halloween 2010

we had a good time. we dressed up twice. saturday night we attended a local carnival. it was a bit crazy with tons of people but the kids had so much fun playing games and eating candy.. and cupcakes.. and cotton candy... my owl made no appearance in pictures that night but I did manage to steal this one from crystal...

sunday we got our game faces on before supper.

then we headed out for the main event. we visited family and a few friends houses... unfortunately our little owls first trick or treat night ended early with a huge poop explosion... needless to say his costume landed up in the garbage and the trick seemed to be on us. we left him comfy in jammies with Grandma and Papa and hit up a few more houses. The loot was amazing. The boys loved it.

life

things in these parts have been good. not sure why i have not had much to write about. thinking point form thoughts work best for me these days.

1. Really enjoying the Mom's program I am going too. We have been deeply impacted by the parenting book we are doing.. Have a New kid by Friday. SOOOOOO good. We have seen things change around here in many ways.. listening, attitude, behavior. The biggest change has been in me and my parenting style. Not giving in to the bad stuff my kids do. Learning how to discipline the right way.. and seeing great results. Hardest part has been giving no warnings. But seriously this stuff works. They really are smarter than I ever thought. And by giving them responsibility in there behavior I am amazed at how great they really can be!

2. Jett is slowly settling into a routine. It's nice to have those long afternoon naps where I can spend time with A & N, doing housework or having some me time.

3. Speaking of Jett - he is such a good boy. He's mellow, relaxed, tons of fun and so loveable. He is cuddly. He loves to hang out. He gives his smiles easily (especially to the ladies). His brothers can make him laugh anytime and we like having him around.

4. Spent last Saturday scrapbooking with friends.. it was SO good and so needed. I got a ton done and it felt so nice to have a day to myself. I went home only once to feed Jett to give myself some relief.. he takes a bottle pretty good and my freezer is so full of pumped milk we may as well use it.

5. A & N love clubs. It is adorable listening to them memorize verses each week. And amazing how much they absorb.

6. Dave and I need a date night... just time to spend together.

7. We are struggling through some financial stuff and sticking to a hard budget is HARD for me. I just want to be free of it.

8. Can't wait to dress the kids up this weekend. I have a Dragon, a Lion and I made Jett the cutest owl costume. Going to be adorable!!

9. It's been one year since we moved here... we LOVE it. Somedays Dave and I can't believe this is our house and we get to be here. It's a true blessing.

Wish I had some photos but I have been lousy at picking up my camera.. I will take pics this weekend of our halloween festivities and be back to blog soon.

crafty haven

Remember this...

I am lucky to have a space all to my own. When we bought this house I knew that little room would be the perfect "studio" It worked fine for this last year. But something had to change and when Dave said I could redo it if I spent next to no money I jumped at the chance.. I mean come on I'm a thrifty girl. So here is my new space....

Some details...

Paint - leftover from Jett's room - so we had to buy a paintbrush and roller $13

Blue scrapbooking desk - I already owned (got for $20 at a garage sale a year or so ago)

Old Orange crate - $5 for two off PVO

Clipboards - free! (Thanks Dixie)

New sewing cupboard/desk - a piece that was out on our porch that came with the house.. I gave it a coat of paint we had from our old house. It's awesome it fits so much inside and my cutting board fits nicely on top - much better than cutting fabric kneeled down on the floor.

Blue chairs - Given to me by a friend :)

Light fixture - Lamp I bought last year and never took out of the box.. I made Dave turn it into this. LOVE it.

Total - $18

Yea brilliant.

Everything else was in there...

old friends

Tuesday evening I was calm, cool and collected. Anticipating meeting Dixie on Wednesday was really no big deal. I mean I had cleaned the house, baked cookies, made soup, had cinn buns ready, washed my hair, pressed my jeans.. no just kidding I didn't wash my hair.

Wednesday morning came and I was NERVOUS... I mean really what if she didn't like me? what if we had nothing to talk about? what if I tripped and fell or something... I think I paced the kitchen island a million times. I called Dave hoping he would give me some reassurance he did offer me the suggestion that if we had nothing to talk about we could talk about him. yea thanks hun.

