playing along. {ali edward's week in the life.}

this week i decided to play along with ali's edwards and her week in the life project.
i love a project like this. i have been playing along with project life for three years now but it doesn't get as in depth as this. doesn't get down to the nitty gritty. well at least not mine.

in the past years i have played along with her - this was not the first of it's kind - but it always involved a vacation.
this year i thought we were ready to take charge of an ordinary week. {and do it the same time as the group.}
to really focus on what it is we do day to day rather than what we plan for special family time.
to really see how we live.

it was awesome.

it really made me realize how on the go we are but also how relaxed we are. we had some pretty busy days and some not so busy ones. we had lots of together time and precious quiet time.

i was definetly more gung-ho at the beginning of the week and let only a few pictures tell the story by the end. it seemed the same with ali as well {maybe part of the process? who knows.} all i know is that this was the last time of september 9th to 15th where our kids are 6 and a half and 8 and we were glad to witness it all.

it was a week of firsts - first irish dance class of the season, first ever pumpkin spice latte {and last}.
it was a week of seconds - cooper's second swimming lesson ever! he's doing really well.
it was a week of lasts - last baseball practice/get together of the season.

monday:

tuesday:

wednesday :

thursday:

friday:

saturday:

sunday:

all in all i took 277 photo's.

it was a good week.

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whatcha ma call it.

phoning it in. dropping the ball. taking a backseat.
however you want to phrase it...that's me lately. i don't know what has gotten into me.

i haven't really taken a picture for a while. i haven't updated my project life in FOREVER. i usually have about 7 to 8 ideas for posts a week for this space and lately it's been blank.
yes i have been doing things around here. the laundry is done. the people are fed. the rooms are kinda clean. dog is walked. bikes are rode. flowers are planted. bills are paid. life is lived.
but my outlet life? dead. slow. riga-mortis.

the garden is in crazy bloom and by this time last year i had filled a memory card documenting all the hard work we had put in the year before. this year? hardly any. guilty.
all of the bulbs that we painstakingly planted last fall popped up with pride and the garden is bursting. gorgeous. so proud!! and thanks to tony getting on it and mowing the lawn it doesn't look as getto as it did last week when i was pouting about it.
but...did i take a picture or two? nope. do i know why? nope.
i have had a lot on my mind.
we do have some big changes going on here and we were occupied with another possibility.
i guess i have been preoccupied.

i don't like it.

i like being to lord over the documenting-every-breath-we-take domain.
taking too many pictures till my computer stops speaking to me.
of writing everything down.
of recipe testing and sharing it with you all.
i'm just so tired for some reason.

i guess i better get my giddy-up on and re-focus.
thanks for the ear.

xo

mastered.

last weekend cooper mastered his two wheeler.

cooper is a funny apprehensive little guy. he's so gung-ho to try things out but usually at the last minute he chickens out. that's just how it is. and some days it's up to us...his responsible parents...to give him just a little shove push.

that's how it was with the bike.

i think if it was up to coop he would have the training wheels on it forever. he didn't care. he felt secure and for him that's tops. if it was up to him he would always just sit on the sidelines - the ultimate spectator.

this spring {except is this summer already? sure feels like we just dove right in!!}, we took it upon ourselves to give him that push. now i am not talking that we took him to the top of the backyard hill on his bike with no training wheels and no concept of riding a bike, pushed and sent him down full blast like my dad did to me {true story - surprised i ever got back on!}, no - we did it our way.

as the snow flurries got fewer and fewer and the road was becoming more and more visible we decided to pull the bikes out of storage and get those wheels on the road. but...before coop had time to protest, those little side security-blanket wheels were gone and in the garbage - oops! if he wanted to go out and have fun with his sister - who took off like lightning mcqueen once those wheels touched asphalt - he had a choice: 1) sit on the front stoop and watch aydan have a blast biking around the neighbourhood or 2) figure it out and join her.

after some whining and a slew of i'm bored, and me saying you are more than welcome to go bike riding with your sister {we live on a circle type road that caters only to the residents.} he got on and gave it a shot.

attempt 1: disaster. nothing going in his favour. bike put in the garage awaiting the cobwebs.

attempt 2: a little better but not much. more confidence. a little....just a little...less whining about it. a couple fights a long the way and again a bike destined for the back of the garage never to be seen again.

attempt 3: THIRD TIMES THE CHARM!!! he gritted his teeth. focused and about halfway through he said ever so casually to tony, who was holding on to the back of the bike , "okay dad - you can let go now." and he was off.
golden moment.

everyday has now been filled with bike riding and i am so happy for him.
wait-a-go cooper!!!

now on to the next skill - swimming....oy.
{not looking forward to that one.}

happy summer spring!! 

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.

:)


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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!! 

watching. learning.

i saw this today.
THIS is my new philosophy.
i am embracing this.
i hope my kids and husband can too. this would make for an amazing life, no?

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......

