a little blurb-obessed.

my cover shot.

the other day i poised a question - a very poignant question, in my eyes.

if you were to make another blurb book what would it be about?

great question.
it really made me think. what would i do? {i love blurb books. could sit around for hours perusing it's wonderfully glossy pages but then i love everything about family documentation.}

yes, i could do this vacation or that. yes, i could this birthday or that. one about kids only. our wedding.
there were so many possibilities.
but non struck me as yes. there was no thunderbolt.

this plagued me all day {yes i know #firstworldproblems} but i just couldn't get it.

then i did. it was my aha moment. a "why did that take me so long to get?" moment.

quebec. that was the answer.

three years ago we threw caution to the wind, moved across canada from vancouver to montreal for work and knew not a soul out here. to start again. new beginnings. like the settlers that came over years ago to start fresh and get a foundation. grow their roots. settle.

we took a chance, rolled the dice and it has been quite an adventure.

one i believe worthy of a obscenely large, not-to-fit-on-any-shelf-anywhere, compelation of our lives so far in la belle provence.

this is what my book is going to be about.
it's only going to take me the rest of the year.
we have taken that many photo's. done that many things. lived life that much.
together.


i am up for the challenge.

:)


********************************************************************************************************
the bonus: from now till the end of the month save 15% on your Blurb Photo Book purchase with the code APRIL15. This offer is good for 15% off your product total up to a max discount of $200 USD, $250 CAD & AUD, or 160 Euros. Each code may only be used once per user and on books made by you.  Offer expires at 11.59pm (local time) on April 30th, 2013. Offer may not be used in conjunction with any other offers, volume discounts or retroactively applied to any previous orders. 


Please note : this is NOT a sponsored post, but links throughout are affiliate links which means if you buy a book through one, I will make a small commission on that sale. Thanks! And have fun bookmaking!! 

finding my balance.

i have come to a decision.
a big decision.
i have decide for the month of march to take a step back from this space.

i have been thinking long and hard about this and right now it's for the best.
believe it or not this actually does take up a lot of time.
time that, right now, i need to spend elsewhere.
i have so many projects that i am doing, that i want to do, that i HAVE TO COMPLETE and i am falling further and further behind.
i need to catch up.

i am not going to disappear completely.
i will pop up now and again in the same fashion as a photobomber.
you won't realize it but i will be there in the background - lurking.

i just need this month to get back in the swing of things, sew my ass off and find the balance between home, projects and blog.
i need to re-organize and prioritize.
i need to place my focus somewhere else right now.
i now you understand and i'll see you soon!

xo

down on paper. official.

as i mentioned before this is a year of goals for me.
i am going to set out 12 goals per month to tackle and hopefully by creating an "official" list i will adhear to the program.
this is NOT a to-do list.
i have one of those for everyday. this is more of a month list. a list to get me motivated to FINALLY check things off and get things done.
i am quite excited.

{i am also quite proud of myself for figuring out how to do the above collage. very worthy of a pat on the back!}

back to the list.
now, of course, i don't think i am going to get to everything on the list but by having the list in front of me i will see what it is I WANT to have done and will stop monkeying off and doing other things.
like this morning when i was clearing out the basement storage room and rather ruthlessly throwing things away...i don't see that ANYWHERE on the list.
you get my point...except that that had to be done and maybe it not being on the list was a slight oversight. oops.

also i want to point out that the list you see is not entirely accurate as during the first few days of january TWO things were crossed off the list already and when i went to make this list from the master list {you should see that one! ha!} my eye passed over them as they were crossed off. but...i did want to put them on here and have to ability to already cross some red through them to show off just a little. yep i did. oh well.
by the way...they were: that tony {with a little help from me} installed the TWO new light fixtures i had ordered about 4 months ago that were a little slow coming to our house but have both been here for about two months - they look so good and we love the living room one so much that we are going to get the same for the dining room...to tie the space together...our main floor is basically one giant room.
and the other was that i ordered the book i want...but more about that one later.

i also want to point out that this list has many layers. many stinky oniony layers. some months are going to be more do this, do that. some are going to be feel this, watch that, be that. some months more sappy and life-planning than others. some more tim-the-tool-man than the one before. the point is it's for me. for what i want to do that month. {there's that word again - great word!}

so there you have it. a big list. a big list to keep me on track for what i want accomplished month to month. that is after the daily to-do list is done.

