In Memory

My great aunt passed away last night. She was 96 years old. My family is saddened by her passing, but she had a good life. And her body was basically shutting down, one organ at a time. It is hard to believe that she is actually gone though. She was as strong as a horse. We though she would out live us all. Plus she was super mean, so the inside family joke was that God did not want her back, and that is why she just kept going on! That's bad, I know.... So here is to the memory of my Zia Marianna Pezzente. Rest in peace Zia. Tanti baci.

I could eat her up!!

This is my niece, Emelia. Could you just not eat her up??!! It takes all my will power not to kiss her to death whenever I hold her!! Ahhhh. She is bad for my sanity. She makes me want to have another one!! Eeek. So that is why I can only visit a few times a week!! hee hee

Emelia's Baptism

I am absolutely in love with my sweet sweet niece, Emelia. She is adorable. And she is funny - she already has this wacky little personality at 9 weeks old. And she is soooo well behaved!! I could literally eat her up!! Today was her baptism. It was a lovely ceremony and she was an angel. Of course. I expected nothing else! My three stunning cousins are the godparents - Anthony, Marie and Stephen. I adore these three as much as my own children. But that is another story for another time! Then we had her reception in the church hall, which was great. All the children ran around and had fun, and we had a ton of yummy food. And the cake!! Ohhh, to die for!! A gorgeous St. Honore cake. Yum. Beautiful day all around.

Just like riding a bike

Well, I started my new contract today with my old firm in New West. Now, I left that firm almost 8 years ago. I walked through the doors this morning, and it was like I had never left - like the past 8 years did not even exist. It was eerie really... One of the lawyers I used to work with greeted me with, "Ah, Carmen's back. All is right again". How sweet. He missed my witty banter and my sarcasm!! hee hee Actually, he missed how mean I was to clients and how I got the job done! Truth be told! But by the end of the day, it all came back to me. It was like riding a bike - I guess you really never forget.

European Country

My decor style is termed "Boutique Chic". It is very clean lined, dark furniture; very carefully placed objects; not more than 3 colours repeated; but very luxurious and comfortable. Think chic hotel meets grandma's favourite knit, chunky blanket. And I am consistent. Basically every room in the house meets this criteria. Except for Isabella's room. It has taken on a life of its own - a life I like to term "European Country". It started just after she was born. My mom bought her an antique bird house while we were shopping one afternoon, and it has snowballed from there. I found a toile print that I loved and decided to stretch the fabric over canvases. Then my mother in law sewed red gingham sheets and pillows for Isabella's crib, and her room just evolved. Well, a few days ago, I could not stand having any projects to do, so I went to Fabricland and found the MOST gorgeous black and white toile fabric (on sale!!) and so I bought a yard of it and stretched it over two 16x24 canvases and hung them in Isabella's room. Then today while I was at the salon, the boutique next door is another one of my favourite design shops (gee, what a surprise!!) and I found a wall saying by Shakespeare that I just put up. I can't call Isabella's room "French country" and I can't call it "English country" - so it is European country!! Now, all it needs is a chandelier and an antique four poster bed, and we are done!

Hair Cut Therapy

Tomorrow I start my new contract, and I am beyond anxious about it. I met Isabella's new sitter this morning and she was lovely. I had a good feeling about her and Isabella felt right at home. She did not want to leave when it was time to go. Good sign - I think... But even having this child care issue out of the way did not aleviate my anxiety. So I went to the salon and got a hair cut. Nothing like hair cut therapy to help when you are feeling down!!

Another Addiction...

Like I needed anything else to be hooked on. On Friday, Tammy lent me "LOST" - season 1. Okay, I am totally hooped - I have fallen hook, line and sinker!! I LOVE this show!! And I have gone through an entire season in 5 days!! What am I going to do now?? I can't start watching half way through season 2 on TV!! And the DVD won't be out until late summer... Dang it. Gee, thanks Tammy... Oh ya - and my darling hubby who's idea this was in the first place!!!

Childcare dilema

It seems as though my job as a full time mommy is coming to an end. I have been offered a permanent part-time contract with my old law firm in New West, and I have accepted - sort of. Details still need to be worked out. The greatest being child care for Isabella. Wow, what a dilema!! I have a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach that will not go away. But I do have a prospect, and I am waiting to hear from her. She runs a daycare in her home in our old neighbourhood where Ethan goes to school. And my sweet friend brings her daughter there two days a week, and she loves it. Good indicator!! So, this is an option. I only want to work Thurs/Friday, and only 4.5 hours each day. My plan is to bring Isabella to the sitter, drop Ethan at school, go to work, leave before 2 pm, pick Ethan up, pick Isabella up, and come home. Ambitious, but manageable. Now to see if this sitter is the right fit for us. But wow, how hard to make this decision. Especially for me. I never thought I would be a stay at home mom. I have always worked. I even worked part time after Ethan was born - he was 5 months old when I took a contract doing ICBC defence work. And that lasted until I was expecting Isabella. It has been over 3 years (closer to 4 even!!) since I have worked out of the home... I don't know where the time has gone. I don't want my education to go to waste, but I am torn. I seriously do not evny all those women who work full time out of the home!! So, now I will wait to hear from the sitter, and if it is meant to be, it will work out.

Tagged!

Well, well, well - sweet Rhonda has tagged me. Now I have to play this game!! Evil little lady!! hee hee. So here it goes:

What were you doing 10 years ago?1996.
Running a law firm in New West - I was the only woman on staff. Even our secretary was a man!!

What were you doing 1 year ago?
Just starting to think about selling the old house and planning on the new one.

