Such Things

A Great Pair of Jeans

Around this time of year, I get "spring fever" and do a bit of an outrageous post.

Here I am several years ago wearing my jeans at the beach.  I was watching the season finale of The Biggest Loser, and I also have some exciting news to share...

Those New Years resolutions are finally paying off!  Now after having three babies, I'm fitting back into my old pair of jeans again!

Okay, so if you look closely, they don't fit exactly the same as they did before...

There's something about a great pair of jeans, isn't there?

The way they fit, the style, looking and looking to find the right ones, the right price, and breaking them in. 

It's like finding a good friend.  They go with any shirt or sweater and still make you look and feel great.  You can do things in your jeans.  People notice you in your jeans.  

There's a skip in your step when you are wearing your jeans. 

A life with Jesus is like a great pair of jeans.  It might take some time to get to know Him, but once you do, it feels right. 

So for now, I'm happy in my new pair. (But watch out old ones!!!!)

Vintage Coat

Megan is fitting into this sweet coat that was mine when I was a girl.

The last couple of days have been gorgeous.  We went for a walk to the river.

The snow is almost melted away, with some icey patches left.

Those lovely braids

I love February for the sun, the longer days and the thought of love.

Sweet girl, skipping, dancing, exploring and stopping for a photo.

It just made me think, that's how God sees each one of us.  Free, delightful and beautiful being just who we are.

I also couldn't help but share this sunset from last night!  Happy Thursday!

November Get-Away

We usually head down to our beach house around mid-November.  It's a kind of retreat.  Crisp fall air, an abundance of leaves on the ground and not a soul on the beach.  I wish I could have captured the true brilliance of the ocean and the sky. 

It was what I called a "gift day."  It was supposed to be raining, but turned out to be surprisingly warm and bright.

We spent the entire day outside.  There weren't any motorboats, but many sailboats coasted  along a ways from the shore.

The kids could spend hours on the beach, building driftwood forts, collecting, arranging, digging their toes in the sand and playing baseball with stones and sticks.

And I could spending hours and hours watching them and joining them.

Time for reflection,

fall leaf fires,

 

and a bit of jumping off the porch into a leaf-pile.

I think it was the togetherness that I liked the best.

And a trip to the Esprit store at the outlet mall on the way home didn't hurt either!:)

I often wish the weekend was just one day longer.

Happy Week to you!!!

Fall Texture and Colour

One day after school, we stopped by Safeway to select a number of gourds and baby pumpkins.  The kids were delighted with the shapes, textures and colours. 

They came home and excitedly unpacked the gourds, felt them, arranged them,

 

and then announced that they wanted to draw them. We all got out our sketchpads and even Mark walked in from work and sat down to join us.

I was in awe of how it all naturally unfolded.

It just so happens that Mark brought me home a fall bouquet that day.  What a great guy, eh?

This sight brought me great joy today.  

I took this photo with the automatic setting,

And this one with manual 400 ISO. 

With the fall sunlight shining in,

And cozy evenings next to the fireplace.

I've been playing around with my camera, lighting and some fall decorating.  When we had a designer, she suggested changing simple decorations in the house with the changing of the seasons.  These decorations are from Superstore and Ikea, very affordable.  

Here is one more of the "m"s who hasn't yet been introduced.  Moe B.  Short for "Mo betta cat".

She likes the 5.99 Ikea pillows too!

Enjoy your weekend and to our Canadian friends, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!

Autumn Exploring

There's something about autumn that makes me want to head into the woods, and the leaves haven't even changed colour yet!  We have the river and trails right behind our house, so out we go!

 
The weather here in Vancouver has been completely fabulous!  Sunny everyday!!  This weekend it's getting up to 30 degrees!  We've been to the beach, shorts to school everyday, had the pool out and let me tell you, this is not usual for September.  It's great.

Last Spring, I found these mesh bags at the dollar store (one of my most favourite places to shop!!)  I had always felt uncertain about shopping there, until our house designer told me that she shopped there all the time!  Now I shop at the dollar store with pride.

