Yes again....

I spent a hour or so last night measuring out a week's worth of snacks and lunches. I also did some up for Ozzy and G so that I have even less work to do in the evening around supper. I kept the meal plan pretty simple this week.

I had my alarm set for 5am to get my workout in before the day started but my body thought it was 4am and refused to wake up. Workout will happen when we get home while G makes supper (don't worry it's all planned he just has to follow the recipe which he can do really well).

Honestly....why do we do daylight savings time? The kids were a mess this morning. I got a glimpse of what my threenager will look like after a night on the town and experienced trying to wake up a teenager who is only 6 years old. My kids clung to the beds, grunting, whining that they were still tired.

 Can't we just split the difference add or take away 30 minutes and then just live with it? Or better yet just keep the clock as is and deal.

But I digress...

A new week, a new round of 21 Day fix and a house full of exhausted tiny humans. It's going to be a good week!

Focus 35: Update

I am committing to making the Focus 35 update weekly.

I have been doing a 21 Day Fix challenge since the beginning of January. Round 2 was a wash as I have been dealing with bronchitis and it's been severely limiting my lunch capacity. I have only made it through 1 modified workout without losing a lung in the past 3 weeks. But I keep trying. It's getting better, just slower than I would like.

I gave up all processed sugar for lent. It's a move I needed to make in my lifestyle overhaul and lent was a good motivator to do so. It gave me a time frame and a start date. I am 7 days in and am feeling better.

Withdrawal is real!!!  The first 5 days I had headaches, crazy anxiety and my hands shook. I thought I was imagining it but after several days it was clear to me that those things were occurring because I was no longer putting any processed sugar in my body.

Since January I am down 6lbs and 4 inches. Considering I've spent 2 weeks sick and had a least one week of gain I think I'm doing okay. I can do better.

The fact that I am still trying means my heart isn't giving up. I've got a goal and I can't give up.

Makeover Monday: The living room reveal!

I can't help but smile every time that I walk into my living room these days. I have had a vision for that room since we purchased our home. Sure over the years we've made it a nice cozy space, but it always felt as if the room was in transition. It never felt finished, just a transition space where we sat down and looked at flyers and fed babies. Christmas was the only time I really felt that the living room was worth living in and even then the aging furniture did the room a major disservice. Thankfully the tree and holiday lights created just the right ambiance and made it  more comfortable.

Don't get me wrong I was happy with what I had done to make the room ours, but it wasn't my dream space.

In August (I won't say what year...) we started a simple kitchen update. Next thing I know, my awesome husband and his amazing brother start tossing around ideas and BAM! the wall to the upstairs was cut in half, the doorway to the kitchen was gone and so was the doorway to the living room.  I was thrilled with how open the space turned out. The light flowed through the space and it was instantly more appealing and inviting (even with drywall dust all over the place). I tried about 10 different shades of gray before settling on one that I really liked. Not too dark, not too light, cozy not cold.

The living room is finally done and I can say I am more than happy with how it turned out! You don't need to spend a ton of money to upgrade your home. Paint and a few accessories can go a long way. We lucked out as the furniture was a Christmas gift from my amazing parents. Given a budget and Kijiji you can find great stuff to help you get more for every dollar. This particular set was in a "for show" living room, it is only a couple of years old and is in brand new condition because the room was barely ever used.

The rug was also a gift- if you come in under budget, you can use the rest of your allocated funds for another piece! I realize that the rug is slightly undersized for the space however because of how small the living room/ dining room is, the next size up would have been too large for the space.

Drum roll please!........

Voila!

