Summer fun

After adding a pool to the yard it was feeling very crowded so I decided to do a little
re-arranging , I know shocking that is not like me at all, I moved the gazebo up onto the deck to make more room for the hammock area and for there to be a little patch of grass , turns out there was plenty of room and I think I really like it much better now. Summer is officially here , the splashes the laughter the wet towels and foot prints on my kitchen floor are telling me the pool was a great idea. Here is a different look , I used the cartoon setting on my editing program to share with you a little good clean fun.

Tomorrow is Canada Day and my children's Grandma's birthday , Happy Birthday Joan , we will see you soon , we will all be enjoying a day at home together , a little BBQ a little swim for the kids , followed by some good old fire works, ah summer enjoy it .

Happy Canada Day !

I always want to share with everyone the great deals I come across and this one has earned that honour . At the local Superstore near our house which is our grocery store , they sell lots of other goodies like clothing for the whole family and patio furniture in the summer as well as home decor and even linens and everything you would need for the kitchen , it is an amazing place.

I have been eyeing a jute rug for some time now , you see if you wait long enough I have learned all things will eventually go on sale , so I always make note of how many of the coveted items are left in stock weekly.

Well it must be the rainbow on this turbulent day{school being out and all the issues that come with that , kids fighting etc.} because they are re-organizing the store in a big way and lots of goodies are on sale , like beach towels for $1.74 , come on , I bought the last two , and the coveted rug which was $109.00 a great price but since I do not seem to have excess money after our trip and pool expenses , I waited so patiently , and it was well worth the wait , it was marked down to $19.00 , that's right I saved $90.00 they were practically giving it away , and it is just the right rug for this room , don't you agree .

I anchors this seating area so nicely , it also has a built in rubber gripper so it will not shift all around what a bonus.

What are you waiting to go sale ?, I am currently waiting for a string hammock to go on sale , I know it will 50% off , I hate to pay retail don't you .

Who wants to wait?

Not my kids , they do not like to wait , for some people freezing cold water would cause them to rethink taking a dip but not my children, the water is currently 65 degrees and in they went to freeze their toes , ah it's good clean fun .We have a couple more feet of water to go , I of course underestimated how long this fill would take so far 18 hours.
Mother nature has decided to help out the filling process with a light rain, looks like our heat wave is on hold for most of the next week , however my allergies have finally subsided .

Weekend musings

We had a quiet birthday celebration for Sophie, here she is thinking up a wish , she really enjoyed her birthday .

I will show you how I made this 5 minute cake next week sometime, I know it is not a masterpiece but one does not always have time to bake and decorate an elaborate one and since I can not go out and buy one due to allergies this was my newest cheat cake.

So here is the after and before of the backyard , well actually there was a nice gazebo and chair area a few days ago so the before is really the during, but they made way for this monster. Thankfully I was able to scoop a taupe colored pool the only other option was brilliant cobalt blue like the unfortunate ladder .

I am thrilled with the pool so far , OK not the look of it , but the price {it went on sale the morning I was going to buy it , to my surprise},and how much room it takes up of the yard , less room for the dogs to destroy and for us to mow, and the excitement that the kids will be happily playing in it daily this summer , this is like a trial run , Are we pool people , we will soon find out.

Now how many hours will it take to fill and 800 gallon pool ???

It's official , our backyard is the most full backyard on our street, how much outdoor stuff can you jam into a 1000sq ft backyard , so far a good sized deck 12x20, and 8x8 gazebo , a 4x4 playhouse , 1 dog poop composter , a 15 ft round pool , and a small garden , that should just about do it .

Sorry poochy no more free range for you .

Happy Birthday Dear Mason

Dear Mason ,

When Dad and I got married we knew we would want kids right away , the time was finally right. We were so excited to find out the great news , we thought many times we would lose you , but you kept on growing and even stayed with me three more weeks than is normal , but it was all worth it , when we saw you . You were so sweet and small , a tiny little 6 pound 9 oz baby , with all your dark hair , no bald babies for me.

We quickly took you home after a couple of hours in the hospital , I was so happy to have you home so excited to finally lay my eyes on you I couldn't even rest , I just stared at you and kissed you , you were our little pumpkin .

You were so much fun to have around , an easy baby you were , so alert well beyond your months , you even walked at 8 months , you never even crawled .

