Woman in Real Life

We are planning a few "weekend warrior" style renovations for our home over the next six months or so. While we are currently working on our foyer makeover, I have also been thinking about how we can overhaul our laundry room on a budget. The laundry room is on the first floor of our house, which is convenient, but it is tiny. Like a tiny box...with three doors in it - one to the garage, one to the house and one to the outdoors! We're thinking of stacking the washer and dryer to free up some space for built-in storage and seating. And we'll likely put some rustic wood shelving over the sink.

We have lived in our current home for 9 years. When we moved here, the kids were 3 and 5, still just little tikes really. We moved from a decent-sized, semi-detached house to a bigger, detached home with plenty of space and storage. (And then we proceeded to fill that storage up, but that's a story for another day.) Over the next couple of years, we installed hardwood flooring throughout the main level and we painted most of the rooms. (The previous homeowners liked clay and ochre colours. We were going for something lighter and brighter.)

Okay guys, remember when our #12monthsofdiy project was vinyl? And I made hand-cut vinyl decals for my kids' memory boxes, whilst not-so-secretly coveting a Cricut cutting machine? Yeah, well I won a Cricut Explore Air™ at Blogpodium! Yay me. (I realize it's kind of annoying when other people boast about things they've won. Thank you for your patience.)

If you have one of these machines or if you plan to get one, then yay to you too! I've had so much fun with it in such a short time. My daughter and I have been sticking vinyl lettering on travel cups, banners, pumpkins and laptops. We can't be stopped. Today's #12monthsofdiy project revolves around ribbon, however I also did part of the diy using my new Cricut. You see, obsessed with garlands as I am, I decided to make a garland using old Christmas cards. We have Christmas cards going back about 20 years. Rather than throwing them out completely (Konmari style), I decided to honour the spirit that people intended when gifting us these lovely holiday cards by re-purposing them into something that we could use and admire. Hence my DIY gift tag ribbon garland made with old Christmas cards.

We celebrated our Canadian Thanksgiving just over a week ago. October has been a whirlwind so far and I didn't even get a Vintage Bliss Tuesday post up last week. We had a beautiful Thanksgiving dinner at my sister-in-law's house. She has so many sweet vintage touches in her rural home that I thought I would share a few pictures today. Her home has such a warm and comfy feel. The emphasis is on family (four kids, two dogs, one cat, two turtles, many chickens and a few ducks) as well as food (she's Italian after all!).

I consider myself a bit of a tofu expert. Well maybe tofu enthusiast is a better description. How about tofu advocate? It looks unassuming - some would even say gross - but tofu, also known as bean curd, is a versatile and healthy protein option for vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike.

Look for organic tofu to avoid GMOs. Tofu is made from soybeans and many soybean crops are genetically modified. Also, look for tofu processed with calcium to up your calcium intake. Finally, go for extra-firm tofu if you are just starting to explore this handy plant protein. Softer tofu is more of an acquired taste.

It's time to take advantage of all those fresh, crispy apples available to us in fall. As we do each September, we recently visited our favourite apple orchard to pick delicious, crunchy apples right off the tree. Apples truly are one of Mother Nature's wonders, providing us with benefits such as soluble fibre and disease-fighting antioxidants. Plus apples are highly portable and hardy, making them an ideal snack to take to park, school or work. Of course, you could also turn them into an equally portable and possibly even more delicious snack, like these Vegan Apple Crumble Muffins.

If you live in a four-season climate, you know that fall is the best of seasons. It's a welcome respite from the hot and humid days of summer. Mainly it's a hell of a lot better than the freezing cold winters! Cool breezes flow through open windows, leaves begin to turn yellow and orange, and, yes, apples abound on trees. A fall visit to the apple orchard is a necessity - these are the moments that will keep us sane as winter's long months drag on.

Today is Vintage Bliss Tuesday linky party #100! One hundred weeks of sharing our treasures. For me, it's been (lots of) plates, pillows, cutlery, mugs, drinkware, blankets and even a couple of wardrobe additions. And I've enjoyed browsing through the vintage, thrifted and inherited goodies that have been linked up by other treasure hunters.

Some of you have good fortune finding unusual jewelry pieces, like this snake jewelry that Stories of Objects linked up last week. Some of you have incredible booths where you resell your awesome finds. (I think I need to do that to free up some space in this house!) Check out Melissa's southside booth. Others share my fondness for vintage books, like this lovely pink 1965 Nancy Drew book that Dianne linked up last week. Be sure to head over and find out why the cover is pink.

I've been a vegetarian for over 20 years and my interest in healthy, cruelty-free lifestyle products has developed over that time period. I confess, however, that I have still relied on a few conventional products over the years. For example, I finally got tired of struggling with rosacea and took a prescription from the dermatologist for some (no doubt toxic) mess that did eventually clear up my rosacea (in about three months).