Our House

Breakfast

2012-01-26T15:21:00.000-08:00

I woke up this morning to discover that we were out of coffee. That's gotta be the worst thing ever.

Desperate times called for desperate measures...

So I packed up the kids and headed to the nearest Timmy's drive thru in my pajamas. The morning improved however, when I discovered that Tim Hortons has a fantastic Allergen Chart on their website. We almost never go out to eat anymore because of Emerson's allergies. But this allergen chart means we'll be heading to Timmy's a little more often because I can easily find all the items that are Emerson friendly.

Turns out the berry oatmeal is dairy free. Turns out that Eme loves it.

She pretty much single handedly ate the entire large sized bowl of oatmeal. Atta girl!

I'm a little embarrassed to tell you what Caleb ate for breakfast. Let's just say there was a lot of white sticky sugary goodness all over his car seat and face when we arrived home. Ah well... I REALLY needed my coffee this morning and a little donut bribery sure did the trick :)

Not Exactly Picture Perfect

2012-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

For the last week my living room has not looked like this.

Instead it's looked a lot more like this...

On Saturday I built Caleb the best fort ever-- complete with a tunnel that made its way around the entire room. Needless to say-- he thought it was pretty fantastic. Now every day is fort/tunnel building day.

And I try my best to look the other way when the cushions of my white slipcovered couches are dragged all over the house and somehow end up on my dirty kitchen floor.

And every evening-- instead of crashing onto the couch to watch some TV-- I begin my evening by reassembling my couches. The cushions are usually stacked up like a tower on the floor somewhere.

Love it.

Just another morning at Costco...

2012-01-24T14:05:00.000-08:00

I had some pictures to pick up from the photo department so I figured I'd run out to Costco for a quick trip this morning. As I was paying for my pictures I realized I had to fill a prescription so I went and dropped it off.

An hour later...

I had about a $100 worth of groceries in my cart... we'd eaten many many free chicken fingers... Caleb had pointed and shouted FOOD STATION!!! about 20 times-- pretty much every time he saw 2 or more Costco employees standing in the same general location... the kids giggled and gave each other kisses for about %5 of the time (they were fighting the other %95 of the time)... Caleb had somehow managed to convince me to buy the hugest jumbo sized box of Kraft Dinner (that almost never happens)... my prescription was finally ready... oh, and I had picked out a new pair of glasses. Ray Ban-ish frames? Yes please!!

Man, I just love that kid.

So sometimes I don't love Costco all that much. But I DO love that their carts can hold both my kids-- belted and restrained in their seats. They may be screaming-- but they sure can't escape :)

And I love Costco's striped towels! $7 blue striped towels-- I think yes. And they're nice towels-- they really are a great deal. And they have green striped ones too...

Anyhow... off to clean up all the kraft dinner that somehow managed to mysteriously make its way to my dining room floor... gotta love KD.

Emerson's Room

2012-01-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

My baby girl is growing up! She's outgrown her change table and it's only a matter of time before I take down the crib and move her into a bed. As I'm sure you can imagine-- I've been planning out her "big girl" room.

I discovered a new favorite online store-- Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co.-- they sell the most fabulous vintage inspired lighting, furniture, and home accessories. Everything I see in their catalog is fantastic. I saw this bedroom on their site-- and totally fell in love with it. When I picture how Eme's room should look when she moves into a bed this is how I envision it...

I love all the layers... all the vintage charm. It's so sweet and pretty-- girly but not over the top. I was at my local thrift store the other day (yup-- I'm always there!) and found a white vintage looking twin metal bed frame-- just like the picture. I didn't buy it-- but I'm so tempted to go back to see if it's still there.

Anyhow... first I need a dresser-- than I can figure out the rest of the details for Emerson's room.

But, while I'm talking about Schoolhouse Electric-- how about I show you some of my favorite items...

Isn't this such a fantastic lamp?

It's a little too pricy for someone like me-- but I think it's just gorgeous.

Wool Camp Blankets-- I'd love to cozy up in one of these! And they'd look fantastic folded over the edge of a bed.

Stripes-- cutest teapot I've seen in a long time...

Kitchen Stools-- look good awesome-- and they're industrial strength-- ready to take a beating from a couple of kids :)

Striped cotton rugs-- a favorite of mine. This one is pretty awesome... although I do like the $14.99 price tag of the ikea one I found for Caleb a whole lot better :)

Again-- I keep coming back to the stripes. Love the ticking stripe sheets-- they remind me of the ticking stripe flannel ones I found at Superstore-- although mine were a fifth of the price...

Mirror love. Would look fantastic in a powder room...

Awesome wall sconce-- would be perfect as bedside lamps, over the kitchen window, or anywhere. Just fantastic...

And I haven't even started on ALL the fantastic light fixtures they sell! Well, I probably won't be ordering any of these items anytime soon-- but Schoolhouse Electric has got some pretty great inspiration. Definitely worth checking out...

Snow Week Recap

2012-01-20T10:13:00.000-08:00

What did we do during snow week... well... you're about to find out!

Some of us didn't really care for the snow...

But most of us thought it was pretty awesome.

Caleb spent some time working in his math books.

He's getting all ready for kindergarten!

Eme learnt how to stand in her high chair and crawl up onto furniture. (oh great) She also found out that climbing onto chairs pushed up to the kitchen counter gives her access to all the good stuff I try to keep out of reach-- like glass jars full of animal crackers.

We had some interesting meals... like pizza for breakfast (mommy approves) and hotdogs with mustard for lunch (mommy doesn't approve-- gross.)

The kids played super mario together. Eme was taking the game pretty seriously.

There was time to hit the hills and do a bit of crazy carpeting (although Caleb tells everyone that he went "snowboarding"). Afternoons of sledding resulted in rosy cheeks, lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows, and early bedtimes :)

And... I sold Eme's change table. She's getting to be too tall for the change table-- so it's time for a big girl dresser! Time to start shopping...

Happy Weekend!!

Small Changes... Big Changes?

2012-01-19T14:00:00.000-08:00

I found this pretty little painting at a thrift store a week or two ago. It came with the gold frame. It was $2 or something like that (half the price of a starbucks drink-- that's how I justify little purchases-- compare them to the price of a starbucks :)

I like it.

I've been at home a whole lot more than usual this week. You know what happens when I'm stuck at home? I start staring at all the rooms in my house and get all kinds of fantastically crazy ideas.

I officially decided to paint my bedroom about 6 times this week. And then 6 times this week I decided to NOT paint my bedroom (cue the sound of Doug rejoicing). At this point it's still barely there blue (BM Horizon OC-53) but there are still a few more days left in the week :)

But one thing I do know for sure-- is that I am still in love with that light fixture!

Imagine my surprise

2012-01-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm checking out a few of my favorite blogs late one evening and open up Aubrey + Lindsay's blog to see this picture front and centre. Look familiar?

Well it looks like the ikea kitchen Doug and I helped put together got its 15 minutes of fame. You should go check out Lindsay's post-- there are two other ikea kitchens in the post that are amazing! They may just want to make you jump into your car and head down to ikea to buy yourself a new kitchen. Especially with 20% back in gift cards... any takers?

It's time to get Cozy

2012-01-16T13:38:00.000-08:00

Snowy days...

plus flannel bedding...

... equals the urge to hit the snooze button, roll over, and pretend that I have all day to stay in bed.

That-- of course-- never happens. Because at the crack of dawn I have two precious kids pulling my hair and jumping on me... eager to start the day.

Anyways... I would still fully endorse the flannel sheets folks... whether you get to sleep in or not! Superstore has awesome striped sheet sets for a great price. We are loving them.

About all that snow-- it's a winter wonderland out there! We played outside. It was Eme's first time in the snow-- she was not a fan-- particularly when her brother decided to teach her about snow balls and snow washes. Guess you gotta learn about them sometime.

My Kitchen is Sticky and Hairy

2012-01-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Bet you don't see that everyday. I'm thinking you probably want the details, Well-- there was a coke can explosion of epic proportions in my kitchen and then I decided to give Caleb a haircut shortly after. Either event could be considered traumatic-- the combination? Disaster zone.

So it all started when I was unpacking the groceries and loading them into the fridge. The kids were at the table eating lunch. As I'm loading the cans of coke zero into the handy dandy fridge door can holder the box tips and cans of coke zero plummet to the floor. One of the cans must have been pierced because the next thing I know coke is spraying EVERYWHERE. It was like a high pressure water gun-- spraying probably four or five feet. I of course stand there stunned as coke is spraying me from head to toe. My clothes and hair are drenched in coke. Then the can shifts and suddenly it's SPINNING super fast in the middle of my kitchen floor-- coke is spraying round and round my kitchen like a sprinkler. Picture spin the bottle. FInally I come to my senses, grab the can, and make a run for the kitchen sink-- effectively spraying the upper portion of my kitchen in the process.

Finally. After the can of coke is empty I collapse in the middle of my kitchen floor and begin to laugh uncontrollably. At this point the kids actually looked up for the first time. They stare at my like I'm a crazy person. Apparently they were too engrossed in their lunch to notice what was happening. Apparently I'd made a pretty ridiculously amazing lunch

So needless to say-- my kitchen was COVERED in coke zero. There was coke spray inside my fridge, on every wall, a fine misting all over every surface of my cabinets, there was coke puddles and spray over the entire floor, down the hallway and into the dining room. There was coke mist on the windows 10 feet away. On the table. Everywhere.

After changing out of my coke drenched clothing I attempted to clean up the mess. I gave up partway through-- it was a big job and my heart just wasn't into it. At that point I glanced over at Caleb and noticed how insanely crazy his hair had gotten. I decided to cut it. Immediately, As in "don't move-- sit there while I grab the scissors and clippers from the bathroom right now!" Bad idea.

Caleb has serious amounts of hair. It had gotten pretty long-- actually both my kids have been pretty stylin' lately. Emerson's been sporting a very tangled (sometimes matted) short long for quite some time now and Caleb's hair was in the early mullet stages. Check it out.

So after trimming with the scissors for quite some time (like the amount of time it would take for him to watch two episodes of Team Umizoomi on my laptop) I decided that it looked pretty terrible. An exceptionally gifted hair cutter I am not. So I broke out the clippers and buzzed the rest of it off.

Then I turned around and saw what I had done to my kitchen. Sticky coke sprayed all over every surface... piles and piles of Caleb's hair drifting and blowing all around me. Of course, he then jumps from the chair shakes himself( and the towel) off and then proceeds to run all over the place. Poor little guy was itchy. And exceptionally hairy.

Then I bribed Caleb with half a glass of coke to keep him occupied at the table while I attempted to clean up the disaster zone. It was one sticky and hairy kitchen. I am one of those people who happen to be extra sensitive about my feet. Can't handle having stuff stuck on my bare feet or shifty socks. Cleaning up my kitchen was pretty much my worst nightmare.

I learned many valuable life lessons from yesterday afternoon. Like...

Coke and hair are not a good combination-- both on the floor and in my hair (sticky coke and hairspray residue do not go well together)

It's better to clean up messes immediately rather than wait till later.

I am not skilled in the art of hairdressing.

Instead of downloading two $1.99 episodes of Team Umizoomi on my laptop I am better off paying for a Great Clips ~~professional~~ employee to cut Caleb's hair. While I wouldn't necessarily consider someone at Great Clips an amazing hair stylist-- they've got to be more gifted than I am.

Giving your child coke zero late in the day is never a good idea. While it may be calorie and sugar free-- it's not lacking in the caffeine department. And after cleaning up that kitchen I was in no mood for the pre dinner crazies.

And... even the stickiest and hairiest situations can be funny. The next day.

What I got for Christmas

2012-01-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

If you guessed coffee table-- you guessed right!
And I love it. LOVE it.

I originally saw this coffee table from Urban Barn and liked it. But, as I was shopping at Hudson Madison here in town I found this beauty. I liked the style a lot better... and it was significantly cheaper. I snapped a picture and ever so discreetly sent Doug the picture-- and he did good :)

The kids can't really do much to dent and scratch the top of this table-- it's already rustic and beautiful.

Oh, and you may have noticed my new pillows. I ordered the ikat fabric from Buy Fabrics a LONG time ago and waited weeks for its arrival. Finally I got the parcel slip in the mail. After THREE trips to the local Canada post office they finally informed me that my package was missing. They had no idea where it was. Great. So I called Canada Post directly and after a half hour the very nice lady on the phone was able to find it for me.... all the way across town at a different post office location. So I quickly got in my car and drove down there as fast as I could before it disappeared again.

I only ordered one yard of the material-- it was a little bit more expensive than the fabric I usually order (a whole $22.95 a yard!!) so I found a cheap cotton twill at Fabricland in a coordinating color and used it on the back. So, I got three pillows out of that one yard-- not bad.

(sidenote-- I actually was happy with Buy Fabrics-- I'm blaming the long wait time on Canada post. It was easy to order and their international shipping rates were considerably cheaper than some of the other sites that sold this particular fabric)

And one more new living room addition. After having an exercise bike on display for several months I finally sent it back to the rental store. (yippee!!) The space behind the couch was feeling so empty-- it really needed something. So I picked up this white console table from Ikea and added a mirror we already had in the basement. I found the big basket at Home Sense in the clearance section and the lamp and other pretty things I already had. Looks so much better! And it's functional-- I now have yet another place to ~~lose~~ store my keys and stash all the kids coats and winter gear.

And that is the current state of my living room. I'm loving it. It's bright and white but not too girly when it's mixed with some of the more rustic elements. Hope you like it!

A Thrifty Find

2012-01-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

There was this funny space at the end of Caleb's bed that needed something. Just before Christmas I found this chair at a thrift store. I love cool chairs. Especially when they're only $3. I decided to put my $0.50 thrift store chalkboard up in there too.

