On Getting Married Young:

A CBC In-depth study done in 2005 reports that the average age of brides in Canada in the year 2000 was 31.7 (with grooms being an average of 2 years older).  To me, this statistic is mind-blowing - I was 12 years younger than the 2000 national average when I married Brett!

A few things have rolled across my Pinterest feed lately that have rubbed me the wrong way.  One was a meme saying "Getting married at 22 is like leaving the party at 9:30", or "only 2% of young couples who get married will not get divorced" (I also happen to hate "statistics" that are passed around like facts without a cited source... it's the scientist in me).  These things remind me a lot of some of the feedback I was getting before Brett and I got married.  People would see my engagement ring and ask about the wedding, and when I was getting married.  Then would come the inevitable "How old are you??" question.  Upon finding out that I would only be 21 on my wedding day, I was met with one of two reactions.  The first (and nicest) went something like "Oh that is so great that you found 'the one' so soon.  You are so lucky. Congratulations!".  The second (and much less nice) would go more like "Don't you think that's kind of young?  What's the rush?"; sometimes they would even kindly add in "Well don't be surprised if you get divorced right away."  You would be shocked to know how many conversations I had with people  discussing "my imminent divorce".

If you Google "getting married young", there aren't many positive things that come up.  One of the articles I found is from The Huffington Post, where writer David Wygant states that "people should not get married until they hit the age of 30" and "people who get married young do so based on a fantasy".  I don't want you to think that this is just an attack on this blogger's point of view.  I certainly don't know him as a person, I don't know what led him to have his beliefs.  I simply just have a different view on the topic.  I feel that perhaps if young couples who are either married already or thinking about getting married had better support from their peers and communities, then maybe there would be a whole lot of better relationships out there.  Instead of saying to a young, engaged person "Don't be surprised if you get divorced right away" we should be talking to them and supporting them - making sure they know that they have support to be able to work through the rough patches and not just give up right away.

I am sure that there are many young couples who haven't thought through what getting married means, and maybe are jumping into it too fast.  But I would bet that there are also many mature couples who have done the same.  After all, if our average age of marriage in Canada is 30, it can't just be young couples making our divorce rates sky rocket (since most couples would be over 30).

I can't say why others feel the way they do about getting married young.  But I can say why it is working for Brett and I.

Yes, Brett and I were young when we first met and fell in love (I was 18 and he was 20).  We were immature - and still are in a lot of ways.  But over the past three and a half years of being together, we have been growing up and maturing together.  That growing up together, I think, has really strengthened our bond.

Also, I have seen older couples have a harder time combining their individual lives.  After being on your own for so long, and used to doing things your own way, it would be hard to compromise and build a new life together.  Brett and I basically started out together.  We didn't really have a lot of time to build all those separate habits.  We compromised right from the start - from who would do the laundry, to cooking meals, to not leaving the toilet seat up.

Ultimately, I believe that a marriage's success stems from the bride and groom's core beliefs about marriage, not from their ages.  Getting married isn't just about having a big wedding with all the bells and whistles - at least not to us it wasn't.  For a marriage to be truly successful, both the bride and groom must take their vows seriously.  You are promising to love someone in sickness and in health, for better or for worse and as long as you both should live - and you are making that promise in front of God and your family and friends.

Clearly I was taking the "solemn" part of solemn vows very seriously... Either that or trying not to cry!

I guess at the end of the day, I am going to end up sitting on the fence regarding this topic.  I don't think that there is a black and white, right or wrong answer to getting married young or waiting until you are older.  I feel like the focus on a couples age when they choose to get married reflects a bit of a flaw in our society.  Why are we so focused on surface things like age, when we should be looking at something deeper?  Perhaps it is this close focus on the superficial (like age, money, and good looks) that is causing a lot of the marital issues that many people are facing today.  We should instead be looking deeper; at things like morals, beliefs, and values - for these are the true pillars that a marriage will rest upon.

