A Quick Update

Where to start?
Well, first off I would tell you that "Things are Good."
We are good, happy, more or less healthy (though we've had our fair share of bugs this winter!) and all-in-all in fairly good spirits.

Eloise is getting bigger and smarter everyday, not to mention a HUGE personality to go with such a teensy package.
Her words right now consist of:
- Bapa (papa)
- Hippo
- Balle (ball in french)
- Suse (soother)
- Numnum (for food)
- Uh oh!
- Mama
- Lait (milk in french)
- L'eau (water in french)
- 'gard! (for 'regard' or 'look' in french)

And I'm sure of a few others that I've forgotten off the top of my head.

We've had an insane amount of snow this winter - and it just keeps piling up! I can't help but feel very Canadian as we shovel off our cars and drive in all sorts of crazy weather (at 10mph mind you...)

I have been keeping busy with all sorts of little crafts and my herbalism. I've even started getting some orders for my winter skin balm, which I handed out some samples of.
It makes me optimistic enough to think that maybe I really could work at home and make a little income this way.
I've been enjoying my quilting and drawing and also learning how to even do some gluten-free baking!
While none of us are celiac (thank God) we do have some carb issues and hubby may have a gluten intolerance, so we're slowly cutting it back and seeing if it helps.

Jeremie is in his first contract as an IT tech and really enjoying it. It's quite the change from the welding shop, and it was so funny having the discussion that yes, you needed to wear nice slacks, and a button-up shirt or a nice sweater...yes, you need to wear a belt and nice shoes...

Poor guy, he's only ever wore clothes that could get grease stains, rips, tears or catch on fire as opposed to a nice, clean-cut look.

Although personally, I think he looks very handsome in his  "office clothes." ;)

We recently celebrated my 26th birthday this past weekend by going to the Museum of Nature and then out for some wonderful Indian food while Grandma and Grandpa graciously babysat for us.

And today we just finished celebrating Shrove Tuesday with family and ate a wonderful pancake dinner! My Mum and Dad thought I was a little crazy when I told them I wanted to make blue, red and green pancakes; but being the wonderful sports that they are (and used to my weirdness by now) allowed me to play with the food colouring!

(yes they did taste better blue)

Lent is now upon us and I'm trying to get into the season! I've decided to do the 10-10 challenge for the internet/computer usage. Meaning I can't be on the computer between 10am and 10pm. I'm also going to try not to make any meat dishes on Friday and really honour Lent this year.

And that's what we've been up to!

Coming up, my DIY project for table-runners, and recipes for bottling your own berry cordial and gluten-free bread.

Peace,

Cloth Diapers

I remember when my sister went crazy for her cloth diapers.
All she wanted to do was show me her new diapers, covers, laundry detergent and wet bags.
Of course, at the time I couldn't understand why anyone would be so excited to use and clean what her baby was doing all his smelly business in.

This is no longer the case. When Eloise turned four months I tried some of my sisters cloth diapers, I found they soaked too much, and were a pain to take on and off.
I was discouraged enough by the whole thing that I decided it just 'wasn't for me.'

This went on for a few more months until I saw a friend using "Flip" diapers with pre-fold inserts.
It looked easy and clean enough, I like that you could re-use the cover, plus, was it just me, or did they get cuter looking??

So I went to a local cloth diaper store and excitedly took a "sample" of a bunch of different types of diapers. I found out what didn't work (fitted motherease) what kinda worked (pocket diapers) and what I LOVED. My flip diapers with inserts.
Now I was the one spouting off words like "pre-folds", "AIO's" and "Stripping liners" without so much as batting an eye.
My sister grinned at me as I told her: "I've never been so excited about something Ella poops in."

I can't say I'm a complete convert, as I only cloth diaper during the day, but I love being able to wash and re-use them. Not having to buy box after box of non-deteriorating diapers, and well, there's all the pretty covers too!

I haven't had any issues yet with bum rash; Eloise seems just as comfortable in them as any disposable, and I just do a simple cold-water rinse with a hot-water wash, using Nellie's detergent.

Now it's my husband who keeps looking at me oddly every time I go off about how cute my diapers are are and "don't you just love them?!?"

Of Flowers, Brown Paper Packages and Chubby Strays

Yesterday I was spoiled. I went out to check the mail and found a lovely brown paper package on my porch, I wasn't expecting anything so this came as a wonderful surprise.
My friend Teri has been following my blog for some time, and when I had talked about embroidery and learning to crewel, she jumped right in saying she had tons of crewel yarn, and that she was happy to share.
A couple months later, this appears!



