Finding Me

Before I was a mother or a wife, I was me. I was Alycia.

That is who I have always been and who I will always be, but it seems as though, somewhere along the path of the chaotic life of wife, mother, and nurse, Alycia got lost. Alycia got pushed aside to make room for all the new me's in my life.

Motherhood is a never-ending busyness of diaper changes, meal making, laundry doing, house cleaning, book reading, middle of the night waking, and the list goes on and on. Now, don't get me wrong, I love motherhood. I love being a mommy to the sweetest little girl I've ever known. I have always wanted to be a mother. However, losing my identity as Alycia and becoming solely mommy is not what I intend to do. Somewhere along the way though, the sweat-pant wearing, greasy haired, bags under the eyes someone who resembles me took my place.

I often find I am multitasking myself through the day; cooking supper while doing the dishes and reading stories to Palmer all while trying to remember what else I have on my to-do list to complete. I feel the need to be this superhuman, taking on all that lies in front of me.

I'm in no way trying to be the Alycia I was before I had a family of my own. I am not that person anymore. However, trying to find a version of that person, mixed with wife, mother and nurse is who I am and who I need to be.  Evolving into this new version of who I am is foreign territory to me. With every new phase in our lives, I need to once again rediscover myself. With every new stage Palmer and our family grows into, I too need to grow.

I am a mother, and that makes up so much of who I am. Palmer is a part of me, and that changes me in so many ways, and that's OK. And with this motherhood, comes a new version of me, one waiting to be fully discovered.

I'm still figuring it all out; finding me.
Finding Alycia.

September Favorites

October already? What?

Time seems to be going by in such a whirlwind, I can't even believe it.

With September coming to a close, I wanted to recap some of my favorite things from the past month.

These photos

Finishing my Gallery Wall

These little boots for Palmer

Running my first 10km race and crushing it!

 and getting to get to know and spend time with these wonderful ladies.

This post.

My Summertime Lowe Family book from Shutterfly (for free!!)

It's The Little Things: Shoes, Shoes, Shoes (+ a Giveaway)

Shoes. Boots. Sandals. Doesn't matter.
Girlfriend love herself a pair of anything.
Palmer has recently fallen in love with wearing boots (I think it's because she can get them on herself.)

It's the cutest thing; I tell her to go find herself a pair of shoes, and every time, she comes back with a different pair. Sometimes its her rubber boots; those tacky yellow galoshes that don't match with anything.

Other times it's her light up sneakers.
Then sometimes, her leopard print Fall boots.

Girlfriend loves picking out her shoes.



Yesterday, we headed out in 28 degree weather (us Canadians know that's HOT for September), and of course, Palmer picked out her faux-fur lined boots. What? (I brought along a pair of sneakers just in case.)

It's amazingly cute though, watching her pick out her shoes for the day. Deciding which ones she wants. Making her big-girl decisions. And girlfriend knows what she wants. She gets her mind set on a pair and there is no changing it. Like I've said before, not a battle I care to fight.

 I must admit though, she's got some great shoes to choose from!


Speaking of shoes....

There is nothing quite like giveaway day.

Free cash, up for grabs, is always a plus in my book.

Seeing as how it is officially fall now...
that could buy you a super cute pair of boots.
Or, a few darling scarves.
How about a couple new tops?

I'm sure you could find plenty of ways to use it up quick.

House of Hupfs | The Laurel Gazette

The Farmer's Wife | Crazily Normal

September Farm | Second Chances Girl | A Fresh Start on a Budget | Little Momma Love | Keeping Up with The Haney's

Check out all of these lovely gals and then get entered for this awesome giveaway!!! SO FUN!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Gallery Wall: Many Months In The Making

I had known for awhile now that I wanted to do some kind of gallery wall on the big, empty wall in the living room. It was just so bare; something was definitely missing from it. I figured a gallery wall was the perfect solution, especially since there were so many photos I wanted to display. And this way, it is easy to switch pictures out as my favorites change!

We started with arranging the photos on the floor, over and over and over again. It was difficult to find a random pattern that worked with the frames we had; one that looked balanced. 

Once we found a pattern we liked, we found the appropriate height on the wall, and started with the middle photo first, and worked our way around. I know there are "better" ways to do this, but this is what worked for us. I have seen people make the same shapes out of paper and hang those on the wall first. But this was worked great for us!

And there you have it. Our gallery wall. 

I kept all the photos black and white, then used accents of blue to make things pop. 

Now, I just want to find a table to makeover to fit underneath of it, like a sofa table, then I think this wall will be complete. 