Details:
Main wall colour: Nimbus by Benjamin Moore
Accent wall colour: Thunderbird by Benjamin Moore- they have updated some of their colours. I went with the old colour for thunderbird. The new colour isn't as light and airy.
Trim: Polar White by Behr
Sofa and chair: The Bay
Blue throw pillows: Threshold by Target
Beige thrown pillow: Joe Fresh (many years ago...it was in our bedroom but looked just right on the chair)
Rug: Threshold by Target
Curtains: Threshold by Target
Art in entry: Local graphic artist
Accessories: Scentsy, Target

Clearly I have a thing for the Target home section. I'm so sad they are closing. The upside is that I have no choice but to pick up the items on  my must have list before they are gone.

Dining room reveal will be hitting to blog in March and I've got a goal of revealing our kitchen by May!

Valentine's Day Countdown

We got our craft on this weekend!

Austin and I had a mommy/son date Saturday afternoon. We hit up Target's Dollar Spot and got a few things to make a Countdown to Kisses calendar. Normally we tape some kisses to cardstock and call it a day. This year I wanted to make something a little more crafty and tidy :)

Here are the supplies:

1 bag of Hershey Kisses
Metallic Sharpies
3 pks Heart containers ($1 for 6)
Valentines ribbon (2yrds for $1)
glue stick
tissue paper
Stiff cardboard for the backing (I used the back of a Fridge calendar that we just finished up.)

Cover the cardboard with glue and apply the tissue paper. (This tissue paper is pretty thick and I'm going to need to buy out all of Target's stock before they close )

Attach ribbon, stickers, glitter- whatever you want. Number the containers with the sharpies.

Fill the hearts with kisses. I used 2 kisses per heart (and both of them are the same colour because fighting over who gets what colour is kinda counter productive when you are counting down to a day that celebrates love).

Arrange the hearts on the backing until you are happy with how they look. Then have your lovely assistant slather the back of each heart with glue and stick it in place.

(Those little chocolate lips are a dead giveaway that someone was sneaking the kisses...)

Print a pretty header, attach it and Voila!

WIP- Triangle quilt

Guilty! I found a quilt pattern that I love and made another one. T

his time for a very special baby boy. I used a mix of Kona solids and Kaufman Spot on Circle in Aqua and Navy.

Please excuse the photo...it isn't finished yet and this was the quilt laid out over my ironing table while I tried to figure out which way to quilt it. I'm pretty happy with my decision but you'll need to wait to see the finished product to know what I did!

The points aren't sharpe. See Kate Sew released a revised pattern to get those nice sharp points- two days after I cut a bazillion triangles. I'll use it the next time around because there are more babies coming (not mine) and this is the perfect baby, toddler quilt and then it makes a great lap quilt.

I'm linking this up over at Freshly Pieced! I love seeing all the different projects people have going. Lots of inspiration for sure!

Friday Favorites

I really only have one favorite this week but I'm not free to share just yet- not my news so I need to get the green light!

While these favorites can't hold a candle to this week's REAL favorite, I still think these are very awesome.

1. Health is a major focus of mine this year. After Christmas I bought Against All Grain by Danielle Walker. I LOVE this book. It gives you 8 weeks of meal plans and the shopping lists needed. It has been making my meal planning so much easier. The work is more or less done for me.

2. KONA solids. I love this fabric. I'm making a new quilt and am using a number of fabrics from the collection. They have a nice weight and wash really nicely.

3. My new Capri Pouch from Stella & Dot. I love it. Makes switching purses and keeping the mommy items separate and easy to find from the kid things in my purse.

4. 21 Day Fix. I started a challenge group on January 5th and will be starting round two this coming Monday. I am liking the workouts more than the last time that I did the program. I've lost 3lbs this round BUT I was sick the last few days so I haven't gotten my workouts in. I expect better results in the coming round. I'm thrilled with the loss because I've been holding a plateau for a while now.

5. My new Union Square scarf. Dress up, dress down- I love this scarf!

What are your favorites this week?

Make it Monday

I really hope the weather is nicer wherever you are reading this than it is here where I wrote it! It is a blah, gray day AND a Monday. That has to be the worst combination of weather/weekday there is.

While I haven't been sewing for my business recently, I have been sewing for gifts.

