Just have to say...

MONA is the bestest!! You are just soooo sweet!! Just wanted you to know this!!

Oh sweet sweet Friday!

I have never been happier to see a Friday as I am today. Working "full time" sucks! Only one more week to go, thank goodness! I don't have it in me anymore - to worry constantly about what I had done during the day, or didn't do... Yesterday was the worst day ever in my career. The firm conveyancer is on vacation and we had 4 deals close all at the same time. And the head partner does not know anything about conveyancing. So he turned to me and said here you go. Ummm - I dont' know anything about conveyancing!! I have deliberately kept it this way. I hate it!! And so it all fell apart yesterday. It was like a bad comedy routine. The big boss would come out and yell and then walk away. Then the other associates would come running to my office and help me put together the documents for filing. And then they would scurry off and the big boss would come back and yell some more. In the end, 3 out of the 4 closed. The 4th one did not receive their occupany permit in time, so it was not our fault. Thank goodness. Avoided a visit from the Law Society on that one... Too much stress for a little ol' contract worker. Now I am off to deal with one of our companies that is going from bad to worse. Happy Friday y'all!

Finally, good bye

Well we had Granny's funeral service today. It was nice to finally say goodbye. And hard. Much harder than I had expected really. Marc gave the eulogy. It was touching and spiritual and really lovely. Hard to explain. But Marc has an amazing way with words. He is an english teacher after all!! His vocabulary is mind boggling and the way he structures his thoughts. I am very jealous. He is truly eloquent. It was beautiful to listen to him talk about Granny and her life and her legacy. So it is done. My mother in law gave Isabella a bunch of Granny's costume jewlery. It is cute. She *loves* the stuff. Now I will have bits and pieces of Granny around all the time!! Kinda nice. Kinda gives me a peaceful feeling - knowing there is still a part of her around, in an odd physical way. This day has been too long. Time for bed. 'Night all.

Shoes and a Wrap

Since I am not planning on wearing these two things any time soon, I thought I would post some pics of my shoes and my pashmina wrap that accompanied my outfit on Saturday. I love them both, but the mere thought of even trying to slip my swollen and bruised feet into the shoes for more than 10 seconds is sending me screaming for the door! They are a killer!! And the wrap is 100% Morino wool... Ya. Really good for the 1000 degree weather we are having!! Ack. But then again, fashion is pain!! hee hee

Ciao y'all.

I *love* family weddings!!

Ian and Cherie's wedding yesterday was gorgeous!! What a wonderful day. And to be with family again - all of them! Marc's aunt and uncle came from Winnipeg - all the children were together - all the cousins were together. Lots of fun. Cherie looked stunning. Ian looked soooo handsome... I remember when I first started dating Marc - Ian was only 10 yrs old!! Ack. Where has the time gone??!! The heat, though, was unbearable!! And I did melt, several times, as I predicted. When I got dressed I had the fan set at its highest setting, pointed right at me, so I wouldn't sweat as I dressed and then did my make-up. And then at the church I stole Marc's uncle's portable fan because I could not take the heat! I was sad because I could not wear my pashmina wrap, and it was the perfect accessory!! I did wear it in the church though. I felt it was proper to cover up. That is how I was raised.... But after that, that wrap went into the trunk of the car and there is stayed. Sigh. Oh well, maybe I can wear it for some other occassion - preferably a cooler occassion!

Today we are off to the gift opening at Marc's aunt and uncle's house. Looking forward to just sitting around and talking and eating and doing nothing else!

Happy day all!

My tootsies are singing!

I had a pedicure this morning. First "professional" one ever! I am hooked. I want to do this monthly. Plus I really had no idea how bad my feet were... Very sad. Now they are as soft as a baby's bottom! It is a miracle. I got this fun hot pink polish put on them. It will match my pashmina wrap for the wedding tomorrow. We are good to go!! Now if I could only get rid of the flip flop tan - but too hot out today to do anything about it. Such is life. It can't all be perfect!! hee hee

Happy day y'all.

Busy day

It was a busy day today. I like that. I like the fact that we got so much accomplished - yes, WE. Me and Ethan and Isabella. I brought them to work with me this morning. I am going in for two weeks starting Monday and I wanted to make sure everything was okay. Nothing I hate more than being ambushed. So after I was up to speed we headed out to Linens N' Things in Coquitlam and I bought new sheets for Ethan and Isabella and new pillows and drapes and a rod for Isabella's room. I am really pleased with my "find". These super cute Tommy Hilfiger drapes on clearance!! Totally awesome. And they are this fine pink and white skinny stripes. Totally makes the room. I bought this very cool cream antiqued rod and finials to hang the drapes. So Isabella's room is "finished". Oh, can I say that??!! I am never sure anything is really finished in my house... But I am happy with it for now, so of course that allows me to move onto other areas in the house!

