crafts are for sharing!

i couldn't resist sharing a wee bit of exciting news with you all!  i've been eagerly anticipating the september issue of the fab mag "canadian living".  the lovely austen (senior editor, crafts & food) wrote to me and a few crafty pals a few months ago and asked us what our fave journals are to use.  i was thrilled to be asked and let me tell you it sure was exciting to see my name in print in this iconic canadian magazine.  i grew up reading this canadian staple - crafts, cooking, beauty...it's got it all. 

i'm going to frame it!  yes...i am that kind of dork...lol!  the article included the awesome jane richmond (knitting designer), holly broadland (president, vancouver modern quilt guild), tanis lavallee (yarn dyer, tanis fiber arts), amy singer (of knitty), tina anson mine (executive editor, food & books) & austen gilliland too!  it was so fun to see what journals everyone chose and i thought it was pretty cool that tanis and i both have a soft spot for eco-jot journals!  you can read more about my affection for eco-jot in this post here.

i find it so interesting to find out how other creatives work, their processes and what accessories/tools they use to aid the process.  i have an addiction to journals and have way too many. in fact i have so many that i write in that i lose drawings/notes because i can't remember which journal i wrote/sketched them in! oops! i never leave the house without one. they are in my purse, knitting bags, kids bags, the car, beside the bed...everywhere...lol.  but you know what's funny?  sometimes i still don't have one when i need it.  do you guys know what i mean?  you carry them around all the time and then the one time i'm without my supply - bam! - i need one and it's not there.  maybe that's why i keep buying them????  sounds like a good excuse to buy some more right...wink wink!

so....spill the beans....what's your favorite journal to use? do you have a fave brand of notebook/journal that you love?  share! i'd love to see/hear what you are all using <3

thank you so much austen & canadian living for making one of this canadian gal's dreams come true! you can find more canadian living here:

website  |  facebook  |  twitter

moments in the mommyhood - it's august...say what?!

we've been busy trying to fill our summer with fun little outings.  with a low budget resource for summer camps i've been busy planning activities to keep us busy during our last summer before kindergarten starts (sob/yahoo).  we've been hitting up the royal bc museum (one of our fave places) to check out the highly entertaining dinosaur exhibit (i had a blast in there & learned a ton) and the kids had a riot too.  We also saw a lovely collection of the diamond jubille pictures of queen elizabeth II by cecil beaton. i really enjoyed this part and found it so interesting to see such personal pictures of the queen and her family. !  if you live on vancouver island or are stopping in victoria for a vacay check it out!  the imax is also lots of fun!

we've also been to the shaw ocean discovery center (thank you groupon for your great deals) & got into all sorts of mischief there as well.  i love the fact that we get to touch and hold all the sea anemones at the end.  i think that is my fave part.  i'm a nervous nilly but always find it so cool when i get the courage up to stick my hand in and feel them all!

we've also been hanging out in the sunshine, playing at the park, hitting the waterparks with daddy so mommy can sew and just plain trying to enjoy our summer during one of the most stressful times for our wee family.  i figure the more fun we can have the more we can take our minds off of what's actually going on this next month or 2 (the hubs big 3 day exam for his CA designation).

 

the fun didn't happen though until both my wee ones got over a bad stomach bug the last few weeks.  it was one after the other with lots of bathroom trips if you get my drift.  needless to say this momma will be happy not to deal with that much s&*t anytime soon..muahaha.  i mean look at my poor little baby.....

cute little thing...ok...i digress...lol.  anyhoo, it's been a busy summer so far and it just hit me that it's already august and i'm starting to panic about the fact that in a few weeks my oldest baby won't be home with me anymore and will be in kindergarten full days!!!! a part of me is so happy for her as she needs the stimulation and activity and i know she will LOVE it but another part of me is feeling like i'm losing my best little buddy.  i mean she's home with me 24 hours a day 5 days a week.  she's always with me so it's weird to think of not chatting with her during the day.  i think harper and i are going to be a bit lost without her for a while.  harper will definitely miss her big sissy and i'll miss her too.

anyone else a bit in shock of the upcoming kindergarten arrival? are you busy prepping for school and relishing these last few weeks with your baby at home with you?  such a change to our little lives, it makes me so wistful and sad but also hopeful and excited.  how are you all feeling about it? how's your summer so far?  come chat....the keurig is in overdrive and i've got iced coffees here for all of ya :) come....pull up a chair <3

moments in the mommyhood - too much fun

hi ladies! i hope you all had a wonderful weekend :)  we did.  it was a fun one and this momma had a great time but boy oh boy am i beat this morning.  i'm taking the day to hang with my girlies and relax, read, drink some coffee, and knit (and maybe squeak some sewing in as well).  too much fun can wear a girl out ya know...lol.

i'll be back tomorrow with some goodies for the rest of the week.  we've got a giveaway and a new sewing tutorial so stay tuned!!!! in the meantime i hope you all have a great day today <3

what projects are you hoping to work on this week?  are you sewing, knitting, quilting, crocheting? fess up...i wanna hear about it! c'mon...coffee's on...let's have a wee chat :)

moments in the mommyhood - ice cream soothes the soul

i thought i would share with you all a few more shots from our weekend.  the friends we stayed with in campbell river have an adorable dog named bailey.  the kiddos love him.  i think harper has a brand new friend now that she's old enough to play with him.  she looooves animals so it was a treat to see her play with a doggie.  the shot above was just way too cute not to post.  i might have to frame that one.

while there we got to indulge in backyard fire s'mores, yummy cocktails, bbq, and best of all.....delicious ice cream on a very hot day.  that day also included golf for the hubby and a nap for momma.  yep, you heard me....a nap!!!!!! it was a miracle! lol!  but the ice cream......delish!  we all walked down to the ocean to indulge in a delicious cone and some sights like the view you see below.




i don't think i have ever seen my kiddos eat ice cream so fast! it was so hot out the ice cream was melting like crazy!!!  even though we were all sticky and covered with it i swear it was my fave part of the whole weekend.  the looks on their faces while they were eating it was priceless.  we had to rinse them off in the shower when we got back they were that dirty.  poor little harper's curls were blowing every which way due to the wind down by the water and the ice cream was just everywhere....but really.....even covered in ice cream how cute is she???

