MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || THEY GREW

do you ever wake up in the morning, take one look at your child and just know they grew from the night before?

since i'm starting to come out a bit from the haze of publishing and co-authoring a new book (JOURNEY) i realized it's been a while since i posted pics of my girlies and did a moments in the mommyhood post.  i'm still knee deep in work but i promise i've got lots of sewing coming your way (and maybe a new pattern) as well as a few new knitting patterns up my sleeve too! sneak peeks are coming! yay!!!

but now, to the fun stuff! my girlies! these kiddos have been so patient and understanding with a mommy who is "always working". i'm tired people...lol. it's been a crazy roller coaster of a year and i'm so looking forward to this winter when i can curl up and nest with my babies. i am in desperate need of some quality time with them. crafting, playing, laughing...just being with my special little ones. they just seem to be getting so big so quickly. this year has just flown by!

m is in grade 1 now and h just started preschool in sept. my little one was doing awesome at preschool - no crying, no issues and now in the last few weeks has reverted to not wanting mom to go and crying...a lot when i leave. any ideas as to why the change? all of a sudden she doesn't want to go to any of her classes etc. poor little thing :(

m is doing awesome. she's still as strong willed as ever (any tips on dealing with strong willed children are always welcome for my sanity). she's smart as a whip that one and reading up a storm of books like her mama. i love that she can read chapter books to me now and i can just lay and listen. it's one of my favorite things.

it's been a hard 6 months trying to find the balance to make, create and still be mom (i fail at it most days...haha) and if you'd like to know more about how i attempt (attempt being the key word) to do it on a daily basis you can read a recent interview i did over on the fab yarn shop's blog - stash local. you can read the interview on "making & mothering" here. thanks again sonia!

so i'm typing this staring at 5 loads of laundry that need to be folded, a load that needs to go in, a horribly messy workspace of mine, dirty dishes from last night, unvacuumed carpet, and more - but the kiddos are at school so help me procrastinate :) let's chat! it's way more fun than cleaning!

what do you do to maintain creative balance? have you chosen creative time over chores some days? what are you currently working on? how do you incorporate your kiddos into your creative time?

p.s. check out my friends from the awesome e-mag Crafting Connections: A creative e-Mag for Little Ones & Their Grown Ups new online e-course called "Craft to Connect: Turn Creating with your Little Ones into an Enjoyable Habit"! Such an awesome idea!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || MINI VACAY & A WINNER

we had a lovely little much needed mini vacay on the weekend to visit friends and family up island. i feel like i want to jump into the shot above from my IG feed and relive it.

it was relaxing and much needed. after being stuck in our condo it sure felt great to be in a house that is stylin' and lovely with a great backyard and lots of space. i swear i would take pics all day if i lived there the light is so amazing! we also got to spend the day at a friends house that had the best outdoor pool/backyard. i am not kidding one iota when i say i literally ran to the pool, stripped down (to my bathing suit, which is new that i adore that i got at the bay for 60% off peeps! what a steal! it even held the boobs in!), jumped in and never got back out - for. 4 1/2. hours. no lie. i wasn't even shrivelled. it was AMAZING! add on a great game of bocci ball and a bbq that i could eat! thank you so much to the leitz's for the dairy free, gluten free, nut free food! i know i'm a pain in the ars to feed and i so appreciate the lovely meal and having us all over to your lovely home for the day. and thank you to the brown's for giving us your amazing home again while you slept in the trailer! you guys are the best! it is a holiday we will remember for a long time. i had so much fun and we had a great time, as always with you all.

now we're counting down till next week when my folks are coming to town for 2 weeks and i am SO EXCITED! i get to see my parents about once a year and boy do i miss them. we're all looking forward to time with them. so bear with me if i only pop in here and there the next 2 weeks - i'll be soaking up some mommy/daddy love and i even get to see my grandparents and my omi as well! i've been missing my family oh so bad and after working so hard these last few months under a ton of stress this is much needed family time for all of us.

the pics above are all from my instagram feed. you can find more shots of my daily life and such on my instagram feed here. i'm under "luvinthemommyhood". come follow me...purdy please? lol.

i also remembered while i was away that i forgot to announce the winner of the copy of "handmade in the uk" from the other week! whoops! doh! our lucky winner is..........

commenter #5: margo from the blog "love, luck, bliss"

congratulations my friend! so excited random.org picked ya! we'll be in touch soon to let you know about your prize!

what are you all up to this weekend? what projects have you been working on? have you been sewing/knitting/crafting? fill me in! i'd love to hear about it! come chat with me :)

wishing you all a weekend filled with wonderful, slow mornings, steamy coffee, laughs, good friends, family, cuddles, late nights and fun! luv you guys and i'll see you next week! xoxoxo

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || TGIF & WINNERS

hello my lovelies! i hope you've all had a wonderful week and are looking forward to the weekend as much as i am!  

life has been chaos over here this week. i have worked harder this last week or so than i ever have in my life...well except for giving birth that is. the "secret project" has a deadline right around the corner...like a week around the corner. eek! plus i've got the sally dress testing in mid swing amongst other projects so this momma is working a lot. my poor kiddos have been having to be real creative with play time (don't you just love our egg carton caterpillars? i ran out of glue so the eyes are taped on, had no pipe cleaners left so we used straws and i was too lazy to clean up paint so they used markers...how's that for a crafty mom..lmao!) and have shown great patience and understanding in regards to this weeks schedule for me.

sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and after the next few days are over i will make it up to them in spades :) they are already excited about what i have planned...lol. have any other moms had to do this with their jobs or a big life experience where other things have just had to be put on hold? i'd love to hear your tips if you have. i could definitely use them. thankfully the hubs took a few days off this week for me to work and the kids and him had a BLAST. i was sad to miss out but grateful for the quiet time in the house which is a miracle around here.

