Sunday, August 31, 2014

Babysitter Style

As I've mentioned recently, I've started working as a nanny/babysitter for the two cutest girls. Lately, I have been wearing t-shirts and shorts when I go watch the girls, but as summer turns to fall, I will be bringing the girls to ballet class, playdates, etc. I think it's time I change up my outfits...

So, what are the best nannies good at? Always being ready to run around, make a mess, clean up, and have everything on hand! The best outfit for the best nanny is polished and stylish, yet casual enough that it can stand the test of chasing after children and spilling everything (and who doesn't want to wear something fun and that they can enjoy). White is a major no-no (especially with younger children), and skirts are just going to lead to disaster. These looks that I have put together are affordable, stylish, fun, and guaranteed to pass the test of being a full-time nanny.

Let me know what you think of these looks in the comments below!


Saturday, August 30, 2014

Crafty Saturday #46

It's the weekend again! You know what that means: Crafty Saturday! I've really come to enjoy putting together these DIY/craft posts. There are times when it can be really hard to find any projects that I am drawn to, and then there are times when I write up three weeks of posts because I've found so much great content (which is the case with this post - it was actually written on August 19). I feel like I'm finally starting to figure out where to look. Anyway, I hope you enjoy these projects because I sure do!


Collar Tips, via Honestly WTF


Envelopes, via Fellow Fellow


DIY macrame curtain
Macrame Curtain, via A Beautiful Mess

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

My Month in Instagrams: June/July 2014

As you have probably noticed, I fell pretty far behind when it came to blogging in June and July, so I never shared my favorite Instagram pictures that I took during those months. I figured late is better than never (even though I will be posting my August pictures next week), so enjoy!
For more pictures, follow me on Instagram!: instagram.com/wildflwrchild


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a cool garage I saw in Brighton (Boston), MA


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the John Hancock building in downtown Boston on a beautiful day


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a view of Boston's skyline from the Fells, where I went hiking


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checking out the sculptures at the sand castle competition at Revere Beach


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wind farm in Nova Scotia, Canada


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picking daisies along the Cabot Trail in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia


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it was extremely windy at one stop on the Cabot Trail


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the beautiful Cabot Trail

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Tumblr Tuesday #59

Hey there friends! It's already Tuesday again. I've had a lot going on lately, and I'm only adding to it by moving this weekend. I'm only moving down the block, which I'm grateful for, but I'm hoping that this is the last time I move for a while! It would be nice for somewhere to actually feel like home.
Anyway, here is your weekly dose of inspiration via my tumblrs, wildflwrchild, vredig, and cleangreenvegan.


Saturday, August 23, 2014

Crafty Saturday #45

It's the weekend! I hope you all are enjoying the last bits of summer, especially those of you who will be returning to school soon.
Please enjoy this week's Crafty Saturday collection!


Tutorial: Mini Hexie Necklace | The Zen of Making
Mini Hexie Necklace, via The Zen of Making


Hanging Planters, via Hello There Home


Get Laken's Look!: DIY Dorm Bed Canopy Project
Dorm Bed Canopy, via Apartment Therapy

Thursday, August 21, 2014

50 Books in 2014: 26-30

As I promised last week, here are my reviews and ratings for books 26-30 of my 50 Books in 2014 goal.
As always, become my friend on GoodReads to see what I'm reading: goodreads.com/wildflowerchild


1. The 50 Best Ways to Simplify Your Life, by Patrick Fanning and Heather Garnos Mitchener
573355 
GoodReads says: "In The 50 Best Ways to Simplify Your Life, proven cognitive methods do what religious ideology, radical ecology, or just plain marketing fluff can't do: help readers understand what matters most to them and achieve lasting balance. Using the kinds of practical techniques that can lead to real personal change, author Patrick Fanning and self-help editor and writer Heather Garnos Mitchener first help readers examine their values and prioritize meaning. Then, through a series of short chapters containing exercises that run the gamut from simple tasks to soul-searching moral inventories, they introduce readers to an array of interactive, do-able strategies will help readers find a true center of focus midway between work and home, pleasure and discipline, television and conversation."
Average Rating: 3.55/5

I said: 4/5 stars, "This book was a nice quick read that gave fifty ways to simplify in various ways in life including home, work, money, relationships, and spirit."



