the little things

(another) chalk board, good weekend, scrappin', and a new layout

That pretty much sums it up. hee heee!  We hung another chalkboard.. this time in my scrap room... for the kids.  I wanted a really big one, couldn't find one.. too lazy to be creative and make my own, so I bought a medium sized one.  It is pretty much the perfect size for the spot, so maybe it is a good thing I didn't find a really big one! ha!

I am thinking I might paint the frame.  Maybe.  It and the frame for the bulletin board (for their artwork) that is hung above it.  Just not sure on a colour yet.  Or maybe I will leave it.  I really have no clue. ha ha!

Doing some scrappy stuff today.. anybody else doing scrappy stuff today?  I made this one this morning.. love that I get to share it already! heee!  I did it for this challenge here at 2 Peas. :)

The challenge was to use border stickers.  I cut 'em up into little pieces and made a border!  I just have to say how much I am LOVING that little lion sticker.  I am *this* close to ordering another set, just so I can have that sticker again! lol  

We had a good weekend here.. got a lot done around the house (pics coming soon I am sure lol)... hung a TV in my scraproom!  Sooooo cool watching Gilmore Girls this morning and scrapping away!  When we finished the basement a few years ago, we added a plug in/coax outlet up high on the wall and ran the satellite to it... for when we were ready to hang a TV in the room.. we finally did!  I sooo missed watching and working.. didn't think I did until I had it again!  Before we moved into this house... I used to scrap and watch TV late into the night sooo often, nowadays I usually just choose the TV!  We will see if old habits come back or not! ;)  Did some things in the playroom too... have had the supplies for what seems like forever, finally got the chance and was motivated enough to do it!  I will take pics soon.. I lied I guess, as it isn't *quite* finished yet.. plan changed half way through, I didn't really have all the supplies I needed for the revamped plan! ha ha!  Isn't that the way it goes?  The joys of living out of town, can't justify a trip to the craft store for $2 in supplies! hee!  

OK, now I am officially rambling.  Gotta go scrap again... and we are thinking of running out to shop for party supplies.. it is Harley's 2nd (SECOND???) Birthday on the 5th... gotta find him a good 2 year old worthy gift.  Any suggestions?  

Later! :)

weekend again already?

How on earth did that happen?  I know how.  The last three days are a blur... because.. James is home!  After two and a half months, he is done and is home.  I know that isn't thaaaat long (people go through much longer periods of time and manage just fine), but it sure did seem like it!  I really did not deal with him working out of town this time around.. it has been yeeaaaars since we have had to go through it, and well.. it just down right sucks.  Don't ya think!?  

It has been great having him back.  We have hung out, watched Twilight (yes he watched it.. he even read the books before I did... he is a sucker for a good love story! hee!) and we started this season of Survivor.. we were waiting for him to come home before we got into the episodes on the PVR!  Next up Amazing Race! heee!  The kids have tackled him countless times.  Plenty of tickles and giggles.  Lots of snuggles all around.  Lots of adjusting... kinda strange for me to have him home and helping out with the kids, amazing how that happens hey.. so great not to have to do it all.. all the time!  Of course Harley slept through the night last night for the first time in weeks.. I am sure he thinks I was laying it on a little thick when I was venting about lack of sleep! ha!  Typical hey?  It has been a few wonderful days of down right 'goodness'! :)

We missed him bunches.

Since I have the need to include a picture with every post.. here are the kids this afternoon... well, them and a polka dot ball. hee heee!

Happy weekend everyone!! :)  You know were I'll be! hee heee! 

lesson of the day

She always has a plan... always coming up with ideas totally out of the blue.  Tonight, as we were getting home, trying to get supper ready.. trying to calm the little one who didn't think he needed a nap today.. in the middle of that craziness, she says "lets have a picnic!"  I am thinking.. ohhhh not now!  But instead I go along with it, hoping her feelings aren't crushed when her little brother won't play along.

