lovely little day

A Milestone Celebration

2014-10-17T14:00:00.000-07:00

This past Thanksgiving weekend we flew to Alberta to be with family and friends ... to celebrate my wonderful parents. This year was a big one for them. They both turn 60 years old and celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary this past February. We couldn't pass up these huge milestones without a grand celebration for them. Life is busy and organizing a party is a lot of work but we would regret not celebrating them with friends and family.

We set out to do something different and memorable so we decided on the Great Canadian Barn Dance in Hillspring, AB. The grandmothers and a few others had experienced it before but it was somewhat of an unknown for us as we planned. We really had no idea what to expect other than others telling us the food and entrainment are amazing.

We were happy how it all went and everyone had a wonderful time. I was in charge of the decor, program and all the little details. My sister in law, Larei created two amazing videos for the program. My brothers helped with decor and emceed. The food was indeed delicious: barbed chicken, roast beef, mashed potatoes, salads and individual desserts.

I enjoyed putting together all the little details that I think make a party go from good to great. As guests walked in, they had their pictures taken in our photo booth. A Polaroid type picture was printed off and they were asked to write a message to the couple on the back. It was then pinned to a chicken wire frame. Each guest also took home a little favour. Because the facility was peanut free we had to get creative since we couldn't give out any food items. I found some tulip bulbs at a local nursery for each guest to take home. Seemed perfect for them to have something to grow since we are a farming family.

The grand kids sang two songs that we reworked just for Nana and Papa. Trevor accompanied them on the guitar. They did an amazing job!

After our program, we all headed upstairs to dance. The dance instructor started our group off with some line dancing and two step'n. Over the next few hours we danced, enjoyed cake and conversed. Not to forgot the epic paper air plane contest.

Overall it was night we will remember as we honoured our parents. They truly deserve it. Love you so much Mom and Dad. xo

Mom and Dad with their grandchildren

Photo Booth Station

All the guests pictures and messages

Black and white pictures of Mom and Dad

Guest Favours: tulip bulbs

Paper Airplane Contest

Individual Desserts

Watching the program

Grandkids signing to Nana and Papa

Lined up for the epic paper airplane contest

Good ole barn dance

Isla and Daddy. She loved dancing in her fancy dress

The little girls at the Photo Booth

The happy couple

Here is a video of the party put together by my cousin Kristin and her husband Corri. They live in California and we were thrilled they could come to the party. They do daily vlogs called The Hunzies. Our family loves watching them throughout the week. Enjoy!

Here is part one but make sure to click on part two. Enjoy!

Exciting news ... coming March 2015

2014-09-25T17:43:00.000-07:00

It has been quite some time since I've logged into Lovely Little Day. It feels almost foreign as I sit here writing my thoughts. Something I just haven't felt the energy or the time to do in the past few months to do. But there is a good reason for it. Actually a great reason. We are expecting baby #3 this coming March! We are all very excited. I'm 16 weeks and starting to feel much better. The first three months are almost like survival with two little ones home all day. My biggest challenge was low energy more so than nausea. Which is quite different from my pregnancy with Isla. Yeah for no diclectin this time. So now that I'm feeling much better, I hope to start blogging and using my creative side again. As hard as it's been to not create and pick up a paint brush, it's been nice to focus on family and enjoy the summer fully.

Here is our official pregnancy announcement. Enjoy!

Welcome Lenna Avery.

2014-07-22T16:07:00.000-07:00

This past week our dear friends Mika and Sara had their first child, a baby girl. Lenna Avery was born on July 13. I know how much I appreciated my friend Ang taking pictures of our first moments with our first baby so I offered to take some of the new family of three. These first few hours ares so special. Mika and Sara were like every new parent: smitten. She is adorable and are very happy for them.

A Princess Party

2014-07-08T10:40:00.000-07:00

My sweet Isla Marie turned three! She is growing into a strong, independent spunky girl. I love watching her personality develop. She wanted a princess party so we started with pink, one of her favourite colour and went from there. I decided not to go commercial and focus on Disney princesses. Don't get me wrong, she loves all things Disney but I wanted to do something a bit more original. So I focused on glitter [an absolutely must for a princess] and mint, pink and white. I kept her cake simple with a chocolate pink rosette cake with edible pink glitter.

The weather was questionable the morning of the party but we were able to pull off most of the party off outside. Isla invited 1o little princesses to her party so I was hoping to have them outside to sit so it wasn't too tight inside. I set up on the deck and had enough seating for them all. Decorating the tables was fun. I wanted the girls to feel special.

