Shades of Grey

It's not easy being green.

Actually, it is easy, but I'm just tired of it is all.

It's time for a change.

This is the status quo. Painted about 5 years ago.

I still like the way it looks, mostly.

What bugs me about this photo? Mismatched bedside tables. Uneven lamp heights. Slightly off-centre headboard. We really need to attach that to the wall.

I do like the way the green contrasts with the white,

but after 5 years, it's a little tired.

And it is awfully green.

I don't know why everything looks so dark in this photo.

What's bugging me here?

A lot. Uneven blinds. Folded blanket that Oliver loved to sleep on until I folded it. Unorganized pile of books in the basket because we have nowhere to put them since we dismantled the shelves in the still-in-progress family room.

So I'm thinking about gray.

This photo was the trigger. But maybe it's a bit too pale.

Source

I want to create some atmosphere.

Somewhere warm and cozy for the coming winter.

Source

I love the love of the old linens against the darker gray.

I like this photo too.

Source

But maybe a bit too dark. It's a fine balance.

Source

This might be a winning look. I don't plan on changing

out the linens any time soon.

But which gray?

So many options...

I'm kind of digging storm cloud gray, though do I really want to wake up to storm clouds every morning?

The one in the middle "gray timber wolf" is the same as the one in the first "gray" photo". I still think it's a bit light for what I'm trying to do in the room.

What's a girl to do?

Opinions? Anyone?

Raising a winner

Would it surprise you at all to know that I'm so very, very proud of my daughter, Lizzie?

Just to clarify, I am proud of her 100% of the time. Somehow, Javier and I have raised this wonderful young lady. Maybe it's a bit of good parenting on our part, but I think Lizzie is an innately good person.

Right now, I am proud of Lizzie because she came in first in yesterday's multiple school cross country run. She was invited to join the team and this was her first race. I knew she'd do well but first? Yay Lizzie.

What makes me most proud, though, is not the gold medal she brought home yesterday, but her story of walking for a short time during the race to ensure a fellow racer was okay and not going to pass out.

The knowledge that my daughter would sacrifice herself (well, at least her racing time) to help someone else, is worth more than any medal, any day.

I love you Lizzie.

Inheritance

I've inherited many things from my grandmother throughout the years, but my favourite "thing" is my enduring love of arts and crafts.

The last time I saw my grandmother she was very excited to show me the afghan she was working on. It was this "new" technique called Cro-Hooking, using a double-ended crochet hook that is about the length of a regular knitting needle.

Source

I laughed when she called in "new" because this is the instruction book she was using.

Source

I can't find a publication date but the images are definitely 60s or 70s, so it's not really a new technique.

She was very cute though, about the whole thing. I love that she was so excited about it even at 89 years old!

After her funeral, I went back to her apartment with my dad. He told me that he'd like me to finish the afghan. When I replied that I didn't know how to do the stitch, my ordinarily easy going father snapped back "well you're just going to have to learn, aren't you".

Okay. Grief does funny things to people and he is just so sad without his "best mother". They really were best friends.

So I learned and I finished the afghan.

It really is very pretty. I'm going to ship it to my dad this week.

Hopefully it will bring him some comfort.

Last Day of Summer

There's a touch of Fall in the air these days...

And in the gutters too.

It was a mere 6 degrees Celcius when Lizzie left for school this morning.

And a whopping 30 degrees when she came home.

Too hot, dry, and windy for the run we were planning to do.

We went for a walk instead and got slurpees.

For some reason, Javier finds that hilarious.

Couching

Try as I might, I could not deny the siren call of the couch this morning. It's becoming a bad habit as the half hour I plan to lay down stretches into two (eep).

I blame these two.

It's just too comfy with a couple of warm cats molded to my body. And it was very cold this morning. And the cats obviously needed me too.

How could I possibly deny this little face anything?

___________________________________________________

This laziness must stop. I have things to do!