Then we went to taekwondo and Ethan is progressing very very quickly through his green belt. He is just needing one more stripe and he can test for his new belt - already!! It is really satisfying to watch your child excel at something, and know that he is loving doing it. Hard to explain. But worth every penny. And believe me - it is a pretty penny (ies) for these lessons!!

Then I scrapped another photo for Isabella's album. I am all caught up again. Thank goodness the wedding is Saturday. Hopefully I will have enough photos to scrap and keep me occupied for at least another week, or so!! hee hee




Tomorrow is wedding "prep" day!! I have a pedicure scheduled at 9:30 am and then Ethan's hair cut. Then Marc's hair cut when he gets home from work. And then to wash and vaccum the car. Can't have the Jetta looking scruffy now!! Need to arrive in some kind of style!! Ha ha For this, I should have rented a BMW 5 series or Mercedes M Class!! Never too late... Oh, Marc would KILL me!! hee hee I live to absolutely torture my husband. He is the BEST!! And he knows it. But I gotta keep him on his toes!!

Night all!!

Hey there sweet cheeks!!

This is my niece, Emelia. She is 8 months old now, and a spit fire!! She has more energy than you can imagine!! Now, my kids were (are) active. And my nephew is active. But Emelia - she IS the Energizer Bunny!! She puts them all to shame. You should see her feet and arms move when she wants to get going. She already crawls. Has been doing so for weeks now. Very early for this kind of advanced movement. She talks/babbles constantly!! And she giggles and squeals. It is hilarious!! I could eat this kid up!! I absolutely absolutely adore her!!

It's a heat wave

Heading for us! Listened to the news this morning and it said that by Friday we will have temperatures in the high 30's, with it getting warmer for the weekend and into Monday. Yikes. This is why I don't like summer. I don't like our hot, humid weather!! This is not "fun" heat. This is awful, constant sweat under your pits, sticky, smelly, too hot to move weather!! Ick. And the wedding is on Saturday. I am going to melt... I HATE getting dressed and feeling hot, and then sweating while you are trying to apply make up!! Ick again.

On a more positive note, I scrapped again last night. Third layout in as many days. Something must be in the air. I have found some creativity.



Have a happy day y'all. I am off to water my plants and make sure the garden is weed free. New obsession. It never ends.....

Scrap

So I could not sleep last night. I could not get my mind off of Granny... Instead of drinking some warm milk or reading a book or watching some TV at 1 am - I scrapped. Yup. Who's crazy now?? Oh ya. Me. This was the result. But it helped me relax and I went to bed after I was finished. Everyone needs to deal in their own way.

In Memory

We received a phone call at 10:51 pm saying that Marc's grandmother had passed away. She has been ill for years now. Grandpa Officer died 6 years ago, and Grandma Officer has never been the same. All those years of caring for Grandpa caught up with her literally overnight, and it has been a struggle ever since. She had severe dementia and has been in a nursing home for a few years now. We knew this day was coming - but we did not expect it tonight. And a week before Marc's cousin's wedding... My mother in law was sooo proud and excited that she had found the perfect outfit for Granny to wear to Ian's wedding... Seems so petty now.... So now I am wide awake, thinking about the very first day I met Grandma Officer when I was 17 yrs old and just starting to date Marc. We would go out to their cute little rancher in Abbotsford and visit on a Saturday afternoon. She would make us lunch and then sit and chat and ask about what was going on in our lives... What a wonderful woman. She was tall and elegant. She was loving and gentle. She was entirely devoted to her 3 sons and her 7 grandchildren. And when I joined the group as a grandchild "in law", she made me feel like I had always belonged to her. She was one of the first people to hold both Ethan and Isabella after they were born... She was a gift and a blessing to us all. Good bye for now Granny Officer. We will meet again - one day.

These are a few of my favourite things

Isabella's bed was delivered today. I absolutely adore it!! I changed my mind - yet again. The picket fence bed would have been adorable. No question about it. But I am very sure I would have tired of it after the novelty wore off. So I went practical, and had a "tulip post" bed made for her instead! I think it turned out spectacular!! And they antiqued it for me. It matches her dresser perfectly. And we all know that I am a freak for perfectly matched furniture in the bedrooms!! Part of the OCD.... Here is Isabella's finished bed. The quilt is an antique - my mom passed it on to me when Isabella was born. I have kept it for almost 3 years in the linen closet!! I am thrilled to finally be using it!!




