Welcome to Fall

Fall is full of amazing things, and I think it's safe to say that it's almost everyone's (in the blogging world) favourite season. I know that it's mine, except for when the snow rolls in earlier than everywhere else, here in Alberta. I mean, it's snowed for the past 2 days and today is iffy. Ugh.

I'm looking forward to wearing a cardigan and a scarf every day at work, and cozy weekends with hot chocolate and coffee, while planning Christmas gifts and Thanksgiving dinner. In light of the new season approaching, I've asked all the wonderful ladies on my side bar a couple questions about Summer and the upcoming wonderful time of year!

Without further ado,

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1|| Anything exciting happen over the Summer? Cordelia took her first steps!

2|| What are you most excited about for Fall? Halloween – I love getting the kids all dressed up and going trick-or-treating.

3|| What is your go-to wardrobe piece for Fall? I just bought this gorgeous grey chunky knit sweater that is going to get a ton of use!

4|| What is your favourite blog post that you've ever written? I wouldn’t be able to narrow it down… any one about my kids

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1|| Anything exciting happen over the Summer? I was a bridesmaid in my besties wedding!

2|| What are you most excited about for Fall? Wearing sweaters and boots and comfy things! Summer apparel is so cute, but not always the most comfortable.

3|| What is your go-to wardrobe piece for Fall? Probably my boots. The perfect pair that goes with anything and are way comfy. Can you tell I like to be comfy, haha?!

4|| What is your favourite blog post that you've ever written? Dang, that's hard! Umm...probably the post about what I learned in the first year of marriage. That post captures pretty much what this whole blog means to me, which is sharing my experiences as a newlywed and connecting with others through it. I spent a ton of time drafting that post too, so I'm pretty proud how it finally came out.

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1|| Anything exciting happen over the Summer? I was fortunate enough to do a lot of traveling this summer but I think the best part about it all was having the opportunity to meet new members of my family. I got to meet my fiance's extended family for the first time and also a cousin-in-law that has just become part of mine. So that was very rewarding and I'm so happy I was able to get to know all of them. As you grow up, you realize more and more just how important your family is. It's a bond that's indescribable. And when you get together and connect with your loved ones, it's just a confirmation of that unyielding love you have for them. 

2|| What are you most excited about for Fall? Leggings and oversized sweaters! I don't like to wear much in the summer (hello, Texas heat!) but sometimes I just want to throw on a sweater that swallows me whole and cuddle all day. I can't be the only one, right? 

3|| What is your go-to wardrobe piece for Fall? A big, comfy sweater! I think that last question pretty much summed up why (: 

4|| What is your favourite blog post that you've ever written? Oh gosh, that's a hard one. So I have this series called "A Few Things" where I basically word vomit all over my blog and just write out what's in my heart. I feel like they are the most satisfying and fulfilling posts I ever write because I simply express what's on my mind without any kind of filter and I am able to unload in a way. They are important to me because it's stuff that needs to get out anyways but also because I love the feeling of being completely honest and open and letting myself be vulnerable (which is something I don't normally do) but being ok with it. I have a lot of them but I narrowed down my favorites to these two because they came at kind of pivotal points in the last year of my life. You can check them out here and here!

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1|| Anything exciting happen over the Summer? Between obsessing over How To Train Your Dragon 2, going on a girls-only trip to Banff with my family and going to the Squamish Valley Music Festival in Squamish British Columbia, this summer has been full of quirkiness and unexpected adventures.

2||  What are you most excited about for Fall? Learning how to make pumpkin pie, being able to wear scarfs without overheating, Halloween, and going to Banff (again) with my Boyfriend.

3|| What is your go-to wardrobe piece for Fall? My trusty leather jacket and homemade mittens from my Grandma.

4|| What is your favourite blog post that you've ever written? My favourite post would have to be from way back in 2012 about Edmonton Expo.

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1|| Anything exciting happen over the Summer? We went to Lisbon, Portugal this summer.