Boy was I wrong.  It was perfect.  They played like this for about 45 minutes.. drinking tea, and pushing cars around the blanket.  I suppose mommy doesn't always know best after all huh!? :)

so, I did end up getting dressed one day over the weekend

I needed a little 'retail therapy' and Twilight was released on DVD... so that was definitely enough of a reason to get my butt dressed and out of the house for a while.  The kids and I headed into town on Saturday with no plan at all, just bring home Twilight.. that was it.  Well, we ended up at Michael's (of course).  I was looking for a book I spotted online the other day (Cute Stuff), which I did find... but beside it was this book, Amigurumi World.. which I also HAD to buy, because those are some seriously cute critters!  I taught myself to crochet about 10 years ago (OMG how has it been that long?) while traveling with James while he was away working.  Before kids, long days in the hotel... I needed something to do, so I bought some yarn and a crochet book and started an afghan.  I never did finish, and it has been about 10 years since I last attempted anything! lol  Not a hobby I kept up with! hee heee!  But I saw that book, and had to buy it!  I know myself well enough to know that just buying the book would do me no good.  If I just bought the book, I would bring it home, put it on the bookshelf and that would be it.  I needed supplies.  So I bought some yarn.  This shopping trip was shaping up to be a very odd retail therapy session! ha ha!  Before we left the store, Laine had already picked out which one I was going to make first.  The bunny.

 

And make it I did.  It took me 6 hours.  The book said it would take 2. ha!  But it was worth every minute.  I looooved making it.  It was frustrating off the get go, I pretty much had to re-learn, but after I got going *sigh* ...hello new hobby? lol  She played with it all day yesterday.  All day.  From the moment she got up (she was sleeping when I finished it the night before, so I left it on her nightstand... so she would be surprised in the morning) to the moment she went to bed.  She made houses for it.  Built a dresser (which I am apparently supposed to fill with handmade clothes! ha!)... it was so neat to see her play with something I made all day long.  Take THAT Webkinz! ha! *kidding!* :)  It got tucked into her backpack this morning too... so she could take it for show and share.  Oh, and now she wants a cat to go with it... every bunny needs a friend right? lol

Can I have just a few more hours in each and every day please? lol

Later! :)

happy weekend!

Since I am now on day 2 of relaxing in my jammies, I figured I would leave this photo up for the weekend... motivation for you to go throw some comfy clothes on and do not too much at all! hee heee!

I think I have to get dressed today and actually leave the house for a bit *gasp!* (heee!), but you know darn well that I will be back to relax mode 5 minutes after being in the door!  Have a great weekend!! :)

what to do, what to do? ...and a few random pictures. :)

It is a long weekend for Miss Laine.  Another long weekend.  I am not complaining (as I love long weekends)... but they sure do seem to get a lot of them!  Not too sure what we should do.  I am thinking spending the weekend in jammies.  Is that bad?  Probably.  Although, Twilight comes out tomorrow (the movie)... I might just have to run to town for that.  Yep, and that would involve getting dressed.  I can handle one day of jeans and normal clothes.  As long as I can switch back into my jammie bottoms within 2 minutes of getting back in the door.  Anybody else do that?  It is like this... get the kids in the house, unload groceries, get jammie bottoms/sweats/comfy stuff on, take off Harley's boots, put things away... and so on.  Ridiculous!?? lol

Here are some random photos from the last few weeks.  I am in the process of catching up and updating my 365 on flickr... yes, I have fallen way behind and am cheating horribly to catch up.  In the most fair and ethical way possible of course. lol  I am taking photos that represent the missed days... like the very last one in this post.  I took it today, but it is really for a few weeks ago... the day I popped in season 1 disc 1.  That is fair right?  The way I see it, it is for me... and pretty much me only.. and if I can accept the fact that I am cheating.. that is A-OK for me! hee heee!  So, anyhoo... some random shots from the past few weeks...

Those are Laine's flowers from her skating carnival... all pretty on her bedside table. :)

Mr. Harley... before and after putting grama's glasses on! HA!  Yes... prescription glasses will do that to ya buddy! heee!