Favorite Everyday Cosmetic Products

I am not a beauty blogger by any means.  Makeup and hair are not exactly one of my talents.  I have a few different things that I have mastered and I stick to those.  I do, however, love reading The Small Things Blog by Kate Bryan.  She has awesome hair and makeup tips, so I really suggest checking her out.  The past little while I have found three products that I absolutely love.  So, despite my lack of expertise, I figured I would share them with you.  They are very much "every day" products, I use them all the time.

1.  EOS Hand Lotion in "Fresh Flowers".

I have been quite pleasantly surprised by this hand lotion.  Usually I find hand lotions to be too greasy to use any time other than before bed.  This one rubs right in, though, and doesn't leave a yucky residue - just nice soft hands.  As a nursing student, I end up using this lotion a lot and it works great.  Plus it is a great purse size (or scrub pocket size).  I really prefer the "Fresh Flowers" scent to the other options these come in, its floral without being too strong or sweet.

You can buy this hand lotion pretty much everywhere - I've seen it in drug stores, grocery stores, Walmart, Target, even our health science bookstore (for all us health sci students with dry hands from over-washing!).

2.  Softlips Lip Balm in "Coconut Cream".

Despite loving the EOS hand lotion, I really think that Softlips Lip Balm is where it's at for lip balm.  I keep one with me at all times.  Brett often teases me about my Softlips obsession because I won't go anywhere without one.  I love the slim tube (fits great in jeans, scrubs, a clutch, basically everywhere) and I love all of the flavors that they come in.  I was really into the "French Vanilla" for a long time, but then they brought out "Coconut Cream", which I would say is my new favorite.

Like the EOS Hand Lotion, Softlips is available pretty much everywhere (I usually pick it up at Walmart).

3.  Urban Decay Lipstick in "Streak".

I was never a lipstick person, but Kate from The Small Things Blog talked about this one a lot.  Since we have fairly similar skin tones (both pretty fair) I decided to give it a try because it looked so great on her.  This lipstick is really "buildable" (as the beauty guru's would say).  It can be as translucent or opaque as you want it.

Me wearing Urban Decay's "Streak"

As you can see, it is a really pretty blush pink - I am totally in love.  I like the color because I feel like I can wear it every day (ie: it's not too flashy).

I bought this lipstick at Sephora, and they have a great selection of all of Urban Decay's lipsticks if this color doesn't work for you.

Do you have any go-to products for everyday wear?

Have a lovely day!

Book Review: Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

I mentioned this book in my Mother's Day Gift Ideas post, so I figured I should do a full book review on it.  I would like to start off this post by saying that me reading this book is a little like me looking at wedding boards on Pinterest before I was engaged.  But, that being said, I absolutely loved this book - even though I am not yet a mom.  So that has got to say something good about Jennifer Weiner's writing skills.  Little Earthquakes follows four new moms as they discover motherhood.  Becky is a feisty chef married to a doctor and dealing with her new baby and a difficult mother-in-law.  Ayinde is trying to balance being in the public eye and raising her son.  Kelly is a perky new mom learning to deal with some set backs she didn't anticipate.  And Lia is struggling with just about the worst thing a mom could imagine.  This book immediately drew me in and I pretty much couldn't put it down the whole time that I was reading it.  And I have reread it about 3 more times.  This is a great read that doesn't require you to put a lot of effort into understanding the plot line or trying to make sense of any symbolism - it is definitely my kind of book.  I found that Little Earthquakes really got you invested in the characters and their stories.  You are rooting for them to succeed.  This book can speak to women readers of all ages (my mother-in-law read it too and liked it) and I definitely suggest buying this book if you like a light, heartwarming read.  It will be great for the upcoming summer months - think sitting on the deck/beach in the sun with a cool drink, a great book and your feet up (sounds about perfect to me!).

Hope you're having a lovely week!!

Happy Early Birthday Dad!