2|| What are you most excited about for Fall? I am not really excited for fall, I am more of summer girl.

3|| What is your go-to wardrobe piece for Fall? A hoodie

4|| What is your favorite blog post that you've ever written? I love blogging about my roaming gnome. I take him on all our vacations.

Thank you ladies for hopping over here to share your favourite things about Fall! I too, am looking forward to cozy knit sweaters and checking out your favourite blog posts.

Would you like to participate? Email me at nicole.franson1@gmail.com if you'd like to swap buttons!

xo. Nicole

Week's End || July 28

SNAPSHOTS:

1|| My first Throwback Thursday in a while, and it was a snapshot of our wedding favours. Little burlap sacks stuffed with salt water taffy. Yummy!

2|| I made some gluten free honey garlic pork chops and rice for dinner one night! I made the sauce from scratch, and it was delicious.

3|| My dad's cat is obsessed with boxes. It's a game now to put an empty box down to see if she lays on it, haha!

4|| We've had a few thunderstorms here and I love it.

5|| I went to my first concert! It's a super crappy quality picture, but that's Tim McGraw on the stage!! I went with my sister in law, and we had a blast. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

6|| Oh Gunner. Always cuddling and sleeping.

3|| I won a giveaway from another blogger, and my prizes arrived this week! 

4|| Gunner again. I can never take too many pictures of him, he's always so silly. Lots of cuddles this week.

WHAT YOU MAY HAVE MISSED:

1|| I reviewed my July Julep Maven box! I finally got a corrector pen for my right hand ;)

2|| Amanda was a la Maxfield's FIRST guest post! She did an amazing job!

3|| I guest posted on Amanda's blog, too! We basically swapped blogs for the day.

4|| I showed you my prizes from Sam Wish!

GOOD READS:

1|| Sam fought the cold sore battle with her secret weapon of essential oils, and won!

2|| Amanda showed us a deliciously easy dessert recipe. Yummy!

3|| Amanda shared this article on her blog, and I am so glad someone finally said it!

I'm linking up my Week's End post with Beth from Oak & Oats (like every week, haha!)

I have a post coming up on Wednesday that has taken me ages to write. It's been sitting in my drafts for a couple weeks now, and I think I'm finally ready to share. It's a little personal, but I do hope it is something that you find relatable and helpful to you in your own journey.

xo. Nicole

Sam Wish Store || Prizes

Oh my goodness, you guys. How excited was I to have won a giveaway on Sam's blog, My Latest Obsession?! She uses all natural, organic ingredients, and essential oils! I won an oatmeal bath soak, body lotion, and a sugar scrub. They smell heavenly.

I got to customize all the scents and ingredients in my prizes, which was a bonus. My mom uses essential oils, and aromatherapy, and knew all about the scents/what they do for you, etc.. For my oatmeal bath soak, I chose peppermint and green tea. The sugar scrub is lemon and lime, and the body lotion is wild orange, clove, and vetiver. My mom agreed that the body lotion scents would be good for me and my body. I immediately (after taking pictures) used the lotion on my legs, and whenever I get whiffs of it, I calm down and feel pretty relaxed.

I've been following My Latest Obsession for a while, and this is the second time that I've received product from her. The first one was from a "craft it forward" and I received home made lavender and oatmeal bath soak, and home made lip balms. I'm too nervous to use my prizes for fear of them running out, but that's why she has a shop!

I really hope you can swing by her shop and her blog. She recently posted about how she used essential oils to clear up a cold sore (it only took a day!).

xo. Nicole

Guest Post || Notes from a Newlywed

Today, Amanda and I are taking over each other's blogs with some fun how-to's and ideas! I'm not going to give away what I'm sharing on Notes from a Newlywed, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it ;)

Hi there A La Maxfield readers! I’m delighted to be here guest posting today. My name’s Amanda, and I blog at Notes from a Newlywed, where I write all about my life as a new wife and share what I've learned along the way. One of the things I started doing recently is meal planning, and for several reasons.