I was so thrilled when our friends welcomed their little boy this past summer. Shaun and Julie are two of the most kind and laid back people I have ever met. They are both incredible photographers (Check his daddy's work out HERE) and I instantly knew I wanted to make Little D a camera onesie with funky fabric and a vintage flare. I loved how it turned out but had forgotten to take a picture of it when it was completed. Just yesterday afternoon his mom posted this:

Credit: Julie Marshall

This little guy has some incredible giggles. My day is better already just from sharing this little guy's smile and stylin' onesie with you.  For this onesie I traced a vintage camera clip art and then cut the fabric. I was out of heat bond so I used a spray adhesive for sewing to keep each layer in place while I stitched around it. I probably could have made the camera smaller but I was really happy with it and, from the smile on that face, I think he is too!

Homemade Holidays- The Wrap Up

Sewing like a mad woman, I completed the majority of the gifts the week before Christmas. I was still sewing up a couple of pieces Christmas Eve and I abandoned 2 Christmas quilts that I just didn't have the time or energy to finish. I do have the fabric for the borders cut and once I sew those on the quilt tops will be finished. A couple of outfits for Baby Stella also got put on hold. Christmas was going to come whither Baby Stella had new clothes or not, so I decided not to feel bad about it and to feel good about all the gifts I did get made.

Here is what I made:

*12 Pairs of pj pants (Heidi and Finn All you need Jammies Pattern)
*10 trays of Cinnamon Rolls (Pioneer Woman you never lead me astray)
*8 Make Up bags (No Guts Boxy Pouch Free PDF pattern from So Chick)
*6 personalized pillow cases (Thanks to my incredibly talented friend Nadja for the embroidery)
*2 Pocket pillow covers
*1 batch Peanut Butter Balls
*1 Nightgown
*1 Hockey Nan blanket
*1 Herringbone Quilt (Fabric from Ella's Cottage based out of PEI)

I loved the quilt (and coincidentally so did my parents!). I top stitched the quilt top along the white herringbone sections and then did a simple straight line quilting down each column and around the outer borders. The 2 pillow covers went with the quilt. I love how comfy cozy it is and I can't wait to visit my parents to take a turn curled up with it!

The pj pants were a big hit. The cousins got matching hockey pj pants and then a few pairs for other kids were made in fabric that matched personalities and favorite things at the moment.

Boxy Bags were stuffed full of goodies before being sent off to their intended. We played on the "MistleTOES" for these gifts. I added a very special iphone case to my sisters but it didn't fit! So I'm on the lookout for another place to make one for her. The kids were so excited to have selected pictures and even told me what to have printed on it. Anyone know a great supplier where I can attempt to remark this for a reasonable price?

LESSONS LEARNED:

1) Start sewing earlier and build a gift stash. It never hurts to have a few boxy bags, hand warmers and eye pillows on hand for last minute gifts.

2) Start sewing earlier

3) Start sewing earlier

I really enjoyed making gifts for people. I went slightly over budget on supplies BUT I think I would have spent more had I purchased something from the stores. All but 3 meters of fabric come from local sources (Frozen fabric is a hot commodity!). When I did buy gifts, I tried to select items from local artisans and mompreneurs to support local as much as possible. One of my favorite artisan purchased gifts is this Breastfeeding Mummer made by Danielle Designs in Newfoundland.

A portion of proceeds benefited the La Leche League in St. John's. My boss is a huge advocate and is involved with National initiatives for supportive practice. Needless to say this is right up her alley and she loved it! (She is also from Newfoundland- across the street from my grandparents! Small world).

Happy New Year!!!

A new year, another chance to get it right. I'm excited to keep writing our story.

Thanks for joining me on this journey.

CHARGE on for Noah

On my second night in residence at MSVU, I went out on the town with the girls on my floor. For the most part they all knew each other having lived in res the previous year and I was the new kid. I had an amazing time, totally hit on a floor mate's best guy friend, danced until 3am and was feeling the effects of the night before the morning after.