*there are not enough hours in the day.
yikes......

 

made.

i think you have to sit down for this.
i have a confession to make.
a BIG one.

contrary to popular belief.......not all brilliance comes from me.
there are many people who influence what i do and what i have done around my home.

there - i said it.
shocking i know.

take a moment and let these words sink in. i know what you are now asking yourself "how can she be so bold?! how can she reveal herself to us like this?".
well i am turning over a new leaf.
i am letting you in on a glimpse of things i have made of others. influences i have had over what i have made for myself and our home.
things i have found via pinterest or my close circle of amazing bloggers.

toilet roll owls.

these guys are so cute! when i saw this post from babble i knew this was one for us forsure. i have been hoarding all of our used rolls from toilet paper and paper towels and this was a perfect fit for the toilet ones. the paper towel rolls are destined to be spotting scopes......{more on that later!}

art display wall.

when mary lauren brought this to my attention i was floored. i had a wall screaming to be a part of this and only one thought came to my mind...why hadn't i thought of this? because i am not the genius that is mary lauren. that's why. {her's of course is way better than mine!!}

ruffled aprons.

okay so i have to reveal my blog crush to you all...it's meg from whatever. i love everything she does! i LOVE her craft house...just read that again...yes she has a craft house! it's all white & colours and homemade and just plain wonderful. she hosts craft weekends about once a month for a group of 12 women {picked by lottery} and they make the most amazing things. she has inspired me with so many things & one of them are these aprons. she has kept the secret to them, out of respect for the women who attend the weekend, but i made my version for me and my gals. i have such mad respect for this women that i will keep my secret too. i hope one day to make the trek to her home in kansas to participate in all the fun!

mason jar soap dispenser.

creating things with mason jars, other than filing them with food, seems to be all the rage. so, of course, i had to jump all over that action as well. there was probably a tutorial somewhere on pinterest {where i was bombarded with all the ideas} but i didn't follow them. i took a nail to the top and just kept hammering this i had a hole big enough to accommodate my spout {borrowed from a plastic dispenser...thank you.} i trimmed the hose {?} to fit on the jar et voila! done. i did at first glue the spout to the top but the water from people's hands made it come loose and i haven't found anything else strong enough. it seems to stay in though without it - i'll try again later......


so that's it for now!
maybe next time i will let you in on some of my favorite recipes {the ones i haven't tweeked myself!}

this weekend i am planning to stick close to the homestead and finish up things and put things away.
that's the plan anyways.
what are your plans?

happy weekend!!

xo

pinterest inspired: stove-top house deodorizer.

i love pinterest.
did you know that?
do you love it too?
are you following me?
am i following you and all your loveliness?

if i was forced in life to join a cult it would have to be the devoted followers of pinterest. in actuality i would probably become it's leader. this is something i could get behind to guide. to shepherd.
being able to access so many wonders at one place fills me with spiritual belief.

i picked up this little ditty from there and want to share it with you today.
the reason for my sharing something that has already been done is to show you that it really does work! alot of my pins i want to try but am hesitant. what if it doesn't work out? what if i wasted all that time, $$ and energy on something? has this really been tested?  it's for this reason that i am going to test and share and rate for you.
to help.
i am a mom after all.

this was posted by a girl who used to work at williams-sanoma {love!!} and she is sharing the secret of the store smell {double love!}.
do you notice things like that? the signature smell that some stores have?
i do.

so of course on monday when it felt like spring was in the air {but still not warm enough to open up the windows} i threw a pot of this on the stove and let it simmer away! the house smelled glorious! all spring like and delicious.
i caught my self dreaming of the large pots i'm going to do; bursting with rosemary and thyme that i will scatter all over the property. 
the scent so yummy that i am doing it again today!

here's the recipe but i did share the link for the original source up top.

one lemon sliced.
a few sprigs of rosemary {i really like the smell so i used about 5}
2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract.
water.
pot.

fill your pot with your ingredients then fill 2/3 of the way with water. bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and let it just bubble away! keep an eye on it and a jug of water close by and when you see your water level getting low top it up with some more water!

keep your eyes and ears open for more pinterest reviews!!!
i'm excited to share.

our valentines house....

we are ready.
we had our valentines on saturday night.
we ate cake.
we played with balloons.

i love to decorate with all the red and all the hearts.
love it.

martha's easy chocolate cake.