You still run before you walk in life , you are always just diving into every task , you are growing into a lovely young lady . You are so beautiful and I think you don't even know it , don't doubt that , you are beautiful , and you are a great friend to have , I see you really care about the people you keep close to you , they are lucky to have you .

I am so proud of the friendship you have with your sister she is lucky to have such a special big sister , that is so nice and I know you will always be close , that really warms my heart, I know you fight ,which is normal , but there is love for each other always underneath.

I look forward to the years ahead while we watch you grow and change and become more independent. Be patient with me while I try to help you through these next few years they may get bumpy , I will make mistakes as will you but know I am always on your side and I am always here for you for anything , you can always come to me .

You are so special and smart and creative , follow your dreams , I love you more than know ,

Love Mom xoxo

Birthday Girl

Dear Sophie ,

I wish you a great and wonderful day today , on your Birthday , you were going to be born on your sister's birthday , but you would not accept that , you were going to have your own day , even if it was only the day before . My water broke right after I completed you sister's 3rd birthday cake around 1:00 AM, my labour moved swiftly and with little pain , until the end , you were in a hurry to make an appearance and you came very close to being born in our car , thankfully we made it in the nick of time to the hospital room , two or three pushes and you were out in the world and you were a screamer , and as pretty as could be, Oma, Dad, Mason and I were all there to welcome you into our family you were our little Sophie .

You have grown so much , you have gone from a shy quiet girl to a real firecracker , no one should mess with you , you know what you want and you stick to your guns , you are a wonderful part of our little family , I love you so much we all love you xoxo

I have such a love for hooks , mostly wrought iron ones , I should count just how many hooks I have in this house , I have a lot , even one with a dog head . This green one was once used to hang a towel from in our powder room until it some how came right out of the wall .

I couldn't bear that it has been wasting away in the basement , so I found a spot for it , it looks so pretty .

Yesterday I found some shops in a near by town that had loads of different and beautiful hooks , now I know where to find one if I should need one.

This is my frog , I found it in a box in our garage , I didn't even know it was there , I love its chipped up character.

{re-cut peonies in fresh water , maybe I will get a few more days} Tomorrow is the last day of school , I am getting a preview of just what I will be dealing with in the other room while I write , I hope there is some peace this summer or it will be a very long 70 plus days :(

I am prepping for the pool tomorrow, I have the foam pads that are suggested , if I ever wondered if we needed it , the loud and energetic 4 kids that are bouncing my floors right now tell me I do need to get it no question .

Right Back At It

Don't you just love peonies , well I sure do , this is what I came home to on Monday a big jar of the most lushious pink peonies thanks to my SIL Janice , while she came to help out with the pups she graciously gave us these , how sweet , thanks Janice.
I also want to say thank you to Lawrence for all the work you did taking care of the boys for us , we didn't worry about them one little bit , thanks so much . I get an itch and it must be scratched . I was feeling the drapes needed changing ,a lighter feel is in need as summer has arrived even the air-conditioning is running, so I dug out my old drapes which I still love , however they were no longer long enough , so I simply added a band of fabric to the bottom , laundry and sewing was the game for the day yesterday.

Cost $0 , I love a free re-decorate.

They go so well with the creamy colour on the walls like they are meant to be here after all.

Trying to set in the folds here .

Design Porn

Well come on in and enjoy some beautiful photos from one of my favorite magazines Canadian House and Home . This is probably the most wonderful detail I have ever seen in a house , this was the former editors own kitchen , she had the cupola built in glass to raise the ceiling as the ceilings were unusually low , I believe 7 ft , she then had them wire in a chandelier , what a solution for a problem , sometimes problems are opportunities for gems like this, wouldn't you love this ?

I love the playful feeling of this dining room , nothing stuffy or pretentious here , just how I like a house to feel.

This rustic second home is so appealing , it is loft meets woods , I of course am drawn to the stripes and soft blues , anyone would feel comfortable here .

This green kitchen is from an issue many years ago , it always brought me back to admire all the careful details of this reno , the beadboard ceilings and painted cabinets , always classic.

These images are all from Canadian House and Home magazine , my favorite magazine for as long as I can remember . I believe my first issue had a white sofa on the cover it was probably 1993 is what I am guessing, since then I have been a faithful follower , learning all along the way , watching up and comers become stars in the Interior Design world .