Then I started walking around the house and taking pictures of things that make me happy in my house: my goose down throw from Restoration Hardware; my antique chair that sits in Isabella's room; my Egyption cotton towels in chocolate brown and split pea (my FAV colour combo!!); and my bed (it speaks for itself!!). I am not about having lots of things - rather, I enjoy having very few things that mean a lot to me. Just makes me happy. We all need things that make us happy!

A super find!

I am a sucker for clothing - well made clothing. We have a store in White Rock called "Current". It carries brands like Mexx; Kenzie; the same line as Plum (now I have forgotten the name...); Bianca Nygaard; etc. The clothing is costly, to put it nicely! hee hee But we have their outlet store in Langley, and today I went and scored!! My friend at church who has super super style told me to go there and said I would not be disappointed. Well, she was right!! I picked up a Kenzie black suit jacket - cropped, 3/4 length sleeves - for $40! Ya, you heard me right!! $40!! It was regular priced at $260. I got it for 85% off!! And I also bought two new skirts, each $19! So for less than $85 I got two new outfits! I am really pleased. Definitely a place to add to my "frequent" list.

Something's in the air....

Something MUST be in the air because I have the decorating bug - again. Now it is two areas in the house - Isabella's room and my formal sitting room. Now, I am having Isabella's "big girl" bed made. I have had this bed in my head since she was born, and now nothing else will do. A company in Cloverdale who makes the furniture for Knock on Wood and Sears Whole Home is



making her bed. It is adorable. This is a picture of it. I don't want it all painted like that. I think it is too much. But I do want it white washed and then distressed, and the company can do that no problem. Her bed will then match her dresser which is an antique that my aunt and uncle bought for their children 23 yrs ago, and I inherited it when Ethan was born. It is the most solid piece of furniture you can imagine. I am also contemplating having a small night table built, but I think I will just use an antique chair that I found as a little table for a lamp and her books. One room solved - one to go.

My formal sitting room is not right. It feels a little "cold" to me. My dear friend Kim painted a gorgeous picture for me, and that did loads to warm up the room. But things are missing. So, I have two floating shelves on one end of the room that I am taking down, and I am purchasing a very unique display case - it is an opened back book case from Urban Barn. It is hard to describe. It is tall but not very wide. It has 9 cubes - very excellent for displaying my vases, etc. That will help the wall. Then I have an empty wall where I have been looking for a console table and have never found one. Pottery Barn carries the one I want, so I think I am going to bite the bullet and order it from them. They won't ship to a Canadian residence, but they will ship to their stores, and there is a store downtown Vancouver. This is what I am thinking of. I also saw this cool stack of vintage trunks that would also work. I really don't need the item to serve a function, like a place for keys or anything. It is purely decorative.



So, these ideas are in my head now. Something to keep me occupied for the rest of the summer. Hee hee

The wonders of science

It is a totally ugly day today, so we spent the day at Science World - oh, pardon - Telus World of Science! What a hoot!! The kids are exhausted now. But soooo many fun things to do there! Right now they are hosting the LEGO Pharohs of Egypt display. Everything made out of LEGO. Who knew it was such a versatile toy??!! These are some of the pics I took. Even more amazing in real life. Definitely worth the trip. On top of the display, there were stations dedicated to our ecosystem; how the city works; mechanics; light; physics - weights and counter weights; water works; make and take - the kids each made tambourines (made for a "musical" ride home!!); etc. So we had a lot ot fun, and educated ourselves too. Can't beat that.

When will I ever learn...

That there is no such thing as easy!! So my granite counters are SUPPOSED to be replaced. It has been four months that I have been battling, literally, with the manufacturers and installers. So this morning they came. After 3 hours of doing I have NO idea what, they informed me that the counters would have to be busted out as the previous installers used a cement product. These stupid counters are going no where! So after calling the big boss again, for the third time today, I told them to just stop and put everything back the way they found it. I told them to buff my counters and re-seal them. And then get the heck out of my house!! I am so dissapointed. I am so mad. These counters should just be floating on top of my cabinets - just held in place by huge screws. No. MINE are cemented down!! Why... What big life lesson am I supposed to learn here?? What does God want of me?? I paid a lot of $$$$ for these counters, and they are not right. And now I have to live with them because to fix them will make an even bigger mess, and potentially damage my wood floors and my maple cabinets!! I am going to go and have a cry now.