Laura came into my room the next day and we chatted for hours. Turns out we liked a lot of the same things and had a lot of the same interests. 2 weddings, 1 move to Alberta and 5 kids later we are as close as we have ever been. Laura is one of those amazing people who can overcome anything and I've learned so much from her and depended on her so many times over the years.

When her second little guy was born, he was fighting for his life. .Within weeks of Noah's birth he was diagnosed with CHARGE Syndrome. Noah has many challenges that make his growth and development more difficult but seeing this little warrior overcome the smallest of obstacles brings overwhelming joy and happiness. He is one of the strongest, happies,  stubborn and determined little guys I've ever known. He is just as amazing as his momma.

Noah was born with bilateral optic nerve colobomas, severe to moderate hearing loss, unilateral facial palsy, cranial nerve malformation, laryngomalacia, a critical airway, small semi-circular canals (which affects balance), sleep apnea, a heart and a bladder defect, and he is fed by a gtube. These are just some of Noah's diagnoses. 

(It pains me that they dress these poor children in the blue and white...

black and gold would be so much cooler! lol)

As you might imagine hearing this news as parents was devastating. It felt like all the hopes and dreams that they had for their beautiful boy were slowly being removed with every doctor visit and hospital stay.  Over time these setbacks became just that, setbacks. It was a very difficult time but Laura and John met the challenges head on and  are doing everything they can to make life "normal" and exceptional for their little guy.

Laura and John have been very active in the CHARGE community and are planning to attend a conference in the spring to help them learn more and help Noah reach his full potential.

Just last month, Laura lost her mother and the unexpected trip home to say goodbye to a beloved mother and grandmother has put a dent in the funds they had set aside to attend the conference. They are really hoping to get the whole family to the conference but it might just not be possible to get us all there without some support.

Christmas is a time for giving. They have given so much to me and to so many others and I want to help them get to the conference. I'm hoping that a few of you will want to help too. Please visit their gofundme page and make a donation. I know how much it will mean to them. 

http://www.gofundme.com/charge-on-for-noah

Guest Post: A hair- WHERE?!

Urban Farm girl strikes again!

Source- and a side note this is CAKE!

It was a Friday evening,  I was soaking in a sea of bubbles, admiring my newly painted toes by the candle light. The scent of orange blossoms and yalang yalang filled the air. I gingerly sipped a glass of bubbly. Life was good. 

Wait scratch that...

It was Friday,  that much is true.  The rest was a great big lie. There were no bubbles, not even shampoo. The kids were playing coffee shop/ science lab in the tub again.  It is because of them I no longer buy quality hair care products and I look like someone from the walking dead. It's a bit easier to forgive them when the empty bottle says Herbal Essences. So there I was in a questionably clean tub with no bubbles to hide my "wholesome figure". Which is just a nice way of saying you have to tuck in your fat roll every time you stand up,  your arms jiggle like Oprah’s and your ass would never, never fit in a pair of low rise skinny jeans again! 

But like all wholesome women know we have two assets working in our favor, yup we've got boobs. So after I finished counting my stretch marks, 1 million, 3 hundred, 58 thousand 6 hundred and 2, my eyes drifted upwards. I smiled to myself, you old girls don't look so bad. 2 kids, 7 years of breastfeeding later and you've still got it, at least while you're immune to the gravitational pull floating nicely on the water. And in that moment all seemed right with the world.  But these little pleasures never last long and in the snap of a finger my world came crashing down.

You see, that's when I saw it. Right there before my very eyes...A hair!  A dark, strangely straight hair ON MY AREOLA!   Yes I said areola, not nipple.  It is physiologically impossible to grow a hair on your nipple. (But enough with the science lesson). I screamed and clutched my chest. Surely I've suffer enough. Dear sweet baby Jesus!  I moved my hand and looked again. It was still there. I squeezed my eyes firmly shut and started pondering what this would mean for my future. How could I ever wear a bathing suit again? A lace bra? Become a playboy centerfold?  How could Drew ever be happy being married to a woman with more chest hair than him? I was starting to hyperventilate.