i also wanted to pop in and announce the winners of the "sew sweetness bag pattern giveaway"!!! 


i love sara's patterns and i'm so excited to announce the winners!!!! woot woot! it was such a generous prize for her to give! you ready to know who won?

the first winner is commenter #39 - paula
the second winner is commenter #128 - mel
the third winner is commenter #220 -  becky from sewbeckyjo.com

congratulations ladies!!! we'll be in touch with you soon! and thank you to all who entered as well as to sara for the awesome giveaway! you can find all things sew sweetness here:

SHOP || BLOG || FACEBOOK || TWITTER || PINTEREST || INSTAGRAM

 what have you been up to this week? have you been knitting/sewing/crafting? what projects do you have on the go? any tips for this busy mom? let's chat...coffees on & i miss you gals!

wishing you all a wonderful and relaxing weekend filled with yummy coffee, good friends, your fave crafts, cuddles and lots of smiles! xoxoxo see you on monday!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD - SUMMERTIME CRAFTS

life has been busy to say the least around here.

with m home from school for the summer it's been a bit of a balancing act for this momma to keep all my work going and have 2 kidlets at home with me. the weather has been gorgeous though so we've been having fun and days have been filled with laughs, crafts & good times.

but all that aside it's not always easy. i have some BIG & exciting news to share with you all.  not yet....but soon. i've been working really, really hard in the background on a secret. it's taken up a lot of heart & soul and a lot of time. i've also been trying to keep up with all of my other creative projects and of course - the blog.

how does one do all of that without losing it? no sleep and a lot of hard work.

it's been fun though and on the up side the sally dress is also now out to testers as we speak!!! phew!  i can't wait to get it out to you all and see some awesome sally dresses online!!!! so excited! hopefully the pattern will be out at the end of the month! i'm crossing my fingers! i've got some great testers working on them right now! thank you again to all who applied. there were so many talented sewers i seriously did a first come/first serve based on size sort of thing. i honestly so appreciate all your enthusiasm! it was so sweet of all of you! thank you for your support!

what have the kiddos and i been up to? 

i'm a strong believer in creative and independent play in our house. we are in a condo so while we can't be outside all day everyday we can still be adventurous and have fun.  we've been loving the video series by my friend caroline of the fab blog "salsa pie" for pbs parents on crafting with kids! we recently made the diy water bottle boat and the kids played with it for at least an hour and a half and then took it in the bath with them that night!  we're going to work our way through the whole series.

another fun series we've been loving is "camp classic play" by the blog classic play. so many fun activities and crafts to do there as well! also be sure to check out the online mag "crafting connections". it's "a creative magazine (and more) for little ones & grown ups". i'm loving their new paper mache tea set!

in our house the glues sticks are flying, tape is being...well....taped...scissors are cutting, boxes are being recycled into fun projects and smiles are on our faces! 

i also recommend the books you can find in your local book stores on crafts that are sort of like phonics books. we have the kumon big book of crafts and really like it. i seriously almost peed my pants making the masks you see on the girls from that book. i laughed so hard. i mean really....is that not funny?

it's always good fun to see your kids look like an animal...hahaha. a raccoon and a kittycat to be exact.

we also have some fashion design, origami, jewelry and more to work our way through this summer. as well as our local library reading club that the kids are enjoying and forts galore i think so far we're holding it together pretty well this summer considering this momma has a big deadline coming up :)

and before i go we have a winner for the c. johannesen jewelry giveaway! the winner is.........

 commenter #49 - kristin of sew technicolor

congratulations kristin! we'll be in touch with you soon!

so...what have you been up to this summer? do you have any fun craft/activities that you recommend for indoor playtime? i'd love to hear about them! wishing you all a crafty, creative and sunshine & laughter filled weekend!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || TAKING IT EASY

we recently got back from a fun (and hot) mini vacay in vancouver!  those two little kidlets of mine had a blast! we hit up granville island, the vancouver aquarium and the show stopper of the weekend - the taylor swift concert!  we are big taylor fans in our house. i've been listening to her since m was a wee baby in my tummy and both girls love her. the hubs surprised m and i with tix for the concert for xmas. needless to say we were pretty excited and had a great time (albeit a hot one). taylor put on a great show and i got to see ed sheeran as well who i really like as well. only cons were a) it was so freaking in hot in the stadium i thought i would pass out.

have we not heard of a/c? 42,000 people and no a/c?? wth?

b) the show started way too late. she had 3 opening acts! 3! ed doing a 45min set! it was a long road till she came out and by the time she did most of the kids were exhausted and bored. we got there at 6 for crying out loud! she came on sometime after 9! m passed out at about 10:15. she couldn't stand the heat and had already been dancing and yelling her wee brains out for hours by that point. all in all though it was fabulous to take her to her first "big girl" concert! the look on her face when we got to venue was priceless! i had to stop myself from crying i got so emotional in a weird way. i love music and concerts so much it was such a special thing for the 2 of us to share together and have a fun mommy/daughter night out! so fun to go from singing in the car to taylor to singing in a venue that size with that many people. she was so excited!



all in all we are happy to be back home and back to a quieter pace. even though i lived in vancouver for many years every time i go there with the kids i come back happy to be home. only problem was that we got home only to have myself experience a big health scare. if you follow me on fb or twitter you may have seen i had an anaphylactic allergic reaction earlier this week and had to spend a nice chunk of time in the hospital. i had eaten some pistachios (which i hadn't had in years) and my tongue swelled up etc. they now have me off all nuts (tree nuts included) until i can get allergy testing done and i have a new best friend called the epipen that i get to carry around with me.

