Just stuff!

Today was a stay at home in my pjs day but I was very busy none the less... for some reason I woke up around 7am and couldn't fall back asleep. I made Jo-Ben breakfast: his fave coffee and egg mcmuffins, unpacked alllll of my great baby things that I brought back from BC into the nursery, cleaned the bathrooms, front entry way, dusted, did 4 loads of laundry and stripped the beds (cant wait to sleep on those fresh sheets tonight!) Made dinner, sorted through the bills and made up a menu for dinners over the next week or so and a shopping list for tomorrow! oh, and I managed to hang out with my pup Joey and catch up on a few of my shows :)

Cant believe how much there is to do after being away for a couple of weeks!

My mobile for the babes room came while I was in BC so I put it together tonight and strung it up in the living room off of the ceiling fan so I could see it all hung up... I absolutely LOVE it. Will be heading to the hardware store tomorrow to get some ceiling hooks to hang it up in the baby room.


Here are some preggers pics from the two weeks that I was in BC for- I don't feel bigger (even though Jo-Ben thinks so) but I sure feel like the baby has dropped big time... feels like I can breathe better but now I cant bend down without my tummy hurting!




Wish I had some pics from my wonderfull baby shower but I forgot to ask someone to take pictures for me with my camera!

One last thing...

Jo-Ben came into the living room killing himself laughing the night before I left for BC and out he came with Joey the dog in his pants like a kangaroo 'joey' Joey was so calm which made it really funny then he started falling down Jo-Ben's pants and just kind of laid in his pant leg. We pretty much have the best dog ever. EVER. :) My husbands pretty hilarious too!

Back to the land of ice and snow

As I was landing last night I looked out the window and thought 'oh no!!' It looked like someone had taken powdered sugar and glitter and sprinkled it allllll over Calgary. Not a very appealing sight to come home to after such glorious BC weather. I heard that the weather in BC isnt suposed to be very nice either but this was not what I was expecting for here. I dont know why, I shouldnt have fooled myself but I was kind of expecting to go away for a couple of weeks and come back to spring. Ha, yeah right. Anyways, Im back safe and sound. My visit was really good... it didnt feel like a vacation, probably because I spent half of it in the hospital/worrying about my dad and another quarter of it sick with some kind of bug... oh, and contractions all day on Saturday! eek! They were steadily at 15-20 mins apart and never got stronger and I havent had them since Sat so we are chalking it up to false labour but they were pretty annoying none the less! I had a beautiful baby shower thrown for the 'little gummer' as my dad calls him on Sunday. If I could describe it in one word it would be overwhelming. The generosity of my family and friends blew me away. Now, its back to reality and I have about a million things to do (the bookkeeping for my husbands co., getting our tax stuff together, doing a thourough clean of the house (although the boys did do a great job having it look half decent for me when I came home) get the baby room ready and everything packed away where it belongs, groceries, get the tenants out of the basement suite and have it spic and span for the new ones who move in on the 1st, order that freezer that Mom got us for Christmas and start filling it with lasangeas etc.) yeah.... I think Ill be pretty busy for a little while... and before I know it the babe will be here! wow. cant believe my baby ticker says thirty something. whoa. Hope this post finds you all well!!!

Quiz: Find out your decorating style

I took this quiz this morning to find out my 'decorating style' and I think its pretty accurate... here are my results!
http://www.sproost.com/StyleEngine/results

Your personal style is a mix of 3 specific styles:
58% Cottage Chic
25% Contemporary
17% Classic


Cottage Chic
Who says that cottages can't be modern and chic? Who says that they have to be floral and cheesy? Not you!
You love the carefree spirit that the cottage interior inspires, but you are also serious about your appreciation for modern art and hip treasures. You love old and new alike, and love to highlight them all to expose the uniqueness of each. What better way to show off these treasures than with a light background?

Want to take the quiz too? Heres the link: http://www.sproost.com/StyleEngine

Dad update, pregnancy update and some of what Ive been up to here in BC

So after spending 5 days in the hospital ( I think I spent about 24 hours out of the first 4 days there) my Dad was released and came home on Tuesday. We were really hoping that he could come home on Monday night and stayed till late to get the results of his latest CT scan and get the go ahead from his surgeon but it was a no go... he decided that Dad should stay to be monitored one more night and he was released the next morning. Its good to have him home but he is still not feeling 100%... not really eating regularly and had a really hard time sleeping through the night last night, we will see how tonight goes. Every day gets better though and we are thankful for everyones support through thoughts and prayers- no infection yet and we are really hoping that one doesn't show up, the chances are getting slimmer so we are confident. Anyways, things are looking up so thank you all for your concerns and support!