I almost pooped my pants when I saw her van come down my driveway. But then something happened I opened up my door and greeted this woman I had seen many times in pictures and she reached out and hugged me and I realized we were just a couple of old friends. I was instantly comfortable with her. It was good.

And that's how the whole visit went we sat and drank tea (me coffee), ate cinn buns, watched miners being pulled out of the ground, we only had to intervene with our children a couple times... it went really well. I never found we ran out of things to talk about and oh man this girl is FUNNY.. just like I thought she would be. Sometimes I caught myself wanting to be her. She was confident, kind and did I mention funny. There were even some sex jokes.. if you read her blog you know the ones ;) They made me love her even more.

Lucky I had cheese and strawberries cause I felt bad that her kids didn't like my lunch and she probably had to stop at mcdonald's on her way out of town.. I hate that we didn't get one picture though. We will next time. Cause I can't wait to hang out with my old friend again soon.

She's a gem. Thanks for a great day Dixie!

weekend randoms

1. It has been a very productive day. Having Dave home makes such a difference. Cleaned windows, finished painting the studio - YEA!!!, did some cooking, ran errands.

2. I have felt lighter all week (not physically) just a sense of more balance.

3. Brainstorming for a holiday open house (early to mid november) really excited to do it up GOOD. Wanting to give back in the process so I am wanting to find a charity or something to donate a portion of sales... still praying about this one. Would love feedback. Speaking of Norwex they got a new kids line this fall. So adorable. They mini enviro, window cloth and dusting mitt are awesome. I opened it up today and this is what the boys have been doing ever since. Cleaning our old wooden stairs is the worst job. They are always dusty - Ari got right to work. Amazing!!!

4. Giddy at the fact that on Wednesday I get to meet Dixie in real life! I have followed her blog for sometime and just always felt a connection. Her family is living an hour away and she is driving down to hang out with us.

5. Even though #2 has been good it's been a tough week in some other ways. Thursday was a day we hope to move on from. Some bad work stuff for Dave... hard to see the person you love not themselves. I think #2 actually may have helped the situation.

6. In love. I know this should be a given.. but truth be told it's been a rough last few month for us. I never take my relationship with Dave for granted and know that marriage is hard work. It's just been nice that lately it's not been so hard. I love that guy so much. Yesterday we celebrated 7 years since our engagement.

7. 4 months since Jett entered our lives. Wow I love that little meatball so much. He is so much fun. Not to mention so laid back and chill.... and have I mentioned how much i LOVE LOVE LOVE that he is one baby. So easy.

8. Going out on a date with hubbie tonight. (wrote this saturday only posted it today) Figured he could use to escape a little after the week he had. I also enjoy having a night off from the kids. I also never take for granted and am so thankful that my milk supply is bountiful and I can pump and go out. "Like I always say my milkshakes bring all the boys to the yard."

9. Really enjoying the recipes off this blog. It's new but her family must be really happy. I've done the breadsticks (oh yum) and the lazy tacos (whoa good).

10. I love my friends. I don't tell them enough.

11. I am learning to trust again... in God I mean. I feel like Him and I have not really been as close as we used to be. It's been encouraging to get back there. Baby steps.

12. There are so many things we love about living out of town. Life is lived at a slower pace and you are allowed so many more luxuries'.... like target practice. A few small animals may or may not have given there lives at our expense this fall. But after the week Dave had he was entitled.

13. I love coffee.

14. I have an obsession with chairs lately... Dave would tell you we have too many. I love them all. Just welcomed three more to the family today. One is going to look amazing after I attempt to reupholster it. The other two just look good the way they are. The one I will redo will make it's home in my studio (I know you all love when I say that). I can't wait to show you!!!

15. I'm thankful. I started a thankful list. Every day I write down at least three things I am thankful for. It's really helped me stay grounded... some days it's so much easier to recognize the things I dislike... but really I have zero to complain about.