....we couldn't resist getting this shot on the walk back to the house.  what a little sweetheart.  i def think eating that cone was her fave thing the whole weekend.  mack's was getting to run through a friends sprinkler and of course running her beans out in the backyard. there was a lot of soccer playing.  she just couldn't get enough.  i couldn't get enough of watching the smiles and yes, i could go for another cone.  that ice cream was delish - it definitely soothed the soul. 

i feel like i am still in weekend vacay mode.  i can't seem to quite get my groove back for work and sewing.  i feel sort of lazy still and the weather has been soooo gorgeous out it sure makes it hard to sit inside and work.  we are also still adjusting to the hubbies new study schedule and with him home a bit more in the evening i haven't even touched my poor sewing machine.  i did get a tiny bit done the other day but it was def short lived.  i'm hoping to change that this weekend :)  any of you suffering from the same thing?  it's hard when you work for yourself some days to get motivated ya know?

in other news make sure you pop over to brand new site created by my pal jessica from the blog "me sew crazy" called "sewset"!!! it's awesome!  it's your online sewing source!  a directory of all of your favorite sewing tutorials and patterns that is user based.  the more content we upload of our own the better the site is!  it's clean and modern layout is easy to navigate and it's already filled with some awesome content!  so upload your own tutorials and patterns!  it's free for you to do so and all of your content links directly back to you the user.  you can upload patterns/tutorials that are free and for sale. you can also favorite patterns you love on there as well.  i think jessica & her hubby did a fabulous job!  come check it out!  you can find me on there under "luvinthemommyhood".  have fun!!!

what's your fave flavor of ice cream? have you ever made your own?  i rotate between chocolate chip mint and anything else that's loaded with caramel/chocolate kind of mixes. yum! hmmmm...all this ice cream talk has made me hungry on this hot morning....lol.  i'll have to whip up an iced coffee instead.  wanna join me? come chat!

moments in the mommyhood - pain & instagram

me attempting to take a self portrait with the ipad.

i've missed you guys :)  it's felt like ages since i've been online and on the mommyhood.  the last 10 days have not been easy.  there's been lots of tears, pain & frustration but there has also been laughs & some good memories.  in case you missed jane's guest post for me last week i've been having some issues again with my stupid ol'35 year old back :P  remember last fall when i couldn't sew for months and was on bed rest for a bit with that stupid back belt that was like spanx gone bad?  yeah...i'd like to erase those memories too...lol.

kidlets passed out on the floor after a loooong week.

 well for no reason at all the other weekend my back just went again.  not fun for this momma.  pain got so bad i ended up in ER over the long weekend here in canada so i could make it until i saw my doctor when offices were open.   since then there's been a confusing amount of advice about what they "think" may be going on accompanied by a lot of pain meds - yuck! only problem was that i needed the pain meds to obviously not be in pain but they made it so i couldn't take care of my kiddos. so in the end i've been toughing it out and going ibuprofren since the worst has passed. to top it off the hubby had to study and write one of his last big exams during this hell week!  i mean seriously....what else could go wrong right? (oh maggie...why can't i live closer to you?...lol..i need a good chiropractor)

thanks to my sister, my parents & some loving friends whose phone calls, visits to help me contain my kids, and basically them just listening to me rant and cry - our little family survived the last 2 weeks.  it was not easy.  boy oh boy.  i'm pretty frustrated about the whole situation and wish i could fill you guys in on some more but i really don't know anything.  i'm going to see a specialist today and am also waiting on a long list to get a CAT scan to check out the muscles/joints in my lower back so hopefully between now and the next few months this problem will slowly start to be fixed cause man has it been hard to be couped up inside when we finally just had a weekend of gorgeous sunshine & hot weather here!  i soaked up what i could from the deck, a car ride for a much needed cup of starbucks (i went a week without any!!!) and a wee walk near the ocean.  i basked in the fun stories the kiddos came home with about their outings to the waterpark, beach and more with daddy.  hopefully i'll be able to join them soon.

bear nighties...yep...that's how we roll peeps!

but in the meantime i splurged and bought myself and the hubs an anniversary/belated bday pressie (for me - thx mom/dad & nana/papa).  yeppers...i got myself an Ipad!!!! woot woot!  love it!  and the best part of the Ipad - instagram!!! yesssssss!  i'm finally on instagram!  i was seriously getting emails and messages daily asking if i was on instagram yet.  it was killing me to miss out on all the fun and boy is it fun.  i'm hooked and i just started.  it's a good time over there...lol.  you can find me under "luvinthemommyhood".  and now thanks to my awesome new tablet i can still chat with y'all and keep a bit more up to date online even though i'm all gibbled...lol. i've been busy loading apps and exploring the world of tablets and also knitting my brains out on my summer sweater kal project. 

i'm hoping posts will get a bit more back to normal this week but bear with me if here and there i'm a no show.  i'm still no where near better and have 2 kids to watch full time so i'm not sure how my schedule is going to go.  but what i can tell you is there's a great giveaway this week as well as another fabulous guest poster so stay tuned!!! i promise to do my best to keep things rolling around  here :)

so question to you guys - how are you all?  what have you been whipping up these days?  any fave Ipad apps you can't live without?  what crafty apps do you rely on & love?  so far i've been pretty happy with JKnitHDLite, Gaugefy Free, and Tally Lite for my knitting but i'd love to hear any of your suggestions!  hope you've all been well m'dears xoxoxox

