Woman in Real Life

I haven't done any thrift store shopping the last couple of weeks. But my mom did give me these beautiful Mikasa Cheers highball glasses last time I visited. These glasses are tall and thin, and etched with dots, lines, and swirls. I think they'll look lovely with a nice girly pink cocktail inside. Mom got the Mikasa glasses as a gift from the Niagara Fallsview Casino.

Actually she has passed a few gifts she got at the casino on to me - a soft robe, a king-size duvet and a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer set. Mom hasn't been able to get to the casino as often lately, so she didn't get invited to her usual VIP September birthdays celebration this year. Which means no gift for her...and therefore no gift for me, haha. We do have one night at the casino resort hotel booked for October, so we'll be enjoying a little overnight in Niagara Falls. And maybe Mom will get a gift at Christmas? May I suggest some Mikasa Cheers white wine glasses?

Have you been to Niagara Falls? How about your local casino? I'm not a gambler myself (can't stand to lose money). How about you?

Okay, guys - my dear friends, my peeps - if you haven't made yourself nice cream before, I insist you do it...pretty much right now! I know we are leaving summer behind, but this particular healthy yet sweet and delicious snack will serve you well all year long. And you can whip up this cold, satisfying frozen treat in mere minutes. Seconds really.

I once had a boss who was obsessed with faux flowers. She had plastic flowers in shades for all seasons, and she put them all over the office. They were ugly. And dusty. I was not a fan. But I now know that not all faux flowers are created equal. I have had a blast participating in the #12monthsofdiy project thus far. Our group of Canadian decor and lifestyle bloggers has focused on materials like vinyl, felt and spray paint. The challenge of creating a new project with a given material each month has been good activity for my brain.

This month's sponsor is Afloral, makers of gorgeous "silk" flowers and greens and also preserved flowers and grasses. You really need to check out Afloral's incredible variety of silk wedding flowers. You won't believe the kind of amazing bridal bouquet you can create with silk flowers!

*This is a sponsored post. All opinions are authentic and my own. Thank you for supporting the awesome companies that partner with Woman in Real Life.


Saving money is in my blood. I come from the kind of home where large quantities of toilet paper and cans of soup (purchased at a discount, naturally) are piled high in the basement. I carry on that tradition. Just visit my fruit cellar on a typical day and you'll see - it looks like I'm preparing for a disaster!

When you have a desire to save money, planning ahead is key. That's why I'm hoping to get a head start on my holiday preparations this year. Like right now. I'm not ready to turn on the Christmas music yet, but it certainly can't hurt to start tasks like organizing and beautifying the guest room. Wouldn't it be nice if your guests arrived to find a clean, welcoming room with fresh, new bedding and a tray of goodies?

Happy Wednesday! Let's start this week's WIAW with donuts, shall we? I mean, who doesn't love donuts? Actually I first shared this picture on Instagram and a couple of people commented that they're not big donut fans. Who would have guessed?

What I love about these particular donuts is that they are vegan donuts. I got them at my fave annual event, the Toronto Veg Food Fest, this past weekend. These donuts are from Through Being Cool Vegan Baking Co. They are big, chewy donuts with a lovely texture. I liked the sweet toppings, but I would have liked to taste a little more sweet in the donuts themselves.

I am always on the lookout for pretty small bowls. They are great for eating decadent yet healthy peanut butter "nice" cream or this peachy dessert parfait. And, as I've said before, a petite bowl makes photographing food easier. (Fits in the camera frame better and requires less food).

Recently I found two of these pretty pink and yellow floral bowls at the thrift store. They'll be great not only for pictures, but for snacking on my fave raisin cereal in the evening too. They say yingzhouzhengdong on the bottom. I attempted to do some research, but even when Google translates the page from Chinese I can't really get a meaningful idea of what it says.

I'm so looking forward to attending Blogpodium this week. For those of you not familiar with it, Blogpodium is a conference for design and lifestyle influencers. We're going to attend some informative sessions, hear from wonderful speakers and meet with sponsoring companies. Best of all, many of the bloggers from my #12monthsofdiy group will be there. Most of them I'll be meeting in real life for the first time.

Read on for a list of what I'll be taking with me to Blogpodium. At the top of the list is business cards. It's essential to have business cards handy for a blogging conference, to share contact information with potential future sponsors and also to keep in touch with the other bloggers you're sure to meet.

I chose business cards from Minted. Not only is Minted one of the sponsors of Blogpodium 2016, but they also make gorgeous stationery. I have gotten children's art from Minted in the past, as well as beautiful stationery and party decor.

It's actually not a great time for me to be writing about food. Why? It's mid-morning and I haven't eaten. I'm hungry, but I've had a fair bit of pain, burning and bubbling in my stomach (actual stomach, not colon) over the last week. I've had temporary relief from apple cider vinegar, digestive tea and even over-the-counter medicine, but today I'm playing it safe, giving my digestive system a bit of a rest for the morning.

Looking at the picture above, I feel that I could eat pancakes though. You can always eat pancakes right? I enjoyed these pancakes and vegan sausage a few days ago. The pancakes were made with brown rice protein, using a recipe in Protein Ninja: Power through Your Day with 100 Hearty Plant-Based Recipes that Pack a Protein Punch.

I have a weakness for plates. Plates of all colours, shapes and sizes. My cupboard tells the story. Instead of tidy, cohesive piles of plates, there are wobbly stacks of oddly sized plates leaning at precarious angles. When my daughter empties the dishwasher, she fits the plates together in order of size on the counter top before putting them in the cupboard. When my son empties the dishwasher, it's another story. Let's just say you have to take care when opening the cupboard doors.

I recently spotted these peach-coloured plates with pleasant little fish around the edges at the thrift store. I don't have any plates in this colour, I rationalized. And the fish are so cute!