i'm starving and my skin is so dry. seriously all my soap, shaving cream, body wash, body lotion etc have nuts in it. 

i hate dry skin! i need to go on a hunt for nut free body lotion. any recommendations? i try to use only all natural products due to my illness so that's why there are so many nuts! the food thing has been soooo hard. honestly - to all of you out there with kids who have nut allergies or have them yourselves i feel for you. i only have just started and this is very, very hard! combining the nut removal and my dairy free, gluten free, sugar free diet = one hungry and grumpy momma! if you see me at the grocery store back away...lol. j/k...sort of...lol.

it's getting better though. i found out my fave gluten free bread is nut free so that helped a lot. i also found a nut free rice milk that i can use in place of my almond milk. plus my fave gluten free pasta is also nut free so last night i actually had a nice meal! yay!

if anyone has some tips for eating nut free i would be so thankful. 

i'm so confused on things like vegetable oil etc. some sites say yes - some say no and since i haven't seen an allergist yet i'm going off the internet which is overwhelming to say the least. on the plus side i have learned a ton about what is in my food and what a heckuva lot of chemical ingredients are and why they use them.

so this was supposed to be a short post saying i'm taking it easy today and this weekend to get better but i guess i got chatting. you don't mind though right? yay :) i'm still not feeling right. i'm very tired and feel - fragile for lack of a better word. definitely not myself so i'll be taking this weekend to rest and get better...oh and work on the sally dress pattern...wink wink. thanks for all of your entries everyone! hopefully i'll be getting back to you sooner than later! i was hoping to be feeling better by now but so far that hasn't happened yet. as soon as i get it done you will be the first to know :)

thanks for all your kind words on fb/twitter about my health scare. you guys are so sweet. i hope you all have a wonderful relaxing, family filled, good food, laughs and crafty kinda weekend! see you all next week <3

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || CATCHING UP

we've had a busy week my wee family and i.  we recently got back from a wee trip to vancouver for my hubbies convocation! so excited! he's finally done!  after many long years of his working full time/studying he has achieved such a huge accomplishment. it was such a joy and i was so proud to see him walk across that stage as a CA! congrats again hun! i love you so much and the girls and i are so proud of you!!!

now i think we need to find out about some winners! we have winners to announce for 2 different giveaways!!! first up is the ella's cottage fabric giveaway! the winner of a 16 fat quarter bundle of happy go lucky is.......

commenter #19 - johanna vandeweghe

next up is the winner of the sew pretty t-shirt dresses book giveaway.  the winner of a copy of "sew pretty t-shirt dresses" is......

commenter #62 - karen propes

congrats ladies! i'll be in touch with you sometime today!  thank you to all of you who entered. and just cause i think they are just so darn cute i couldn't resist posting some pics of my girlies. 

p.s. i'm in the middle of massive potty training drama for the wee one. any tips? it was easy with my oldest.  i have to have her trained by september to go to preschool. she just turned 3 so it's time. i can't wait to have the final diaper party :) would love any help you could give.  hope you all had a great weekend!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || THREE

my baby is turning 3 today.  i had a hard time sleeping last night.  for some reason this bday has affected me so much more than 1 or 2 did.  i just cannot believe she is 3. where has the time gone already?  my little angel has just gotten so big and is so not a baby anymore..lol.  i miss the baby days.  harper is such a gift.  she is the most darling little thing and she has her momma just wrapped around her little finger. i mean how could you say no to that face right?  she's my little buddy and comes with me everywhere.  she's so precious and i just can't wait to see what 3 has in store for her.

i have spent a lot of time in thought since xmas about this blog, my creative passions, goals and of course, my family.  what and how to balance my time, energy and attention to and when.  i haven't succeeded in finding the answer but we're slowly getting there.  i don't want to miss the last 2 years i have home with her. i want to cherish them because once she's in kindergarten that's it.  that part of my life with my girls is over.  as much as it is exhausting and challenging i love being able to work from home and be with my girlies.

over the last few months things have changed a bit.  i feel the urge to have some more "evening" time free for me to create instead of being on the computer.  i want to spend time with my husband and i want to have time to actually sleep...lol.  this blog has been such a special and important part of my life and it's not going anywhere - i'm just trying to find a new balance that allows me time to have a healthy home life with my girls, time to take care of myself with exercise and healthy food, time to design and create and of course, time to document it all here with all of you. i hope you all understand and have continued to enjoy the blog this year so far as my family and i transition into a new phase of my dreams and goals.  this momma has to shift things around a bit to make sure i'm not spread so thin i can't enjoy any of it.  my health suffers and so does my family life.  blogging is damn hard work (more than i think 70% of the population is aware of) and mixed with being a full time mom it leaves little left over.  i swear i work more than my hubby :)

my little harper has helped me to realize that i need to balance things better or before i know it another year will have flown past in a blink of an eye and most of it will be spent with mommy and daddy working instead of us all having quality time together. i hope i can try to succeed at least a little bit in all the areas i would like to.  i want to put quality content out here on the blog but i also want to work on my other goals of pattern designing and books.  i hope you'll join me in the journey.  it's so amazing to know that so many of you have been reading since mackenzie was a baby and throughout all of harper's journey.  there is something so amazing and special about that feeling.  i truly love and appreciate every one of you for reading and for being my friend.  thank you from the bottom of my heart.

and to my little girl - mommy loves you. to the moon and back and the stars too.  may all your wishes come true my special angel.

any of you in the same boat with struggling to balance it all? are you an emotional bday person too?  please tell me i'm not the only one doing serious reflection and crying on my toddler's bday..lol.