A shoebox stuffed with brightly coloured crewel yarn and a lovely letter! It made my entire day, so Teri, if you're reading this THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I LOVE IT!

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any better, my folks dropped by with this:

Some beautiful Crocus'! My mum and dad just wanted to drop it off 'for no reason' apparently, other than that they knew I loved flowers.
Like I said, completely spoiled.
I've also had this little guy hanging around.

I don't know why he's decided to try and adopt us, but he shows up most mornings, mewing at the door like he lives here.
He's very friendly and cute, and not exactly a 'starving stray' either.
I think he's a polygamous cat, and has several houses he visits regularly.
I keep trying to explain he doesn't live here, and that we're just not interested in making that kind of commitment right now, but like the song: "The cat came back, the very next day. The cat came back, he just wouldn't stay away."
He sits on the back porch while I hang laundry, he looks through the window at baby Eloise who squeals in delight every time he paws the screen.
Sorry kitty! You're cute, but not that cute!

Peace,

Unplugged...Kinda

Well, I'm back! (sorta.)
I decided to go unplugged for Lent.
My rules were simple:
1) No Facebook
2) No general internet browsing
3) E-mails are to be checked once a week.

It all seemed simple enough I was excited to start. I had fiddled around with the idea of getting rid of Facebook all together, but there was a bit of a public outcry from long-distance family members who wanted to be able to keep up with baby Eloise's exploits and glamor portraits.

I had to physically remove my laptop, or I knew I'd be too tempted to use it. So I unplugged it and threw it under the couch where it sat.
One of the odd by-prouducts of not having my internet is that I suddenly had little patches of time, normally used to browse, which I didn't know how to fill.
I grabbed one of my unused journals and started journaling with reckless abandon. Sometimes I'd have up to four entries just in the one day - I'd write about my plans for the day, Eloise's eating and sleeping schedule and general thoughts and feelings.

I had such lofty thoughts about being internet-free until the end of Lent, but I didn't make it.
I got to the three week mark and I started making little allowances, like checking my emails more often or peeking over at pintrest, until finally I admitted defeat.
I have been off of Facebook and will do my best to keep off until the end of Lent.

It was eye-opening to realize how much time I actually spent on the internet and not actually being productive; even though I was rarely online for long chunks of time, I was constantly flipping my laptop open just to "check" something.
It's that need for constant information, to know everything that's happening right away, even though it's not of any consequence. (Do I really need to know what my friend is eating for dinner through facebook??)

I also read more than I had since having Eloise.
For my birthday in February, Jeremie got me a Kindle! My folks got me this beautiful cover for it.

That, coupled some free e-book sites like Inspired Reads and Pixel of Ink, I had more than enough to keep me busy.
I tried out some new recipes, decluttered and cleaned out more boxes from my basement.

It was a good experience and I'm glad I did it, even if I didn't quite reach my initial goals.
I'm going to try to unplug more often, and will probably do so again in a couple of months.

 Peace,

My Big Little Home

I like to think we live big lives in a small space.
Our apartment is very teensy.
With just one living space and a galley kitchen, its so easy to feel 'over crowded.'

My mood with my little home swings back and forth constantly. Sometimes I feel like I have the coziest little cottage house that I adore, and the next second I feel like if I trip over one more basket, or one more big man boot, I'm gonna lose it!

Our home really is lovely, I think that sometimes during my blog crawl, when I see couples with beautifully decorated homes, and lots of space for intimate little areas, that green eyed monster of jealousy can get me; and suddenly my little home looks a little too little.
With Jeremie in school right now, working like a champ at attaining his second career, we're cheap..er...frugal, by neccessity.
I joined what I thought was a project: "Have a No-Spend Month", and chuckled with the realization that every month for us has to be a "no-spend month."

I look at these lovely tours of peoples homes, and I see their office, dining room, living area, all artfully arranged, and I get a little embaressed that to encompass all that in our home, would be one picture of one room.
However, I know that no matter where one lives there will always be issues or problems with your home. There will be parts of it you don't enjoy or wish were a tad better.
You could live in the most beautiful of homes with the most beautiful furniture and still be discontent.

Contentment has to rely on more than just material possessions. It's so easy to fall into the 'if I just had ________, I'd be content' trap.
I'm sure we've all done it.
It's changing your thinking from "if I just had" to "look what I have!"
And we've been blessed with so much.