The perfect shoes

I saw these shoes months before I bought my dress for the upcoming wedding. I was surfing on the Neiman Marcus website and saw these - my beloved Manolo Blanik!! These shoes have stayed with me for months. And when I found my dress for the wedding - coincidentaly (or not!), black and white polka dots - these shoes came to mind again. I ended up purchasing a pair very similar, but not these exact ones. Sadly, these are $750 US - not in the budget at this time!! Few things in life are perfect - but these shoes are!! Hmmm - if I keep the dress long enough, maybe one day I can purchase the shoes to match!! ha ha

Day 21

Finally, it is over! Not that I was keeping track of the days or anything... hee hee
I really liked this quote. I totally suffer from the "my life is boring" humdrums. It has really only been in the last few years that I have come to accept and cherish my life - being a wife and mother and creator and law gal! It is not glamorous at all, but it is not mundane. It is life - my life - and this layout captures it. From the dishes in the sink to the items that make me the happiest in my home - my Dupioni silk pillows and my vases collected from around the world... It is all mine. I am proud of it all.

Day 20

One more day to go. Wow, these past few weeks have really flown by. This was inspired by Rhonna's Tatoo Art digi kit. Love printing the kit out on cardstock and then using it. So versatile.

This past week has been a bit strange. Did not feel right - with Ethan home for summer break, and not really having things to do, but doing things... It is hard to explain. I don't like "down" time. I don't like free schedules. I don't like to sit still. So I have done everything around the house possible AND even tended to my garden!! Ack. I don't like gardening, but my front garden is looking spectacular!! And my lawn is perking up now that I have paid some attention to it. And our neighbours are in California, so I have been tending to their lawn and garden also. Must say - has never looked better!! Maybe I have found another talent! No. Just part of the don't like to sit still thing. Always need something to do. So next week it will be back to a more "normal" schedule - taekwondo lessons and swimming and doing home reading and math work. Marc is away all week, so the kids and I have free range - but I need to insert more structure. Just can't let it be.

On the more fun side - I bought shoes yesterday for my dress for the wedding! They are gorgeous!! They are very 1950s inspired - have a wedge heel and a strap around the ankles. They look just perfect with the dress. This morning I bought all new MAC make-up - I went with shades of lavender for eye shadow and a lavender coloured eye liner. I bought two lipsticks - a latte coloured one and one more nude coloured. I don't like lipstick, but it is necessary to complete the "look". So now I am set for this wedding, and I have 2 weeks to spare!! I made a gorgeous card for the happy couple, and I bought this sumptuous toile wrapping paper. So now I am going to wrap up the gift and make it all soooo pretty!! Can't be outdone you know!! More of the OCD shining through...

Have a good Friday!

Day 19

Super quick journal entry. Really very self explanatory. Not much else to say about it....

Don't have much to say about anything lately really. My granite counter tops in the kitchen are FINALLY being replaced on Monday. After tracking down the installer and getting the run around. Sooo annoying. But I am like a pit bull - I don't let go! We have some business tomorrow to take care of that also was a long time coming. I am relieved that is over. The wedding is in two weeks, and now I am in search of shoes. Not a hard thing for me!! I am looking forward to trying on shoes and finding the "perfect" pair. I know they exist - somewhere - out there.... hee hee

Have a good day.

Day 18

What do you have in life that is really yours? Your character. No one can take this away from you. Fame is vapor... Riches take wings... Only one thing endures, your character. Have a good day.

Days 13-17

Rhonna's site went down for a week. Apparently, she was getting really really negative comments and feedback re: her 21 Day Challenge. So she stopped. But her loyal fan base urged her to return and finish it off. So there is only one entry for this mysterious missing week.

I liked this quote, "Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, it became a butterfly". I really like the idea of transformation. I don't like status quo. Obviously, as I have had 4 houses and am now contemplating #5!! I think change is good. I think change is necessary. I think it is healthy for your character and your intellect and life!

Have a happy Tuesday everyone.

Days 11 and 12

Rhonna combined days 11 and 12. For good reason. The quote is, "If not now, when?". I hate it. I hate this question because I don't have answers for it. When what?? There are soooo many aspects in my life that still need things - that aren't "right" yet. When will they be right?? I don't know! When will the business take off?? I don't know. When will I lose all this weight?? I don't know. When will I actually feel like I am accomplishing my goals in life?? I don't know. Rhonna ran this question in the last challenge, and I did not have an answer back then either. If not now, when?? I DON'T KNOW.

Day 10

Opportunity seems to knock at the strangest of times. I guess the trick is being ready, no matter when it knocks.