How Does Your Garden Grow?

July 31, 2013
When I was a young girl, I had a patch of vegetables that I tended to in my Mother's garden. It always did very well, but through the years I lost interest in it. It wasn't until I had a home of my own that I very badly wanted a garden. It has been eight years, but this year I finally got my husband to help me dig up some of the yard in order to plant a little garden.


It is only 5'x7', but it is big enough to plant a couple of rows of carrots and leaf lettuce, as well as some peas, cucumbers, and green onions. I wanted to plant some potatoes, but that never happened. Next year I will plant some potatoes, and maybe not as much lettuce -- there's just sooo much lettuce.



I have really enjoyed tending to my garden, picking weeds, watering it, and, most recently, reaping the benefits of my pea plants. The little boy loves eating peas out of the pod, just like his mama :)



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The Shop: Some Ideas Never Fly

July 29, 2013
I want to share with you a little bit of what is involved in making a product once the idea is formed in my head. Some ideas never get off the ground, while others are altered part way through the process, while still others may be scrapped even after being put into the shop for a little bit. Sometimes I'm able to make something I absolutely love from the very beginning, while others, as you'll see, take a little bit more work.



The rabbit on the left ended up being part of an Easter card that I have since stopped listing, but the rabbit on the right was clearly an attempt at a different approach, or maybe a Kindergartener made it.



This tree eventually became the art print "Bluebird of Happiness", but after painfully drawing the tree and the roots, I decided that I didn't like the look of the roots. Luckily, Photoshop comes in handy in altering things like that.



Sometimes it takes a lot of writing out a phrase, or even a word, before I find one that I'm happy with. I'll try different ways of aligning the words, or even sometimes as simple has how I write my "o". I usually end up using the original way I wrote it out anyway. It's good practice :)



The drawings on this page were made for the Valentine "Lit My Heart". Which one do you think I decided to use? Haha! You'll notice that sometimes I play with a phrase and how I word it. Sometimes they fly, and other times...not so much.



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Read It: Bossypants

July 26, 2013

My son and I picked out some new books at the bookstore.

I didn't need the audio copy of Tina Fey's Bossypants because I was reading it at the same time that my husband and I were finishing Season 6 and Season 7 of 30 Rock and I could hear her voice in my head anyway. I'm pretty sure I read the entire book like Liz Lemon was talking to me, and I think that's why I loved it even more. I actually pictured every story and detail of Bossypants as if it were part of an episode of 30 Rock. I felt engulfed in the world of Tina Fey and it made me appreciate and respect her more than I already did. I read most of the book in bed while my husband was trying to get to sleep and I often woke him up with my insatiable laughter.

There were a lot of moments where I created some new thoughts on what it means to be a woman, a mother, and a working woman mother from Fey's simple and sometimes harsh anecdotes and comments on what it means to be any of those things. I nodded in agreement when she said "We should leave people alone about their weight. Being skinny for a while...is a perfectly fine pastime. Everyone should try it once..." and "Being chubby for a while...is a natural phase of life and nothing to be ashamed of." I also learned everything I know about improv from that one part in Chapter 8 -- a lesson that I hold dear to my heart and practice on a daily basis.

Tina Fey is such a clever, funny, intelligent, beautiful woman and there is no reason for you not to find out why. Read this book.


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Last Saturday: A Bene Brunch

July 24, 2013

Enjoying my London Fog

This past Saturday, my husband and I finally were able to go out for brunch and use a gift card for a local eatery called "Poached" that we had received as a Christmas gift from my brother-in-law and his girlfriend because Little Boy had had a sleep-over with his grandparents the night before -- sleep-overs are totally underrated.


My tea started getting a little worried as I got to the bottom of the cup.

I had a London Fog and the most delicious French Toast Bene that was topped with blackberries, peaches, whipped cream and a raspberry puree. My husband had an Americano Coffee and Eggs Benedict.

Have you been to any good local eateries lately?
 


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Music that Shouts "Summer!"

July 22, 2013
I want to share with you today a few songs that I have been listening to recently or for the last little while that really shout out "Summer!" to me. These are the kind of songs that I would listen to while driving to no specific destination on a road trip, or sitting by a campfire while roasting marshmallows to make s'mores, or having a backyard BBQ with friends. I'm diggin' them, and I hope you will too :)



Kodaline - One Day (the video above) - I discovered this song this weekend, and it is what started the ball rolling for writing this blog post. I love their sound.
Grouplove - Tongue Tied - Sometimes I like to explore YouTube and see what different music I can find that I wouldn't normally stumble upon, this song was one of them.
The XX - Intro - I first heard this song in a Vimeo video called Le Flâneur and I fell in love with it instantly.
Imagine Dragons - Radioactive - Check out this awesome video from Etch Films that features this song.
Armin van Buuren feat. Trevor Guthrie - This Is What It Feels Like - I heard this song on the radio a couple of months ago, and loved it. I haven't been able to stop listening to it since.


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Pinterest: Bought, Made, Done!

July 19, 2013
When I pin things on Pinterest, I like to pin things with a purpose. I pin recipes and projects that I plan on doing, or to use as inspiration for a project. I pin clothes that I want to buy or outfits that inspire me and I want to use as a jumping off point for my own outfits. I pin activities and games that I plan on doing with the children at work, and I also pin things that I love or think are beautiful -- just yesterday I pinned a photo of two dancers that I enjoy very much, Vera-Ellen and Gene Kelly.

The following are four things that I have made in the last little while, or bought for myself. Maybe they'll inspire you too.