moments in the mommyhood - attempting to recharge

we finally got a ken doll in our house.  he's pretty rad.  he came in swim trunks and a shark tooth necklace all ready for the beach.  barbie was pretty stoked.  they got engaged pretty much that day and the girls declared that they were in need of a resort beach wedding. we of course said yes and packed us all up for a weekend getaway so barbie and ken could tie the knot in style.  j/k....muahahahaha...well sort of..lol.  barbie and ken did get engaged and they did get married and we did go away but it wasn't just for barbie and ken.  i haven't gone that kookoo yet :P

a few weeks ago the hubs surprised me with a weekend getaway about 45 mins out of town in sooke.  again...thank you m'love..xoxoxo.  we stayed at the best western prestige oceanfront resort and let me just say that this is not your average best western. wowsa! this place blew my mind.  it was gorgeous and the room we had was to die for.  i didn't want to leave the room.  i swear to god that is no exaggeration. i literally would have been happier than a clam to just hang out in that gorgeous hotel room for 3 days!  the bathroom was amazeballs and we had an ocean view, awesome beds, great modern decor...i loved it.  the whole hotel is done up in colonial style and i felt like i was in a movie...lol.  we had a lot of fun and the kiddos just loved it as did we. i didn't have to clean so i was more than happy. i'm sure you moms can relate. 

i've super busy and hadn't gotten around to showing some pics of our little getaway so i thought i'd get you all up to date today.  oh and btw...it was thanks to groupon getaways that we could afford to stay at this gorgeous hotel.  if you haven't tried booking a holiday through groupon getaways i definitely recommend it.  we even got a meal voucher to the restaurant there and got splurge on a fancy meal too! can you tell we were excited??  mack captured my sentiments exactly!!! flat screen on the wall people!!!! and one in the bathroom that had a shower that was seriously larger than our bathroom at home...no word of a lie...this bathroom was like heaven! double sinks & a separate room for the potty! i think we had more showers there than we ever have in our lives...lol.

we got to get some rest and most importantly get to have some quality time together as a little family.  i highly recommend trying a mini-vacay with your kiddos not too far from home.  we got to go somewhere we hadn't been before and it wasn't a long drive for the kids so no stress for us.  we hit up a local provincial park during our stay and chilled ocean side while harper napped, i knit and mack and daddy played in the surf.  here's some shots of our adventure....

just looking at these makes me want to go all over again :)  we're back in the middle of jer's studies and this weekend was sooooo long.  i'm pooped.  i fell asleep at 8:40 last night! i think that's a record for me since i had children..lol.  harper fell asleep at 5:00pm and slept the whole night.  if that's not popped i don't know what is..haha.  we are looking forward to next month when the hubs schedule is a bit easier on him and on us. 

on the upside we went to madagascar 3 yesterday afternoon and loved it! we all went in 3d! so fun!  i attempted to be super organized and pre-bought our tix.  i picked up jer from school and we all went to the theater.  i went to pick up our tix and the silly machine wasn't working.  so we went inside and asked for help.  the girl looked at my print out and said "you're at the wrong theatre".  WHAT!!!! EMBARRASSING!!!!  wowsa! i'm never gonna live that one down with the hubs.  so hilarious! luckily the correct theatre is kitty corner and all we had to do was cross the street but still...we had almost bought our popcorn etc.  i have no excuse for myself other than i am a mother.  that pretty much sums it up.  i'm sure you can relate...right?

how was your weekend?  do you ever go on little mini vacays?  what's your favorite way to recharge when you're tired?  any embarrassing mommy moments? i'd love to hear about it.  i'm off to enjoy the sunshine with the kidlets...it's finally poked it's head out today and it feels great!  hope you all have some sun too!

moments in the mommyhood - sewing blooms

mackenzie's two cups she's growing grass and other wonderous things in

now that i've changed where i'm sitting while sewing/working i've got a lovely view of our deck and it's yummy contents.  it struck me on the weekend how closely the projects i'm working on reflect the colors we chose to plant this year.  i've found myself hopelessly in love with our new outdoor carpet.  for reals.  i'm feeling it.  i want to plaster my house in this color palette and i can totally see a quilt or some other wondrous item working it's way into our home in these yummy colors.

here's a shot of about 1/4 of the stack that i madly sewed up on friday night.  yep...i rock out on friday's...lol.  the hubs was at work, the kidlets went to bed early and i got to fit in some exercise, knitting and some serious sewing.  i went full force on my quilt.  i'm almost done all my blocks...yee haw and it's queen size so i'm happy with my progress so far.  i just have to trim up a giant mountain of them and then i get to plan where they go (the hardest part for me).  i'll show you a bit more later this week :).  but back to colors...don't these look just like my balcony..minus the grey of course?

purdy right?  i'm still on the hunt for just the right outdoor fabric to redo our pillows and bench seat out there and then hopefully i can give you all a good looksie :)  it's been harder than i thought to find the right color at an affordable price for our budget.  yum! speaking of budget...don't you all love saving money having to buy herbs and veggies from the market during the summer  just look at our tomatoes growing away...they usually get as tall as our railing each year and we love growing them.  our cilantro is another standby that seems super happy this spring.

i also got pretty much finished a new dress for mackenzie that i made as part of a blog tour this month for a lovely friend of mine!  you'll have to stay tuned to find out and see more :)

all in all it was a very productive and creative weekend for me.  jer took the kids all day saturday and i worked like a woman on a mission.  i'm just about ready to release my new knitting pattern and it's killing me to not do it asap! i'm so excited about it.  i also have the sweetheart dress pattern 90% ready to start pattern testing so look for announcements on that on facebook hopefully this week!  all i can say is having a clean and organized work space is life changing folks.  it seriously has lifted a huge amount of stress off of me and i feel so creative and a lot happier.  it was worth the scrounging of every penny it cost.  i hope to get pics up to show you all soon.

i was also able to spend so much more time sewing during the week that i actually got to read a book!!! yes...a non-sewing/knitting book!!! i felt like i could actually unplug and just curl up with a book and i did just that.  it was glorious & guilt free!!!  so thank you ikea!  maybe what they say in their commercials is true??? lol.

