making, doing lately...

...decanting whole tea leaves into cute chalkboard-labeled container (sitting on the table where we see it makes us use & enjoy more often now!)

...sprucing up a mirror with a pretty Shanna Murray decal

...making sweet baby photobooks on Shutterfly (this is a little addicting and fun!)

...making cards & celebrating our 10th (oh wow, I can't believe it) anniversary last weekend!!!

...framing pressed plants to spruce up the walls

...painting...getting into painting again...trying some abstract...the photo above shows a painting in the very beginning stages!  I really don't know what I'm doing for certain but its fun and a little stress-relieving!

party scenes...

As I previously mentioned, we had little Bub's first birthday party last Saturday.  While the party was pretty wonderful (except for the weather being not so great), we made it through (survived!) the 1st year...that's what really matters!  And we were so happy to celebrate that fact!  :)

party prep...

It all began innocently enough with a moose stamp I happened to come across online one day several months back when I was looking for something else...and before I knew it I found myself painting plastic moose entirely a solid blue color and others light brown, painting baby food jars the same color (original idea here...although I didn't dip mine), sewing paper garlands, making moose invitations, sawing & sanding branches, making cake flags, and more!  When I first saw this adorable moose stamp I immediately thought it'd be a neat theme to springboard from for little Bub's first birthday party...it was so cute and boy-ish and being that we live "up north" and all I thought it'd be fun and inspire me...and it did!  So that's the kind of crafting I've been up to for the past several weeks.  And now that the party has come and gone, I'll have a few party photos to come too!  Phew!!!  No one told me a 1st birthday party was so much work!  ;)

a Valentine-y lunch...

I wasn’t necessarily going to do much of anything for Valentine’s Day this year. I usually at least make some cards or a little something...but I just wasn’t really in the mood.

I haven’t really been in the mood to do a whole lot of anything lately, except the basics…taking care of my family. I’d have these big crafting ideas, but then come evening, once little baby was finally tucked into bed, I’d find myself quickly crawling into my own bed soon after with a good book and the heating blanket turned on high. I guess its best to listen to your body. Sometimes I think that whenever little bub is napping or sleeping at night, I need to be doing something very productive with my time. And I’m slowly learning (now that he is becoming a better napper) that there will always be another nap, another moment to myself. So I can relax a little bit and give myself a break once in awhile, which I’ve been trying to do... But then Mum and Dad decided to come up for a visit this past Saturday. And since it was close to Valentine's Day I decided it'd be fun to turn an ordinary meal together into a little V-Day lunch/celebration. Of course we’d eat something together, so why not make it into something a little extra special, since we don’t often see each other anyways? I love having my parents in my home and treating them like special guests, because they are! And it was a good excuse to use some dishes and things that I don't often use. So it all spiraled from there…a few days beforehand I had taken little baby outside for some fresh air, to watch the Chickadees at the feeder. And I plucked off some tiny pinecones from a nearby tree. Suddenly some “Pining for you, Valentine” place cards popped into my head. Perfect for our special Valentine lunch. (Doesn’t all inspiration happen randomly like that? At least it does for me!) Then sometime soon after a butterfly mobile hanging from the light fixture popped into my head as well and I just had to make it...even if it meant staying up late the night before.

I was planning on making Chicken a la King for lunch, something warm and comforting on a very cold, blustery winter afternoon...

...and suddenly I had to make the biscuits from scratch and in the shape of hearts no less! Then, somewhere in the midst of sleep the night before, I had the idea for us to write down one thing we love about our spouse on a heart doily, so I had to go dig those out from my craft stuff......but as I announced this little plan during our lunch, someone else came up with an even more brilliant idea to write our little love note inside the "Pining for You, Valentine" place cards. This made far more sense as we had much more room to write and we all easily came up with more than just one thing we love about our spouse. We read them aloud after our meal and it all ended on a very love-y, Valentine-y note...which made me so pleased indeed...and I do think did all of our hearts just a bit of good!
Happy Valentine's Day! :)

a little Christmas around the house

Some decorating done around the house this past Saturday evening, after little baby was in bed. I didn't think I'd have the time or energy to do very much this year. Honestly I can barely just do the essential things as of late...but Hub encouraged me and we really did have fun doing this together like little elves while little Bub was fast asleep in his crib. We put up villages and elves and hung some of my favorite vintage ornaments (and a few other nature-y ones too) on tree branches I had spray-painted white, placed in a big vase on the mantel. We took out our smokers and our pyramids. And we finally both agreed a real Christmas tree was impractical and therefore out of question this year again, since little Bub has just started rolling like crazy all over the house. He doesn't crawl yet but he can roll himself across a room in no time flat, especially when no one is looking. Which is pretty exciting, even more exciting than getting a real Christmas tree so I'm okay with that!

nine roses...

And not just any roses...but the most beautiful, big (I mean "big-as-cereal-bowls" sized) pretty pink roses I've ever received. Hub gave them to me one week ago today to celebrate and signify nine wonderful years together. And as we start year ten with a new addition to our family, we're so excited about this "new chapter" (as hub called it) in our marriage. I feel so blessed!

a little bday recap...

Oh my, where did the week go? I can't believe it is Friday already. This week has been a bit of whirlwind beginning with the weekend prior spent in the Cities for a baby shower and a gorgeous Easter day with my family...then Hub was briefly in Boston, later Mum came up for a quick visit, and oh yes...it was my birthday too. This week also brought snow, rain, wind, and finally today...sunshine! Phew! I'm ready for a quiet, Spring-like weekend at home with my hub now!

I spent my birthday with Mum, enjoying a great lunch out and lots of shopping together. Above was a birthday dessert they surprised me with at the Norwegian cafe we ate at...complete with singing me a sweet Norwegian song. In the evening, Hub took me out to our favorite Thai place for dinner. The great thing about birthdays AND being pregnant at the same time? He let me get 2 appetizers!!! ;)I also bought myself a few little birthday presents while out...a pretty floral vintage oil painting (snippet of it above) that I've had my eye on for quite some time...and a cute vintage doe & fawn planter (first photo) that I just couldn't resist. How sweet would that be coralling some things in the baby's room on a shelf or perhaps planted with a sweet, dainty Baby Tears plant?

Happy Weekend! ~L

paper hearts...

Happy Valentine's Day! I didn't do very much in the way of "valentine-ing" this year. Not like last year. Or even the year before now that I look back on it. But Mum came up for a little visit late last week and brought along the sweetest heart punch...ever! This scalloped heart with all sorts of holes & details that punch out of it. So cute! So I borrowed her punch and punched out a variety of colored hearts. There're so many possibilities for this punch beyond just making cards with it...

So I strung some on twine to add a bit of love to our home. And I stuck one under the tiniest little belljar I acquired while Mum and I were out thrifting. The only real "valentine-ing" I will do now today will involve a bit of baking & cooking for my Valentine, Mr. Hub...you know what they say...the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

xo~L