Furniture Porn...

Perhaps the sexiest table you will gaze at today. Dawson from RELIK delivered this harvest table and benches to us last night. Hand crafted out of repurposed bowling alley floors we can now sit 10 comfortably. Genius. A very sturdy addition to the hussy in a black dress that is now the dining room. It all balances out. So, have a peek...enjoy xo

Fine, go to Nicaragua...

I will just paint the dining room black. Partly because I am sneaky and have no desire to have an actual discussion about the (possible) bad consequences of doing so, and partly because I know it is going to be amazeballs. Well, there was a brief moment of "Oh baby Jesus, what have I done", but I muscled through it. 
Sure glad I did. Our dining room (which was a kind of non room before) now has something to say. It kind of yells at you, but I spend way more time in it so I must kinda like that. And thankfully Paul loves it too. Whew. 

Before...a wallflower of a room. Yawn.

My "Oh crap" moment. It was brief.

Now...A loudmouthed girl in a tight black dress that orders you to "Sit down, pour a drink...stay awhile".

Even the art is happier.

Paul has no more big trips planned in the near future. 

Wonder how much I can get done during a day trip to Niagara on the Lake?

xo

Birthday Wishes Pt. Deux...

Four years ago, around this time I was very, very pregnant. And as a result (well of that and a lot of danish scarfing), I was very very round. So round in fact that on December 8 2007 my husband and I had a full on domestic (sans slapping) right outside of Terroni (lovely Italian restaurant in the heart of Queen West). 
I wanted lunch, I was hungry, I was always hungry...but Terroni was packed, and the tables are close together, and there were three of me stuffed into one sumo suit. I was right fighting for Hero Burger...much more room, less of a scene. Paul won and I begrudgingly wedged us into a too small seat. We did have a gorgeous lunch of wild mushroom soup and a gorgonzola pizza with shaved prosciutto topping it off. Everything was going brilliantly in fact, till I waddled to the bathroom and (of course) my water broke. 
Sigh.
I sat in denial for about 15 min...perhaps I was just having a really loooooooooooooonnnng pee. 
Nope.
Long to short, I champed up, wrapped my coat around my waist and marched out to a full house and an alarmed looking Paul. Five hours later I was a proud Mama. It makes for a great story, and we take the kids back every year and tell it to them over a delicious meal. 
(So glad I am not celebrating every year in Hero Burger).

You guys have your daddy's taste buds, and my ridiculous sense of timing. 

(Good luck with that).

Happy Birthday my loves xo.

Birthday Wishes...

Today is Georgia and Shep's fourth birthday. We have a whole fun day of activities planned out (I will spend the day reflecting and wondering how the heck four years just flew on by). It has been the worst and best job I have ever had being a Mama to these two little beings. The pay sucks, but the benefits are wondrous. It is a privilege.
I will post pics of our birthday adventures, for now I will leave you with a few favs from the past four years. 

Happy Birthday Babies xo

Holiday Fibbs...

Round about December 2nd I remembered it was December.  I also remembered that I had wanted to make an advent calendar for the kids, something fun to count down the days until the 25th. It would also serve me well to have a large reminder of what day I am actually in, to avoid my usual night before breakdown. 
Last year I bought the kids the standard cardboard box with little perforated windows and a chocolate in each. I tucked it away in a "safe place" and then promptly forgot about it. Cut to me Christmas eve, with too many things to do and not enough hours left to do them (and maybe some rum)...well, I found it. I went at those little windows like it was my job...cue shame spiral (and more rum). 
Well, not this year folks. Each night the "Christmas Fairy" comes, she brings little treats and a note tucked into the mitten of the day. The notes are gentle reminders to be kind, and helpful (and yes good). The treats are incentive for them to do so. It's sort of a fibb...but it's mine and I'm sticking to it. I like to think of myself as the Christmas Fairy. A little bigger and sometimes grumpier, maybe not as sparkly...but I bring the magic none the less.

Here's how this particular magic went down...

I printed 1 - 25 onto transfer paper, then ironed each onto a heavy cotton.

Cut out 50 mittens, I mixed up the fabrics to make it colourful. Trim each number and stitch onto one half of the mittens.

I added a piece of red trim to give a bit of jaunty consistency.

Our indoor garden gate was the perfect place to hang all 25 mitts.

Better be good for goodness sakes!

Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate...

xo