HAPPY EASTER WEEKEND XO

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"The great challenge of adulthood is holding on to your idealism after you lose your innocence."
– Bruce Springsteen

TREMBLANT BOUND

We're off to Mont Tremblant for a little Easter R&R.

CREAM EGGS ARE OUT IN CHELSEA

BUNNY WELLIES-WW

THE GLORIFICATION OF BUSY

Check out this link...GREAT READ

ERGOBABY & LEMON MERINGUE

Look who fell asleep helping us make Lemon Meringue pie!  E loves being in his Ergo while in the kitchen.  We've had the Ergo since just after Euan was born and it's been amazing. We use it all the time. It's great at airports, on the trails when the stroller won't fit or every night in our kitchen. I'm a huge fan. We mostly wear him on the side while in the kitchen but you can wear baby a few ways. Now that Euan is getting a little older and growing out of things. I'm looking back on what we used the most. I'm not sure that this necessarily helps others though, every baby and family is different. The lady that I bought the Ergo from used it only once. But it's perfect for our family.

Euan is graduating from Music and Masterpiece this morning and we are moving on to other programs for Spring. I will be sad to leave all of the little kids and parents we've been getting to know but I'm pretty sure Euan won't notice. Change is a good thing right?

If you are interested in the Lemon Meringue recipe it's HERE we also found the pie shell on the same website- the shell recipe was done in the Cuisinart which  made it super easy.

TEA COZY

IN LOVE

Any Home Can Be A Castle When The King & Queen Are In Love.

MONTREAL

I'm lying on the massage table near the end of a glorious massage thinking if she massages my face this will be the best massage I've ever had. She put her hands on my face and encircled my eyes and then gently swept her fingers over my ears, my ears! At the end she made a triangle over my eyes to shut out any light, a tunnel which brought me into a deep relaxation. It was bliss....

I wasn't sure I would follow Strom's thermal process as advised; I'm a wimp when it comes to cold water, but I did. After the hot tub or sauna I plunged into the cold pool and then went directly into one of the relaxation rooms. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon spent with a great group of woman- you would never guess it was minutes from down town Montreal.


Saturday evening we dined at the Fusion Brazilian restaurant Senzala. The food was great and samba dancers entertained us all during dessert.  Montreal is a lot of fun, I can't wait to go back this summer.

MAKE SOMEONE FEEL GOOD FRIDAY

I received this lovely text from a friend yesterday which made me feel awesome. If you have a friend that makes you feel good make their day by letting them know.

'Thanks again for a great day! You are a wonderful, beautiful friend and I will miss you dearly when we move! Xxoo'

Happy Friday- Enjoy the first weekend of Spring. xo

BE WHERE YOU ARE

STROM NORDIC

This weekend I'm off to Montreal with Dawn for a late International Woman's Day celebration.

Destination Strom Nordic Spa. The spa offers a thermal experience, based on the idea of alternating hot and cold cycles, followed by a period of full body relaxation. We will end it with a Signature Strom Massage. It looks heavenly!

I'm starting to feel like I should be a reviewing Spas for a travel magazine. I haven't traveled a lot this year but I definitely have been Spa-ing it up. My blog posts have been all about the pleasures I've experienced but I'm pretty sure I could come up with some fair criticisms; I even have some embarrassing but funny stories for a few of them. What a job that would be- getting paid to review spas- Yes please!

WELLY SNOW DAY-WW

SO THEY SAY, SPRING

,

Happy first day of spring!

The quote below is highly appropriate, in my neck of the woods anyway- It's a blizzard out there today.

My friend Candace shared this picture, it reminds me of my favourite memory of spring, when Anna took me to see the baby lambs in the English Lake District where I once lived in the UK. They were the sweetest thing I had ever seen.


"The first day of spring is one thing and the first spring day is another." - Henry Van Dyke

I brought my flats out a little too early last week but quickly learned my lesson. I'm back in my winter boots sloshing through the snow. Surely it can't last much longer. At least everyone is getting dumped on, except for my Mum who told me today she's been running around in her new spring tshirts enjoying the warm but windy Victorian weather!

PUBLIC FOOTPATH

1. Drink Plenty of Water
2. Eat good food
3. Play games
4. Read books
5. Enjoy silence
6. Take walks
7. Smile- it's contagious
8. Go to bed early
9. Laugh with your children
10. Love life

GRANDPA ROSS'S OLD SWIVEL CHAIR

After many years of being dragged from house to house and in and out of the country we are reupholstering Grandpa Ross's old swivel chair. Let the fun begin. I have looked at so much material today my eyes hurt. I think it's time to contact my friend G who is a decorating guru. Her career is kitchens but she's really got a good eye for everything.  I know the direction we want to go in and I'm hoping G's advice pulls it all together for us.  I know I said I want to take a reupholstery class and I still do but this chair has way to much sentimental value attached to it for me to be fiddling with it.

I'll be sure to post the before and after pics once it's done in about 4 weeks.

SIMPLICITY

MIU MIU

Miu Miu

Cinderella is proof that a new pair of shoes can change your life!

WHERE DID THE WEEKEND GO..

Our weekend was packed solid and was gone in a snap! We were shopping, building, housewarming, babysitting, swimming & sugar bushing.... The only thing missing- an Irish Pub and a Bloody Caesar and I'm OK with that. 