Miss Laine at her skating carnival.  She was a villager in the club's production of Jungle Book. :)

The start of Harley's 'art door' ...he made that at his very first visit to daycare.  Laine's bedroom door is covered in art that she has made.  It is one of my very most favourite things in the house... so happy to walk down the hallway and see 2 art doors now. :)

 

Harley chillaxin' one morning while Laine was getting ready for school.  This might be one of my favourite 'moment captures' ever! lol

Those are just a few of the updated photos, I am sooo behind in posting... I will spare you all having to look at all of them.  Unless you want to of course... then link on over to my flickr stream. ;)

Back to figuring out what to do this weekend.  I am think maybe some of this?  It is already 2:40pm and we are all still in our jammies, so I think this is about right.. chill with the kids and catch a few episodes of my beloved Gilmore Girls. :)  Everyone needs some witty banter now and then! hee heee!

 

I started it again a few weeks ago.  It is like an old friend.  *sigh*  I so wish they would come back with new episodes... it never gets old.  Why did they end it anyway?  I think I am watching the series for the fourth or fifth time.  Is THAT bad? lol  You must be thinking I spend my life in jammies, watching TV! ha ha!  Only part of the time... promise. lol :)

sneaky sneaky moose!

This morning, I was at the kitchen sink making a chai latte (yum) and I glance out the window... and I see some 'dark' in the trees.  My first thought was, "when the heck did those piles of trees get there?"  THEN, the piles of trees moved! ha ha!  Not piles of trees at all... but moose!  3 of them!

Moose are definitely not unusual in our area, it has just been a while since I have seen them in our yard... and I have never seen them SLEEPING in our yard!  So this had me super excited!  Looks like the 3 of them had made their beds for the night right there behind the play structure.  This was the best shot I could get unfortunately.  I took this from my kitchen window, with a really old zoom that I haven't used since my film days!  Stuck it on my D80 so I would have the magnification factor with the lens, and this is what I got! lol  I sat there, and I sat there... waiting for the moose to get up and walk.  Wouldn't you know it though... as soon as I turned my back for 5 minutes, they got up and left!  I could still see them walking out back, but that dense brush gives them pretty good cover, there was just no way to get a picture.  Maybe next time... I have a feeling they will be back. :)

Can I just say how much I love living in the country!?  LOVE it! :)

Sooner rather than later? Yeah why not! heee!

OK, so... been a busy week!  I feel like I am always running behind, today was the first day in a looong time that I actually feel like I have made progress in the 'catch up' game!  Who knew it would be this hard!  I had sooo many goals for the first few months of the year, but if flew by soo fast and it is already half way through MARCH!??  How?  Now is just as good a time as any to start right?  That seems to be my motto these past few days! lol  

Remember in my last blog post?  I said that this spring we would be looking for new couches and that I could hardly wait.. ok, now I can't remember if I actually said this spring... I might have said soon.. either way, I definitely didn't mean right now! lol  But as fate would have it.. that is not how it was meant to work out! lol

On a whim last week, I went into my favourite local home decor store.  It was one of those 'run around, have a million stops' kind of days, so I figured why not add one more stop!?  I was browsing through the store.. not really seeing anything that caught my eye.  Then, as I was getting closer to the back... I spotted the colour first...  I knew I was wanting a light colour... for a while I was stuck on white (but OMG, that would have been a little nuts dontchya think!?)... then I was thinking bright colour, like aqua or yellow... like bold/bright/crazy!???  OK.  Whoooaa.  I didn't want boring neutral.  I knew that.  I didn't really know what I wanted to tell you the truth, but when I saw these... I knew it was right!  Then I spotted the asymmetrical cushions and fell in love.  That was pretty much all it took... well, and that they were a funky twist on a very classic style sofa.  I DID know that... I wanted a design that has stood the test of time.  With quirk.  Easy requirements right? ha ha ha!

