friday's five

first i would just like to say a major thank you to all the great comments on monday's toddler post.  sometimes it's great to hear "i know exactly what you mean" and really know that someone else really really does.  i've started to wonder how we'll get through the tantrums when baby girl arrives.  we're actually thinking that rob takes a month of parental leave at the same time my maternity leave starts.  it would totally awesome to have him home and be a family of four for an entire month.

anyways ...

it's friday.  and although friday's five has been m.i.a. for awhile, there have been a few things that i've been loving.  not sure if it's going to come back full time, but i figured it should make sporatic appearances.  just every now and then.

this pregnancy article made me laugh out loud at some points

this fabric site is amazing!  found this fabric for baby girl's nursery in the new house

things i need to make sure i we do before baby girl arrives

i've started thinking about liam's second birthday party theme.  i just can't decide between this, this, or this one in a different colour, not diggin' the yellow and red

perhaps to satisfy my ice cream craving ... then again not


have a super happy weekend.  we're not doing anything too exciting, but it is supposed to wickedly nice so we'll be out and about enjoying the sun!

friday's five ~ link love

today is a lovely day.  the sun is shining and there were birds chirping.  yes it is february 3 and there are birds.  we've had the mildest winter i've seen in many many years.  it's going to be so nice this weekend that we're even thinking of a trip to the zoo. 

it's been many'a moon since i last did a finding friday.  for obvious reasons.  but here are a few things that have been floating around my brain lately.  it's totally a random mishmash.  but that seems to be the norm these days. 

in love with the idea of this lilac nursery and gorgeous tree if we are having a a bebe girl

got a sewing machine for christmas from the husband and this cape is going to be my first project.  can't wait for liam to fly around the house saving his toys

loved this post about moms and sons

then i found this one ... it made me laugh and cry at the same time

i see a bowl full of this in my near future

happy friday.  happy weekend.

friday's five: it begins again

I know what you're probably thinking, friday what??  It's been awhile but I think it may be time to bring back friday's five.  I have to admit, I've been looking back at some of my older posts and found I missed doing my friday's five.  Also, I'm looking for a couple ways to re-inspire myself and my blog.  So why not go back to doing something I enjoy, and here it is ... Welcome Back Friday's Five!!

This week F's five is dedicated to Liam's big boy room.  As we wait for our drawings to be approved and finished (yup building a new house) I am constantly thinking about decorating the crap out of it.  Literally.  I go to sleep thinking about the house.  I wake up thinking about the house.  All of my conversations with the husband are something house related.  Seriously I think I may have a problem.  Anyways, back to Liam's room.  I'm excited about decorating a room for a little boy (rather than a gender neutral nursery) because it will all be about him, all for him.  Thanks pinterest for all the wonderful ideas, let the creative juices flow.

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love the idea of a reading nook

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a must for his bedroom, he is this kid!

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for learning his abc's

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for learning about the world ... love love love this idea

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this would be so fun, but not sure his room is big enough

happy friday, happy weekend!!

friday's five ~ finale

Remember this??  I used to make the honest attempt each week to ensure that I had five things every Friday.  Unfortunately I have fallen out of love with this series.  It happens...perhaps it's time to move onto something new.  So today will be the last Friday's five/finding Friday.  In honour of us leaving for our week long beach vacation, I'm dedicating this final post to things to do at the beach!

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1 ~ building sand castles

(okay so mine don't look like this, but we can pretend right?)

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2 ~ enjoy the view

(this is lake Okanagan, where we're going)

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3 ~ have a picnic on the beach

(I'm loving the food in the jar idea...no sand in the sand-wiches)

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4 ~ have a bonfire on the beach

(play some guitar, sing some songs and eat some s'mores)

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5 ~ and finally just relax, relax, relax
(I'm excited for the good company, family fun, and the fact that we have nothing to do)

I've got a couple fantastic ladies guest posting for me next week, so hope you enjoy.

