Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Design Show

 Like I said yesterday, Mr. D and I went to the design show this weekend.  This was our second time at the show (you can read about our first trip here).  Last year I fell in love with this table...


I am still working on making it, or something similar to it, happen.  Very soon though, very soon!

One of my favourite exhibits this year was BY_Lissoni Lounge, created by Piero Lissoni, Italian Architect and Designer.  He was the IDS 2012 International Guest of Honour.  Isn't this gorgeous...and totally do able?  I overheard them telling another admirer that they removed the covers of some 2,000 books for the exhibit.  Crazy right?  I think this is a thrifters dream, cheap books, easy to do, huge impact!


Another awesome element was at the entrance where they hung long pieces of felt from the ceiling.  You can read more about the installation and process here.  The Girl thought it was kinda fun as well.



The Girl also spent some time with her Papa in their matching sweaters.  There interest level in the show and all the beautiful pieces was about as close as the colour of their sweaters.  How cute are they?  The Girl was happy for the extra attention!


Overall I think I liked last years show a little better.  Maybe it's because I met Tommy Smythe?  There seemed to be more rooms set up by designers last year.  This year some of the exhibits were a little to out there for my liking.  Overall, it was lots of fun and a good activity for a cold snowy day in January.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Our Weekend...




 This weekend we went to the Interior Design Show in Toronto.


Two things were affirmed for me.

1.  I love Interior Design

2. I am on the right track...If only I could afford everything I wanted!  The easy part is finding things I like, the hard part is making it work on a budget...but that's part of the fun right?

Click here to see the highlights, otherwise I will share my favourites tomorrow.

Happy Monday!




Sunday, January 22, 2012

Indoor Activities


The Boss has been sick, 
and the weather here has turned cold,
so I've been racking my brain for fun indoor activities.

As I was thinking, 
I remembered a time when I was young,
 and my Mom took my younger sister and I to the mall with our babies and strollers.
We loved it.

Knowing how much The Boss LOVES her stroller,
 I decided this was a great morning activity.
 I packed The Girl up and headed to the mall.

I went early, right after they opened to avoid  large crowds.
What great exercise!
We walked the mall...back and forth, back and forth.


Luckily we ran into my Mom at the mall.  
She joined us and helped me coral this crazy child.
The Boss marched through the mall like she owned the place.
Every so often she would leave her baby and run to look in the window of a store.
She would ignore all Men's stores and checked out all the Ladies fashions.


We did some window shopping, 


And posed a little along the way.


The Girl was in HEAVEN!

Linking Here:


Friday, January 20, 2012

New Wall Art...

Today, we were blessed with new wall art.
Today, The Boss redecorated by colouring on the wall, 
Yes, the wall!
I always wondered what "kind" of parent is so oblivious to what their child is doing?



Let me tell you "The Kind".
The Kind who's husband leaves at 6 am for work leaving Mommy to do the morning routine.
The Kind who worked all day and didn't get a chance to use the bathroom because it was so busy.
The Kind who rushes to get The Boss from daycare and then home to start dinner.
The Kind who forgot to take chicken out so she frantically tries to defrost it and get it in the oven.
The Kind who is scrambling to get dinner in the oven so she has time to get gas before getting Hubby. 
The Kind who knows if she makes one false move they won't be eating until 8 pm.
So who is this terrible parent?

It's a Mom.
Clearly, this could happen to anyone of us. 
We have a strict no colouring unsupervised rule at our house.
The crayons and colouring books are kept high so The Boss can't get them on her own.
But, today I was THAT "Kind" of Mom. 
I was busy so I handed The Boss the crayons to keep her out of the way while I ran around.
Today I was thankful for magic erasers.
Those things really are magic.
Dear Magic Eraser, thank you for erasing the mistakes of the day! 

For those of you who are feeling a little like I am today, a picture.
A friend posted this and I couldn't resist sharing.



I am excited to spend time with my co-worker this weekend.
Have a great weekend!

Ps. This post is by no means a slam on my Hubby but instead a reminder to all Mommies that we all have days like today.  We are so grateful for Mr. D's job but every once in a while I need a reminder that we are all "That Kind" of parent sometimes.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

We've caught a bug....