I have baskets and baskets of issues , always great to look back to and wonderful sources of inspiration.

These are a few inspiring images I wanted to share with you .

The Editor has recently changed it was Cobi Ladner , with whom I share a similar design appreciation , for nantucket /hampton's classic style , the new editor does not share this same sense but seems to be much more focused on trends and high end , both of which turn me off to be truthful .

I hope the magazine will stay true to its roots , yet continue to show relaxed and attainable design, even so the costly designed homes that have graced their pages over the years have always inspired me , to come up with ideas brought on by the wonderful homes that they have been kind enough to share .

Before and After

This is just for me , look how much they have grown since our last visit , I made them sit there for this picture , too bad I couldn't remember what side they were on , oh well.

We are back from our adventures in Disney , heat wave '09 , I can not get over how hot the hot was , at first we thought we were weak and wimpy , but then the natives were having troubles with the weather as well , there was one day where you could not find a character no matter how hard y ou tried , who could blame them , you couldn't make me climb into a fur covered suit in that weather , so although Sophie wanted some autographs , none were gotten , and there are no photos with characters either , didn't seem to cause too much upset.
We loved to visit our favorite hotel the Boardwalk , where we stayed five years ago , we did this vacation much more affordably , where we stayed in Lake Beuna Vista we had access to lots of American Restaurants that we do not have here , like IHOP , yummy strawberry pancakes , and TGI Friday's great food and service , no Sonic though , it was too far away and with us not having a car no way were we going to try to eat outdoors , no way .

I know I am starting with a bit of a downer or two , it would not be that way if I could re-arrange these photos more easily .

This photo of Sophie was taken after I had waited 1 1/2 hours for the Pirates ride , I was very determined to experience this , and Sophie wanted to as well, when we arrived they announced it was having technical difficulties , so I waited in the shade with a breeze , I was happy to wait , as for the 4 separate times I have been to Disney spanning 24 years , I have NEVER ridden this ride , first visit it was being re-done , the second time re-done again , last time running but the kids were too young , and this time broken , it is me , should I consider myself Pirates cursed??? I don't know , seemed like it to me .

At our hotel puppy dressed up in Mickey attire , you can keep you dogs at our hotel , we saw so many dogs , I loved seeing them there and welcome , this little one , a doberman , and a yorkie too , the hotel was very family friendly .

All fresh and waiting for fun .

Cooling our feet after a short visit to the Animal Kingdom , I don't think we will go back there again , but they do serve a mean frozen lemonade , those were needed to stay alive or so it seemed , it felt so good and many others joined us , sore feet seemed to be the treat of the day .

Waiting in line for the Test Track ride ,Mason worked herself up to worry on every ride but always loved them after we made her ride, what a great ride , wish we could have done it twice , thank goodness for Fast Pass at least the one time we did get to use it.

Being cute and having fun in the shade , oh how I love the shade , and those squirty fan bottles , $15.00 spent so well, if you have been there you know what I am talking about.

Sci-fi drive in eating .

Hot big daddy , this trip sure tested his will to survive , he does not do well in the heat, every night he slept with his legs up on the air conditioner , seriously he did .

Waiting , but in the air conditioning so I didn't mind , except for that one woman eating a big can of peanuts in the line with her little wild children running all around , stress.

We went to the American Idol Experience , it was so fun , they try out guests and have them compete daily , so fun we did it twice , it was quite authentic , even having videos of American Idol Stars and voting , it was great.

Mine and Dad's favorite spot the lovely pool , the water was perfection , a great family spot , complete with a python water slide , the kids loved it , and so did I , I actually swam in public , that took almost as much courage as getting on the plane , but it was well worth it , so cool and refreshing.

Watching the castle turn colors , it is so pretty .

The first day we arrived it was to terrible rain , by sundown we had weather a lightening storm so frightening we were yelled at to run to take cover it was scary , I was shaken.

It started here at the the arrivals, we made it safe and sound.

A little wet hair never dampened our spirits.

We had a nice time away , we will NEVER go back in the summer , next time October like we did before , if you are going any time soon , you must get the water park tickets you will need it more than you know.


I thought this was the best way to share our family photos with our family ,

more to come tomorrow.