1) To save money. By planning what we’re going to eat, and just buying things to make those meals, saves me money because I’m no longer buying items we’re not going to eat. I used to put anything and everything that looked good in my cart, thinking I’d figure out the meals as they come. I didn’t. I ate whatever I felt like, and often ended up getting delivery anyway because I never wanted what I had at home. 

2) To be less wasteful. All that food I bought and never ate because I got delivery? Yeah, it went bad and ended up in the garbage. I was wasting so much food, and for no good reason. 

3) To make better use of my time. Back when there was no rhyme or reason to what went in my mouth, I’d just stare at my cupboards and fridge wondering what to make. And then sometimes if I decided on a certain recipe, I wouldn’t have everything I needed and I ended up at the store again getting ingredients. Having every meal planned out saves me so much time because I know what I’m making every day, and I plan ahead to have all the ingredients on hand. This also means I only go to the grocery store once a week now, and only supplement that with a few trips to a farmer’s market during the week for fresh local produce. 

4) To be healthier. In those days when I didn’t meal plan, I ate very poorly. I pretty much never got off of my college girl diet of boxed mac and cheese, frozen pizza, soda and chips. In no way were my meals balanced, and I was lucky if I even got one serving of a fruit or veggie in a day. Awful, I know, right?! Anyway, when I got married, I decided meal planning would be a good way to plan nutrition into our day, and it was something both my husband and I needed. Meal planning works for me because I love lists, and I’m the kind of person that if it’s written down, that’s what is happening, period. It was also one of the changes I’m most proud of as a wife because my husband has fully embraced it with me. He likes knowing what we’re having every night, and I often ask him to help plan the meals so he has input in what we both eat. He also loves to grill, and is way better at cooking meat than I am, so meal planning has helped bring us closer since we both get to partake in it.

OK, enough rambling. Let’s get down to it. How do you start meal planning?

First, make a list of all the foods/recipes that you know how to make and enjoy eating. Hop on Pinterest and find some inspiration too. Try a few new recipes and see what works. Make a list for both main dishes and sides. This will help you plan in the veggies, fruits and starches in your diet too so you can easily pair things together depending what you have on hand.

Next, group your list into types of protein, listing all your chicken recipes together, and beef and pork and vegetarian meals, etc. Once you’ve assembled a “master meal list,” find a way that works for you to note your meals for the week or month. I used to plan weekly and wrote all my meals on a small dry erase board that was on my fridge, like this:
After doing that a few months, I felt like it was time to step it up and plan monthly. It may be easier for you to find a larger white board, or just write your meals into your planner. For me though, I print off a blank calendar each month (Calendarpedia has some versions that I like), then block off any days where we have plans and don’t need dinner (say a friend’s birthday party at a restaurant). I also pick out a day or two where we’re allowed to go out to dinner as a date or order delivery in. Once those are blocked off, start filling in the remaining days with meals. I like to make bigger meals on the weekends so that we have leftovers for the next day or two and don’t have to cook early in our workweek. Also think strategically to best use the ingredients you have on hand and plan to use the same protein a few days in a row (that’s where having your list grouped together is helpful). I often will have chili, tacos and meatloaf in the same week to use up all the ground beef I have and carry the leftovers into the next meal. Now that your calendar is filled up, shop smart and stock your cabinets with basic ingredients you’ll need over and over again, and watch them so you always have spices, canned foods, milk, eggs, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc. on hand. Then make a weekly grocery list so you only have to visit the store once a week to get the special things you need like meats or any fresh veggies. You may want to be strategic with how you plan that too, so use up your fresh foods right away since things like lettuce, berries and chicken can go bad quickly. If there’s any recipes in your lineup you don’t know how to make off the top of your head, I’m a fan of pulling it up online and stashing my laptop in the corner of my kitchen to reference (while also jamming to fun party tunes of course) while cooking. Or, do as my friend Katherine does and print out every recipe you have planned and store it in a meal planning binder! It’s really just finding what works for you. Experiment for a while. You’ll find a groove, I promise!

