A Lovely Riverside Picnic....

Today was my birthday.

I was up half the night with my youngest, who was not feeling well.

I had plans to go & sew with a friend today, but I was too tired to even think about sewing... plus I didn't want to take Tyler out anywhere.

I was kind of bummed about my plans getting squelched.

But a girlfriend called & invited me to come for lunch with her at the library.

Little did I know that she threw this wonderful little lunch picnic for my birthday.

She brought a pretty tablecloth...and fresh flowers.

A simple but delicious lunch of a sandwich, soup and chips from the local deli.

Homemade chocolate cookies.

It was perfect!

I felt so special and it really lifted my spirits!

I am so grateful for thoughtful girlfriends!

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

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.

I Am Guest Posting At Tatertots and Jello today...

I am so happy to be able to share this project with you over at Tatertots and Jello today!

A Valentine's Day 'Tree of Love'...

Here's a little sneak peek:

I invite you to go over to Tatertots & Jello to have a look!

Have a wonderful day!

So Last Week Some Happy Things Happened To Me....

Maria Killam at Colour Me Happy Blog wrote a post entitled "10 Interesting Posts" and featured my post,

"The Secret of Great Entryways".

If you have never visited Maria's blog...you might want to go visit. She is a Vancouver-based interior designer who does fabulous work and her blog is so full of inspiring ideas and information.

 You can view the post here.

And my little office nook was chosen as 1 of 10 projects that won the 'organization challenge' at the CSI Project Blog.

I am go very grateful to Maria at Colour Me Happy and the girls at the CSI Project for finding my projects worthy!

A Little Pink in My Life: The 'Mom Cave'.

This is my little 'Mom Cave'.

It's not a room....but just a small nook at the top of the stairs on our second story.

I have claimed it as my very own home office and creative nook.
The goal of this space is to be both functional and pretty.

I have included touches of my favourite colour~ soft pink.

{This is the only place you will find pink in the entire house.}

It's a  place where I write blog posts, pay bills, watch a little tv, & read blogs.

Do a little scrapbooking or cardmaking.

You can find me here in the evenings...relaxing and sipping tea while I oversee bedtime for the juniors in the house.

Pictures of loved ones grace the shelves.

 {This one is of my parents on their 40th Anniversary.}

Treasured antiques live here~

like this doll from the 1920's that belonged to my Grandmother's sister who died at 14 in 1931.

Precious gifts made by my children rest here too~like this shadow box made by daughter when she was 11.

Words of inspiration have a place of their own as well.

It includes a place to receive sunshine and a bench for sitting & reflecting~

And a place for visitors to perch.

{And yes...you see snow outside already...today is October 25th}

This is where I sit to read many of your blogs~

So many talented women...so much inspiration to enjoy!

Thank you so much for letting me share my little 'Mom Cave' with you.

{To read more about how my little nook came to be and how it is organized, click here.}

Happy Monday!

xo

This post was written for the 'Mom Cave' party being held at Centsational Girl today.

Today I am a Guest at Sense & Simplicity...

Please go over and visit me there and say 'hello'!

A Reflection on Birthdays...

I remember when I was a kid and birthdays, for me, were one of the funnest, most-looked-forward-to days of the year. Next to Christmas, it was the one thing that could keep me awake on the eve before, wide-eyed with excited anticipation. Who could forget those birthdays of Holly Hobbie birthday cakes, or 'Little House on the Prairie' books, fresh from the local bookstore....just some of the must-have delights of a child of the 1970's.

Many, many years pass and adulthood takes over. Birthdays become nothing more than a quick flash in the pan....over faster than Molly Ringwald's movie career in the late 80's.

This week, as I contemplated another birthday upon me, I sized up my face in the mirror one too many times. Hmmmm. Where did that  trench line come from? Then I dressed up for a function in high heels. Disaster. I was dressed up for about 2 seconds when my feet began to hurt. There it was.... a case of the over 40-something high-heelitis.

