This made my day..

After lunch this afternoon, I received an e-mail reminder from PetSmart for a special someones upcoming birthday..

Rufus will be celebrating his 3rd big one next Wednesday..

Oh boy does time fly!!

Walking on Sunnybrooke..

Every night we walk our pup the same route and every time we pass this shrub, I always kick myself for not having a camera strapped to my body.

Glad I had it on hand tonight : )

ka-boom

This is what happens when I am left alone with my thoughts all weekend..

My better half left Rufus and I to play 'single man' with the guys, which I support %100 (sometimes). It took me all of 15 minutes to figure out what to do. Rufus spend most of Saturday hiding.. with good reason of course.. Things got a little messy..

Throwing rocks in coffee cups is a very messy and noisy hobby.. one Rufus doesn't bode very well with. Didn't stop me from having a little fun experimenting though..

I also may have overdosed on cookies for a little while...

(inspired by the cookie splash group on Flickr)

House plant love..

my 6 year old peace lily; first flower of the season..

City girls don't play with tractors..

After having a great brunch with family Sunday morning, we made our way over to a friend's farm for a cup of coffee.. I'm in no way mechanically inclined, but I'm glad I brought the camera in with me.

I am intrigued by shapes and objects that show their wear and tear proudly..

And Missy wasn't too hard to look at either.. : )

Grandpapa and the Old West

After going through boxes of old photographs and books that once belonged to my grandfather, I became a little disappointed with myself in how little I knew of him before he passed in 2000. Once in a while my grandmother will come out with hilarious stories on how they met, and their lives together but I'd love to learn more about his past, where he grew up..

A few things I loved very much about him was his obsession with Abbott and Costello VHS tapes, Anne Murray and a love for the Old West (he grew up in Alberta). As a tribute to his early years, my uncle sent him a collection of photographs inspired by the Old West for Fathers day in '78.

here are a few of my favorite photographs from that collection..

a keepsake project..

I've been going back and forth on creating a keepsake book of our memories together for about a year now. We are slowly creeping up on the 5 year mark in our relationship and I think I'm ready to start putting things together to build this behemoth of a book.

It will need to be durable and have many blank pages to fill since we're planning on adding pictures and souvenirs to it for many more years to come. It would be to document how we met, our first date, our biggest milestones (recent engagement and upcoming wedding) babies (a scary but exciting word) and our children's milestones. And of course, a special spot for Rufus, our fur baby.

First thing's first, our family tree..

My parents were only able to trace our family tree back 3 generations but eventually I'd like to go even further than that (more on that soon). For the time being 3 generations is more than enough for the project. I'd love to document where everybody grew up, how they all met, wedding dates.. cultivate as much information as possible. If we can, I'd love to have pictures of everybody either in the tree or next to it. But only if it's possible.. I know some pictures might have gotten misplaced over the years which is understandable (won't lose any sleep over it)

I am grateful my parents documented the first 3 years of my childhood in my memory book, but It still left me wanting more.. maybe I'll make a separate book for each of my kids to give to them on their wedding day or graduation.. I want to be able to preserve our fondest memories together for as long as we can.. I find myself looking back at my memory book every once in a while and I know I'll be thanking myself years from now when little details get forgotten..

I'd love to finally find our keepsakes a permanent home and to have it be something we can enjoy as a family for years to come. Like other things in our lives at the moment, it won't happen overnight, but looking at it as a long term goal, this will be a very special project and close to our hearts.

Can't wait to start working on this..

Bedroom Exposed: inspiration

I will admit, I did get a little paint happy when we first moved into our home almost 3 years ago.. picking paint colors consisted of going to Home Depot, getting a paint chip fan, closing our eyes and with the drop of our finger deciding on each room color. Not the brightest tools in the shed.. that's for sure.

We're taking a different approach to it this time. In keeping with the tones of 'serenity and calmness', room by room our little Easter colored home is going to get a complete overhaul.. Eventually I'd love to bring neutral tones throughout the house, but for now the master suite is our starting point that will lead the way for future projects in our home.

The master suite consists of our bedroom, a fairly spacious walk in closet and ensuite bathroom (cheater ensuite, to be more specific) The colors in these 3 rooms do not match each other what so ever. I'd like to have the master bedroom be the base color to our color palette selection for all 3 rooms.





