Let me sing you the song of my people...

Source: The Nest via Pinterest (broken link)

I love coffee. I actually didn't have my first cup of coffee until I was working at the IWK Foundation. Nancy introduced me to the latte and I was hooked. I loved how it was coffee but not harsh. Then I discovered really good coffee...not the burnt bottom of the pot stuff that I had been served for my first taste that turned me off forever. Austin didn't like to sleep...(at least I thought he didn't- compared to Amelia he was a dream sleeper!) and I was tired. One day I was out just for the sake of being out. Austin had finally fallen asleep in his car seat and I was tired and didn't want to take him out of his seat for fear of waking him. I pulled up to the coffee drive through and asked for something caffeinated.  I got an amazing cup of medium roast Paradiso and then I became this:

Source: The berry

My kids know that coffee is just part of my life. At my friend Kelly's house, Austin would drive the Crazy Coup car up to the "drive through" and order "A dubba dubba wif keam and a watté no foam"

Nice.

We are a family that has coffee dates. The kids get a little hot milk and we all sit together and chat- a modern tea party. I cherish my coffee dates with friends where we just curl up on the sofa with a warm mug and talk. I miss when life seemed to be a bit simpler on maternity leave and those coffee dates were frequent and full of laughter. Work is getting in the way of my social life.

I really just want to drink coffee and make pretty things. Instead I have to work full time partly because of my addictions...to fabric and coffee.

Source: Bear and Robot

So it's National Coffee Day. Whether you are like me and need a cup to start your day, or you could take it or leave it, coffee is not just a drink. It's part of our social fabric and I, for one, am very happy to include it in my everyday!

Guest Post: Urban Farm Girl: From homeschool to public school

Please don't judge me, I let my daughter go to school

As parents we are constantly being judged. Judged by our kids, by our parents, by our partners, by other kids parents, by random strangers in the grocery store line up and mostly by ourselves. In a world of parenting books, parenting blogs, and parenting experts we are all trying to give the best, be the best and do the best for our children, but what if we aren't sure what the best is? That's where I am right now but it wasn't always that way....

I had it all figured out, really I did! Natural childbirth, attachment parenting cloth diapers, co sleeping, babywearing and breast feeding till the ripe old age of 4 ( years not months) I quit my job to be a stay at home mom. My children were never left with a baby sitter expect family. I did my best to love and nurture, to respect and care. 

Life was good and I was proud of myself. 

When Clare was 3, I was introduced to the idea of home educating, it was just what I was waiting for! I had already taught her everything she knew, so why shouldn't I continue teaching her? Of course I could! So we ordered a pricey curriculum and signed up for classes at the Art gallery, a dance class and swimming and got started when Clare turned 4. She loved it, I loved it, and all was right with the world. My daughter is a bright, funny, happy, fun loving and independent little girl. 

She also has a mind of her own.....Grade 1 and things were going great until, one day, out of the blue Clare comes to me and says " Mom I want to go to school". I remember looking at her blankly, no words would come, my mind was racing. I thought you were happy, I thought this was working, why would anyone want to get up early, go to school with a bunch of strangers, sit in a desk, deal with the kids, do home work? I just smiled at her and shook my head yes. 

Let's back up a decade or two...

It was grade 6. Lunch time on the playground. The feeling of fall was in the air, cool and crisp. I watched a group of girls talking, laughing, giggling, arms linked as they walked. They were in my class, I knew them and they knew me. We had been in the same class since primary, but we weren't friends. They were cool....me , not so much. I got up the courage to approach them, slowly walking in their direction, telling myself that they would let me join in. Why wouldn't they? But you know what? They didn't. When I finally walked close enough to be heard I said "Hi". And one of them turned, looked me in the eye, smiled and said "bye!" I froze, did I hear her right? Did she say hi or bye? Why would someone say bye? Unless, yes that's it, I was not welcome, my heart sank. I remember that day like it was yesterday and I'm now 32 years old. The strangest part is that it hurts as much now as it did then. 

So it brings me back to the question, why would anyone want to go to school?  