It's cute and comfortable. Speaking of cute... check out my photography assistant. I'm thinking about changing her middle name to TROUBLE after this morning... as I write this she is throwing every last crumb of food off her tray onto the floor. I'm going to ignore that...

And something else that's cute. This makes me smile.

It's supposed to be a house and a tree-- in case you're wondering. Oh, and after I hung the chalkboard up Caleb walked into his room, laughed, and said: "that's a great alien tree." Then he walked out.

Some Favorite Things-- The Iphone Edition

2012-01-09T14:40:00.000-08:00

So I've been a little iphone snap happy over the past few weeks. Here are a few of my new favorite things-- all courtesy of my iphone. This post is random-- prepare thyself accordingly.

I found these fantastic counting bird wall cards at Chapters the other day. Each card fits into an 8x10 frame-- I'm soooo tempted to buy them for Eme's room-- especially since I scored a stack of frames from Ikea at half price during boxing day. Hmmm... decisions, decisions.

And if the birds are too girly they also have these animal alphabet cards or the read to me wall cards. Reading and counting-- it's never too soon to start the educating... right?

Another favorite thing. Caleb's new found love of celery. Before dinner the other night he ate several stalks (with dip-- of course) and kept going on and on about how great celery tastes and how he could eat it every day. He's also decided that the peppers I put in spaghetti sauce are the "best part" and after several months of detesting crusts he's informed Doug and I that they are the best part of toast. Caleb now sits at the table each morning and happily chews the crust off the perimeter of his toast before eating the inside. Go figure.

And I'm also loving Eme's hair. It's been growing like crazy. She's such a cutie.

I love my new scarf. Found it on boxing day at the gap for a steal of a deal. I just love winter outerwear accessories. Fantastic scarves and hats are my new favorite thing. Oh, and I may be slightly obsessed with fantastic boots :) But who isn't?

Now enough about winter! This morning was a super fantastic beautiful day! It almost felt like spring (although it's starting to look a little miserable outside right now as I type) But, it reminded me of all the spring stuff that's coming out in the stores!!! It gets me so excited...

Superstore put away all their Christmas decor and pulled out all kinds of pillows and throw blankets in fun spring-y colors.

Stripes...

Zig zags...

Love the pillows-- don't like the inserts. I'd probably rip them open and replace them with down filled Ikea ones. They'd look and feel so much better.

Striped fleece blankets-- would look so stinking cute folded over the edge of the bed in a kid's room... I was tempted...

And, that's it. Happy Monday!!

So Charming

2012-01-04T11:08:00.000-08:00

Whoa, busy week. Anyhow... one highlight of yesterday was opening up my mail box to find TWO new magazines... double whammy. I enjoyed a fantastic afternoon of coffee and magazines while Eme napped and Caleb played with his train set. Seriously-- best money I've ever spent. New train set = endless hours of quiet play time.

So in February's issue of House and Home I was seriously smitten with this cute modern country kitchen. This has got to be one of the prettiest most unique Ikea kitchens I've seen in a long time. Loving all the gorgeous details. You can view an online video tour of the kitchen HERE.

Anyhow. It's Friday!! Off to take Eme to the allergy specialist for more testing and then I'll be getting ready to party like it's 2012. Doug and I are throwing a birthday party for ourselves tonight-- gonna be a good night!

Ladylike? Not so much...

2012-01-04T09:48:00.000-08:00

Emerson's been rocking a few new looks around here since Christmas.

Are they ladylike? Not so much.

First up, "farm girl chic".

As we were opening up Christmas presents with my family there was one for Emerson-- I was told that my little brother picked it out. And let me tell you-- I was a little bit shocked over the fact that my brother had shopped for my kids. What on earth would my 21 year old tractor driving, cowboy boot wearing, hunting, and truck driving farm boy brother (and if he was leaning over my shoulder right now he'd be saying: "tell them I'm single... tell them I'm single!!") possibly think to buy for my 1 year old daughter?

This. Pink camouflage John Deere pajamas.

Can't stop giggling over how cute they are.

Nothing runs like a deere. Not sure how I know that but I do...

Nice work Joel.

And Eme's second not so ladylike look? I'm calling this one "little lady lumberjack".

I found the faux fur hat at Superstore on clearance during the boxing week sales and could not pass it up. It is so ridiculously cute... especially with the red plaid shirt.

Emerson, however, hates it. Hence the picture. The look says it all-- "oh why oh why do I have to be a lumberjack!!?" We're going to keep wearing it though... hopefully it will grow on her :)

And that's really all I have to say on the dark, blustery, rainy morning. My one new year's resolution was to get me and my still recovering knee to the gym in the mornings... but man. As I look out the window at the nasty weather I can't help but think that staying in bed and breaking my resolution on January 4th was a pretty fantastic decision.

Something New

2012-01-03T15:36:00.000-08:00

Hmmm... what did I get for Christmas...

Well, here's a hint-- a few hints.

Source: Brabourne Farm via Elissa Toews on Pinterest

Source: Urban Grace Interiors via Elissa Toews on Pinterest

Source: Dana Wolters Interiors via Elissa Toews on Pinterest

Source: Victoria Hagan Interiors via Elissa Toews on Pinterest

Source: Alice Lane Home via Elissa Toews on Pinterest

What do all these pictures have in common? Once I get around to pulling my camera out (and cleaning up my living room after post-Christmas-tree-take-down-disaster 2012) you will find out...

For now, just look at these pretty pictures and pretend that my living room actually looks half as fantastic as some of these ones.

Starting the Year Off

2012-01-02T10:55:00.000-08:00

We began the year with another birthday-- Doug turned 30! It was pretty low key kind of day since we
(and the kids) were recovering from a 5 am airport run (had to drop off all of our Christmas house guests) but we still managed to get out and celebrate with his family yesterday evening. Needless to say, birthdays are quite exciting to all the kids so he had a few helpers when it came time to blow out the candles.

Happy Birthday Babe!

One more thing

2011-12-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot... there's something else significant happening this year... today, actually.

Today's my birthday.

And... it's my last "twenty-something" birthday. Next year (as in tomorrow) I'll be turning 30-- wowzers. I must say that I don't mind growing older. But I am just starting to feel old because...

I have an extremely difficult time remembering exactly how old I really am. Is it just me or do the late 20's really blur together? Am I 27 or 28?

A few months ago I discovered my first grey hair. Wow, it's only a matter of time before I begin to look like my dad... oh well. I guess being known as the silver fox (like my father) isn't the end of the world. Being "foxy" has got to be a good thing... right?

Skinny jeans, colored jeans, leg warmers, chunky sweaters-- all those things that I thought I would NEVER EVER wear again-- I was shopping for over boxing week. Honestly... who would have thought those orange jeans I wore in grade four would ever be cool again? I AM old!

BUT

A few days ago I met someone for the first time. We were talking about all those "get to know each other" kind of things. Where are you from? What do you do for fun? What do you do for a living? As I was talking about my past profession, my kids, how long I've been married she started looking at me all funny and asked "How old ARE you?" I told her my soon to be age... and she said "wow, you don't look that old!" That's got to be a good thing, right?

Well, even though today means that I'm getting older, it's still going to be a good day. My Mom's making me homemade donuts. I'm going to eat a whole lot of those this morning. And I'm going to pretend that everyone's heading out to party for my birthday tonight. And I'm going to ignore the fact that they're all going to count down the end of my birthday... because they'll be celebrating to arrival of my hubby's birthday tomorrow! And he's turning 30 :)

Some Really Great Reads

2011-12-27T21:46:00.000-08:00

Do you follow the blog Rambling Renovators like I do? Well you should... especially today! A little while back Jen emailed me and asked if I would like to participate in her Great Reads Series-- a series where a few of her favorite bloggers share their favorite posts of 2011. Of course-- I was honored to be included in the series! So, if you want to see what my favorite post of 2011 was... go check it out here. Thanks for including me Jen!

Now, as you might imagine-- choosing just ONE post was an exceptionally difficult task. Really, I have way more than one favorite post! So since it's the end of the year I thought I'd do a little recap of ALL of my favorite posts from 2011-- month by month. So without further ado... here are some MORE of my favorites from 2011...

In January we decided to renovate our office. The best part of the renovation was the built in bookcases we (and when I say we-- I really mean Doug) created out of three Ikea Billy bookcases.

On a snowy day in February we packed up the kids and spent the day in Vancouver getting around via public transportation. It was a real good time. Especially when I jumped onto the wrong crowded bus without my wallet and phone-- just me, my infant daughter, and a soother!

In March I was feeling the need to entertain my kids... so I devised a fun new game to play at the grocery store. It was a big hit...

In April I bought a new light fixture for my bedroom. And... if you want to know why that was such a big deal for me you can read all about why the pre-existing light fixtures in my house were so offensive...

In May I did a tutorial on how to make your own fitted crib sheet. Really, it is as easy as it looks...

June's favorite post was about the shelves we put in our bathroom. I love my shelves because they look pretty-- and because they were free-- we created them out of a few scraps of MDF we found in our garage. What's the best kind of project? The free kind!!!

July was all about Road Trips. I love road trips. And even though the kids did not quite understand the concept of "it's a really REALLY long drive"-- we still had fun. Most of the time.

My highlight of August was Emerson's first birthday! My little lady turned one... and that's pretty fantastic. But the other thing I love about this post is that it so appropriately showcases a typical day at our house-- crazy and sometimes dramatic. Let's just say the day included food, a lot of people, an incapacitated hostess (me), crutches, a few cupcakes, a major allergic reaction, and a trip to the emergency room. Today (four months later) I'm finally laughing about it...

September was a ridiculously crazy month. I wonder why-- maybe because I was recovering from knee surgery on the couch and parenting my two children... at the same time. So the fact that I was able to take Caleb to his first day of preschool was exciting-- especially when I had to bum scoot my way down my front steps on my way to the car. Who needs crutches when you can scoot! And... I just love how his "first day of school pictures" turned out... that's my boy :)

My favorite post from October is the one about my thankful tree! It's my favorite because it was so super easy to do... and maybe because I only actually cleaned up the tree last week? Did Thanksgiving really happen over two months ago? And Christmas is over? Someone's behind the ball around here...

November's favorite post would most definitely have to be the one with pictures of my little lady. My girl just melts my heart. Even though she thinks her daddy is way cooler than me...

In December I shared the advent calender I crafted for our house. And I am happy to say that we actually managed to do a fun activity with the kids on every day-- except for one. I figured the 25th was pretty self explanatory and required no additional hype. Am I right or am I right?

And that my friends was 2011 at our house. Thanks for reading along with me!! Hope next year is equally fun and entertaining...

Shopping Carts and other fun

2011-12-27T21:31:00.000-08:00

Today, the boys hit the slopes.

So the girls hit Ikea.

We discovered that all... ALL... pictures frames were 50% off. You could say that we got excited.

And then we cleared them out.

I've got plans for these.

There's nothing more fun than a quick trip to Ikea with the sisters. Without kids. Well-- without my kids-- sleeping Cohen doesn't really count because we didn't hear a peep out of him.

And I may or may not have ridden the shopping cart out the front door. Apparently my kids find that trick a whole lot funnier than my sisters do. Or maybe my kids just don't get embarrassed as easily as my sisters. Oh well.

Time to hit the hay because tomorrow we're heading south for a little outlet shopping action. I may just have to try out my shopping cart riding trick again to see if it's funnier in the United States of America.

We'll see...

The Great Outdoors

2011-12-22T11:10:00.000-08:00

Today is window day! Doug and I painted all the trim in the garage last night, All the blinds and curtains are down, and the first window is in! I'm so very excited to have brand new clean windows-- especially because my windows have been exceptionally dirty lately. When you know that new ones are coming-- why clean the old ones? Am I right or am I right?

So like I mentioned, I've been trying to decide on trim. What style? What color? Well after looking at my options, I decided to keep it simple. Our house was built in the 70's and it's basically just a white square box. There's nothing special about it. It has a flat roof, a couple of windows, and white siding. I've seen some people around here upgrade the exterior of houses like mine with expensive siding, stone work, and crazy elaborate trim... and while it looks nice... it kind of looks like you're trying to make your house into something that it's never going to be. No matter what I do to my house, it's never going to look like a gorgeous Whistler chalet, a beautiful Victorian with load of character, or an eclectic and cool old farmhouse. Nope-- it will always look pretty basic. So, I decided to just go with it and keep the exterior simple-- and then add character in other fun ways!

So I've decided that...

I'm not painting over the white siding. I'm not going to add crazy fancy trim around the windows. I'm not going to paint the trim a crazy color-- it's going to be white-- like white white. Instead I'm going to try and achieve a more sleek modern clean look. We're going for wide trim all the way around the windows, but it has a clean modern profile.

Here's some of my inspiration...

While my house will NEVER look like this-- I dig the style. A clean modern farmhouse look.

White on white. Keeping it clean.

Look at how GORGEOUS this house is-- that porch-- oh my.

I saw this house makeover a long long time ago and it really inspired me. Instead of tearing down the 70's rancher this amazing couple decided to work with what they had and transformed the house into this amazing beauty. For before and after pictures click HERE.

So the backdrop will be white and clean-- to add a bit of drama I'm going to paint the front door and the garage door black, or charcoal, or maybe even a really really dark brown. How gorgeous is front door?

I love this door too... and the styling... perfect.

My next move is to upgrade the lighting. I'd love to put up two gorgeous vintage-y, galvanized, barn lights-- one on either side of the front door. And then I'd love to add another one above the garage door. Kind of like this...

Here are some of my favorites from Barn Light Electric. I'm just going to dream a little...

Barn Light Radial Wave Sconce in a galvanized finish.

