Happy Canada Day!

One!

My little miss Stella turned one yesterday! At this moment, she loves putting on shoes, being outdoors, baby dolls, and hugs and kisses. She is such a little girl.

It's amazing to sit and think about this last year and all of the challenges we faced. There were little rocky times when I questioned my ability to be a good mother and there were moments of guilt when I realized that Jeremy and I can't do this all on our own. And there were tears. Oh my, lots and lots of tears. But, the year was also filled with moments of pure love and joy and little pockets of time that I would've loved to lock away and replay again and again, whenever I wanted. There were moments when I wished the girls would just stop growing and stay little forever, and moments of absolute happiness and even a few moments of calm. Watching them laugh and grow together just makes all those challenges so worth it. I can't even begin to tell you how proud I am, how happy and how in love I am with these girls. If you are a parent - you get it.

We celebrated Stella's day with a picnic at the spray park. It was hard to get a picture of Odessa standing still. I think she was running the entire time.

Stella is getting quite brave now. Before she would just sit by my side and be content watching things happening around her. Now that she is walking, she wants to be right in there.

Jeremy and I, along with the help of family and friends, purchased this beautiful, wooden kitchen for Stella's first birthday. It was important to me to have something made of wood, as opposed to plastic, and something that would spark a lot of imaginative play. Of course, it is for both of them to use, and, so far, it has been a huge hit.

I made them each their own matching apron and oven mitt to go along with it.

Happy Birthday my little one!

{THIS MOMENT}

Posting a special moment along with soulemama :

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

Posting a special moment along with soulemama :

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Lake

Nice weather means lots and lots of day trips to the lake. Seriously, one of my all time favourite things to do. That, and camping....do we dare?

Crossroads

Where have I been these past two (!) months? Watching these little girls grow, and grow, and grow some more. There has been a lot of knitting/quilting/crocheting as well. Time is flying and I am trying to enjoy every minute.

I have also been at a crossroads lately. My maternity leave was up last month and I had been dreading it since January. Just because I had no idea what I wanted to do. Part of me wanted to stay home with the girls. However, amongst the dreams of being a homemaker, there is still a dream of going back to school and obtaining a career. So back and forth and back and forth I would go with my decision. Anyways, it's back to school I go and I am starting to feel really good about it. I am so grateful to live in a time and place where I am able to make this choice. Both girls love their dayhome (which happens to be Grandma's house) and I really think it is the best decision for our family. Seriously, what would we do without Grandmas?

Until school starts up in September, I am going to be busy:

planning and growing our vegetable garden

exploring

trying to enjoy spring snowfalls

picnicking

making our daily smoothies

and watching this little baby

become a little girl

Recent Vintage Finds

Gosh, have I been lucky when it comes to thrifting lately! We make our way to thrift stores whenever we are in need of new clothes, furniture, and kitchen items. Jeremy and I have always felt it is important to reuse old items instead of immediately purchasing new ones. What better way to recycle!

Odessa recently moved into a twin bed. I found the headboard at Value Village and just painted it white (the footboard matches), and the little bedside table is from the Old Strathcona Antique Mall

Very sweet little dresses. I think they are meant to be pj's, but my girls will be wearing these all summer. They are so light and airy.

I thought this mirror was just gorgeous, and it fits so nicely in the front entrance.

Vintage buttons. I can sit with Odessa for a long time picking out our favourite ones, separating big and littles, and so on. Seriously, buttons make great "un-toys" (under supervision, of course)

I thought this tea pot coaster (is that what they are called?) was so cute, and the colours are perfect!

Easter

We had an awesome Easter/celebration of Spring. The wonderful company helped a lot, as did the beautiful weather. Odessa enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt and Stella was right in there too. She almost had her first taste of chocolate. We found her with a suspicious look on her face and a little foil egg in her mouth. Although we are still in that awkward phase of spring; the closet full of both winter jackets and sweaters, winter boots and sandals, I am so grateful for the longer days. It is so nice to be able to go for a walk after supper, to open the windows, and not have to worry about where the scarves and hats and mittens are (we are constantly misplacing all those little mittens). Love this time of year!

I made the girls these little bunnies that I found here. So simple. So cute. I used an organic cotton bed sheet we weren't using for the head and legs and the rest of the bed sheet for the stuffing. The bodies are just from the scrap basket.

My sister and I tell my mom she HAS to make this Easter bread every year.

It's tradition.

Love Easter lilies

This picture was taken just before Odessa yanked the basket away and said "No Stella, you'll choke!!"

Granny Squares

I had mentioned back in January that I would love to learn how to make these. I fact, it was a new years resolution of mine to learn how to crochet. After lots (and lots) of practice, I think I've got it down. These little granny squares are actually really fun to make. Thanks to Alicia, there is a very precise, easy to follow pattern available here. But be careful, it is addicting...

I love how the pattern uses all different colours, however, the afghan is for Stella and it didn't seem quite"her". I'm making them all peach, pink, purple, and grey.

Only 73 more squares to go.....

My Morning View

I'm lucky to have entertainment with my morning coffee.

Something New

Just a peek at what I've been working on. I wanted to put together something bright and cheery for when summer rolls around. We will need a summery quilt for all the picnics in the park I've been dreaming about. Although it has been pretty nice in these parts lately, our picnics are still confined to the kitchen floor.

First Giveaway Winners!

Thank you all for your kind words! I truly appreciate every one of them. I am looking forward to keeping up on the blogs and websites that some of you posted, and finding inspiration in your work.

Time to announce the winners...

The handmade Amy Butler bag goes to Mean Green Mom

and the Thimble Blossoms quilt pattern goes to Crazy Creek Creations

First Giveaway!

I am very excited to announce my first (and second) giveaways to celebrate Valentine's Day! All you need to do is leave a comment in this post by Sunday, February 14 at 10pm. I will randomly pick two winners (one for each item) and announce them on Monday morning. Say anything you want and/or leave a link to your blog. Easy!

The first item is a handmade Amy Butler Birdie Sling. I used fabric from both her Midwest Modern line as well as the Daisy Chain line. I really like this bag - it reminds me of spring time and farmer's markets. Two things I am looking forward to so very much...

The second item is the Red Velvet quilt pattern from Thimble Blossoms. Lots more patterns from Thimble Blossoms available in the store!

Odessa's Birthday

Well, she has now officially entered the terrible two's and I couldn't be more proud! We had such a wonderful little party to celebrate and I think she had a great time (except when we sang happy birthday - she made it clear she doesn't like that). Although our living quarters are a little cramped, we are so grateful we were able to have most of our friends and family together at one time. It was a special birthday weekend for our big girl.

Odessa helped me make the birthday banner. I'm hoping we can bring it out every birthday for years to come.

Yes, there are two photos of the cupcakes. They were very, very good.

Already trying on one of the many dresses. If you know Odessa, pants are not an option these days!

*************

I finished her birthday quilt just in the nick of time! I haven't been writing here lately because this is where all my free time has been spent the past two weeks. It is such an amazing feeling, finishing a quilt. Such a sense of accomplishment, and there is excitement to start something new.

I had it professionally quilted by a very talented man who works out of his home studio in Edmonton. He did such a wonderful job and I was so excited to find man who quilts! So amazing! I will definitely be going back.

Odessa loves it and I am very happy with it.