how was your weekend?  have you gotten to indulge in anything lately that you haven't had time for in ages?  are you working on re-organizing your creative space?  i'd love to hear all about it!

moments in the mommyhood - time for twos

my little baby girl is 2 today.  i can't believe my curly haired angel isn't going to be a wee baby anymore.  i'll prolly be crying sporadically all throughout the day today knowing that the hubs and i are closing the chapter of babydom in our home.  no more breastfeeding, late night wake ups, new baby smells, constant diaper changes and first smiles.  but there will be more firsts and more fun changes during our adventure in parenthood but i'm still sad to leave all things baby behind.



i fought to keep harper (i was on bed rest with her when i first got pregnant) and i fought to give birth to her (to this day i don't fully talk about my birth story) and i will fight to always hold her close to my heart forever.  this little girl is and will always be "my baby".  her little smile and laugh will forever warm my heart and brighten my day...she is my little sidekick and i'm trying so hard to freeze frame all of these moments and to hold onto what little baby i have left in her as she is very quickly developing quite a confident and strong willed personality...she has to in order to survive in a household with her big sister :P

we had a great mother's day weekend and i got spoiled with a sleep in, very yummy breakfast, and some handmade pressies from the kiddos and the hubby cleaned! gotta love that! we got some family time together and that's what mattered to me most.  the sun was shining and i had a lot of coffee and my loved ones nearby :)

the hubs took the kidlets out on saturday so this momma could get some work done and i found some pictures on the camera....you all know what that means.....moments in the daddyhood!  lol!  they got a new golfing toy and some big bouncy balls and they set out to hit the grassy areas of town.

i got a wee bit nervous when i saw the shot below...

she sure means business with that ball..haha.  harper's face is priceless in this shot.  she's pretty darn mad at that ball.  i always wonder exactly what goes on with they are out adventuring with daddy and i know i will never know nor will a part of me want to.  i'm just too much of a "mom".  too worried about them getting hurt or dirty..lol. 

all in all we had a great weekend and we hope to have a great day today for our baby girl's 2nd birthday.  we asked her what she wanted for her birthday and all she would say is cake. over and over again..lol. she also became very attached to a little mini grocery cart at the toy store on the weekend and we surprised her with that too.  it's great for me...now she cleans up everything on the floor by putting it all in her grocery cart. out of sight out of mind right? muahaha - i'll take it :)

how was your weekend?  did you have a good mother's day?  do you have a hard time when your youngest is no longer a baby and you know you aren't having anymore kids?  let's chat! coffees on!

moments in the mommyhood - puttering

we had a busy weekend but a good one.  my fave part of the weekend was stocking up on our plants and working on our deck again.  we live in a condo so as much as i'd love to be puttering in my own garden we make the most with the space we've got.  each year we try something new and i think this year may be our best one yet.  we've slowly figured out what grows best where and which plants love living on our balcony. 

and before you ask...why yes, that is a venti starbucks frappucino...don't judge...lol...i didn't drink it alone. the hubs and i shared and it was a coffee light :P  mmmm....i love fraps! and i love fraps on 1/2 price! yesssss!  now shift your eyes to the left see all that plant goodness!  yay!  bring on the tomatoes, herbs and pretty flowers!  oh...and i can't forget the grass that mackenzie is so patiently growing. she started it from seed at preschool and has lovingly watered it and taken care of it for about a month now. it's so cute.  so cute this year we let her pick out her own flowers and potted them alone so she can be in charge of that plant.  she's super excited.  she even pushed her own cart at the garden store and helped choose what we bought.



we're going with a fun color palette this year because i finally, finally, finally found an outdoor rug that i love! i've looked for one for eons as well as a table that fit out on our tiny deck and i found both this year in the same week.  see...it's my deck year!  i'm so excited to get it all done and take finished pics for you all to see.  i think i may even recover my bench cushions and whip up some new throw pillows for out there too.  the girls and i plan on spending a lot of time out there this year due to us being on the top floor and roasting from the heat through our skylights.  it gets hot in here and i mean hot. 



here's the ugly before shot of our deck....ewwww...i hate ripping out the old dead roots and always make the hubs do it.  i like the planting and the freshness of new growth :)  i can't wait to sit out there and knit and watch the girls help me tend to our new "babies".  we've got a new watering can and the girls have some too.

the hubs even brought me home a bouquet of flowers the other day! how sweet is that?  mackenzie told him to buy them for me. now that girl is smart..lol.  he also surprised me last week with a little weekend getaway for me and the kidlets coming up!  we're not going far but we will be in a hotel and i'm one happy momma.  he got to go golfing on the weekend so he's one happy daddy! but now we're back to lots of work for mommy, and studying/working for him.  so there is a lot of this going on and more to come...

that's called being worn out folks.  she fell asleep eating her dinner in her booster seat.  poor little duck.  she's being so stubborn with her naps right now that she wears herself out and then just passes out randomly in weird places....adorable though :)

i hope you all had a great weekend too!  do you like to do balcony gardening?  are you lucky enough to have an awesome yard to work in? what do you like to grow the best?  i LOVE growing tomatoes & herbs. they are my fave because I get to eat them...for free :P  let's chat spring!!!  

moments in the mommyhood - you know you're tired when...

you know you're tired when.....you pass out in a swing.  poor little harper fell fast asleep the other day in the swing at the park.  i don't mean just lightly napping either.  i mean out cold.  she went from this.....

to this...

to this...

and she's out.  i carried her the whole way home and she never even blinked.  that's tired.

this has been a rough couple of weeks for our little family and this week is our hardest one of the year so please bear with me.  i feel exactly like my little one looks...exhausted.  wiped out.  burnt out.  you name it....we are pooped.  we are ready for daddy to be home again and to be a somewhat normal family.  this tax season has felt so hard and long.  i think coming right off his studies/full time work and then straight into tax season has made it feel double the length.  plus as soon as tax season is over next week he starts another course and then it's massive study time for 2 1/2 months before he writes his big exam.  i keep finding myself longing for it to be fall and for this to all be over but at the same time i don't want the girls to get older, i don't want the summer to pass without basking in the sunshine holding my hubbies hand and listening to the girls laughter.