The hardest part for us at the moment is figuring out the base color. Once you figure that out, you're pretty much good to go with the same tone but a few shades lighter or darker. We decided on 2 shades of a mix between a light sage and grey. (don't mind the picture quality, it looks much better in natural light)

I'd love to bring some of these elements into our inspiration scheme..


via Brick Town Love inspiration images

This is what part of our room looks like now.. very 'inspiring'.. right?

In the coming months, we plan on priming the walls and painting the ceiling (popcorn ceiling.. lord knows this won't be easy!). Almost positive the dressers will be next on the paint list furniture wise. Haven't quite decided on colors we'd like to go with yet. I really like the boldness of the black colored frame, but I'm wondering if it's too bold for our overall idea (light and airy and not as heavy). I'm partially thinking of painting the bed frame too, but that's a while different story.

We're really going to be taking it a day at a time on this one. (just to avoid any 'oops' moments)

Weekend gardening

I've been anxiously awaiting the day where I could finally get my hands dirty and start prepping the beds for a brand new season of gardening. I love to garden.. It's a passion gifted from my dad.. for years I've watched him create an oasis of flower beds from scratch. I also like to think of gardening as a form of therapy; nothing makes us happier than getting our hands dirty and making something beautiful and caring for our lovelies.

Over the years I have learned to love and care for my perennials and show them reasons to keep coming back stronger as the years go on. Every spring, I look forward to seeing their little heads peek out.. my favorite part, this exact moment..

well hello there..

In a couple weeks, my spring ladies will be here.. how I've missed them..

I spent most of Sunday clearing the gardens of the garbage winter usually leaves behind. I also gave the lawn a well deserved combing. I missed the boat on lawn maintenance this past year and I vowed to make it a goal to get the best looking lawn on Sunnybrooke dr.. I have a feeling it will be a successful change. (toes crossed!)

I have to say I was a little bumbed when the birdhouse didn't survive the winter chills..

I guess our birds will have to enjoy the upgrade from condo to cottage soon! The search is on for the newest addition, hopefully we'll find something soon.

And now I leave you with the best part of getting your hands and feet dirty.. The amazing at home 'sink pedi'.. just read a trashy magazine for a half hour and let those babies soak for a little TLC time...

your toes will thank you later.. mine always do!

Dog Park Days..

This week has been an exceptionally bad one so far. To change things up a little, we've been doing activities we normally wouldn't do on a weekday to help us get out of our funk and change our moods a little. Yesterday, we decided to blow off some steam by taking the little guy to his special haven, The Dog Park. (his most favorite words of all time)

Seeing this face makes it worth the trek every time.

From worst to great...

Yesterday, was a bad day... Today didn't start off as great either, but I've just decided to forget the madness, power through the rest of the deadlines and be done with finance for the rest of my public service career (well, heres to hoping at least!)

After seeing me at my 'best' after work, the better half decided I needed a break from a computer and suggested we have a board game night. This changed my whole night around from being terrible to amazing. Reasons I love my hubs to be!!


We picked up some hot chocolate at the neighbourhood Tim Hortons, turned on Sunday's Celebrity Apprentice and played games until we both started falling asleep

Couldn't haved asked for a better way to end the night...

Reviving the old..

I used to hate this light fixture.. with a passion.

2 of the 3 lightbulbs are burnt out and the frame is filled with cobwebs and icky dust. You can tell it needs some TLC. I think I feel a little DIY project coming on... This could easily be a switcharoo for a more modern light fixture, but after 3 years, this one has started to grow on me..

The light fixture is currently located up in the second floor hallway. It looks a little tired.. maybe a little glass frosting and black frame would give it a new life..

Spring Purging

Pack rats, that's what we are...

Boxes and stacks of home decor, style and wedding magazines cluttered our closets for years. A couple days ago, I decided enough was enough. It took hours of filtering through page after page and ripping articles for inspiration.. but I can finally say I've let go of 10 years worth of magazines...

10 years, worth of garbage cluttering my closet space. Gone.

One less thing to scrap off the spring cleaning list.

Awesome.

Bugs never had a chance...

Rufus' 2 favorite things.

His Chair and Bugs Bunny.

Bedroom Exposed: The Nook Continued...

The better half and I do a lot of window shopping. Our weekends usually consist of walking around in shops, pointing at things we like/love/hate, maybe have an argument over bedding colors and sometimes get to play with some fun electronics.. (aherm… for my birthday *hint hint*…)

After our 'dinner date' night at the drive through Wednesday, we decided to take a moosy into Home Outfitters for a little decor indulgence. Lucky for us, I think we found THE perfect mirror for our bedroom nook.