1. Painted Sticks - I made these with the children at work this week while were stuck inside due to the weather. They are fantastic, and the colours came out so vibrant.
2. Nutella Buttercream Frosting - I made this icing for these cupcakes for my Mother's birthday this year. It was amazing, and tastes so delicious when chilled in the fridge.
3. Fishing Game - I made this little fishing game for Little Boy to keep him occupied while out in public places where waiting is involved -- he also likes to play it at home. I recommend finding something other than washers to use as we couldn't find a magnet that was strong enough to pick them up once the felt was around it. I used dimes instead at the advice of my husband.
4. Giraffe Skirt - I love this skirt. It is such a subtle pattern, and so much fun! I just bought a size that is slightly too small and so I'm having to figure out how to make it wearable.


Have a fantastic weekend!



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Weight Update: Getting Toned

July 14, 2013
At the beginning of the year, I had decided to start working on the muscles in my body. Why be thin and have no shape to my body when I could make myself stronger and look more toned. I haven't gone crazy and signed up for a gym membership or taken part in any body building challenges, but I have been doing squats, lifting weights, and doing crunches to tone the major parts of my body -- I don't need rippling biceps.

Here's the deal, after every shower, I do crunches for my upper abdominal muscles, obliques, and my lower abs -- which are worse off after having a baby. Then I alternate between lifting weights for my upper body, or doing lunges and squats for my lower body -- after one shower is arms, after the next shower is legs, etc. All of these exercises are done within 10 minutes and in my bedroom. It's taken me 7 months, but I am seeing results, and I am so pleased with them -- it is important to note that I don't shower every day. I know that my method has made it so that it has taken longer to noticed the muscular changes in my body, but I've been able to do it all at home and without any major changes to my day.




These are a couple of my favourite exercises that I do that I want to share with you. Back in university, I started taking classes that have you work with the exercise balls. I fell in love with it instantly, and bought one for myself to use at home. I really enjoy doing squats using the ball behind my back and then simply sitting down, and, mostly recently, doing backwards crunches where I am doing a plank pose and then tuck my knees into my chest -- this one is excellent for the lower abdominal area and the hips. There are so many awesome exercises that you can do with an exercise ball to work your entire body, and it's something different besides lifting weights.




*I am not an expert, but this is what is working for me. I hope you'll find what works for you, and maybe some of what helps me will work for you too :)

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What I Wore: It's Easy Being Green

July 12, 2013
I had a little helped with this photo shoot. As soon as he saw the camera and I stood against the wall, he was right there beside me -- do I have a little model in the making? I was really excited about this outfit because I went outside of my comfort zone and decided to try the tone on tone approach. I loved it, although my husband asked me if it was St. Patrick's Day...



shirt: Banana Republic
shorts: GAP
earrings: Sparrow Grey (mentioned previously)
his shirt: Small Guns

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I Don't Regret Waiting

July 10, 2013

Love Waiting Quotes 2

I don't regret waiting to have children -- or in my case, a child -- in fact, I recommend it. My husband and I were quite young when we got married -- we are celebrating 9 years today -- and although we had been together for several years already, we were not in the right place in our relationship to be bringing a child into the world.

We had never lived together or on our own, so we had no clue what it would take to move out of our parents' houses let-a-lone actually live with another person that you were supposed to create a deep relationship with. We struggled for many years to build up a working relationship with respect and a deep love for one another. I'm not saying that our marriage is a perfect one because there is no such thing, but the 6 1/2 years we spent together traveling and having fun built a foundation to be an example to our son. Children do not make life easier, they make it much harder and it puts a different strain on your relationship.

We also had time to explore the world and figure out ourselves as individuals. We were able to find the path that we wanted to take before we brought a child into the world that needed guidance on his own path. My husband and I have gone through several jobs, and have even taken vacations without each other -- because that is okay. It was important for us to learn that we don't need to be around each other all day, every day, and although we don't have much time with each other once our son is in bed, it is still important for us to continue doing things as individuals as well.

I enjoyed the time I had alone with my husband, just as much as I enjoy the time we now have with our son. I like to think that we ended up with the most amazing little boy because we did all that, because we waited. It just wouldn't have been the same, otherwise.




*photo source
  
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The Film Project: June

July 08, 2013
I first introduced you to The Film Project back in the middle of May -- you can see May's photos here -- and since then I have done a lot better with my camera. I have learned a lot more about lenses, and have decided that the next lens I'm going to purchase for my DSLR is a portrait lens. I am in love with the dreamy quality that it provides.



I am still capturing moments in every day life, one photo at a time. I get excited when I drop the film off because I often forget what photos I snapped at the beginning of the month, and it is so nice to have a little bit of a review. I catch myself not taking many photos of the little moments in life -- I mentioned this earlier this year -- and I like that this project is forcing me to find moments throughout the month.

I have noticed that I am paying more attention to my light metering with my digital camera, making it so I don't have to adjust as much while snapping away -- unless the light changes, of course. I wonder what I will learn in this next month, and I'm excited to see what my month was like -- because I know I'll forget :)



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What I Wore: Canada Day

July 02, 2013
I am by no means a fashion blogger, but it is something that I would like to explore. I was really excited about the outfit that I wore on Monday as well as my special Canada Day nail polish that I had painted on my toes, and wanted to share it with you. So, I went outside to take photos under the hot, hot Sun and to be an afternoon snack for the mosquitoes...it was worth it :)



Earrings: local boutique
Shirt: Costa Blanca
Shorts: American Eagle Outfitters
Shoes: Old Navy
Nail Polish: White - Maybelline & Red - Sally Hanson


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Lake Day

July 01, 2013




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