There's Something New In The Never New Household....

Approximately 9 weeks ago, I got the shock of my life. I was going to have another baby.

Yes...I'll give you a moment. It is a LOT to take in.




Ready to hear more? Alrighty....





Obviously, for those that know me, this is a less-than-ideal situation- to say the least.




When I first found out, I immediately went into planning mode. I will need a bigger car! I can't fit 3 car seats in my beloved Civic! Done. Bought myself a 2009 Mazda5, and am thrilled with it so far.




I would need a bigger house! Done. I purchased an older, semi-detached condo and will be relocating at the end of January.



With all of the 'business-end' and planning taken care of, I have been forced to recently let it all sink in and let the emotions take over.







Human beings make mistakes. Every day. All the time. This is an absolute truth.


But I believe with just as much certainty that human beings are NOT mistakes. Ever.





Especially after everything that I went through to have my boys. I struggled through IVF and the gut-wrenching, heartbreaking reality of that for years.


 After a ridiculous amount of money, Naturopathy, acupuncture, vitamins, surgeries, as well as the never-ending emotional roller coaster- I had my 2 amazing boys and felt that I was more than blessed.


So, how can I see this life as anything less than that? It is a tremendous blessing.





There is a song that we sing frequently at my church and it keeps running through my head this week. It says:


"We are the saints, we are the children,
We've been redeemed, we've been forgiven
We are the sons and daughters of our God"





I have faith that my mistakes have been forgiven. I believe that I have been redeemed.


And, I believe that there is an unbelievable plan for this little life that is growing inside of me.


And, I will try my best to be the best mother that I can be. And, I will mess up. But, I will find redemption once again.





Thanks for reading, friends.





Oh, and I will be posting my thrifted maternity outfits in the months to come!






Peace and blessings.

And The Winner Is......

Drum roll please.......

Congratulations to Lori Duivesteyn for being the winner of my first ever giveway!!

She gets to chose a beautiful fairly-traded item from Just One- world changing fashion's website!! 

Although I would've been happy for ANY winner, I am smiling extra big for Lori! She has been an avid reader and supporter of my blog right from the beginning.

Thank-you for your support, Lori, and CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

And, thank-you to all of my readers for your support- it is very much appreciated!

Blessings.

My First Giveaway!!

In celebration of hitting 20, 000 page views on my blog and also to mark approximately ONE YEAR since my first post, I am having my first ever GIVEAWAY!!

If YOU win, the prize will be anything that you chose from the Just One website. 

Just One is a small business that I love to support. They sell fairly-traded, world-changing items. I posted about them here.

Here are some of the awesome items you could win:

Ugandan Necklace $25

Scarf- Cream $27
From South Africa

Chunky Wooden Wrap $17
From Uganda

Bracelet- White & Brown $18
From Kenya

Earrings $7
From Kenya

Oven Mitts $12
From Uganda











In case you don't win the giveaway, you can still purchase these and other beautiful items from the Just One website.


They are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas is just around the corner!!


AND they offer Gift Certificates!





Or, you can get some girls together and host a Just One Home Party. I had one when I had my very first Clothing Swap. Check out the photos on the link- it was a blast!



But, now- more about the giveaway!



If we are facebook friends, simply share this blog post and say why you like or why you read my blog. Then you will be entered into a draw. 



If we are not facebook friends, share this post on your social media feed, and why you like or read my blog, then comment on this post and let me know. Then, you will be entered into the draw.  :)


The winner will be drawn on October 23rd.







Thank you to all my readers out there!



I really didn't know what I was going to do with this blog a year ago- I just felt that I needed a space to rant occasionally about why I choose to live the way that I do, to share some ideas for thrifty 2nd-hand outfits, as well as some interesting repurposing ideas- as I came across them.








I'm so glad that people enjoy reading about the things that I post.




Much love and blessings.




And best of luck for the giveaway!!

Have You 'Kijiji'-ed Lately?

One of the first places that I check when I am in search of second-hand items is Kijiji. You can find such an array of treasures on that site- I could spend hours each day browsing the different categories.

You can find furniture, clothing, appliances, jobs, free stuff, real estate, pets, cars, even community services and events on this site. It is fabulous. I haven't met anyone in the last few years that DIDN'T know about kijiji....but, I thought I should share a bit of background about it, just in case....

My newest Kijiji find: 

I am absolutely loving my new-to-me painted wooden table with 6 chairs that I scored for $80. My other chairs' legs sloped inward at the bottom, and my boys (who can NEVER sit with their WHOLE bum on a chair) were constantly tipping over on them.

These chairs are nice and solid- there should be no tipping...but who knows? Boys are strange. ;)

Side note- I actually found most of my frames that are up on the wall on Kijiji.

And here is a ridiculously great deal that some of my friends found on Kijiji in the summer.

Two custom-made tables, a step and a never-used cover for their hot tub for $35!!