I am feeling good... Getting very round (as you can see in the pic above!) and have some REALLY uncomfortable moments because the little gummer (as my Dad so affectionately calls him) is sitting so high up... pushing up into my ribs and organs... seems like he is trying to get out any way he can, even through the side of my belly!!! I cant wait till he drops. Heck, I cant wait till he comes out! I know, I still have 5 1/2 weeks left but I'm at that point already. I made some really sweet pillow case covers for some cheapo pillows that I bought from Ikea for the babes room with my sister tonight with a new fabric that I haven't used in the room yet that is featured in the quilt my aunt is making me. Its probably the 'cutest' fabric, an off white color with rows of green polka dots and blue moons on it. I made two square pillow cases and one rectangle and they are going to go on the recliner so will probably be for me to use for night feeding time. My sister and I spent the day today in down town Abby checking out all of the new shops down there after having high tea together... it was allot of fun... there are allot of really great shops down there! I bought some great books for the baby and myself at Hemingways, the material for the babies decorative cushions at Quilt Essentials. (best fabric store EVER) and some really cute french country looking bird bookends for the babies room. I love them so much and will most definitely use them for years to come and not just in the babies room :)

This past week, other than spending tons of time at the hospital (or at Mom and Dads house vegging cause the hospital sucks a heck of a lot of energy out of you!) I have also gone shopping, over for an amazing dinner and lots of hanging out with my sister Rebecca, Stayed over night in Richmond at my Auntie Katies, Out with my Mom doing the usual which includes going to costco, ikea, the mall, etc, etc., chowing down on her amazing food (home made chicken noodle soup with home made noodles even and fresh buns- the best) and out for lunch in New West, Dinner at Hons Noodle House (best Chinese food I have ever had- ever) in New West and for seafood chowder in a bread bowl right by the ocean in Steveston. Watched movies with both my sister and her husband, had dinner at Uncle George and Auntie Carolines and spent lots of time visiting with them, pizza party at Gramps's house...have mostly been spending lots of much needed time with family & so far, so good.

Tomorrow night I am off to my Uncle Herb and Auntie Lorrines for dinner and to watch Survivor, not too sure whats on the agenda for Friday and Saturday but I am planning on going out to Maple Ridge to see my friends out there at some point probably on one of those days. Sunday is baby shower day! My auntie Katie and my sister are throwing me a baby shower and I am so excited to see everyone who I have heard through the grapevine are coming :) So far its been an awesome trip (even with the brain surgery stuff to deal with) and there is more fun to come so I'm excited! (even though I miss my Jo-Ben and my Joey a TON) time is flying by.

Thanks again for the concern and support, will post more pics when I get home :)

Quick Update

Dad today (14th) showing his battle wounds... he didnt expect them to shave his head but I told him that its a good start to a mohawk- he isnt going for that idea.

My Dad got through the surgery well, we are waiting to see how the next few days goes with recovery as the first 72 hours are the most crutial. Praying against infection, for him to be in less pain and to be more comfortable and for his body to accept the shunt.

Dad was trying to be funny showing me his food (sort of a joke we have) He hasnt been able to keep much down but ate a banana and a yogurt today while we were there and didnt throw up while we were visiting (for 3 hours). Hes sitting up today which he couldnt do yesterday and said that his pain level was a 6 today (out of 10) where are yesterday he said it was an 11 so thats good. He was feverish on and off throughout the day today though and has a constant headache and hears a `buzzing`noise.

