Happy Monday, Dear Hearts

You know what? I'm feeling pretty happy today. I slept well last night, the sun is all shiny and bright outside & the tea is warm and plentiful.

I'm feeling on the cusp of some really wonderful stuff right now. Soon I'll be helping a mama welcomed her baby boy into the world. Soon a good friend of mine & I will be starting our new Mom's Helping Moms group (which will meet downtown and I really hope you lovely locals will join us!) Soon the snow will melt and spring will be upon us.

Soon can't come soon enough!

Sending you all my best wishes on this chilly Monday afternoon.

I'm loving every minute of life right now.

Each passing bit has me giddy & gleeful. Cheers, to your lovely souls. And please tell me, what's making you grin today?

Soulmates

Gretchen & Ezra...

Ezra & Gretchen...

So much can change in just one year.

All Things Excellent...

New tattoos make me incredibly happy. Especially tattoos inspired by tea, doilies and philosophy ie. things I can't get enough of. I'm head over heels for my new ink and I thought I might share a few pics with you fine chaps. You could also click here for a closeup.

"How would it be possible if salvation were ready to our hand, and could without great labor be found, that it should be by almost all men neglected? But all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare." Spinoza.

Fawned Friday (The Late Night Saturday Edition)

Pardon my lateness -- my rather fashionable lateness -- for this week's Fawned Friday. It's been an interesting and hectic week, as you can guess, with baby G's birthday party this afternoon and the boy's new work schedule. Lots of planning, lots of coordinating. Busy little bees we be!

So, dear friends, please enjoy these little doses of happiness, from my heart to yours. So much oohing and ahhing this week -- delightful! Peace.

01. I think I'd like to be transported here for a while.

02. This needs to be in my house.

03. Can't wait to try this with Gretchen.

04. I'm having serious mailbox envy at this very moment.

05. I think you should all be a part of this project.

06. Reminds me of the one that my Oma (94 this summer) kept for years.

07. Adoring this concept.

08. This is nothing short of incredible.

Happy 2nd Birthday To The Sweetest Little Fawn

Happy birthday, baby girl.

A Little Vintage Love For Your Wednesday Afternoon

Good afternoon, dear hearts! I just wanted to let you all know that my neighbour's shop, The Vintage Apartment, has reopened. Stop by for a little peek today. I'm especially loving this and this.

Happy Wednesday!

PS. I have a doula client due today & I can't wait to help her welcome her little babe!

Sweet Dreams

My head is rather unhappy tonight, so my words will be few... it's probably best if I just lay down and let the day melt away. Perhaps another few moments inhaling a steamy bowl of peppermint and rosemary with my head under a soft towel. And then I'll be off to sleep.

Goodnight. Sweet dreams.

Source.

The Sickness That Took Over The House Of Fawn

If any other families out there are battling colds, I feel for you. We've spent weeks passing some miserable sickness back and forth and all around. I just can't seem to keep all thee of us healthy at the same time. Grumble, grumble.

Thankfully (and I'll knock on wood as soon as I type this) Gretchen seems to be doing MUCH better today. She's got a pesky eye infection (probably from, you know, jamming snotty, sick baby fingers in there all day long) so she's on drops to fix that up before I send her back to daycare later this week. I've also stocked up on all the essential oils that I've been running out of... eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, lemon & tea tree. Mmmm, it all smells so wonderful. Do you ever use essential oils? Which are your favourites?

I hope this answers the "where has she been for three days?" question... I didn't meant to leave the blog so unattended, but alas, I'm sure you understand. Any downtime (and there hasn't been much) has been spent tidying, or writing, or indulging in a little Will & Grace, which I've starting watching from the very first episode.

At this very moment, the babe is napping and the house is quiet while the boy runs some errands downtown (in the freezing cold). These past few days have been the coldest this year... -32 the other morning was just about as much as I could handle. I didn't even want to open the door to grab the mail. Currently it's just -16, so perhaps the frigid spell is over. I'm suddenly craving spring showers and flower buds and green grass to run my toes across. Soon. It'll all happen soon enough.

Things are looking up. Just a few more days to recover & the three of us will be happy & healthy once again.

Wishing you all a lovely Monday. Peace.

Fawned Friday

01. Loving this image... bike, bag, babe.

02. This is incredibly heartwarming.

03. I nearly fainted when I first spied this beauty.

04. These hand stamped business cards are so, so good.

05. This post is making me crave a trip to Sephora.

06. How gorgeous are these?

07. Some good advice.

08. Loving this reading nook.

09. Camera collection envy.

Today I Was A Crappy Mom

I really was.

