I'm Baaaack

Like Melody said yesterday, I've been away on a family vacation for the past couple weeks. It was so nice to get away and spend time together as a family. We flew across the country and spent two weeks with Jesse's family and got to see some friends as well.

The first week we visited the splash pad, played at the park, visited the boys' great-grandparents, went shopping and Jesse and I even got out on a date! 

We also went on the boys' first camping trip. They had a blast! Well, more Gavin than Cameron, but Cameron enjoyed himself too. :) 

At the end of the first week, we visted friends and got ready to go to a cottage with Jesse's whole family. It was a six hour drive to our destination and though Jesse and I were worried how the boys would do in the car, they did awesome! 

We were right in the mountains on a lake. B-eautiful! It was so nice to relax and hang out on the beach. We went to a farmer's market and got fruit and ice cream; Cameron learned how to sit by himself (for the most part); Jesse went golfing; we took naps, and just enjoyed catching up with family. 

Now we're home and catching up with work, laundry and getting back into the swing of things. I do have a project for you that I finished before we left on vacation. If you love to scrapbook or live vicariously through people who do, then make sure you check back on Friday! 

Summer Lace Wrap Cardigan

Over the weekend, I finally finished my cardigan. I think this was the happiest I've ever been to finish a project. I started the project on June 30th and finally got around to taking some pictures today. I really wanted to show the finished project yesterday but it was too rainy and dark to take pictures.

I tried a few new things with this project including raglan style sleeves and blocking. I've always avoided any knitting projects with either of them and so I've been limited on what I could make.

I started making this project for myself but halfway through, I decided it would be a great present for my mom for her birthday.

My gorgeous Mom

The most difficult part of the pattern was figuring out the lace front. Once I had finished a complete row, I got the pattern down and it was smooth sailing.

The best part is that she loves it and looks wonderful in it!

If you're looking for a great database of free knitting and crocheting projects, check out Ravelry where I found this one!

Have you tried any projects lately that made you learn something new? Share with us!

Summer Goes On

I would love to be writing a post about how I've been getting my list for summer all finished, but I really can't. It's not that I've just been sitting on my butt (ok, some of the time!), it's just that there never seems to be enough time in a day to get everything done. I am however, going to start refinishing my kitchen tonight. My house has a lot of honey oak in it. The floors, cabinets, and railings are all honey oak. I'm leaving the floors the way they are since they are actually quite nice, but the kitchen and the railings all need to be turned espresso.

One thing that I have accomplished was picking out my new hardware for the bathroom and kitchen. I'm happy with both the cost and the look. After thinking about it, I decided to do the same hardware in both the bathroom and the kitchen.

Hopefully they'll be here by next week so I can install them and stop using painters tape as drawer pulls.

How about you? Do you have a project you know you need to get done, just don't have time for? 

PB Inspiration

I'm having an awesome summer. Over the weekend, I got away.. again! Sans kiddos! A few of us decided that we should get away for a weekend since we haven't done anything in over 2 years.

We decided to go to Niagara Falls since there's good shopping around that area. We booked our hotel through Expedia and on Friday night, we set off. We had a few adventures along the way, especially with a very sketchy hotel, but thankfully, it all worked out! 

On Saturday, we did some shopping around the area and one mall that we ended up at had a Pottery Barn. I love Pottery Barn. I look at their catalogue and drool over the gorgeous things that they sell. Unfortunately, I do not have that kind of money to spend on toys, pillows, or bedding. But maybe someday? In the meantime, here are a few things that I would love for my girls.

                                                                    Source: potterybarnkids.com via Melody on Pinterest

                                                                            Source: potterybarnkids.com via Melody on Pinterest

                                                                                 Source: potterybarnkids.com via Melody on Pinterest

I love the country cottage feel of everything. 

It makes me want to have tea parties outside with my girls - which I just might do today!

Take It In

I haven't been very creative lately. I don't have any new projects to show you. Life has been very busy lately with working, trying to stay cool from this heat wave that we've been having, running after a toddler, and visiting with friends and family. It has been good, but busy! It has left me with zero time or energy though to get anything done. 

I am looking forward to my husband's family coming next month. We will be spending a weekend at the family cottage with them. I.can't.wait. 

It's so peaceful with lots of opportunities to relax. 

 It will be a nice break from the busyness of regular day-to-day life. It's amazing that once you get living outside, whether you are going camping or cottaging and just start breathing that fresh air (granted that it's not sweltering - THAT'S not refreshing), all the worries just slip away. You are able to focus on your family and the small moments are the big moments. Those are the memories that will be with your family forever.

So get outside! Try to find some time this summer and get to a cottage or pitch a tent for a night. There is nothing better than spending time around the campfire at night, roasting marshmallows and then crawling into your sleeping bag and sleeping in the fresh night air. Aaahhh....

** These pictures were taken last summer when my baby was still a baby! **

Family Vacation Week

My husband was able to get a week off from work last week. He has a job that takes him away from home quite a bit, so when he's home, we try to spend as much time together as a family as possible.