I had three games planned for them. 1] Get Tangled. Girls were paired up and they had to wrap each up in yellow crepe paper as fast as they could. Every girl loves Rapunzel's long blonde hair. 2] Pin the Crown on Isla. Each of the girls were blind folded and had to stick the crown on Isla. 3] Find the Royal Jewels. I hid a crown and earrings in the backyard for one lucky girl to find.

The final activity was making gold crowns with their mom as they left the party. The mom's glued a gold lace crown together for their daughter. Theses were made with various lace designs. I painted them gold and stiffened the lace with fabric stiffener and Modge Podge.

It was a great morning with these sweet little princesses.

Games//

1. Get Tangled

2. Pin the Crown on Isla

3. Find the Royal Jewels

4. Make your own princess crown

Isla looked so cute so I took her to the park for a few photos.

Isla's actually birthday started with her first day of VBS, which she loved. She thought she didn't need an afternoon nap but crashed on the couch. We got DQ smart blizzards to go and headed to the park. Oma and Auntie came over to watch Isla open her gifts and have some ice cream sandwich cake.

Welcome Summer Party

2014-06-30T14:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I hosted a 'welcome summer' party with some girlfriends. It was nice to have a small group of friends over for appetizers, dessert and drinks. The weather held out which made for a nice patio setting.

I choose a navy, coral and gold colour scheme which turned out so pretty. They are very popular colours right now. The fresh flowers add the perfect touch to the backyard party.

One of my favourite parts of the evening was the Loose Leaf Tea Bar. I came across the idea via Pinterest and have never seen it done before. So I purchased four varieties of tea at David's Tea, had tea bags and agave sticks for each of the girls. I made sure to have descriptions of each tea so they could pick their favourites. The four flavours I choose were Just Peachy, Organic Cream of Earl, Rooibos de Provence and Coffee Pu'erh. They all smelled divine. It's always nice to have your guests leave with something, whether a good memory or a special treat.

Thanks ladies for a wonderful evening.

Loose Leaf Tea Bar

This tassel garland I made was a fun addition and once I figured out what I was doing, was pretty easy. The best part is you can custom make it to the colours of your party.
Here is the link for the tutorial: Linen, Lace & Love.

Preschool Graduation // Summer Vacation is Here

2014-06-25T17:41:00.004-07:00

I can't believe my biggest little has graduated preschool. Wow, onto Kindergarten in the fall. It's so true when they say that the days are long but the years are short.

Oliver had his final day of pre-school and graduation party this afternoon. Daddy and Oma were able to come which made it more special. The kids each participated in a little play. Oliver was the Big Bad Wolf in the story of the Three Little Pigs. He did a great job and so did the rest of the class. Then onto the graduation ceremony. Each child was presented their school year book from Teacher Doreen. She talked abit about each of them .... what their favourite part of school is and what they want to be when they grown up. Oliver's favourite part was learning about the Rainforest and all the animals. He wants to be a robot when he grows up. Good luck with that kid!

Oliver was the Big Bad Wolf is his play

Getting his certificate from Teacher Doreen

Two years of preschool of with his friend Tegan

Celebrated at Menchie's with Auntie Lindsay

We are now officially on summer vacation. Woohoo! We celebrated today with some goodies and an official summer is here surprise. The loved ripping through it.

Welcome to Summer!

Here's to a great summer ahead of us!

Links to printables:

Last Day of Preschool by Yellow Bliss Road

Happy Summer Tags by Art and Chic

I Love Summer Printable by Hello Brielle

Blessing Box Swap 1.0

2014-06-23T07:21:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Blessing Box Swap 1.0. - NOW CLOSED
I recently participated in a prayer box swap and blogged about it last week. The response to be involved in one was great so I have decided to organize one.

How does this work?
Complete and submit the form below by June 27th. You will receive an email from me the following week with your box swap partners information. The two of you will be swapping your blessing box with each other. This will hopefully create friendship and connection. Fill your box with items based on the information you received and send by the deadline.

What do I put in my blessing box?
Include 4-5 items worth at least $25.00 in total. These items can be bought or homemade. If an item is homemade, estimate how much it may be worth to buy.

All boxes must be mailed out on the deadline! This is only fair and considerate to your partner. It does not need to be in an actual box. You may mail it however you would like.

The deadline to mail all the boxes is July 11th.

If you are on Instagram, hashtag #blessingboxswapone if you want to show your blessing box or how it's coming along.

Here is the form to complete: Link Removed

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at lovelylittledayblog@gmail.com.

I'm glad there are so many others who are interested in:
a] being creative
b] a blessing + taking the time to pray
c] being intentional
d] creating community and friendship

Blessings.

New desk + craft table

2014-06-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Here is my project of the week. My new desk/craft table and chair. It amazes me sometimes how cheap and easy you can do a great facelift to a piece of furniture. This was one of them. Here is the breakdown:

Table: Free from the side of the road. Was out for a run when I saw it and Trevor picked it up for me. Needed a little work to stabilize it but nothing major.