Then the answer came to me, I would call Ashley. She is the master tweezer at work. She does eyebrows, chin hairs, neck hair even. Surely one little chest hair wouldn't be too much for her. I had to talk myself down, this was crazy. It's just one little hair. I will just pull it out. Yes that's what I'll do. Drew will never have to be emasculated. He will never have to know. Just one quick pull and it will be over...... and if it grows back????? I will reduce our grocery budget and save for lazer hair removal. 10 dollars a week for 50 weeks I calculated. Totally doable.

I stepped out of the tub and reached for the tweezers. Surely a mother who birthed two children, one completely drug free, could handle the pain of plucking a breast hair, I told myself.  Just like a band-aid. But as I ripped there was no pain. None at all. I've lost all feeling in my nipples I thought.  Everyone told me this would happen if I insisted on letting the kids self wean at 4.

 As I examined the hair more closely I realized that I had seen a hair like this before, yes I was sure of it. The hair was very familiar indeed. Long and straight and oddly grey......Joe. The hair belonged to our cat Joe!  I fell to my knees and wept with joy. I don't think I had ever been so grateful for anything in my life. I skipped to my room, my wholesome body bounced all the way and just that once I didn’t care. My breasts were hair free, life was good. I slipped into my pajamas and into my unmade bed with my sweet grey cat tucked in close. 

Focus 35 Friday: Update

I started the 21 Day Fix a week or so ago and have been doing pretty good. My eating has been cleaned up a lot but these sugar withdrawal headaches are killing me! It was incredible hard to look myself in the mirror and admit that I couldn't even say "despite my best efforts" because I haven't been putting in my best effort. G and I had a really great chat and we made a schedule that gives me time as soon as we get home from work to get my workout in. He's really helping out in the kitchen and that helps me stick to the plan. Last week I was down 1.8lbs. I didn't take my measurements at the start so I won't have an inch comparison until next week.

Here are some of the resources I tapped into this week to get me on track:

I found some great meal ideas here. Eating is 80% of the battle and that means dealing with my sugar addiction...best to tackle that now before the holidays so that I don't let myself get out of control.

I really like the 21 Day fix portion control. It does make it easy. I am actually having a hard time eating all of the portions that I am suppose to! I also downloaded the 21day fax tracker app from itunes. It is great and makes tracking easy and even lets me know what workout is scheduled for each day of the program.  Highly recommend it!

Next week I'll post a stats update!

The 7th Player

Last weekend was an incredibly exciting weekend for our family! Austin was picked to play at intermission of the Mooseheads game with some of his hockey teammates from the Sackville Minor Hockey League.

Credit: David Chan

I was over the moon excited! for a few reasons

1. "Um HELLO!!! That's MY boy! -hockey momma proud moment
2. Austin was on cloud 9 and it was just so nice to see him so happy
3. Full circle moment. When G and I were dating forever and a day ago, we would go to Moosehead games all the time. One of my favorite things about going to the games was watching the little timbit hockey players. We were watching them one time and I looked at G all love struck and googly-eyed and said "Can you imagine if one day we had a little Timbit hockey player of our own?" (yup...we were mushy and gushy back then...that probably led to some sort of discussion about how many kids, how far apart, hockey or ballet for the girls....you know...those things you have time to talk about when you are all in love)

So we got tickets and were sitting in the same section as the team. Just before the first period the players were all coming to their seats but Ozzy was no where to be seen. My phone rang and it was G telling me that Ozzy had won the stick draw and was going to be the 7th player of the game! He got to skate our with the team and stand with them for Oh Canada. We still haven't been able to wipe the smile off his face.

