Grace over at Sense & Sensibility tagged me for a fun post. For this tag, you need to find the 6th photo posted on your blog and re-post it and tell the story behind it. I have been blogging on and off since 2006. I started this blog as a form of memory-keeping. But it has also evolved into a place to share creative projects, recipes and other things. But, alas, we digress. This is a picture of my then 5 yr. old Tyler in the spring of 2006. The Edmonton Oilers were in the Stanley Cup playoffs that year. Read More »
how I love Amy Butler anything….
A friend of mine introduced me to Amy Bulter quilting fabrics a few years ago. And I fell in love. The happy prints. The delicious colour combinations. The incredibly beautiful punch they give to any room. And here we are a few years later and her designs have branched out into much more than quilting. Her designs now grace wall art. I love the vignette above. And there’s a fabulous line of stationary products. I would never want to leave my desk. A line of papercraft products can be found at Michael’s. I have all of her scrapbook paper. I Read More »
what’s happening around here?
I had a scrapbook date with a friend at her house. Hunter got to tag along. She enjoyed many hours of cuddling with this sweet little six week old boy. Momma was able to get some scrapbooking done. Hunter gained some little baby skills. I was so happy for her to have this experience because we don’t see tiny babies very often. For a lot of households, spring brings a nice break from winter activities before the summer activities start. Not in our house however. Welcome to spring hockey. It compresses the same number of games of winter into half the time. Read More »
a mini-scrapbook…
While cleaning and organizing my little scrapbook space, I came across this little scrapbook I made a few years ago from an altoid tin. It was a really fun & easy project. Just take an empty altoid tin and wash it. Assemble some scraps of cardstock, some ribbon and whatever little embellishments you have and 2 punches. For this project I used the Marcy Uchida circle punch (2 1/4 inch size, which fits perfectly into the tin) and an EK Success Flower Punch. You also need a set of little pictures to go inside the scrapbook. Walmart makes this easy with the Read More »
Organizing Keepsakes…
A few years ago I spotted these attractive suede boxes at London Drugs. I loved the combination of the suede and leather look and the antique-looking handles. I thought these boxes were perfect for the upper shelves of our closet. A place where I like to store special keepsakes because I know that they are dry, warm & safe. In these boxes are things like elementary school pictures of Ron and I, baptism candles, tiny baby clothes and such. Problem was…..I didn’t have these boxes labelled. Bad idea. Everytime I needed to locate something….I had to peek through all Read More »
Greek night at our house….
For some reason this morning, Hunter and I both got up with thoughts of Greek food.We decided to make tonight a “Greek” night at our house.It was a collaborative effort between her and I. Using a new recipe from “Fresh Flavours Fast”, she made the greek chicken kabobs.Marinated in greek spices, fresh oregano and mint…they were yummy.She also made the lemon-scented rice. I made the greek vegetable salad. Yup. I got off easy. Except, it seems now that whenever I cook with my mother or my daughter, I ended up being the ‘sous chef’. Why is that? My favorite part of Read More »
Random Acts of Kindness……
When we were in Colorado, we happened to be leaving a mall when we drove by a homeless man with a sign asking for money. Hunter’s voice came from the backseat of the car, “Mommy, can we give some money to that man?”. I said, “Of course”. There was a time when homeless people used to scare her when we met them on the street. She was always afraid of these individuals because they looked and smelled different. Our car happened to be stopped while we waited for traffic lights to change to green. We both dug into our purses to give money Read More »
Colorado Springs…
Hunter and I just returned from a 4 day trip to Colorado Springs in Colorado. It was a short trip, but very fun. We went to Colorado to watch the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships. 23 teams competed for the title of World Champions. Teams came from Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Australia, New Zealand,….just to name a few. Canada had 2 teams competing in the Championships. We had quite a large cheering section for the Canadian teams. A group of about 25 attended from our synchro club here in Alberta. Colorado is a gorgeous state. Full of beautiful landscape. It Read More »
a travel scrapbook…
A few years ago I attended a scrapbook convention. This was one of the projects for a class. A mini travel scrapbook. I simply adore this little book. I love the crispness of the white & black colour scheme. I intend to make a project like this…. a mini travel scrapbook in a black & white colour scheme. This scrapbook was made by Danielle Johnson with her ‘Art Warehouse’ line, which is now more than a few years old and may be hard to find. But I love it just the same.
a note to self….
Can you please finish this pretty quilt that you started for your mother over 2 years ago? It is so close to being finished. It just needs a bit more quilting. Then the binding. And then it is finished. Maybe a few hours of work is left. Please finish me soon!
my happy homemaking heart…
Here are some new things this week that make my little homemaking heart go pitter patter. My wonderful husband picked this up for me from Costco a few days ago. Hunter and I had a little tug of war over it when it arrived home, but I let her have it since she’s so cute & all. Besides, what mother doesn’t want to encourage their offspring to cook for the family? I also bought a bottle of this. Why love it? Well, you might not be able to tell from the picture, but this is not large jug. It’s a Read More »
an altered clipboard….