And then maybe this one for above the garage-- in the galvanized finish. This one's the Barn Light Aztec Sconce.

Other contenders...

Barn Light Colby Sconce.

Barn Light Gunsmoke Sconce.

And finally, the Barn Light Montana Sconce.

Tough call... they are all so fantastic.

And then the last layer... a collection of plants in gorgeous weathered clay pots... with the plants preferably alive. Isn't this beautiful?

Anyhow... getting those windows in is the first step. The Toews boys are hard at work. I popped outside to take a little look-see and my brother in law offered to clean the outside of each new window as they install them. Music to my ears... let me tell you. What do I want for Christmas this year? How about new CLEAN windows!!!

All images via my Outdoor Inspiration Pinterest board

Can't Remember

2011-12-21T16:24:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time we went to the park... actually... I can't remember the last time it was this sunny and fabulous outside-- in December-- no less!!

I also can't remember the last time that I went to the park WITHOUT a stroller. Let me tell you-- it was awesome. Eme was just as excited as I was about being stroller-less.

I tried to convince her that the toddler park was cool. She didn't buy it. I guess riding the slide with your cool big brother is pretty awesome.

Speaking of cool...

You better believe the ray bans came out to play.

As we were about to leave for the park Caleb stood at the end of our driveway-- hat, ray bans, and flight jacket in place-- with his arms crossed. The cars slowed. People giggling and waving.

He didn't even crack a smile.

And we had such an amazing time at the park that Eme wasn't too happy to be in the car on the ride home. That face. Can't stop laughing.

Cute Kids + Monkeys = a whole lot of fun

2011-12-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

They all got monkeys for Christmas...

And we all had a good time monkey-ing around.

(that's the last of my cheesy monkey jokes-- promise.)

We celebrated Christmas early with the Toews family this year. And the kids had a FANTASTIC time. Here are a few pictures from the evening-- for all the grandmas and grandpas and aunties and uncles out there...

Keziah cuteness.

I asked Micah to show me his "I want presents" face. This is what I got.

Before presents Uncle Erik read the Christmas story. Emerson was a fan.

And so were the boys.

And then it was time for presents.

Caleb was SO VERY EXCITED about his new toys.

Trains...

And lego. Of course.

And the days have been quiet since then-- new toys = happy kids and one very happy momma :)

Things are about to get a little crazy

2011-12-19T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yup. Things are about to get a little crazy around here this week. It's the last week before Christmas, I'll be getting ready to host 7 extra people at our place over the break, and... phase 3 of operation house renovation will be taking place over the next few days!!

Now, just to bring you up to speed... phase 1 was painting... phase 2 was flooring... and now phase 3 is all about energy efficiency! A couple of weeks ago we signed up to participate in a government run energy efficiency program. Basically you have a qualified individual assess the energy efficiency of your home, they give you a report of recommended retrofits along with a breakdown of all the government grants you could qualify for, and then you get to work! Once you've finished making all of the necessary improvements the energy efficiency expert comes back to check things over, you turn over the receipts, and hopefully you get a bit of money back!

A few weeks ago we started with the upgrades-- switching out one of our toilets for a low flush model.

Caleb was more than happy to lend a helping hand-- and offer some advice along the way...

And I am quite happy with my new toilet-- well-- as happy as one can be about a new toilet! But really-- I do think it's a semi attractive toilet. We went for Kohler's Wellworth in case you're curious.

And later on this week we're gonna be tacking a big job-- replacing our windows and the glass doors in our dining room! The windows and doors are already sitting in the garage ready to go... and they look fantastic! It looks like we're going to start working on the windows on Thursday-- and hopefully they'll be done for Sunday when my family arrives for Christmas!

Over the past few days I have been trying to figure out how I want the exterior trim to look-- decisions decisions!! Today I went to pay for the lumber we'll be using to trim out our new windows and over the next two days I need to paint all the trim in the garage so it will be ready to go on install day.

This is going to be a crazy crazy week. But-- it will probably be fun too. Bring on the renovation projects! I am over the moon excited to have new windows! And... bring on Christmas! I can't wait!

Scenes of Christmas

2011-12-17T10:13:00.000-08:00

The last week has been a busy one-- full of shopping, crafting, wrapping, partying, baking-- all that good stuff. Here are few scenes from the week...

I've been doing a little gift wrapping-- often with two "helpers". Let's just say that rolls of paper, scissors, tape, a one year old, and a four year old are not a good combination. But, we managed to get a few gifts wrapped and under the tree. This year the boys get brown kraft paper, the girls get pretty red and white bird wrapping paper, and everyone gets ribbon. Now I've just gotta find a few more boxes so that I can wrap the rest of the gifts!!

We did some card making this week. Caleb made Christmas cards for all of his preschool buddies. We started with a basic Christmas tree design-- but as soon as Doug and I got involved the designs started to become more elaborate and complex. We kind of hijacked Caleb's card making party-- but he was pretty pumped about our designs.

My favorite was the moose.

I baked and decorated more gingerbread and sugar cookies. I think I've set the bar too high with the decorating-- now Caleb only wants to eat "beautiful cookies"-- as he likes to call them. But now that I think about it-- that might be a good problem to have..."Oops, I guess we don't have any beautiful cookies left... well, no more cookies for you!"

Poor Doug. I'm pretty sure he's the only guy on the job site with "beautiful" cookies in his lunch.

Yesterday I attended Caleb's preschool Christmas party. His class sang a few Christmas songs for the crowd. For most of the songs Caleb had the "deer in the headlights" look on his face... until it was time to ring those bells. Wow, those bells were certainly a-ringing...

Is it wrong of me to be thankful that those bells didn't come home with us? Cause I sure am...

After dinner last night Doug and I decided to dart out to Ikea for a quick shopping trip with the kids. Within minutes of leaving the house Caleb fell asleep in the car-- as I saw him sleeping in the backseat I thought to myself-- it's gonna be a looong night shopping with two sleepy kids. We pulled into Ikea only to discover that their Midnight Madness event was on that evening-- and wow... was the place ever hopping. Great. Once we managed to find a parking spot, we braved the crowds and got our shopping done. In the end the sleepy kids were happy-- probably because I brought them cookies to enjoy in the shopping cart. And Doug and I managed to make it out of the store without experiencing too much distress. And we are definitely the masters when it comes to the self checkout lane. Just saying :)

And what were we shopping for... you might be wondering. Well-- more plates and cutlery!! Our old set is getting quite beat up-- and-- we need more place settings because we're going to have a whole lot of Christmas company. My whole family is coming to our place for Christmas-- that means there will be 7 extra people at our house for a week!

Yup, more plates and cutlery will be needed. And best of all-- it gave me an excuse to get new stuff :)

Monkey Time

2011-12-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

*** WARNING***

*** if you refer to me as mom or auntie you are NOT ALLOWED to read this!!!***

In addition to my regular Christmas shopping, I decided to make sock monkeys for my kids and my niece and nephews because they really are just so cute-- the monkeys AND the kids. Although sometimes the kids become monkeys too...

I need to make 6 sock monkeys in total. No big deal... how hard could it be? Well, turns out that making a sock monkey is not all that difficult-- finding the time to do all that hand sewing when the kids aren't around has proved to be a little tricky! I've got 4 done... 2 left to go...

Guess I should probably quit monkeying around and get to work.

No more monkey business for me.

I need to get this done before I go bananas...

My New Light

2011-12-13T14:24:00.000-08:00

Well what do you know... the new light fixture in my entryway was featured on the Barn Light Electric Blog today! They also put this picture in the website customer photo gallery-- you should take a look at some of the other pictures-- I was particularly loving the kitchen/dining room lights-- very cool.

I will admit... I most definitely did giggle a little when I saw my house on their blog this morning :) Go on over to Barn Light Electric's site and check it out!

My entryway is practically famous :)

Christmas-y

2011-12-12T22:44:00.000-08:00

Things have been getting a little more Christmas-y around here. I hadn't gotten around to taking a picture of our tree yet this year... so tonight was the night! I'm still learning how to use my camera-- I was trying to take a picture that would give the lights a little extra twinkle...

With a one year old in the house this year, I decided to put away my glass ornaments. Instead of my pretty glass ones, I picked up a big box of glittery pinecones and some felt snowflakes and moose from Canadian Tire. Caleb was a fan.

Today was baking day. I have a whole lot of butter and chocolate in this house-- it's time to do some baking. Since Eme can't have any buttery chocolate-y goodness, I made her a batch of Raspberry Banana muffins.

But these chocolate almond toffee squares were for me :)

Today was also gingerbread house building day. I took the easy approach and used graham crackers. Super easy-- super fun. All I had to do was make icing...

And buy a whole lot of candy. I tried to find the prettiest ones.

And here is my master gingerbread house builder. He did an exceptional job of candy placement.

Although I had to laugh when he insisted on using the candy canes as downspouts on one of the houses. He was so concerned about where the water would go when it started to rain. I guess practicality won over aesthetics today...

To paint or not to paint... that is the question

2011-12-09T13:28:00.001-08:00

I had 10 minutes to kill before picking Caleb up from preschool this morning-- so I stopped by the thrift store on my way over for a quick little look-see... and lo and behold I found this awesome lamp base.

It's gonna need a shade... but as I sit here staring at it I can't decide if I should leave it blue... or paint it white! The white high gloss spray paint that I used on Eme's ceramic owl worked so great... that I'm tempted to whip it out again. Do you think it could look as great as the lamps in this picture?

Milk and Honey Home

Maybe. I'm tempted. To paint or not to paint... that is the question!

It's Rhino Time

2011-12-08T13:02:00.001-08:00

When I spied this white Rhino in Home Sense this morning... I just couldn't resist.

I may be slightly obsessed with animal decor accessories. But it really doesn't get much cuter than this in a four year old boy's room. And the best thing is-- it's not glass or metal but is made of a hard plastic... this means that it doesn't have to live on the top shelf.

I'm pretty sure Caleb's going to ask if he can take it to bed with him during nap time... because he was just as excited as I was about the rhino when we found it in the store.

There were lots of other cool animals too-- elephants, deer, lions, and giraffes... go get em!

Cuteness overload

2011-12-06T21:12:00.001-08:00

We've been doing a little babysitting over the past few days-- and I'm pretty sure there is nothing cuter than a bunch of kids running around in flannel pj's... especially when they are a few of my favorite kiddos :) We've done some fun stuff... like watching the Grinch...

Snuggling all together for bedtime stories...

Last night I gave the kids some sugar cookies, a couple of bags of icing, and a whole lot of sprinkles and let the go nuts. And go nuts they did.

Let's just say there was a sprinkle catastrophe of epic proportions in my dining room. And as I was running out the door this morning I glanced in the mirror to discover hard crusty green icing in my hair.

But it sure was fun.

And of course... I joined them in the cookie decorating. I couldn't help myself. And the kids said that my cookies were the "most beautiful cookies ever."

That really means "Auntie... I would like another icing covered sugar cookie to eat before bed please." And being the sucker that I am-- I gave them cookies... of course. Because that's what Aunties do :)

My son the mathematician

2011-12-06T12:53:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago Doug was off to work earlier than usual one day. In the wee hours of the morning-- while it was still very very dark and very very early-- Caleb crawls into my bed. As he snuggles in beside me he whispers in my ear: "Can we do some hard math right now Mommy?". Seriously?

The kid does not get his interest in math from his momma... that is for sure. But he LOVES math. He loves to do " hard math"-- which is really just basic addition and subtraction :) We've been working on Caleb's math skills and he is loving every minute of it. I finally broke down and bought him some flash cards the other day and we've been doing a little hard math around here ever since...

A few days ago the kids found a set of poker chips-- don't know where they managed to find them... but find them they did. And these chips have been ALL over my house. Poker chips in the kitchen, the bedrooms, in our beds, under the couch, in the bathroom... you know how it goes. Well today I decided to redeem those blasted poker chips and use them for good... we're using them for math!

I needed an activity to keep Caleb busy this morning so I grabbed a big piece of paper and divided it up into 10 squares that were labeled 10, 20, 30... you get the idea. Then I had Caleb count out the chips and put 10 in each square so that he could work on his 10's counting skills. He's usually pretty good at counting to 100 but like most 4 year olds he still needed a bit of practice :)

He seriously thought it was the best game ever. So did I :)

And finally-- 100! Math ROCKS!

Then we used the chips to help him solve some of the more difficult addition problems on his flash cards. He can rattle off most single digit addition problems but when it comes to the double digits he has trouble. And yes he IS only 4 :) But, when I showed him how he could use the poker chips to help him figure out the problems he was doing amazing!

I love it that my kid loves math :) And thankfully he's still only learning basic math-- because if he keeps developing his math skills at this rate his Daddy is going to have to take over!

So Much Better

2011-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

A long long time ago I posted a rant about the light fixtures in my house. Ever so slowly, I'm replacing them with ones that I love. Finally, FINALLY, I found the perfect pendant for my entryway.

'
I love that it's casual, relaxed, and fun. I love that it's different from what other people have in their houses. I love that it projects the light down to the front door not out into the living room and hall. And... I love that the white finish allows it to blend into the decor so that you don't always see it from the living room. I stumbled upon Barn Light Electric and fell in love. Not only with this light fixture-- but pretty much everything on the site. There were several pendants that would have worked but in the end I decided to go for the Barn Light 16" Deep Bowl Vented Pendant. They had dozens of different finishes to choose from-- I chose white-- of course :)

I felt like I was taking a bit of a risk ordering a light fixture from an online store-- what the box arrived and it was all wrong? But, the risk definitely paid off this time around. I'm thinking that I'll be doing a little more shopping on Barn Light Electric's site in the future. Go check it out!

And... how about a before picture? Just because it's nasty :)

Thank goodness those curtains are gone!!