16. Speaking of thankful I cannot tell you how pumped I am for supper tonight at my parents. Who doesn't love a good thanksgiving meal - YUM!

Enjoy your thanksgiving weekend my Canadian friends.

next project

scrapbooking chaos

okay who am I kidding.. things around me are always a constant project. my mind has far too many ideas floating around. but after living here almost a year now it's time to do some painting upstairs. the color up there is awful. every space upstairs is the same color.. the most unflattering shade of yellow. blech. the upstairs was also painted with oil so every time we want to change a room we have to use this horrid primer so we can turn it all latex. first project is my studio... i can't even belive i am going to share these before pics with you. it's MESSY. you will see in major need of an overhaul. so that's what I am doing. can't wait to show you the after.

yes i am more than happy to remove that stenciling and those curtains

hard at work

lucky girl

I had a fabulous day yesterday as I celebrated my 31st birthday. I have been feeling such hope for this year and the start did not disappoint. I was able to lunch with my besties, chill with my baby, play with my big boys, cuddle with the Stallion, eat WAY to much food, enjoy snacks and grey's with my BFF, not pay duty on my new stroller at the border - wahoo!!, and did I mention all the food?? sheesh!

I felt loved on. On the weekend I was in the city for a meeting and did a bit of shopping with some birthday money.. found some lululemon pants ON SALE!! I figured since I am a SAHM this year I could wear sweats more :) and also scored a jacket from there... regular price $99 on sale for $29 yep seriously. It's a beauty!!

Dave bought me an ipod dock and the tunes have been rocking in this old house. I was also the recipient of some new jewelry.. from my absolute favorite jewelry designer!! Yes not one necklace but TWO - lucky girl I am. I love them and the worst part is deciding which one to wear on which day!

that's me.. I'm the lucky girl!

present

It's the eve of my birthday and all week I have had this blog post swirling around in my head. I am not entirely sure where this will go but hey sometimes It's much more fun this way.

This new phase in my life has been brewing for some time. It's actually WAY overdue.

Last year was supposed to be the year of me... I turned 30 on the 30th and felt like it meant so much. Although we had plenty of great things happen this last year it was NOT the year of me. I felt so far from myself most days. It was a dry year for me.. of course we are thankful for Jett and for the blessing of our dream house but inside I have been dry.

I feel more settled.. I feel more complete.. I feel so ready to thrive as a woman, as a mother, as a wife.

It's like this year is a gift.. a break that allows me to focus on me and my family. I want to quit surviving and I want to thrive.

For the last couple years I chose a word of the year.. that one little word. 08 was Simplify. 09 was Choose and I didn't even pick one this year.. I remember thinking of it but it just never came to be. Well I'm starting a new trend so today on the eve of my 31st birthday my one little word for this year will be Present. To be present. It's time. Time to focus. To be present in my own life, in my own story, in the lives of my children and my husband. To be present for my friends. My year to be free, joyful, confident and happy. Time to shine. I am so thankful for a chance to be present in my every day life.

We have started to make moves to enrich our lives. I joined a Mom's program that is going through a book about Parenting called "Have a new kid by Friday" SO good!! The principles are really resonating with me. I am looking forward to seeing us learn how to parent better. We need that over here most days. My aha moment so far has been when the author describes him main motivation for following this in his own house. It's my goal to raise givers not takers. I love that.

I also was invited by a friend to join a women's bible study and we are doing Beth Moore's Breaking Free. I can't begin to tell you how this speaks to me already and we only had one meeting. It feels like water to my dry dry soul.

Its' the year of being present and my first present to myself is to BE FREE.

happy baby.

I've had some people ask me about cloth diapering... this has been something I always wanted to do. With the twins I knew it was not feasible for us. So when we were expecting Jett we knew we wanted to try. For us it was about a few things... the two major reasons were cost. It is expensive to buy diapers... we calculated we spent about $630 per kid for the first year of diapering twins... yea and we did diapers for three years!!! YIKES!!