Chair: $10 from Value Village

2 sample pot of paint: $10.00

Grey stain: $6.00

Primer and sealant: Already had some at home but for cost sake we will say $5.00

Total: $31.00

I was pretty proud of myself for using a belt sander for the first time. Trevor was at work and I was determined to get this table done. Once I striped the coating off the top of the table, I stained the wood grey and finished with a few coats of polyurethane. The table legs were primed and painted. As was the chair.

I usually stay away from bright colours and go for neutrals which are safe but lately I'm having fun with colour. Especially when it's not a staple piece of furniture or a piece you might not keep for a long time. Life is short, add some colour right!

My kind of refinishing. Cheap and easy.

Happy I have a new craft table to work on. Now I just need a craft room. I have pretty much taken over the computer room but one day maybe I'll have a room I won't have to keep clean with all my crafting items.

Prayer Box Swap 4.0

2014-06-19T12:42:00.001-07:00

This past month I participated in my first box swap. This one was a prayer box swap. I've seen them a few times on Instagram and got my name in on time for this one, PBS 4.0. This particular one was set up by BubabdNonnie Blog. This is how it works: you sign up to participate, fill out a form about yourself. Mainly your likes, interests, hobbies, personal information if you like and any prayer requests. This swap we all donated $5.00 to help a family adopting a little one. All this money went to one family to help support their adoption process. We then received an email about our 'swap box' partner. I found out about her and her interests to help me put her box together. Each participant is asked to put about $20 worth of items in their box. About 4-5 items. As I put the box together, I prayed for her requests and her family. I knew on the other end was someone playing for me and my requests. We had a deadline and off the packages went. I received a lovely package from a mother of three in Ontario. We now follow each other on Instagram and have started somewhat of a friendship because of this.

Here is the package I put together for my prayer partner. She said she had a tea cup collection so I found a vintage gold trim tea cup. She loves fabric scraps so I included a bundle of fabric pieces from my collection. She grew her first garden this year so I found some chalk garden markers from Chapters. I also included a heart felt bunting I made and a to-do pad of paper. I hope she was blessed by my box put together with thoughtfulness and prayer.

In return received a box full of little goodies .... a framed Bible verse, washi tape, straws, wood matching game for the kids, dark chocolate [one of my favourites], travel coffee cup, handmade hoop art, flower pot + seeds, coffee and homemade bath salts.

For more details of how it worked, click on the link.

If you are interested in doing a "Blessing Box Swap", please let me know. I would be open to arranging one just because I know how fun and what a blessing it was. It's great to get a package in the mail designed just for you!

A barbq Sauce + Sprinkles Father's Day

2014-06-16T13:17:00.001-07:00

Father's Day 2014 was simple, spent with family and we delighted in the little things. Special days don't have to be grand to be special. Trevor was treated to a morning of sleep, pancakes with sprinkles and home-made cards. I had a disappointing mommy moment at one point in the morning. I thought I was recording Trevor opening his gifts and reading his cards from the kids only to realize second later that I had just taken a picture. I guess a memory captured just in our hearts.

We then went to church where every family was given a bottle of barbq sauce. This wasn't just a nudge for the dads to get to the grill but an invitation to welcome someone over for a meal and love on those around you. A family you don't know well in the neighbourhood, a co-worker or someone who needs to feel loved. Sharing a meal is a simple and great opportunity to come together.

Trevor picked Montana's for his lunch, Isla needed a nap and off to the in-laws for a barbq. Kids jumped on the trampoline in between rains, I Facetimed my dad in Alberta and Monopoly was played late into the evening. A full-family-filled day.

This past Friday was the Father's Sports Day at preschool and Opa decided he was able to go with Oliver. Oliver was thrilled to have time with Opa. He took a hammer and a snack for them to share. Opa and Oliver made an alligator out of nails and rubber bands. It's a keeper.

Found these cute Dad and Grandpa cards on Tater Tots and Jello.

Hope all you wonderful Dad's felt loved.

Peony Love

2014-06-13T08:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we decided to check out the 'Flower Farm' in Langley before the weather changed and before the peonies were gone for another year. I wasn't aware of this little gem till The Doctor's Closet had posted about her trip for peonies. I fell in love and had to experience it for myself. Who can resist peonies and a farm? Not this once upon a time farm girly girl. So the kids and I trekked out to Flowers from a Country Garden. Peony season is almost coming to an end but we caught the tail end and were not disappointed. We lucked out with pale pink and fuchsia ones. Beautiful! Picked up some for Oma as well. The kids couldn't wait to give them to her. We explored around the farm and took some pictures. The kids were great photographers.