At one of the last scrapbooking retreats I attended, I had the chance to make an altered clipboard for the kitchen. I wanted a way to display the kids school photos that was fun instead of in a boring frame. This is made with a ‘mini’ clipboard that can be found at the dollar store for $1. I know it sounds funny to say that it cost $1.00 at a dollar store, but some so-called dollar stores sell things for $1.50 or other prices that are not exactly a $1.00! I used scrapbook paper along with ‘mod podge’ to cover the clipboard. Then Read More »
a three hour tour…
Our family recently acquired a boat.Yup. A boat. For tours. Fishing. Knee-boarding. Water-skiing. All the fun stuff. Whenever I think of boat tours, the theme song from this little show from my childhood pops into my head. This got me thinking. If I had to describe our family in terms of Gilligan’s Island, who would we be? Ron. For sure, he would be the Skipper. He is fatherly, of course, being a father to our children and all. He is also brave, determined and sensible. He keeps us on course and he takes care of us. He will be the one to Read More »
my family wall….
Awhile ago, I gathered up some frames not in use from around the house and spray-painted them heirloom white. I had an an inspiration….I wanted to create a “family wall”….a collection of photos of our family roots….our parents and grandparents. It is also important to me that my children recongnize those they come from. The hardest part was locating pictures. I was able to find pics of all the grandparents except for Ron’s paternal grandparents. I am not sure if even a picture exists of these two people in their younger days. Once I found the pictures, the rest was easy. Read More »
Hello Mrs. Bunny Cake…
My mom always made a version of this cake for us at Easter. It’s a simple homemade cake cut into a bunny shape. Decorated with jelly beans, coconut, licorice and whatever other yummy things we had on hand.When she happens to be visiting us at Easter, she makes it for my kids. Such a simple little tradition. But it makes the kids feel so special. This is our project for today…to make a Mrs. Bunny Cake. We have icing, jelly beans, licorice….it can’t be a holiday unless there’s a mess in the kitchen.
Sarah’s House Season 3: The Farmhouse Kitchen
It always amazes me how I can watch each episode of Sarah’s House faithfully each week, and how there are still beautiful details that the 30 minute show doesn’t capture. Like this staircase. We never saw it in the show. But here it is. I have seen numbered staircases before, but it looks like there is a painted runner in addition to flea market style numbers on each riser. It really adds some great character to what could be a lacklustre staircase. But there is never lacklustre with Sarah. Another little corner of the kitchen that we didn’t get to Read More »
Skinny Legs & Cowgirls…
Intriguing isn’t it? Skinny Legs & Cowgirls. Such an interesting and fun phrase. It’s a resturant…themed after some old giddy up Cowgirl inspirations taken from a novel. Super fun. Super chic. A great watering hole, so to speak. Some girlfriends & I finally ventured to this place for lunch. It did not dissapoint. Except on one point….I did not leave with skinny legs. Dang it. This place features mostly organic meat & produce. And a few fish dishes to round out the menu. We started with 2lbs. of PEI mussels. And 2 of us being from the Maritimes, we know our Read More »
some ‘Grammie’ LOVE in the kitchen…
Whenever my mother comes to visit, she & Hunter like to cook up adventures in the kitchen. One of the ways my mother shows her love for people is to cook for them and with them. Hunter has learned so much from her. And one of things I love about my mother is that she is always game for whatever you want to try. She’s such a FUN girl! Hunter always wants to make crepe desserts with Grammie. This time it was crepes with sauteed pears, candied walnuts with vanilla ice cream. Topped off with maple syrup. Delicious. Hunter feels Read More »
the staff appreciation luncheon….
Each year, the parent council at my childrens’ school hosts a luncheon for the teachers and staff. It is to show appreciation for all the little ‘extras’ the teachers’ & staff give to our children. It’s held on a regular school day in the gym during school lunch hour. The teachers and staff really look forward to this special treat. The honour of planning this event this year was entrusted to me. {Um…probably ’cause I opened my big mouth last year and said that I would love to organize & plan hot dishes instead of just sandwiches.} In any case, it Read More »
my picture of the day project…
is coming along well. I am actually keeping up with taking the pictures AND getting them into the album AND having fun! It was a little hard at first to remember to take a picture EVERY day but now it had become a normal daily ‘habit’. Doing this project is part of my goal for 2010. My word for 2010 is ” Illuminate”. I want to illuminate more areas of my life. And not save the scrapbooking for the BIG events of life, but to scrapbook all the little moments that make up our everyday life. This format is working so well for Read More »
freshening up a little for spring…
While doing some cleaning for Spring, I have been changing up my ‘tablescapes’ a little. It’s so fun to do this every once in awhile. This is a collection of little bottles on top of the martini bar. I collected them from Goodwill. I paid 99 cents each. I love a cheap thrill, what can I say? Something a little fresh for the dining table. Wish I could say they are real. But Homesense has wonderful little pieces like this. The little table by the front door. I just ‘shopped’ the house for these things. A pile of vintage books that Read More »
a new season of Sarah’s House…..