But there it is!  It seriously feels like some crazy designer out there crawled inside my quirky, kind off balance head and made me the prefect sofa! ha ha!  If you have noticed, I have this neeeeed to mix styles in my house, there is definitely a little bit of everything!  To me, these sofas screeaaam that!  ...btw, yes I know they are neutral.. but not boring neutral (there really is a difference, right?) heee!

Ohhhh, I love those clean lines! heee!

The owner of the store swapped out the cushions that were to come with it and replaced them with these ones in our colours!  How cool is that!?

Then I spotted this bold/bright/crazy turquoise chair and the part of me that was thinking 'whoooaa' before, developed a little bit of a crush.  Just a little one.  Yeah.  

James thinks it is nuts.  Yep he does.  He may even think I am a little nuts. hee heee!  But isn't it purty?

We finally have our 'grown up' furniture.  I guess it really does pay off to wait a few years!  (If you know me, you know I am the most impatient person ever... so I am really quite proud of myself for waiting so long!) ha ha ha!  Talk about timing... it was just 'right'!

I will be back in a few minutes to answer some questions from my last few posts... need to get the kids rigged up with a movie and snacks. ;)

Edited to add:

Back to answer some questions!  ALSO, forgot to mention that all of that furniture was 30% off!  How could I forget that part!?  That is what made the timing ohhh so perfect! :)

Where did I get the yellow garbage can from?   I bought that at Winners.  Actually, that is 100% the result of my sister in law's enabling.  She phoned me one day to tell me I had to go to Winner's and buy this yellow garbage can that she spotted.  Well, she didn't outright tell me I had... but lets pretend, then it isn't my fault that I drove all the way to town just for a garbage can. ha ha ha! ;)  Winners is like a TJ Maxx in the States.. from what I have heard anyway. :)

Did I make the scrapbooking tote?  Nope.  I only wish I could sew that well. ;)

Who did make the scrapbooking tote?  The bag is by Amy Butler for K & Company. I bought it here.

What is in the bag?  OMGosh... as much as I could fit! lol  It holds a surprising amount of stuff!  I just kept packing until it would hold no more! lol

Was the cuckoo clock painted?  It came white... but it is definitely painted.  Well, for the most part.  Some parts are white plastic.  You could definitely paint a wooden one... I have seen it done a few times online, and it looks fab!  I say go for it!! :)

Where did I buy the shelves?  The shelves are the 'lack' shelves from Ikea.  Looove them! :)

What colour paint is on the living room walls?  Main beige/brown (kitchen and living room, hallways etc.) is Pittsburgh Paints 417-5 Sauteed Mushroom.  Dark brown (feature walls in living room and dining room) is Pittsburgh Paints 416-6 Stony Fields.

Where is the owl from?  From this adorable Etsy shop. :)

Where are the aqua vases from?  The little one is from Michael's... crazy huh!?  I am always surprised at the fun things I find there!  The large one is from Pier 1.  I got it on clearance over Christmas.  

ALSO, wanted to say a great big HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for the sweet comments!  Seriously!  You guys rock! :)

collecting collecting forever collecting and I finally got it all up!

All by myself even!  Wooo hoo! hee heeee!  James is usually my official picture hanger upper... but, since he is out of town, and I could not wait another day, I did it!  It actually has taken me several days... several several days, but it is done for now!  I had three walls to do.  2 of which were started.. but weren't blending, and were kind of blah.  

After I decided to go ahead with the yummy crazy yellow and aqua... I turned to Etsy of course!  Slowly, one by one I have added to the collection.  I will link these all up don't worry! :)

Then, about a month ago, my mom phones me up... just about peeing in her pants she is so excited.. well, maybe not, but that is how it sounded over the phone! lol  THEN, she says... maybe I shouldn't tell you, maybe it should be a surprise!???  UM NOT GONNA HAPPEN!  After about 3 seconds of begging, she caved... yeah, she was excited, and there was no way she was going to keep a secret from me! lol  Anyhoo, it just so happens that one of my fave stores is local to her, and I only get to go visit the store when I am visiting her.. I have fallen in love with many items from that store.  One time last summer, we were in there... and I spotted this totally awesome and funky cuckoo clock, I actually gasped out loud (probably a little too loudly, cause heads did in fact turn)... well, the store is moving.. having a sale and she picked up the cuckoo clock along with 4 MORE ibride trays!  All for 70% off the original price!  And this stuff is kinda crazy over the top when it comes to pricing... on my 'maybe someday' wishlist.  70% off!  Did I mention that yet? 