Speaking of DIY, head on over to Amy's blog for a Crazily Normal feature post including my top 3 favorite DIY's I've done!

Currently {6}: Swooning Over Fall

Here is this week's version of Currently with Jenna//A Mama Collective, with the very fitting theme, Fall.

| Loving | All the fall smells. I loving the new BBW fall candles, like Pumpkin Caramel Latte, as well as my old favorite, Fireside Marshmallow (my absolute favorite.) Now, I can burn them all day everyday without feeling like I was wishing Fall upon us!

| Enjoying | The Fall colours. I am seriously loving the colours of the leaves right now. The most beautiful shades of red, yellow and orange. I took Palmer out yesterday for a mini photo session to capture the beauty of it. See the post here.

I'm hoping to get out to the corn maze one of these days and take some pictures with the pumpkins. I also think this would be a fantastic place for some family Fall photos! 

| Thinking about | the Fall activities I have on my Fall Bucket List. I would love to get out to the corn maze, as I just mentioned. I'd also love to do the whole pumpkin carving thing. I think Palmer will enjoy the results, the doing, probably not so much yet. Maybe next year. I am hoping there will be a number of Fall activities around the city that Palmer might enjoy too. And, of course, there is always Trick or Treating! I can't wait to find Palmer the perfect Halloween costume. I know it will be much better this year, now that (1) she is walking and (2) she will enjoy the candy she gets!!

| Swooning over | the Fall outfits this season, specifically for Palmer. I am dying over these little boots she got last weekend. I love wearing skinny jeans, sweaters and boots, and Fall is the perfect time of year for it. I just need to find myself the perfect pair of Fall boots to go with my favorite skinny jeans!

| thinking about | what Fall decorations I will be covering my house with. Last year, I picked up the cutest little pumpkins at the grocery store to use as a centerpiece for the kitchen table. I will definitely be picking up a few this year too. I also want to tackle a wreath for the front door. I am hoping it will be easier than I think, and will turn out beautifully!

20 Month's: Palmer's Life

We are just 4 short months away from Palmer turning 2. Just 4 short months away from her being one year older.


These days are so fun (and frustrating at times, but mostly fun). Palmer is developing into such an independent little girl. I'm having mixed emotions about this. I'm so happy that she is becoming so smart and strong and independent. But I'm saddened that some of the things she depended on us for before, she doesn't anymore. Our little baby is growing up, far too quickly.


Palmer amazes me everyday. Everyday there is something new. Everyday she shows us just how smart she is.

Palmer's language skills are starting to boom; speaking words we didn't know she knew. Her vocabulary is exploding more and more with every new word she hears. It doesn't take much for her to remember things anymore either. I put this flower clip in her hair and told her it was pretty. Then all day while she was wearing it, she would point to it and say "pwee, pwee." (pretty pretty)


Palmer can point to her eyes, ears, nose, teeth, hair, hands, and feet and tell you what each one is.
She knows many animal sounds and will find her toy animal that matches.

She will say "peeze" and "doot doo" (please and thank you).

We are working on potty training. Palmer knows when she goes and will tell you after the fact, so this weekend, we have been working on making it to the potty before it happens. We are having some success (ever with a poo in the potty! - I hear this is the difficult part!) Mitch and I were eating and I heard her go into the bathroom and say "pee" so I bolted up to help her, and sure enough, she had to poo. I'm thinking she is ready (according to what I've read, she has hit many of the points like waking up dry from a nap, knowing when she goes, etc etc.), now its just a matter of putting in the work for it and keeping up with it. (so if anyone has any tips and tricks for potty training a girl, I'm all ears!)

Palmer is starting to be a big help around the house. She will help to clean up her toys and books when asked. She will go get a towel and clean up her spill. She likes to push the broom around to sweep. She loves helping me put clothes into the dryer and will help me empty the cutlery from the dishwasher. But most of all, she is the best helper at making a mess!

Palmer, these past 20 months have been a rollercoaster ride of new adventures. Although the time seems to be going at warp speed, I don't remember what life was like without you. You are the sweetest little girl and we can't wait to see what you can do next!!!

Last Weekend of Summer: Fall Photos

There's no denying it; Fall is here. The mornings are cool. The air is crisp. And the trees are starting to turn the most beautiful shades of red, orange and yellow.

This is the first year I have actually really noticed and loved the changing of the leaves on the trees. The first time I have stopped to enjoy the beauty of Fall.

All these Fall things inspired me to take out my camera and play around a bit, and photograph one of my favorite things, Palmer.

|| boots || pants (similar) || top ||