Tomorrow is my dad's birthday, so it is only right to dedicate a special post to him today.  I will start off by sharing a few favorite stories:

1.  The winter that my mom went back to work after having me, my dad stayed home to look after me (one of the perks of being a farmer).  I don't remember this but have heard the story many times from my mom.  Dad bought a little trike motorcycle for me (foot pedalled of course) and would push me around on it with a broom handle.  As I say, I don't remember this but I am certain that I thought it was the coolest thing at the time.

2.  When my sister and I were little, Dad was the absolute best for playing with us.  I will start this off by saying that my dad is a true man's man.  He likes cars, motorcycles, farming, football - your typical manly guy.  But if Austin and I wanted him to play with us, he always would no matter what.  On Christmas when we would get new Barbies and wanted daddy to play, you can bet that he would.  Austin and I sure got lucky with such a great man as our father.

3.  I mentioned before that Austin and I would spend a good chunk of our childhood summers in the feild with Mom and Dad - this gave us nearly endless hours to talk their ears off (can you imagine how many "why" questions were asked... sorry about that Dad!).  But Dad never lost his patience (with us anyway - broken down machinery was a whole other issue, haha), he would just answer our questions and tell us more about whatever we wanted to know.  I learned so much from him at a young age because he talked to me like I wasn't a little kid.  I really appreciated that, and I still do.

Dad is one of the strongest men I know.  He has gone through some really hard times but - resilient as always - he comes back from them even stronger.  He has loved my mom, my sister and me with his whole being; and in doing so, taught me what the man I marry should be like.  When I look at him, I am filled with pride and love.  I take it as the highest compliment when someone calls me "Little Sam", comparing me to him - as they often do.

I hope you aren't too sick of country song lyrics yet because here are a few that remind me of my dad.  "Strong" by Will Hoge is featured in Chevy Truck commercials, so you may have heard this one before.

He'll pick you up, won't let you down.

Rock solid inside out.

Somebody you can trust,

Steady as the sun.

He's strong.

Listen to this awesome song here!

Happy birthday Dad!  I love you so much.

Making a House a Home and a Quick Embroidery Pattern

I am back at the farm for a short while before Term 3 of school starts and I have made it my mission to decorate a few spaces.  It is time to take our home from a bachelor pad to looking like a place where an actual female lives.  I got some of the things for our wedding but I managed to pick up a lot of stuff at a local store that carries some beautiful home accessories.

Our microwave doesn't have a timer on it so I picked up this cute Matryoshka Doll kitchen timer.  The succulent plant was a house warming gift from a friend - surprisingly, I have managed to keep it alive for over a year now!

I love owls, they are probably one of my favorite animals (other than cats of course).  When I saw this guy I knew I had to have him.  He is supposed to be for the garden but I though he looked nice on one of our end tables paired with some soy candles and another succulent.

I picked up this shelf for our bathroom a couple of weeks ago and Brett just got around to hanging it up a few days ago (house stuff goes to the very bottom of the list for a farmer in April!). 

I added yet another succulent and some candles to the top as well as a framed embroidered owl that I quickly whipped up with some scraps from around the house (I am noticing there is a bit of an owl/succulent/votive candle theme to my decorating).

Isn't the owl cute?  I wanted to do his body blue (as you will see in the pattern below) but didn't have any blue embroidery thread so I made do with purple.  He still turned out pretty good though I'd say.

Here is the pattern I drew up:

I would say the easiest way to transpose this would be print off this black and white copy then put your fabric over the paper and trace it.

To frame I simply folded the fabric around a piece of cardboard to fit into my frame and taped the fabric down.  This little owl would be really cute on something like tea towels too (I may have to try that myself sometime).

Hope your weekend is lovely!

Baby Rag Quilt Tutorial

This month I enjoyed making a rag quilt for my cousin and her husband's new baby boy.  I am so excited to have another baby in the family!  Rag quilts are quite easy to make, as far as quilts go.  This is a great project if you are looking for something that you can have done within an afternoon - or if you are looking for a simple beginner's project that will give great results.  I made this quilt to be a standard baby size of 3' by 4.5' out of 9" x 9" squares.  When I was looking for fabric, my local fabric store had fairly disappointing choices when it came to brushed cotton or flannelet.  I bought some plain light blue for the backing but continued to look for better options for the front.  I was struck by the genius idea to simply buy receiving blankets in nice patterns and cut them up to use as my fabric.  I found two different sets of Carter's receiving blankets with an elephant theme (which is what the baby's room is decorated with) at Target.

