November Giveaway Winner!

It's the final day of our November Giveaway! Thank you to everyone who participated and thanks again to Shabby Apple for generously donating the darling bow skirt. If you haven't already, be sure to check out Shabby Apple online boutique for an assortment of charming dresses, accessories and adorable clothing for little girls.

And now, without further ado, THE WINNER IS....

Congratulations Dusana! You will be contacted shortly to arrange the shipping and size details.

One Year!!

Today my little blog is one year old! 

Making the effort each day to post about our daily life, little moments and big events, inspirations, and the growth of the little ones I love has changed my life. I appreciate the little things. I've become more mindful and present. I take the time to smell the roses. I take photos. I reflect and set goals for myself. I've met some pretty talented and inspiring folks, too. I'm just so glad I started. 

Thank you ever so much for checking in, for leaving such kind comments and e-mails, for donating to and participating in giveaways, for supporting my little shop and for not making fun of my spelling and grammar mistakes... I know there have been plenty. You're the bees knees!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

xo

Right Now...

Right now I'm...

• Loving how much time Linus spends painting and colouring these days. I'd happily cover my walls with his art work.

• Wondering where November went... 

• Sending out a few holiday cards.

• Snacking on cinnamon raisin toast.

• Smelling fresh coffee.

• Planning another cozy afternoon, reading holiday stories with my boy before nap time.

• Seeing shriveled finger tips that belong to a squeaky clean little guy.

• Craving the seriously delicious sweet potato bisque I had at Wild Earth Cafe a few days ago. I licked the bowl clean.

• Thinking I probably should have left it to the professionals to cut Linus' hair yesterday. Something very strange is happening on top of his head today...

• Listening to A Very She & Him Christmas... as usual.

• Wrapping and wrapping and wrapping....

• Feeling lucky to be a person who finds pleasure in the art of wrapping gifts. 

• Looking forward to seeing the play 'Closer' tonight with Evan. Our good friend Sarah has a starring roll along with my childhood best friend, Katie. I can't wait!

• Finding my 23 and Me results very interesting...

• Checking to make sure all of our Christmas lights are in working order before putting them up outside.

• Wanting Evan to put them up for me....pretty please? Tomorrow night!?

• Hoping to see The Muppets in theaters with my guys. It would be Linus' first time seeing a movie at the theater (not counting the times I used to take him to "stars & strollers" when he was just a few months old).

• Wishing you all a lovely Tuesday filled with warmth and love.

tiny tornadoes...

Children are like tiny tornadoes. Sadie and I walked into Linus' room after he and Jedi had been in there, quietly playing together for a few minutes. As my chin dropped, she found a cozy spot to sit and take in all the fantastic books that had been scattered all over the floor in a giant colorful heap. Luckily for me, these tiny tornadoes not only empty the bookshelves and read to themselves and each other in adorable little voices, but they also like to help me clean up!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Jilly Bean is home!

Today has been a very very good day. Isn't she sweet!? Welcome home Jill! You're family loves you ever so much. 

I'll likely be going a little camera crazy during this Sundays family dinner...

Lately...

Just a glimpse at what things have been like in our neck of the woods lately. According to my iPhone, It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

This evening i'll be heading out to the ballet with my beautiful friend Sarah in celebration of her Champagne birthday, which was on the 23rd! Linus called her yesterday morning to wish her a happy birthday and to tell her he loves her. It was pretty adorable.

And in just a few hours we'll be heading to the airport with my mom to greet Kerri, Brian & Jill! I just can't believe the day is finally here. I'm so thrilled to meet my cousin.  My aunt and uncle have been updating us all about their trip to China. Jill sounds like such a little honey. 

Sending them all our love and hoping they have safe flight home without too many earaches....xo

30 before 30

 I'm almost 23, and nearly everyday of my life I feel that helpless, time slipping through my fingers feeling that most people feel at one point or another. Seeing the seasons change, the piles of projects build up on my desk, looking through old photos, noticing that I'm not the mother of a little baby anymore (he's two and a half already!). I feel this twinge of anxiety and the need to make the most of this one life I have. To soak it up and savor the moments that make it truly wonderful. I'm happy to have this feeling at such a young age. I won't be turning thirty until January 22, 2019, which gives me plenty of time to cross each and every one of these goals off my list.


1. Make another baby!
2. Take a watercolour painting class.
3. Take a trip to Montreal.
4. Kiss and cuddle my children and my husband every day.
5. Kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland.
6. Raise over $15,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
7. Plan a date night with Evan at least three times a month.
8. Learn to make really good soup.
9. Run a marathon...make that a half marathon!
10. Get all of our photos printed into photo books.
11. Become a professional photographer.
12. Start my own business.
13. Do yoga daily.
14. Contribute to a community garden.
15. Give blood.
16. Plant a flowering fruit tree in the back yard.
17. Go on a classic American road trip.
18. Teach the littles how to snowboard.
19. Make a quilt.
20. Learn to play the piano with Linus.
21. Become an early riser.
22. Make a list of 100 books and read them. I'll share my list when I have it down.
23. Do the same thing with 50 movies.
24. Acquire a Jadeite collection.
25. Re-visit Africa.
26. Learn to make pretty dresses, and wear them.
27. Sleep in a tree house.
28. Zip line in Hawaii.
29. Make pies. Eat some. Give some away.
30. Start the process of adopting a child.