The Advent Countdown is On...

2011-12-01T12:36:00.001-08:00

Okay, so please tell me that I'm not the only one who woke up shocked to discover that it was December 1st. Wow... the Christmas countdown is on... time for an Advent Calendar!

A few days ago I was sitting around trying to figure out what to do... what to make... what would be cheap and easy... and I suddenly it came to me-- picture frame... twine... clothes pins. All things I had around the house. I jumped off the couch and started racing around to gather my supplies. I'm pretty sure Doug had thought I'd lost my mind, but soon he got the vision and stepped in to help out. In the end I think it ended up looking pretty great. This frame used to be a chalkboard-- so I popped out the chalkboard portion and tacked five lengths of twine along the back.

I really wanted to use vintage looking tags-- but I didn't have any. So instead I cut some cream colored cardstock into the shape of tags.

Then I used a dollar store number stencil out of Caleb's crafting supplies to number the tags. I traced them out with pencil and filled them in with a black sharpie.

In the end the clothes pins I had lying around the house were too big-- so I picked up some mini ones at Michael's. They were the perfect size.

Each day Caleb (& Eme) get to take the appropriate number off of the frame. On the back of each number is a Christmas-y activity that our family will do together. Some activities will be big and awesome-- some will be small and easy to accomplish with minimal effort on my part.

I decided that I reserve the right to only commit the daily activity to the card on the night before... I have a list of things we want to do-- but I'm not committing until I know what each day is going to look like. But Caleb doesn't need to know that... of course :)

I've got a list of activities started... some of these items will be done more than once, some we may not do at all, and I will probably add other things to list as the days go on. Here's what I've got so far...

Eat somecandy canes

Drink hotchocolate with marshmallows—of course J

Go for adrive and find the best Christmas lights in town

Go visit thenativity

Watch aChristmas movie with popcorn and pajamas

Read a portion of the Christmas story from the Bible

Go see Santain the Mall and admire him from afar (my kids would be way too terrified to sit on his lap-- that I know for sure!!)

DecorateChristmas cookies

Have aChristmas orange

Make agingerbread house

MakeChristmas cards

Decorate theChristmas tree

Do a littleChristmas shopping

Make a ChristmasCraft

Makesnowflakes

Sing someChristmas carols
Read the Grinch that Stole Christmas-- and then watch the movie

Go Skating (I will watch from the sidelines with my bad knee)

Have aChristmas Music Dance Party

And that is our Advent Calendar. Our activity for tonight is-- eat candy canes... I figured we should start out small and work our way on to the bigger items. I don't want to set the bar too high right off the bat :)

Are you doing an Advent Calendar this year? Any other suggestions of fun activities I could add to my list?

It's sofa slipcover wash day...

2011-11-30T13:14:00.001-08:00

... which means that it's also fort, mountain, and tunnel building day.

They really should be napping right now... but this is really too much fun...

(and when I say fun I was thinking about fort building... not laundry :)

And....

slipcover wash day has now inspired curtain wash day.

And then window washing day.

Apparently, all it takes is a little sunshine and warm weather to feel inspired.
That and a little coke. :)

For the Kids

2011-11-28T13:59:00.001-08:00

A long long time ago I showed you the little bronze owl I scooped up at Home Sense for $4.99. I didn't love the color so over the weekend I spray painted it a high gloss white. I can't believe how cute it looks in Eme's room...

Moving right along...

My niece and two nephews were at our house for dinner over the weekend and I didn't have enough little chairs to fit around our little kids table. Since then, I've been wondering where I could find two more little chairs so that all four kids can sit and eat at the little table. Well, as Eme and I were out and about this morning doing a little shopping while Caleb was at preschool I spotted these...

(sidenote-- Caleb wakes up every morning and makes his own bed (kind of)... don't know how that happened but I'm definitely encouraging it :) And... he even places the throw pillow at the head of the bed. Attaboy.)

These vintage-y chairs were $4.00 each at one of the thrift stores in town. They are so insanely cute. Caleb also immediately fell in love with the chairs. He personally carried them from the car, up the stairs, and into the house. He sat on the red one for lunch and even offered his assistance in cleaning them up. Caleb wants them to live in his room... But I think Eme's partial to the yellow one :)

I just love a good find :)

Tis the season

2011-11-25T15:36:00.001-08:00

It's time to let the Christmas festivities start in our house. This week? Baking. Caleb and I have been baking up a storm. Sugar cookies, muffins, and yesterday-- gingerbread. My favorite. I used this recipe. It is hands down the BEST gingerbread recipe I've ever tried. And the instructional videos help too :)

So last night I somehow got it into my head that I should pipe and flood these cookies instead of just smearing on the icing-- my more typical approach to icing cookies. So I got to work... and somewhere along the way I managed to convince Doug to help me. At one point he looks at me and says, "who really has time to do this anyways?" I start laughing. "Obviously me."

As time consuming as it was-- they sure look pretty-- if I do say so myself!

So... now that we've got the cookies... I think it's time to pull out the decorations... tis the season!!

Pre Christmas Toy Clean Up

2011-11-24T14:20:00.000-08:00

As promised-- here are the new shelves I purchased via craigslist for $50 over the weekend. They have become the new home to the kids toys in the downstairs family room. I was previously using an Ikea Expedit storage unit for the toys but didn't like the fact that I couldn't fit some of the bigger toys into the cubes. These shelves solve that problem! And, since it's getting close to Christmas I sorted through the kids toys, organized them, and did a little purge of some of the ones they don't need. And I officially moved ALL of the living room toys down to the basement. They didn't play with them upstairs... and they were driving me crazy. So, other than the cars and trucks in Caleb's room and a small stack of books-- all our toys are on those shelves!

So as of last night this room is pretty much bare-- except for the shelves. We decided to try and sell our old couches since they were too big and bulky for the family room. I put an ad on craigslist and had people calling immediately. Within 24 hours someone had already come to pick them up. Now... I guess it's time to do a little couch shopping :)

Why I love craigslist so much...

2011-11-22T14:43:00.001-08:00

I've loved these white lack Ikea bookshelves forever.

They are simple and stylish.

They are also very functional.

You can put pretty stuff on them... or pile a whole lot of junk onto them!

You can also put a couple together for a custom bookcase look...

But best of all-- they're cheap. Especially when you find two of them on craigslist for $50 bucks... $50 for a PAIR! And since they are now discontinued at Ikea-- you better believe I snatched those babies up! It was probably one of the highlights of my weekend.

And that-- my friends-- is why I love craigslist so, so, much.

Pictures to come.

(all images via pinterest)

Not Everyone Loves a Snow Day

2011-11-18T15:26:00.001-08:00

We woke up to snow this morning. This is pretty much the most exciting thing ever... EVER... for Caleb as we do not often get snow around here. I ended up digging through all of the closets in a panic this morning-- searching for mitts and snow pants-- knowing that the kids would be playing outside at preschool this morning.

During our drive home after preschool the conversation went something like this:

Caleb: Mom, do they have snow in Saskatchewan?

Me: Yup. A lot of snow.

Caleb: Well, do they have snow in Quebec?

Me: Um, yeah probably. (they do... right?)

Caleb: How about BC?

Me. Of course. Just look outside.

Caleb: Do they have snow in Lynden? Oh, I mean London!

Me: Yeah, I definitely don't know if they have snow there. London is pretty far away.

Caleb: Yeah. It's probably even farther than Disneyland. Do they have snow in Disneyland?

Then we arrived at home. Thank goodness! Caleb and I decided that we should probably have a late lunch and keep playing in the snow.

Emerson however, was not impressed. Turns out that postponing lunch and sitting in a stroller while Caleb played in the snow was not her idea of a fun time.

She was pretty bored.

She was determined to not have a good time.

And finally refused to even look at the camera-- let alone smile.

Well-- turns out that all she wanted was lunch.

Hooray for broccoli! I love broccoli more than snow!!

Oh Laundry

2011-11-18T10:36:00.001-08:00

Don't you just love it when you FINALLY get around to putting away a mountain of folded laundry-- only to discover that your laundry baskets are already full of dirty laundry waiting to be done.

Guess that's what happens when you do the laundry on Monday and only get around to putting it away on Friday. I hate doing laundry.

And I'm really glad it's Friday :)

** Update-- just walked into the laundry room to discover yet another basket of clean laundry that I forgot to fold. Seriously!!! **

Now there's an idea

2011-11-17T13:35:00.001-08:00

I've mentioned this before on the blog-- but one of my favorite ways to make Caleb's bed "cool" is by covering his box spring with a fitted sheet. He doesn't have a bed frame to hid the unsightly box spring and bed skirts can be a little too girly. Since I have many many fitted sheets for his bed (he's four-- what can I say-- many many fitted sheets are needed) I regularly change the look of his bed by changing the sheet covering the box spring.

A while back we had stripes.

The last few months have been dots.

And today we have yet another look.

Yesterday I found this fantastic idea on pinterest... UPHOLSTERING a box spring!! How cool is that? You can find the instructions here.

I don't think I'll upholster Caleb's box spring since I do like being able to change is up whenever I feel like it. But, I am contemplating doing the box spring in our bedroom to match the headboard we upholstered a while back. Hmmm... I'm liking this idea.

Well-- if anyone's looking for a project to do over the weekend-- here you go!

New Favorite Things

2011-11-16T17:06:00.000-08:00

Alrighty-- in no particular order... here are a few of my new favorite things.

Number one. Chocolatey Mint tea from Superstore. I drink coffee all morning long (caffeine needed in a bad way). In the afternoon I switch to drinking tea. During the cold rainy season you've gotta have a mug of something hot nearby to survive.

Number two.

Baking soda + vinegar mixed with food coloring + eye dropper + a four year old = an hour of fun

Got the idea from here.

Sidenote-- in no way was this activity a teachable "scientific" moment in our house-- it was done strictly to have fun, make a mess, and occupy my four year old so that I would have some measure of sanity between the hour of 4 to 5 pm. And if I'm being completely honest-- I really couldn't explain why the vinegar made the baking soda all "fizzy" and such anyways.

But look at how much fun it was...

Number three. I got my hair cut and moved into stage four of my post pregnancy hair. Are you not familiar with the four stages? Let me enlighten you.

Stage one: crazy, crazy, amounts of hair. It's a good thing I don't leave the house in the weeks following the birth of a baby because it literally takes me half an hour to blow dry.

Stage two: shed fest.... buying Drain-o in bulk... I start texting my hairdresser pictures of the hair balls I pull out of the shower drain with messages saying "is this normal?" "does this look right to you?". Seriously-- I lose an insane amount of hair.

Stage three: regrowth. worst. stage. ever. Half of my hair is one length... the other half is an inch or two long. I spend my days trying to hide my new set of mini bangs and nasty sideburns.

Stage four: I finally break down and get bangs cut to hide the mini bangs.

I am now at stage four... hence the bangs.

Wow, that is a really really big close up picture of my head. Kinda wish I had taken a picture of my haircut the day it was done-- not the unwashed bed head I decided to leave the house with three days later.

Number four. Taking the kids to Chapters.

Starbucks, book browsing, and a fantastic selection of awesome home accessories = fun for me. Trains, toys, kids books = fun for the kids. It really is a win win situation for us all.

I'm thinking I'm going to do most of my Christmas shopping here this year...

And that my friends-- concludes today's list of favorite new things.

Today's Etsy Picks

2011-11-15T10:50:00.001-08:00

I had big plans for today-- plans to get out with the kids and enjoy this warm sunny November morning. But instead we're stuck at home because of this...

Yup. Tis' the season... asthma season that is. Caleb's a pro when it come to dealing with his asthma episodes-- he's a real trooper-- but on day one of an asthma flare up I like to stick close to home. So, I've been doing a little Christmas shopping online this morning and found all kinds of fantastic things on Etsy :) I've been admiring some of the vintage charts and prints from this shop and thought I should share a few of my favorites. All of these prints would be super adorable in a kids room or nursery.

First up-- birds. Aren't they so stinkin' cute?

1923 bird chart

1926 bird chart

You know I like fish. You could put it in a little boy's room-- or your bathroom if you want to keep them for yourself like me :)

1918 chart of North American fish

Okay, I was totally laughing out loud when I found these dinosaurs. Caleb would freak out if he saw them. Instead of hanging a Dinosaur Train poster-- how about these fantastic dinosaurs?

French dinosaur chart (1950's)

I'm thinking that most little boys wouldn't object to airplanes. I wouldn't object to these ones either.

1921 chart of airplanes

This vintage BC poster is pretty cute. If you live in the area you should snatch this one up!

British Columbia 1928

Now, I've never been one to think that cacti are cute-- but I happen to thing that these are the prettiest cacti I've ever seen.

1907 Cacti Chart

And those are my favorite Etsy finds of the day!!

A House Call

2011-11-13T00:55:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, I've been helping someone who's been doing a little renovating these days. That someone, happens to be my fantastic sister in law Rosanna who is in the midst of a major renovation with her new husband. Over the past few months their house has been torn apart (as in no wall left untouched-- actually... no wall left at all) and is now almost finished. Now, I really like to help out friends and family with decorating and such-- but I also try to not spam them with all of my ideas and opinions. But, when I start getting texts and messages that say things like: "SOS!" "What color do I want the grout to be???" "On my way to the store, stand by." "satin nickel or satin chrome?" "I need you!!" and "HELP!!!" I happily intervene :) So, over the past few weeks I've been helping Rosanna source and shop for tile, lighting, hardware, vanities, faucets, and paint along with our friend Andrea. And let me tell you-- I have been having fun. A LOT of fun :)

Well over the weekend Doug and I packed up the kids to go check in on the progress and help out with a few last minute details as they were finally moving into the house! Doug was needed because he's been the one installing the kitchen, and I just really wanted to take a peek at the progress. The kids definitely were NOT needed-- they just made a mess and played Angry Birds. While I was there I managed to snap a few pictures of the almost completed renovation. Wanna take a sneak peek?