i know he's just as exhausted as i am so we're just trying to hold it together till next week but man has it been hard.  i don't know how he does it and i don't know how i do it.  no tips here..lol.  i'm hanging on by a thread this week ladies :)  i feel like each week that goes by i'm just fighting to hold on to  my beans and stay true to who i am before i get lost in the giant pile of what used to be 4 loads of laundry and is now 6 on my bed.  i'm fighting off the "green eyed monster" (aka berenstain bears..lol) & the longing to be one of those families whose hubby leaves at 9 and comes home at 5 and they have the weekends all together.  i long for those days and can't wait till that's our house.  it would sure be nice to not cry over chores and the overwhelmingness of it all.  being a mom is sure hard some days peeps...lol.  i think i need a vacay..lol.  anyone care to join me?  i'd love the company :)

ok enough whining....sorry for my whoa-is-me fest today but it's one of those mornings when things seem harder than i know they are so in order to cheer myself up i've got a giveaway for you all tomorrow and hopefully a new tutorial on thursday!  yay!!!!  plus i'm knitting up a storm and working on sewing up some custom orders too!  so fun! 

the sun is shining here and i've got a little girl beside me just itching to play so this momma is going to go enjoy the morning.  i hope you all had a wonderful weekend and thank you all so much for your sweet birthday wishes for my 5 year old! she had a wonderful bday weekend!

are any of you "hanging on by a thread" this week?  do you have partner whose schedule is really hard?  how do you deal with it?  how do you balance it all out and still stay you amongst the chaos?  are any of you a "tax widow"? i'd love to hear from you <3

moments in the mommyhood: on the mend

i'm going to take some time today to spend with my girls.  it's been a rough week in our house battling the croup, late nights in the ER and the hubs in the middle of tax season.  can we say stressful?  yep.  so today we are taking it easy and going to rest up some more and make sure we are all on the mend. 

it's never fun having your wee one be sick and the croup is definitely not an easy one to deal with.  she has gotten it every year at this time and i tell you it scares us every year and this year was no exception.  i'm scared for her, scared harper is going to get it, scared i'm going to get bronchitis (that's usually what happens) and scared the hubs is gonna burn out.  but so far it's thursday and we are surviving.  we spent yesterday laying in a fort, watching alvin & the chipmunks:chipwrecked, drinking smoothies and had a short jaunt at the park for some fresh air & to run our beans out..lol.  there were coughs and still sickies but i'm still fighting it off and mack is hanging in there like a real trooper.

i snapped a shot of harper daydreaming out the window above and thought it summed up the difficult balance of taking care of one sick child without ignoring the other.  i couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about.  prolly wishing she was outside playing rather than being couped up all week inside while her big sissy is sick. poor little thing.  hopefully she can get some fun time in on the weekend for easter.  

since i was taking pictures mackenzie wanted to as well.  so i let her get a few shots and i was pleasantly surprised at some of her pics.  she made me promise to "put these up on the blog thingie".  she is always telling people about the blog and asking when i photograph her if it will be on there.  she loves it and she was super excited to see her pics go up today.  i think she did a good job taking the shot above this and below of me.  what a little trooper!  i set up the camera settings for her and then she held it and took the shot. 

besides taking care of the kiddos and nursing my own cold i've been knitting like a mad woman.  i'm trying so hard to get my classic raglan pullover done for saturday's knit night so i can wear it.  i finished my first sleeve last night..phew...and am picking up to knit the 2nd one today.  i hate knitting sleeves though...bah...but 3 other pals finished theirs and we thought it would be fun if some of us wore ours...lol.  yeah, that's how we roll...lol.

pattern: in threes: a baby cardigan by kelly without a net

yarn: knit picks swish worsted in colorway lotus on 5mm needles

i'm also trying to finish up the adorable little cardigan below for mackenzie for her bday this month.  i'm making "in threes: a baby cardigan" by kelly without a net in a size 4/5T using knit picks swish worsted in colorway lotus.  she picked out her color and i just love it!  it's pink but not a dull expected pink, but a rich, luscious tone.  super pretty on her.  this pattern has been a fun and fast knit.  i adore garter stitch so any pattern with hits of it in it are a win win for me.  i'm also making the same pattern for harper too for her bday in may.  so in order to not feel guilty about casting on next week for my gemini i need to finish up the classic raglan and the in threes for mackenzie.  it's gonna be a knit fest in here people!  the needles are on fiiiiirrreeee!

the pattern calls for 3 little buttons and i'm stressing already. i obsess over buttons for garments.  i love them so much that i can never decide.  anybody have any suggestions as to what you would use?  colorways?  wood?  not wood?  any shops you recommend on etsy for adorable buttons?  should i  make my own covered buttons with a cute print?  what would you do?

how's things this week in your house? what are you working on? are any of you having a rough week too?  wanna chat about it?  let's cheer each other up...come on over...the coffee is on and there's a seat here just for you <3

moments in the mommyhood - mission impossible

yesterday i attempted mission impossible to try to get both my kids to nap at the same time so i could get some daylight, non-weekend hours of sewing in.  i donned my mommy action figure gear and did my best but i sadly admit i sort of failed.  i did get barbie to have a nap though and the kids did have about 45 mins of quiet time....meaning they laid on the couch together and played quietly while watching a show.  i did end up getting a little bit of sewing time in so i guess my lame tom cruise attempt at taking down the enemy was not a complete failure...lol.  what i didn't beat was a cold i think is trying to take me down.  i'm fighting it people.  so i'm going to take barbie's place today and take it easy and go lay on the couch with my bottle of coffee...lol.  could you imagine?  someone needs to invent a spill proof bottle of coffee that i can just lay and sip with..lmao.