Since moving out of town and into the village we also do not get garbage pick up. (we can opt to pay for it - but like most others we just burn our garbage in a burn barrel) so... diapers do not burn (at least not well) So in order to produce less garbage we find cloth diapering a solid choice for us.

With a minor investment we are well on our way and I actually really like it. I don't mind laundry so that's half the battle. When Jett was little I used prefolds with some Motherease covers that I borrowed from a friend. She also lent me some Sandy's diapers that worked really well. They were small though and so they only lasted a short while. I invested a small amount of money and this is what we have in our drawer.

I will always recommend local and Stacey sells great diapers. She is a distributor and has stock in her house. I like that I can go to her house and she is always great for information. I have bought covers from her and just recently purchased one Applecheeks that I use with a microfiber insert. At first I didn't like it but realized I wasn't using it right - lol. I also bought a Totbot diaper that I LOVE! This is an all in one, one size fits all diaper. It's called an easy fit and I got it in Blueberry. This is a GREAT diaper... I may end up getting a couple more.

I needed a few more options and was so curious to try the Flip system. I needed to up my stash to be able to get a few days worth and purchased Flip Stay Dry System. It comes with 2 one size covers and 6 Stay Dry Inserts. I love the ease of this system. It's simple and the inserts are so absorbent. I also like that you can change the insert and reuse the cover. The other great part is the flip system also sells disposable inserts that you can use when you are going out. They work really well and again you can just reuse the cover.

Since I was purchasing at Cotton Babies I decided to try some Bumgenius diapers as well. They just came out with the 4.0 version which has snaps and Cotton Babies conveniently offers them in packs of three. So I purchased the Bumgenius 4.0 One size Stay Dry diapers. They stand up to their reputation. Very similar to the flip system they are soft and work really well. I have had no leaks and no blow outs.

So I have diapers to get me through a few days and generally do laundry every 2-3 days depending. I purchased a well made wet bag from Stacey which we hang on a hook on the side of Jett's dresser.

When it's time to do laundry I throw the contents of the bag along with the bag in the washer. I air dry my covers overnight and we are back in business.

It's been great for us. And we are happy with our decision to cloth diaper not only for Jett but also for the environment.

23 things

1. been entering into my craft room more lately. scrapped last weekend and have been sewing this weekend. i thrive on creativity. I am making the cutest clutch purses. My favorite is brown tweed.

2. always have design ideas in my head and my diy list gets longer and longer every day.

3. spent the afternoon/early evening at stanley park today with friends and family. best way to spend the day.

4. we have pretty great kids

5. trying new things... joined a bible study group with people i don't really know (kind of intimidating.. but good), also going to a mom's program in town at a church we don't attend (kind of scary)

6. made pumpkin cookies this weekend that taste SO good. especially with cream cheese icing

7. discovered life is made better with lactose pills

8. wandered my happy place (target) this past week. i enjoyed the day with no kids, great friends and got in my "bucks" fix.

9. enjoying the backyard more and more since we got this used on PVOL. the boys love it.

10. Jett smiles - it's so delicious

11. cloth diapering is surprisingly easy and i am so glad we made this choice.

12. i discovered making iced tea/lemonade - super good.

13. trying to cut out things so we can conquer our debt. we are praying to be debt free SOON - feels like an uphill never ending battle but trying to exercise faith and self control. ah who am I kidding we need a miracle.

14. speaking of exercise.. i suck at it.

15. i love my new hair color - it's bold and fun.

16. becoming more and more introspective lately... this last year was supposed to be the year of me and yet it has been a bit of a disappointment in regards to healing and being free. i am making steps to make sure that my 31st year doesn't disappoint.

17. today i had sex in a pan. it was good.

18. i am blessed by good friends... but i want to be more open and more vulnerable and stop feeling so much self doubt.

19. i don't want to have any more kids.. dave does. yeesh.

20. i have three kids. (and yes sometimes it just randomly hits me and I am overwhelmed.)

21. my addiction to gilmore girls is getting out of control. I LOVE it. just got through season 4 and cried when luke and lorelai finally got together. it is nice that dave enjoys watching it too.. seriously good one liners. some days I laugh till I cry.