For $100, it's a steal compared to the $200 ikea mirror we originally planned on purchasing. They have several choices of frame styles and colors to choose from (fist pump) AND they seemed to have a gazillion in stock (double fist pump). The only thing I worry about is the height of the frame since it might be an issue with over lapping on the vanity light (which we are planning on replacing). Now all we have to do is go back, measure, ponder some more and take the plunge. It will really open that little nook up, and I'm pretty excited to have a full mirror to twirl in front of before going off to work in the mornings. (common.. you do this too!)

Now if only we found the perfect nook light..

Top 15 things...

I'm not big on chain letters.. If I spot a FWD in the subject line, I'll usually just toss it in the trash bin. But when I saw this subject line, I was a little curious..

a list of 15 things you wouldn't know about me...

1. In the second grade, I took piano lessons at school for $10 an hour from a nun. I told sister Gisele that my parents would pay for piano lessons, but they had no idea I was taking lessons in the first place. So when she called my parents to tell them they had to pay her, I did what every child did best. Denied, denied, denied.

2. I am a perfectionist and an over thinker.. Not a very good combination

3. My brother and I are 13 months apart in age, and 3 feet apart in height..

4. I love performing on stage, but the only downfall to this is that I have TERRIBLE stage fright.

5. growing up, we moved to 9 different houses in the span of 10 years.

6. I wear braces.

7. The only thing I know how to make in the kitchen is spaghetti sauce and crockpot chicken (a monkey can do this with it's eyes closed)

8. I have a capped front tooth from a snow shovelling accident.

9. Growing up in a small community back In the early 90s, divorce wasn't as common as it is today. (my parents divorced when I was really young) Because I was the only kid in my 3rd grade class with divorced parents, my teacher put me on the spot one day and asked which parent made the best spaghetti.. Seriously? who does that?? I wasn't gonna choose.. They both tasted the same!!

10. I can't sit still for more than 5 seconds at a time.

11. When I know I'm going to a city I have never travelled to before, I research it until my brain hurts. I like knowing and visiting spots people normally wouldn't think to visit.

12. I hate being late for anything. If I sense I am running late, I start getting very anxious and nervous. It never used to be like that..

13. When I was 16, I told my parents I would never consider working a desk job.. How times have changed!

14. I am in my mid twenties and I do not have a drivers licence.. (sad right?)

15. In the 11th grade, after spending almost a year planning the trip, I coaxed 4 of my best friends to travel with me to visit complete strangers in Wasaga Beach. This could have easily have been the stupidest thing either of us could have agreed to do, but it turned out to be one of the best experiences I have ever had in my life.

feel like you know me yet?

have a great weekend ya'll!

be yourself..

'Everyone's unique, and that's what makes people exciting to watch, I think. So, just savor what you are and not what everyone else wants you to be' -Sandra Bullock

This made me smile.. feeling a little more confident today..

Why we love Rufus

Reason #256:

He's not usually a stick chasing type of dog, but if he sees another dog enjoying the activity, he'll either get in there and ruin the fun or find an even bigger stick to chew and show off.

Sunday was just one of those days.

He's such a Diva.

Taking a moment...

After a little pre-spring cleaning on the Mac tonight, I found these pics from a selfy session us ladies did during our trip to NYC last feb '09..

these make me smile..

Favorite part about our Keurig coffee maker?

How it makes the perfect cup…
everytime.

Bedroom Exposed: The Nook

We have a pretty huge master bedroom compared to most townhouses in our area. I believe the measurements are about 15x13 with a very large window and double doors to enter the room. Since we don't have a private bathroom ensuite, the floor plan made for a very generous walk in closet and a makeup/vanity area.. which my better half said 'added' value to the room...

Here's the thing... I HATED that vanity/mirror/makeup counter and lighting fixture combo with a passion. The counter height was so awkward and deep that it made the space pretty much unusable. This happens to be my least favorite spot in the room..

So here is a glimpse of what it looked like before we purchased the house.. I don't think the previous owners knew what to do with it either.. also note, the TV sitting on the vanity isn't plugged into the wall.. Kind of a space waster don't you think?