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || A LITTLE PIECE OF HEAVEN

soooooo....it's been a wee bit quiet here because i've been away :)  we went on a mini-vacay for the last 4 days!  we were lucky enough to getaway for a wonderful little holiday to one of our favorite places - tofino, bc.  we were married in tofino on mackenzie beach and haven't had a chance to go back since then.  so we decided it was high time we packed the kids in the car and made a road trip to one of our fave places and also one of the most magical ones we've ever been too.  it honestly is breathtaking.  i can't wait to go back again. for real. i'm already planning...lol.

 

needless to say we had a great time!  we got home last night after a weekend filled with AMAZING weather! the kind of weather tofino just doesn't get that often.  so my condo is filled with bags, piles of dirty laundry, toys, more bags and well, just all the stuff that you cart with you on a road trip with 2 kids that you are just too darn hot and tired to put away when you get home...lol.

so i'm taking today to clean the darn place up or attempt to cause it's just plain hot here too! don't get me wrong, i am definitely not complaining about this sunshine. it is glorious and feels so darn nice,  but its like an oven over here in my condo so we'll see how much i actually get done.  i've got lots of pics to show you soon and some fun posts this week as well. i also sent out our very first email newsletter for the blog right before we left! did you get one?  what did you think? you likey? i had so much fun putting it together!  i'd love to hear your thoughts.

i also have a winner to announce today! don't think i've forgotten about the gorgeous sweet fiber yarns giveaway!!! our lucky winner is..................commenter #42 - andee!!! congratulations andee!!!! you are one lucky lady!!!  someone will be in touch with you today. thanks to all of you who entered and to the lovely melissa of sweet fiber yarns for her generous & oh so lovely prize!

in the meantime fill me in on what you've been up to.  what have you been making & creating?  have you been sewing or knitting?  have you been to tofino before? i want to hear about it. i missed you guys! 

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || GOOD MORNING SUNSHINE

good morning sunshines!  it's the weekend!  i've been having some technical issues so our lovely giveaway that was due to be posted yesterday will be coming next week instead.  stay tuned though, you won't want to miss it!  trust me on that one!

i've got both my girlies home with me today (it's another pro-d day....le sigh). the sun is shining and i've been up since 5am since my faucet nose decided to run a bath...lol. don't you hate that feeling of "i have to shove half a roll of toilet paper up my nostril to keep from getting soaked" kind of feeling? ok...tmi...anyways thank god for madmen, the yarn harlot's books (reading & laughing "free range knitter"), my knitting and gosh darn good cuppa tea.  it's all i've been living on this week. the icing on the cake this morning though was a) a huge propane tank explosion in the city scared the wits out of me it was so loud and our whole condo shook and b) my kiddos slept in till almost 8am! seriously??? wth is that about? the one day i'm up before the whole house just sitting here waiting for someone to stir and they all sleep in later than i normally do and a huge explosion happens and nobody wakes up?  it's always the way right?  weird.

the sun is shining though and we've had some gorgeous weather here so i'm hoping to be feeling well enough to get out and bask in it a bit.  in the meantime though i've been plugging along on my TTT KAL project.  that cardi has been carted about everywhere and i almost had a panic attack when i realized that i had 15mins to wait at school pickup and left the aforementioned knitting project at home by the front door. i must have spent the whole 15mins trying to analyze if i had time to drive home and get it or not without being late. you see when you are in the throes of a love affair with your knitting you absolutely, under no circumstances leave said project at home. ever. i almost cried...well, ok, not cried, but i really felt like it.  i didn't even have my ipad with me to document my sadness to you all on instagram. also - remember if you're on instagram to tag your pics #tttkal and you can find me on there under "luvinthemommyhood".  and if you don't have instagram you can still see my pics by looking at the bottom of my sidebar. there's a handy widget on there showing a slideshow of my instagram feed. fun right?  there's already pics from gals in our kal on instagram and it's so fun to go on and check on everyone's progress.

also in tech news today...lol...(i sounded legit there for a sec right? hahaha) j/k, sort of.  i finally bit the bullet and started up a fun, free newsletter for luvinthemommyhood/very shannon! yay!  so once a month you'll get a fun email from moi filled with lots of interesting stuff, updates on new patterns and free tutorials, sales, discounts and more!  you can click "here" to sign up or on the top of my sidebar to subscribe to the newsletter.  i promise no spam :) 

here's hoping you all have a wonderful, explosion & cold free weekend filled with coffee, friends, family, crafty goodness galore & good times.  see y'all on monday <3

sooooo, what are you up to this weekend? what projects did you work on this week? are you sewing or knitting?  am i the only one who "almost" cried because i forgot my knitting? share away, let's chat - it's friday :)

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || SURVIVAL

it's spring break here where i live and let me tell you..never in my life would i have thought that i would dislike spring break. aiyayaya.  these are going to be 2 very long weeks.  my oldest has even drawn a calendar on her easel chalkboard counting down the days until school starts back up.  with the hubs busy with overtime it's not a season we can take a vacay in. so it's more of a torture having no school then a fun 2 weeks of holidays in our house. i guess that's just a reminder that i'm a grown up now...lol.  gone are the days when i counted down on my own calendar until spring break started to go have fun with my friends and have no school.  it struck me as funny how similar the situations are but in reverse.  when you are little you love school and then you get older and don't want to go and can't wait for that brief but awesome break of fun. and now here i am again wishing there was school.  i think if my hubs could have holidays right now i may feel differently but this is my fate so i'm putting it bravely out there - i. don't. like. spring. break.  there, i said it. phew. i feel better now.