Today this is my best friend.  The Girl woke me up in the middle of the night with the FLU!  Yuck...this was our first flu experience as parents.  Not fun!  I was literally running between her bed and ours cleaning up the messes she would make.  Yes, it was coming that quickly.  Once I got control of the situation I had a plan to minimize the spread of the mess.  It worked well and after a few hours of craziness, The Girl was clean, back in a fresh crib and done with the worst part of this bug.  Today we rocked the BRAT diet and The Girl spent most of the day sleeping.
Meanwhile, I have caught a different bug...the decorating bug.  We spent some time at IKEA this weekend picking up a few odds and ends for my office make over.  I am also determined to buy a new dinning table, would love a headboard for our bed and finishing off our rec room while I'm at it might not be a bad idea either.  Below are the items I picked up.  Two hanging shelves, a small navy pot, three round storage bins, and a pack of 4 tea towels that may or may not turn into pillows.                     

After our trip to IKEA we took dinner to my parents.  I was explaining to my Mom that I was wanting to make pillows for my office.  She had some extra pillow inserts that she gave me which will help with the overall cost of my of my reno.  
Pillow #1!  I used the majority of one tea towel for the front and some white fabric I already had for the back to maximize the use of the towels.  The tea towels cost me $3.99 for four and the inserts were free from my Mom, therefore this pillow cost me $1.  


The pillow looks nice on my bed (yes we changed our room around, and yes it needs some work) but it won't be staying there...much to masculine.  I will be moving it to my office, OR...I might just have another idea for it.





Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Potty Training 101

I hate changing diapers.
It's not the day to day diapers that bother me,
but those in public that make me the most crazy.
You're out visiting friends when you smell a walk by stink bomb.
Everyone in the room looks at you,
as if you were the one who filled your pants.

You grab your Lil' muffin and excuse yourself to a private place.
It's not that I don't love the alone time with my girl,
but seriously.....
she always picked the most interesting part of the conversation to do her business.
No one likes the smelly kid.

I decided when The Boss turned one that I would start toilet training.
We would put her on the potty periodically and see how it went.
Some days we would sit forever.
We would wait and wait.
We sang songs, and read books.
When she went we would celebrate with praise and a treat  
(crackers...she called them cookies and we didn't correct her).


She made progress, but we were travelling a lot,
and she had two ear infections so we didn't push her.
Then in October (she was 17 months) I we got serious.
I set December 25 as our goal.
Every night after dinner she went straight to the potty.
At first we sat for a long time,
but eventually she was asking to go as soon as we finished eating.
Once she caught on I added after lunch the days I was home.
I bought a travel seat and put her on no matter where we were.
Consistency is key!

When I felt confident in our progress I got our daycare involved.
They would put her on after lunch to get started,
and more often she got comfortable and would go for them.

At the beginning of December we hit a road block.
She would go when put on the potty,
but wouldn't tell us when she needed to go.
Those easy-ups are just to comfy,
so we moved to underwear.
She needed to feel uncomfortable, and that she did.
The first accident was one of the last.
I remember clearly the look on her face,
and the way she waddled over to me.
Eventually, with permission from our daycare provider,
we sent her to daycare in underwear.

We visited Florida over Christmas and I worried she would have accidents.
but she was a champ.
Even though she wore underwear at home I had her in easy ups.
An accident is much worse than a walk by stink bomb when visiting friends.
I was worried that with all the excitement and change she might forget.
Not the case at all.
This Girl was on it.
Asking constantly for the potty and telling anyone who would listen that she had gone.

I knew we were fully trained on the plane ride home,
I had her in an easy-ups again just in case!
She insisted on the plane she needed the "potty".
I started with "No, I think your okay."
Again she tried "Potty Mommy, Potty."
I said "Just go in your easy up".
I know, terrible parenting...have you seen an air plane bathroom?
She started crying and said "No, potty, potty."
She won, and we went to the potty.
Success!
Even in the smallest,
grossest bathroom,
amongst turbulence,
The Girl went!

Now she goes anywhere no matter what,
and yes I take pictures of her doing so.
Do you blame me?
How hilarious is she on the potty wearing her faux fur?



So 2012 will be diaper free for our family!
I'm so proud of the girl!



Thursday, January 12, 2012

Thankful on Thursday

Today I am thankful for...

A healthy Baby.  It's been a long couple of days but The Girl seems to be on the mend!

A Nana who is willing to nurse her grand baby back to health.  This week my Mom took The Girl so we wouldn't risk her getting sick while recovering from Scarlet Fever.

My Mom, Me and my Nana, can you guess where?

A Nanue (my Nana...the Great Grandbabies call here Nanue) who loves her Great Grandbaby so much and delivered flowers while she was sick.  What a lucky little girl.