Hello... gorgeous kitchen. I wish I had before pictures to show you-- but believe me when I say that this is quite the transformation. Let's just say that this space wasn't a kitchen a few months ago-- it was a dining room, a wall, and a hallway.

Now keep in mind that not everything is quite finished yet-- and they had only moved in the day before (hence the burnt out light bulb, unfinished skylights, missing outlet covers). But is this not a pretty awesome kitchen? It may look like a custom kitchen but it's actually from Ikea.

Not every Ikea kitchen looks this good-- but it does when my hubby installs it :) He reconfigured some of the cabinets and built the most amazing 10 foot island. I would live at this island if it was in my house!!

Going for Ikea cabinets is definitely budget friendly. But when you pair Ikea cabinets with other fantastic finishes you get a custom looking kitchen for a much better price. Let me show you some of the details that really take this kitchen to the next level...

Last week I found this fantastic polished marble backsplash and it really is a show stopper. It looks amazing with their beautiful quartz countertops. The polished surfaces really reflect light in the space-- which is important since there are no windows in this part of the house.

Check out that wall of pantry cupboards. Ikea didn't sell pantry cabinets in the right depth for this kitchen so Doug ended up cutting them all down to size so that they would fit perfectly.

One of my favorite things in this kitchen is the cabinet hardware.

When we saw the Duluth pulls from Restoration Hardware we knew they were THE ones. Aren't they fantastic? We only ordered the RH hardware for the pot drawers and instead picked up knobs in a matching satin nickel finish from Home Depot to help balance the budget a little bit better :)

Now... can you spot the extra cabinets that Doug added to the back of the island? I'm pointing it out to you with an arrow...

Yeah, that one. That teeny tiny cabinet is for James' stuff. Kidding! I'm sure Rosanna will share at least one other cabinet with him :) Instead of supporting the overhanging island countertop with bar brackets Doug came up with this solution. He took two upper cabinets and built a base to make them the same height as the island and also cut them down to be the right depth. These cabinets were then installed on either side of the island as supports that look a lot like columns. Instead of putting hardware on the doors we picked up some push latches so that the cabinets would blend into the island. The only thing this island needs now are some fantastic bar stools.

Oh and the pendant lighting was a good find. We found them at a Vancouver lighting store, but they can also be ordered online from the Home Depot in two different sizes. I thought that they looked similar to these lights from Restoration Hardware-- but they were a fraction of the RH price :)

Storage is a bit of an issue in this house (isn't it always?) so some bookcases were needed for the living room. Instead of having custom ones built, Rosanna picked up two Ikea bookcases, had them "installed" like cabinets and had the fireplace mantel built (by my brother in law Erik) to fit in between so that it would read as one unit. The fireplace still needs to be painted out in the same color as the bookcases and the shelves and doors need to go on the cabinets but I think it's going to look pretty fantastic when it's all finished!

We found this gorgeous lantern style light fixture for the stairway. Love it.

Here's a sneak peek of the floor tile in one of the bathrooms that's still a work in progress. Isn't it gorgeous?

Here's a peek at the other bathroom. We selected some pretty economical tiles for the floor (12x12 porcelain from Home Depot) and for the wall of the shower-- those white shower tiles are probably the cheapest tiles available at Home Depot.

But then we added a band of marble mosaic tile to make it pretty.

And there you have it-- a little sneak peek at this renovation project Doug and I have been helping out with. There have been many many people working to make this project a success-- but I'm just going to give a quick shout out to my brother in law Erik and his company for their awesome finishing and tiling work. If you're thinking about renovating and are looking to hire someone-- they do pretty fantastic work. And-- Doug's pretty amazing when it comes to building and installing kitchens-- just saying :)

When everything else is finished I'll have to go and take some more pretty pictures when everything is perfectly styled-- but for now I hope you all enjoyed the tour!

** If anyone want the source info on any of the tile, fixtures, paint, cabinets, or hardware-- let me know. I'd be happy to send you the details! **

Room by Room

2011-11-09T15:49:00.000-08:00

I'm tackling the basement. Room by room. After months of being an invalid I'm finally a slightly more able bodied person. And after months of neglecting all proper methods of organization my house was becoming a bit of a disaster zone.

Las week was the office.

I have the most fabulous built in bookcases ever-- made by my fantastically amazing husband. And in case you didn't know-- these bookcases are actually Ikea's Billy bookcases that we customized for our office. (You can read more about the projects we've tackled in the office here).

But after months of neglect the office was terribly disorganized-- and my bookcases were looking terrible too. So I took everything off the shelves, sorted through the mounds of paper work, office supplies, and sewing paraphernalia and then put it all back together.

I rearranged the shelves a bit and am liking the way they look.

And I finally took my metal Superstore bins back from Caleb. His little stuffed animals did look pretty cute in their cages, but I'm excited to finally have a place to stash my fabric...

And... speaking of Billy bookcase hacks-- did you see the one's Centsational Girl completed last week? They look pretty sweet! I'm liking the way she painted the back of the bookcases blue... although I do like the look bead board we used to update the bookcases in our office.

{read more about her bookcases here}

It's soooo nice to have my office/sewing room organized again... kinda makes me feel like doing a little sewing :)

Morning Shop-athon-- with kids

2011-11-08T14:24:00.000-08:00

This morning-- a cold rainy morning-- the kids and I went shopping... tile, bathroom lighting, and kitchen faucet shopping. Not for me-- unfortunately-- but for someone else who's doing a full scale reno. So we hit the road and had fun.

The two kiddos were doing their best to give me a helping hand in the tile shop-- but let's just say that instead of helping they were giving me a heart attack more than anything else. Stop! Don't touch that marble mosaic!!

But we found two great not white not subway tile options-- hello beautiful polished marble backsplash. You look nice... real nice.

(BTW-- if you're looking for tile go to Tiles for Less here in town-- good prices, clean and organized, very spacious-- you could actually wheel a stroller in there-- wish I'd brought mine :)

Martha pulls through in Home Depot. Finally-- an affordable and attractive bathroom light fixture.

I gave Caleb an education in selecting kitchen faucets. There are two styles. Three hole-er's...

And one hole-er's...

That's the extent of my technical kitchen faucet terminology.

And that was our morning-- a whirlwind shopping trip complete with stops at both Timmy's and McDonald's for bribery purposes.

And now... silence. The sweet sweet sound of nap time :)

Now I'm in trouble

2011-11-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

So I'm taking pictures of Emerson the other day as we were heading out the door to go somewhere. And she is totally giving me a straight face. Not a single smile in her.

Like honestly-- I am making every ridiculous sound imaginable (on my front lawn) trying to get a little smile. Nothing.

But then someone else comes around the corner... Daddy.

Oh Daddy... aren't you just soooo funny. So much funnier than Mommy.

So my little Eme is growing up. Big time. Like-- guess who started walking this weekend? Emerson. But let me tell you... she won't walk to you unless you're holding a Wii remote. Or a kitty. Right Keziah?

And suddenly I'm chasing after her-- non stop. This little lady does not care for toys. Instead she finds much joy and amusement in dismantling my recycling bin under the sink... in pushing all the buttons on my alarm clock and then throwing it on the floor... in playing for hours with my magic bullet and all its attachments (just not the sharp ones).

And I'm convinced that Eme has a sixth sense. She always ALWAYS knows when the door to the bathroom has been left open or was not completely closed. At least once a day I have one of those moments-- you know those moments when the house is suspiciously quiet and you just know that your child is up to no good. And lo and behold I catch her playing in the toilet. It is the greatest thing ever-- if you ask Eme. The second best thing in the world is having your hands washed in the bathroom sink.

So yes-- my little lady is trouble. But you know what? I love trouble :)

It begins

2011-11-04T10:47:00.000-07:00

Important announcement. I just had my first gingerbread latte this morning. Full fat. With whipped cream. Suddenly I have this overwhelming urge to pull out my Christmas wreath and start decorating for Christmas.

Seriously now. What do they put in these things? A little Christmas cheer?

Sidenote-- I really didn't think my front door would still be purple. It was supposed to be painted this summer. Oh well. Another day... another year.

Anyhow-- don't worry-- I will not be setting up the tree or doing any other premature Christmas decorating-- not yet. Doug would have a heart attack if he came home to discover the Christmas tree in the living room. But maybe a little Christmas music would be appropriate-- any recommendations?

Just thought I'd say that I was feeling a little festive :)

Happy weekend!!

Here fishy fishy fishy...

2011-11-02T12:28:00.000-07:00

So about my post last week-- if you guessed "fish" than you'd be correct! I've always thought that vintage/antique pictures of fish are so cute. As I was perusing Etsy for maps I stumbled upon the most awesome fish picture ever. It was an 1886 chromolithograph of various fish-- and it was spectacular. I wasn't going to buy it-- I was just admiring the fish-- but when I showed it to Doug he really liked it too! And since Doug loves to fish I thought that it would probably be a fun addition to our home. There's a lot of "me" in this house-- we needed a little more of "Doug" in the house.

So I bought it. Then I waited for it to come. As I was running out of the house for preschool pick up the other morning I found the package on my front step. I didn't have enough time to open it (it was REALLY well packaged) so I figured I'd save it for later. In the car on the ride home I told Caleb that there was a special package waiting for us to open at home. I decided to play a little guessing game with him-- "Inside the package is a picture-- a picture of an animal." "Monkeys!!!"... Caleb says. I go on to tell him that it's a picture of something Daddy like to catch when he has free time. "BUTTERFLIES!!!" Caleb exclaims. Nope-- Doug does not catch butterflies in his free time... not as far as I know.

So we get home and I begin to open the package (only after a long discussion over why Caleb is not allowed to use the knife to help... and no he doesn't have his own knife... and no he cannot have his own knife...) And as I pull it out of the envelope I find this...

Most adorable packaging ever. I was not expecting it to look this pretty!! And there was a card-- I read it. It says:

"Thank you very much for your order and for visiting Bananastrudel (the name of the etsy shop)! We've included a 1931 BC map that we thought you might also like."

What!!!? I guess they must have seen all the other great items in their shop that I had "hearted". Look at how cute this freebie of a map is...

How's that for great customer service? You really should go check out Bananastrudel for other really cool stuff.

So I love my free map. But you know what I love even more? My fish. I started giggling when I saw the fish. They are so cute. They make me happy. I've decided to hang my fish in the bathroom.

The fish are accompanied by Caleb's bathroom toothbrushing portraits. Now that Eme has 4 (with a few more on the way) teeth she's going to need a toothbrushing photo taken too...

And then my photo shoot was hijacked.

Oh my. Don't you love those post nap pre dinner hours? You know-- those hours when the kids go a little crazy?

Anyhow. My bathroom may not beautiful (yet) but it's fun. And those fish makes us happy... right Caleb?

I can't believe they sat still long enough for a picture...

2011-11-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

I may be biased-- but I'm pretty sure the cutest pirate, princess, elephant, and doctor out there are in this picture. Oh wait-- Caleb would have corrected me for that one-- he was a SURGEON... not a doctor. My bad.

While I don't particularly love the fact that Caleb now has a ginormous bag of candy-- it is good for one thing. Leverage.

One last pumpkin treat...

2011-10-31T14:23:00.000-07:00

Check out my Rice Krispies pumpkins-- I'm going to have to say that they don't look as lame as I thought they would. Not bad for 15 minutes and someone with sub par baking skills.

Oh well. The kids will probably still like them...

And I think I'm officially done with pumpkin flavored baking, pumpkin shaped baking, and maybe pumpkin spice lattes. Anyone know when Starbucks Christmas drinks come out?

The plan for tonight? Pizza party. Trick or treating with cousins. Sugar highs all around. Should be fun :) My house will be handing out candy tonight-- come on by... but only if you have a costume :)

And now... I've got to go clean up all the sticky orange colored marshmallow smeared all over my kitchen...

An ode to summer

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

So if you're missing those warm summer evenings around the campfire-- I've got something for you.

Can anyone say S'more Cookie Bars?

via Pinterest

While I was at home visiting my family last week we had an extended family get-together to celebrate my new little nephew. My Auntie arrives with a pan of something that looked quite delicious-- S'more Cookie Bars. I asked where she found the recipe. Pinterest. Of course :) And oh my-- they were good. Real good.

So the other night I needed a little chocolate in my life... in a bad way. I made a quick trip to the grocery store for some milk chocolate and a jar of marshmallow cream and quickly whipped up a pan of chocolaty marshmallow goodness.

Craving satisfied.

I like to start in the middle and work my way out :)

Don't worry-- I didn't eat it all on my own. Doug helped.

So if you want to remember the long lost days of summer... you need to make S'more Cookie Bars, put the kids to bed, and enjoy a piece of chocolaty summer goodness. But be warned-- you may not be able to stop after one piece-- you may be saying... Give me S'more of that!!

A Hint

2011-10-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I just received something in the mail today. It's something new for the house.

Can you guess what it is?

Here are a few hints...

There's something a little fishy about these pictures... :)

All pictures via Pinterest.

Apparently I was wrong...

2011-10-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

So I was shopping at Superstore with Caleb on Sunday night. Of course-- it takes me a while to actually make it to the grocery section of the store. I tend to get hung up in the home goods section. I spied these metal bins and decided to pick a few of them up for the house. I remembered seeing them used for storing fabric scraps over at Rambling Renovators a few days ago. Doesn't this look great?

image via Rambling Renovators

As you may know-- fabric is a bit of a weakness of mine. My fabric collection does not look this pretty-- those metal bins would help.