i'm still not 100% (waiting to see a specialist next month) so that's making it even harder to entertain these wee ones. top it off with fog, non stop rain pours and you've got a pretty crappy spring break. bleh.  i also  haven't been able to sew for weeks!  with being ill and also having had a procedure done on my upper back near my shoulder it's made it really hard to type, knit and even sew and has me pretty down in the dumps i must say.  i'm trying to do it in little stints now. i sewed the other day for about 15 mins and will do a tiny bit more today again.  so i apologize for the lack of sewing goodness on the blog lately.  there's been a lot of knitting going on around here but that's mostly due to me being unable to sew.  at least i can lay down and feel crappy and knit. it's a bit harder to do that while sewing..lol.  i can't wait to be fully reunited with poppy though.  her and i have some new patterns in the works and this has sure slowed us down.

oh and did i mention we've been living in utter chaos?  yep. big time chaos.  you know when you redecorate and reorganize and your house turns into a bad episode of hoarders and you have no idea how it got that way? well that's my house. i can't even hardly get into my bedroom. plus my bed?  what's a bed?  mine's covered in 5 (i'm guessing), count em' 5 + loads of laundry...eeek!  i def need a fairy cleaning lady..lol.  we had a quick trip to the mainland last weekend and picked up a lot of new lovelies for our condo from ikea.  i can't wait to show you all my new office space.  i've now taken over our dining area and a good chunk of our living room.  oops...lol.  oh well....you gotta do what you gotta do right? the joys of condo living. you peeps without houses know what i mean right?

so the hubs and i have slowly been assembling ikea furniture after ikea furniture and watching non stop homeland (LOVE this show) and starting to get our lives back in order.  we're selling our old stuff to offset the cost of the new and also to make room for the new stuff...lol.  so as the old pieces sell we assemble the new ones.  the kids and i definitely do not do well with this kind of living situation though.  it's sort of a weird feeling being in limbo. hopefully by the end of this weekend things will be in more of a normal state again.

airplanes built by my oldest and photographed by her as well

the girls and i have been playing a ton of lego (lego rocks!!!!) and also restaurant.  these are both good things to play while mom needs to be laying down (you so know that i can rock restaurant for at least an hour, people can lay down in restaurants right?).  i even designed a fancy menu for their restaurant and printed it out and binded it for them...haha.  yep, i'm hardcore that way. can't have a restaurant without a menu!  we also got to have some good cuddle times with my super adorbs nephew.  i loooooove this little guy.  i love that i get baby snuggles but then he goes home..lol.  he makes me want more babies but then my oldest acts out and i snap out of it quickly.  i love the babies....older kids...now that's hard work.  2 is more than enough for me. in fact i think my soon to be 6 year old is the equivalent of 2-3 6yr olds in one body...lol. she's a challenging one that one.  thankfully my youngest is very docile and calm so it balances out a tad.  oh who am i kidding - it's nuts in my house...lol. there. i said it.  it's nuts. i'm surprised most days when i crawl into bed that i am still indeed alive. honestly.  i look around and think how the hell did i make it through today without a nervous breakdown?  or them killing me?  seriously.  being a mom is damn hard work.  damn hard work.  i think from now on spring break should be mom break.  all the moms could gather somewhere fabulous with lots of spa services, shopping, hot waiters, booze, beaches (whatever your thing) for a 2 week break from life.  ahhhhh....yessss....that sounds good.  waiter...another daiquiri please?  won't you join me?

who else is trying to survive spring break? is yours coming up soon?  what's going on in your home?  are you in a chaos zone too?  let's chat. it's friday and i am so excited the weekend is almost here!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || IT'S A GOOD DAY

it's a good day by shannon cook

i love coffee.  i also love the start of a new journey.  since i'm revamping my home a bit i knew i wanted a lovely little pic to get printed and hang near my new desk.  i knew it had to have coffee in it..lol (of course right?).  instead of searching for something awesome on etsy or pinterest i really wanted to make something truly my own.  so i took the shot above and put a reminder to myself on it.  i can't wait to hang it up (and for all you coffee lovers out there if you'd like a copy shoot me an email and i would more than happily send one your way)! what do you have hanging in your creative space?

i've been working hard over the last few months to make some changes in my life. you know that never-ending journey of trying to find the ultimate work/life balance?  yep, that one.  so far it's been all positive, slow going albeit, but progress nonetheless.  i'm excited for what this year holds for me and when i read this post over on design for mankind last night erin just summed up all my thoughts so beautifully i had to share it.  i found her post so touching and inspiring and really a very special reminder that what i've been working towards is so worth it.  click here to go read her wonderful post. i swear i'm going to print it out and read it when i need a pick me up.  i hope you all enjoy it as much as i did.

what did you think about erin's post?  have you been striving to reach that balance?  are you trying to simplify and slow down to focus on your passions?  please share your thoughts.  i find this topic so interesting and such a great discussion starting point.  i hope you all have a wonderful weekend and i'll see ya next week with some new lovelies to share!  thank you all so much for the well wishes this week -  you guys are the best!  luvs <3

p.s.  the winner of the contemporary cloth fabric giveaway was...............

bless by tone - commenter #186

congrats hun!!!! so excited for you!!! i'll be in touch soon!  enjoy! thank you to all who entered and to sondra from contemporary cloth for the wonderful giveaway!

you can find all things contemporary cloth here:

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moments in the mommyhood || creative space

i'm trying to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel this week :)  and of course eating the cookies from yesterday doesn't hurt.  my hubs loves to take sunset and sunrise pics and i couldn't resist sharing this gorgeous shot he got the other week.  this is taken off our balcony and one of the views that he sees more than i do since i'm not a morning person.  since i sleep later than he does (i stay up later and he goes to bed earlier so it works out) i get to bask in those gorgeous moments through the lens he captures them in.  they always fill me with a sense of peace and i thought you may all love this one as much as i do.

i realized this past month that i have never gotten around to showing pics of my sewing wall.  the area i took on last year and revamped for my own office/sewing space in our condo.  i still plan on doing that but you have to wait just a little bit longer because i'm revamping again! yay!  the hubs and i are hunkering down to brace for tax season. that means lots of  cleaning, reorganizing and purging of our wee home.  but this time we are doing some redecorating as well.  we've got some lovelies that we are hoping to switch up and freshen up in our home as well as something that i cannot wait to show you all in the next few weeks!  i promise this time that i will take shots of all of it and show you where i keep my chaos...lol.

even though i have a good system i'm still trying to keep a lot of it under control.  i have an issue with getting lazy and then not rebolting my fabrics and then i run out of my mini bolts and just fold - and not always nicely i may add (tip: i use comic book inserts for my mini bolts. works fabulous and is really inexpensive! i picked this up from maggie of smashed peas and carrots). plus those pieces that are bigger than scraps and not nice fat quarters always end up in this one spot staring at me saying "shannonnnnnn...clean us up....how are you going to get inspired by us if we are all a big ol'mess....shannnooonnnn" and it drives me a tad bonkers.  so even though my current system is working well it has a few kinks that only living with it can work out and i'm hoping to solve those very soon and show you all what i've done. so excited!

in the meantime though i'm hoping to get better sooner than later so i can get back sewing :( i haven't sewn in 2 weeks and it's killing me. i just haven't been feeling up to it and it's one of those times when i'm thankful for at least my knitting.  the hubs snapped the pic of me and harper napping the other night and i thought it was a priceless moment of us both not realizing the other was asleep and both of us laying and curled up in 3 separate handmade quilts.  nothing better to nap with than quilty goodness right?

i'll see you all tomorrow with another giveaway!!  wahoo!  i'm so in the mood for giving away some more goodies! also stay tuned to find out who won the contemporary cloth fabric giveaway!  

how do you organize your fabric? do you fold or bolt?  do you keep them hidden or out for you to see?  does the disorganization get to you like it does me? let's share our tips so we can all have a fab creative space! plus if you have pics of yours pls share! i loooooove seeing shots of other spaces that they sew or craft in!

moments in the mommyhood || leaping is good for the soul

a little bit of leaping is good for the soul.  really.  trust me...i've noticed lately that i seem to keep leaping and jumping in all of the recent pics my hubs or anyone takes of me.  i think it's funny and also a sign of my personality. i don't enjoy being photographed so i think it is also my way of relaxing when i have to pose for a bit of time and am feeling uncomfortable.  i feel a strong urge to just let loose and then wham! i'm leaping.  it feels good though.  i highly recommend you try it...haha.  just throw a little leap in there next time you need to loosen up or have some fun.

my girlies are growing up so fast and have been keeping this momma more than busy and also challenged.  my oldest is as strong as ever and tests me at every turn but we're surviving and will hopefully make it through this phase.  if any of you have tips on dealing with a "strong willled child" i'd love to hear them.  harper is just a doll.  the kid can get away with anything i tell you.  she just smiles at me a tad and i melt like butter on a hot pan.  i'm going to pay for it later...lol.  in the meantime i've just taken to well......leaping :)  blows the stress right off....lmao.

so whatdoyasay? you want to leap with me? c'mon...i know you wanna....

wishing you all a leaping, jumping, frolicking, laughing and overall good time kinda weekend! what are your weekend plans?  what did you make this week? any projects you want to share? come chat with me!

read more about the SEW FAB e-PATTERN SALE here or buy it now here.

p.s. don't forget to enter our sew fab e-pattern giveaway and also to buy this wonderful deal! 80% off!  $24.95 for 18 patterns!!! wowsa!  there's only a few more days left of this awesome deal so scoop now while you can! 

moments in the mommyhood - how long till bedtime?

i feel like it's been forever since i had pics of the girls to post.  the weather here has not been in my favor alongside the time of year.  with my oldest being in kindergarten now it sure makes it tricky to get good shots of her after school.  it gets dark and really cold fast.  i found myself going through withdrawal of their cute little faces on here and scheduled in a quick little 5 min photoshoot after school yesterday.  they had so much fun posing for the camera and i found myself amazed at how big they had grown when i edited the pics.

 

i know i see them everyday but stepping back and looking at the photos really cemented how old mackenzie looks and how big harper is getting. i mean where has my baby gone? can you believe harper is going to be 3 in may???!!! seriously! i get misty eyed just thinking about it.  they are both definitely keeping this momma busy.  my oldest loves to challenge me on more than a daily basis and i tell you the grey hairs are coming in.  but she loves school and going to full time kindergarten has been great for her.  only problem was i figured she would come home with a tad less energy but instead she comes home even more pumped up.  i can't figure this out...lol...and it's exhausting.  she wears me out..haha.  the two of them together makes me sometimes feel like i can't get a focused thought through my head.  it never sinks in how crazy it gets around here some days until they are asleep and my brain goes...."yesssssss....finally....what took you so long?".  it's like stepping into a hot bath.  i just soak and revel in the silence.  boy do i love that silence.......