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for pan
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream
chocolate glaze (recipe following)

1} pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. butter an 8-inch round cake pan {or heart shaped like us}; line bottom with wax/parchment paper. butter paper; dust with cocoa, tapping out excess. set aside.
2} in a medium bowl, sift together cocoa, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. in a mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 to 3 minutes. beat in eggs, one at a time, until incorporated - scrape down the sides as you go - then beat in vanilla. add the flour mix alternating with the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour mix.
3} spread batter into prepared pan. tap pan firmly on the countertop several times to release air bubbles. bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean - about 30 to 35 minutes. remove from oven. cool 10 minutes in pan, then out of pan to cool completely. set rack over a rimmed baking sheet and pour glaze over top; gently spread to coat completely. let stand until set.

chocolate glaze
4 ounces coarsely chopped semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream

1} place chocolate in a medium bowl. in a small saucepan bring cream to a boil. pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. let cool until thick yet pourable, about 5 minutes.

these days....

it has been so cold here lately.
like waking up to minus 19 yesterday and we just couldn't get warm.
i turned the heat on everywhere - i hope i didn't spend a mint. oops!
finally we did warm up.

yesterday was just one of those day. you know the ones? where the tv is on all day long and everyone coasts from one room to another and actually being well behaved, playing nice together?
yesterday was that day.

i seem to have written myself a to-do list a mile-long and have been doing everything but what is on the list! i fixed coop's curtains from his room - they were driving me banana's. i was so excited to cross them off only to see that they had not made it on to the special guest list of things to be done. shoot!

i have decided to take this basement area under my wing and make it more functional. i want to use it more and be more comfortable in the space. i started here yesterday and have already carted out 3 big bags of garbage - bonus though is i found the pictures of the kids with their cousins that i have been looking for for a year. yes a year. why do i save so much stuff? wait, stop! don't answer that!

things i dream for this room - the back wall is aqua {yep you heard me! i hope the husband is on board with this.....}, there are two white floating shelves from the middle of the wall to the right, then there will be a photo/inspiration collage to the left. i would love a new table! - underneath the table cloth is my folding collapsible table that i used for the farmer's market and it bends in the middle when you press to hard - hopefully i can find something at a junk shop i can paint. i would love this bookshelf on the left wall, turned on it's side for a sewing table and i believe the shelves are high enough for my project life binders. i'm going to get some fabric for the window this weekend and i think it should be a yellow/white colour. right now it is stuffed with packing paper because on the opposite wall from my table is the computer table with all the husbands sound editing equipment and we didn't need looky-loo's peering in the little window and checking out all our swag.

aydan is still home from school and will be going back next monday. this holiday has been long! i love having her here but have really grown accustom to her going to school - does that make me a bad mom? it's been fun but i think she is ready to go back as well.

i told her to go and pick up some clothes to wear and this is what she came down in:

she always come down in something like this. she's hilarious! she has decided that she wants to be called fancy aydan after fancy nancy because she is dressed as fancy as her. love her.

highlight of lunch: coop's chicken piece was shaped like a heart. quite extraordinary really.

the boys made lego airplanes. they were everywhere.

in the afternoon big fluffy snowflakes started to fall. i love big fluffy snowflakes. love gazing out into a landscape of big fluffy snowflakes.

i discovered picnik and made this collage. i really like it and might gravitate there more often for things like this.

it warmed up a bit - enough for an evening skate - so we all went outside and enjoyed the rink.
wait - haven't i told you about the rink? friday i promise.

for dinner i wanted to have a green bean salad with toasted almonds alongside our leftover soup & i actually blanched and shocked the beans in cold water! i always want to do this but never go to the trouble because i find it confusing when making a big meal but since the meal was basically done i went for and it worked! it was really good. also i refreshed my baguette using a new technique i picked up from jamie oliver and i will share that with you friday. promise.