As a homemaker my desire is to make a "home." So I naturally want to make my home as comfortable and beautiful as possible, and sometimes I think that means I need new curtains or better furniture, but a home is made when love dwells there.
No matter what you have, any dwelling can be a home.

Before we moved back home, Jeremie and I rented a house.
It was large, had tons of room and nice yards; but it did not become a home.
I wanted to be near family, and living such a long distance away had become stressful on me, and so, I put absolutely no effort into making it a home.
It was comfy, and well furnished, but it never was more than 'just a place where we lived.' because I didn't want to be there.
Whereas Jeremie and my first ever apartment as a married couple was a real dive. It was sub-level, dark, had orange shag carpeting, and an unfinished bathroom with a cement floor and drywall walls; yet somehow, it became a home for us and I loved it.

I've seen first hand how the building does not a home make.
So I willingly choose to love my little space, that fits my little family and thank God for it everyday.

Peace,
Jenny

Christmas Preparations!

It's getting closer and closer!

I've been trying really hard this year to decorate in a simple, but very festive way.

We don't have a lot of space in our apartment, so Jeremie and I chose only a few Christmas items to display this year.

I love my wreath, it's so pretty and natural - my Father actually pulled off a bunch of wild grape vine and wound this for me.

(Don't feel too bad for the grapes, we have so much of it, it chokes out the trees!)

I absolutely love it.

Somehow, and I'm still not quite sure how; I was talked into getting a fake tree.
Jeremie likes how easy a fake tree it, there's little mess, no watering, it fits in small spaces, so I suppose it's a wise decision. 

If only they smelled as nice as a real tree. 

However, when all was said and done, I still like our little fake tree.

I was given for a few years running, parts of the WillowTree Nativity set.

Some people can't get past the fact that the figures have no faces, but that's what I find so endearing.

The body language is so lovely, that all the expression you need is right there.

I have it in my entertainment unit, and is visible as soon as you walk through the door; a good reminder of the reason for the season. 

Apart from that, just a few candles, some Christmas cards is all that is displayed.

This is very 'toned down' for me, as usually I decorate everything to the nines with Christmas stuff.

All in all though, I really am enjoying  my simple little Christmas. 

Merry Christmas friends!

Peace,

What's In Your Purse? (or diaper bag!)

I've been reading about the "minimalist wallet" and how we can pack so much in our wallets and purses. 

So here is the contents of my diaper bag, its all I need even in winter!

Top row: terry-cloth bib, hand cream, Burts Bees bum cream, changing pad, wipes, diapers, baby Sophie and wallet.
Bottom row: 1 onsie, 1 pair socks, 2 fuzzy sleepers, Buggy the toy, and nursing cape.

Generally I stuff a knitted blanket in there too, because...you never know!

All of this fits pretty easily in my Baby Sac. 

I don't use a purse at all anymore, as there doesn't seem to be much of a point!

So here's my diaper bag!

Peace,

Happy Fall

Happy Fall My Friends!

The leaves have all turned here.

They are either bright yellow, red or brown and crunching underfoot. The air is fresh and cool, and I find myself throwing open windows to try and perfume our apartment with the crisp fall scent.

Our little Eloise is getting so large! Here she is in one of her last "warm weather" outfits. She's been living in those fuzzy sleepers mostly and I feel better knowing she is warm and comfortable.

In other Eloise-related news; she has officially moved into the nursery. I shall try to post pictures of it soon, but I admit it presently is quite a disorganized mess.

She is sleeping well in her crib, and I found my eyes a little misty as I packed up her small cradle that has been sitting by my bedside since before her birth.

We have reached another stage in her 'babyhood' and I'm in constant amazement how quickly its flying by.

My darling Husband has hung these hooks for me by the front door.

We didn't really have closet space in our entryway/living area of the house, so these hooks have been wonderfully handy.

I think they look quite pretty!

I've been re-reading through Beatrix Potter's books.

Eloise was gifted the first 11 from Grandma and Grandpa. She loves the illustrations and will happily stare at them and coo. A love we both share; here are some of my sketches of her wonderful characters.

We have also been very much enjoying: "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

She lays on the couch, and I prop up the book so she can see the pictures while I read his poems to her.

The rise and fall of my voice and the repetition of verse keep her very entertained.