Being a perfect mother

Oh, how I strive to be the perfect mom.

Source

I know I'm not the only one out there who does. Especially us working moms.

I want to be the mom with a perfectly organized, clean house. I want to be the one with placing healthy, prepared-from-scratch breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks before my family everyday. I want to have all our doctors and dentists appointments organized ahead of time. I want to look perfectly put together, hair and makeup done, wearing a smart casual outfit when I greet my daughter after school.

The reality?

I'm a fly by the seat of my pants type of girl when it comes to meals. Oh sure, once in a while, I'll plan a week or two of meals and have it all together, but then the real me reappears and it's back to daily shopping trips for me. I'd rather recline on the couch with my cats, a decaf latte and a book, than clean the house or do laundry. I get it done, but it's a struggle against my own sense of laziness most of the time. I'm the one calling the doctor after my prescriptions run out. My daughter reminds me that we need dentist appointments. Sometimes I shower before my daughter gets home.

Yesterday was definitely a lazy type of day. I went back to bed after seeing Lizzie off to school. But I did plan and shop for meals for two days. And I did four loads of laundry. So I guess it balances out.

Plus, I had fresh muffins waiting for Lizzie when she came home.

So I guess I'm not that bad of a mom after all.

Lizzie told me I should be proud of these muffins.

Want the recipe?

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

(adapted from a recipe in this book)

Makes 10

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

3/4 cup unbleached white flour

2 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 cup milk

7 tbsp canola oil

For cinnamon sugar:

2 tsp ground cinnamon

6 tbsp light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375. Grease 10 cups of 12-cup muffin pan or line with muffins cup. Prepare cinnamon sugar and set aside.

Mix flours, baking powder, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together egg, milk, and oil. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until just combined.

Spoon small amount of batter into each muffin cup. Sprinkle with heaping tsp cinnamon sugar. Repeat, ending with a layer of batter. Use fine skewer or tip of sharp knife to swirl cinnamon sugar through batter.

Bake 18-20 minutes. Cool in pan for 10 minutes then turn out on wire rack. The instructions say to wait until they cool to taste as the sugar mixture remains really hot.

My Grandmother

In July my family lost a great lady, my grandmother, or Grammie, as my brother and I always called her. It still feels unreal that she is no longer here. She's always been there, a quiet, dignified, and very loving grandmother. We all miss her.

Grammie had two great loves in her life. Her first true love was my grandfather. They were married almost 50 years when he died.

Grampie carried this picture with him during the war.

She told me once how he requested a song for her when they were dating, "You Are My Sunshine". I think of the two of them whenever I hear it. They had a deep love for each other, one that endured after death.

Her other great love was her son, my father.

They were a great team, enjoying Saturday shopping and lunch together every week. He promised Grampie that he would take care of Grammie and he faithfully kept that promise until the very end. He visited her everyday at the hospital after her stroke in June, reading to her from the Bible, and, sometimes, just sitting and holding her hand. I'm sure there was no greater comfort to her in those last days than knowing he was there for her.

Grammie led a very full and active life. As a girl she play hockey and baseball. Throughout adulthood she played tennis and biked. She enjoyed card games and puzzles. She played the piano, something she picked up again in her 80s when she purchased a keyboard. She stayed in her own home until she was 81 and still mowed the law and shovelled the driveway. She was always a busy lady, learning new skills like painting and making felted wool slippers very recently.

My grandparents travelled all the time. They made twice yearly trips across Canada to visit our family. They travelled to the Bahamas one year and made the journey across the Atlantic Ocean to the Netherlands to visit friends my grandfather made during the war. She also spent many accompanying my grandfather hauling for the Sabian Cymbal Company throughout the United States.

When she wasn't travelling, Grammie enjoyed spending time at the lake cottage she and my grandfather built early in their marriage.

