Such Things

Snowflake Ball 2013

I have posted about this every year, something so near and dear to my heart.  Fathers and daughters enjoying an evening together, and this is the last dance that both of my daughters will attend, as my oldest is heading off to middle school next year.

I felt honored to take part in the decorations,

with a wonderful team of moms.  As one girl put it, "it's a dance for the girls and the dads, but the moms do most of the work." 

These are the ice candle holders that line the entrance.

All the latest hits are played,

 and there's lots of "frolicking" with friends.

A magical night indeed.

Refinishing an Adirondack Chair

Sometimes projects come full circle.  Last September I posted about refinishing this chair the following summer.  I am so glad I had this before photo, because we lost all of our July photos in a computer crash:(

I had some photos of me sanding down the chair and painting it with paint left over from our front door.  But thankfully, I have the after photos.  The amazing result of just a little care, attention and a bit of paint.

Next summer, I'll show you the entire front porch...

A Last Summer Project

It's amazing what a little paint can do.  The kids are back to school, but not organized into their classes yet.  I thought I would post on that in a bit, but in the meantime, I want to throw in one last summer post.

I have been working on transforming the front porch at our beach house to improve curb appeal and make it look cozy and welcoming, rather than cluttered with sand buckets, towels, tools and old worn-out chairs.  We finished painting the house a "blue denim" over quite a dark brown. 

Next, I thought I would take the plunge with this very comfortable and well-used, but dated and faded chair and table combo set.

A little white paint,

and some new cushions, and we have a whole new deck set that almost made it to the local dump. 

I must say, we are very happy with our newly finished chair set,

And we look forward to next summer to make further transformations...

Hope your new school year is off to a great start!!

New Every Morning

I love the smell of an early sunny summer morning.

  "...for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness, O LORD." Lamentations 3:23

Living and Dining

One thing we were really excited about with this new house is that we would have a nice space for a large dining table to entertain friends and family. 

Here's the space before we got our table...

And here it is after...

with the carpet that we bought from Kuwait and our new table. We searched through second hand tables and considered Woodcraft, a Canadian company based out of Toronto, but for the style and the size, we found the best price at Pottery Barn.

The chairs are borrowed from an antique set.  We hope to add new chairs and a sideboard as well. 

Craig's list, here we come!!

Mark made a really neat video of our livingroom being constructed!  Have a look at thebuild.ca!

Settling In

In the last few weeks we have made the big move to our new house that we have been building since September.  It's a very exciting and also busy time.

We are also making the most of any sunny days that come our way,

exploring,

and enjoying those little spring moments,

inside and outside.

Hope you have had a great start to your week!

Dundarave

We took a break from packing and working on the house to head out to West Vancouver to pick up an oak chair for our new library. 

We drove around gorgeous old houses stacking up on a hillside with the most breathtaking views of the ocean and Stanley Park beyond that.

It's amazing to discover a part of our own city that we hadn't even known about. 

Dundarave had the cutest shops including a bakery and antique shop. 

 

Then we walked down the steep, narrow street and over the train tracks to the beach to find "treasures"

of one sort or another,

and to play on the beach playgrounds.

Ah, Spring.  We welcome you!

Decorating a Girl's Room

I was going through some old photos and discovered this somewhat shocking photo of my daughter's room in our previous house.  At the time we were trying to find ways to fit her things into a very small room.  We bought this loft bed, thinking that it would create a lot of space underneath, but instead, it was very high and squishy for her to sleep on and it left the rest of the room with a lack of shape and purpose.  So we sold the bed and found an adorable daybed on Craig's List.  It's a discontinued item from Ikea.  We rearranged her desk and bookshelf and framed some of her own paintings.

Then ah, the room felt and looked much, much better.

Up to...

Buying spring bouqets,

Going for walks any sunny chances that we can, to the park, exploring little shops and getting treats at the bakery.

getting in as many runs as I can, and a race or two...

Strolling by and watching the progress with great anticipation.  It's supposed to be only a couple of weeks before we move in!!!

What have you been up to lately?

What's Happening here...

There's a lot going on around here right now!  Exciting, somewhat stressful, busy and embarking on some new adventures. 

As some of you may know, we are in the process of selling our house, which we have owned since my husband and I were first married.  Shortly after we got married, Mark and I went overseas to travel Europe, Egypt, Israel, Jordan and then we settled in Uganda, Africa for several months to do some missionary work as volunteer teachers.  When we arrived back to Canada, we bought this house that we fell in love with twelve and a half years ago.

Recently (three years ago) we completed a full renovation, tearing the house down to the bones and rebuilding with an extra room, ensuite and a whole new look. 

This is when I discovered a passion that I have for designing and decorating.  Overall I loved the process and the transformation.  Now we are feeling ready to sell and begin a new journey with regards to our housing.  I'll keep you updated and a bit in suspense...

I have also been training for the Vancouver marathon which is already coming up this weekend. I've been running each weekend with a couple of girlfriends which has made for an enjoyable time, despite challenging runs that can really test my endurance.

Amidst all of the larger plans, is my continued quest to find contentment in each moment, even the small moments. The weather has had it's good share of sunny days, and I enjoy being outside in the backyard with the rice table,

with my class, learning to watch and listen to nature,

or just watching and admiring my kids.  In all things, seeking after God in the process.

Here's the verse that came up on our daily verse card today and it's one of my favourites:

"Through God nothing is impossible."  Luke 1:30

Hope you enjoy your week!