Fine lines and high-heelitis.  That could only mean one thing.

Clearly, I was coming down with a case of the birthday blahs.

The thoughts of my upcoming birthday had left me alone and deserted on Birthday Blahs Boulevard. Where is my map? Which direction should I go? I know only one thing. I cannot return the way I came. I have to choose a new route to leave this place. And none too soon. 

Then it happens Two days before the big day. The doorbell rings. This is what arrived.

A yummy fresh fruit bouquet from a friend who wanted to wish me a Happy Birthday.

Awww! How sweet.

And when I check the mail box later, a birthday card from my parents announces itself

 in a pretty purple envelope.

The next day, another friend arrives to take Hunter & I out for lunch to celebrate my birthday.

This is what arrived for me at the table for dessert. It was a delicious reminder of  the value of true friendship.

This morning, on the  morning of my birthday, my husband decides we will hit the fresh seafood market to shop for  some fresh Maritime lobster for dinner. And he insists on stopping at my favourite cupcake store on the way home.We brought home some of these scrumptious cakes. { I didn't want a cake for my birthday.}

It was chocolate bliss!

I had more good feelings as I read the many birthday wishes that awaited me on facebook. I feel so very lucky.

And tonight I find myself miles and miles away from Birthday Blahs Boulevard.

a perfect summer lunch for one...

Both the kids were away, so I made this lunch for me and had a nice glass of iced tea and read a magazine.

Aaaah.

a time for work and a time for play...

I accomplished lots of cleaning/organizing this weekend. And when I was done, I treated myself to this.....(above).

My boys were away at a hockey tournament this weekend....so the house was super quiet.

Hunter, like the good girl that she is, has been studying all weekend for her final exams coming up.

I took the opportunity to get down and dirty with some things on my  'to-do' list. I cleaned out the big closet by the front door. I cleaned/re-organized the storage/laundry room. Took a load of stuff to Goodwill. Cleaned out a full bag of trash from these areas. It felt so good to have these tasks crossed off my list. We are having lots of visitors this summer, and I want the house to be neat & tidy in every nook & cranny.

I just have a few areas left to work on. And I am patiently waiting for my peonies to bloom.. Don't you  love productive weekend time?

Melt your heart.

Day 52 in the Gulf of Mexico.

I feel so sad.

I find it so hard to look at and think about all the wildlife and ecosystems being destroyed there. I feel frustrated that we can send people into space and build nuclear weapons. But we cannot stop this.
I am worried about my home province of Nova Scotia. I think of it's beautiful shores and how it will be affected if the Gulf Stream carries the oil north.

I went to my regular yoga class today and our teacher Jana had lots to share with us. She began our practice  by telling us about the work of Dr. Emoto . He has spent his whole life studying water molecules. Through his research, he has found that through prayer and intentions, you can change the appearance of water and he has documented this change through microscopic photos of water crystals both before and after intentions. Regular water, once frozen, looks just like a bunch of frozen crystals....but once words of intention have been sent, the water crystals then change into beautiful shapes.... like snowflakes. Through his work and documentation, he has found that this change knows no distance.....so intentions can be sent from far away and the change in the water crystals can still be seen.

Sounds like a bunch of bunk. His work has been criticized....not scientifically proved or disproved.

But it is not bunk that for hundreds of years many indigenous cultures have believed that everything in Mother Nature has a spirit. And many prayers, dances and requests have been sent to these spirits for healing & gratitude...among many other things. It doesn't sound like such a crazy idea....as we cannot discount the power of positive thinking.

So, if you think for a minute, that maybe Dr. Emoto's work has some value, then that means that here and now we can send words of love and intentions to the distressed waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  We can shed some of our preoccupation with everyday life and let compassion melt our hearts and send  positive words to the Gulf of Mexico.

I don't know about you....but the idea of sending words of love and intentions to the Gulf makes me feel hope.  Hope for a solution. Hope for healing in the Gulf.

And this  feels better than nothing. Better than the feelings of despair I have for that area of the world right now.