 

some days.

so yesterday i had a whole plan to write a post and ask a question of you.
if it would be okay for me to whine....just a little.

i was at the end of it all. i had had it. half my christmas decorations were still in the boxes. i was burning both ends of the candle. there was no reprieve in sight. even though i am SO BEHIND in many areas of "things", i think it was the christmas decorations not being up that was bugging me the most and the fact that i haven't started to put my 2012 december daily together. i wait all year for the christmas season - I LOVE THE CHRISTMAS SEASON - so much in fact that we listen to christmas carols all year round. but this year it was getting away from me and i was starting to freak out. there are only so many hours in the day and i was using most of them up and no getting any farther -mainly because i was spending most of my time cleaning and picking up the house {how does it all get so messy in the blink of an eye? i can't keep up!}, doing dishes, disciplining and baking cupcakes. it didn't help that for the past 5 days i've felt like i was on the brink of falling down sick. i was going to call out a hail mary and beg for help. i need to be able to start from square one - if only i could find it under all the laundry, toy clutter, dishes and dinners.

the something amazing happened.....the sun came out and i had an easy day. i was able to sort of catch up. all the decorations got put up. some rooms go cleaned. laundry was put away. we got outside and enjoyed the beautiful crisp winter day. i felt like i was walking through whistler, strolling is more the word, and enjoyed every moment of it - i sure do miss that place. gone was the constant chaos of usual days and i spent the day finishing up some holiday shopping with a little person who was better than gold and it fueled my fires of calm and serenity. i got to pick up my kids from school and thoroughly enjoy their company. i got one of my projects for the season done. check.

and now i feel refreshed and energized for today and the rest of the holiday season. i am ready to enjoy it.

and enjoy it i will.

:)

 

making the rounds.

this video has been making the rounds on facebook.
i finally watched it. yes i finally got 3 minutes and twenty seconds to myself {and of quiet so i could hear it} to watch this brilliance.
kind of ironic.....

it's hilarious.
sums it all up perfectly.

happy friday!
enjoy.

a glimpse.

my husband is always giving me a hard time about the image i project.

well here is a glimpse at real life around here....

not so great is it?
happy monday.

xo

it's official.

well it's been 2 and half years.
i guess it's time to change our plates and official commit to living out east.
not hanging on to the notion of moving to ontario.
we are here.
we live HERE now.
just do it - rip it off like a band-aid.

yes i am outside in october in bare feet....i'm always in bare feet...please do not judge me.
and yes i know my hair is a fright...again don't judge. ;)
{this is a rare glimpse of me on here...soak it in people - doesn't happen very often.}

bye-bye BC plates....
hello quebec plates....

if you knew what the last month and a half consisted of {well i guess the last two years dealing with this}, the ordeal we had to go through, the hoops we had to jump through - you would be celebrating as well.
we should have had champagne - that's how momentous THIS was.

let me just say...if you are moving here with a car from out of province i am now an expert on what you have to do to get a simple license plate for your car. believe me - an expert.

i wish i was joking.

but now i am relieved and can move on to the next task. i had no idea how this was weighing on me till it was done....i seriously feel like a weight has been lifted. amazing feeling.

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on a happier note i want to THANK YOU EVERYBODY who voted for us in the canadian mom blog competition!

with all your votes, support, shares and encouragement we claimed one of the top 25 spots!

so.....THANK YOU!!!!

also a big congratulations to my friend, rosa pearson, who's blog flutter flutter claimed a spot as well {she got spot 15 and i took 25}

yeah for canadian moms!!! woop! woop!

grade two.

here we go.
today is the day.
today is the day my big girl goes to grade two.
GRADE TWO!!!

where has it all gone?
she has gotten so big right in front of us and i feel like i have missed it.
it's going by way too fast.
i know everyone says that, and of course i never wanted to say that myself, but it's so true!! 
that made me kind of sad this morning.
that made me kind of cry on my way home from the bus stop.
but it has also made me think back to the last seven years i have had with this amazing little person.
and that made me grin the biggest grin ever.
her spirit.
her light.
her enthusiasim for life and it's adventures.
it's absolutely naturally beautiful and extremely contagious.
someone once said, upon watching her open her birthday presents and reacting so excited for each and every one - no matter how small or simple, that she was the best person to give a present to.
i loved hearing that.
she appreciates everything and everyone.
no matter what.
that's what i love about her.
her heart.

i hope you have a great year sweetheart!!
:)

next week the little man goes to kindergarten....i am going to be a mess then.
promise.

lately.

+ crate & barrel opened up at carrefour laval and it's lovely. have already picked out a million things and now have to hunt for the more budget choices. ha!

+ wall of happy at le creuset. did you see the purple one? purple!

+ finally got another length of chain and now all the baskets are up...aren't they lovely?
actually gave up trying to match the existing white ones i have and just switched them all the silver! i am still looking though.

+ treated aydan to a mother/daughter date for her birthday to riverdance. she loved it. has decided that a career in irish dancing is in her future. we got all dressed up to go and aydan said to me as we were walking to the train "mom we are dressed so fancy - we are a couple of fashion girls!" love that.
poor thing feel asleep on the metro home!

+ a little boy got to go to kindergarten orientation. taken by dad! is he already big enough for this step? he is??!

+summer finally arrived and we got to pull out the sprinkler. every. day. this. week!

+ a mad hatter's tea party for someone's 7th birthday party is in full prepping mode and garland's are being pumped out. going to be good....

+ another project for the party plus for a couple of other shindigs we are having this summer - fabric bunting! so excited about this. might leave them up all summer......you never know!

+ a snake skin found while gardening. glad this was all i found.

+ garden progress - horrible rock bed dug out and awaiting new dirt {arriving this weekend} for new flower bed. yard is really looking great and so relieved. doesn't resemble a dumping ground or major work in progress anymore.

and that's it for now.
have lots more projects in the works to show to you all and tomorrow there will be a new kitchen tip!
it smells so good!!!
{mmmm....it tastes good too!}