But Clare is different than I was, she is confident and social and loves other people. She will chat it up with just about anyone. This summer she befriended a 75 year old lady in the swimming pool in Quebec. They swam together for an hour, laughing and chatting. Clare asked for her room number and address before we left. 

I made the call to the principal of the school around the corner and he agreed that Clare could attend Phys Ed class. That's all I will was willing to give, 1 hour twice a week. I told myself that she wouldn't like it, I might have even prayed that she wouldn't like it.  

Day one, she had new sneakers, we were on time, her hair was done, we sat waiting on the bench for the class to arrive. I said "hello" to the teacher, Clare said "hi" to the class and then she was gone. No hug, no "I love you mom", no "can you come in and stay with me mom?". Nothing just a wave, a smile and a bye. 

 Week two and she begs, please can I go upstairs and do math with my friends? Math? Ok I can understand gym class but math? No I said, quickly stuffing her sneakers in the bag and taking her by the hand. We are going to go home and put on our Pjs and make cookies I said smiling at her. She didn't look as impressed as I was with my idea. 

Six weeks before school was out for the summer I let her go, full time, all day. 

It killed me but once again I was sure she wouldn't like it. Surely all day would be too long, surely she wouldn't find it fun. I give it a week I told Drew, one week. He just smiled at me knowing his daughter well. Clare finished out the year, all A's and B's. We enjoyed the summer and I put school out of my mind. 

Two weeks before school went in Clare started asking when she was going back to school. My heart felt like it was honestly breaking. It wasn't what I wanted, it wasn't what I planned. But it was what she wanted.... 

Today was her first day of grade 2. She sprung out of bed and threw on her clothes. Grabbed her backpack stuffed with duo tangs, colored pencils and glue sticks and hurried the rest of us out the door. Shes there right now, in a room of 20 kids and a teacher I don't know. Someone else molding and shaping her, teaching her and caring for her. 

Isn't that my job? 

Yes it is, but I'm learning to share my precious baby girl, I'm learning to respect her decisions and trust her choices even at 7 years old and I'm secretly praying that she will change her mind. So to all you moms and dads out there who have it all figured out, please don't judge me, I'm just a mom trying to do her best and right now that means letting my daughter go to school.

Focus 35: Weekly Update 09'12'14

This week was a challenge. I didn't get my workouts in until 10 pm most nights...but I did get them done.

I need to do my measurements but I'm down 2lbs! Total of 12lbs gone since July. I also gained that 12lbs between April and end of June so I'm more or less back at my starting point from October last year.

I am loving the T25 workouts! I know I've said that before but I really do love it. I am still working hard to make the time in my day to work out. It's so easy to skip a workout but I have to admit I am not so easy to convince myself that its okay to miss one and I look forward to my workout time.

3 Weeks of Alpha left before I move onto Beta. I'm definitely feeling stronger.

Pattern Review: All You Need Jammies from Heidi & Finn

I was thrilled last week when Christine from Heidi & Finn asked me to test out her new pattern for jammies. She has designed an incredibly versatile pattern (13 options ladies and gentleman!) that is incredibly easy to follow. The pattern fit is perfect and the options are limitless! While the pattern is designed to be made with knit fabric with a bit of stretch, I did use a lightweight flannel for one of my bottom options and they fit well without making any adjustments to the pattern.

I tend to buy jammies when, really, they are so simple to make- I just haven't tried.  Austin and Amelia keep growing out of pants faster than I can lengthen or replace them, so making jammies would be easier on my wallet given the size of my fabric stash!

I was asked to make size 12M and I had just the little guy in mind! 

Seriously it should be a crime for this guy to get any cuter! 

I did both the long and short sleeve shirts.  The sleeve width was great for both versions.  The long sleeve length was perfect. A little bit a room to grow but no need to worry it would shrink and be too short. The short sleeve version fits well with room for movement. Little Rhys loved his new pjs.

I did made both the leggings and lounge pants with the knit and then . I then made a pair of lounge shorts with a lightweight flannel as well because I went to the fabric store for elastic and came home with this adorable fox print:

Ignore the neck of the shirt. I made a mistake with the hem. Follow the instructions and your neck binding will lay right. My serger needle broke a third of the way through trying attach the binding and I miscalculated the hem with my regular sewing machine. 