The flowers are so pretty I feel I need to share so I found these adorable teacher gift tags and printed them out from Lia Griffith's Blog.

Simple and so so pretty.

A not so lame Father's Day Tie

2014-06-11T16:23:00.000-07:00

Father's Day is a few days away. I recently came across a mens discount website. It's called Jack Threads. I'm sure there are lots of them for guys but I don't shop online for my husband too often. He's picky.

So I decided to buy Trevor two ties. Yes a typical father's day gift most would think but not for my husband. I've never bought him a tie as a gift. Mainly because he doesn't wear ties ever. Just for weddings. We have three coming up so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to buy one [or two]. I liked that these were different. I got a bow tie and a skinny casual tie. Trevor is really picky when it comes to clothes yet he doesn't want to go shopping. So I took the liberty of shopping for him and trying something different. He's either going to love it or I'll be returning them. I'm trying to take his style up a notch so we will see come this August.

Do you check out discount websites? Here are a few I like. You can get great deals on name brand clothing.
Hautelook
Zuilly
Jane
Bluefly
YOOX
Gilt

Thred Up is a very cool store if you are looking to buy name brand used clothes plus you can sell your clothes for cash. They also donate all the unused items to charity.

If you are looking for high end luxury consignment, go to Walk In My Closet. This website is all about name brands. Guessing only a select few shop here.

Some that are beyond my price range but fun sites to check out:
Century 21
Bib + Tuck
Luxury Garage Sale
Rue La La

If you have one you recommend, please share!

A New Look

2014-06-10T08:20:00.002-07:00

Lovely Little Day has a new look! So excited to reveal this update I've been working on for a while. My Facebook page also got a new cover page to match.

Lovely Little Day has a new Instagram page! Follow me @lovelylittleday.

Still working on a few little details but for the most part it's just what I wanted.

Enjoy.

Pinned it - Made it!

2014-06-09T14:15:00.003-07:00

Pinned it - Made it! I have hundreds of ideas on my Pinterest board and this was one I knew I could do easily if I just had one simple thing - a tree stump. Not easy to come by but during our May long weekend at the cabin, I convinced my husband to get out the chain saw and cut some trees. Luckily for me, we had great weather that weekend, a chain saw, a willing husband and trees. So off we went to explore in the forest on the property and found some nice birch and cottonwood. I made a few projects from the birch and will post later. They turned out great.

Trevor did help out quite a bit with this project. He cut, sanded and stained it for me. I did about 5 coats of polyurethane on it to seal it because it would near splashing children.

I knew this needed to be in our bathroom. Right by our bathtub as a little stool. It looks rich yet elegant. It makes a bubble bath even more inviting.

June: It's Gonna Be Great.

2014-06-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

On an earlier post I wrote about my love for printables. I just ordered from Naptime Diaries for the first time. It's a great blog, shop and I follow it on Instagram. They have beautiful prints, worksheets and devotionals. I got the June printable bundle. It has 12 different items: weekly planner, two notecards, four scripture memory cards, a to-do list, two prints, and desktop wallpaper. It comes as download-able high resolution PDF's to be printed in any size.

It's been great for getting organized. And I enjoy having scripture through the house.

Here is how I've used mine ....

Memory verses I pinned on one of my bulletin boards.

I took this weekly print and used it as my meal planner. With a wipeable marker, I wrote all our meals on the glass and it can be used every week.

I always have to-do lists but learning it's not about lists. It's about moments, being present, taking the time to stop and enjoy life.

Our monthly calendar always books up fast. This is our command centre essentially.

Some more pretty print you can purchase.

Here is the complete bundle.

Hope you feel organized and encouraged as we go into summer.

A Nautical Baby Boy Shower

2014-06-03T15:35:00.001-07:00

This past weekend I helped co-host a baby shower for our friend Alyssa who is about to have her first baby. A little boy. So we decided a nautical theme was in order. It's so popular right now. With three of us planning, it came together nicely. We had the perfect weather for a sunny - spring- Sunday afternoon baby shower.

We choose our colours as navy, grey and white. I focused on decorations. A few easy details helped pull the theme together.

I used two recycled tin cans and wrapped thick twine around to make vases. Seashells, a white seagull and white flowers from our gardens put the final touches on the decor. I even found an anchor cookie cutter at a local cake decorating store. Each guest was able to take an anchor sugar cookie home with them.

We had a few activities for the guests to participate in. The guests were asked to sign a baby book, 'Oh the Places You Will Go" as the guest book. A keepsake for sure. Newborn diapers were set out and each guests was asked to write a message to the new parents for those exhausting late night diaper changes. Hopefully it will bring a smile to their faces at 3am in the morning. Lastly, we had the guests write down their favourite baby items they received/use or have given to a new mother. This list of items will hopefully be helpful as they stock up on all their baby items.