What you will need:
2 sets of  Carter's receiving blankets (4 blankets in each set) OR 6 different patterns of flannelet or brushed cotton fabric 30" x 30"
2 yds of solid color flannelet or brushed cotton fabric to match the above fabric
Quilt batting at least 3' x 4.5'
Co-ordinating thread
Sewing Machine
Sharp Scissors

Remember to preshrink the fabric by washing in hot water then drying on high!

1.  Cut 24 squares of 11" x 11" from both the front fabric (four squares from six of the blankets, or four squares from each pattern of the brushed cotton or flannelet fabric) and the back fabric.  You will need 48 squares total.

Now iron the fabric.

2.  Cut the quilt batting into 24 9" x 9" squares.

3.  Time to sew!  Sandwich a quilt batting square between a front fabric square and a back fabric square.  Sew two seams kitty-corner across the 3 pieces, forming an X with the batting in between the two pieces of fabric.

Repeat this step until you have 24 fabric and batting "sandwiches".

4.  Now it is time to lay the pattern out:

For my fabric, the colors correspond to:

Medium Gold = Yellow/White Large Polka Dots
Light Gold = Elephant and Giraffe Print
Medium Grey = Small Multicolor Polka Dots
Dark Grey = Grey/White Large Polka Dots
Light Blue = Blue/White stripes
Medium Blue = Blue/White Elephant Print













5.  Begin sewing the rows together.  You want to place the back sides of the sandwiches together and simply sew straight down the edge with a 1" seam allowance.  This is going to look questionable because you will have a rough edge sticking out on the front side of the quilt - trust me and just go with it.  I suggest being very careful with this step.  Old habits die hard and you will most likely try sewing the rough edge down and to the back - this is what I did a lot, and this is how I spent a lot of time:

Ripping stitches - the worst!

6.  Press out the rough edges so that they lay open and then sew the columns together the same way you did with the rows (also pressing open the rough edges of the columns).

7.  Now comes arguably the worst part, snipping the fringes.

Once the fringes are snipped, wash the blanket one final time (I use a gentle cycle) to rough the fringes up a little bit.  You are done!

As always, I welcome any questions or comments in the comments section below!

Tuesday Inspiration

In a little less than a week I am going to be another year older - 22.  That number seems strange to me.  In my mind I am the same 18 year old I was when Brett and I first met.  I don't feel four whole years older!  Lately life has seemed a little "blink and you'll miss it".  How is it that I am done term two of third year?  Celebrating another birthday?  Another seeding year is almost upon us?  Brett will be 25 this year!

I am probably more guilty than the average person of being preoccupied with the future.  I can frequently be heard talking about "Someday when _______ happens" or "Once I am finally done nursing school" or "When Brett and I start having kids".  I am starting to realise that maybe I should be spending more time enjoying today - it will truly be gone before I know it.

That isn't to say that dreams and big plans for the future need to be laid aside.  Something I pride myself on is my drive, my will to achieve my dreams.  But the future can't be all we live for after all.  Trace Adkins sings a song called "You're Gonna Miss This" (in case you haven't caught this by now I am a pretty big fan of country music).  The chorus goes like this:

You're gonna miss this,

You're gonna want this back.

You're gonna wish these days,

Hadn't gone by so fast.

These are some good times,

So take a good look around.

You may not know it now,

But you're gonna miss this.

I generally don't make New Year's resolutions, but this year I am going to make a "Birthday Resolution" (I'm not sure if that's a real thing, but just go with it).  I am going to start enjoying this time in our lives more.  And counting my blessings a little bit more, because we are truly blessed.  After all, this is the oldest I've been and the youngest I will ever be again, and that is something I should celebrate every day.

I hope you are all having a lovely week!