9:42pm.

Sunday night.

I've been home from Vancouver for almost 24 hours.

We had a long, amazing, exhausting, memorable, challenging and powerful week.

I committed to do nothing but sit today. Sit and relax and sit and play with Missy D.

I'm so happy to be home.

I've cried more than a few times since last night. During commercials, sporting events, TV shows and just for no reason at all.

I'm emotional. I'm tired.....

.....and am feeling just as pregnant as I should at almost 10 weeks.

Somewhere near the end of September our little clan of three will become a home of four!

Somehow I managed to survive a week with 20 teenagers, sleeping in a room with seven other people in a strange bed and long days full of lots and walking and dancing and huge mobs of people.

Thanks to Oma and Opa and my crazy wonderful husband cause I wouldn't have been going anywhere if it weren't for you.

I came home to a clean house, an empty laundry basket and fresh flowers (along with a card and a package of my favourite fuzzy peaches) on my nightstand.

I do promise to do some serious updating this week but for now, my big comfy bed is shouting to me.

Happy March!

~ A Special Touch ~

It's no one's fault but mine that this post took so long to get written.

Over the last few weeks I've been working on some finishing touches in Denay's room.
One of my favourites being these plates that I used to have hanging in my room. It is the complete High Fashion Barbie Collector Plate set. My parents gave me one every Christmas until I had the whole set and they have been packed away for the past 15 years or so.

They look so totally perfect in her room.

She also has my old jewelry box (I've had that thing as long as I can remember), a hand painted ceramic rabbit that was a gift from my aunt many years ago and a hand painted coat hook that my dear momma painted for me when I was little.

This poster has also been around for as long as my mind goes back. It used to have a really tacky plastic gold frame but a cheap $13 poster frame from Walmart spray painted white gave it new life......the little rocking horse in the bottom left was painted by yours truly when I was 7 or 8 and the large carousel horse was painted and given to me by a different aunt.

I still can't help but smile every time I go into her room

I'm still working on painting some wall boxes and getting them mounted around the poster but with all this sunshine, we've been outside in the stroller more than we've been huddling at home. The Olympians may be complaining about the weather, but I'm sure not!

Had To Share

So ever since I've been married, I've been on the hunt for the perfect cookie jar. Something unique and cute and fun. Yet it goes without saying that I'm still without one.

Tuesday night is usually a night in around here so with Olympics reruns on the tube and the baby in bed I turned to the one place I know, would have just what I was looking for. Etsy.

Within 30 seconds I found this perfect hand poured and fired cupcake cookie jar.

They have a slew of different colors that you can check out here.

The very serious problem is the price.....ouch. Alas.

Maybe I'll put in on my Christmas list for next year.

{ Opa's Truck }

Ahh, Sundays. A day of rest and relaxing and the perfect time to catch up on all those blog posts that have been piling up during another busy week.

On Wednesday, Denay and I went down to Victoria for the afternoon to do a little shopping with Oma and while going over the Malahat we passed a semi pulling a cement trailer. Sure enough, it was Opa! We pulled over and Denay got to sit up in Opa's big tractor and even honk the air horn. I had my point-and-shoot in my purse and got some well needed pictures.

My dad now proudly displays one of these pictures on his visor.

Sheerly Covered?

Okay, so normally, this lady is not an infomercial fan/watcher. Sometimes I'll tune in for a little bit because some of the stuff they sell is just hilarious (ie - SlapChop, Snuggie and Hawaii Chair), but at the beginning of January I got caught up one for Sheer Cover mineral make-up. My morning "make-up" routine (if you can call it that) consists of mascara. That's it. But with a full money-back promise and only $10 for a months supply, I figured I couldn't go wrong. So my package arrived on Wednesday and since we had a get-together Friday night to celebrate a friends completion of her Masters Degree (congrats Megan!!!), I thought I'd get Trev to take a before and after shot.

Both pictures were taken with the same lighting, ISO, white balance, shutter speed and f-stop and when I edited them I brought the levels up the the exact same values.

Now that I see them side-by-side you can tell that I've got something on my face. I can't say that I am totally blown away but I do notice a more even tone to my skin and that it feels less oily. It won't be something I'm going to start doing on a daily basis but I like that when I do want to get a little done up, that I can have the option without my face feeling cakey or over-done.

I am curious though, if anyone can recommend a brand of mineral foundation that they really like that I can get from the grocery store?

:: Making The Switch ::

This is one choice, we've been told by many, that we will never regret.