Overall, it was a nice afternoon showering the mommy to be and her baby boy. It's only a matter of weeks will we get to meet him.

Sewing Class: Fabric Buckets

2014-05-30T10:48:00.002-07:00

Last night I ventured into the city for school. Well actually a class. I felt all the nerves of a freshman college student. I signed up for an intermediate sewing class, Fabric buckets: 210 at Spool of Thread. It was abit nerve wracking to put myself out there but I know this is the only way to get better at it. I'm basically re-teaching myself from junior high home ec. class. Let's just say it's been a while.

The fabric buckets were time consuming but not difficult. I had never worked with interfacing so that was new. The instructor was helpful and gave useful tips I'm sure I will use in the future. I only made one major 'oh no'. I accidentally sewed the gap closed that was meant to flip the fabric to the outside. Yup, I was the only one busting out the seam ripper during the class. Not the worst mistake but we were in a time crunch so it slowed me down. Surprisingly one of the hardest parts on the night was deciding on fabric. I was like a kid in a candy store. It took me over 10 minutes to pick two fabrics. They have the most amazing selection. I would highly recommend checking it out. Along with classes, you can rent a sewing machine by the hour to work on projects.

The evening was challenging and what I needed. Small group with very hands on instructions. Anyone in for taking a class with me? I'm considering the 256: Zipper Pouches.

Will be making more of these lovelies in the future. Picking out the fabric will be half the fun!

Dinosaur Birthday Party for my Five Year Old

2014-05-27T16:06:00.000-07:00

Oliver is five. Wow. I can remember the day he was born so clearly. Every detail etched in my mind. It was a hard labour but a joyous one.
Oliver is the sweetest boy. Just a few days ago he spontaneously came up to me as I was wiping off the kitchen table after dinner, gave me a big hug and said 'you are so beautiful mommy." I cried happy tears.

The big dinosaur party for my new five year old was a great day. I was pretty nervous about the weather but it turned out fine. Cool but dry. I can handle that. Oliver had about 10 little buddies come celebrate with him on Saturday morning at the park. I love celebrating birthdays and making sure my kids feel special on those days. I wonder if it's because I love celebrating my birthday and always felt so special growing up. My birthday landed on a national holiday which meant that everyone had the day off, it was summer and their was always fireworks at the end of the day. I always felt so loved and special. And I want the same for my child. Not just one day of the year but always.

Oliver requested a dinosaur theme. He had a safari theme the year before so I wasn't thrilled about the choice at first. The thought of a typical brown, orange and lime green birthday wasn't doing it for me. I needed to do something different. I played around with some colours and I finally decided on grey, navy and leaf green. I can work with that.

Everything came together nicely. I'm a detailed person so I carefully planned a few key items. Some of my favourites were the mini party hats on the dinosaurs, fossil dig in the dirt and candy jars. Overall it was an easy party to plan and not expensive. It's amazing the stuff you can find at a good dollar store.

Because the weather wasn't looking great, I knew I needed to have shelter just in case. We have a park close by with a picnic shelter but it doesn't have any tables or chairs so I was lucky to borrow some small tables and chairs from our church.

I made a chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream icing. I found a new recipe and it was amazing. The boys loved the chocolate rocks.

Here is the recipe:

Chocolate Buttercream Icing from The Kitchen Magpie

1 cup salted butter
½ cup of unsweetened cocoa
3 one ounce squares of melted then cooled semi-sweet chocolate
½ tsp instant coffee
1-2 tbsp heavy cream
3¼ - 3¾ cups icing sugar

Instructions

Melt your three chocolate squares in the microwave, slowly and carefully until they are liquidy smooth. Set aside to cool.
Whip the butter in your mixer until it's light and fluffy.
Add in the cocoa, beating until combined.
When the chocolate is cool, add it to the butter. Make sure it's cooled!!
Add the instant coffee to one tablespoon of cream, then add to the butter mixture.
Now you can put in the icing sugar one cup at a time, beating until combined.
Adjust the thickness/texture by using another tablespoon of cream, adding it slowly until the texture you want is achieved.

I had fun with the menu. I bought things I normally don't [aka corn dogs and bugles] and kept it simple.

Navy gift bags from the dollar store worked great for the goodie bags. Each child got a dinosaur in their bag plus a dino sugar cookie, a fossil dinosaur from the dino dig and a mini candy jar. I used white ink to stamp the kids names on the bags.

I cut out dino tracks from construction paper.

Kids running carefree in the field.

Auntie Lindsay taught the kids Red Rover to start the party off.