i'm also going to try to madly finish my classic raglan pullover that i'm working on as part of the canadian living classic raglan knit along.  i'm just about to bind off my bottom rib, done the neckband rib (which i have a funny story to share about that next week) and now have to knit up the sleeves.  i'm praying i don't get hit by a bad case of sleevitis...you guys know how much i detest sleeve knitting :P  at this point i just want to wear the darn thing not knit 2 sleeves.  and if i'm feeling up to it i've got a ton and i mean a ton of sewing that needs to be done. lots of exciting things in the works folks! can't wait to show them all to you!

i also want to say a huge thank you to babble.com and to all of you lovely readers who voted for me to be one of the babble.com's top 50 craft blogs for the second year in a row!!! i'm seriously thrilled and beyond excited!!! i'm honored to be included amongst the sheer awesome group of talented women in this top 50!  it made my month!! in fact i'm still skipping around all over the house about it!!!! so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!  if you haven't gone over already please do go check out the line up of winners and also you can read the witty little bio they wrote about luvinthemommyhood here.  cracks me up...lol.

hope you all have a great day and take some "barbie" time for yourselves too.  i'm going back to my couch and oj.  see ya tomorrow!  what parenting mission have you taken on and won or failed? i think this scenario calls for a good commiseration don't you?

p.s. so excited to see you all sign up for the tops, tanks & tees kal!!!  my yarn came yesterday afternoon and i'm super excited to do my gauge swatch this weekend!

MOMENTS IN THE MOMMYHOOD || WITHIN REACH

we had some beautiful and gorgeous sunshine the last few days and the girls and i could not resist getting outside and soaking up those rays!  i tried really hard to forget all my to do lists and the things i have cluttering up my mind and just hit the sand and surf with my wee ones.  in true mackenzie style we decided to collect rocks and other seaside treasures (we collect them in jars all over our house) in a bright pink purse.  heck who says we can't have a rock purse right? lol.  we also love color in our house and i'm sure you could not miss us in our bright stripes, colored boots and girly attire fit for the beach.  i purposely had a load of wash ready to go in as soon as we got home so i wouldn't fuss over the girls and i getting sandy and dirty (i am known to do this..haha) and it is def something i will do again.  i'm always worrying about the mess and forget about the fun and it's something i'm working really hard on getting over a tad this year.  wanna see what we got up to?  can you feel the ocean breeze?

ever since that weird dream i had last week about amy butler telling me to make sure to take time and enjoy life i've been trying really hard to do some serious time blocking and really focus only on the girls when i'm not working.  i've been using our microwave clock timer (the hubs idea) and now set times so we know how long mommy has been working etc. for and how long we have till play time.  that way i don't go over if i have something i need to do (hello, when i get sewing i lose all track of time and end up in time warp saying just 10 more minutes and then it's been a hour!! eeek!) and they know exactly how long until mommy is all theirs.  i can't be theirs all day but i sure can set up fun things for them to do while i do work and while i do things like cook and clean.  then when the timer goes they get mommy for a whole chunk of time to do with whatever they like.  it seems to be working quite well and with these next few months being the hardest of our year the hubs and i are hoping it will make the transition that much easier for them.

so  is it just me or have you all been feeling pulled in all sorts of directions too?  do you have an ongoing conflict between creative me time and fun mommy time as well?  i know i need me time to function as a mother and a wife but i also don't want it to take away too much time from my mommy time...finding that balance...well, it's an ongoing battle isn't it.  one i find that blue skies, red boots and pink rock purses can ease the stress away from for a while.  sometimes answers come to us when we set our minds free and let it all go for an hour or two.  i need to remind myself to do this daily (or at least every few days) or i find myself losing that battle to find that precious balance.  it's there...i can see it...i just need to reach out far enough to grab it :)

what are your thoughts? i'd love to hear them! what's on your mind my friends...let's chat! it's monday - come visit, pull up a chair and grab a cuppa jo and join me <3

moments in the mommyhood - playing hookie

after wind storms, rain storms, hail storms and snow over the last few weeks we finally have some gorgeous amazing sunshine here on the island.  i've been super tired and worn out since getting back from my weekend rendezvous and feel like i've frantically been playing catch up since then.  my inbox has become a giant monster that scares the wits out of me at the moment so please bear with me as i slowly work my way through the emails.  in the meantime i'm playing hookie today with my wee girls.  we're hitting the beach for some sunshine and fun.  we gotta soak up the vitamin d while we can get it because the way our weather has been it will be snowing by tonight..lol.  i'll be back tomorrow with the rest of my fibres west pics :)

anyone else playing hookie today?  are any of you feeling like you just can't get caught up lately?  going to bed early these last few nights has me behind on everything...sad part is that i had just got caught up before i went out of town and the hubs even cleaned the house for me while i was gone (thank you babe...love you)! what a guy!  it's only wed people...how did this happen..muahaha!  i've got a zillion lists to work my way through.  i hope you all have a wonderful and very caught up sunny wed too!  see ya tomorrow :)

moments in the mommyhood - adventures with daddy

i had one of those nights last night where i felt like my home had just overwhelmed me.  a case of the laundry has beaten me down into a corner, the carpet is about to take life, the bathrooms are a no man's land and so on...you know the kind of nights where you wish to god a maid would come miraculously to your house and help you or you wake up the next morning a la martha stewart and have the newfound talent to just do it all.  ha.  didn't happen.  the maid didn't come and i'm not martha stewart..lol.