Over all I love this pattern and (spoiler alert) am already planning Christmas jammies for all the kids on my list. I love all of the options and the versatility that this pattern provides. You can purchase your copy of the pattern here. I guarantee that it will be one of your go to patterns!

Shared on Pin It Thursday with Sweet Bella Rose!

lia sophia giveaway

There are only 2 days left to enter! Contest closes September 10 at midnight, EST!


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Back to School Giveaway!

As a mom, back to school brings to mind little kids with their new book bags and the smell of fresh boxes of crayon. It means endlessly pinning lunch ideas and teacher appreciation gift ideas, scheduling in the PTO and helping with homework.

As a kid, teenager and college student back to school was all about the new clothes. The shopping trip before to get the new uniforms and then the excitement of putting together actual outfits when the uniform was no longer required. Spending time trying to find my style and sadly that did include a year with bangs and a semester with a pixie cut.

What better way to celebrate the back to school wardrobe refresh with some new jewelry?! I am loving my lia sophia business and love that I get to see and collect incredible pieces! I got into this because I was so impressed with the lifetime guarantee and the selection available in the Spring/ Summer catalog and I wanted it all and I wanted to share it with other people.

I hosted an mystery hostess show on my blog last month and the hostess winner walked away with over $450 in free and discounted jewelry.She was excited and I was excited that she was excited (see the circle of excitement there?).

I gave away three rings on my facebook page just a couple of weeks ago and loved the excitement of the ladies who won.

I wanted to share some more excitement with more people so I got to thinking about back to school- back to a fall wardrobe. And what better way to spice up your wardrobe than with new bling? Think of it as your grown up equivalent of a fresh new box of crayons!

I am giving away:

1 (One) Bolt Bracelet (Medium)

1 (One) Treasure Trove Bracelet (Medium)

AND

1 (one) $50 credit to be used on any order from the new Fall/ Winter collection by October 31, 2014. 

The new Fall/Winter collection is out and again I want it all. Almost 50% of the pieces in the line are priced below $50. I couldn't believe it. So the winner of this credit could get a free piece or put it towards a more expensive piece- completely up to them!

Here is how you win- Complete the Rafflecopter entries below. That's it. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway will be open from September 2 until September 10, 201411:59 PM ET. Winners will be posted on the blog within 24 hours of contest closing.

Disclaimer:  This giveaway is not endorsed by lia sophia. The prizes are provided by me and all opinions are my own. I have not been paid to say nice things about the company and I am providing the prizes at my own expense :)

Focus 35 Friday Update 08/29/14

The last two weeks have been really good! 

The first week I followed my T25 schedule and got in three run/walks in. The scale didn't reflect my effort but I did go out for supper and ate more salt than I should have and finished the night with an ice cream and a stroll along the Halifax waterfront.  It isn’t always about the numbers. The skirt I had made that week was 1.5 inches smaller in the waist then the last skirt I made myself. That was an accomplishment!

I packed my workout gear and headed to Newfoundland for a vacation. I got in some walks and an arm workout with my sister. We improvised and used heavy water buckets for some of the moves. My arms were so sore the next day!

This morning the scale said I gained 12lbs...it needs a new battery... guess I'll get my real result for the week tomorrow. And I slept in so I didn't have time to do my measurements...so that will happen tomorrow morning too.

WIP: Amelia’s Hoo’s in the Forest Chevron quilt

My friend Emily seemed like she was always working on a quilt. I used to joke with her that she was a little old lady as, at 26, she would be sitting on the sofa, hand stitching a quilt for what seemed like forever. I couldn’t imagine ever wanting to do something like that. 

Now I get it.

Creating something handmade is awesome. Anyone can go to the store and buy a machine made blanket or quilt and receive the instant gratification that comes with that. You can order a quilt from an artisan and wait with anticipation for them to finish your order. Making it is a labour of love.

Some quilts can be made in a matter of hours, some a few days or weeks. I might just hold the record on this one though. I bought the fabric for this quilt when Amelia was just a few months old...Now she is 3.