The mini candy jars were simple and looked great. A friend gave me a bunch of empty baby food jars, I glue gunned the mini dinosaurs from the dollar store onto the lids and Trevor spray painted them. Filled with candy and it was a perfect favour for each of the boys.

Dino sugar cookies were a great addition. My no-fail sugar cookie recipe is on an early post from December 2013. Found the cookie cutter at Scoop N Save.

Trevor hid this large dino egg in the forest for the kids to find. Whoever found got to take it home. Inside is a dinosaur that will emerge after a few days in water. Egg is from the dollar store. Pretty cool.

I had another activity planned but it failed. I made mud dino eggs from a pin I found on Pinterest. Forgot about them outside the night before and either a person or animal broke all of them open.

This is what they should have looked like.

Here is the dino dig. I order these small fossils on Amazon. They came in a set of 12. I hid them in the sand with scoops and then they had to dust them off with the brushes.

Unfortunately I couldn't keep the candles lit so Oliver had to pretend to blow out his candles. Next time .... sparkler.

Cute little superheros.

Opening gifts after the party. He was spoiled!

May 26th 2014: Oliver turns 5! We are so blessed. He brings us so much joy.

Oliver, Isla and myself went to Denny's for a birthday breakfast. He ordered chocolate milk, spaghetti and mashed potatoes and gravy. And he ate almost all of it.

Oma, Opa, Auntie Lindsay and Uncle Kyle came over for pizza, cake and presents. Here is Isla 'filming' as Oliver opens gifts.

Oliver got a new bike for his birthday but wasn't as excited about it as we had hoped. We tried. I'm sure he will eventually like it.

We all had a great day celebrating our little man. He must have had a fun day because he slept till 10am the next day.

The little things

2014-05-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

This past week I scored a good deal on my local bidding site. It's a site where you win some and you loose some. I've got items that were great and some that I was truly disappointed. You base your bid on a small picture and someone elses opinion of their item. So you are always taking a risk but it can pay off.

This week I got an almost new, in the box HP colour print. It doesn't sound that cool or fabulous but I love to print things off Pinterest for myself and the kids. And to do it, I've been taking my UBS to Staples when I'm out running errands. I have to drop it off and then pick up a day later when it's ready. Doing this task with two small children is annoying. They don't like it and I don't like it. So this is going to save me trips to Staples, my children trying to eat the random suckers at the front of the store and paying more for printing then I need to. Yes, I was thoroughly excited about my $8.00 colour printer.

It's the little things in life.

Here are a few links to printables I adore. You can find tons of great free printables on Pinterest. Easy way to decorate your home, to give to a friend as a gift and encourage yourself when you need it .... I put mine on my fridge.

1. I Heart Naptime: Great DIY blog and a variety of different printables that let you get creative.

2. Craftaholicsanonymous: If you love to craft and have a craft room. Which one day I hope to have!

3.Confessions of a Recovering Chocoholic: This is a great website for those that like to make lists and be organized. I love to make lists and need to write everything down.

3. Yellow Bliss Road: Save this for September. Great way to remember these milestones.

4. Between you and Me: Cute yellow 'You are my Sunshine' printable.

5. Tried and True Blog: Free printable you can colour.

6. A little Umbrella: These are so pretty. I've printed a few off because they are so encouraging.

7.Simple As That Blog: Simple and Cute. I have a few of these in our playroom.

8. J and A and Co: Great bathroom or bedroom printables. Again, used one in the playroom.

9. It's Always Autumn: This has a link to 20 different free beautiful printables.

10. The Handmade Home: Just came across this blog and it's fantastic. Lots of amazing printables from organizing your kids closets, gift tags to cute nursery art.

Enjoy getting organized, decorating your home and encouraging someone who needs it with these free printables.

A Complete Project: Our New Entrance Chair

2014-05-20T16:43:00.002-07:00

This project is a special one. It's the first piece of furniture I refinished over a year ago. I found it at a local thrift store. When I found it, I didn't realize that it would take more skill and expertise than I had. I contacted Deen at Revamp in Langley and she took me through a few projects and this was one of them. I wanted to learn how to refinished furniture for myself but didn't know back then it would turn into more. I'm still learning project by project. This chair is a Morris Chair. They were made between 1890-1930. I'm not sure how old this one is but I'm sure it has a few years on it. Once painted, I needed to redo the cushions. This was where I was stopped in my tracks. I knew I was beyond my skill level. I contacted a friend to help but that is a lot to ask someone and she was willing to help me but I didn't want to take the chance of ruining nice, expensive fabric. Not really a project to learn on. The cushions sat for over a year. I finally found some nice quality fabric at Hobby Lobby and was determine to get this chair finished. A side note, I love Hobby Lobby and wish we had one closer. I think I went about 6-8 times in one week while I was in Arizona. With their coupons, I couldn't stop myself. This past month I took the fabric and cushions in to a seamstress I have used before and had her make new cushions. By far the most expensive part of the project. I needed to source this part out and I'm glad I did. As much as I wasn't thrilled with how much I paid to have the new cushions made, I can appreciate those who do have those skills I don't and feel they deserve to be paid for them. As I start to do custom work, I need to realize I have skills and abilities that people are willing to pay me for. So it needs to be worth my time and energy. I appreciate when people see that and let me create for them.