Moving from a queen, to a king sized bed. We found an unbeatable deal on a very nice one at Sleep Country on Monday and yesterday the delivery truck arrived. I probably would have had an amazing night sleep except we forgot to turn the heat on so we both ended up shivering all night. Great, I know.

We found a great bedding set at Walmart and some nice sheets a Home Outfitters.....

Trev wasn't feeling well on Friday so he came home early and while flipping through a flier, found some perfectly-sized side tables for almost half-off! You can sort of see it on the right side of the after pictures. We had to get the other ordered in but they are just the best size for the extra space the bigger bed takes up.

I am loving the fresh, new feel of the bedding and wonderful spaciousness of the bed. I am a very light sleeper and am often kept up from Trev's moving around and last night a felt like I really had my own space and knew my moving wasn't bothering him. Maybe tonight we'll remember to pop the thermostat above 12 degrees and actually be able to sleep.

Especially For The G-Parents

We spent the evening relaxing last night and that means I got a chance to do some catching up on my editing and organizing of my photo folders. I seem to quickly loose track of the pictures I take!

Denay's Grammie and Bobob are away, so these are just for you!

We took Denay to our churches Family Carnival a few weeks ago and she got her little face painted with a sunshine.

Favourite. Pictures. Ever. She wore her dancing gear to church on Sunday.

Last night was spaghetti and chocolate pudding night......

I got a big surprise yesterday when I woke up and it was February. Yikes. But the days are getting longer and each day is a day closer to Cuba.

Happy Wednesday.

:: Norwex Believer ::

Okay, so this may be old news to lots of you, but I still had to share my excitement about a new-to-me company.

Norwex. Cleaning without chemicals.

My girlfriend hosted a party a couple weeks ago and I was slowly able to get over the price tags of their products once I started to hear more and more about the (obvious) benefits of natural home care. I got my items today and it didn't take long before I was cleaning, with just water!

Antibac Window and Polishing Cloth

Antibac Enviro Cloth
Scrub Cloth

Laundry Detergent

Thus far and I extremely pleased. The scrub cloth cleans stuck on stuff without scratching and I love that the window and enviro cloths have silver woven into the fabric acting as a natural antibacterial agent. No more stinky dish cloths!

I am current running a wash with the detergent and am interested to see if it work just as well as everything else.

I am in love! It was a hard cost up front, but knowing I don't need chemicals anymore very much makes it worth it in the long run.

Anybody feel like recommending their favourite Norwex product?

{Just To Make You Smile}

:: I got this sent to me in an email today and I definitely needed to share ::

Random Thoughts of the Day

1) Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

2) I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

3) There is a great need for sarcasm font.

4) How the in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

5) I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

6) MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

7) Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

8) I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

9) Bad decisions make good stories

10) You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

11) I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

12) I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Shoot!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

13) I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

14) As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

15) I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

16) I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lites than Kay.

{It's Spring, Right?}

Anybody know of a good internal clock repairman?

I'm pretty sure mine is broken. Really broken.

It seems I've completely skipped winter and jumped head first into Spring.

Now that we've finished Denay's room, a sort of snowball effect has occurred that's got me cleaning and sorting and organizing and scrubbing and painting and every other sort of activity usually associated with Spring Cleaning.

All it takes is one sunny day and I set into a flurry of, well, cleaning in all shapes and forms.

Anyways, other than that, I have nothing exciting or interesting to write about so I think I'll be drawing this post to a close now.

Just know now, that you never need to wonder again what's keeping me from my blog. You can pretty much always assume that I've come down with another serious case of the project creeps.

On another note, please pop on over to my photography blog as there are some seriously exciting and cool things happening over there!

Happy Hump Day!

Guilty Pleasure

I have been a dedicated Cookie Dough Blizzard fan for quite a few years now. That used to be mine and Trev's "thing"......going to DQ and getting a Cookie Dough Blizzard and sharing it. Every once and a while the thought would cross my mind that I should try something different but I'd either chicken out or go for it and almost always wished I'd just gone with the norm.

I needed a fix last week so we stopped by on our way home and Trev was halfway through the order when I spotted a new flavour on the board. I stopped him and got him to ask the server what was in the Cookie Jar Blizzard and when I heard the words oreo, cookie dough and fudge in the same sentence as ice cream, we couldn't get to the pick-up window fast enough.

Yummy-ist thing ever! I hope they keep this flavour around for a while because I don't think I could go back to plain old cookie dough again......