I picked this gorgeous Hoo’s in the Forest fabric collection by Riley Blake and held onto it not knowing where to start or what to do. I finally decided on a chevron style quilt but the tutorial that I had pinned no longer led to a blog post. So I had to start the search for a tutorial again. After a while I can me across this tutorial from MODA.

I got to work but, because of a few cutting mistakes, I ended up with not quite enough fabric to make the top as large as I wanted to. 

I wanted the chevron pattern to go horizontally so the strips are sewn and then put together on the diagonal. 

I've finally finished putting together the zig zag top but need to add a 10” border around all 4 sides to make it big enough for a twin bed. I am thinking that I’ll use a solid white and a pink with white pin dots on it for the border. If I don’t have enough of the pink fabric in stock I’ll have to find something else that isn’t fussy but has a bit of character to it.

Emily is going to help me with the backing and then with sewing it all together. I'm terrified I’ll ruin it.  Fingers crossed it all turns out okay!

What are you working on? Link up at Freshly Pieced and share your Work in Progress!

Pinterest Project: Dress Up Storage

One of the projects we tackled while the kids were away was painting our basement. Since Gordon’s father passed away, he has moved the furniture around in the basement a number of times. He had a vision but couldn’t make it happen without tearing the place apart.  So with the kids out of the house he patched walls, fixing spots where hockey sticks have left their imprint and “pucks” left dents, and holes that had been cut to thread wires and cables through the walls.

Long story short- the basement looks awesome. 

And because we had everything we needed on hand it didn’t cost us a penny. My sewing space is another story but I digress.

We tried to pair down old/ broken toys and reconfigured the storage for the kids things. They have a little tykes football that doubles as a dress up trunk but inevitably it gets stuffed full of random things. Awhile back during one of my Pinterest binge session I found the cutest dress up storage idea.  We had a storage shelf that G was about to put in the shed when I remembered the storage idea. I pulled up the Pin, showed G and about 2 hours later we were done! The longest part was waiting for the Modpodge to dry between applications.

G cut a new back for the shelf and I used ModPodge to adhere wrapping paper to its surface. I don't think I did this part 100% correctly. There were a few little bubbles but they didn't affect the overall result. Now when we get home from NL, if the paper has come off I'll know I did it wrong!

While I was doing that, Gordon screwed a dowel rod through either side of the larger section. We carefully attached the back and then I organized the dress up things. I was really happy with how it turned out. If we had more time I would have painted it but we didn’t and the dark finish coordinates with the basement furniture so its all good.

I love the polka dots! Wrapping paper is from Target.

Austin's dress up is in there too. You can see some of Spiderman's muscles poking out behind the puffy dresses.

I can’t wait to see their reactions when they see this next week at home J

Crickets

I could actually hear the crickets this week. 

The house was so quiet. At night there were no little feet hitting the walls, no one coughing or tossing and turning. It was still. And I loved it. I loved sleeping through the night and only having to get myself ready and out the door in the morning. I also hated it. There were no little feet hitting the walls, no one coughing or tossing and turning. No little girl pattering into my bed at night and wrapping her little arms around my neck saying “I love you SOOO much” before cuddling in and resting her head on my arm and squeezing me tight.

My house is spotless. And not just the quick “lets tidy before company comes” type of clean but a real “this is how clean our house was before kids and I would apologize for the nonexistent mess” type of clean. I discovered that when the house is so clean little things that don’t bother normally bother me in my day to day life are irritating to no end. Seriously...why is it that when the dishwasher has dirty dishes in it dirty dishes still end up on a counter or in the sink? Is it a guy thing? I took a poll at work and its common...do you know why it doesn’t usually bother me? Because there always seem to be dishes in my sink and the dishwasher is running every day. I ran the dishwasher once this past week.

I only ran the dishwasher once this week. There wasn’t an endless parade of cups, or dirty plates because mommy put supper on the wrong plate (yeah that is over....). But that also meant there wasn’t any little giggles or made up Lego adventure stories at the breakfast bar or Ozzy helping me in the kitchen in a way that only he can.