2. Farmacology:What Innovative Family Farming can Teach Us About Health and Healing, by Daphne Miller
  15818223 
GoodReads says: "Family physician Daphne Miller long suspected that farming and medicine were intimately linked. Increasingly disillusioned by mainstream medicine's mechanistic approach to healing and fascinated by the farming revolution that is changing the way we think about our relationship to the earth, Miller left her medical office and traveled to seven innovative family farms around the country, on a quest to discover the hidden connections between how we care for our bodies and how we grow our food. Farmacology, the remarkable book that emerged from her travels, offers us a compelling new vision for sustainable health and healing—and a wealth of farm-to-body lessons with immense value in our daily lives."
Average Rating: 4.14

I said: 5/5 stars, " I loved this book! It is so important for doctors to follow the path of Dr. Miller here and look for alternatives to shoving big pharma down their patients' throats. Health is so deeply tied to how we eat and go about our daily lives, and Dr. Miller does a wonderful job of explaining this in a book that is simple enough for anyone to understand."



3.  Edible Plants of Atlantic Canada: Field Guide by Peter Scott
18761606 
GoodReads says: In an era before supermarkets became our main source of food, most people knew which wild plants were edible and how to prepare them for delicious meals. The woods, clearings, heaths, and seashores of Atlantic Canada are home to a wide variety of edible plants. In this book, author Peter Scott provides a wealth of information on more than sixty wild edible plant species. This easy-to-use guide includes important details about identification, habitats in which the plants are found, basic recipes, a glossary, and references, so that everybody can enjoy the bounty that exists outsides our doors. 
Average Rating: 3/5

I said: 3/5 stars, " I read this book while I was on vacation in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, and while this book certainly serves it's purpose and showcases a variety of the edible plants in Atlantic Canada, I wish each individual plant page had been arranged better. There is no way to flip to a page on a plant and find a quick ref about it without having to read the entire page. Also I wish there had been more diagrams relating to leaves, plant structure, etc."



4. Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail, by Cheryl Strayed
12262741 
GoodReads says: "A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—and built her back up again."
Average Rating: 3.91/5

I said: 5/5 stars, " I was sucked into this book from the second I started reading. This book is an honest look into the life of an errant young woman who starts on a life-changing, yet ill-prepared journey of a lifetime."



5. A Tine to Live, A Tine to Die, by Edith Maxwell
16057049 
GoodReads says: "It’s harvest time in Westbury, Massachusetts, and novice farmer Cameron Flaherty hopes to make a killing selling organic produce. But when a killer strikes on her property, her first foray into the world of organic farming yields a bumper crop of locally sourced murder…
Cam’s first growing season has gotten off to a slow start, but her CSA is flourishing thanks to a colorful group of subscribers led by Lucinda DaSilva, an enthusiastic Brazilian volunteer who’s vowed to eat nothing but locally produced food for one year. When Cam fires her only employee, local handyman Mike Montgomery, because he won’t follow organic growing practices, it seems like just another day at the office—until she finds him with a pitchfork sticking out of his neck.The police suspect Cam of Mike’s murder, but when their investigation goes nowhere, Lucinda joins Cam in the hunt for the real killer. In a small New England town full of eccentric locavores, there’s no shortage of possibilities—from a neighboring farmer who competes with Cam for customers to a Swedish chef whose romantic designs on her have recently taken a turn for the odd. And then there’s the local militia group with its decidedly nonlocal agenda…To clear her name, Cam will have to dig up secrets buried deep beneath the soil of Produce Plus Plus Farm. And she’ll have to catch a murderer whose motto seems to be “Eat local. Kill local.”
"
Average Rating: 3.54/5

I said: 4/5 stars, " This book was a pretty standard mediocre-written mystery novel, BUT I absolutely loved the farming aspect thrown in. It made the book for me. Plus who doesn't love a cheesy mystery? I couldn't put the book down!"
  

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Trip to Cape Breton

I mentioned a week or so ago that I went on a vacation with my parents and my brother up to Cape Breton island, off of Nova Scotia in Canada. We had a wonderful time visiting family, hiking, and exploring the area! The only downside was the 15+ hour drive each way.

Cape Breton is such a beautiful place. Here are some of the pictures I took while we were on our trip.


entering Nova Scotia from New Brunswick

view of the Bay of Fundy through my binoculars

the view from my mom's cousin's house where we stayed

path on another relative's property

gorgeous view of the water

hashtag selfie

Mary Ann Falls

the island has the most gorgeous cliffs

stacking rocks

the Cabot Trail is one gorgeous view after another

the dock at yet another cousin's house
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