Five snacks you enjoy (in no particular order, as all snacks are created equal):
1. Red Nibs
2. Cheese and crackers - has to be extra old cheddar!!
3. Chocolate dipped cheesecake pieces (From Pres Choice - you MUST try!!)
4. Chips/Cheesies/Nachos
5. ??

Five songs to which you KNOW all the lyrics:
Ohhh where to begin??? I have an amazing memory for music. Too bad that does not translate into everything else in life!!
1. Hey Ladies - Beastie Boys
2. EVERY Depeche Mode song ever created
3. EVERY U2 song ever created
4. Does Your Mother Know - ABBA
5. Backyardigans Theme Song (oh why????)


Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:
1. Build my final dream home - red brick Georgian mansion
2. Buy a company to make more $$
3. Buy a home in Italy and live there three months a year with the rest of my family
4. Put the children in private school
5. Serve a mission with my husband

Five bad habits:
1. Totally speak before I think it through
2. I am mean
3. I flick my nails when I am nervous/bored/worried
4. I re-do tasks that I ask people to do because I don't trust they did it right
5. I drink juice out of the carton! (ohhh, I so cannot believe I just said that!!)

Five things you like doing:
1. Cleaning!! LOVE this!
2. Decorating. Get a thrill out of pulling a room together.
3. Card making/scrapping.
4. Watching movies with my kids and hubby.
5. Listening to music really loud!

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get again:
1. Stilletto heels! Who is the masichist who designed these things??
2. Any furniture from the Brick or Ikea
3. Leather pants. Don't even ask!!
4. Stirrup pants. Again - I am not riding a horse - who came up with this??
5. ??

Five favorite toys:
I am not a "gadget" person. I don't have any!

Always Inspired

If you have never checked out Scraptivity (www.scraptivity.com) - THEN YOU MUST!! I have the priviledge of being associated with some of THE finest designers in all of Canada. These talented women inspire me everyday. This layout of Isabella was inspired by designer Vicki Boutin! She has talent!! True talent!! She makes me want to do better. She makes me want to try different things. And trust me - this layout is very different for me. But I am thrilled with the outcome, and now can't wait to "doodle" on something else. Thanks to all my sweet sweet gals at Scraptivity!! Y'all ROCK!!

House Pics

I finally got around to taking pics of the house and downloading them. Things are looking good so far. Still much to do. It seems to never end. But I guess if I was a complacent person, then it would all be fine the way it is. Nah. Where is the fun in that?? So, I continue to plan and search and scheme.... I still have the custom drapes to do for the formal parlour and our master bedroom; I want custom roman shades made for the great room windows and the kitchen window; and I want something made for the window that is 15 feet up in the stairwell and the window in our master bath. The kids' rooms will just get some cool rods from Linen N'Things and then drapes from there - nothing custom for their rooms - well, not in this house! Still not our dream home. But a nice home, nonetheless. So, it will be a few months more before these things come together. Something to look forward to. Then on to the basement!! Oh, what fun I am going to have there!!

Ciao

The Weekend in Review

Can't say that it was a thrilling weekend, but it was a good one. On Friday Marc came home early and I got to go to Tsawassen to visit Tammy. Cate came from the Island and we all had a great time together, and took our photos for the journal publication. How exciting is that??!! I miss Tammy... But the drive was not as bad as I thought it would be - only took 45 minutes. So, more trips are in the works.

Then Saturday was errand day. But I accomplished an amazing thing - I ordered a bed for Ethan! We have been on the look out for a loft style bunk bed. He has literally been asking for one for over a year now. I was VERY happy to get rid of his other bed - it was huge. Too huge. Took up too much space. AND everytime it has been moved, it has caused more damage than I care to recollect! But the search for the loft bed has not been easy. I have found many loft beds, but none that are right. I don't like the cheesey pine looking bunks; I don't like just plain metal bunks (we are not NASA!!); and the few that I did not mind were just too tall. So, I gave up. I hired a furniture maker and am getting a custom sleigh bed made for Ethan. It is gorgeous!! And the $$ was very reasonable. I just LOOOOVVEEE getting things made to my specifications!! What a thrill. Wow - I am a geek....

Today will be a quiet day. Isabella has now caught Ethan's cold and so she cannot attend Nursery = her and I stay home from church. But that is okay. We will spend some mommy/daughter time together and most probably watch "Cinderella" for the thousandth time.

My BIL is coming to finish my alarm system. Yeah. I am a freak without it functioning! Even more so than usual!! And then I think we are off to the in-laws for dinner. Well, at least I don't have to cook!!

Have a happy Sunday!!

Sick, again...

So, someone please explain WHY parents send sick children to school?? Ethan is home today with a terrible cold. Now, he has already had the stomach flu, and another cold - all thanks to his school mates. He has been healthy for a whopping two weeks, and now sick again. I called school this morning to tell them he would be home, and he is the 8th child away sick in his class!! Here's a tip - if your child is leaking any kind of fluid from any part of their body OR sounds like they have swallowed a seal, DO NOT send them to school!!!

Such a pretty girl!

Isabella truly is a joy. She is the sweetest thing. I never would have thought that I would have a daughter. I truly believed that Marc and I would have boys only. They run in his family... But then came Isabella Marie. Now, don't get me wrong. This girl pushes all my buttons. She is amazingly stubborn - I blame THAT on her father!! hee hee But when she smile and says "I love you mama!" - all is forgiven. She is such a pretty pretty pretty little girl!!

Welcome welcome!

To my little head. Seems that my inside voice has just found the perfect outlet!! I plan on sharing my joys/frustrations/conquests/defeats with y'all! And maybe I will save on psychiatric bills too!! hee hee

Ciao