Breakfast

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

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...

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!!