Have a happy relaxing week!

finding friday ~ the great outdoors

Part of the reason I love summer so much is the amount of time we spend outdoors.  Whether Liam and I are playing with a dump truck and pail, or the husband and I are drinkin' a beer on a hot night, nothing beats being outside.  Last summer I didn't want to spend as much time in our backyard...doesn't feel that nice when a person is the size of a beached whale (almost 9 months pregnant) and every inch of the body is swollen because of the heat.  So far we have thoroughly enjoyed our backyard and intend to continue.  My love of the backyard is this weeks inspiration for finding friday.

Beautiful outdoor bedroom

Wish to replicate for a dinner party

 Simply gorgeous dinner party idea

 Great outdoor space for families

(I so want to do the outdoor movie)

Picturesque bohemian patio

Wishin' ya a happy sunny weekend!!

We'd love a vote from ya!

friday's five ~ raise a glass

Today's f's 5 is a gooder.  It's my thanks and appreciation to all you fabulous people that follow and peek in on our little family.  I never really know if anyone is reading.  My stats say they are (come on...you know you check yours too).  I hope you enjoy the crazy fun happiness that is our life.  F's 5 this week is all about saying a big 'ol thanks to you all.

~ thank you

~ merci

~ de nada

~ dankeschon

~ tak

Also Happy Birthday Canada!!  We are the true north strong and free.
We're off to celebrate Canada Day and have some family fun time.
Happy Weekend!

Thanks for the votes too!

friday's five (on Saturday): things I learned...

...while travelling with a child.  It used to be so easy to pack up and head out on vacation when it was just the husband and I.  Throw a baby into the mix and chaos ensues.  Liam did great not bad on our first family vacation.  I have to admit...travelling with a baby is hard.  Travelling with a baby who is cutting two teeth is harder!  But despite the appearance of Liam's two upper chompers we did have a great vacation.  Seeing as this was our first long haul vacation (10 days in all) this weeks f's 5 is dedicated to the things I learned about travelling with a child.

1.  it's okay if your kid cries for 45 minutes on an airplane.
Liam was super cranky about half way through the flight to Montreal (unknown to us he was teething).  He refused to nap and as a result we had a crying explosion.  Nothing I did would help...until he finally fell asleep.  At first I was all embarrassed about it, then it stressed me out.  But really, I was doing everything I could to console my babe and that is what mattered most.  Seriously what else are people going to ask you to do?  "Mame can you please stop your baby from crying otherwise you'll have to exit the plane."

2.  nap time IS important...even if it's only 25 minutes at a time.
Naps are even more important when on vacation.  This was found out the hard way.  No nap = cranky mcfussy pants.  We figured out that Liam fell asleep easier after eating and if we were constantly on the move.  We walked everywhere and he was always well fed!

3. snacks, snacks and more snacks.
And not just snacks for Liam.  But snacks for us too.  Liam gets uber cranky and fussy when he's hungry.  He comes by it honestly...both Rob and I are the same way.  Gerber puffs and Baby Mum Mum's were our saviour on this trip.  So was the occasional banana and muffin.

4.  packing for 2 in 1 suitcase.
I have become a master packer.  Who knew that you could get a 10 day wardrobe for both a momma and a baby into a medium sized suitcase that weighed less than 40 lbs with room to spare?  Even more amazing, I bought a few things (a much needed pair of red heels) and everything still fit.  I give credit to our eagle creek packing cubes.  They make packing so much easier.

5. family vacations rock!
I had so much fun hanging out with my guys for 10 days of family fun time.  It didn't matter if Liam was cranky or I was cranky or even if the weather was crummy.  I loved every minute of it...because I was with the people I love the most, doing fun things.  I feel like we bonded again.  We haven't spent that much time together, just the three of us, since Liam was born.