:: Trades-ies ::

First off, if you have never heard of or visited the Esty site, you need to go. You can find almost anything on there and the best part, it's all handmade and unique.

I got this adorable camera bag from my MIL for Christmas. I was, however, awfully disappointed when I got it home and found out that it was far too small for my camera, extra lens and all my accessories.

I contacted Jackie from XcessRize Designs and I am now waiting for this..... .....adorable and gigantic bag.
I'll say it again, if you haven't visited Etsy.com, I highly recommend it. I don't think there is anything you won't be able to find.

{Input Time}

Alright my dear Blogger Friends, now is the time I really need to "hear" your thoughts.

A trip to a few stores later and much time spent on the Internet, I have yet to find the perfect drawer pulls for Denay's refurbished dresser. Ideally, I would love a set of pink or purple round crystal knobs but, alas, the only ones I could find were in Australia. Yeah, not so much. I'm still going to do some looking around town but I did find this fabulous store on Etsy (yep, I'm addicted) that has the cutest hand painted items.

So, I exercised my super-strong choice making muscles, and narrowed the field to a mere 10 looks.

Leave me a comment and let me know you're top three favourite designs and give this indecisive girl a hand!

#1 - Cherry Blossoms

#2 - Yellow w/ white polka dots #3 - Purple/White w/ polka dots

#4 - Pink Flowers

#5 - Green/Pink w/ white polka dots

#6 - Purple/White w/ polka dots

#7 - Assorted colors w/ large dots

#8 - Pink/White/Green daisy

#9 - White w/ pink thatching

#10 - Pink/White polka dots

Let the commenting begin!

Oh, and as a side note - if any can recommend somewhere that I can get crystal knobs, please let me know!

Beaches and Sunshine and Food, Oh My!

This is me following through on my promise to elaborate on my quick mention of our sunny vacation coming up in April in this post.

In about three months Trevor and I, along with two super awesome couples, will be soaking up all things stunning that Varadero, Cuba, has to offer. We will be staying at the Iberostar Laguna Azul. A brand new, 5-star resort that is just as lovely as can be.

If you care to be made a little green with envy, you can click the collages to get a closer look ;)

Funny as it may sound, we didn't realize until after we were booked that we will be there for Trevor's 28th birthday. What a birthday it will be!
It's been two years since our Punta Cana trip and I'm so thankful that we have the chance to get away together again. It makes all those long (and fun) days spent with Cranberry Creek well worth it!

I may, or may not, be counting down the days already.

Can Ya Tell?

I was doing some extra closet and storage organizing this week and came across my baby photo album.

Based on this side-by-side of both of us at 18 months, I think I can take a little bit of credit for this girl's looks.

:: Making Old Things New ::

When Trevor's parents came to visit on the weekend, they brought with them a couple pieces of much awaited furniture. One was a big-girl bed that will stay in the shed for a little while longer and the other was a very special, well-used dresser. Special because this dainty and fragile piece of furniture was purchased for a then seven-year-old little girl named Rose in 1927. Yep, you counted right, it's 83-years-old. It belonged to Trevor's Gramma, was passed through all three of her sons, then handed down to all three of her youngest son's (Trevor's dad) children and now we have the privilege of having it in our home.

As is obvious from the before shot, it was looking it's age just a little. But a coat of primer and a handful of coats of white paint later, and this heirloom is ready for another few years and children!

You can sort of see in my post here the large bulky dresser that we were using. I was moderately concerned about going from a large, six-drawer dresser to a petite three-drawer dresser but it is impressively roomy and I managed to get almost all her clothes in to it.

We're going to Home Depot tomorrow to find the perfect pulls for the drawers and then it will be done.

The best part about this little project? Since the dresser was a hand-me-down and I just used the paint and primer I had left over from Denay's room, it was completely free! Between that, and the nostalgic nature of the dresser, it makes for one sweet addition to my little princesses room.

My Own "Julie & Julia " Project

As a buffer for this post, I'd like to say that I make a point not to make New Year's Resolutions. I believe, as a sinner redeemed by the blood of Christ, that God's mercies are new every morning and each day I start fresh with Him.

This decision was an accumulation of feeling inadequate in the dinner-making department. I'll certainly freely admit that I don't really love cooking supper most nights. Cooking was not something I did often growing up and never really took to it.

