by Emma Donoghue!

I’ve heard nothing about wonderful things about Bossypants and since I’m not a huuuge biography fan I figured it would make a good library find! I’m already half-way through it and I’m loving it so far. It’s quite amusing, which is what I expected from Tina Fey! I’ve also read decent reviews on Room, so I thought I’d check it out too. If I don’t like it – no worries! It’s not like I paid money for it!

I get the books for about 4 weeks which should be plenty of time to read them both! Expect reviews in the future!

Do you check-out books from your local library? Do buy books more than you check them out from the library?
What’s the best “find” you’ve had at your library?

Blue, Black and Green

Posted in Painting, Renovations by

No, I’m not talking about bruises. I wish I were. I’m talking about the worst sinkin’ paint palette I’ve never seen in person. And the great thing? It’s in my house. Well, it was.

Last Saturday my mom and I tackled the World’s Most Headache Inducing Room, a.k.a. My Future Baby’s Room.

I present to you, the “Before” photos:

See what I mean by “Headache Inducing”? Green, black, and blue, plus the original brown/tan in the closet. I don’t know what on earth the previous owners were thinking, but I think they gave their kids a little TOO much creative freedom in picking the colours of their rooms! And that black stripe? It’s magnetic. Ugh.

My mom came over around 10:30 a.m. to help me paint, which really turned into me helping HER paint since she made me “take it easy” since I’m pregnant and all. (For the record: It’s safe for me to paint as long as I use latex-based paint and take breaks if I feel light-headed and whatnot. Believe me when I say I’ve been nagged to death on this one.)

After about 6 hours of painting, including a break for lunch and a trip to the paint store for more primer and painter’s tape, we/my mom were finished!

Ta da! Glorious isn’t it? What a change! It only took about 2 coats of primer, plus another extra coat on the green sections, but it’s all covered up and ready for me to paint it whatever colours I choose! It’s going to go from a four-colour room to a two-colour room, that’s for sure.

You can still feel where the black stripe is because it’s some sort of weird textured stick-on thing that was painted black, so I’m going to just paint that a different colour to accent the rest of the room. Trying to remove it will probably result it destroying the drywall, and that’s a whole new bag of expenses I just don’t want to touch.

I really can’t thank my mom enough for all her help too. She really rocked it out hard! Kyle and I owe her big time – perhaps a box of wine is in order, or at least her favourite bottle of white.

What’s the most atrocious colour you’ve had to paint over? 

17 Weeks

Posted in Baby #1, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Update by

How far along? 17 weeks!

How big is baby? He or she is about 5 1/2″ long from crown to bum, and weighs about 5 oz., about the same as a turnip, according to BabyCenter.ca!

No, I'm only having one turnip - unless my ultrasound in a couple weeks gives me some big surprises!

Image via Pinterest
(Click image for Pinned source)

Total weight gain/loss: I’m not too sure, but I’m pretty sure I’ve gained at least 5lbs. I’m starting to actually feel pregnant in the way that my tummy is obviously bigger. I’ll know for sure how much I’ve gained when I go to the doctor tomorrow morning.

Maternity Clothes? I took Kyle shopping with me Thursday night last week and finally bought a pair of dressy maternity pants for work. The store was having a pretty good sale, so I was thrilled! (FYI: Maternity clothes are EXPENSIVE! It’s not even fair) I’m really trying to hold back on buying a lot of wintery clothes since I’ll be at my biggest in the spring/summer!

Stretch marks? Still none!

Sleep: Still very hit or miss, but this past week has been alright, only having to get up once every night to go to the bathroom instead of three times! I’ve really watched my liquid intake in the evening, and I think that’s helped a lot. And, not necessarily when I’m sleeping, but when I’m laying down my hips get really achy and sore. No fun.

Movement: Still no actual “Oh, that was the baby!” kind of movement, but every so often I’ll be lying down and wonder if I’m actually feeling baby flutters. Then I’ll fart and realize it’s just gas. Oh well. (TMI again, sorry)

Food cravings: I’m really wanting a breakfast burrito from McDonald’s. I was going to go out and get one yesterday morning but about 5″ of snow fell at my house and I just didn’t feel like going out onto the roads to get one. They really need to serve breakfast all day, not just until 11. I also really want waffles, lol.

What I miss: I miss being comfortable. My body seems to be aching more than ever before. It’s like a did a full day of mountain climbing or something. My hips and legs are just achy.

What I am looking forward to: Painting the baby’s room! My mom and I primed the room on the weekend (there shall be a post later this week on that) and we’re just waiting to find out what we’re having before we go and pick a colour!

Milestones: Not really a huge milestone, but getting my energy back and not gagging every time Kyle cooks his hash brown mix. The peppers in the mix used to make me want to gag, but I can finally handle the smell enough to at least comfortably sit beside him while he eats, lol!

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