I recommend getting in the habit of always having some frozen and/or canned veggies, a box of rice or quinoa, and potato flakes on hand to fill in meals when you didn’t plan for a side. For instance, when I make spaghetti, I always pair it whatever veggie I have on hand, whether it’s a bag of salad, can of corn or bag of frozen mixed vegetables. I typically only plan my veggie or starch in when we want something special like fresh asparagus or a baked potato. Otherwise, winging your sides is 100% fine! I also personally don’t plan our breakfasts, but some of you might want to, depending on your habits. My husband and I both like yogurt, so we each take one to work each day for breakfast, and then also throw in a banana, granola bar or blueberry muffin, depending what we have on hand. A couple days a week, I also like to make us some refrigerator oatmeal as a special treat. Then on the weekends, we just have cold cereal or eggs and bacon, depending what we feel like. Our lunches aren’t planned either since most days we have leftovers from the previous day’s dinner. Any time we don’t though, I always keep cheese and lunchmeat on hand for sandwiches, and also always have some fruit or pudding cups to pack with it.

The key to making manly lunches is to simply stuff the lunchbox so it seems like a lot of food. A sandwich, fruit cup, couple of boiled eggs, baby carrots and ranch, cheese stick, and small bag of pretzels is enough to keep even a hungry man happy. (And always a love note!) Again, it’s just getting used to having some of those extras on hand. I haven’t gotten too much into freezer meals since our freezer is small and we simply don’t have room to store a lot of pre-made meals. However, I do like to make some blueberry or sausage muffins about once a month and freeze a dozen each of those to have on hand for breakfasts. I also found a great tacquito recipe that freezes well, so I make a bunch of those and freeze them too since they don’t take up too much room and are quick and easy to heat up if I simply don’t feel like cooking the planned meal that day. I usually also make an extra meatloaf or batch of cheesy potato casserole to throw in there for those days you need something in a pinch and don’t want to cook.

Lastly, always watch sales and use coupons too to make the maximum impact. I sometimes change my meal plan if I see a great deal on something and stock up on it. Just never buy something you won’t use just because it’s on sale. And always have fun with it.

Do you meal plan? What tips would you add?

Wow, thank you so much Amanda! You have a lot of really good tips and tricks in there. I hope that you can find this super useful like I have :) It's sometimes difficult to plan dinners that are gluten free and relatively healthy, but I like the idea of writing it all down on a calendar!

xo. Nicole

Winter Sponsors • Megan!

Today's sponsor is Megan! Her and I went to high school together, but didn't really connect until afterwards. She's grown to be one of my favorite people and someone that I can talk to about anything.
Her blog is always really cool to read because she writes so beautifully. Since August though, she's been using her Tumblr as a blog! I think you should check it out :)

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What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

Spending time with family friends!

What is your favorite holiday tradition with your family?

Watching the movie, "The Sound of Music" with my family. We've watched it every year for as long as I can remember!

Are you starting any new traditions this year?

This year I am working on Christmas, so I am missing it entirely.

What is your favorite holiday dish?

Turkey and cranberries is the best thing, ever!

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Working on Christmas day is a HUGE bummer :( The field of working in group homes can be tricky with the STAT holidays, because the kids sometimes don't have homes to go to for the holidays, so the homes have to stay open...which means some youth workers are working. I hope there are other days this month that you can see your friends and family! 

Thanks for sharing, Megan! 

xo. Nicole

Winter Sponsors • Shelby!

We're on to meeting our next sponsor for the winter here on A Broke Bride! Her name is Shelby and we became friends when we worked at Starbucks together in St. Albert, Alberta. Since then, I had met my then husband-to-be, (she witnessed the VERY beginning of our relationship and the sneaky texts during work), moved a city and then a province away, and now back to Alberta! We're now only about...an hour(?) away from each other! Since we became friends, Shelby has started her own blog, Ankkuri! 