.....for a while...and then i miss them and i sneak into their rooms to give them that one last bedtime kiss.  it's so hilarious to me that when they are driving me to the brink of insanity (and believe me they do on more than one occasion) that when i finally get them to go to sleep after an hour or so i miss them. anyone else have this issue?  sometimes it makes me feel guilty for wanting them to go to bed so badly that i get one of those cases of "am i a good enough mom" bouts that we all get...or at least i hope we all do and i'm not the only lone bird analyzing my parenting skills....and desperate need for silence.  speaking of silence....how long is it till bedtime??  ;P

wishing you all a wonderful weekend filled with kiddo craziness but also lots of quiet mommy time.  does your wee one come home from school even more energized than when they left in the morning?  do you long for bedtime some days and if so do you sometimes get the same mom guilts i do? let's chat!  i've got some yummy lattes here with your name on it! pull up a seat and stick around for a while :)

moments in the mommyhood - bloggers day of silence

if any of you know me you know i like to talk a lot.  i almost am never not talking.  but after the tragedy on friday in conneticut i have grieved and am still grieving for the loss of so many innocent lives and have found myself...speechless.  in honor of those families and their loved ones i felt that no matter what i tried to write for today nothing seemed fitting.  so i have chosen to take part in a bloggers day of silence today to honor and to show my love and support to those families who have lost and to hold my loved ones just that much closer to me.

thank you so much for stopping by today and i wish you and your families a safe holiday with those you love close to you.

moments in the daddyhood - foggy fall

the hubs was at it again.  my fave moments in our home are sometimes the ones i'm not a part of that i find later on the camera and now our ipad.  cracks me up every time to see how their little adventures play out.  here's some shots of the latest installment of them on a foggy fall day....

 

victoria is always filled with the most gorgeous and inspiring leaves at this time of year and i could probably easily fill this blog up with just leaf pictures alone...lol.  it's heavenly.  as long as it's not monsoon raining i'm a very happy lady during this lovely vancouver island weather.

do you find unexpected pics on your camera? what happens when your partner takes your kiddos out with you?  are you relishing in the fall weather where you are?  it's a blustery one here today and it's  filled with blue sky, leaves crisp and blowing and warm fresh coffee - want some?

moments in the mommyhood - pumpkin boobies

and yes, these do look like my boobies...muahaha...lmao!

i heart fall.  i don't heart the endless rain and miserable grey misty cold but i heart the glimmers of goodness about fall.  pumpkins, leaves, trees, fresh air, warm knits, and the calm before christmas.  one of our fave things to do in the fall is head out to the local pumpkin farm to pick our pumpkins.  we had a good time even though our youngest refused to look at the camera.  not even once...poor little thing.  she had just woken up from a nap and no matter what i did she wouldn't lift her head up to smile or even scowl...haha.  i'm sure you can all relate to those moments when we really, really want to get pics of our kiddos and they just won't pose.  oh well....such is life..haha.

here's some of our faves from the last few weeks....(i love getting pics of feet...can you tell?)

we did get some other great pics and i couldn't resist sharing them all today.  it's back to the misty, grey rain today but we were lucky to have a break of no rain for trick or treating last night.  i hope you all had a safe and fun halloween and before you ask - no, i didn't make any costumes for halloween and never have.  one day i will though :)  we had a great night and it was soooo fun to see harper have her first halloween that she will remember and to see the 2 girls together trick or treating so fun!

my fave moment - there is a house in our neighbourhood that goes all out for halloween every year and i mean all out.  scary...like adult freaky scary.  it's not for little ones.  it's frightening and each year it's my favorite house to go to. i slowly creep up and wait to get scared. last year someone grabbed and pulled me across the yard....awesome.  now this house happens to use santa as one of it's freaky compenents..and yes, i said santa.  i told you...not for kids..lol.  we were almost at the house and all of a sudden santa came running out of the yard and literally chased 3 kids about a block and a half scaring the wits out of them (these were teens) and i almost peed myself. the screams were so fun!!! honestly...loved it.  that may be twisted of me but it was a riot.

how was your halloween? how has your fall been? do you pick your your pumpkins or have other fall rituals you do?  hope you're having a wonderful week!  let's chat....i've got tea and coffee...want some?

moments in the mommyhood - tissues anyone?

today is just gonna be one of those days where i wish i had bought stock in kleenex.  yep, the tissues are my best friend today. no - not a cold....worse....saying goodbyes.  i hate them.  i also dislike "see you laters" and all other sorts of goodbye greetings.  i especially dislike them when it comes to my parents and others whom i love dearly.  especially when they live far away and i only get to see them once or twice a year.  it's so hard.  so yes, today i'm letting myself just have free range of the kleenex box and allowing myself to not feel too guilty about it.

i'm very close with my parents and we've been so lucky to have them down visiting for almost a month.  it seriously was such a special thing to get to visit with them that long.  especially for the girls.  we got to have thanksgiving with them which i haven't had in like 12 years and many other fun moments to share like the birth of my new nephew (such a cutie pie!).  they got to stay in a house rental half way between my sister and i that was literally a 5 min drive for me.  it felt like old times.

i know some of you have prolly never dared to read my "about" page but i grew up in a very small town with almost all my family living there.  anytime you wanted to visit them you could walk there.  all my friends were within walking distance too.  so being in a city was a major culture shock for this northern bc gal.  it was so special to have that comfy feeling of being able to whip over to my folks place this month just to visit or stop by for coffee and let the girls run in the yard.  it was awesome to have those shoulders to lean on and those hours after school was out to visit and play.  it honestly became my fave part of the day instead of dreaded.

we're in a condo so yards are a gift to themselves these days.  so each day we were over there to visit, play and get spoiled.  we had gorgeous weather and lots of fun.  bonus is my mom is where i get most of my crafty gifts from so i got to wind her new yarn, talk quilty goodness and sewing fun too. she loves to go thrift shopping & had craft parties with the girls! yep...i'm gonna miss her.  she even drinks more coffee than i do..lol.. and the girls just loved having their opa (my dad) to play with, have tickle fights with and do his hair.  my omi (my grandma) was with them as well and it was so nice to get to spend so much time with her as well.