Dad

About a month and a bit ago my uncle Herb (my dads younger brother) suffered from a brain aneurysm. It was a very scary time for all of us but incredibly, after emergency brain surgery and a couple of weeks in the hospital he was sent home on absolutely no medication and is totally back to normal. Its nothing short of a miracle considering all of the unfortunate things that can happen to someone after suffering a brain aneurysm like he did. Anyways, after all of this we discovered that brain aneurysms are hereditary and my dads brothers and sister decided to go get CT scans of their brains to see if there was any chance of them developing one. My dad went in for a CT scan on Thursday of the week before last and on Friday got a call from his family Dr. to come in immediately. The Dr. had verbal results from the CT scan people and it turns out that my dad has major swelling and lots of fluid in his brain. Its believed that this is the result of a cippling disease that my dad suffered from when he was a very little boy (like 2 years old) Since they were living in Paraguay and I guess the technology wasn't great there during that time and so he didn't get proper diagnosis or treatment. Because of this disease his head swelled up and he had problems walking etc. Well, his head always stayed big but I guess he grew into it and never really noticed any side effects throughout the years. This past year he admitted that he did notice that his hands and feet had felt tingly but he thought that was cause from his smoking habit. He also noticed that he started having worse vision... hes worn glasses throughout adulthood and he thought that maybe his vision was getting worse and so this past year he tried two new different prescriptions but he still had to pull over on the side of the road and wait for a few mins once in a while for his vision to correct. His family Dr. informed him that it looked very serious and said that he would set him up with an appointment with a neurologist in Vancouver at the Royal Colombian as soon as there was an opening early the next week. Monday morning my parents were out for lunch with my sister and brother in law when they got a call from Royal Colombian that the neurologist needed to see him right away so they hopped in the car and headed in to see him. They were brought right in and the Neurologist went over in detail what the CT scan showed and informed my dad that he would need brain surgery as soon as possible in order for them to put a shunt in his brain to drain fluid into his stomach in order to get the swelling down. He told my parents that he was actually surprised that my dad wasn't blind by this point in his life because that is the number one concern with this type of swelling and fluid build up and he believes that if my dad wouldn't have this operation now that he would be blind within this year. So on Friday of this week my dad is going to go into Royal Colombian to have brain surgery. Its all been kind of stressful and scary but at the same time totally amazing, if my uncle had never had his aneurysm my dad would have never had a ct scan and they would have never found this situation in time to save his eye sight. I am incredibly grateful and also feel so lucky that I am still able to fly at this time so that I can head out to BC and be with my family. Its a pretty stressful time especially for my mom, the Dr informed them that there is a chance of infection and it could end up becoming meningitis, and both of my parents are very worried for me and the baby (I'm not stressed... I was more stressed when my uncle had the anuerysum because I was so far away and didnt know what was happening and couldnt do anything way out here but they are my parents to I guess its natural for them to be worried or over worried even) so our family would appreciate thoughts and prayers during this time for peace for all of us and wisdom for the Dr. and nurses.

Sunday = brunch! Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles

So on quite a few food blogs that I peruse I have seen this recipe for Cinnamon Oatmeal Waffles and this morning I had the opportunity to try them out... the original recipe is found in Sunset magazine and I didn't adapt it to my own- I made them they way that they were intended to be made. Anyways, they are very healthy, almost 2 C of whole wheat flour instead of white and 2 full C of Oats make these waffles really good for you... almost doesn't make you feel bad for dousing them with maple syrup, tons of berries and piles of whipped cream! The reviews for this recipe were all good and so I decided to try it out... and we weren't disappointed. They weren't light and fluffy waffles that you might be used to, they are very dense and very filling. I would be surprised if anyone could eat more than just one. They were chalked full of cinnamon and brown sugar and didn't really taste like the were good for you, the picky boys that I live with even loved em... and they usually inspect my meals to find any 'weird healthy stuff' in them. Anyways, I will defs be making this again and wanted to tell everyone out there in bloggyland about its deliciousness.
here's the link!
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=1865439

so my dog thinks hes a cat

Joey loves to lay on he stairs in the sun like a cat... I think he thinks hes 1/3 cat, 1/3 boy and 1/3 dog... he does lots of cat like and boy like stuff all the time and it makes me laugh :)

less than 2 months to go now...

some projects that i am thinking of trying

I bought this coral hook in white from Anthropology while I was in the states over Christmas
and I bought a couple of these knobs also in white too...
I really like the look of them but when I put the knobs on our traditional looking side tables in our room realized that they don't really work, the hook doesn't look bad on the wall but there isn't really anything 'beachy' about our room at all. So I'm thinking of making some sort of piece where I attach the knobs and the hook and use it somewhere (bathroom or in walk in closet maybe) for hanging stuff (I'm thinking jewelry if i put it in the bathroom and scarves if i put it in the walk in...) I'm not quite sure but i got the idea from this diy project on the show Marriage Under Construction on HGTV... here's a pic of what they did on a much larger scale...