So I am sending love and intentions to the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Words of healing & hope. Words of recovery and rejuvenation.

Random Acts of Kindness......

When we were in Colorado, we happened to be leaving a mall when we drove by a homeless man with a sign asking for money.

Hunter's voice came from the backseat of the car, "Mommy, can we give some money to that man?".

I said, "Of course".

There was a time when homeless people used to scare her when we met them on the street. She was always afraid of these individuals because they looked and smelled different.

Our car happened to be stopped while we waited for traffic lights to change to green. We both dug into our purses to give money to this man. I came up with a twenty and Hunter came up with six dollars.

We handed it out the car window to the man, and he gave us a toothless grin and a thank you.

My heart felt both glad and sad at the same time.

This is a man who looked like he should be retired and puttering around his yard with gardening tools. Or off golfing.

Instead, life's circumstances have put him on a street begging for money.

A private discussion later ensued between Hunter and I about our act of giving. I told her I was proud of her for wanting to show compassion by giving this man some money. We agreed that this man looked so sad to us.

I explained to her that the spirit of giving comes from the heart.

The act of giving should not be screened or censored by  judgements, assumptions or hidden agendas.

We gave to this man because it felt right in our hearts. We didn't make judgements about his life and whether or not he deserved our generosity. Nor should we.

It was simply a random act of kindness.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

I came upon this great post  about 'Random Acts of Kindness'. This post readily embodies the spirit of giving.

I think I may adopt a 'Random Act of Kindness' as part of my next birthday celebration. I am going to  encourage the kids to adopt this tradition as well.  I hope they learn from me to always give before you take.

my word for 2010....

Illuminate

The defintion for illuminate is:
1. To provide or brighten with light.
2. To decorate or hang with lights.
3. To make understandable; clarify: 4. To enlighten intellectually or spiritually; enable to understand.
5. To endow with fame or splendor; celebrate.
6. To adorn (a page of a book, for example) with ornamental designs, miniatures, or lettering in brilliant colors or precious metals.
7. To expose to or reveal by radiation.
8.To become lighted; glow.
9. To provide intellectual or spiritual enlightenment and understanding

What does all this mean? There are several areas of my life I want to illuminate. The bright areas of my life...I want to make brighter. The dark areas of my life...I want to bring light in. This includes relationships with family & friends, conversations, intentions, my heart and spirit. It's kind of like tending a garden.....trimming and weeding and watering to make everything shine in it's very best light.

I will elaborate more in future posts.

I have some projects to share.

I am constantly amazed...

by the talents of the women in the blogging community. Blogging has become an unbelievable forum for creative hearts to share their projects. Look at this "altered" candy caddy. I can see myself making one of these in the near future...maybe Valentine's Day....it's just so darn cute! This project was made by Jess over at "The Macs".

The beautiful fabric scrapbook above was made by Cari Fennell and shown on her blog, "Me and My Mary Janes".

This fabulous apron made by Donna Downey who scrapbooks, paints and now sews. You can view her blog here. I was lucky enough to meet Donna at a scrapbook convention a few years ago and I was a teaching assistant for one of her classes.

Meet Space Boy and Robot. Camille over at "Simplify" made these for her little boys for Christmas. Aren't they the cutest? Camille is a talented quilter...to say the least. Her home is also beautiful!

i love my new warm...

hat! Did a little shopping at Anthropologie yesterday and picked up this hat for myself. A bit of an expensive splurge, but we are being hit with an early winter here. Woke up to blizzard-like conditions this morning with radio reports of lots of traffic accidents on the morning commute. I ran the boy to school and was toasty warm in my new hat. Hats can make you feel so...um....nerdy....to be honest, but this hat is too cute.

on Oprah's couch today...

my beloved Nie and her husband Christian are talking about their survival of a fiery plane crash that killed their pilot and friend. I don't watch Oprah often, but I will be watching today.

"Not Me" Monday....