Sarah Richardson. LOVE her. She was recently a guest at a home show in my city. I had to go see her and see her I did. She was a wonderfully dynamic speaker and every bit as fun as she seems on tv, even without that sidekick Tommy. One of my favorite things about Spring is looking forward to a new season of Sarah’s House. These are some of the rooms in the new season. Love the sophisticated touches of yellow in this bathroom. Sarah’s rooms are always so colourful. But if you look closely, you will see that her Read More »
entryway envy….
I am spring cleaning. This means that as I clean, I am looking at everything with fresh eyes. Asking myself, “How can this look better?” as I go thru each room. I love the look of this entry. I have always decorated with blue in my house. But never on walls. I would love to paint my entry this color. Except that it has round corners that make it hard to find a place to end color on a wall. Now I am thinking I am going to paint the bathroom this color. Fresh. Almost a bird’s egg blue. I will Read More »
I am in lust….
with all of these fresh-looking lounge spaces. I love the down-filled, french styled tufted sofa. The layers of creamy color. The hints of soft yellow and green. The whole look is so calm and welcoming. The picture collage in this room just makes me swoon.It’s eclectic, pretty and funky. I love the floral print in the middle. I have seen it to purchase online and I am tempted. This room comes from Canadian House & Home and I believe it is the home of 2 men in Vancouver. I love it for it’s fun look and it’s eclectic grouping over the Read More »
Menu Plan Monday…..Mrs. Easy Peasy..
I am still working on a binder of 30 of my familly’s favorite meals which I will share when I have completed. The purpose of having the recipes all in one binder is to make planning meals easier. No flipping thru cookbooks for ideas. No last minute ‘can’t find it’ search. Everything in one place. Favorite recipes in cookbooks will be photocopied for the binder. Simple dimple. Among my categories for the binder are the standards…chicken, fish, beef, soup, slowcooker, etc. But I have also saved room for a section called “Easy Peasy”. Simple go to meals. Our homemade fast food Read More »
oh february, why do you seem so long?
I find it so ironic that the shortest month of the year also feels like the longest month of the year. Yes, February, thrown in the middle of winter, seems to go on forever. When the calendar turns to March, you can actually think spring. But February just seems to perculote in it’s cold glory. I find myself exceptionally lazy these days….no gumption or motivation to do much of anything. I just walked away from a half-emptied dishwasher because the notion struck me to go blog. My husband will not be so happy when he enters the kitchen and hits his Read More »
the one where I share one of my BFF’s travels….
I just have to share this email that I got this morning! Although I love my life….just a teeny bit of me wants to be here and have this vacation…..just for one teeny little week! Costa Rican Short Story ~ Pura Vida Baby!! Well so much has happened in the few short weeks that I have been here that I could write a novel…but alas time only permits snippets of my adventures thus far. So, let’s start with a summary of the last few days…wowsy! Sunday morning…with the sunrise comes the sounds of the wildlife, numerous types of birds, geckos Read More »
despite the cold….
This is the first time, at 8 years old, that Tyler has taken a true interest in the Olympics. I think he has been too young in the past to really understand, or the big hoopla of the Winter Olympics being in Canada this year makes it too hard to ignore, but he has been following the Olympic Torch make it’s way across the country for weeks now. He kept asking me what day the torch would be in our city and could we go. I said “of course”, while praying that it was not going to be during a sudden Read More »
Menu Plan Monday…
I really love ‘Menu Plan Monday’. It has become a nice habit for me…I enjoy weekly menu planning. It makes the week just feel so much better having a plan. January is a great time of year for soups. I am so lucky that my family truly loves a good bowl of soup….lots of my friends tell me that they can’t get their families to eat soup for dinner. Tonight we had a favorite….taco soup. This time I added tons of mushrooms for a different twist. One thing I have noticed about menu planning among my friends is that my Read More »
my word for 2010….
Illuminate The defintion for illuminate is: 1. To provide or brighten with light. 2. To decorate or hang with lights. 3. To make understandable; clarify: 4. To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand. 5. To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate. 6. To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals. 7. To expose to or reveal by radiation. 8.To become lighted; glow. 9. To provide intellectual or spiritual enlightenment and understanding What does all this mean? There are several areas of my life I want to Read More »
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