sometimes life slows you down

I thought I should pop in and say hi and show you what's going to be slowing me down for the summer...sadly.

I have sprained BOTH my ankles...

 I've been spending a lot of time like this lately...being sidelined is really hard for me since I am clearly a busy body type. I have a million things to do daily and I like it that way.
I was up to my usual things just after lunch on Thursday putting up a new umbrella on our new deck, I wanted to move one of our little (35 lb) fire pits over to the dining area off the deck I stepped off the deck and my left ankle gave way rolled popped and then the right foot did the same, I crumbled to the ground and I was convinced both my ankles were broken.
I was able to crawl to the house where my daughter was and she helped me from there. I was able to get to the Dr and have my ankles looked at , my Dr determined they weren't broken but were badly sprained.
Just stay off them, rest and they will get better.
That first couple of days was pretty awful but I am happy to say my ankles are improving slowly but they are improving. I am walking like a toddler which has really slowed me down...my family has been very helpful especially my husband I am so lucky to have him to take care of me.
                                                                                   

 I was able to take part in the grocery shopping thanks to one of those motor carts they have..beep beep.

 I normally have very boney ankles that look nothing like this.

 Be careful when stepping off things especially while carrying heavy things please, or ask for help.

 This was my Saturday...doesn't look too bad...sadly I get bored easily. I am so glad this happened after we completed the fence and deck projects.

I just have to throw in this photo of my 1 year old Mason going back 15 years....I sure miss my babies. My Mom stopped by the other day with a bag of old photos for us to go through. Honestly she was the cutest every mom thinks that.

So if you don't see me posting lots of projects over the next few weeks you will now know why...I guess I'm not going to be painting my bedroom or finishing the dining room any time soon. I am just very lucky they weren't broken.... please be careful out there.

Sweet Sixteen

 Over the weekend we celebrated Mason's sweet 16.....how can I be saying that, where did the years go?

 A simple brownie cake...Mason is not a birthday cake person at all.....we all ate too much junk this weekend

Mason wanted a a jumping castle for her party...I love her for this, she is a good girl into good clean fun....so the opposite of me at 16...thankful!!!

We ordered the castle from Castle Kids my friend from grade school's company, if you are in the GTA and need a jumping castle check them out they have the biggest selection I've seen. All kinds of themes, water inflatables, ones with basketball hoops and lots of other rentals and party needs.

 Mason asked for mason jars for drinks...I picked up a great pack at Target for $7 and we used the cute paper straws I picked up from Michael's craft store.

 Things were pretty chilly,gloomy and windy all day before the party but it finally warmed up enough just in time for the start.

 I got a little portable s'mores bar ready for outside, why do we just use graham crackers? I picked up soft chocolate chip and chocolate sided cookies to keep things easy they make another great option for those roasted marshmallows.

We gathered as many blankets as we could find and fired up three portable mini fire pits from Walmart that use the little propane canisters...we love these things, they make a perfect heater and are great for roasting marshmallows and hot dogs too.

All in all it was a great celebration for this big milestone. Happy Birthday to my beautiful first born Mason, my life would be so boring without you...we love you and are so proud of you.

Our new outdoor room and platform deck

 The weather co-operated the other day and my wonderful friends came by two days ago and helped me set all the joists which was a big job. Then yesterday I worked on installing the boards all day and by dinner time I had a nice new outdoor room to enjoy, and we did enjoy a lot of time out there last night.

 I mitered the corners to add a little detail I lucked out that the frame was perfectly square.

Next year I will stain the deck and lovely colour I will use Austrailian timber oil like I used at the old house.

I so deserved and enjoyed this Corona last night, we got out the fire feature and made s'mores and enjoyed lots of time together...we are going to be spending a lot of time out on our new deck this summer.

small backyard deck project

 We have finally recovered from our big fencing project and the weather for the most part has been perfectly beautiful. As you can see we really need a bigger fire feature, well I have been hunting to find the perfect option and I think I may have found one. I wanted a gas fire pit table that can house a large propane tank. I love real wood burning fire but it is against by-law to burn wood within the city area and although lots of people do I didn't want to chance it since the $400 fine is a bit steep and we live on the corner and if someone wanted to call and complain than we are out of luck. So propane is a great option , instant fire and heat and no nasty smoke in the face.