And then I remembered seeing this on pinterest the other day. How cute is the basket of books!? I stood there in Superstore dreaming of all the ways I could organize and store the kids toys and my crazy fabric stash with those metal bins.

image via pinterest

So I grabbed a few baskets and added them to the cart. I asked Caleb if he liked them. He told me they were pretty cool. He thought we should get three.

An hour later we get home from our grocery shopping trip. Doug and I are unloading the groceries in the kitchen. I look around for the baskets and they've disappeared. Where did they go? Well apparently-- as I was standing there dreaming of beautifully organized toy and fabric storage-- Caleb had been dreaming up a totally different use for those baskets. Apparently they aren't baskets. They are cages for his animals.

And wouldn't you know-- they also work great for building castles. I've said it before-- why do I even bother buying toys for these kids? Non-toys are so much more fun...

**sidenote-- is it just me or does this "castle" look a lot like an inukshuk?**

Anyhow... Caleb gets the baskets for now. I'll let him have his fun. Besides, it gives me yet another excuse to procrastinate cleaning/organizing the downstairs toys.... "I thought I was buying storage baskets but I really bought cages..."

A Different World

2011-10-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Life on my parent's farm-- it's a different world indeed :)

A place where daily chores are done-- complete with helpers... of course...

Where Uncle Joel shows up for dinner driving this...

And it's a place where Nana still regularly bakes buns-- again... with a helper.

Of course-- no trip to the farm would be complete without a day of shopping in the city. These days the dynamic is beginning to change-- shopping with three kids can really make things interesting.

Of course-- shopping does have the tendency to wear them out. I snapped this picture only after they had been holding hands for about 10 minutes on the drive home.

But best of all-- the farm is a place where I get lots of good snuggles in with this little cutie.

I'm pretty sure I don't look this cute when I yawn like this...

And now we're home. After a quick flight home yesterday we were all happy to see Daddy and crash into our beds for some long, much needed naps. (hooray!!)

And now... unpacking, laundry, and grocery shopping. All that fun stuff...

More Maps

2011-10-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've been ignoring this blog over the past few days. I don't have any new pictures to upload and share-- so how about some pretty pictures? Here are some rooms with maps on display-- they totally inspired me when I was hunting for the perfect map for Caleb's room.

I currently have one of these Expedit shelving units in my basement. It most certainly DOES NOT look as neat and organized as this :)

Single maps are great-- but how about this triptych? I kind of just shocked myself with my vocab abilities.

A collection of maps.

I love how this big map is paired with a modern crib. How cute is that!?

Now how about these next two hanging maps? Unframed... casual. Love it.

Awesome. So is that bench.

What a great kid's room.

This map looks old. It's pretty fantastic.

Happy Friday!!

All pictures are via pinterest.

Bright and Early

2011-10-18T21:22:00.000-07:00

My alarm went off at 4:45 am this morning. Why? My flight left at 6:30 am. This morning I realized why I no longer enjoy flying. It's because I no longer fly solo... I've had company on every flight I've taken over the past four years.

They did really great. And they are pretty cute. But after several hours of entertaining them on the plane I was done. I needed a break. Luckily we're staying at my parent's farm for the next few days :)

And... I finally am getting some quality time with this little sweetheart-- my new nephew Cohen. I think I'm in love :)

Educational Artwork

2011-10-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've been looking for something to put up on the wall above Caleb's bed for a while now. I wanted something unique and one of a kind. At first I was going to do a gallery wall of his artwork-- but I soon decided that a wall full of metal frames with glass was an accident waiting to happen in this kid's room. So I did a bit of searching around on Esty and found this.

It's a vintage map of Canada from 1936.

I thought that finding a really old really cool map was going to be difficult, but I found TONS of original old maps of all different varieties-- some over a hundred years old-- for pretty reasonable prices on Etsy. There were street maps, nautical maps, maps of provinces, countries, territories-- everything. Very cool stuff. I knew I wanted to frame mine and I wanted it to be big-- so my choices were a bit limited since I wanted it to fit into the largest Ikea Ribba frame. After a bit of searching and emailing back and forth with a few Etsy sellers I purchased this old Canadian map for $8.00. Not bad.

It almost fit into the frame perfectly-- it was slightly too big-- so we had to trim it a tiny bit so it would work. I picked up two big sheets of white poster board and put them together to give the map a neutral backing. The map isn't perfect-- there are a few tiny holes, rips, marks, creases, and the paper is yellowed-- but I love it. It has lots of character :)

I know you're all thinking-- how is this frame any different from a gallery wall of little frames with glass? It sure looks like one great BIG sheet of glass. But it's not. The largest Ikea Ribba frames have clear plastic instead of glass. It makes them lighter to hang and so much safer with young kids around. But it totally looks like glass-- totally fooled me :)

And that is the educational artwork we put up in Caleb's room. Now every time he goes to bed he wants us to tell him ALL about EVERY place in Canada. Oh boy...

** I found many many more great vintage maps and charts-- if anyone is looking for a cool map-- email me and I'll send you the links to some other great finds **

It doesn't get much better than this...

2011-10-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

It's the weekend.

And I have a plate full of Salted Caramel Chocolate Shortbread Bars in my fridge.

Yup. It's going to be a great weekend.

I would highly recommend making them.

Just a few things...

2011-10-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Doug "installed" Caleb's "moose" (that's what he thinks it is) last night. We're loving it.

We've got the vintage modern vibe going on in here with a few "Canadian rustic" elements thrown in for fun. It's exactly what Caleb wanted-- he told me so himself :) As if. He really could care less about what his room looks like. One day when he wants to paint his room neon green and chooses his own posters for the wall I'll let him do it. I think... :)

And just one more thing. Tuesday was a CRAZY day. Three doctors appointments and poor Eme got her 12 month shots (a little late-- I know-- had to wait until I knew I could walk her into the clinic myself :) I arrived home from the public health unit at 5:45 with cranky hungry kids-- trying to figure out what to make for dinner. And it was raining. I rush into the house to find that Doug had just gotten home from work and was making dinner. I'm busy and distracted, the kids are going crazy, and 15 minutes later I look over at the table to discover these waiting for me...

And chocolate. It doesn't get much better than that.

Love you babe :)

Boy or Girl...

2011-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

My sister's having a baby!! What are we at now-- 5 days overdue? I can hardly wait-- every time the phone rings I jump (not literally) and run (not literally-- knee surgery, remember?) to the phone hoping that it's THE CALL. Until then-- I'm waiting... and online shopping for baby stuff :)

An Auntie's gotta make a baby blanket for the little one-- right? So-- I thought I'd share some of my favorite flannel picks from Fabric.com.

Here are my favorite boy flannel options...

1. Baobab Flannel Geometric Shapes White/Coco 2. Timeless Treasures Tailor Flannel Herringbone Cream 3. Timeless Treasures Tailor Flannel Tiny Houndstooth Black/White 4. Zoo Menagerie Flannel Blossom Blue 5. Amy Butler Loves Flannel Sunspots Mint 6. Claire Bella Flannel Links Blue

And girl...

1. Della Flannel Flora Blossom 2. Claire Bella Flannel Links Pink 3. Amy Butler Loves Flannel Tumble Roses Pink 4. Bliss Flannel Birds Tangerine 5. Amy Butler Loves Flannel Cypress Paisley Mint 6. Zoo Menagerie Flannel Blossom Pink

Boy or girl... I love surprises :) Can't wait to meet my new niece or nephew!!

Thankful

2011-10-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

I really love Thanksgiving-- I love how the holiday kind of sneaks up on you-- you're enjoying summer, heading back to school and then before you know what's happening a pumpkin explosion takes place. Is it just me or is everyone a little too obsessed with pumpkin these days? I do love me a PSL, but I mean really... pumpkin pizza? Sometimes you just shouldn't mess with a good thing.

A couple of days ago I excitedly said to Caleb, "Guess what! It's Thanksgiving this weekend!!" His response? "Awwwww!!!! I HATE turkey!!!" I think we're going to have to work on that Thankful Tree a little more before the weekend's over :)

But I really have so much to be thankful for-- my always entertaining and awesome kids, my wonderful loving husband who cooks, cleans, and takes care of everything while I'm recovering on the couch, my amazing family, all of my fantastic friends, a wonderful home for my family, food to eat (turkey included), health and safety. My life is so full. But more than anything-- I am thankful for my loving Heavenly Father who is the giver of these good gifts. Year after year-- no matter what the circumstance-- He never changes. He is all that I need.

So on this rainy Thanksgiving Monday-- we're cozying up in our sweaters, drinking some coffee (I am-- not the kids) and enjoying life together.

These kids. Melt my heart.

Do you ever look at your child-- post meal-- and suddenly feel so overwhelmed at the task of cleaning them up? Food on the floor, on the wall, on her face, on her clothes, in her hair, up her nose. Seriously. I love it.

And this picture was not taken this morning (there's no sun today!) but it's too cute not to post. For a someone who refuses to learn how to walk-- Eme is remarkably skilled at wreaking havoc on my house. She is determined to get into EVERYTHING... and she's pretty proud of her accomplishments. Cutest troublemaker ever.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

Thankful Tree

2011-10-05T11:00:00.000-07:00

On the non-preschool mornings Caleb sits there looking at me with a bored expression on his face and says "What are we going to do today Mommy?" The things I come up with usually don't compare to the excitement of preschool. Well, yesterday morning the question came-- I quickly scrambled to come up with an activity-- and suddenly I thought... "Thankful Tree!!" So Caleb and I made our way to the backyard-- clad in pajamas and rubber boots-- and found the perfect tree branch and a bunch of rocks.

We "planted" our tree in a pot and made some leaves! We cut our leaves out of orange, yellow, red, and brown construction paper and then used a hole punch along with a few pieces of twine to turn them into hanging leaves. Caleb was particularly thrilled with the hole punch. He specifically asked to keep the hole punch in his craft drawer for a few days :)

Then we wrote the things we're thankful for on the leaves and hung them on the tree. We made lots of extra leaves so that we can keep adding to the tree over the next few days.

Can you read what's on that red leaf? Caleb's thankful for Emerson. I decided that it was definitely picture worthy-- I need to remember this leaf during those moments when the kids can't seem to co-exist peacefully in the same room. We are thankful for each other...

An Owl and a Deer

2011-10-04T14:56:00.000-07:00

So as of the weekend I am officially crutch free!! To celebrate my new found freedom last night I left the house on my own and went shopping. I'm still moving pretty slowly and am not the most graceful walker out there-- but I can definitely do a lap or two around Home Sense :)

Last night I came home with two little things for the kids rooms. I have wanted to find a cute white ceramic owl for Emerson's room but haven't been able to find a cheap one. I really loved these owl bookends from Indigo... but they were $29.99 plus shipping. Way too much $. And now they're sold out.

But last night I found this cute little owl for $4.99. The color isn't exactly what I want-- kind of bronze-- but I might spray paint it white. What do you think?

White would look good in her room... I think.

How can I resist throwing in a picture of Eme in her new jeans. They've made me smile all day :)

And now for Caleb's room. I've been wanting to get a cardboard deer trophy for his room for the longest time. How fun would one of these be in his room? I found a small one at Cardboard Safari for $12-- but after paying for shipping the total was almost $30!! Way too much for a couple of pieces of cardboard.

But, I found this metal one at Home Sense for $14. I was a little unsure of what Doug would think of this find-- but he actually liked it! Caleb calls it his Moose. Now I've just got to find a spot to hang it...

So that's what I bought on my first post surgery Home Sense shopping trip. An owl and a deer. Just call me crazy.

The end of a weekend

2011-10-02T22:16:00.000-07:00

A fire at the farm + dinner with family + the cutest kids ever = a pretty great end to the weekend

Honestly... there's nothing better than snuggling with a smore eating cutie pie named Silas :)

Eme was playing shy tonight-- but Grandpa eventually won her over.

This kid-- cracks me up. We pull up on the yard to find this kid making his way down the stairs into the backyard shouting-- "Auntie Da-wesa (that's me)!! Look at my sunglasses!!" He proceeded to jump his little heart out on the trampoline-- sunglasses firmly in place.

This kid likes to tell silly stories.

And then he laughs and laughs and laughs at his own jokes. He likes being the centre of attention.

Guess what I had for supper!!!

Poor Eme-- at this moment she was pretty sure we'd forgotten all about feeding her dinner.

This kid is SO grown up :)

And I honestly can't get over how pretty this little lady is-- Keziah, you are too adorable!!

Today

2011-09-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

Today is just one of those days. We're stuck at home. And the kids have been extra mischievous. I mean look at this face. Trouble.

And this little lady may look innocent-- but she's been taking after her brother this morning. Trouble.

Here I caught her dismantling all the piles of clean folded laundry in her room. G-u-i-l-t-y.

Anyhow-- that's what's new in our house today. That and some new throw pillows I made for the living room. I mentioned a while back that I was tired of the temporary ones I had-- so I made these new (also temporary) covers until I can figure out what I really want. I used last year's christmas tree skirt fabric to make two covers. They feel kind of fall-ish.

And they work with my chair in the corner.

And I guess there's one more new thing. I added another new piece to Eme's art wall in her room. Caleb painted this hot little pink number the other day during our painting marathon. I was pretty shocked at how great it turned out. (FYI-- I picked up a bunch of these super cheap canvases at the dollar store in several different sizes-- they were really fun for him to paint on)

I don't think Eme's noticed. I don't think she really cares. But I like it. Great job Caleb!