I have wonderful memories of summer nights in the antique spool bed in her guest room, listening to the sound of loons in the distance or slamming cottage doors. I remember the smell and taste of cucumbers in white vinegar, fighting off black flies and mosquitoes at the picnic table in the backyard, and icy cold dips in the lake. There was always family around.

She enjoyed close relationships with each of her sisters and their families, and they remained a big part of her life.

My grandmother was blessed with incredible patience, something I struggle with constantly, and wish I'd inherited. She visited one time and was able to sit quietly for more than 2 hours while I finished my work. I was concerned that she was bored but she assured me she was quite content. After all, she'd had many years of practice waiting for my very social grandfather to finish visiting.

I spent a lot of time with Grammie as a young child, during which she shared her love of arts and crafts. She made many quilts and afghans, two of which we use nearly everyday for snuggling on the couch. She taught me to knit at age 4 and we spent many hours making crafts and sharing different ideas. While my hoarding of craft supplies and the many half-finished projects around the house surely drives me husband to distraction, he should know that crafting is in my blood. I'm proud to share what I've learned with my own daughter.

In 2003, Grammie left her home in New Brunswick and moved across Canada to southeast British Columbia to be close to my dad. She was embraced by the community and kept pretty busy playing cards. When she turned 89 this past year it was a great party. She was celebrated by family and friends alike and especially enjoyed hearing the bagpipes that day. I had know idea how well loved and respected Grammie was in the community until my family attended the dedication service for her new church. She was practically a celebrity. Everyone wanted to talk to her. She was blessed with many wonderful friends.

My family's last visit with Grammie was in June. Unfortunately, I have no pictures of that weekend. She'd been hospitalized several times in May and decided to travel for a visit when she was well. I have such great memories of that visit. She was so excited to show us her apartment and the different crafts she'd completed and was working on. She was her vibrant and feisty self. We are so grate we made that journey as she had a devastating stroke just a few days later.

My grandmother loved God. She prayed everyday and read the Bible and devotions every morning. I'm sure she's in heaven right now, in the Lord's embrace, reveling in his presence. She deserves to be in heaven and, while we grieve her absence here on Earth, we know that she is content, reunited with her beloved husband and the other family and friends she's lost over the years. I also believe that she is waiting with her trademark patience for us to join her there one day.

Who wore it best?

I dedicate the following post to my beloved Javier.

It all started with a dream. Specifically, Javier's dream...

Source

Javier saw this picture online recently. His first thought, after "wow, Christie Brinkley is smokin'" (of course), was "I think my wife would look hot in a dress like that". Bless his heart. He found out the designer and stored the info away in his brain in case we ever had an occasion to find the dress.

His excitement was palpable when we realized that there was a Herve Leger store in Las Vegas. The man dragged me in and forced me into the dress. Okay, that's a little overstatement. You never have to force me into shopping and trying on clothes. Still he was very excited. I love that!

The red dress. It looked okay. Not my best colour. We tried on a few others. Really, I was just humouring him at this point. Until I tried this sparkly work of art.

Source

Wowzah! Herve Leger makes these incredible bandage dresses that just suck everything in. I'm my own best (or worst) critic (as so many of us are) and even I thought I looked pretty good. Javier readily agreed. Still I thought it was just play-time.

Then, Javier decided to buy it. "It is an investment," he said. "Okay" I said, "but it will cut into our travel budget". "Yeah, okay, just buy the dress", he said. I think there was drooling involved, by this point.

Are you ready?

A little teaser. Getting ready for a gala dinner in Vegas that night.

The dress, needless to say, required special treatment. New shoes were purchased and I had to go to Sephora for a lot of help with my makeup, specifically the eyes. They did a fabulous job and I wish I had a close up of my eyes because they have never looked better. I hardly recognized myself. If you are ever at Sephora at the Miracle Mile, ask for Myriah. She was wonderful.

We had to look online for shoe advice. Turns out Herve Leger is pretty popular with celebrities.