One of my favorite blogs is called ikea hacker and i found a couple of really great project ideas on the site today. first of all i found this amazing bar area that someone made using an expedit wall shelf and i LOVE it, i think I'm going to make it and i have the perfect place in our dining room to put it already in mind.

http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/2009/01/expedit-wine-rack-and-bar.html


Also, i have another idea for the baby room that i adapted from someones art corner in their kids play room. basically they took this 'curtain rod' from ikea and used it to string up art work. i am going to get a couple and hang up these amazing alphabet cards that i found at Michael's from the Martha Stewart craft line. The cable comes with 12 clips so if i buy 2 there are exactly enough clips for a full alphabet.


http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/20079342

aren't they CUTE alphabet cards? i love em.

Baby Room in the works...not quite ready but heres lots of pics

This is a mobile that I bought from the states for the baby room, my MIL is sending it to me this week and I cant wait to get it and set it up! Its made of walnut which is what the flooring is so I think it ll look great and I love how natural and uncutsey it is.
I also bought these really great decals from Urban Outfitters and should be getting them this week too. They used them here on a dresser which I might do but I am already envisioning the places on the wall where I am going to stick them up.They are a great alternative to painting or stenciling because they go on and come off so easily.

Here is his hamper which I bought from Ikea, I think I am going to get another one so we have one for clothes and one for the cloth pocket diapers that I ordered. The shelf is hung up now which is shown in another pic... The shelf was originally an inexpensive piece and the three frames that are hanging on the pegs were a really pastely purple, green and yellow... I simply spray painted them and then put some material in them that are featured in a patchwork quilt that my aunt is making me for the baby.
This is the reading/nursing corner, I opted for a recliner that we already owned instead of getting a glider because it rocks and I can also recline it out so that I can sleep with baby on it if I need to... I hope it works out! I left up a couple of pics on the wall that I had in this room when I was using it as my spa room because they are pretty neutral and calming which I think will be an important aspect in this corner! hahaha. I also have a little basket hanging on the wall that matches the hamper in the opposite corner in which I am storing some books... I might get a couple more of those baskets to hang in that corner for more books as he gets older. We will see! Oh, and a glimpse of the crib.
The recliner. Also on the ground is a light fixture that I found at Ikea in the as is section for 5 dollars... its a really cool hallo or wreath style fixture that I am going to hang from the ceiling above the chair. It has a switch on the cord which is nice and gives off a really great soft light so I can use it at night and it wont be harsh.
The dresser which I put together MYSELF! It is probably the hardest piece of Ikea furniture to put together known to man. I'm using it as the dresser and change table. I bought the crib in the same series.
This is a frame that my mom got me at winners for about 3 bucks... I took out the ugly matte and covered it with a fabric that is going to be featured in the baby quilt and then added a chocolate brown ribbon... the ribbon looks really shiny in this pic but that's just because of the flash, its not really like that in real life. Right now the babies creators are featured in the frame but I am planning on putting our first family pic int he hospital in it. Also a little bird statue that I bought last year, I have two of them and will have them in the room somewhere just haven't figured out where yet... Other than the fabrics featured throughout the room the 'lose theme' of the room is birds (with the decals, the mobile and some little bird nick knacks here and there)
The shelf that I hung up above the dresser that matches the dresser and crib. Lots of hooks and space on the shelf for all kinds of things.
The redone shelf hung up! Not sure why that one frame is crooked... will have to fix that. Don't you love his little shoes!?
I took the tie backs from these curtains and covered them with fabric and sewed a button on them and I think they are a really great feature to tie things together.
I also made this project... they are calling it 'swatch portraits' online... Basically its just embroidery hoops with bold fabrics (the ones I used here are featured in the quilt and around the room) in them. Then they are grouped loosely and hung randomly. I hung them above the crib and I think it looks like a really cool modern feature and they were really cheap and easy to make. I also like it because its not heavy and I don't have to worry about them falling into the crib and on the baby.

I have also seen these swatch portraits made with cork board on the back so that you can use them to pin and hang things to them like notes or pictures... I might make a few of them with the cork board and put them in another area of the room to pin pics of the grandparents and aunts & uncles on them... or pictures of baby, I'm sure we will be taking lots of those!

Anyways, the room is FAR from being done... right now the guys store their hockey bags in there and stuff so its kinda a mess but things are getting done in there! Ill really tackle things when I get back from my visit to BC in March. The babes clothes are all packed and organized in the dresser and we are collecting the necessities so I feel like we are on our way to being ready for this little guy & I am loving how the room is coming together!

Hope you enjoyed the mid decorating room tour!