so instead of the crafty post i had planned today i cheered myself up by plugging in the camera and taking a look at what the hubs got up to with the kidlets on sunday while i was at sewing group.  it was hilarious.  the pictures themselves aren't funny but i can read the back story and hear their narrative.  they had a good time and i just love idea of the shots mixing my little girls bright pink ensemble with flowered boots against a grey, snowy day (yes it snowed later) and a national historic site called fort rodd hill.  i mean bombs, cannons, weapons, lighthouses, military stuff all juxtapositioned against my glowing little kiddos.  only my hubby would think of that :)

needless to say it cheered me up and the house doesn't seem so bad this morning....maybe i will kick it's butt after all or at least make it till bedtime without crying about it..lol.  any of you sometimes just feel plain overwhelmed by it all?  i know, i know, i should just do one chore at a time, or do something nice to cheer myself up, and i will, but sometimes a girls just gotta whine a tad and see if she's the only one going to bed at night cowering under the blanket so she doesn't have to fall asleep staring at 4 loads of laundry waiting....just waiting.....whispering.."you should fold me...you should fold me..." and then the bathroom chimes in..."you should clean me...you should clean me...".  lmao.  ok, i haven't had coffee yet.  don't judge me :)

what do you do to stay on top of things? do you have the feeling that sometimes you just can't do it all & something's gotta give?  is it your home that sometimes falls to the bottom of the list?  let's cheer each other up ladies.  i'm off to get starbucks...want one?

moments in the mommyhood - some cheering up

i had to have some not so pleasant lady experiences at the end of last week that were not so fun.  as some of you may know that are long time readers on this blog i suffer from endometriosis and it ain't fun :(  anyhoo, i've been feeling pretty crappy and thought i deserved some cheering up :)  the shoes above found their way home to me as well as a new matching nail polish - you likey?  i also got 2 new bras to hold my now weaning girls up.

we're on day 4 of the weaning and boy has it been rough.  i don't remember it being so hard with mack.  she seemed to be so proud of herself and told everyone she was a big girl now and didn't need boobie anymore.  harper - not so much.  she's taken the angry road.  on saturday if i came anywhere near her all she did was scream her brains out and literally would not let my husband put her down.  i couldn't touch her or even talk to her.  i cried and she cried.  it's hard for me to wean this time....it's my last baby and i really feel super emotional about it.  i've always loved breastfeeding and her reacting so aggressively has made me even more emotional.  i keep thinking maybe she isn't ready but i know deep down we both are.

she will be 2 in may and i wish i could slow down time for my little baby.  she's smart as a whip this one, a quiet thinker with a playful soul.  i just want to hold onto her in this stage for a bit longer.  i feel like the end of breastfeeding is the end of the baby phase and then whoosh..it's all about daddy.  they don't need me anymore..lol.  stupid hey?  oh well.  the tricks mom brain plays on us.  i'll get over it but in the meantime bear with me if i moan and groan a bit about the return of my boobs and the loss of the baby phase.  thankfully the new bras cheered me up.  at least "the girls" are up where the sun shines and not drooping sadly towards my belly filled with crumbs..lol.  tmi?  hahaha...you ladies with big jungas will know what i'm talking about..lol.

we've had hints of spring mixed in with our chilly weather here.  plants are sprouting up and even some of the flowers on my deck are starting to poke their weary heads above soil.  the hubs and i got to go on our first date together in like 2 years.  yes, it's been that long.  it's horrible.  we use to go once a month but somehow it's just gotten the best of us.  it was sooooo nice to go out without the kiddos (thanks cami) and to have an actual adult conversation.  we have a rule on our dates - no kid talk.  we try not to discuss the kids or chat about them directly.  we do that enough at home..lol.  we like to make it all about us.  it was a lovely few hours of bliss that we definitely needed especially now that the hubs has started overtime again for work.  tax season is just around the corner - yuck!  

i've been working away on my rocky coast cardigan but in my obsessed state decided to work on my sleeve after a procedure on friday and needless to say it probably wasn't a good idea...a bit of drugs can alter your knitting state.  i messed up my sleeve and now have to rip back a few inches.  darn it all...lol.  i wish i wasn't so picky about these things cause i would be done the stupid cardigan by now...haha.  but i love it too much to not make it as perfect as i can do it.

i feel like i'm floating in a sea of cables....see what i mean?

aren't they purdy??  i'm also working on a new sewing pattern for you guys using this lovely and oh so darling print from birch fabric from their new line - commute.  this print is called by bike and it's designed by jay-cyn for birch fabrics.  you pick up some of this awesome new line at birch fabric creator cynthia's fabric shop - fabricworm.  it's 100% organic and super soft!  i'm loving it and i cannot wait to release the pattern asap.  i also realize in this picture that my iron is in need of a serious vacay..lol.  crappy ironing job iron.  i'm all out of linen spray and am really missing it.  i think i've been using it so long my iron is going through withdrawal.  it doesn't know how to function without it now.  what kind do you guys use?  anyone recommend a fave?  i really need to get some and don't feel like making it myself.  would love any tips :)

by bike from commute by jay-cyn for birch fabrics

what are you guys working on?  how was your weekend?  any crafty mishaps happen at your house too?  did you catch the season finale of downton abbey?  i just have the xmas special left and let me tell you i'm dying to watch it! the hubs has decided he doesn't like the show so i after i watched the last regular episode i didn't have a chance to sneak it in on the weekend. soon though...soon...i must know what happens with lady mary....ohhhh, the romance of it all!

moments in the mommyhood - truckin' along

happy monday everyone! how are you?  hope you all had great weekends :)  it's been so busy around here on the blog that i realized i haven't posted any pics of the fam lately.  of course the kids and i all getting hit with a stomach bug didn't help either...lol.  so here's some pics of what we've been up to lately when we haven't been ill.  lots of rain, lots of boots, some snow, some beach fun, some outdoor good times and some...well...i'll let you check it out for yourself :)

a majority of the pics were ones i just recently found on our camera courtesy of the hubs and his "moments in the daddyhood".  if you are a reader of the blog you know that's a common thing that happens in our house.  my hubs takes the girls out on little adventures and takes pics that i don't know about.  then when i go to upload the pics the next time i do a shoot i find all sorts of wild photos of them gallivanting all over town..lol.