And now they are finally napping. All is quiet... hopefully for another hour or two. A few moments of peace and quiet is all I need-- then I'll be ready for those super fun post-nap pre-dinner hours :)

So now I'm going to do something wild and crazy and eat a bowl of granola or something else that's equally interesting. And then I get to end the day with an evening out-- at my physiotherapist's office :)

Hanging out with Caleb

2011-09-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Today's a home day. Caleb was sick over the weekend (he's now feeling better) but Emerson woke up feeling a bit under the weather. So, we're sticking close to home. But-- the morning was still pretty fun. It started off on a high note when my fabulous sister in law brought me the most amazing Pumpkin Spice Latte cupcakes.

She brought me EIGHTEEN mini cupcakes-- I'm not going to tell you how many I've already consumed... but let's just say there aren't too many left :)

Caleb and I spent the morning painting. He takes his art very seriously-- and painted for over two hours. We had the best time ever.

After spending the morning with him I thought that I really need to document all of the crazy and funny things that he says and does. I don't want to forget all these fantastic moments I have with my four year old boy. So I figured I might as well share a few of Caleb's shining moments from the past few weeks with all of you...

He's been working on his vocabulary. The other day we were doing a bit of grocery shopping. He asks me: "Mom-- what's that word-- you know... when you really need to drink something?" I say, "Thirsty?" Caleb: "No... it MEANS you're thirsty... hmmm... DEHYDRATED!! Mommy, I'm feeling dehydrated right now." Um, wow. I would have just used the word thirsty myself.
The other day, as I try to feed him the last spoonful of yogurt left in his container he shouts "IT DOESN'T TASTE GOOD WHEN ADULTS FEED IT TO YOU!!!!"
He's become a crazy counter. I knew he was good to count to 50... but 100? Sure I had to help him on 70 and 80... but 100?!! Of course he then asks: "Mommy, what comes after 100?" "101". "101, 102, 103..." and away he goes all the way to 200.
While he may be a smarty pants, he has become quite conscious of germs-- kind of. He's had a bit of a runny nose this week so he will often bring me a kleenex and ask me to help him blow his nose. Of course I offer my assistance. When I try to hand Caleb the used kleenex so that he can throw it in the garbage he gives me this look that says... "you've GOT to be kidding me." Then he makes a big deal about only touching the tiniest corner of the kleenex-- and with complete disgust-- takes it to the garbage holding out in front of him as far away as possible. Then about 10 minutes later I catch him picking his nose like a typical four year old. Go figure.
How about this... "Mommy, do you know what camoflauge is? (I of course say no-- I'm intrigued-- to say the least!) It's when dinosaurs blend in with the background so they can hide from creatures that want to eat them." Nice definition-- Dinosaur Train loving encyclopedia kid.
At bedtime Caleb says..."I don't need to go to bed. I could stay up for days, and days, and days, and days, and days. And I wouldn't get grouchy."
Lately, when Caleb's really upset with me (like when I've taken something away from him for disciplinary reasons) he angrily glares at me and says-- "Mom, you are NOT FANCY!!!!" I have no idea where Caleb got that from, but apparently it's the best he can come up with when he wants to say something extremely hurtful to me. I try not to laugh-- but I'm not always successful.
And today-- as he's in his room for his afternoon nap I can hear him shouting... "I'M ALIVE!!!" over and over. Do you think he's trying to tell me something?

And in conclusion-- you know a four year old lives in the house when you discover dried spaghetti stuck to your stylish cream herringbone patterned bathroom hand towels. Oh spaghetti night-- it's like the gift that keeps on giving.

I love four year olds :)

How hard could it be?

2011-09-26T14:43:00.000-07:00

So on a quite regular basis, I look over at Doug, smile, and say as sweetly as possible... "Hey honey, I have an idea." And he knows... I've dreamed up another project. Here's my latest idea. This one's for the bathroom...

Now what's the common element in all of these pictures? A super awesome one of a kind vanity. Honestly-- it can't be THAT hard to build a base, throw down a slab of countertop or paint/stain and seal the top, and finish it off with a great sink like this...

This sink is only $70 from Ikea. Yup, it would pretty much be the coolest and cheapest bathroom vanity ever. Now, I know that I would be losing quite a bit of under the sink storage-- but maybe I can scheme up another way to store and conceal all of our bathroom junk. Our upstairs bathroom is a long narrow room-- so I think that having a vanity with open space underneath would really open up the room and make it feel more spacious. Well, that's my bright idea for a rainy Monday morning!

All images from pinterest

Sunny Yellow

2011-09-22T12:10:00.000-07:00

It is one rainy rainy day. Welcome back fall! While it's been raining like crazy outside-- the kids and I have been cozy at home. I put socks on for the first time in oh, like 6 months. Don't ask me how I got that sock on my left foot-- still not sure how I managed to get it there. I am now convinced that I quite possibly could have been a circus performer in another life. Anyhow... it's been a day of coffee, play dough, snacks, naps (insert happy face :), snuggling on the couch, oh... and pinterest. As I've been pinning away, I've discovered that I am quite attracted to anything with yellow-- specifically sunshine-y yellow. Wonder why, eh? Here's a few of my favorites...

Okay-- these barstools are ah-mazing. You know those cheap honey oak barstools that you can buy just about anywhere? Paint them a sunny yellow and hello fabulous!!

Sunny yellow towels and bath accessories-- if only bathtime was this beautiful at our house.

Oh, hello most awesome yellow settee. I would allow you to live at my house if you really wanted to.

Oh Sarah Richardson... this is the most beautiful sunny bathroom ever.

Nothing says fun in the sun like a little yellow pom pom trim. Seriously now... does it really get any funner than this?

And yet another beautiful awesome sunny bathroom.

All these images can be found via my pinterest. If you haven't already started to pin-- you really should start. It's quite a lot of fun. And then you can go ahead and follow me too :)

Weekend Plans and Dairy Free KD

2011-09-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

I have two very important things to say today.

First of all-- I'm not sure what your weekend plans include, but if I was crutch free and had two healthy working knees I would be spending my Saturday at the Fieldstone Vintage Market.

It's a market being held here in Abbotsford at the Eco Dairy on Sumas Way. Sounds like there's going to be lots of awesome vintage collectors and local artisans setting up booths and selling their wares. I would LOVE to go-- but alas-- I don't think my knee could handle it. But if you need something to do and want to get out of the house-- check out the market!

For more info you can take a look at the Fieldstone Vintage blog or their facebook page.

And now for my second very important thing. I made dairy free mac and cheese out of that Daiya cheesy stuff. A little almond milk, some Earth Balance butter, a pinch of flour, some "cheese" and I had the most amazing dairy free cheese sauce. I mixed it in with some macaroni and let Emerson go to town. She was totally digging the dairy free, somewhat cheesy, orange goodness.

She polished it off like nothing... and then proceeded to smear gooey cheese sauce all over her face and in her hair. Oh the things a kid's gotta do around here to get a bath these days... let me tell you.

Another Dairy Free Experiment

2011-09-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

The days are feeling fall-ish. Yesterday I decided to make soup-- it just felt like the right thing to do. I haven't cooked in a long long time-- cooking and crutches just don't seem to go well together :) But Doug was working late, the kids and I were hungry, and I had all the ingredients for corn chowder-- so I decided to go for it.

But... not only did I make my usual corn chowder-- I also decided to try my hand at a small batch of dairy free corn chowder for the little lady. The picture says it all. Major success.

My normal recipe usually includes farmer sausage not bacon-- it makes awesome corn chowder. I get my farmer sausage from the Fine Foods in Waldheim Saskatchewan. It's not exactly the store down the street-- but they sell the best! I take the casings off while it's still partially frozen so that it kind of crumbles as you fry it. Add some onions, potatoes (with some water), salt and pepper, corn (frozen, fresh, or canned) creamed corn, and an assortment of milk ingredients-- milk, cream (yes please!), maybe some cream of mushroom soup and lots of cheese! Not exactly Emerson friendly.

But, I had some Daiya dairy free cheese in my fridge so I decided to give it a try. The package says it's "Deliciously dairy free"-- I'm not convinced. It smells a little funky to me-- tastes funky too-- but Emerson doesn't know the difference! Once the potatoes were cooked, I added the corn, some almond milk (with a little flour to help thicken it up), a little extra dairy free butter for a bit more flavor, and the cheese-- or should I say "cheese".

It melted pretty well and actually tasted pretty creamy. The dairy free version wasn't as tasty as my normal corn chowder but Emerson ate it up! It actually wasn't too bad. Eme loved it. And she loved it again today at lunch.

So did Caleb (he ate the dairy friendly version)-- he had TWO bowls full last night and even drank the last bit of soup right from the bowl. While I tend to discourage this kind of messy eating behavior-- I was happy to see that he enjoyed it :) So, I'm thinking that this meal will be a staple in our house over the winter months! And even though the Daiya dairy free cheese was a little bit nasty to me-- I will likely be purchasing it again :)

Saying No to Toys

2011-09-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've know this for a while now-- but the past few weeks have reinforced the fact that my kids do not play with their toys. Either we have terribly uninteresting toys, not enough toys to hold their attention, or they would just rather play with non-toys. Personally I just think they like non-toys. In a room full of colorful plastic kids paraphernalia Emerson will always manage to seek out and find the lid from a tupperware container or a chip clip. Either of these items usually provide entertainment for quite some time.

So. I've decided to just go with it-- for two reasons. One-- the kids like non-toys and they keep them quiet and happy. Reason enough in and of itself if you ask me.

But secondly-- this is a fringe benefit-- giving the kids non-toys in place of real toys is cost effective and storage effective. Case in point-- instead of buying Caleb bath toys I've just given him the doubles of all my kitchen stuff that I don't use on a regular basis. Instead of trying to find room for that turkey baster in my crowded kitchen drawer I let him squirt things while he's making soup in the tub (it's his favorite bathing pastime.)

I think it's quite genius. Family members who occasionally assist with bath time at our house aren't so convinced. My brother in law looked at me like I was insane when he saw the cheese grater on Caleb's bath "toy" shelf. I'll admit that I'm not sure what Caleb does with it in the tub-- but at least I don't have to find a spot for it in my overcrowded kitchen, right?

And don't worry-- any bath time "toy" that is re-introduced into the kitchen is put through my dishwasher's sterilizing cycle :)

So yesterday Doug and I were not surprised to discover this in the living room.

Caleb woke up early Sunday morning and decided to play in the living room. Of course-- he raided the chip clip drawer and spent the morning quietly constructing rocket ships. (yes I have a lot of chip clips-- I eat a lot of chips-- don't judge me.)

So I'm thinking that I probably won't be buying too many toys in the future. Lego, games, puzzles, books, crafty stuff, cars/trucks/trains, and maybe a doll or two are all we need!

So what do your kids play with? Toys? Non-toys? I'm curious...

PSL-- yes please

2011-09-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes-- I'm pretty sure it doesn't get much better than this. I pinned this recipe on Pinterest last night and it was repinned over 30 times in a few short hours. I'm thinking it's probably a winner. Can someone please make them and let me know if they are indeed as good as they look? If they are, I may just be willing to attempt a little baking with my crutches over the weekend. Or you could just bring me a PSL... just saying.

Update-- I have great friends. Friends who stop by my house with pumpkin spice lattes. And who would have thought-- a grande fits into my exercise bike's cup holder perfectly. Now that's what I like to see!!

I can't see it...

2011-09-14T19:05:00.000-07:00

... can't see my living room floor that is. I must say that I'm growing just a wee bit tired of this view. At least Emerson is putting the toys to good use-- standing on them gives her a clear view of the street as she waits for Daddy to come home at the end of the day. And let me tell you... she's not the only one waiting anxiously for Daddy to arrive...

New to the Living Room

2011-09-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

There have been a few new additions to the living room. The first addition is still in progress. After sitting in this room for the past few weeks I've decided that its time to do something about the throw pillow situation. I've had "temporary" pillows in here for the past few months after my old ones were ruined by the four year old of the house. The temps are officially driving me crazy. So I've had swatches out for the past few days-- since fall is upon us I'm thinking I might make some velvet pillows-- how's that for cozy? Just gotta pick the right color. I'm on it-- I have a lot of free time in the day to stare at the samples from across the room.

And here's the other more unfortunate addition to the living room-- a stationary exercise bike. Not only is it unattractive-- it is also pain inflicting. My physiotherapist assures me that I will be able to do a full revolution on the bike in no time. I don't believe her. Today I am quite certain that my knee will never bend like that again.

But past experience tells me that she's probably right. I may just be eating my words in a few days. Until then, I'll be here on the bike-- or on the couch :)

School Boy

2011-09-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Today was Caleb's first official day of preschool. He was SO excited. As we were walking (well, I was "walking" with my crutches) out the front door I made him put on his new backpack, tossed my crutches aside, and tried to take a "first day of school" picture of my cute, sweet, innocent, four year old school boy.

Here's what I got.

If I was Caleb's teacher I'd be thinking that this kid looks like trouble. Really, he was just so excited-- standing still was difficult. While Caleb was a little nervous when we first arrived-- once he found the toys he barely looked up when I said goodbye. And he had a great time. I asked Caleb what he had done that morning-- apparently they had done "quite many things". He can hardly wait to go back later on this week.

And how did I get him (and Emerson) down the stairs and to the car in my current invalid state? Well-- I had a babysitter for Eme during the morning drop off. When it came time to pick Caleb up however... I may or may not have scooted on my bum down the front steps on my way to the car. Stairs + Crutches + Holding a one year old = a nearly impossible situation. Let's just say the neighbors are in for a show over the next few weeks...

Afternoon Highlight

2011-09-09T15:41:00.000-07:00

This warm Friday afternoon did not start out so great-- I hobbled into the living room to discover that Eme had found Caleb's milk and was chugging it back. As I swooped in and picked her up she started to violently throw up everything in her system-- thank goodness! She broke out into some hives and was itchy for a while, but we avoided a trip to the ER. After the kids were sleeping I decided to not do anything except sit and look at the latest digital issues of the magazines I subscribe to-- I was way too stressed out to do anything else! My afternoon improved when I discovered a fabulous kitchen in the latest October issue of Style at Home. And since I just figured out how to snap pictures on my Mac, I decided to share them with you :)

I'd take this kitchen in a heartbeat.