The Moosehead players and the team that works behind the scenes at these games were amazing to our little hockey players. All of the players gave the timbits fist bumps when they came off at the end of the first period while the timbits were lined up waiting for their turn on the ice. Bobby Mac of Q104 was great with the kids, joking around with them before and calling the game as they played.

If you know my boy, you know that he wants to be a goalie. He dreams of playing the nets for the Boston Bruins, but he pretty much adores every goalie there is (except Montreal...we did teach the boy to have standards lol).  After being selected to skate out with the Mooseheads, Austin was waiting for the team at the entrance to the ice. Zachary "Zach" Fucale  (the Goalie) came out, looked at Austin and said "Are we ready to do this Austin?" My boy's jaw dropped and he just starred in awe as Fucale got into the zone.

Sorry it took me a week to post but it's been a little busy around our place. Ozzy is still talking about skating with the Mooseheads and tells everyone about it. What a great memory for our little guy!

*Oh the irony- Fucale was selected by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2nd round (36th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.- such a nice kid...

Friday Favorites- Pick me ups!

It has been a shitty week. (Sorry but sometimes a girl just has to say it like it is!)

A dear friend had a very tragic life event and my heart is broken for her. It was a blessing to be able to be there for her like she's been her and her family but it doesn't change that it sucks and is sad and is not going to be okay for a long time.

Holiday stress is setting in and I'm desperately trying to get organized. I have committed to having a local Christmas as much as humanly possible. I am making the majority of our gifts and what I need to buy I will be getting at local stores and from local mompreneurs. There are only a couple of things on the list that need to come from a box store to get the best price...but I digress... G has been working crazy hours and I have just been feeling completely drained and overwhelmed. I decided that I NEED to get some me time in the schedule before I go crazy.

After supper I changed into my workout gear and G took the kids up to the tub. I had to drown out their protests and tantrums and efforts to get my attention by cranking Shaun T on max...I'm sure everyone walking by our house heard all about how 25 minutes a day can change your life.  Checked that off the list and went up to help put the kids to bed.

I felt good and I decided that I wanted to feel better. So I did my nails and this morning I wore a few of my favorite things. It's amazing what a few simple things or taking a few minutes to stretch in the morning can change a whole day.

1. lia sophia Pippa earnings and Taffeta necklace (Buy 1 get 2 at 50% off is on until Sunday, November 23!) I love how this works with jeans and with business wear.

2. OPI Affair in Red Square. The BEST red nail polish. I love it and sometimes a girl just needs shinny red nails :) You can get this colour wherever you buy OPI locally. Mine came from Chatters.

3. Stella & Dot Elephant Scarf- I am in love with this scarf....red and pink and the covered in cute elephants- what is there not to love?

4. Adore me- I am so over the old, tired nursing bras...yes its been awhile since I've updated that drawer of my dresser! A friend recommended Adoreme and I really like the designs. I don't have time to go to the store for me and I got amazing deals! 1st order was 50% off plus free shipping and then a second deal came in with a $10 credit off my VIP price + free shipping. LOVE!

5. Stella and Dot tech wallet- This wallet fits my phone, cash and cards and has a wristlet that my keys clip to. I love the pattern and this one is on sale right now too. It also is great for switching purses and not forgetting the essentials!

I am heading into the weekend hoping to keep a positive attitude. G and I will be making a few changes around the house to help support my determination to live a healthier lifestyle. Stay tuned! Big changes are coming in our house and the ride should be interesting.

It's craft fair season - and I'm missing out

A2 Designs is still on a break. It was an incredibly difficult decision to make to take a break. But I couldn't keep up with my late father in law's illness and death and trying to get through the summer. I thought that I would start up again in the Fall and be back in full swing in time for the Holiday Fairs. I miss my crafting mommas and the time that I used to have hanging out with them at fairs. I have been inspired and encouraged by them and love how we laugh, come up with ideas and have a great time at the events. What I don't miss are the endless hours of sewing, seam ripping, guessing what will be popular, trying to stock the right fabrics. 