We watched adult shows when we wanted (Orange is the New Black at 9am on a Saturday- sure! Why not?!), went out when we pleased and I worked out without little people under foot. I enjoyed it, but I missed them. I missed my workout buddies who get underfoot and taking the kids with us on adventures. I didn't miss the kids shows (but that could be because G watched transformer cartoons the past couple of days).

And while I missed them terrible and feel guilty for enjoying out time alone, I also feel relaxed and rested.  When we get home from Newfoundland our house is reset and ready to get into the routine that will come with back to school. I feel connected to my husband in a way that comes from having actual uninterrupted conversations.

I feel like we've actually been given the best gift. Our kids have spent a week with Nanny and Poppy and have been making amazing memories. It hurts that they can’t be with my family every day so for them to have uninterrupted time with their grandparents is amazing. Every night they have told us stories of the memories they have been making.  And, while we have missed them, G and I have had a chance to cross things off our to do lists and spend real time together.  And as tired and frustrated as I was I am renewed and ready to reinvest in my littles.

We completed so many projects! I can’t wait to share them with you!

G catching a last uninterrupted nap before we dock.

But right now I've got a ferry to will into port so I can grab my littles and squeeze them tight!

Focus 35

So I've written about my awesome birthday and updated the 34 x 34 that I set out to accomplish. I did achieve a lot on that list and I'm really pleased. It was an ambitious list and it ended up at about 80% complete. What I noticed was that I fell short on my fitness and health goals. I've been sitting with 34 for a few weeks now. I like 34...the age doesn't offend me..but next birthday makes 40 feel really close...I need to set my goals for the year.

A while back I started a Beachbody program and I was doing really well with it. I started feeling so good and was dropping inches but the number on the scale wasn't moving. I knew it was making a difference in my shape and, finally after 3 weeks, the weight started to drop.

At the time I was a full time mom and had a great daily routine. Get up, take Austin to school, come home, do my workout with Amelia, take Amelia to playgroup, lunch, cleaning/laundry while Amelia napped, pick up Austin, hang out with the kids, make supper, go for run/walk, put kids to bed, put me to bed.

Does that not sound like the ideal day? It did to me (still does actually)...but I had to go back to work....so I got a new job and my routine changed. Gone were the daily workouts and runs...I am lucky at this point to get a workout in at all in the evening. It was so much easier to get in my daily workout and nightly run when I had hours of time with my kids during the day. I didn't feel guilty for take 30 minutes twice a day to myself. Working full time again changed that. I only have a few hours a day with my littles and I have a hard time missing even a minute of that precious time.

Late in the spring Gordon's father got sick and, sadly, he passed away in June. Over that time my weight climbed without me noticing. I gained about 10lbs over a four month period....I was about as happy about that as a slug on a salt lick.

I have been struggling with getting the time to myself to work out. The kids have had evening activities, I've been staying up late to get the housework and projects done, packing lunches and folding laundry. I have been exceptionally tired...the kind of tired that comes from weeks of interrupted sleep due to worry and a little girl who refuses to sleep all night and who then sleep for one full night (maybe two) to give her mother the delusion that can only come from 1 full 8 hours mixed in with weeks of 2-3 hour stretches.

Needless to say fatigue has been cramping my style. With the littles gone to visit my parents, there is no excuse not to focus on my health. I HAVE THE TIME. I've gone running and have returned to T25. I'm optimistic that two weeks of routine will keep me motivated and give me the strength to say no to my hubby and kids and yes to my time to get fit.

I'm lucky to have an inspirational Beachbody coach Mandy Leonards who I met online in a due date group when I was pregnant with Austin. This girl goes after her dreams and is supportive and encouraging. When I was struggling to find a fitness plan, I got a message from Mandy out of the blue. Perfectly timed. I have a few friends who are also doing a program to help keep me motivated. I cannot fail at this. There are a lot of good things to come in the next few years and I want to enjoy them without worrying about my weight or my strength. I want to be a role model for them and set the right example for them. I need to quit quitting.

Road trip!

This past weekend our kids embarked on their second annual Newfoundland Adventure to Nanny and Poppy's. I miss them like crazy and it's only been two days!