Our city is pretty central to a lot of southern Ontario's best cities and so instead of a big vacation, we took a few day trips to see some places we hadn't seen in a while.

On Friday, we got to take a trip just the two of us to one of my favourite spots. Niagara Falls!

It is definitely a cool place to go. The summertime is busy but it's so beautiful! The weather was hot and sunny. We went to Niagara On The Lake first and walked around all of the interesting little shops and had some great food at the cute little park that is right downtown. Then we took the scenic route to Niagara Falls.

We were planning on going behind the Falls but we took a walk instead and missed the timing for it.

We walked up and down Clifton Hill and above where all the beautiful hotels were. It was a perfect day!

On Saturday, we took a trip with our friends to the Toronto Zoo. Bella is obsessed with animals and she absolutely loved it! She kept naming all the animals that she wanted to see and was mesmerized by the lions, rhinos, and bears. We got the grizzly bears just in time for feeding so they were moving around quite a bit. It was so cool to see!

Now that we're home again, it's back into the normal routine of life. The laundry needs to be folded and  the dishes needed to be done. It's great to have those wonderful breaks from life but it is terrible to come back and clean up after it!

I did get some new magazines so now I'm inspired to clean and organize my house. Hopefully we will have a beautiful week for that! How did everyone spend their weekend? Have you gone away for your family vacation yet and where did you go? 

Let's talk...Lemonade

When the days are so warm and you can actually feel yourself losing weight because you're sweating so much {dream world}, there's nothing better than a cold glass of lemonade to cool you down. 

{Insert "ahhhh"....} 

I have actually never made lemonade from scratch. It always seems easier to buy it than to squeezing lemons to make some lemonade. I do know a number of recipes that seem pretty easy to make...so maybe someday. Right now though, I'll stick with this lemonade that Melody introduced me to: 

 It is so good! It is more expensive than just buying a frozen can and mixing it yourself, but when it comes on sale (which it did), I scoop it up (which I did). 

Now. It's good on it's own. But I like to spice it up a bit by throwing in a few frozen raspberries into my glass. It adds a little pizazz that I love. And it's fun to see it turn from yellowish to a nice pink colour as the raspberries melt (I'm a kid). 

I did a little bit of searching for other ways to 'spice up' your plain yellow lemonade this summer. Here's what I found:

Click here for the recipes: {Watermelon Lemonade}, {Cucumber Lemonade}, {Blueberry Lemonade}

I had never thought of putting cucumber in my lemonade, but it sounds like it would really refreshing! *Note: This drink has vodka in it. Didn't realize it till I scrolled till the bottom of the blog post.* 

Since I love raspberries in my lemonade, I think the watermelon and blueberry versions would be so good! Add a little mint, a slice of lemon on the side and you have yourself a fancy lemonade. 

So there you have it. Some different ways to serve lemonade this summer. Does anybody make their own lemonade? Is it as troublesome as I think it would be? 

Happy lemonade making! 

Easy Summer Supper {Nicoise Pasta Salad}

Sometimes when it is stinkin' hot outside, I don't feel like cooking. Not a big shock there. Who loves to be in a kitchen in the summer, with the stove on, just adding to the heat?

This past week we had a few really warm, sweltering days. Supper still had to be made though, so I turned to my summer staple: Salad Nicoise or Nicoise Pasta Salad - whatever you want to call it. This salad is chock full of goodness. It is a meal in itself, which is great. Unfortunately, the stove still needs to be used, but you could make the ingredients earlier and then just throw everything together later. 

This recipe is actually originally from one of my mom's Company's Coming cookbooks. I really couldn't tell you which one though (I have it scratched down in one of my own recipe books). 

There are many variations of this salad. I have seen examples with a more creamy dressing and small potatoes. We usually make it with canned tuna, but for this recipe, I used fresh salmon and it tasted wonderful. 


Nicoise Pasta Salad

You will need:

• Cooked Fusilli Pasta (I used Penne this time)
• Small head of lettuce, coursely shredded 
• Small red onion, sliced very small 
• Canned solid tuna, drained and broken up into chunks (or fresh, cooked salmon, broken up into chunks)
• Fresh (or frozen) cooked green beans, cooled and cut 
• (Optional) Whole pitted ripe olives, halved
• Two medium tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 3 hard boiled eggs, sliced

Dressing:

• 1/3 cup cooking oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. garlic powder

 Directions:

1. Cook pasta. I throw the beans in near the end of the pasta's cooking time so I don't need to use another pot. Drain the pasta and beans and rinse with cold water. Transfer to large bowl and let cool completely. 
2. Add the lettuce, onion, and tuna to the cooled pasta and beans. 
3. Mix the dressing together in a small container. Pour over salad mixture and toss. 
4. Mix in tomatoes and egg wedges

  And voila. Supper is ready and you barely broke a sweat. 

Enjoy! 

(If you are interested in learning more about Company's Coming cookbooks and recipes, go to, www.companyscoming.com)

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Adventures in Clothes Making

I love to sew and make things for my girls. Last night, I pulled out my sewing machine and decided I was going to make a romper for Sienna. Rompers might be the best baby article of clothing ever.. besides the diaper.. or onesie. So maybe the third? But they are so comfy and cushy and just plain comfortable to for baby's to wear. I had bought a few from H&M for her a few months ago, and I love how you only have to grab one thing out of the drawer in the morning when you're doing a mad scramble to get ready.