I didn't get enough sleep, I didn't have enough patience and I was at the end of my wits. I raised my voice when I shouldn't have, I was cold when I should have been warm and I was selfish.

And I feel ashamed.


But I also feel grateful.

Grateful that I was able to recognize these things in myself. Grateful that despite all those bad feelings that were threatening to take over, I was still able to find that person inside me who desperately wanted to shine through -- to be a good mother -- but felt trapped.

It took me the entire day, but I managed to coax that person out. And she's timid, but hopeful.

And she knows that tomorrow will be different. She knows tomorrow doesn't have to follow suit, it just has to follow.







And everything will be alright.

Wordless Wednesday (On A Snowy Day)

The Tuesday Diptych Project: Week Forty Five

Desiree: We've had a wonderful amount of snow fall this week and it's still beautiful & white all around. I adore this weather. Yesterday ended up being the coldest day we've had all winter (-32C in the morning) and even so, the sun was out & every part of our world was shining.

Johanna: As I was getting ready to leave Montreal I noticed this sweet bicycle all covered in snow chained up on a nearby fence. It was so "classic" Montreal. Being there in the winter brought back many fond memories for me. I used to love all the beautiful fresh snow that Montreal receives in the winter.

It Just Takes A Moment

Under the covers, she reaches over and puts her hands on either side of my face.

I love you, mommy.

She touches my hair and wraps in around her fingers.

Hair...

She breathes...

Beautiful.

She takes her soft little palm, held flat, and with it, makes a circular motion around my cheeks. Sign language for beautiful.

In those moments, the crying, the bad days, the sad feelings and the frustrations all melt away. The "I'm not good enough"s and the "what am I doing wrong?"s all fade, and in that instant, I know exactly what it's all about. It's this. This feeling. This is all there is.

I love you too, little girl.

Fawned Friday

01. A gorgeous way to start the day.

02. This fabric has absolutely been designed with love.

03. Snow day love.

04. I adore handmade mobiles.

05. Fun things to do in the winter that won't cost you an arm & a leg.

06. Enjoying this nursery tour very muchly.

07. A lovely day in the life of a Dove.

08. These little owls would be perfect guests for tea time.

09. This family is just too cute for words.

10. Such a precious little pup.

11. This teapot is going to have me giggling all day long.

12. Actually every item in this shop is cracking me up.

Big Paw Designs Love & A Giveaway

I think by now you all know I have a bit of a soft spot for animals. You've seen my snapshots of Sir Winston Hendrix -- the Boston Terrier that just won't quit -- and you've heard my stories of his and Gretchen's kindred friendship.



I also know that a bunch of you out there in Blogland love your pets something fierce, and so today I bring you a little giveaway that will probably warm your hearts.

Aside from creating some incredibly gorgeous items for the furbabes in your life, Big Paw Designs has a strong commitment to support pet rescue organizations, including Used Dogs Rescue in New Orleans. They even have a signature line, especially for this cause, including the lovely Woof Fleur de Lis key chain which they kindly sent me. Think of all those pups, especially after Katrina, sans family... but thankfully, not sans hope!



Isn't it gorgeous? The design is so classy and it's nice and weighty in my hand. (And it goes well with my Matt & Nat wallet, don't you think?) I'm incredibly impressed with the quality, which is wonderful. Considering that fact that I'm the least coordinated person alive, my keys (when I remember to carry them) get dropped and tossed around a lot. Oops...



Win! Big Paw Designs is offering a beautiful collar charm (of choice) to one of my fabulous readers. To enter, simply comment with a little fact about your beloved pet!

If you'd like to enter more than once, you can leave a second comment letting me know you've followed @woofcp on Twitter, and a third comment telling me know you've liked Big Paw Designs on Facebook.



Note: Giveaway ends January 24th at 12am EST and is open to US residents... apologies to my fellow Canucks. Also, if you use the coupon code BLOGHOLIDAY before January 15th, you'll save a lofty 35% off your Big Paw Designs order. Not too shabby.

This review was made possible by Mom Spark Media. As always, the thoughts expressed are my own.


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Update: JJ Keith is our lucky winner! I hope her pup enjoys the new bling!

Wordless Wednesday (En Route)

The Tuesday Diptych Project: Week Forty Four

Johanna: Looking for colour. Orange and tangerine. Sweet and juicy. Sunny and pretty.

Desiree: The bridge over the river next to our house is especially chilly during the winter. I only took one shot before plunging my frozen fingers back into my pockets.

...

Note: It's hard to imagine that we've been doing this project (nearly) every week since February 2, 2010. Such an amazing journey.

I Think We're In For A Pretty Wonderful Year

Back in August I wrote out my Four Simple Goals, and I'll be straight up honest with you... I only really achieved one of them.