Please note: some pictures have a small black mark on them due to a error on my camera.

A wreath to match on our front door I made from burlap

Thoughts on Mother's Day and Bowen Island

2014-05-12T13:56:00.003-07:00

Mother's Day was just yesterday and I sit here feeling blessed and grateful. For so many things. For a wonderful mom who is caring, generous, loving and would do absolutely anything for her children. A mother in law that is helpful, kind and loves those around her. For so many amazing women in my life ..... grandmothers, aunts, cousins, friends and a daughter. I love my children because they made me a mom. They love unconditionally and I learn from them everyday. It's true when they say that until you have kids, it's hard to understand a mothers love. I get it now. I looked at them yesterday as they played on the beach looking for crabs and throwing rocks in the water, and delighted in them. Almost in wonder that God created and gave me two perfect little beings to love and care for. It is a weighty task that is hard, exhausting and feels impossible at times but I trust and pray God will give me the strength, wisdom and patience I need.

"Motherhood is a choice you make everyday - to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you're not sure what the right thing is .... and to forgive yourself, over and over, for doing everything wrong." Donna Ball

Motherhood isn't an easy journey but is one of the best things I've ever done. It really isn't about you anymore but I wouldn't want it any other way.

My day started with Trevor getting up with the kids not so much so I could sleep in but have quiet time to rest and stay in bed. Trevor made breakfast and coffee for me. I asked if he could make the DeDutch Hash pannekoken I love. And he came pretty close. He made crepes with a hash and topped it with hollandaise sauce.

The kids made me a homemade card and Trevor picked up a few goodies at Chapters which made me feel special. The kids nailed it when they said that Mommy likes to 'make things'.

We then headed to Bowen Island. If you have never been, it's a great quick get away. We drove to Horseshoe Bay Ferry terminal and parked. Kids were free and adults were $12 each for both ways. We have only walked on so we haven't explored the whole Island but hope to one day. It has some great restaurants, little shops, hiking, a marina and beaches. It's only a 20 minute ferry ride from the mainland but you feel like a world away from the city. It's quiet and relaxed. Just what you need sometimes.

We stayed close to the main marina since we only had a few hours. We went straight away for lunch at Doc Morgan's. Got a great table outside in the sun looking over the water. I treated myself to a cocktail and enjoyed fish and chips.

It was then onto finding crabs. Oliver's favourite part of the day. He could have done it for hours. Trevor would lift a rock and the kids giggled as the crabs scurried to find shelter. Oliver had no fear of grabbing them and holding them. Isla threw rocks in the water and was content with that.

We went for a quick hike and then finished the afternoon with ice cream. Poor Isla got abit of a sunburn. It was surprising warm.

We got home and family arrived for a barq. Spend the evening in the backyard and then moved into the kitchen for a FaceTime session with my mother. It was nice to see her beautiful face and hear her voice. These are the days that are hard being away from family. Thankful for technology that makes the distance seem not to far.

We finished the night with a competitive game of Monopoly. I was one of the final three. As 10pm came around, we shut down the game.

Happy Mother's Day and every day to mom's everywhere.

My heart is full.

Friday Favourites: My top 10 on Etsy

2014-05-09T13:40:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be fun to do a post every week or so on Fridays of some of my favourite internet finds. Maybe some great pins on Pinterest, great gifts on Etsy or a new blog or an Instagram account you need to follow. Sometimes you just randomly come across great stuff and sometimes it's through someone else. Sharing is caring, right :).

So this week I found some little gems on Etsy. With Mother's Day right around the corner, these would make perfect gifts.

Here are my top ten for this week on Etsy:

1. Best Mom Ever dish.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/186462323/made-to-order-5-dish-best-mom-ever?ref=favs_view_1

Perfect for jewellery and coins.

2. Jade Green Faux Leather Retro Coin Purse with bow
https://www.etsy.com/listing/184757664/jade-green-faux-leather-retro-coin-purse?ref=favs_view_7

Great size for gong out with the girls.

3. iPhone Case Rose Floral Pattern
https://www.etsy.com/listing/152071709/iphone-5c-case-rose-floral-patternblack?ref=favs_view_2

Forals are big right now.