This was really an area that I felt I could be serving my family better, so one afternoon last week I sat down while Denay was napping, and made a list of relatively simple (some more so than others) but hearty meals. It's been almost two weeks and I've managed to cook something different for dinner each night. And yes ladies, I'll confess, that that is slightly uncommon in this house for a two week period.

I've always found that even though I buy random ingredients with the best intentions to use them, I forget about them and food goes bad without being used. So each day, I decide what I want to make for dinner, then I go and buy only what I need. I know it may sound wasteful in the time department but I've found that it's been the best method for me right now as I buy in smaller quantities and nothing goes to waste which saves us moolah.

So here's run down on what we've consumed, in no particular order:

Pot Roast w/ yams and asparagus

Chicken and Dumplings (my favourite thing to eat ever) with zucchini

Macaroni and Cheese (homemade of course)

Steak w/ rice and peas

Perogies and Caesar salad

Chicken Enchiladas w/ cold veggies

Spaghetti

Fajitas

Tuna Melts

Chicken strips and fries

Mushroom soup w/ fresh bun and cheese

So I still have a few things yet to make but the more I "cook", simple or not, the more confident I feel and the more I realize that making dinner isn't quite the ordeal I'd made it out to be.

Maybe I should start a separate blog and get a movie deal out of it......

:: Checking In ::

I got one whole comment from a very lovely reader (thanks Laura, you made me feel special) wondering where I was, so, here I am.

We have been keeping on our toes around here without a doubt and I am full-time dependant on my dollar store day timer to keep me in line.

2010 brings with it many many exciting ventures and opportunitiess! The most exciting is that in just over a month I will be across the water with my church dance team for a week doing street ministry in the heart of Vancouver during the Olympics. This has been in the works since well before the summer and that it is just a month is hard to believe. We have the blessing of working with an organization called More Than Gold with many other artists from across Canada. Whew.....prayers welcome!

On top of that, I am counting down the days until Trevor and myself and two other couples leave for Varadero at the end of April. Ah, more on that later.

I have "resolved", if you will, to start scrapbooking again. I was meeting each week with a girlfriend during the summer and then fall hit and that quickly went by the wayside! But, with some new additions to my paper collection (thank you Susan!) I am fully re-inspired and determined not to fall any farther behind.

A certain dear friend of mine has gone back to work this past weekend and I have taken on a bunch of days in the next few months to watch her one-year-old daughter Abigail (whom Denay happens to love). I joked with my mom that I could run out to the store and leave them home because they clearly didn't care that I was even in the room! They played so well together it makes me want to have another baby.

Trevor is involved in leading a young adults bible study as well as with the media ministry at church and I'm looking forward to committing to fully to GEMS again after a busy end of 2009.

We had the pleasure of hosting Trevor's parents for the weekend and enjoyed lots of relaxing, eating and laughing. Denay got to show Grammie and Bobob her new room and swim with them at the pool!

Goodness! I think that it all....but what blog post would be complete without a Denay collage! Click to get a closer look

We're still learning lots of new words around here. I feel bad for the poor girl when she starts using a word I don't understand and she cries because I'm not doing what she wants!

I was at bible study tonight and she was playing on our pastor's daughter's leapfrog laptop. She was pressing the letter buttons and repeating the computer when it sounded out the different letter sounds.

Most days I'm pretty convinced she is smarter that me ;)

Anyways......busy day tomorrow, short night ahead. I'm off to bed wondering if I have more than one reader still with interested.....??

:: Christmas Eve ::

We've been keeping super busy since Christmas Eve but it's definitely time to get our family pictures posted! We got an adorable Christmas dress from my grandparents and if I do say so myself, she looks awful darling.

Pictures with daddy.

Pictures with mommy.

:: Family Portrait 2009 ::

Denay seeing her present for the first time.

I don't think life could get any better.

{ A Little Girls Room }

I'm sure you've all been on the edges of your seat waiting with anticipation for this very post.

Ahem. Anyways.

We did finally get Denay moved into her new princess room on Christmas morning. We had been told that the transition between rooms might take some getting used to and we were prepared for it, but this girl had no problem whatsoever. If you ask to see her new room she'll march right upstairs and runs down the hall to show off all her books. You click on the photos to get a better peek.

I just got a curtain panel today as well as some shelves and brackets that I hope to get on the walls sometime this week. I raided my parents house and found some great nostalgic stuff that I used to have in my room as a girl and I can't wait to get everything in it's place.

We're looking forward to some old/new furniture coming from the across the water on the weekend as well.
As we accessorize I'll keep you posted!