Don't mind the mess in this next picture.. we made a huge mess of the place when we first moved in, as you can see, but this is just shows you how deep the nook is..

After a couple years of junk piling up on the vanity I got a little 'makeover' happy and took my hammer to it. The counter and mirror are no longer there and holes in the wall have been shellacked over with plaster. The beige square on the wall gives you an idea where that mirror used to hang! Brilliant!

I also had to smear the plaster on pretty thick since the holes in the wall were pretty ginormous. I think part of the dry wall came apart when I knocked the counter down.. my bad!!



The next thing on the "To Go" list is the 'Hollywood' dressing room like vanity light fixture. We are planning on taking all three, yes three, similar lighting fixtures out of the house, but for now the others can stay. Quite simply put, this one has to go.


This is where things get a little tricky.. The plan for the nook was to make it a dressing area with a full floor to ceiling (or close to it) mirror, possibly like the Mongstad mirror from Ikea. But after taking a few measurements, we hit a snag. The mirror seems to be on the taller side and would overlap the existing lighting fixture by a couple inches.. If we wanted a sleek and balanced look, the lighting fixture would either have to be moved higher or completely removed from the wall. To be honest, I wasn't planning on having that as an additional expense. But if it's going to be done, may as well do it right the first time. Right kids?

Now the fun part will be to figure out if we want to purchase a similar lighting fixture to save a few $$$, or have the electrician move the junction box from the wall to the ceiling and have a gorgeous Capiz chandelier or Moravian hanging star to add a little sass..


Kind of like so..

Come to think about it, maybe having the electrician come in for a morning of work might be a blessing in disguise! We were eventually planning to install a ceiling fan in our bedroom and neither one of us is brave enough to do this ourselves. May as well hit 2 birds with one stone, right?

hmmm.. Lots to think about..

Bedroom inspired..

I was inspired by a couple finds on west elm this morning...

I think I've found our colors...

"Dos cervezas por favor.."

After spending 7 days in paradise, coming back to reality this morning was a little hard.. I really wasn't looking forward to trekking it into work in below zero temperatures.. after all, we had just spent a week in +30 degree weather!


After winning (oh yes, you heard me) a trip for 4 to Cuba last November, we finally got on a plane last week, waved our very cold friends goodbye and headed South for a week of sand and sea adventures. Since the resort is a little secluded from the world, we spent a lot of time lounging by the pool, took a catamaran day trip where we went snorkeling and got to play with dolphins, spent a couple days quarantined in our rooms due to some mysterious illness %50 of the resort contracted (minor details really.. no need to worry... all is well now!) and after that little set back we were as good as new and spent our last full day by the ocean..


Another thing we really enjoyed on the trip were the live shows.. couldn't get enough of the shows...



But one thing is for sure... as great and eventful as this trip was, it sure is nice to finally be at home in our own beds...

Putting the pieces together..

It feels like it's been a long time since we've had a completely clean house. Sure, it's clean when we're entertaining friends or when the pizza guy drops off an order.. don't get me wrong, it's clean.. just not organized clean. This is where we need some major mojo in the motivation department.

Every week, I read design blog after design blog and long for the perfect home makeovers. But the problem with dreaming is we don't have the attention span it takes to undergo a HUGE reno from start to finish. As sad as that is, it is the truth.

But what these design blogs have taught me, if anything, is that styling your home will always be a work in progress. I've finally decided that this year, I will put my nose to the ground and get at least 1 project finished before the end of the year.

The room with the most TLC needed right now is our Master Suite. Before Christmas, I started plastering walls and sanding down bits, but I got stuck at the colors stage. Couldn't figure out what I wanted to do with the space or what we could afford. I have ideas.. it's time to put them to action. First thing is first.. inspiration board to come..

365 days of Rufus

Starting Monday I will be posting daily pictures of my dog on our new blog baby, 365 days of Rufus .. He gets himself into a lot of trouble and I fear that my forgetful mind won't remember all the wonderful things we do with our pup on a daily basis.

This will be his Dog-ography if you will.

Will you be checking in?

"What did you do New Years Eve?"

My mom asked me this questions on the 1st of January 2010...
This was my reply...

The better half and I spent the day in Central Park..

Took goofy photos...

Stumbled upon a late night dance party..

Then at the stroke of midnight over looking fireworks at Strawberry fields in Central Park, the better half got down on one knee and asked me to marry him.

Not a bad way to start the new year, right?