 

Photo credit: Shannon Shields

All the stress and very late prep nights slowly took away my desire to sew for fun. I took a break and just focused on fun sewing. I've created quilts, pjs, dresses and fun little things. I'm making a dent in my fabric stash and enjoying creating something from scratch.

Don't get me wrong, I love sewing for others and I love seeing my designs and creations being enjoyed by others. What I didn't love was the overhead that came with fair prep and having to justify why a handmade dress made with high quality premium fabric was worth $50. One too many requests for a discount or a deal from the lady who's child had on a $45 Gymboree sweater that she just had to have for her as soon as it came to the store (thanks for telling me you paid full price even though it was made in a factory- seriously cute though right? *le sigh*).

It's difficult to see other markets that crafters have huge success with a similar item at a higher price point and are able to justify the time and effort it takes to make each and every creation.

I think this is a very well written article about pricing of handmade goods. (Thanks to Sarah Dhooge for sharing this with the Momma Collective Community)

Paying for handmade a gentle rant

I am thrilled for the mommas that are able to make it work, and love that I still get to work with some of those amazing ladies on products that their customers love (FYI- Home Grown Goods will soon be fully stocked with chalk mats again- and Frozen will be in the mix!).

I will still go to the fairs and support these incredible women and I remain committed to having a local Christmas for all of the gifts that our family gives others. I will still feature my favorite local holiday ideas and showcase these talented entrepreneurs. That's my way of doing my part for this community that has given me so much.

Source: Cherpeace

Little Lady Triangle Quit

Finally it's done! This was a labour of love over a short period of time but I am thrilled with how it turned out.

And I think she loves it too...

I had a vision in my head for how this quilt would come out- what I ended up with is absolutely nothing like I had planned! My friend Erica had been waiting to finalize the nursery until sweet baby arrived and they knew if it was a boy or girl. The colour would be grey, orange and blue or pink. I had planned out a square quilt with the elephant print from Premier prints along with some coordinating polka dots, chevrons and solids. Those fabrics needed to be ordered because they are not available locally.

Then, during one of my marathon Pinterest sessions, I saw a gorgeous triangle quilt by See Kate Sew and immediately changed my plan. Triangles would be happening. I went to Atlantic Fabrics for a completely unrelated reason (ninja headbands in you must know) and came face to face with a pearlized collection of greys. Next thing i know I had about 10 bolts of fabric on a cutting table trying to find the right combinations of pink, orange and grey.

  

I was finally happy with Kona Solids in pink, orange and grey, two of the grey pearlized fabrics, an orange herringbone from Henry Glass and a pink circle design from Riley Blake.

After the Ninja Turtle party was over on Sunday (post to come) I decided to destress with a triangle template and some gorgeous fabric. Kate's tutorial is great so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel. This quilt was done in 7-8 hours. I found laying out the quilt to be a little tricky because I was using the guide on my iphone screen and I kept losing my place. Once I had the rows layed out and stacked in order the sewing was pretty quick.

I followed the advice of Jeanette at Stamp*Stitch*Create and used spray adhesive to attach the backing to the batting to the quilt top. I tried to make sure there were no wrinkles and I left that to bond overnight (because I ran out of steam...lol)

I decided to only quilt the grey triangles in one direction per row. I love how that looks on the backing. I also appliqued an "L" on the backing before assembling the quilt.

I just love how the colours all work together. I almost wanted to keep it for myself! But I couldn't deny this little cutie..It truly is a very comfy quilt.

WIP Wednesday

I need to finish this for tomorrow so you'll get the details on Finish it Up Friday!

This has been my labour of love this week.

Tonight I will finish this off. I can't wait to see what my friend thinks of this for her girl!  I am following a tutorial by See Kate Sew. Details and links on Friday :)

Linked up at Freshly Pieced!

National Coffee Day- WOO HOO!

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.