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Making snow clouds

Linus asked me if we could go outside to make "snow clouds"... So, I said "YES!" 
I helped him make the closest thing to a "snow cloud" that I could think of and when he said,"Oh, good! Now you put a head on it?", I realized he meant snow man. Unfortunately the snow here just isn't sticky enough to make anything other than snow clouds and angels, so I told him we could try again tomorrow. He was too busy eating handfuls of snow to be disappointed. We'll be bringing out the maple syrup next time for sure!

Simple Pleasures...

Just a few things around here that are making me smile.

•My mother-in-law bakes the most delicious treats and she's always giving us plates full of cookies and cakes to bring home. The perfect afternoon snack to enjoy with a cup of tea.
•Holiday bits and pieces are filling our home. I found this sweet felt mistletoe at the Seattle airport on our way home from Florida. Linus likes to stand under it and yell at me to come kiss him. I think I might just keep it up there forever.
•Scarves + mittens + boots + sweaters + socks+ toques!!!
•I finally consider my hair to be super long!
•Hanging out in Linus' room. He's been carrying around that photo of Jedi all morning...
•The way the sun light fills my kitchen every morning.
•Watching Marcel the shell with shoes on. Oh I love that little guy...
•Linus asking me to go to swimming lessons... in the bath.
 •Looking through the photos of our trip to Disney World. 

May you all find joy in the simple pleasures of today.

Marcel the shell still melts my heart...

Wow...

Check out this awesomeness I found via It Catches My Heart In It's Hands. Crazy!

Faber Castell from eric yeo on Vimeo.

My love and I...

We've been having a lot of fun making our new house into a comfy cozy home. Adding little touches here and there to each room. Puzzle pieces on the floor, felt mistletoe above our heads, dinosaur ornaments on the x-mas tree, tea in my cup, water colour paintings on the kitchen table, a forgotten frozen pumpkin on the front door step... My vision is slowly coming along, one corner at a time. Lately I've been focusing on finding the right art and photos to hang on our walls. It's tough to find the right pieces for the right price, but I'm doing my best. Finding daily inspiration on Pinterest, of course, and from Creature Comforts '10 creative ways to display photos and art'. I've put up a few of my favorite photos, hung a few posters and my auntie Nola's beautiful art work as well. She and my uncle Ryan are very talented artists and super cool people. I also recently ordered this custom print of Evan and I from Rifle Paper Co. I've wanted one for a very long time I know of the perfect spot for it in our new home. I love it! 
Oh, and If you haven't already seen Rifle Paper Co.'s charming holiday cards, you really should check them out here. 
I'm looking forward to putting together a little home tour post in the near future. I have a few lingering details I want to complete first...and our bedroom probably won't be finished for quite a while yet... but I'm working on it. Maybe I'll post photos of one room at a time. We'll see!
Time to curl up in front of the fire with my boys. We're living in a snow globe here in Edmonton and it's kind of wonderful. xo

Right Now...

 

 right now i'm...

•Snacking on a big bowl of berries

•Sipping a hot cup of coffee

•Seeing the morning sun light shine across the kitchen floors

•Looking through the photos of our trip to Disney World

•Wishing I could have another butter beer

•Thinking about trying out the recipe I found for it on Pinterest

•Hearing Linus sip his tea and say "ahhh" over and over again

•Sending my love to Kerri and Brian over in China. Today they finally hold their daughter Jill in their arms

•Feeling nothing but love and joy for my family

•Happy to be home, sweet home

The Happiest Place on Earth

Sorry for the silence over these last few days. We're on a little family vacation. We're already nearing the end of our trip and I'll be back to blogging very soon. For now, we're enjoying our time at the happiest place on earth. It's Linus' first time and he loves it!

This Moment

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Shabby Apple November Giveaway!!!

 

 

 Shabby Apple is a delightful online boutique, found at www.shabbyapple.com,  offering vintage inspired women's dresses, maternity dresses, accessories, and the sweetest little girl dresses.

Sappy Apple and Shabby Apple are partnering up to offer my lucky readers 10% off any Shabby Apple purchase when you use the code "sappyapple10off" at check out during the month of November. Last but not least, Shabby Apple is kindly giving one of my readers the chance to win this lovely and oh so flattering womens olive green bow skirt!!! Isn't it darling!?

 

How to enter:
1. Visit Shabby Apple online boutique and look around.

2. Leave a comment below letting us know how much you want this gorgeous skirt with your email address (So I can contact you if you win.)

3. 'Like' Shabby Apple on Facebook.

4. The winner must be a U.S resident... Sorry to all my fellow Canadians.
Earn extra entries by:
1. Blogging about this giveaway
2. Tweeting about this giveaway (If you are not on Twitter how about Facebook?)
3. Being a Sappy Apple blog follower:)

Leave a separate comment below letting me know in which ways you've entered. I will choose a winner on November 30th! Good Luck!