For my Hubby's 5:00 am alarm.  That's right...5:00 am!  Hubby started a new job this week in Toronto which means he leaves the house at ten to six.  The night before his first day we picked a ringtone for his early morning wake up call together.  We chose "Today is the Day" by Lincoln Brewster.  There was something so appropriate about this song.  We are so grateful for this new position and the opportunities it will present.

Today is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

Also, Happy Birthday to my Dad!

Holding my flowers while they loaded me into a car in the rain at my wedding.
Yes, it did rain on my wedding day, and no this is not his normal face...
a picture says a thousand words!
Love this guy to bits!

It's "Birthday Week" so  if the kiddies are all feeling better we will celebrate him on the weekend.



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

What I wore Wednesday...

This morning while putting my outfit together for work, I came up with this.  I took an old necklace and an old bow and turned it into a new accessory.  I cut the ribbon and tied it around the necklace.  What an easy way spice up a boring necklace.


I'm linking up here:
The Pleated Poppy

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Can you say upgrade?

I started with this...


I now own this...


That's right, I am one of the lucky ladies who ended up with a new sewing machine for Christmas.  A little over a year ago I purchased my first sewing machine.  It was a Shark.  That's right, the same people who make steamers, vacuums, and dust busters also make a sewing machine.  That should've been my first clue.   I actually knew it wouldn't be great but, I wanted to start with a cheap one to see if I actually used it.  When it went on sale last year for $70 I jumped at it.  Problem was, I used it a ton.  The Shark is perfect for the occasional straight line, however that is not what I want to do.  I want to make clothes, try quilting and possibly make an appearance as a designer on project runway...just kidding.  I actually really enjoy sewing and found myself getting so frustrated when my machine couldn't keep up to my creativity.  

NOT ANYMORE...this new machine is way out of my league.  I have a lot of making up to do, to impress this puppy.  Luckily, the store where my machine was purchased has a class you can take on your machine.  They will show you how to get the most from your machine.  Stay tuned for lots of projects and a make-over of my creative domain.  It currently looks like this, and doesn't really scream creative haven.  Don't worry, I've got big plans for it.



Who else got a new machine?

Monday, January 9, 2012

Scarlet....what?

The Boss has Scarlet Fever....
That's Right,
She went back in time to 1850 and caught Scarlet Fever.


It's actually a lot more common than you'd think.
It's a strain of strep throat.
So, since The Girl showed no symptoms,
and didn't even whine,
it turned into Scarlet Fever.


We had a bunch of plans this weekend that my Hubby ended up attending alone.
Plans changed!
Instead of dinner parties and shopping,
I battled fevers between 102 and 103.8,
watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,
and cuddled a steaming hot baby.
We also took a trip to the clinic for antibiotics.
We're back on amoxicillin!


Luckily we have new Christmas jams,
new toys,
and colouring books to keep us busy.
I have to give The Girl credit,
She really is a good little patient.



Feel better soon Baby!

Friday, January 6, 2012

Sick again....


The Girl is sick as a dog!
What is with random fevers that spike?
At least Christmas is over right?
Luckily I have the day off, so we will spend the day cuddling and getting the girl well.
Is it bad that a small part of me enjoys cuddling with my sick baby?
It's the only time she is willing to cuddle.

Happy Friday!
Have a wonderful weekend!


Thursday, January 5, 2012

Our Christmas

We spent Christmas day in our home.
We were so excited to set out The Girl's gifts.


She LOVED her stroller and Baby Stella.
It was so rewarding to see her eyes light up when she saw her new toys.


 This year was a lot more fun than last.
The Girl was healthy, and totally into opening her gifts.
She was so excited about each item.




We bought her a back pack, and as you can see from the photos she didn't take it off.



We also got her Minnie Mouse stick on earrings.  
These took me back to my childhood.
People keep asking me if I am going to pierce her ears or not.  
I have really been going back and forth on this so for now we are sticking with the stickers.


Then it was off to Florida to visit family.
Travelling took a lot out of us but as always it was worth every second.
We love being with family and The Girl LOVED all the attention.


New Years was low key.
The Hubby and I got away during the day to shop and go on a date.
We had smoked pork for dinner (Hubby's fav) and spent time with our family and The Girl.


The next day we stopped by the Gator Bowl pep-rally!
Go Gators!
And got to watch the game with other Gator fans.


All and all a great Holiday!