this morning we woke up to -8 so not too bad. also i had stuffed towels {very chic i know!} under the door jams and it seemed to keep the heat in. this weekend i am going to make some door and window snakes to keep this heat in - i'll tell you all about that on monday. i'm going to make this weekend a sewing one. quite excited about that.

for some reason i really needed this today.

i work at home - did you know that?
the upside: i get to spend the days with my kids.
the downside: i am constantly re-organizing and re-decorating my house in my head and stressing out about it.
i have already made my list for finnegan's market which opens the first saturday in may. i plan to go the first saturday of every month. i hope the husband is okay with that. i wish i knew about other junk shops in the area but that doesn't seem to be the vibe of this part of the world. they are nuts.
also we need a new rug and i have been on the internet trying to find a style that i like - harder than it looks. we need new drapes for the living rooms as well but i don't know what colours to go for because i don't know what to go for on the rug and we need a lamp there to (i would like a junk shop find that i could paint and make a shade for) and i don't know what to look for because there is no rug or curtains! what do you start with first?.....
and ta-da! that's how you get stressed out about it. the end.
i think i have an idea for the dining room - so maybe we should start there.

but what i need to do is...focus. there's that word again. i actually used it about 10 times yesterday and embraced it. off topic. focus. what i have to do is focus on one room at a time - get it done and move on. the problem is that all the rooms are almost there so i find myself creating mini-lists for them all and then getting worried and flustered. i need focus.

the living/dining i think will be my first points of focus .
after i paint the two walls downstairs and put away christmas.
yep. christmas is still up around here.
the garbage men don't come and get the trees till the 9th so i bought myself a little time.
i love holiday. the feeling of it. the twinkle lights.
especially the twinkle lights.

oh and the computer is not seeing the printer - so now i have to deal with that.
and aydan's crying over not getting the sparkly mask first.
my list has just gotten bigger. i better go.

my dirty little secret.

i have a secret. a dirty little secret. something i have not really announced to the world - have kept to myself - but some people have actually found out about and have decided to follow me around with it.

i spend my time doing it and am addicted. i really didn't need one more thing to take up my time on the computer, in my day. life - but how can you resist? i have my usual hit list and sometimes i find it trying to connect with those wonderful writers and creators on a daily basis but once i explored this world i could not resist throwing my hat in the ring and hoping, hoping for an invitation. a vip - if you will - into this addition. into this world of inspiration. it's one giant place that does not take up space in my house or computer that i can save and display all the lovely things in find in the giant world wide web that i want to stare at, savour, soak in the inspiration from and one day attempt. it's perfect and i love it.

it's called pinterest and i am an addict. hi my name is jen and i have been a pinterest addict for months now. i am coming clean. i love this site. love it. i have "pinned" my boards with ideas for the home or crafting and recipes to savour or for your sweet tooth generously offered by other members or have procured some of my own blog or while exploring the web.

i am excited to soon launch a series here on my site called the best of pinterest where i will do something that i have pinned and that has inspired me. sharing all my pinterest goodies!!

have you started "pinning"?

Six months gone + july.

I still can't believe that six months of 2011 is gone. History. Part of our history.

When Christmas ended and January rolled around the prospect of June/July seemed so far off. A dream. The distant future. Maybe because it was so cold I never thought we would see sunshine again.....

As I reflect on the last six (seven) months I am amazed and in awe at the progress, fun, growth, laughter, tears and love we have experienced.....

Two kids learned how to skate on the slaved over outdoor rink.

Coop's French continues to improve.

Aydan excelled at school and left kindergarten reading!

Teeth got wiggly and lost - but that one elusive one still remains empty.

The husband made a move at work and their is possibly another in the works.

I found my voice and hopefully something sustaining can grow from that.

We have become a part of this new community and really feel at home.

I am so excited that I had started with project life at the beginning of the year and that I have kept up with it. Best decision! To be able to sit and leaf through the first binder symbolizing the first six months of 2011 is priceless. To be able to reflect on where we were to where we are now is.......I can't find the words. I'm excited for the next six months and what our future as a family holds.