Ozzy has been counting down to this trip for a month. I have been planning for the trip for all of two days. Thank goodness for Pinterest! I found some great road trip car games. And we played car bingo, I spy, the alphabet game, sang some songs and both littles had naps (at different times of course!)

Amelia really enjoyed her Magic Wonder colouring. I love how these markers don't mark up anything else. No worry about making a mess. Crayola if you are reading this I'd be happy to review some products for you! Lol

Do you like the kids seat belt covers? I made them using this tutorial by SewRockin'. You can't see it but Amelia is sitting on a brand new piddle pad that I made using this tutorial and a waterproof change pad. I made two- one for the car and one for the "accident" bag.  I can't believe I haven't made these sooner!  For Austin's seat belt cover I used the tutorial by Sew4home. These projects were pretty quick sews and while I was at it on Friday night I made a seat belt cover for me too!

The kids were thrilled to be getting on the boat with their "wagons" (aka suitcases with wheels)

So excited to go!

I know it's a little blurry but just too cute not to share!

I had a hard time letting them go. Ozzy looked me in the eyes and told me not to worry. He knew I would miss him but he would have fun and pretty soon I would be in Newfoundland with them. Bless his heart!!! I really do have the sweetest boy :)

The Captain and I hit the road back to home and stopped at a few places along the way. I finally never have to wonder about the Big Red Barn and Quilt shop again (not worth the stop unless you REALLY like kitschy things, over prices flannel baby blankets and old Christmas decorations).  We had thought about taking the Cabot Train home but I hadn't slept the night before and near bit the Captain's head off when he suggested adding several hours to our drive, so we didn't.  (Note to hubby: Do not address the wife with a suggested activity that involves being the in car longer than planned before the 3rd coffee after a night of no sleep.)

Who's the captain you ask? This guy:

One of the many fine items available at the Big Red Barn...

Ahoy!

What will we do for a whole week without our littles? I foresee a lot of cleaning, painting, C25K'ing and uninterrupted T25!  

Meal Plan Monday

Today is the first day since July 1 that our little family won't be rushing from work to the daycare to swimming and then high tailing it to soccer. The kids have gotten so used to eating wraps, fruit and other snacks in the car that I wonder if they'll even know what to do tonight when we pick them up and head home for dinner before heading to soccer (and getting there on time!). I am seriously wondering is Miss A even remembers how to use a fork...(the milk mess left behind with her morning serial is a clear indication that she and utensils still need some practice to get along)

Keeping in mind that the weather is not looking great for the week, I planned the week's meals keeping in mind two things:

1) I do not want to spend all of our new found evening family time in the kitchen
2) I hate packing lunches

Keeping it simple and taking advantage of some local market meats and produce, I came up with a simple meal plan that will produce left overs for a quick and easy lunch pack up so there is little to no work to do the next  morning:

	Lunch	Supper
Monday	Pizza rolls	Chicken burgers
Tuesday	Chicken pattie & salad	Tacos
Wednesday	Taco salad	sweet and sour meatball skewers
Thursday	Wraps	Slow cooker Veggie lasagna
Friday	Slow cooker Veggie lasagna

As long as the weather cooperates we'll be camping this weekend so I didn't plan supper for Friday yet. Most of the meals are paleo and gluten free (kamut noodles for the lasagna).  What will be on your plates this week?

Everyone needs some sparkle!- GIVEAWAY

I am a little bit of an accessory junkie.

I love jewelry that bring my mostly black wardrobe a pop of colour and a bit of glamour. Jewlery can dress up any outfit taking you from drab to fab in a minute.

Fact is that I love jewelry so much that I bought a ton of lia sophia pieces over the past couple of years.  This year I signed up to be an Independent Adviser!

I love that the company backs up their pieces with a lifetime guarantee. I’ve got little kids and have snagged more necklaces on car seats, shopping carts, beds than I care to admit. The lia sophia pieces were replaced no questions asked...the other pieces I was out of luck.

