A little "Easter Chick" Party for Little Girls..

The first spring that we lived in our new city, Hunter was in grade 4.

She was always a little girl who loved to bake & make crafts, so we decided to host a little "Easter Chick Party" with a few of her new little friends.

I shopped at Micheals for craft supplies....Wilton candy melts, lollipop sticks and terra cotta pots to make edible flower pots and wooden eggs, google eyes and wood hearts to make little easter chicks.

It was so fun...and I really miss these 'bake & craft' days with my little girl who is a big girl now in Grade 9.

Here are the girls making the flower lollipops with the Wilton candy melts and flower lollipop mold.

And here they are with their finished edible flower pots and small, cute 'Easter Chicks'.

{These girls look sooo little in this photo compared to now..they are all gorgeous teenage girls going into Grade 10 in September!}

I love all the bright colours in the flower pops!

I still have the flower lollipop mold, so I am thinking of making some lollipops for Spring.

Maybe I can convince one of the kids to join me!

On vacation...

with my family.

Somewhere warm and sunny!

Have a great 2 weeks!

New Pillows for Spring

You know you have a problem when you have to sneak shopping bags in the house when your husband is not home.

Strangely, he notices shopping bags coming into the house...but he doesn't notice new pillows on the bed that he sleeps in.

It's like he has 'decorating' blindness.

But who am I to complain?

That darn HomeSense...if only I would learn to stay out of that store.

Last week, I spied these Amy Butler pillows.

I tried to resist them. I went home without them. But they kept calling my name.

So I went back to get 2 square Amy Butler pillows...and the little smaller one with the flowers in turquoise & green...that was the dessert to go with the dinner.

It was just the thing to cheer a girl up after a long, long winter.

Does anyone else have a pillow obssession?

A Photo Tray Project Just For Me...

Last week I took a break from blogging as one of my very best friends from Nova Scotia was spending 3 glorious days with us.

We spent our time together visiting, lunching, shopping, crafting and chatting until 1 am each night.

{Phew, was I tired! This ol' gal isn't used to late nights anymore!}

We first met through scrapbooking more than 12 years ago, where we formed a scrapbook group 5 friends and we called ourselves "The Layout Ladies".

Over 3 years, we enjoyed several eveningsof scrapbooking together, shopping trips, eating out and  retreats until I moved away almost 6 years ago.

So last week when my 'bestie' came to visit, I suggested we spend a night scrapbooking together...just like old times.

I convinced her to make a photo tray with me.

I had made 2 photo trays for gifts at Christmas, but I have been wanting to make one just for me.

My bestie made one of her little granddaughter.

 My chosen colour scheme was blue & green...but you knew that already, didn't you?

 I just love the simple fun of this project.

It can be done in under an hour.

 My bestie made her's in this pink & peachy colour scheme.

I think it turned out fabulous, yes?

 Her little granddaughter is just precious.

I cannot tell you the joy my friend has in her life from this little person.

 I highly recommend crafting with friends...it's the best quality time together!

I don't do enough of it...and I really miss it!

This post is linked to:

Sundae Scoop @ I {heart} Naptime

Organizing a Laundry/Office Space for a Busy Mom of 4...

 A busy Mom of 4 who knows of my love for organizing asked me to help her with her laundry/office space.

Being the freak of nature that I am....a person who loves disorganization and mess because I see it as my playground....of course I said yes!

Here is what the space looked like when I arrived.

The 4 boxes you see on top of the cabinets house the keepsake items of the 4 teenagers in the house.

The cabinets hold laundry supplies and office supplies.

Below is how it looks after we purged, sorted and organized.

Much better!

The keepsake items of the 4 children were re-organized into plastic tote boxes{that held all the items} and are stored in a hallway closet.

The boxes on top of the cabinets now hold things like camera equipment, and other things stored in the office.

Inside the cabinet was an assortment of various office and school supplies.

We carefully went through the cabinet and kept and organized only those items which were needed.

This Mom was super great about letting go of un-needed things to achieve a simplified, functional cabinet.

As a side note, I cannot even tell you how cute the 3 dogs who live here were.

The large hound dog named Hudson just captured my heart.

He was like a real life Marmaduke...a loveable, sweet, slobbery marshmallow. I swear his ears weighed 10 pounds each!

And when I went to leave, I couldn't find one of my boots that I had left in the entry.

We finally located it on the homeower's king sized bed...snuggled up with Hudson.

{What is it that dogs always think that my footwear is just so delicious?}

My Super Fun Day with Laura from "I'm An Organizing Junkie"...

I did something a few Saturdays ago that I have never done before.

I met a fellow blogger in real life.

Yes I did!

I was so happy and super thrilled to meet Laura Wittman from "I'm an Organizing Junkie."

I have been reading her blog for over 3 years.

And we have been corresponding by email for the last few months.

When I learned that she was coming to my city to Chapters for a book signing for her new book, "Clutter Rehab",

I asked if she would be interested in meeting for lunch.

And then she invited me along to her book signing as well.

It turned out to be an amazing day for 2 ladies....chatting, lunching, hanging out at Chapters, doing a little shopping and wrapping the day up with a cupcake at my favourite cupcake shop.

We shared lots of laughs and great conversation.

She was every bit as lovely as I thought she would be... and more!

I am so grateful for this hobby of blogging...it has brought me so many gifts...and the opportunity to meet this amazing woman is one of them.

And if you haven't checked out her book 'Clutter Rehab' yet...you really should!

It's full of great tips and information for enjoying a more organized life...and it's on the shelf at Chapters.

Menu Plan Monday & A Recipe for Corn Chowder...