Seriously friends, check it out. The thrifty part of me LOVES the deals to be had. The 'never-new' part of me LOVES the recycling, reusing and repurposing side to the site. There is no down-side folks! Well, a friend of mine DID buy a bed frame off of this site and promptly threw it into the trash. But- that is truthfully the only time I have ever heard of anything like that. AND that couple should have been reported to the site....

Another great find that I snapped up this week was this side table. I loved the bamboo elements of this tables legs. I envision painting it a lime green colour. Perhaps. But- part of me is sad to cover up the strange and interesting markings on the table's top. I found it at the Burlington's Salvation Army Store for $25. Not super-cheap, but you can't put a price on love....

Pretty sure this table will be a bright green soon enough, though...

Does any one out there have an amazing story of a deal that you got on Kijiji? 

Some other friends of mine have furnished almost their entire main floor from Kijiji. Love that.

Thanks for stopping in, and Happy Thanksgiving to you all!!

I hope you all have many things in your lives to be thankful for. I know my cup is overflowing....

"If the only prayer you ever said in your whole life was 'thank-you', that would suffice". ~Meister Eckhart 

Blessings.

Halloween DIY Ideas

Halloween is just around the corner, but if you are like me, you haven't brought out the decor just yet.

If you haven't and are looking for some spooky DIY ideas, keep reading. :)

I found all of these ideas on my favourite, go-to site, Pinterest- of course.

 Pumpkin Decor DIY Ideas 

Paint your pumpkin and add some ribbon. Easy and too cute.

Wrap your pumpkins with tulle and ribbon. Pretty.

Love this one. Paint your  pumpkin and then wrap with  lace or black netting.I have also seen the smaller ones wrapped in black patterned panty-hose or tights.

How easy is this? Simply place a Halloween mask on your pumpkin. Love it.

Very pretty pumpkin DIY.

Who needs to paint the WHOLE pumpkin? You can just paint on some polka dots and a Halloween phrase in pretty lettering.












Decorating with Cheesecloth

Drape some cheescloth  over a white styrofoam ball. Cheescloth is great for making those old-looking, ratty edges.

I think these mason jar mummies are so cute! I always have a ton of jars around, myself. Simply wrap cheesecloth around the jars and add some googly eyes. :)

These juice box mummies are made with white tape, but I think that using cheesecloth instead would add to the 'mummy-feel'.












Outside DIY Ideas

I love these milk jug ghosts.  I made some last year, but never found the battery-operated twinkle lights- but I never looked very hard. So, I just added a little water to weigh them down and put them out anyway. :)

This is a really cute idea for your front door, and SO easy. Just cut out letters from cardstock or bristol board and tie the letters together with raffia or twine. Then add a ribbon to the top. :)















Halloween Costume DIY

Seriously? How adorable is this shark costume? Simply use a grey hoodie, and sew on the white belly and teeth, grey fin and black eyes. 
















Indoor DIY Decor Ideas

Wrap a jar with white 'spider-webbing'- (I saved mine from last year!). Add a battery operated tealight and a plastic spider. Cute.

Have the kiddies decorate your wooden stairs to make it look like you have a rodent infestation. You could use construction paper, cardstock or bristol board. They would love it!

Do you have a bunch of coloured party cups in your cupboard? Use a black sharpie and battery-operated tealights, and transform them into an army of jack-o-lanterns, ghosts and skeletons!

Hope you were able to get one or two ideas to help with 'spook-a-fying' your home.

Of course, try to repurpose and reuse whatever you can from what is around your home already. :)

Peace, friends.

There's A New (To Me) Thrift Shop In Town!

I've been meaning to check out this new(ish) thrift store- The reSource Thrift Shop.

I was so excited!! I love little whole-in-the-wall thrift shops. They always seem to have the best deals, even if you have to dig a little harder to find them.

Unfortunately, I have to say, I was not hugely impressed with their prices. I was expecting them to be similar to BFM prices. But they were not. They DID have a $1 clothing rack, but there wasn't anything that I was interested in personally.

More than some items that I found were priced a wee bit high- in my humble opinion. There was a tricycle (in great shape, mind you) for $25. To me- that isn't a thrift shop price. I would expect to pay that at a second-hand bike shop. I also noticed a lot of the kid's, as well as baby items, were just simply over-priced.

But, if you ask me- I think that it is just an issue of volunteers trying to make as much money for an organization that they believe in. So...I can hardly fault them for that.

I DID pick up this fabulous sconce for my bedroom wall. It was $7. Again, more like the "big-box" (lol) Value Village prices instead of a little independent thrift shop price. But, I loved it. So I splurged. Haha.

I also grabbed a mini skateboard for my oldest son. It wasn't in great shape- but it was only $2 (an appropriate price, I believe).

Unfortunately, my littlest took to it as well....I foresee many fights in the future over this item.

My little one staking his claim in the parking lot. :S

All-in-all not a bad experience. I would definitely pop in again. Now that I know what to expect in regards to their pricing, I won't be surprised next time.

You never know where you are going to find that next amazing gem.

Blessings.