22. i am enough, i have enough, i do enough

23. I am afraid to ask God what He thinks of me.

do more

I was checking blogs this morning and came across this post over at Under the Sycamore.. it grabbed me. I have more thoughts on this but can't really put them into words right now. For now please go over and read on. So inspiring. There are ways to act too.

I did.

family. explosions.

this summer my bro and family came out from out west. it was SO GOOD to be all together.. but way too short. we had Lisa shoot some family photos one night. they were going so well...

and then he exploded...

for dave on the occasion of my birthday

Dave told me that he checks my blog every morning cause he likes to know what I'm thinking - lol. Obviously not a whole lot lately.. so this one is for you. On the occasion of my 31st birthday these are the things on my wish list... of course you do not need to (and I know he won't) buy me them all.. I may even be lucky to get one. In no particular order...

1. A ipod docking station... I like music to play in my house and I think having one would be great for in the kitchen. Nothing fancy.

2. A fuji Instax camera. I love the idea of being able to snap photos and print.. the pics come in a credit card size - perfect for scrapbooking!

3. A new coffee maker.. I love my tassimo but I would also like a normal sized one with a stainless steel carafe so I can keep it warmer longer. My old one died over a year ago and I inherited an old one from my mom... it's time to upgrade and since I am home this year I have been already drinking ALOT of coffee.

4. Jewelry.. this is hard there are many necklaces I would like. I would love something with my kids names or initials in... and anything from Armelle... especially this, this and this.

5. I love Gussy.. she makes such nice girly things. I would love this wristlet to throw in my diaper bag to carry the essentials and be able to take it out for quick trips in and out.

6. oh my word THIS GUY... and I would take him in all four colors.. they'd make a cute little family.

dining room revamp

I have always struggled with our dining room... it's a large space. it's a weird space... When we first looked at the house it was one of the first things we were unsure of.. what would we do with it. We have a small table so it felt silly putting it in there... of course we have dreams for that room. We hope to have a fireplace put in some day and I can just imagine some comfy arm chairs and a nice warm space to hang out in.. but for now there was just this big open space.

I have often seen craft nooks or reading areas on Ohdeedoh (one of my fave site's) It finally occurred to me that this was the perfect solution. Now we are also in a tight spot financially and since I married the great Dave I have become a bit more frugal. So I knew this had to be done on a TIGHT budget.. I had ideas swimming around in my head and a few trips to the basement, MCC and a friend stopping at Ikea as well as some moving of furniture this is what we did.

My fave project was the old frame turned chicken wire message board - which I saw first on Ashley Ann's site. I have always looked at MCC for a large frame and never saw one until this one day where I looked up.. I have never really looked up at MCC... they have large prints with frames above the shelves that hold all the small electronics. Big Score was this guy at $10 the boys actually called it my scary picture...

Well a million staples removed and a good coat of spray paint and we ended up with a masterpiece.

I also loved her idea of covering the cloths pins... again a random spot by the puzzles at MCC and 75 cents later I had these...

So here is the before....

and the after.

still working on updating the picture wall with recent photos.

we like it. it has also come in handy as a kids table when we have company. so on a dime it is a great space. here's the breakdown.

White Ikea Table - already owned. we used it a desk downstairs

White bookcase/bench - Rona 49.99 (with a 10% discount)

Frame - MCC $10

Spray paint - already had from another project

Chicken wire - a friend gave it to me for free :)

Puzzle - 75 cents

Ikea Picture Ledge (used to hold books) $14.99

The white high chair was a SCORE at a garage sale for $20. I plan to spray paint it the same blue as the frame and I am making a pad for it out of super cute fabric.

Everything else was already there we just repurposed and moved things around.

three

it's hard to believe you are three months old. chubby, smiley, calm Jett. we love you. all of you.

home

we had a fantastic time in Ottawa. I will post about our trip soon.. I also have some deeper topics on the front burner.. for now heres a taste.