Source

And lo and behold, my dress even made it to the red carpet!

Source

Okay no more teasing. Here's me.

Javier's favourite view. Hubba hubba.

I had a little eye candy of my own that night. I'm sure my smile was a mile wide that night. I don't think I've ever felt as beautiful or as glamourous as I felt that night. I swear I could have walked the red carpet myself. It's amazing what a little designer fashion can do for a girl's self esteem.

And I did a lot of laughing that night. I have so much fun with this man. Plus I kind of like him too!

I even thought I looked pretty 'hawt' at the end of the night after countless glasses of wine and abandoning the heels for flip flops. I like the scary, half-drunk eyes in this photo.

I think I want to be buried in that dress. I felt that amazing in it.

_________________________________

So tell me, who do you think wore it best?

Sonoma: what we did there

We Drank

Oh yes we did

At home

And at every restaurant too

Javier wants you to think that this was all my wine, but it wasn't. It's called a wine flight--a three wine sampler that most restaurants have available so you can try a variety of wines with your meal. I think the middle one was my favourite, a pinot noir. Blast it...I can't remember the name.

And for the record...it was Javier's wine. I enjoyed a passionfruit and pomegranate sangria!

We Ate

Some Portuguese Fisherman's Stew

With eyeballs

This meal was from La Salette, a restaurant I discovered when I was doing some pre-trip research. We had lunch there one day when we stumbled upon it in a courtyard while window shopping in Sonoma. Side note: lovely little shops surrounding Sonoma plaza. The food was wonderful, contemporary Portuguese cuisine, Cozinha Nova Portuguesa. I had the stew and Javier had a most delicious pulled pork sandwich. They have the most delicious looking array of tasting plates. We definitely will got back on a future trip.

Other restaurants we tried:

Harvest Moon Cafe - the menu changes nightly. Javier had melt-in-your-mouth steak. I eat little beef but I tried a taste and it was incredible. I had fish, which was also very, very delicious. We both had to make ourselves take our time eating. It was that good. And of course, an excellent selection of wines accompanied our meal. This was my favourite restaurant in Sonoma.

Girl and the Fig - this menu changes every Thursday. This was the only dinner of our trip that was somewhat disappointing. However, I probably ordered wrong, because Javier's flounder was delicious. In fact, I ate half of his meal. I ordered a vegetable stew that was quite bland and watery. The one thing that really impressed me about this restaurant is they grow their own vegetables. Many restaurants seem too.

Oxbow Cheese Market - I admit I got a bit tipsy from a single glass of wine here. This isn't really a restaurant, more a wine & cheese bar located in the Oxbow Public Market in Napa. Oh, but the cheese. We shared a plate with Cowgirl Creamery Mt Tam triple cream, almonds, dried fruit, honey and bagette. The cheese was so dreamy. I'm salivating just thinking about it. We also tried something called a burrata, a decadent mozzarella mixed with cream.

There are so many other restaurants in the area that I wanted to try. We most definitely have to go back for more sampling.

We Rode

Our house had 3 beach cruisers for our use. I wanted to smuggled this adorable yellow and pink bike back home. And it matched my outfit. It was an easy ride to Sonoma. We just locked up our bikes and walked around town.

Complete with basket and horn

Javier also coordinated his outfit with his bike.

We Played

At least I did. I was a bit silly at times.

And last but not least,

We Saw

The whole region is so beautiful. I didn't take many pictures because I couldn't possibly do the scenery justice.

Things on our list for next time:

- Winery visits - we planned to do this on this trip but just didn't have the time. Between Napa Valley & Sonoma Valley there must be 100s of wineries. And some are even family friendly. Lizzie would be able to come too.

- Dinner at French Laundry - located in Yountville, Ca, just north of Napa. We have to save our pennies for this restaurant but I think it would be worth it. Its garden are located just across the street, so fresh food is pretty much guaranteed. And it was such a pretty looking place too.