Ah-HA!!

YES!

The excitement in this post is three-fold.

ONE:
I placed an order with my super-fantastic Stampin' Up! demonstrator the other day. I browse the IB&C for a good couple of hours before finally settling on the "Have a Seat" stamp set (obviously, among other items). Whilst placing my order with her (via email), I stated the following:

"I love the "Have a Seat" stamp set, but have a hard time envisioning what sort of sentiment I would attach to it... Regardless, I'm ordering it anyways and using it as a challenge to myself :)"

TWO:
The 'oh so awesome' nesting instinct of pregnancy has finally set in. I've been waiting 38 weeks for this. Unfortunately, now I feel way to massive to do anything! And... sporadic contractions have started (likely Braxton Hicks, but whatev).

Our bedroom is getting a MUCH needed de-clutter and re-org. I made a small purchase today at Home Depot. These awesome EGLO lights are much nicer in person than in the photograph, but I intend to order the Long-Stem Silhouette decor element from Stampin' Up! and put them on (will have to check to make sure that it'll work on a frosted glass/light).

I still have 1 more wall to fill with some sort of artwork.

THREE:
As my first "official" day of maternity leave, I thought it would be appropriate to do nothing but browse online at things I no longer have the money to buy :) Man, I love Pottery Barn so much that I would even consider naming my child that...

Moving on. As I was browsing through, I found (naturally) about a billion things I want to buy. And then what did I see? wait for it, because this is the glue that holds this whole post together!!

This. Yes, that's right. And for $92! hahahaha...

SO, the stamp set that's already on the way will be used to recreate the Pottery Barn artwork that I can't afford to fill the space on my wall that is in need of something awesome!

Yes, my friends. It's an exciting day. And here's the icing on the cake: That spot on the wall that I'm putting these frames? Below it is an incredibly awesome little chair that I got second hand.

Thinking that a bedroom post is in order at some point when all this is done :)

Basking in the glory that is Stampin' Up!, Pottery Barn, and synchronicity...

-tb:oxo

And now it's complete!

I've been searching for the perfect solution for an empty/awkward corner in my house for a very (very) long time... Like, since we moved in three years ago.

We've gone through many 'options'. An extra chair, a rustic bench, a huge vase that held our branches and feathers from our wedding tree, a mirror, and of course the random stuff that piles in corners if there is nothing else there to prevent it from piling up.

Nothing suited.


Until, that is, I found this table! I made it my weekend mission to fill that space and make it something welcoming (it's really the first spot you see when you walk into our house).

The table, believe it or not, is from IKEA. I really hadn't wanted another piece of IKEA furniture - I went to HomeSense, Pier 1 Imports, Winners, and Home Outfitters before I finally gave up and battled the Saturday IKEA crowd. Glad I did though.

So happy to have this checked off "The List"...

-tb:oxo

NWN - Market Time

Mmmmm....

- tb:xox

Sunny Saturday

We went garage sale hopping this morning!

The Goods:
Comfy pillow for Bug's new "Big Boy" room = $3
Box full of Mr. Potato Head accessories and a new body = $3
Backpack for Bug to carry his new goods = FREE!
Chronicles of Narnia DVD = $3*
7 Dr. Seuss books = $5
The Birth House book = $2
A race ramp (not pictured) = $3
A JUMBO "Cars" car (not pictured) = $1
A smiling boy hoping in and out of the car all morning = priceless...

*opened it at home only to realize that the DVD wasn't in there. Boo.

And then Farmer's Market shopping in the afternoon!

The Tasties:
Cucumber
Radishes
Salad Greens (in the background)
Sourdough artisan bread

I couldn't resist taking a picture of all the Mr. Potato Head bits drying after a (very) thorough cleaning!

What a great way to spend a sunny Saturday.

In the evening, we relaxed :)










-tb:xox

It's a Girl!

So, it's time to come out with it! We're expecting baby #2... And we're expecting it to be a girl! ;)

Let me preface this post with the following statement: I have never been a girly-girl. Try as my mother might, I wouldn't wear pink. I rarely played with Barbie's, I didn't have long hair (yes, I was a victim of the 'mushroom cut'), I wouldn't be caught dead in a sundress, and I never fell for the Boy Band crazy (New Kids On The Block or Backstreet Boys)

However, as a juxtaposition, I had an entirely pink room (what the?!), liked the sound of my mom's sewing machine, and loved cooking/baking with my grandma.

Now as an adult, I tend to embrace my femininity a little more. And I quite enjoy it. I like to wear my pearls and high heels sometimes, and revel in the fact that I can wear my (long) hair in a different style for an entire month without repeating a 'do'. Albeit, that is something I have yet to try, but I'm sure it's possible!

The promise I make to my unborn daughter is this: I will force you to be girly for as long as I can. You do, however, have an older brother who is all boy, so I suspect I'll be losing you along the lines someplace - but that's OK too. :)

In the process of daydreaming about the little lady's new nursery, I've put together a little theme board, of what I hope will be the inspiration for a fantastic little girls "Tea Party" bedroom.

Little Girl, we anxiously await your arrival.