So I bought these "explorer" bags and filled them with goodies that are great for discovering!  Bug holders, clipboards, magnifying glasses, and I recently added a mini spiral-bound "nature journal".  The girls love them!  

It feels so great to share in my kids' learning.  I deeply believe that parents are the best teachers and when I am working with the students in my class, I realize this is true. 

Whatever your interests, I encourage you to share them with your children.  There are few things more powerful than shared experience.  Finding fun things to do together that everyone enjoys.  It might not be a nature walk.  It might be kicking around the soccerball, biking, painting, going to see a show etc.

 

I think a home can be a place filled with rich learning opportunities from the time children are very young, continuing through the school years as well.  Kids are never too young or old to learn with their parents and enjoy.

I am so thankful for the blogging community with such inspiring ideas for learning, with homeschooling moms like, Blue Yonder, Mollycoddle and Soulemama and also moms with kids in school, This Vintage Chica, Katiemae Days, Cozy Living and Fresh MD, who provide great learning opportunities for their kids at home and out on the town:).  There are so many other wonderful ones too that I haven't mentioned here!

By the way, have you seen six one way?  It's captivating.

Have a fabulous weekend!  Hope there's lots of sun your way and lots of experiences too!

Love my P.J.s

I was sitting out on the patio at the farm sipping my coffee, looking at this view and wearing these p.j.s.

Reading all these sewing blogs has greatly inspired me to perhaps learn to sew, and in the case of these p.j.s, I was greatly inspired by Erin of house on hill road, who sewed her own such lounging pants. Having just read the post, and doing some last-minute shopping for the trip (okay, the shopping was done directly on the way to the farm, a six-hour drive). Anyways, I was in Superstore and saw these p.j. bottoms that made me think of Erin's pants, so I picked them up right away.

A girl must have three things: an attractive tube of lipstick, a great pair of sunglasses and a comfy pair of p.j.s.

One thing that I and many of my girlfriends love to do and talk about is: SHOPPING! When feel like celebrating, I go shopping. When I am feeling stressed, I go shopping. When I am excited about a new project, I go shopping for new materials. I am actually quite thrifty too.

I am adding a category to my blog called shoestring style, which is about shopping for cool stuff on a bit of a budget. So these bottoms, were only $10 and that price sounded good to me. I picked up the top for $4 too.

Enjoy your summer lounging, rest and slumber!

Girlfriend Get-away

 From time to time a woman needs a weekend away with other girlfriends.  The husbands' responses to this plan were:
"Excellent!"
"Have fun, enjoy yourself!"
"Remember, be safe!" (for example, tape your money directly to your skin under your travel clothing.)
"You're going to get picked up!!!!"
The last comment was made after a convertible mustang was added into the plans (Yahoo!!!) 

A true Thelma and Louise experience.

We left our four husbands and ten kids and off we drove. 
Did I fail to mention that a true girlfriend get away has to include a visit to the USA? We'd heard great things. We were expecting the worst at the border.  It wasn't even a one minute wait!
"Little shopping, little fun, is that the plan?" asked the crossing guard,
"That's the plan."

Great girlfriend get-aways include:
 
SHOPPING!!  Lots and lots of shopping.

A couple of new outfits from Banana Republic and Nine West:

Hmmm... Which one should I wear to dinner?

Food.  Drinks, eating, talking, appetizers, snacks, candy, more candy, more drinks, Starbucks coffee, pasta, Good and Plenty, beef jerky, wine, fish and chip combos, gum, martinis,  pistachios, greasy Chinese food and one salad.  Did I mention that each of us is on a post-baby diet?

And last but not least enjoyment:  relaxation, laughs and fun.

 

We encourage others and ourselves to partake in future get-away tours.  Where to next? Vegas? New York?

A final note:  the participants of this girlfriend get-away are in fact wearing sunglasses to protect their individual identities.

Final, final note:  I almost forgot to mention the glorious news:  we paid zero duty on the way back!  
Halleluia!