I've also been working on some embroidery.
I'm making up the pattern as I go along, and just doing it for my own enjoyment.

I have an interest in crewel work, but am having trouble finding crewel thread, as it's thicker than embroidery (which itself is becoming scarce.)  

I'm afraid that these skills, cross-stitch, embroidery, crewelwork and rug hooking are fading away.

It's becoming more and more difficult and expensive to get supplies, and I don't know anyone else that does embroidery.

I am determined to do my part in keeping some of these traditional crafts alive.



I hope you all are having a lovely week, and have a happy weekend!

Peace,

Tea Time

There is nothing quite like a good cup of tea on a cool day, and nothing is better than sipping it from pretty china.

Even as a little girl, I loved tea sets. This was probably because my mother loved little tea sets and every so often I would suddenly be gifted a little porcelain tea set.

They were always very feminine, generally white with little flowers or designs painted on them.

I've had numerous tea parties during my childhood - I clearly remember filling up my miniature tea pot with water from the tap in the washroom, so I could then pour it into those minuscule cups and sip daintily from them, while discussing important issues with my collection of teddies and dolls.

Sometimes I would able to rope my little brother into a having a tea party with me, but somehow it didn't seem nearly as 'refined' as I thought it should be.

In middle school I even sent out little invitations to my girlfriends, inviting them over for a "Victorian Tea Party."

It makes me smile to think of my Mum pulling out the lacy tablecloths, setting out her "Old Country Roses" tea set for us to use, and even make us little cucumber sandwiches, all set prettily on fancy plates.

Right on time, my girlfriends showed up. All in pretty dresses, hats on their heads and gloves on their hands.

Mum let me wear one of her large brimmed straw hats, and tied a silk scarf over it and under my chin to make it look more like a bonnet. 

I thought I looked like one of those little Victorian girls I had seen in my books and felt beautiful. 

We tried to talk like refined ladies, and it was much later that my Mum let on how funny our conversations were, while she listened discreetly from the other room.

By the end I felt like a natural hostess and that the party had been a great success.

I very much look forward to introducing Eloise to tea sets and parties.

I hope she'll enjoy them as much as I did as a girl, and already in my minds eye I can see having little tea parties with her in the backyard - I'm probably more excited for that than she will be!

I found this picture a while ago, and I just loved the instructions and the image itself.

Have a lovely Friday!

Peace,

~ Jenny

Wants Vs. Needs - A Lesson From My Coffee Maker

As I'm working on simplifying our lives, I've really started to think about what I want, verses what I need.

One of the best examples I can think of is my coffee machine.

Last year my folks bequeathed to Jeremie and I their drip-coffee maker; they had been using a french press, and simply didn't need it anymore.
This coffee machine was lovely, good quality and easily handled a good 12 cups of coffee at a time. I happily took it and set it up on my counter - it was then I started to notice a bit of a problem.

While I like coffee, I'm not a huge coffee drinker; Jeremie doesn't drink coffee at all.
This large coffee maker that I thought I needed, sat there taking up space, un-used for months!
It seemed a waste to only make two cups of coffee in the large coffee maker, I could have, but I never seemed to.
Finally I got tired of it taking up valuable counter space, so down it went into storage where it was forgotten. My folks, noticing I wasn't using the coffee maker said they'd take it back - so off it went to their house again.
It was my Mum that pointed out the little "one-cup-at-a-time" coffee maker that my sister had taken to college and asked if I wanted.
This cheap little coffee maker is one of my favourite appliances now, it makes a lovely cup of coffee in less than two minutes and suits my needs completely.
It really hit me how when I had the nice, fancy coffee maker it sat there and was less useful than the $12.00 tiny coffee maker I love and now use every morning.
I learned that just because something may be "better" doesn't make it more useful. Just because it's fancier or larger doesn't make it better for my home.
The smaller, simpler and in this case, cheaper item it worth so much more, proving to me that I just have to meet my needs in the simplest way possible to be the most content.
Peace,
- Jenny

What Have I Started??

It all started with Jeremie and I agreeing that we simply have too much clothing.
Our dresser was packed to the point that the bottoms of the drawers were falling out, the closet was stuffed to the brim, and even two plastic bins full of more 'off season' clothing were living in the closet and basement!
Finally I had had enough.
Stuff had to go!
First though, I needed inspiration, a challenge! Something to get me burning with de-cluttering desire!
I came across this site with the "333" project.
A challenge to only use 33 items of clothing for 3 months. (excluding things like under-roo's etc.)
I happily read through lists of other challenge-takers of what they considered their most worthy 33 items to be.
As a self-proclaimed 'clothes horse' 33 items seemed veeeery steep to me, but I figured if I could get down to 66 maybe, or some other small(ish) number I'd consider it a great success.
So I started to purge; soon enough clothing was flying out of drawers and off hangers, I was trying on clothes to see how they fit my post-baby body, and the donation pile steadily grew.

