I just *heart* Fort Langley

You know, days like today are great reminders of why I live where I live. Bella and I picked up my mom and the three of us went shopping today. First we went to my fav little boutique La Belle Maison and got some great depression glass mint julip tumblers for 50% off!! They were only $1.98 each!! Seriously!! Oh ya. I bought 5 of them and now they are sitting on my dining room table waiting for some fresh flowers to grace them tomorrow. Then we wanted to go for lunch but did not want to stay here, so we headed out to Fort Langley. Totally fantastic. We had lunch at Tracycakes - the BEST cupcakes ever made!! And they have high tea with all the fixins. It is way fun. Then we went shopping at The White House - think French country antique meets clothing boutique meets designer hand bag store! Yup. Heaven. If you are a local you must take a trip on out and check it out. If you are not a local, I am very sorry for you! You can't beat the charm of Fort Langley!! I love it!!

So after all of this lollygagging it was time to get down to business. The business of Taekwondo - it is testing time again. Yikes. Ethan tests on Friday for his red belt. Serious stuff. I am absolutely nerve wracked for him! He MUST break his boards in order to pass. It is such a tough belt to acquire. He knows his forms perfectly. He can do his self defence and sparring perfectly. But he has only broken his boards 3/5 times in class so far... I will be sick for him if he does not manage to break during testing on Friday. I even told Marc to come straight from work to the academy so he can watch Ethan test and I can go home. I just can't take the pressure. And yet my sweet boy seems to be taking it all in stride... He soooo does NOT get that calmness from me!!

I am tired. I have another busy day ahead tomorrow. Time for a nice hot bath and bed.

Ciao all.

Sunday morning creative

So I was complaining a while back that I have not been in the mood to scrap as of late. It hit me this morning that I needed to get these done. Just out of the blue. But I am not very excited with the results. Wow, when you don't do something for a long time, it sure is hard to get back into the swing of things. But these are done and I am not going to go back and re-do them. I am a complete perfectionist in all things, but not in scrapping. Go figure. I don't like perfectly manicured layouts. I find them contrived. And I find them unrealistic. Now, when it comes to the rest of life - especially my house and those who dwell in it - everything MUST be perfect! hee hee But my layouts can have "personality". Now this brings me up to Christmas pics... I think it is time to browse the net and "lift" some fun ideas. My pretty little head is hurting from creating these two masterpieces! You know, good thing I have no desire to be on design teams. I don't know how you "crank" out layout upon layout....

Well I have half a dozen young men descending upon my house tonight for a good ol' Italian dinner. I should get dessert made now so I am not having to do it at 5pm when I get home from church. Sunday afternoon meetings really do bite... Have to say. My day is shot. Hmm, not sounding very loving am I... There's a surprise! hee hee

Ciao all.

I have been tagged! Yikes....

Okay, so Mona tagged me. Thanks there chickie! So, here it goes:

5 things you cannot live without under $10
1. Non-fat coconut steamed milk from Starbucks
2. SoBe mango tangerine drink
3. Lou Lou fashion magazine
4. Vaseline Intensive Care hand lotion
5. Popcoprn twists

5 favourite movies
Sorry, I am not a movie person.

Baby names you love(but won't use) - Girls
1. Sofia
2. Alessandra
3. Maya
4. Elayna
That's all...

Boys
1. Jack
2. Jake
That's all....

5 songs you could listen to over and over: (Okay, here is where my true colours come out!)
1. EVERYTHING by Depeche Mode
2. Pride - U2
3. Hung Up - Madonna
4. Beautiful People - Marilyn Manson
5. Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran

5 people who influenced your life in a positive way:
1. Marc
2. My mother and father
3. My aunt Fran
4. Ms. Mace - my high school Eng teacher and homeroom teacher
5. My sister Laura

5 things that stay in your purse all the time:
1. Wallet
2. Keys
3. Cell phone
That's all.

5 moments you knew changed you forever:
1. When Ethan was born
2. When Isabella was born - now I had 2 children to look after!!
3. When my grandfather died
4. When Manjit was murdered
5. When my grandmother died

5 obsessions you have right now:
1. Decorating the house
2. Shopping for antiques
3. Cleaning
4. Baking
5. Buying shoes!!

5 places you would really love to go:
1. London
2. Paris
3. Hawaii
4. New York
5. Barcelona

5 people you would love to see do their top 5
Oh, I am not going to make anyone else suffer!! hee hee

Ciao all.

What's going on

It has been a while since I have posted pics of what is going on at my house. So today I thought I would do that. It has been a busy place.