i could go on and on and i'm sure you can all relate somewhat to those people who are family (or like family) in your lives and how hard it is to say "see you later" when you know later is a long way off.  when later means phone calls instead of real hugs, when later means emails and pictures instead of hanging out in real time, when later means who knows when.

so i'm going to pray they get home safe and await the first phone call of many and hope that the "see you later" will be more like "see you soon".  i hope that one of these days everything will align and they will be down here for good instead of just visiting and that my hugs goodbye no longer have to be the hugs where you can't let go.  in the meantime i will bond with my kleenex, hug my babies and try to explain why nana, opa and omi had to go home & let my hubs tease me for crying so much.

- to my folks and my omi:
we love you and we'll miss you guys....come back soon.

anyone up for virtual hugs?  i could use a few and i know some of you are going through similar things or have loved ones away working or living far from home so let's console each other.  how do you make it that much easier on your wee ones when you have to say goodbye?  what do you do to stay in touch besides facetime and webcams?  tea's brewing and i've got a cozy couch...you up for a chat?

moments in the mommyhood - daydreaming

 

 

 

 

 

i'm going to be busy daydreaming this week.  daydreaming about next week, daydreaming about spending more time with the hubs, daydreaming about how much stress will be lifted off of his and my shoulders, daydreaming about more family time, and daydreaming about more moments like the ones shown above. i love island life and boy do i love my little family.  i couldn't help but post these shots that so simply depict my fave part of the weekend.

can you hear the waves, can you smell the ocean breeze, and can you feel the suns rays trying with all their might to fight through those dark, deep green forest trees to soak you in all that is wonderful?  it's amazing how you can go from stress & worries and then sit down on our beautiful coastal island and just feel it melt away.  it's breathtaking and just one of those important places that reminds you not to sweat the small stuff and to just......well.....bask.  bask in the sound of the kids splashing in the surf while dad pretends to throw seaweed at them, bask in the sound of the birds, the freshness of the air, the feel of the sand and pebbles between your toes, the taste of a yummy pumpkin spice latte on your lips and cozy in your hands, the happiness of knowing you are holding a camera in your hand and that these little memories might just last that much longer if you can just catch them. snap. snap.....snap.

 see you all on wednesday <3

what are you daydreaming about this week?  what's it sound/feel/look like where you live?  i've got coffee and tea today...come join me :)

*all images luvinthemommyhood

moments in the mommyhood - big events

things may be a bit up and down around here for the next 2 weeks.  i've got my girlie starting kindergarten (wahhhh!) and the hubs writing the "big exam".  mack starts kindy on thursday and the hubs writes his exam next week.  yep, that's right....it's here.  after 5 long years of endless studying the date is here.  we are so proud of him.  we're also proud of our little 5 year old who's about to embark on her own new journey.  so excited for her and i've managed to hold in my tears around her....for now....lol.  the day of may be a different story :P

in the midst of all of this i've also been spending way too many late nights on the computer working away.  on what you may ask?  well, the sweetheart dress sewing pattern is almost ready to be released! can i get a woo woo!!!!!!  yes......!!!!!  it's going out to testers today and should be up for sale in about 2 weeks.  i'm so excited and also very proud of this wee pattern.  it's been a long process and a lot of learning and hard work.  i also had some awesome help from someone i'll fill you all in on later (thank you ld!).

but that's not it....i've also got my newest fat quarter gang tutorial coming up for art gallery fabrics, a new knitting pattern in the final stages of editing, and 2 new dress sewing patterns also primed to come out for sale as well!!!! can we say busy?  yep.  it's a bit of a gong show around here but worth all of it.  life is always fun (even when you're stressed) when you are doing what you absolutely love and i love what i do so it's a win win.

mackenzie doing her "model pose"...lol!

i blame my busyness (is this a real word??) all on that darn creative process...  you all know what i mean right?  when you're a highly creative type it becomes almost like an addiction.  once you get the ball rolling a whole big world opens up and you just want to make and create all day.  you see it all around you where you never saw it before and your mind keeps processing/thinking/imagining all of the things you could be making.  it's amazing how things just seem so much more clearer and vivid once you get on a roll.  that's why i need a gazillion journals because once i get going i'm like a steamroller...lol.  it's a wonderful feeling.

this sea otter eating some fish drew a huge crowd to watch him chomp down last night. was quite the sight to see all these people pulling over and rushing to the beach all to get pics of a sea otter eating???!!!??? island life :P

it can make it hard to slow down though.  and slow down is what we did for a tiny bit yesterday.  we grabbed the kidlets and set out to soak in the sounds of the ocean and to skip some rocks (the girls love to throw rocks..honestly, they could do this for hours if we let them).  we haven't really had any beach days this year but that's because neither the hubs nor i have had any time off to really have them :)  so when we hit up the beach we go before/after dinner when it's quieter and we just chillax down there.  it's nice.  i like to try to photograph and just memorize those kinds of moments for when i'm at home and feeling a need for a brain buzz.  i'll pull up those images/memories and i swear i can feel the sun on my face as i cuddle the hubs, smell the ocean breeze, and hear the waves echoed by the sound of my children laughing.  feels good.

view from our balcony at sunrise

any of you going through any big changes right now?  i know there are a lot of you with wee ones starting kindergarten this month. let's console each other shall we...lol.  who else has been on a creative surge lately?  coffee's a'brewin! come chat!