i'm starting to feel a bit better now but still really tired.  we've been busy getting my oldest registered for kindergarten and learning to deal with all the emotions, as a parent, that you go through knowing your first born is going into kindergarten.  where we live kindergarten is 5 days a week for full days.  i'm gonna miss my little mischief maker but also know she is more than ready to go to kindergarten.  i'm also getting excited for march.  a few girlies from my knit night and i are all heading on a wee adventure over to vancouver for fibres west.  yarn, the city, good friends, a hotel stay (weeee!!), shopping, meals out and just being in my old stomping grounds is going to be such a fun treat.  it's also going to be my first time away from my kids for a night!  i'll prolly bawl my eyes out but at the same time this momma is really looking forward to a little getaway - especially one filled with yarn!!!

what have you been up to?  how was your weekend?  do you go on any little getaways with your girl friends?  any yarn events you know of british columbia that are worth checking out?  let's chat...coffees on <3

p.s. tomorrow i've got a brand new sewing pattern for you all!!!  it's something special i've been working on since xmas that i hope you are all gonna love so stay tuned!

moments in the mommyhood - still alive

hand knitted rug/blanket from le souk

hi you guys.  just popping in to say i am still alive.  i survived yesterday which was honestly one horrible day.  so i'm happy to still be standing.  it ain't fun taking care of two wee ones alone while you are feeling sick and have had no sleep.  darn stomach bug.  it's taken over our house and i'm just plain sick of getting sick.  after the kids being sick last week and now me, we are sure sick of vomit in this house. anyhoo...enough whining from me..lol, i just wanted to say that the "warm up to winter knit along" post will hopefully be up tomorrow and if not will be up next week.  so sorry for the delay you guys. feel free to keep knitting :)

in the meantime i have done none of it.  yep, you know you are sick when you do absolutely no knitting or sewing.  and in case you are waiting on emails from me, i'm so sorry.  i am horribly behind in my inbox and i'm trying to catch up when i can so please don't think i'm ignoring you. ok, off to get as much rest as i can with kids...lol.  see you soon <3

in the meantime i'd love to hear what you guys have been working on?  show me pics, link up to your posts, leave me a comment.  i love seeing what crafty goodness you are all up to. 

moments in the mommyhood - technical difficulties

we had some technical difficulties around here yesterday.  or i should say my laptop did...and then some pictures i needed got lost in the abyss called "recycle bin" by accident so the hubs got to pull a superhero act and redeem himself for deleting them by rescuing them and also my laptop.  i made him watch the bachelor for half an hour as punishment...lol.  poor guy.  in the meantime while i work away on the posts that were supposed to be ready here's some pics of the hubs and the kids latest adventure.  please note that these were taken on an oddly warm day and that's why the kids aren't in winter parkas...lol, and yes, mackenzie's hat is too small for her head.  it's a baby hat that she refuses to NOT wear anymore. ah the joys of kids :P

getting ready to get into mischief...

bouquet for mommy!

the expression on harper's face kills me in this shot.

time for laundry...hahaha.  yep, they always come home flush faced, laughing and very dirty.  that's what outings with daddy are for.  i have never been able to let that go....i always envision the cleaning and laundry while they are doing it and can never refrain myself from stopping them...i know, i know, it's good for them but that's just something that mommies are for i think..lol.  someone has to maintain balance right?

hopefully my laptop will behave today and i'll be back tomorrow with the announcement of our newest knit along!!! woot woot!  anyone have any guesses on what it's gonna be?  oh and quick question...do you guys prefer to add pics to the flickr group and/or ravelry group or would you like for me to set up one of those link party things?  my only worry is that i think you  need a blog to enter the link party as it links to your post.  how do you guys feel about that?  i guess those who don't blog could enter their pics to flickr/ravelry instead? ok, so excited!  can't wait!

so ladies are you a "try to keep the kids somewhat clean" or a "let them get as dirty as they want" kinda mommy?  got any tips you can share about  how us sticklers for staying clean can let go a little bit?  i'd love to hear them!  happy tuesday!

moments in the mommyhood - the party is over...

happy new year's everyone!  i can't believe how fast the holiday season went by. we had a great christmas with family and i hope yours was awesome as well!  i'm going through a bit of the melancholy post holiday blues the last day or so...lol.  the hubs is back at work today and boy do we miss him. i am seriously going through hubby withdrawl.

all curled up with their quilts

i'm sad all the late nights and family time is done.  we spent a lot of time just hanging out and enjoying each others company.  there was a lot of coffee drinking, treat eating, game playing, family visiting, snuggles, knitting, playdoh making, coloring & lots of fun!  we also started doing a very early spring clean.  clothes were sorted, toys were cleaned out to make room for new ones, boxes were packed and the christmas tree was taken down :( 

on the weekend we moved our baby girl into a big girl bed.  she's now in a bunk bed with her big sissie.  the transition has been good and the one taking it the hardest has been me.  i admit, i cried.  the sight of that empty baby crib and knowing that i will never have a wee babe fill it again still brings me to tears but on the upside it's been awesome having our bedroom back to ourselves again and harper has sure loved being in her very own big girl bed. 
 

all in all i'm exhausted but it's a good exhausted...lol.  having fun can be tiring :P i'll be getting back into the swing of things around here this week but today i'm taking it slow and easy with my two cutie pies while i miss my hubs.  there will also be some knitting for a prize winner...that's right...the winner of the luvinthemommyhood thank you giveaway is.....

kristy fiona!!! yay!!! congrats kristy!!!  i'm so excited you won!!!

"I love them both, but if I had to choose ... the Mallory cowl, in a lovely heathered jewel-tone.I hope you and your sweet family are having a lovely Christmastime, my dear! <3"

and for all of you out there crossing your fingers for an adult mallory cowl pattern stay tuned...i'm knitting it up as we speak :)  yay for cowls!  also i have a lot of sewing goodies to show you as well...that's right...i got to sew!  my physiotherapist gave me the go ahead to do a little bit here and there.  i'll take it :)  i've also got some knitting goodies to show you as well as the announcement for our next KAL coming up too.  so stay tuned!!!  2012 is gonna be lots of fun!!! i can't wait to share it with all of you!

so....how was your holiday?  let's catch up..i've been missing you all!  coffee's on.....