 If you have been following along a year ago we were planning on installing a custom hot tub back here behind the garage...well it was not worth the cost of possibly $50,000 and it was going to have to be long and narrow to abide by the codes and it just seemed like a wrong choice after weighing all of our options.
I went ahead and picked out a beautiful tree, this Japanese lilac, it will soften up this back corner. This has become a nice spot for bird watching and bunny sightings, we see daily lots of robins, cardinals and yellow finches.

 Here is a cute pic of our pooches enjoying some sun, they sure love the warm weather.

 This is my latest design plan for our yard. There are three important zones for us, an eating area a fire pit area and a sunny conversation area. The patio expansion will have to wait for this year, hopefully we can tackle it next summer but for now we picked up a love seat and arm chair set on sale and decided to go ahead with a deck behind the garage.

 We had to remove the grass to get prepared to build the deck.
 Grass removal is back breaking work. My hubby did most of the removal. I scored the sod with my electric edger which made it more manageable.

Our little dog Dolce enjoying some outdoor time on the faux fur blanket....he is now 12 years old and almost completely blind which is causing a lot of problems with our other do Moe who is the more dominant dog. Dolce can't see Moe's visual cues anymore and crowds in on his space and then Moe sees it as a threat and sadly has been attacking Dolce and he just doesn't stand up to Moe...if anyone has advice for me on this I would love to hear it. I am just trying to keep on top of them and trying to keep them separated mostly. It is very stressful and a sad situation.

I am so inspired by the backyard of Modern Jane you can see it here and here , it just has a great feeling and is so stylish.I am crazy about the stained wall by the house, it is amazing. I'm really looking forward to spending lot's of time on our finished deck on our comfy new furniture.
We are attaching one of the ledgers to the foundation of the garage...I have some advice, rent a hammer drill if you don't have one, it was the best $20 I have spent on this project, it took 5 min to drill 10 holes, we tried with a normal drill and a masonry bit and it did not go well at all, so don't waste your time, rent the proper equipment.

We have Mason's sweet 16 party this Saturday and this rain is really getting in the way of progress, we may be working well into the night on Friday to get this 14'x12' deck complete but I'm sure it will get done because a mud pit is not in order.

Rain rain go away.....please!

How to use accent furniture to add style and function

The decision to add an accent piece to the upper hall was one I had been considering for a while now. This space needed something....but the right piece. When I saw this console on Staples.ca I knew it was perfect for this spot. It was just the right style width and most importantly the depth was right,

turns out it was just what we needed. 

Everyone LOVES it... and not all my decor decisions get this kind of reaction from my family members so when my 16 yr old daughter comments positively on my decor I know it must be really good.. 

I had hung this art I made a while back and it helped add a little something but it always felt a little bland and like this spot needed something.

This console from Staples.ca is very nice, it looks so good and is very solid. The finish it very well done and looks hand finished which gives it great character that fits the style of my home it's the perfect mix of traditional,casual & coastal.

I immediately took all the parts out of the box and assembled it within 10 minutes and was off gathering all my pretty things that I had no place for. 

 Beautiful hand painted look finish...it's really beautiful. You can find this table HERE

Most of these decor items were sitting in boxes in my basement for two years not having a place to be displayed.

These items all grouped together show my coastal beachy side. I love all these items and its nice to have them out to enjoy. This console was the perfect accent piece for the hall.

 I wish I had more spots in my house to add more accent furniture because Staples has a lot of amazing options at unbelievable prices. 

Display and function that is a perfect mix for me. I'm not the best at table top display but you should just try to have fun with it it's just decor after all so it shouldn't be too serious.

Layering things and stacking items on books as well as grouping similar items of varying heights is always great ways to put things together. 

Here are some other great options you will find at Staples.ca 

I know what you're thinking you had no idea Staples.ca had home furnishings and wow its nice and wait till you see how reasonable the prices are....you are welcome.

you can find 

Accent chairs here 

Accent table here  

Are you looking for some new accent pieces to add to your home? 

Please let me know what you think of the items available from Staples.ca I'd love to hear your thoughts. 

                                             *this is a sponsored post but the opinions and tips are all mine.