  

Click twice if you love family vacations!!

friday's five ~ i'm pinspired

 {dinner party ideas}

So I have a new favourite obsession...pinterest.  You know all those pages you rip out of magazines; outfits you like, rooms you long to be in, the perfect bathroom, places you want to travel.  For those not in the know, pinterest is a  digital way of cataloging images that provide you with inspiration.  I was immediately hooked.  I'm one who is constantly ripping pages out of magazines and storing them in the bottom of my nightstand and then never looking at them again because they're a mess.  Finding pretty things I love, a new recipe to try, some diy stuff,  decorating our backyard for a dinner party and beautifying the home, thanks for my inspiration pinterest.

{fashion & style}

{for the homestead}

finding friday ~ farmer's market edition

Still raining here!  Seriously, I don't remember the last time we actually had it rain non-stop for an entire week.  Maybe our grass will actually be green this year, or maybe not. (we have an ongoing battle with our grass)  Despite the soggy weather it actually turned out to be the perfect day to head to the farmer's market, thankfully it's indoors.  This made Finding Friday easy this week.   Macaroons, pain au chocolat (for Sunday morning), mini cucumbers, peppers, orange and red tomatoes, the BEST organic grapes, honey whole wheat bread, and apples.  Also we were introduced to beef bacon...yup I did say beef bacon, maple flavoured too.  Liam got his first taste of cabbage rolls, perogies and latkes, a most excellent Ukrainian lunch.  He loved 'em all...like any Ukrainian would.

 macaroons, we got raspberry, pistachio, chocolate & hazelnut mocha
...mmmmmm
i just love how french they are...
j'adore 

♥ happy happy weekend ♥

friday's five: a camping we will NOT go

Boooo, we were supposed to finally go camping this weekend...but due to rain in the forecast AND a provincial fire ban we are not : (  I guess the fire ban is some what acceptable seeing as there are over 100 wildfires currently burning. True...we could go and not have a fire, but what fun would that be?   So, seeing as we are not headed to the mountains I'm dedicating this weeks f's 5 to things the "livin' the dream" family associate with camping...

photo from www.caplanmiller.com

S'mores 

 by far one of THE best parts of camping!!

2 parts graham cracker

1 part fire roasted marshmallowy goodness

1 or 2 or 3 parts melted chocolate

how could you go wrong with such tasty deliciousness?

Camping...with a furnace?

last year, right after Liam was born, we bought ourselves this rockin' tent trailer.  before the farf came into our world Rob and I would tent it.  but, now...we camp in style, with a furnace!!  definitely a step up from our Tarn 3 (our little green tent)

Camp fires

yup this is the reason we aren't going camping this weekend.  it is a must for us, there is nothing better than sitting around a blazing pile'o'wood in the middle of a forest. throw in some smores and a guitar and it's perfection at it's best.  with an inferno like this you ask if a furnace is really necessary?  answer: yes!!

Camping in the Mountains

we love getting out of the city and escaping to scenery like this...and where we live, it's only minutes away!

Seeing bears...

no not really...but I'd be all over a bear if I saw one this cute!   introducing Liam to the great outdoors is my new favourite part of camping.  i'm actually super disappointed that we aren't going now.  Liam was so little when we went last year and I'm excited about everything he'll get into, pinecones, leaves, dirt, sleeping with bears...you know the usual.  

here's hoping the fire ban is lifted next weekend

 happy {non-firey} weekend

Finding Friday

No Friday's 5 this week...instead I'm going to try something new, well new for me anyway.  I've seen something similar on a couple other blogs...Friday's Finds, Friday Favourites and the like.  So here are some things I love/found while finding this sunny Friday!

in love love love with this skirt

(sad it is out of stock)

my favourite cupcake...the velvet elvis

inspiration for Liam's first birthday party

looking for a new ride this year

in lust with these shoes...have to visit them in Montreal

hydrangeas' are so summery

happy birthday audrey (last week)

her patio is incredibly beautiful

thinking of this design for a new family ring

♥ happy happy weekend ♥