Now I don't know what you're going to think of this next kitchen but I thought I'd share it anyway. The latest issue of House and Home featured pictures of the 2011 PMH Showhome. The Showhome's kitchen is yellow-- actually I'd call it mustard. Do you dig it?

While I probably wouldn't put it in my own house-- I'm loving it. And there are a lot of features in here that make me happy-- those lights, the backsplash, the style of cabinetry, that rustic island.

Well now. The afternoon's almost over and the weekend is almost here. Thank goodness. If anyone would like to drive to my house and bring me some chocolate or a frap I would probably accept :)

Overnight Guests Beware

2011-09-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Warning-- if you ever are an overnight guest at our house I might just sell your bed right out from under you. True story folks. While my parents were visiting a couple of weeks ago I sold the guest room bed. Well not the mattresses, just the bed frame. You see-- I have a bit of a craigslist problem. I buy things... and I sell things. It's a bit addicting. On a whim I posted our old Ikea Hemnes bed frame to see if someone would buy it for a decent price. I figured it was now or never-- Ikea recently started cleared out all the old style Hemnes bed frames in the wood finish (I think they're still selling the white ones) and are now selling a new version for a much cheaper price. Well, as soon as I posted it I had a ton of emails and inquiries... but I wasn't super committed at that point and it just didn't seem like I had buyers that were really serious. Then my parents came and I was scheduled for surgery so I just figured I'd sell it another time. But then someone called the day before surgery and was willing to pay cash and pick it up within the hour. Before saying yes I asked my mom if I could sell her bed-- she was down with it. So we pulled the whole thing apart and an hour later it was gone. I wasn't sure what my dad would say when I told him I had sold his bed, but he just chuckled and told me that the old ikea bed was too high for him anyways :) So now the mattresses sit all alone on the floor waiting for a headboard intervention.

So now I've got to make a new bed. Obviously not today, this week, or any time soon... but I would like to try my hand at doing another upholstered headboard. We already did a camel back headboard for our room so I'd like to do something different this time around. So many options... how's a girl gonna decide?

image

I guess for now I'll just have to look at some pretty pictures for inspiration. Here are few fav's...

white or cream with tufting. pretty and kinda girly.

How about this one with side panels-- kind of like a wingback chair turned headboard.

This one's the got the best of both-- wingback-ish sides AND tufting. Looks like a lot of work :)

upholstering a headboard with a patterned fabric could look pretty spectacular...

I love yellow,

I love stripes,

And I love pretty much anything Sarah Richardson designs.

These ones don't have pattern but are still colorful. I love the inset panel in the next ones and how they are trimmed out with piping or a bit of nailhead trim...

Oh, there are so many options. And I have way too much time on my hands to think about this! So what would you choose? Color, pattern, tufting, nailhead trim...?

all images via pinterest

Yup, I'm still sitting here

2011-09-06T10:08:00.000-07:00

Let's continue on with my "from the couch" series-- because it really is that exciting. right.

Well apparently summer has finally arrived around these parts... great timing, eh? I wish I could dazzle and wow you with stories and pictures from an adventurous and fun long weekend but alas, I spent most of the weekend on the couch. But I did manage to snap a few pics with my phone along the way.

Let's start with Emerson. She's been learning lots of new things. Like... How to dance. She's got the head bob going on whenever she hears music. Waving-- this isn't new-- but she's abandoned the concept of "less is more" and waves pretty much all day long. Crawling-- she's like lightening. And now she's walking along furniture and starting to stand on her own. Cuddling-- Eme will now cuddle with me for 5 second intervals. This is 5 seconds longer than Caleb (as a baby) would have ever sat still. As of this morning she's figured out how to grind her teeth-- it's driving me crazy.

And... she's been waking up with the sweetest hair lately-- think beehive-- flat on the sides with a big pouf on top. I dig it.

And now that other kid. Check out those muscles.

After days and days spent on the couch I was getting a little claustrophobic. So we tried to get out to a couple of different parks over the weekend. I did a lot of sitting around-- Doug and the kids played. Funniest thing ever was watching them play monkey in the middle-- frisbee style. Eme was the little monkey in the middle who just never seemed to be able to catch the frisbee flying overhead. We also hit up the spray park. Caleb's favorite thing at the spray park was the ziploc bag from his lunch-- he could have run around with that thing filling it up with water for hours. Why do I ever buy them toys? My favorite part of the spray park was the insane set of the stairs I had to climb up and down with my crutches. I'd better have some seriously ripped arms by the time this is over.

And of course-- like I mentioned before-- most of the weekend was spent right here, on the couch. But we've still tried to have fun. Like play monopoly. Caleb beat me quite badly.

And Caleb's continued to spend hours drawing on his Magna Doodle. This was an excavator.

And let me end this post my saying that I have been well taken care of by the boys in my house. My hubby's last few weeks have included mountains of laundry, cleaning the house, making meals, grocery shopping, bathing/feeding/clothing/entertaining two kids, getting up during the night with kids, taking care of the yard, taking care of the car, taking care of me-- oh, and working 40 hours a week at his day job :) I sure do love him! Caleb's been following his example. All day long Caleb brings me ice packs, pillows, my breakfast (just yogurt or a granola bar-- nothing too crazy!) and he carries everything around the house for me. He even moves his sister around the house-- I strap her into the stroller and he wheels her down the hall to her room or to her high chair. And Caleb latest job is to vacuum. We have a little mini-vacuum cleaner-- Doug set it up to charge in Caleb's bedroom and he has become my official vacuum-er. He's taking his job pretty seriously. Yesterday, in a very parent-like voice Caleb said to me, "Oh Mommy, don't worry. Daddy and I are going to take GOOD care of you." And he's right. Daddy and Caleb are taking very good care of me :)

On Display

2011-09-02T11:05:00.000-07:00

I love art created by kids. I also love gallery art walls. So, if you combine the two you get something pretty awesome. Maybe something that looks like this...

Caleb LOVES to do art projects. He started at an early age-- when he was just a wee lad he would head off to daycare where he would craft away the day. His love of creating has continued. I literally have an entire filing cabinet drawer that's full of his creations. One project that's on my to do list for this fall is to find a way to creatively display some of his stylish work! I've been collecting some pictures of stylish ways to display kids art. Here are some of my favorites...

Honestly-- this is so stylish and so pretty-- it's beautiful! Who needs to buy art when kids can create something like this!

A grid of frames up on the wall like this is pretty incredible-- you could put anything into these frames and it would look amazing. I LOVE it!

Honestly-- skip the fridge magnets and head for the frames. I've been collecting a bunch of cheap frames and mats to frame some of Caleb's paintings-- because the frames take it from being cute to stylish! Stylish enough for the kitchen :)

I think the key is to display kids art in a collection-- putting one or two up won't have the same impact as a grouping of pieces. In this picture these images aren't framed-- but they are grouped together in an artistic way. Because the room is more casual it works!

Again, in this space it's the grouping and scale of this arrangement that makes this look so amazing! All this mom did was attach thin strips of wood to the wall, painted them out and attached clips to the grid so that artwork could be rotated and added to the wall easily. Brilliant! (For more details click here)

There are hundreds of creative ways to display kids artwork-- just search on pinterest for a while and you'll be blown away. Here a few more fav's of mine...

Clip it up!!

Magnetic strips. Oh my-- I am totally digging that pink strip along the bottom of the wall. And those little boots, and the little chair-- so cute!

And I would love to try this one out-- if you can't store all of your kid's art just photograph it, shrink the images and display them as a collection in a single frame. Totally modern-- from a distance it looks like a great print-- and the best thing is that you don't have to keep drawers full of artwork!!

So one of these days (maybe in a few weeks!) I'll have to get Caleb set up to do more painting and figure out where I'm going to display it! I can't wait! And if you're looking for a project for the long weekend and have stacks of kids artwork-- here you go. A weekend project just for you :)

All images can be found here

Ice Buddies

2011-09-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Ice packs. They're a hot commodity around here these days...

I've been faithfully keeping my knee iced-- Caleb's faithfully provided me with cold ice packs from the freezer all day long. But now we've become ice buddies. Why? Well he tends to be a bit accident prone. Even while wearing a helmet (they really should be mandatory for 4 year olds nowadays) Caleb managed to find a way to get hurt. Last night he took a flying frisbee to the nose.

This led to yet another trip to the hospital for this family (this makes 3 trips in 3 weeks... each trip for a different member of our family-- but I'm not counting :) The doctor checked for clots (all clear) and determined that since his nose was sitting pretty straight there was no point in doing X-rays... broken or not the diagnosis would be the same. Bring on the ice.

Caleb was brave. Grandma gave him a cookie-- that seemed to stop the tears. I told him that he could either go to straight to bed or take a trip to the hospital with Daddy. Thankfully he didn't call my bluff-- he excitedly chose the hospital. Apparently he had a great time in the ER. The doctor looked up his nose with a tiny flashlight-- he was a fan. Caleb got a treat before bed-- a donut. But the best part of the evening was when he walked in the door after the hospital trip as chipper as could be saying:

"Hello Mommy!!! Guess what-- the doctor said I have to put ICE on my nose!!!"

Kitchens on the Brain

2011-08-31T20:18:00.000-07:00

Alrighty... on to the topic of kitchens! I've had kitchen renovations on the brain lately (too much free time = project planning and scheming) and have been trying to plan out what we'll do in ours. Doug and I have been talking and planning and if all goes well (meaning my leg works again at some point in the near future) we may try to start working on our kitchen at some point in the fall. So I've been thinking about kitchens and looking for kitchen inspiration. A friend of mine is thinking about kitchens too-- and she mentioned that I should do a post on the classic kitchen. Done and done.

Now let me start by saying that everyone will have a different opinion on what the ideal/classic kitchen is. We all have different tastes, preferences, and styles. If you are choosing a kitchen I would say-- who cares what's popular or the latest trend-- if you don't love it, don't do it! Know what you like and find a way to pull it off without breaking the bank! And this leads me to my next point. As a mom with a couple of young (and exceptionally messy) kids I can understand then need to have a home that can withstand messes. BUT, I think you don't have to sacrifice style! If you love LOVE white kitchens don't choose dark wood cabinets and countertops just because it will hide dirt and kid's messes. The only thing worse than a dirty kitchen is a dirty and messy kitchen that you don't love! While you still need to make smart choices and select materials that YOU can maintain (know yourself and your level of commitment!) I think that if you truly love your home you will make it work!

Okay-- now I'm done ranting. Moving on-- we may not all agree on what a truly classic and timeless kitchen looks like, but can we all just agree that it's not this?

We've come a long long ways. Can't wait to renovate for reals...

Now that we've got that out of the way-- let's move on to the pretty pictures! As I've mentioned over and over and over again-- I'm spending way too much time on the couch these days. Over the weekend I ended up watching an older movie-- Something's Gotta Give-- and I was struck with the fact that the kitchen in the movie (a movie that's been out for 8 years already!) is probably the perfect example of a timeless, classic kitchen. Here's a picture:

image

It's classic but still casual and welcoming. This kitchen has white shaker doors with a little bit of glass, dark countertops and floors, stainless steel, white subway tile backsplash with white grout-- a clean slate that can be updated over time with accessories. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that this kind of kitchen would likely appeal to the most because it's a classic choice. And 10 years from now it will still be appealing-- it's a timeless look.

Here are a few more kitchens-- while they're not all exactly the same-- they follow the same formula:

image

And about a year ago I saw an awesome house tour on the House and Home website. The kitchen in the tour is so similar to the SGG kitchen-- the entire house is beautiful. I couldn't find a picture-- but you can watch the house tour here.

Now, while I love these kitchens-- they are beautiful-- they are not exactly what I would personally choose. Over time I've figured out what I really like after looking at countless magazines and spending way too much time on pinterest. I really really love an all white kitchen-- simple white cabinets, a white or marble backsplash, and white or light countertops. I like classic mixed with a bit of contemporary. And I don't like match-y white-- I like layers of different whites. And I love little details. And fabulous lighting. And a mix of different styles and texture. And pops of color in small doses. So without further ado... in no particular order-- here are some of my (currently) favorite kitchen images. (all the following images can be found on my kitchen pinterest board).

Yeah, so apparently I don't have expensive taste at all :) And I really do like a little bit of everything-- and I really do like many many different styles-- but I think I'm starting to get a good idea of what I like.

Now, about kitchens with stained wood cabinets! Dark wood or white-- that always seems to be the dilemma-- what to choose?? There are many many kitchens with wood cabinets that I love. However, I think that choosing a timeless stained wood kitchen can be tricker than white because you have SO many stain color options-- plus you then have to consider how the stain will coordinate with the other wood tones in your house-- like flooring, your dining room table, and other pieces of furniture. It can be tricky. But, I think that a dark stained kitchen in chocolate or espresso tones (not too much red) can be a timeless and classic choice too. Chocolate/espresso wood tones are easier to match with other woods and give you that cool bistro, "I'm at Starbucks" feel. Here are a few of my favorites!!

I could keep going. I could move on to kitchens with not-white painted cabinets-- those are pretty trendy nowadays. But I'm feeling a little long winded. Maybe I'll save that for another day.

Let me conclude by saying-- in the end selecting something timeless and classic is great-- but choose what you love and something you can live with!

It's Official...

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

This kid can draw better than his mama.

(please excuse the creepy facial expression. my bad)

And this little lady likes baby einstein.

Apparently we've spent a little too much time indoors lately :)