I used fabric that I already had on hand. When I'm trying new things, I don't like to waste my "pretty" fabric, just in case I ruin everything. The pattern was pretty simple for me to follow and the only unfortunate part of it, was that it had buttons. I hate making button holes. I'm not sure if it's me or my machine, but I just can't get them to look pretty! They are my nemesis. Thankfully, you can't see my terrible work when everything is buttoned up. Two hours after starting, I was done!

Now that I've made one, there are different ideas floating in my head of how I can make them even cuter. The total cost of this new outfit for my little girl was $0.

So what do you think? Have you ever tried to make clothes for your children? Let us know!

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Be. Our. Guest!

(Do you have the song from Beauty and the Beast in your head now?) 
 
Summer is the perfect time to jump into your car or hop on a plane and visit family and friends that you haven't seen in a while. There is nothing better than visiting, taking in the sights (and food), and hopefully getting a little bit of relaxation in as well. 

Maybe you are sticking around home this summer, but you have guests coming to visit you instead. That's our plan. Some of my husband's family will be traveling to see us later on this summer. We are looking forward to having them come and visit for a while!


Even though it's still a month away, I'm starting to think about where everyone is going to sleep, how we are all going to use our tiny bathroom, meal planning, and getting our house ready. 

When you have guests over, you really want them to feel at home - not so much that they decide to make your house their home forever :), but enough that they feel comfortable while they are visiting. 

 {source}

If you have the space to make a guest room, be sure to clean and open up the windows to allow some fresh air to blow through, especially if you haven't used the room in a while.

No matter if you have an official guest room or just a blow up bed in a spare area of your home, make the bed with fresh linens so that it looks inviting for your guest to sink into. Have extra pillows nearby so if your guest needs more, they are able to access them without the feeling of bothering you.

{source}

I don't know about you, but whenever I go on a long trip, I always leave the house feeling like I forgot something. Usually it's something silly (but necessary) like deodorant. Make up a little basket of necessary items that could be sitting on a side table or a chair for your guest. 

 {source}

Some items that you could put in a basket are: 

• bottles of water
• small bottles of shampoo and conditioner 
• mouthwash
• a toothbrush and toothpaste
• a mini deoderant
• bobby-pins and hair elastics
• gum
• soap or body wash (include a pouf)
• your guests' favourite magazine 
• a small snack for any middle of the night cravings 

 Be sure to include towels and face cloths.

{source} 

 

 Above all, be sure to enjoy your guests and the time that you have with them. After all, they didn't come to judge your guest room (or lack of guest room) and whether or not you put the fancy linens on the bed. They came to see you. It is important to make sure they feel welcome while they are visiting, but it is also important that you have a good visit while they are there. 

Enjoy your summer guests! 

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Long Weekends and Chocolate Pudding

I hope everyone is enjoying their long weekend! I know I am for sure. We've gotten stuff done around the house - my lawn looks fantastic!

We went to the beach with family

Took in some gorgeous fireworks

And just lazed around the house doing nothing. It was perfect!
I also decided to make some dessert today for a special meal. I knew I wanted something with chocolate since I love chocolate. I found this recipe and thought I'd see if it actually tasted as good as it sounded. I have already had a bowl of it and it is fantastic! If you are looking for a way to sneak some healthy foods into your diet, this is a great way to do it!

The original recipe can be found here with a few changes of my own added in.

Raw Chocolate Pudding

2 very ripe avocados
2 ripe bananas
2 tbs raw cacao powder
1/2 cup almond, coconut, or regular milk
1/3 cup honey or maple syrup
1 tsp of lemon juice (stops the avocado and banana from turning brown which sounds strange since you're making chocolate pudding but trust me!)

Peel the bananas and avocados and put them in a blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend together until nice and smooth. Store in the fridge until you're ready to serve it.

Hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your long weekend :)

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Canada Day Fireworks Craft

So we're doing something different around here for today. I'm posting for Heidi today since her internet hasn't been working, and she'll post for me tomorrow.

This weekend, we get a three day weekend in honour of Canada Day. Both of my girls are still a little young to understand what that means, but I thought it would still be fun to do a few crafts with them.

The first one is very easy to do, and chances are you've done it before. Grab some crayons and a white piece of paper. Scribble all over the white paper with the coloured crayons. It's not important to make any designs, just make sure that all of the white is covered. Then colour over that with the black crayon. Make sure you can't see any of the colours. Then using a sharp object (a lot of people suggest using a popsicle stick but I used a knitting needle.. mostly because I couldn't find my popsicle sticks) carve out some firework images.

Bella loved spending time colouring together. It's a great craft to do together!

These websites also have a few more ideas that you can do to celebrate our nation's birthday:

Kaboose.com and TLC Family

How do you celebrate Canada Day or Independence Day? 

Any good ideas or traditions? 

Let's chat!

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