But I'm not beating myself up.

I've realized over the past few months, some ideas in my head have changed. Circumstances change.

My first goal was to purge my wardrobe of all that crap I don't wear. THIS I did. There may be a few stragglers in the back of our hall cupboards, but mostly, what's folded upstairs or hanging in my closet are items that I actually wear. And let me tell you, my choices each morning are slim. I could name them all, and that would be boring, but the point is, I could name them all. And now I need to add a few new (and delicious) pieces to the mishmash. And then I'll be happy.

My second goal was to dye my hair dark again, which I've currently put on the back burner. I've been growing my hair out since August 2009 and now I'm not sure I want to tamper with it. Stay tuned...

Goal no. 3 was to finish my doula training in the fall. This hasn't quite happened, but I'm not worried. I'm really enjoying the certification process, the reading, the assignments, and there's really no rush. I'm thrilled about the birth I'll be attending within the next month and to see where my doula journey will take me.

Now, my last goal was contingent on the crappy car I bought in August. The car which ended up being a bust (and is still, FYI, living in my driveway... sad & covered in snow.) So yes, goal no. 4 aka. visit somewhere outside of Ontario, has yet to happen, but I have faith. And hopefully an equal amount of patience.

A few people have asked what my New Year's Resolutions are, but I'm not so sure I'm going to make any. Essentially, my hopes and dreams for 2011 are to ease myself into my doula shoes and to honour my family and myself.

Which sounds like a pretty fabulous year in the making.

Fawned Friday

01. Picnic love.

02. Gorgeous hairstyle inspiration.

03. Time to set your B.H.A.G. for 2011.

04. Just say yes, to ruffles.

05. The prettiest little soap dish.

06. So much truth to this.

07. I'd almost go so far as to say I need one of these.

08. I'd really love to wear some of these owl socks.

09. I adore wooden puzzles, especially when handcrafted.

10. A most excellent elk.

PS. I'm feeling a little better today, after a bit of a relapse yesterday. I was completely miserable and so achy from coughing. Now things are looking up & I'm a much happier mama.
PPS. Today I also got some really wonderful news concerning BlogHer'11! Which of your lovelies will I get to meet in San Diego this summer?

So Lucky

Oh gosh, to spend hours like this.

And we have.

She enjoyed a lot of time at my breast this week. I swear, she must have known that I was under the weather and that her best protection was to nurse as much as she could. And it has proved well.

She's healthy. And mama's on the mend.

Thank goodness.

And thank goodness for my partner who has been helping me rest, and running my baths and pouring my glasses of wine. Never before has it been the case that mama is the only ill one in the house.

And so, we nursed. And snuggled and nursed. And sang songs and nursed.

And all I can think about is how lucky I am to have her.

Goodnight, mes amis.

PS. This post brought tears to my eyes. A must read for my mama friends (and beyond). I think you'll understand.

From SAD to Rad?

Lately our days have been looking like this. Charming, eh?


Actually, today was the 1st day in FIVE that the sun dared peek out... and just for a few hours. Enough to give us hope. Enough to psychically brighten my spirits.

Some sort of miserable flu-like demon has taken over my entire body... head, back, neck, legs.. they all ache. Thankfully, things are looking up tonight, but this nagging cough won't quit. It's nearly comical (or would be if it weren't getting progressively more painful). This morning, I managed to soak in the tub, along with some eucalyptus & rosemary oils, as well as a handful of stinky muscle soak salts. It was delightful.

Please cross those pretty little fingers of yours that this dreadful feeling will go away with tea & long baths, instead of morphing into the oh so dreaded bronchitis which will have me in perma-grump til springtime.

Harumph.

Is anyone else feeling the full-on winter blues? How do you combat it? Do you use SAD lights? Do you take lots of vitamin D supplements?

I always know that this time of year is coming, and I've manged to stay pretty peaceful about it until now, but this sickness/sunless combo has me feeling down this week and I'm trying to shake my funk.

Been making lots of soup, trying to keep the house bright, sipping tea, taking echinacea... but the cabin fever vibe is a little overwhelming.

Anyone else?

Feel free to offer your best tips (or to commiserate) in the comments. I'll meet you there.

You Should Hear Him Do Lady Gaga

The boy played his first show in years last Wednesday night, and he was fantastic. It's so good to see him doing what he loves to be doing.

I'll never get tired of hearing him sing.

Especially when he covers The Outfield's Your Love...

Happy New Year!

Happy 2011 from a couple of dorks! Wishing you all the very best in 2011! I have good feelings about this year... good feelings indeed!

Goodnight!

How did you ring in the New Year?