     I had a craving for a nice bowl of homemade corn chowder after I read Laura's meal plan for Menu Plan Monday a few weeks ago over at her blog "I'm an Organizing Junkie".
So I decided to make corn chowder for our family.

My hubby, although he loves soup, is not a fan of chowders, {Gasp! A Maritimer who doesn't like chowders!} so I tend to make chowders when he is travelling for work.

I expected the kids to bawk a bit at the mention of corn chowder for supper....but surprise, surprise...they each ate 3 bowls! I love when that happens!

There are times when I really wish that I had paid more attention when my Mom made chowders.

No born and bred self-respecting Maritimer would ever use a recipe for a chowder.

But it helps to watch an expert at work!

Corn Chowder

4 medium potatoes

2 large carrots

1 large onion

2 staulks celery

2 cans of corn niblets

2 cans of cream of corn

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

1 can of evaporated milk

2 cups of skim milk

Chop potatoes in large dice or rough chop. Prepare carrots, onion and celery  in small dice. Place these 4 ingredients in large pot and cover with just enough water. Bring to boil and turn back to medium heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender.  Do not drain off water. Add 2 cans of corn niblets, 2 cans of cream of corn and cream of mushroom soup. Add salt & pepper to taste. Then add milk or cream of your choice depending on how rich you want the broth to be. I used a can of evaporated milk and finished off with about 2 cups of skim milk. {Maritimers tend to use a can of evaporated in their chowders because it adds creaminess without a lot of calories and there is usually always a can in the pantry.}

This meal is great served with fresh-from-the-oven biscuits and a green salad with a simple viniagrette. And I always like my chowder topped with a dash of freshly ground pepper.

This week our family will be eating:

Monday

Spaghetti & Meat Sauce

Tuesday

Corn Chowder & Fresh Biscuits

Wednesday

Chicken Breasts on a bun with jalapeno havarti cheese & caesar salad.

Thursday

Shepherd's Pie & veggies & dip

Friday

Bratwurst Sausage on buns with home fries.

Saturday

Dad cooks.

This post is linked to:

A Boy's Room Makeover That Scores The Goal...

Can you tell that this boy loves hockey?

It seemed fitting that his room should reflect his love of hockey and the importance it plays in his life.
I think every child should have a room that reflects their personality and interests...despite the decor of the rest of the house.

So last week I left you with this picture of the unfinished room.

The hardwood floor needed to be finished and the room needed decorating.

Here is this 12 year old boy's new room now.

The wall colours were chosen by this hockey-loving boy with the help of a designer.

It paired a red accent wall with 3 surrounding walls of grey to give a great backdrop for the terrific collection of framed hockey pictures owned by this hockey-passionate family.

I then collaborated with  Mom on the organization of this room and how it would function.

This room was originally green with a bunk bed combination of a double bed on the bottom and a single bed on the top. The room also held other matching pine pieces: a large armoire, a desk, a nightstand and a bookcase.

Since one boy lives in this room, I suggested Mom get rid of the bunk bed combination after hearing how she detested struggling with changing the sheets of the bunk beds and 2 beds were not really necessary for the  function of the room.

She decided to keep the larger bed and plans to sell the single bed.

Another cumbersome piece of furniture in this room was an armoire {not shown}. I suggested that all of her son's clothing be re-organized into the closet with a newly installed closet configuration. With the armoire gone, this also freed up a ton of space in this room....making it feel more spacious and calm.

Originally, the wall to the right of the bed had been painted red, but with the bunk beds and the armoire now gone, it made  good sense to make the far wall the red accent wall to feature the bed and the cherished, framed hockey print of Ovechkin.

So Mom had the two walls re-painted to reflect the new floor plan.

New nightstands in black-brown from Ikea were added to frame the bed while also breaking up the matchiness of all the pine in the room.

Mom purchased the new black coverlet and pillows to complement the room in it's new colours.

She is still searching for new lamps for the nightstands.

This next space shows the bookcase placed in the corner by the closet.

I think every child should have a bookcase in their room for books and cherished objects.

Notice the tiny black hockey skate...it was worn by this boy and his older brother when they were just little tykes! I love this touch of nostalgia in a room!

I encouraged Mom to show and display any treasured hockey paraphernalia from her boys' years of playing hockey.

And here is this 12 year old's new study space.

The original pine desk was kept, with new Ikea shelves installed above for storage and display.

There are also 2 bulletins boards yet to be hung to complete this desk area.

 The only space in this room that I cannot share with you is the closet because the new shelving is to be installed this week.

I will be sure to share the finished results!

This hockey boy was pretty pleased with his new room....and I think it's a fantastic reflection of him!

I also spent some time with him giving some suggestions on how he should organize his collection of  thousands of hockey cards.

We sent Mom out to purchase a hockey collector's binder to store his very favourite hockey cards.

But that is a whole other post!

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

 

The Next Room Makeovers...

Tomorrow {Thursday} and Friday I will be working with a dear friend to put these 2 rooms together.

This is a boy's room.

It has been newly painted with new hardwood floors installed.

This room will have the boy's furniture with new bedding, lamps and bedside tables.

New ikea shelves will be installed over a desk area.

This is a sewing room that has been newly painted with new hardwood floors installed.

The sewing room will have newly installed Ikea desk, island and bookcase.

I know that these rooms will turn out great...and I can't wait to share them!



Spring Decor & The -23 Temp Outside...

So while I try to inject a little tiny bit of Spring in our house....

 my weather app on my iphone brings me back to reality.

I will spare you the pictures of the snow that go with it.

The print comes from Mrs. Limestone.

I just love her stuff.

 I hope you are having a wonderful Spring in your corner of the world!

This post is linked to:





Tablescape Thursday @ Between Naps on the Porch



Spring Fling @ This Blessed Nest