4. Mint Green Opal Crystal Stud Earrings
https://www.etsy.com/listing/151129562/mint-green-opal-crystal-stud-earrings?ref=favs_view_21

Love the green and gold.

5. I'd Be Your Tribute Card
https://www.etsy.com/listing/100058086/id-be-your-tribute-hunger-games-romantic?ref=favs_view_13

If you like Hunger Games, you will appreciate this.

6. Floral Watch, Vintage Style Leather
https://www.etsy.com/listing/173525176/floral-watch-vintage-style-leather-watch?ref=favs_view_20

Good mix of floral and vintage.

7. Ombre Measuring Cup. Set of four.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/153484302/ombre-measuring-cup-set-of-four-coral?ref=favs_view_12

Measuring cups and nesting bowls in one.

8. Industrial Lighting. Mint Green Wire Cage Light.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/170927117/industrial-lighting-mint-green-wire-cage?ref=favs_view_8

Industrial but pretty.

9. Floral Silk Kimono Crossover Robe
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154784009/one-bridal-robe-white-kimono-crossover?ref=favs_view_17

So pretty.

10. Turn Off your Curling Iron Door Mat
https://www.etsy.com/listing/154784009/one-bridal-robe-white-kimono-crossover?ref=favs_view_17

This is me everyone morning going out the door and wondering if it's off.

Happy Mother's Day! May you have a wonderful day of being celebrated. We appreciate all that you do.

Bloglovin'

2014-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

If you love to blog or love to read blogs, Bloglovin' is a great way to keep up on all your favourites. It's nothing new but I finally got mine set up. A few of my favourites and some new ones I came across. Mine is a mix of crafting/DIY, decorating, style, food and fitness. Bloglovin' is a free app that allows your to follow and keep up to date on all your favourite blogs. Plus find new ones. With over 1.5 million followers, there is lot's of great stuff to be found. Feel free to check out some of my favourite blogs and follow me @mdejong.

Here a few of the blogs I'm following and what your feed will look like .....

Derek + Alyssa's Maternity Photos

2014-05-05T13:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I spent the afternoon with a very special couple, Derek and Alyssa. They are expecting baby number one in July. We are very excited for them and can't wait to meet baby boy Blok. They asked me to document in pictures Alyssa's pregnancy. I hesitated at first only because I have never done a formal photo shoot before. I really only photograph my own family and have no formal training but I took on the challenge. I haven't picked up my SLR in ages because of my iPhone. It was a great opportunity to expand my creative abilities and get out of my comfort zone. So I switched my camera to manual mode and went for it. They were very patient and easy to work with it so it made it easy for me. And we had great weather and scenery at Campbell Valley Park. While some of my ideas didn't really pan out as I hoped, we got a few great shots. Here are some of my favorites.

Thank you Derek and Alyssa for letting me capture your excitement and anticipation of your sweet baby boy.

Frozen Strawberry Crunch Cake

2014-04-30T14:30:00.003-07:00

We had company
over this week and I knew I wanted to make something fresh and light. The weather has been amazing with this sudden heat wave. It feels like summer! I decided to try a new recipe from www.tablespoon.com. It's called Frozen Strawberry Crunch Cake. I had most of the ingredients because I had just done a big grocery shop and I didn't want something super processed.

FROZEN STRAWBERRY CRUNCH CAKE
INGREDIENTS

1: box Nature Valley Granola Bars

1/3: cup brown sugar

1/2: cup flour

6: tablespoons melted butter

2: egg whites

1/2: cup sugar

1: cup heavy whipping cream

1: lemon

4: ounces cream cheese

1 1/2: cups freshly chopped strawberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Put the Nature Valley granola bars in a food processor (I used my Ninja and it worked great) and process until you achieve a course crumb.

2. In a large bowl, add the crumbs, brown sugar, flour and melted butter and mix together. Then spread into an 8x8-inch pan that has been covered with parchment paper. Bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes. Let cool. Then divide in half and set aside.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine eggs whites and sugar and mix on high. Add the heavy cream and continue mixing for another 5 minutes.

4. Continue to add the fresh squeezed lemon juice and softened cream cheese. Mix on low speed until incorporated.

5. Fold the fresh strawberries into the cream mixture.

6. In a buttered glass cake pan, press half of the crumb crust mixture on the bottom. Top with strawberry mix and then add the remaining crumbs to the top.

7. Cover and freeze for three hours or more and enjoy!

I thought it was a good mix of sweet and tart. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. The crumble on the top and bottom was very good and a nice change to just your typical base. I had never used granola bars in a dessert like that before. Next time I would probably use the whole package of cream cream instead of half since it wasn't super sweet.