I had a fantastic Paddy's Day at Fulton's Sugar Bush  It is comprised of 400 acres of mixed forest (mostly sugar maple trees) and they produce plenty of Husband's favourite treat! You can dine at the pancake house, shop for treats like maple sugar candies, maple butter, maple brittle or taffy on snow; they even have a skin care line- the Maple Sugar Scrub sounds heavenly. We met up with Heather, Patrick & their kids and went on the horse drawn ride through the snowy property, dined on a feast of sausage and pancakes and enjoyed the outdoor park which included roasting marshmallows around a camp fire.  

It was a cold day today, I would love to go back once the snow melts and have a walk through the sugar maple forest trails and have a go at tapping.. Here are the instructions they offer on the HOW TO make your own syrup. There really have something for everyone. It was super busy so be an early bird. 

Since our little bug is starting to get around a little more ( the wobbly walker) and it's still pretty cold outside we wanted to find him an activity gym we could use indoors. We went into ToyRus on Saturday and found the Little Tikes Endless Adventures Swing along Castle Climber and had it set up by afternoon. He was 

crazy happy with it and Steve had it together in less than 20 minutes. Let's hope this keeps E out of  our baking cupboard.

Oh and our little duck started him swimming lessons this weekend- he did great! 

LET'S GO BACK!!

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!!! xoxxoxo

HERE COMES THE WEEKEND

L and G both went to see pink this week and had a fantastic time. I'm kicking off Friday with one of her tunes. We are going to the Sugar Shack with friends this weekend- I'm hoping the pancakes won't be green... yikes!



Happy Friday!

A WEE BIT OF EMERALD

This color always reminds me of two things: St. Patrick's Day and Taralee. It actually has some wonderful notes about it-

 Green by nature, is the most calming of all the colors on the color wheel. It encourages growth, reflection, peace and balance. It also represents healing and fertility. The emerald was historically believed to help couples who were having problems bearing children or pregnant women who feared a difficult birth.

The stone has been linked to healing and balance with the nervous, digestive and respiratory systems. It is said to help those suffering from depression, much like flowers gemstones can create a whole dialog between people.

This year it looks like Emerald might be the color of the year. Time to get our green on!

SELF REMINDER

This Gossip Girl set is the inspiration for my bedroom.... I love the bed, the textured wall paper and the wall sconces. I have been coveting these little butterflies designed by Paul Villinski for a few years and I contacted him this evening to find out if I'm dreaming or I might just be able to have the real thing.

I've seen some cheaper options- here are a few links to them... Umbra , Etsy & Hometrends. There are so many rooms you can use these in. The master bedroom, living room or baby nursery. I adore them!

JUST TO BE SURE

I never make the same mistake twice.
I make it like five or six times,
you know just to be sure.

SPRING SHOES

The snow has been melting over the weekend and since I was going to meet Jenn at the mall this morning I rummaged through my closet looking for my old flats; deciding at this point I might need a fresh pair this year.

The frustrating thing is ever since having Euan I seem to be in between sizes UK 5.5/6 CAN 7.5/8 and I'm not sure when this will change. I found these sweet little Hush Puppies and squeezed my feet into the smaller size. Jenn suggested Vaseline would cure the tightness of the shoe or I could use an insole. There is nothing more annoying to me than shoes that are too big. I will  stick with the smaller size and try out Jenn's Vaseline idea.

They are very comfortable and I'm hoping they are durable too. My last pair soft pair like this lasted me across Europe!

WELLY WEDNESDAY

This is super cute if only I was one of those people who had luck growing herbs. Last year I just kept buying them from the grocery store. I would get a few weeks out of them before they would dry up. If anyone knows the trick please share! xxC

DATE MONDAY

Spring isn't coming fast enough here so I have given it a little help (around my house anyway).

I have filled our living space with different colour tulips- I can't wait for them to bloom.

Yesterday was Husbands first Monday off and I planned a little date for us. A couples massage and a movie OZ The Great and Powerful. It was the first time Euan has been awake, fed and put to sleep with the sitter-they both did a brilliant job.

Our massages were lovely relaxing for me and very therapeutic for Steve, especially while training for Ottawa race week. Husband mentioned this week he had signed us both up for the Army run this year. I haven't raced since leaving NS but am looking forward to the extra challenge this Fall. I will definitely be joining a Running Room clinic to get ready for it.

The movie was good. I agree with most of the critics- great colour and visual effects but the story wasn't a favourite.

I love Husband taking Monday's off so far!

WELCOME WICKER EMPORIUM

One of my favourite shops from the East Coast Wicker Emporium has opened in Ottawa. It's not all wicker so have a look at the link.

I found these great little trunks online. the big one will make a great toy boy for Euan.

DO

I'M SO GLAD IT'S FRIDAY

This week seemed full of lessons. I am so glad it's Friday.

 Happy International Women's Day! I'm celebrating with my friend Dawn next week. We are having a spa & dinner date in Montreal.

LUNCH DATE

Today I went on a lunch date with Husband; my perfect date. There are a few reasons why I prefer this time. We can bring Euan, we go early to avoid a lunch rush and usually get a intimate table or booth, restaurants offer great lunch deals & sometimes do course specials. I don't feel rushed at lunch (most nice restaurants have a 2 hour dining window in the evenings) Importantly I'm wide awake and in perfect date form (parents will understand) & Lastly we have hours to digest the food.

After lunch we strolled through Westboro and did a bit of window shopping another bonus for a midweek lunch date- the shops are open!

We ate at the Westboro Fish House. I had one of the best Caesars I've ever tasted, the atmosphere & the staff were great and I mostly enjoyed the food. I wasn't keen on the fish batter but the fish inside was delightful. Husband's fish tacos were yummy- I'll be trying them out at home at some point next week.

We left just in time- right before their lunch rush!