Left to right (top to bottom):
1. DIY Doily Lamp - from More Design Please
2. 3 Piece Tea Party Felt Cakes - from onenonly88 on Etsy
3. Wallpaper - from Vintage Wallpaper
4. Teatime Reusable Fabric Wall Decals - from lovemaestore on Etsy
5. Royal Wedding Celebration Silver-look Tea Set - from maniareminiatures on Etsy
6. Vintage Beauty Sunsuit in Strawberry Soiree - from CharmingNecessities on Etsy
7. JJ Baby Moses Basket - from Babies 'R' Us

-tb:xox

EFL - Christmas Time is Upon Us

This year, in the efforts to put talents to good use, our family decided to handmake as many Christmas gifts as possible.

We framed paintings that have been done for years and never displayed, we knitted hats and matching mittens, we sewed baby blankets, made homemade cards, delivered baked goods and enjoyed the quieter times of the season.

However, in all the 'enjoying of the quieter' time, we got quite busy! Funny how that happens :) All our lovely homemade gifts were wrapped at the last minute, and very few photos were taken!

Here's one, just for fun - Mike's Handwarmers!


Materials:
- 'manish' scraps of fabric (2 patterns x 2 pieces of approx 5" each)
- long grain brown rice
- 100% cotton quilt batting
- sewing machine
- needle and thread for hand-sewing.

Merry Christmas, everyone :)

-tb:xox

Parties, Baking and Yummies

This weekend was a busy one. I had agreed to help a friend of mine plan her daughter's "Dora" themed birthday party. I was busy making 36 cookies and 24 cupcakes! Unfortunately, I was so rushed (yes, I leave most things until the last minute) that I didn't get any pictures, but trust me, it was cute : ) As a thank you, my friend gave us a little bag full of roasted pumpkin seeds!

It's all the yummies without all the work:

Later, I made mini cookies! We made a few trains, some bears, a few pigs (which got eaten right away), the cutest hippos, and a couple dinosaurs. We had the 'animal train' vs. the dinosaur:

(L to R): Dinosaur, train, hippo, bear

After the baking dust had settled, it was time to get the farmer's market goodies in our bellies! I love Sunday dinner; it's my favourite time to sit with my family, enjoy their company, talk about our days, and fight with our son to eat. Other days, the fighting with him to eat isn't as fun, but Sunday's it OK ; )

Mashed potatoes, green beans baked with purple onion, boiled ham

P.S. trying to cut up his ham in the same shapes as the cookies did not get him to like the ham any better.

-tb:oxo

To Market, To Market!

A few minutes from our house is a large, obtrusive shopping mall. We frequent it a lot, despite our best efforts not too. Mostly we go to the drug store there for baby wipes, diapers and bread.

This fall, for the first time, a farmer's market has set up shop in the mall parking lot every Saturday from 8:00am - 3:00pm. What a treat!

We've been there a few times this season. This time, we picked some of our favourites: potatoes, green beans, purple onion, and because it was the last week for them and I couldn't resist; strawberries!


H.Bo, or course, made quick work of those.

Happy Saturday : )
-tb:x0x

These are Apple Days!

This morning was dedicated to apples! Oh, glorious, glorious apples... Apple pies, apple crisp, apple sauce, apple juice, apple syrup... wait, what? That's right, apple syrup.

Luckily, in my lazy internet browsing one day, I ran across this little post over on "Sunny Side Up". It got my head racing. Apple Syrup - seriously, why not?

So today I set out trying it for myself. I sense another pancake day approaching quicker than I had initially intended!


And how do you get all those apple peels? You make apple sauce and apple juice. H.Bo LOVES natural apple juice. I boil apple chunks in a pot of water to get them tender enough to puree into apple sauce, then the leftover water from boiling is strained and frozen. No sugar added, and he gulps it down like crazy. Ahhhh, simple and satisfying:

Extremely Frugal Living (EFL) - Play Castle!

It all started with a mother's simple question: "What do you want to do today?"

The answer: "Play castle!!"

Uh-oh. Mom's in trouble. Play Castle, you say?! Let's gather some materials and see what we can come up with...

Cardboard box? Check! (thanks dad for digging this out of the basement!)
Paint? Check!
Fabric scraps? Check!
Glue? Check!
Little People to live in the castle? Check!

Well, that wasn't hard, now was it? We gathered all the materials together, and H.Bo went down for a nap. Perfect time for mom and dad to do some heavy-duty cutting and painting!


By the time he woke up, we were ready to "Play Castle"!



Watching his imagination soar...

-tb:oxo

MMMMMeatiness

Finally, the snow is melting and the sun is shining and warm. It's great! With all this warm weather, BBQ season is quickly approaching. As such, I have started to perfect my BBQables.

Tonight, we experimented with a new recipe. It was one of those recipes that I just "winged".

Herb and Garlic Feta Burger
1 pkg extra lean ground beef
1 egg
feta cheese
herbs of your choosing (I used parsley, italian seasoning)
Chopped green onions

- Mix feta, herbs and green onions together in a bowl. Set aside.
- Mix egg with uncooked ground beef. Make thin flat patties and spoon 1 tablespoon of feta mixture on top. Make another thing flat patty and lay on top.
- Push sides together to prevent cheese from oozing out.
- BBQ! (or fry... or whatever you need to do to not make it pink anymore.)

Yum, yum, yum. I had it on a nice bun with regular hamburger fixin's, and it was divine. divine.