This is my new dining room wall... pretty much started this one from scratch!  Moved some things from other spots of the house and hung some new!

Isn't that crazy cuckoo clock awesome!?  The 2 prints in the large square frames are from Alicia Bock's Etsy shop... (my very first Esty 'favourite'!), the 'we are in this together' print is by Lorena Siminovich who is also the talent behind Petite Collage!  The tall frame is from a local shop, James bought it for me a few years ago, and my mom bought us the large silver cut out art a few years ago as well.. it was from Pier 1, and used to be in the living room. :)  ...and the decal is from Winner's.

LOOOving it! heee!

Now for the living room... which is open to the dining room/kitchen, so everything has to blend just right... or else I tend to loose my marbles over it! ha!  I finally feel like it is blending! 

More funky ibride trays!  Yellow tree is from Sugarloop, and the mixed media print is by Kelly Rae Roberts.

Damask print is from a local store... I have tried to find it online, but have not had any luck.  Keep Calm and Carry On is from sfgirlbybay... it has been there for a while now, conveniently covering some hideous wall outlets. ha ha ha!

This next arrangement is above the kids book shelf... some stuff was there before, some I moved from other spots, and some is new! :)

Print is another from Sugarloop (love love love Sugarloop!), tray is another yummy ibride and the big oval frame I finally picked up at Ikea after debating on it for way too long!

Now all I need is living room furniture I can actually stand! ha HA!  Soon... it has been years coming, and I can't wait! :)

Shoot, I gotta cut this short... my little man is on my knee (not feeling well) and is just not a happy camper at the moment!

Later!! :)

Been doing a lot of this lately... 37/365

Packing.  Driving.  Living in a hotel for the weekend.  Driving.  Unpacking.  Try and catch up at home.  Repeat every week.  For the last 2 months.

James has been working out of town, and the light at the end of the tunnel is finally here.  We shouldn't have to pack up again (at least for the job he is working right now... fingers are crossed that it is a long time until we have to do it again period), because he should be home in about a week!  Yay!  

I snapped this pic almost a month ago (seriously wondering how I got that behind on posting/taking my 365 pics! ahhhhh!)... February 12th.  It was a Thursday.. a long weekend, so we were heading out for 4 days.  Too long to leave my scrappy stuff at home, since I was already falling behind on stuff by then, so I had to take it with me.  Packed up all the latest and greatest and set my bag down in the entry by my shiny new yellow garbage can that I got to hold the dog food... had to laugh, cause the colour combo happening in the pic is so 'me' and so totally what I am striving for in the house! ha ha!  So snap a picture I did.  Yes, it is the small things in life that amuse me! ha ha!  I think I have mentioned that a time or two before haven't I?

We are all home today, playing hooky from everything.  Sick house... colds all around this time. :(  I can not wait for spring to finally get here!  It was -36 without the windchill here this morning... what the!!??  Who would want to go out anywhere anyway?  Maybe it is a good thing we are sick!  Um noooo.. I take that back.  But it is March 10th for crying out loud, where the heck is spring!?  Not that I expect green grass and singing birds on March 10th.. but at least a little warmth and the typical muddy mess would be freakin' fantastic! lol  ...and don't even get me started on daylight savings time.  b-r-u-t-a-l!  OK.. rant over.

I am bloggin' again!  Yay me!  Feels good!  Totally missed my 'return' by a day... that was pretty slick huh?  BUT, I did get groceries yesterday... that trumps blogging, we were seriously lacking in the food department.  No time for grocery shopping lately either!  But yay, we got food and I am blogging and I ate brownies for breakfast (because who can resist the bakery when you are getting groceries)... life is good! lol

Later! ;)