This blog post is inspired by mommy blogger Mckmama, who hosts a blog carnival called, "Not Me Mondays".

I did not eat a chocolate bar every day this week. I did not eat Aero Mint Bars and then wonder why I am not losing any weight. Nope. Not me.

I did not buy a new magazine almost every time I went into the store for something else. Those luscious fall covers for October issues did not tempt me. Not one little bit. Nope. Not me.

I did not park at Tyler's school in an area where I thought would be safely away from traffic and then watch him open his door into a concrete post and leave a mark on the passenger door. I am much too smart for that. Nope. Not me.

I did not forget to tell my husband about this new mark on my vehicle. Nope. Not me.

I did not fall asleep in yoga class during the cool down at the end of class. I was too focused on the yoga instructor's directions to think about sleeping.Nope. Not me.

I did not have to clean a puppie's poopy bum this week. The puppy was pooping fine and I did not have to use my hands to clean poop from the bum. Nope. Not me.

Nope. I really didn't do any of these things.

Not ME!!

Fall Harvest.....

It's that time of year again. Fall. One of our 4 favorite seasons. Some of the things that happen in our family in Fall:

• 
  
  getting out-fitted for new skates for feet that have grown.
• 
  
  purchasing new hockey gear.
• 
  
  a busy hockey schedule for both little player and Daddy coach.
• 
  
  decorating for Fall with pumpkins and leaves and candles.
• 
  
  making pickled beets and mustard pickles.
• 
  
  wearing socks again.
• 
  
  picking apples from the little tree in our yard.
• 
  
  getting up early for school and children making beds again.
• 
  
  re-organizing the pantry as nesting for winter takes root.
• 
  
  tucking the boat in for winter.
• 
  
  baking homemade bread, cookies and goodies.
• 
  
  soup recipes and crockpot dusted off after the summer.
• 
  
  another season of early morning Sundays for a skater.
• 
  
  homework and packed school lunches.
• 
  
  stocking up on fresh produce from the Farmers' Market
• 
  
  and a NEW chore for this fall: poop-scooping in the backyard.

Thanksgiving dinner is only 2 weeks away. I am so excited to have family visiting for this holiday.

It is time to harvest all that is good.

(photo:Pottery Barn)

the house of sick...

Yes. For a better part of 3 weeks now I have been sick. Desperately sick at first. Aches, pains & chills. Wicked headache. Fever. Followed up by vomiting, diarrhea and coughing. When I was finally able to get in to see my doctor, she sent me for a chest x-ray, and blood work. The chest x-ray showed pneumonia. No x-ray could show just how miserable I felt. So a course of anti-biotics was prescribed, along with lots of rest. I spent most of 2 weeks in bed. Ron had to travel to Toronto for work, but he was able to take Tyler to school on the first day. My friend Josephine drove him for the rest of the week. Hunter made school lunches for both herself and Tyler. We stocked up on frozen Michelina dinners....not the best option...but I don't have a Grandma in my neighbourhood. **Sigh** Thank goodness for girlfriends. Laurie dropped by with ginger ale, saltine crackers, soup, and tea. Theresa came by with delicious homemade chicken soup, bread and flowers. Shelley delivered a pot of steaming borscht...the best borscht I have ever had. Laurie treated me later in the week with the latest magazines...a House & Home Makeover issue, the Martha Stewart Halloween issue and another decor magazine. I am so very grateful for my friends. They really helped me make it through a miserable 2 weeks. I am feeling better now, although my cough still lingers and my energy is not yet up to speed. On Monday, Tyler was diagnosed with pneumonia after 4 days of fever. So I have been nursing him back to health as well. We have been running the vaporizer night and day. Lots of old-fashioned methods have been employed....vicks on the chest, lots of honey, hot water & lemon, lots of water to drink and chicken soup. Naps and many glasses of ginger ale. I have no idea how I caught the flu/pneumonia. It hit hard and fast and knocked me off my feet. I hope that this is my major winter illness over with for this year.