Suddenly I realized: "This feels GOOD!"

It was liberating getting rid of clothes I had schlepped from closet to closet, drawer to drawer.

Soon, I only had 2 pairs of jeans instead of 5, 3 blouses that fit well instead of 6 that only fit so-so, 5 basic t-shirts I wore all the time, instead of the 8 I normally left sitting in the bottom of the drawer.
Even now I find myself thinking: "Do I really need 2 pairs of yoga pants and 2 pairs of black leggings, if I can easily do with just 1 of each?"

I am however, being careful. I'm going to store the clothes I'm unsure or hesitant to donate for at least a couple of months. If I go back for the item, it's worth keeping. If it sits in the bin for 3 months, clearly I don't need it all that much.

I am proud to say I now have in my bureau:
- 4 tank tops
- 5 t-shirts
- 2 shrugs
- 3 yoga pants
- 2 leggings
- 1 linen pant
- 2 jeans
- 1 jean capri
- 5 long sleeve t-shirts
- 4 sweaters

In my closet:
- 9 nice tops
- 2 vests
- 4 skirts
- 1 pair black pants
- 7 cardigans
- 4 dresses
- 3 coats
- 1 blazer
- 2 winter coats

Total: 62 items of clothes! Not quite 33 but that's pretty pruned down for me!
The only problem now is that it's addictive! I'm finding myself staring at my book shelf, mentally boxing up the books I don't need any more, or thinking of other homes they could go to.
I think of all the kitchen 'stuff' I have but never use and is sitting in a box in the basement.
The fabric and sewing notions I've had since college because I'm "sure I'll use it someday."

I have never been more excited to rip into my stuff and de-junk and de-clutter. To have nice, organized clean spaces, instead of piles of stuff I'm keeping for no apparent reason.

I think part of it is also attributed to the new Ikea catalogue.
I love flipping through it and seeing how organized their tiny spaces are and wishing: "if only I could re-create that, so I'd have more space for my things."
But something flipped in my head today, and instead of wishing I could go and buy more furniture to hold more stuff, a lightbulb went off and I realized that I could just simply get rid of my stuff, and then not need the Ikea furniture!
I would save money and space! It was an epiphany, I tell you.

So here's to organization, more simplicity and a less cluttered life!

Peace,
- Jenny

Lavender Tea Bead

Today was a cold, gloomy day. We've been having rain all week, and it just was not letting up!
It was definitely a home-cozy kinda day.
I tried out two new recipes: Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Bake, and

Lavender Tea Cake.

I had never made a dish that included lavender before, so I was a little hesitant.
I had some dried lavender, so I went for it. It didn't call for much - just 3 Tbs. fresh or 1 Tbs. dried.
I did however, make some adjustments to the recipe, instead of adding the whole 1 Tbs of flowers, I ground 1/2 of it, so it would be able to mix into the batter more evenly; then mixed the other half in.

Next, you had to simmer it in milk, to really get the flavouring out. I also had some dried spearmint in my stash, so a couple pinches of that went in too!


I baked it in a loaf pan, and finished it with a citrus glaze of lemon and orange. Finally a few flowers sprinkled on top for presentation.
I quite liked and the smell in my kitchen was wonderful!
It's edible aromatherapy!!

Jeremie also put together some shelving for me to go in my craft room! Yay! I can't wait to get that room organized. Thanks hunny!

A little while ago I brought my drum over to my folks' place to play a few songs for Henry. Jeremie's a great guitarist, and I like to join him every so often on my own little instrument.

Henry's only 2 and a half but that little guy sure has a gift for music!

He would beat in time with me as we sung: "Octopus' Garden" Of course, instead of being in the octopus' garden in the shade, we're "In an Octopus' garden with Henry!"

And here's a picture of P.J. attacking her new enemy in the apartment.

The printer.

She hates it for some reason, and any time it makes even a beep, she's right there to pounce on any moving paper.

P.J. The Defender!

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! I know I did!

Peace,

- Jenny