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What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

Wrapping gifts. I'd like to believe I'm a pretty fantastic gift wrapper. I always go all out with a theme, fancy ribbons & tags.

Your favorite holiday tradition with your family?

My family doesn't have a lot of traditions. For the holidays we always go to my sisters for Christmas Eve to exchange any presents.

Are you starting any new traditions this year?

We set up a Christmas tree for the first time in five years this year. My boyfriend & I bought a cheap small little white tree & a few red & silver ornaments.

What is your favorite holiday dish?

Yorkshire pudding! On Christmas Day we have a proper English dinner. & it's one of the few times a year we have Yorkshire pudding.

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Oh man, I can't even imagine not having a Christmas tree for 5 years! I'm happy you have one this year, and I hope you share your wrapping skills for the rest of us with the skills of a 12 year old, haha!

xo. Nicole

Winter Sponsors • Cara!

I have a few lovely ladies who have a place on my side bar right now who have been so wonderful and who started out or have become my friends in the past little while. So I've asked each of them to fill out a Christmas questionnaire for me to spotlight them on A Broke Bride!

The first lovely lady I'm going to spotlight is Cara from The Marvelous Flight of Cara! She is so wonderful and sweet, and we're on the fast track to becoming real life friends. She is going through a tough time right now, so I hope this will help you get to know Cara better and that you also become real life friends!

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What is your favorite thing about the holidays?

The feeling in the air when you go out in public. Not just the cooler weather (although I LOVE that - I love wearing scarfs, hats, and gloves. I love layering!) but the hustle and bustle of everyone out and about and the Christmas decorations up all over the place. It's so magical!

What is your favorite holiday tradition?

I love that we (the big kids - me and my hubby, and his sister and her husband) all get new Christmas pajamas on Christmas Eve and then we all wear them on Christmas morning. SO SWEET.

Do you have any new traditions?

Dan and I sent out a photo Christmas card this year which I'm SO happy about.

It's a tradition I've wanted to do for quite some time!

And your favorite holiday dish?

Christmas cookies. Does that count?

xoxoxoxoxo

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Thank you Cara from participating in the sponsor spotlight post, and of course Christmas cookies count ;)

xo. Nicole

Ad Swap

A Broke Bride is looking for some bloggers who would like to do an ad swap! I don't really want to charge anyone to advertise their blog on here, especially with Christmas coming up. I'm also changing the name of the blog in the new year and I would love to get some last minute sponsors in until the name is changed! 

By swapping with A Broke Bride, you will be able to:

• Do a guest post! You can post about a tutorial, your shop, a recent event, or even host a giveaway!
• #FF (#followfriday) on Twitter and Instagram! Every Friday that you're sponsoring, I will post your name and/or blog on Twitter and Instagram.
• I will be doing a little blog and link share post with all the sponsors and you can answer some fun interview questions! :)
• If there's anything you would like, please email me and we can come up with something great!

To participate in the ad swap, please email me: 

nicole.franson1@gmail.com

xo. Nicole

Sponsor A Broke Bride!

I made the switch over to Passionfruit Ads a couple months ago, and I am absolutely in love! They're super easy to use and a huge help. It really beats emailing and sending attachments and waiting for email replies about sponsoring, so this way it's a few simple steps. 

I would like to say thank you to all of my super amazing blogger friends and sponsors who have helped me and my little blog be where it's at today. Some fellow bloggers have helped me out in ways I couldn't imagine and participated in things that make my heart smile, like the October Package Swap (stay tuned for November!), and A Broke Bride's first EVER giveaway! 

When you become a sponsor of A Broke Bride, you get:

• A guest post!
• TWO whole months of sponsorship
• To participate in giveaways
• A Twitter shout out every Friday!

So whaddia say?

Since the last sponsor call, A Broke Bride has gained 100+ page views a day, and 35 followers (via GFC and Bloglovin)! To me, that's crazy!

xo. Nicole