When I saw the promotions for July, I was thrilled. Not only were a number of great pieces on sale but they reduces the customer save plan to buy 1 get 2 @50% off! (Usually you need to buy 2 and get 4 @ 50% off)

So to share the love of jewelry, I've decided to host a Mystery Hostess virtual party (Hostess is Lisa Boutilier)!  As a matter of fact, many of us may not have the time to attend a party, let alone host a party especially during peak vacation time! So what a fun way to add some jewelry to your collection in the comfort of your own home and possibly win some FREE jewelry!  

What is a virtual mystery host party?  

Everyone invited to the ‘party’ that places an order now through July 18, 2014 until July 23, 2014 by 11:59 am EST  is considered a guest. At 12 noon on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, one of the guests will be chosen as the mystery host and will receive all the host benefits of this virtual party. This means by placing one order you could win your order PLUS additional pieces all for free!

July just also happens to be Hostess bonus month so if the show has a minimum of 10 orders and 2 bookings the winner will take home 60% of the show’s sales in FREE jewelry! The winner will also get up to 4 pieces at the hostess bonus price. {I'm going to pay the $15 dollar fee that is charged to the hostess to take advantage of the 60%off}

Feel Free to Shop my lia sophia site 

§  Buy 1 at Regular price, get up to 2 items at half off!! (no limit to how many of these you can do 2 for 4, 3 for 6, etc)

§  Half off items are the most expensive items! 

§  Sale items are included in the buy 1 get 2

***********

Hostess Info:

 Lia Sophia Mystery Hostess Requirements: 

1.      Place an order! $1-$49=1 entry, $50-$99= 3 entries, $100+= 5 entries.   

You can view the lia sophia catalog online HERE 

2.       Contest ends Wednesday, July 23 2012 at 11:59 A.m. EST.
CONGRATULATIONS JULIE HAYES!!!

3.       Contest open to Canada only, must be 18 years of age or older. Guests who place orders from outside Halifax, NS are responsible for the shipping costs or orders to their home. Please select the option to have your order sent to you.

4.       Winner will be chosen via random draw. The winner must respond by Thursday, July 24 8am ATL before disqualified and a new winner chosen and notified. The mystery show order must be submitted no later than 2pm EST on Friday, July 25, 2014 in order to take advantage of the July Hostess Bonus and July sale items

Optional Extra Entries: An additional entry can be earned by doing the following. Leave a separate comment below for each of the following you complete:

1.   Book a home party! (if you live in the Halifax Area)
1. August=5 entries 
2. September= 3 entries
3. October = 2 entries
2. Book your own online party to ensure your freebies. If you  close out your online party on or before Friday, August 15, 2014, you'll earn 5 additional entries.

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Belated Birthday 3

How is my sweet girl 3 already?! At the time around her actual birthday, my father in law was still in critical condition in ICU and I wasn't able to focus on pulling together a birthday party for Amelia, so Gordon and I decided that we would make her day EXTRA special. I stayed up late making cupcakes and cookies for her to take to her daycare and then decided that while I didn't get a chance to make the dress I had had in mind for her birthday I could make her a quick skirt and t-shirt.

Thank you Little Lemonade Stand for the awesome banner!

I went to bed late and maybe 30 minutes later my darling girl crawled into my bed. I have to be honest, I loved the cuddle. I know this time goes so quickly...relish the little moments... She woke up with a smile and enjoyed her special birthday breakfast. She was thrilled with the balloons and Happy Birthday Bunting. She had a birthday party first thing!

She was so excited to see her birthday dress. She twirled in that skirt like there was no tomorrow :)  I used the Oliver +S lazy Skirt directions with the Children at Play fabric collection from Michael Miller. I absolutely love the balloon print and, thankfully, so did Amelia

She did the chicken dance and sang songs...and then she saw the treats for her school! I though her little face was going to split she was smiling so much and her eyes were killing me! So much excitement and joy in those little eyes. She had a great party with her friends.

Cookie cutters from Cheap Cookie Cutters

In case you are wondering what happened to the Jessie theme...she changed her mind and wanted Minnie Mouse, Mama obliged. Austin had Mickey for his 3rd...must be something about the mouse and three.

We had pizza and a Minnie Mouse cake, she opened gifts and loved them all. Three. I can't believe that my little girl is growing so fast.