My new curtains arrived today for my master bedroom. They are gorgeous! Two contrasting silk panels - one in sand and the other in an olive colour. I love the effect they have created. Finally, after two years, my bedroom actually looks finished! It is amazing how stark the room was before the curtains arrived. Now I have a few more changes to make to the room. The curtains have inspired me. Of course. Where the chair is right now is going to be replaced by a floor to ceiling standing mirror and valet for Marc. And then I am going to get an apholstered bench for the foot of the bed to replace the seating. Then I think that will really do it for my bedroom. Of course, there is always new paint... Hmmm... We will see how far I can push Marc!! hee hee

I bought these cool canvases for my master bath. They are stunning in real life. They just pop off the wall. Again, I knew my bath was lacking something, but until I found the trio, I did not know what exactly. Again, inspired to add a few more touches. Now I am looking for those huge apothecary jars to fill with bath salts and loofahs to sit around the tub. And I am going to change out my towels. I am a firm believer in creating a sanctuary for yourself in your home. Whatever else is going on, there has to be a place where you can go and relax and be surrounded by the things you love and feel at peace. I have taken care of the childrens' rooms and the rest of the house. Now it is time for my master suite to be taken care of!

And finally, it is science fair project time in our house. Ethan is doing a model of Jupiter. Can you tell??!! hee hee He painted this all by himself and even did the Great Red Spot (which, btw, is as vast as 3 Earths!!). It is amazing to watch him work. He is so serious about it all. He wants it all to be perfect. Hmm, I wonder where he gets that from??!! ha ha haaa And now he is quite the expert on Jupiter. It is awesome.

Well, that is all for now. Have a good rest of the weekend all. I think I am going to go and scrap for a while. Wow. That is a novel idea. I haven't done anything since before Halloween. No joke. I have Halloween pics and Christmas pics and a few candids that I need to catch up on. But, alas, I have lost my mojo. Actually, I seem to have lost my desire for the whole process. Not quite sure what is up with that. I do it more out of guilt now than anything else. My kids have these amazing books of their lives to date, and I can't stop now... Not really a good reason to scrap. But for now, it is the reason I have.

Ciao all.

Happy *LOVE* Day

Hope you have a wonderful day with the people you truly love!!

Wednesday and stuff...

I don't know where the week is going? I seem to be behind in many things around this house. Both Ethan and Bella are having Valentine's parties at school, so I have treats to bake and Valentines to address (for Bella - Ethan can do his own). Ethan wants to bring home made fudge for his treat. Ummm, never made it. Now I need to go recipe surfing on line and see what I can find. I am not a candy maker. I need a cheat recipe for fudge. This should be fun.

I am working a bit from home this morning as I need to get a trial booked in Vancouver and there are 4 sets of counsel involved and it is like some impossible puzzle to piece together available dates. We are Plaintiff counsel and honestly, we don't care when we get to trial. It is Defence that is chomping at the bit, and so far, it is not working out well. Oh the fun of it all.

I am in the mood again to buy furniture. Honestly, when am I NOT in the mood??!! hee hee Anyways, I went to one of my favourite shops here in town, La Belle Maison, and found the most gorgeous antique cabinet for my entry way. It looks a little like the pic I have posted below. But the cabinet I have my eye on has castors. It is amazing! And it is a reasonable price - yeah! Well, reasonable to me. Marc did not think it was a good price... So now I am trying to figure out how to get it out of the shop and delivered to my home. The shop owner said she could bring it to me if I wanted. I think that would be best. She can get it out of the little store that is jammed with antiques and crystal and pictures and candles - no easy feat! But hey, at least if she breaks something, she already owns it! Less stress for me. We will see. I still have to get Marc over there to look at the piece and say yes or no. I am really REALLY hoping he will say yes... Hey, this is a GREAT Valentine gift!!! Don't you think?!!

Well, I am off to look for fudge recipes. Have a good day all. I have a busy one ahead.

Ciao

Happy B-day baby Sis!!

To my gorgeous sister Laura - happy birthday baby!! Hope you had a great day!!

Love you lots!!

Snow, snow, go away!

Wow, what awful weather we are having! We woke up to yet another snow storm this morning. That is two in a week. Main roads very bad. Side and back roads absolutley treacherous! It took me over 2 hours to drive into work this morning. Usually it takes less than half an hour... I am tired of this. I have said this before, and I am going to say it again - there is a reason I live on the WEST COAST! Our weather is supposed to be milder! We are supposed to get rain! I am not equipped to drive in the snow and worry about snow tires and chains and having salt or sand or shovels in my trunk!! If this continues, I may as well pack up and move to Alberta or Saskatchewan! At least I can get a good deal in real estate!! Man. Sorry. I am annoyed. I need a snack.

Hope y'all are having a good day.

Ciao