Tomorrow is the official start of our vacation. If you had asked me at Christmas if we were going on vacation I would have said no because that was the situation. The husband's work had a deadline and there would be no vacation - jump ahead six months to where the deadline has been pushed up twice and we get to go!! I myself have had this week off and not until yesterday did it start to feel vacationy - I did a lot of what I had to and not much of what I wanted to. Next week though, different story, I am going to do a lot of what I want to and not much of what I have to. The kids are going to eat way too much peanut butter, too many hot dogs and hamburgers, and too many treats. But isn't that what vacation is all about?

also on monday i will be turning 34...when did that happen?

all next week i am going to be showcasing 5 fabulous women as guest bloggers while i am playing with my kids and splashing in the lake. stay tuned!!

the faucet. the Pilar Single Handle Pull-Down Kitchen Faucet with Touch2O® Technology and Soap Dispenser, to be exact. but who's bragging?

the genius of advertising. the hook.

everyday we are bombarded with product after product and the pitch on why this is the one most important thing we must have. some succeed. some fail. here we had success.

the product. the pitch. the people. the victory.

years ago when the world was accepting the launch of the household disinfecting wipe i was neither impress or repelled. i felt nothing for it or against it. neutral. then i saw an ad that hooked me. it hooked me to the point that all i could think about was that i had to have those wipes. right now. as the woman on the ad began to wipe her kitchen down with a chicken thigh leg combo i started to get the sweats and the shakes. i began to think about my own kitchen and the state of affairs it might be in unless i got this product and treated the problem right now. hook. line. stinker.

as i said before when the product is good and the angle is right you have a winning combination.

as many people do - i dream big as well. for a while (like 15 years a while) i have always had in the back of my mind what i would want in a kitchen if i ever got so lucky to design one for myself. and it all spins out of food hands. what are food hands you ask? they were my life. my constant companion. having a caterer mother you are obliged to help and with that comes food hands. working in a fish market - mega food hands. starting my own baking business, once again food hands were there. the only problem with having food hands it that you need your hands to turn on the faucet on the sink to wash said food off the hands but then in turn leaving the food on the faucet. a vicious cycle. therefore - back to my dream kitchen - i had come up with a solution to food hands. a button on the floor to control the water flow from the tap so one would not have to touch the tap, just step on the button and we have eliminated the problem! brilliant i know.

delta has bested me.

they came up with my new kitchen companion. my new food hands helper as you would. the pilar
collection of faucets by delta. when i heard about this product i was it's newest victim; vowing to myself that this would be in my kitchen. we checked them out and decided on the pilar single handle pull-down kitchen faucet with touch 2O technology and soap dispenser in the brilliance stainless finish. the day we got it was a happy day. we plunged right into installing it and i have to admit i was a bit weary of the task to start with - i'm not a plumber by any means - but i am afraid no more. after following the clearly marked step by step instructions, what geniuses they are at delta - 1.2.3. - it was in!!! i couldn't believe my eyes. it was in, stable and there was water coming from it! there it was in all it's glory in our kitchen! yes i get excited by faucets and yes i am doubly excited about this one. all i have to say to the bathroom sinks is watch out!

the beauty about this is that it's all controlled by sensors. i was under the impression that you tap the top and it starts for you so you don't have to use your hands at all. they weren't lying. and not only is it the top you touch; i came to realize it's all over the neck and on the handle too! the thing is amazing! we ended up getting the three hole model as that is what our current sink handles so we got the separate single handle plus the soap dispenser and the sprayer attached to the neck. all i have to say is love love love. i have done more dishes in the past three days then ever - and if you know me you know that i have a hate affair with dishes. no more my friends.

just because i love this so much i copied this off their website to share with you:

Pilar® is a distinctive kitchen faucet that coordinates with most any décor. The touch operated pull-down kitchen faucet provides all the convenient functionality Touch₂O® Technology has to offer. The Waterfall® kitchen and matching bar or prep sink faucet feature the same high arc spout and stylish design as the touch operated model. Pilar also features Delta's exclusive DIAMOND™ Seal Technology for worry-free, leak-free, lasting durability.

as i sit here, i am glancing over at my new queen sitting so majestically on hier new island throne. now to make the set complete all we need is a stunning pendant light above to cast down a royal glow, a slightly larger sink to capture her mighty flow and a butcher block counter top to dress her up. i think that would fit quite nicely thank you.

all i have to say is, lucky me.