My Summer Mantel

I know it's mid-June, but I didn't put up my Summer Mantel until this weekend. I shopped my house and the sales at Michaels {and I had a 50% off coupon, of course!} and came up with this. You will recognize some items from our Spring Mantel, but I think with the addition of the shell ball, the green moss balls, the starfish and the drift wood -- it's appropriately summer-y.

 

Here's the full-length view. I added the cubbies back in January and we love them! We use the extra storage for EZ's art supplies, magazines, library books and even outdoor shoes and hats!

I painted this Salvation Army frame from brass to a glossy fresh white! I added the brightly patterned scrapbook paper for a punch of colour! And of course I have to display my sacred and beloved "Design Bibles!"

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Extreme Couponing Canada?

Not so long ago, I abhorred a sale. I would never touch anything on sale, particularly clothing.I thought something must be wrong with it. I hated sifting. Cutting coupons made me cringe. Using coupons embarrassed me.

But when you don't see your money going as far as it needs to, I knew something had to change. I remember just a few months ago, having to run out to a late-night pharmacy to buy overpriced detergent because we were out of it. I remember being shocked at having to pay $15 for a little bottle of laundry detergent.

I happened upon TLC's "Extreme Couponing" show in December 2010 and I was amazed. I couldn't believe how much they could save with couponing!  I DVR'd the show and watched it a few times in awe, trying to figure out how they could save so much money. 

I thought to myself, Could I EVER do that?  

Now with money being tighter than ever, I'm going to try! I started "thrifting" in January for furniture, housewares and even clothing! If I could save all this money on stuff for our home, surely there were savings to be had on our groceries!

So I spent the last couple of weeks compiling a coupon binder, searching online for e-coupons and manufacturer's coupons, and even ordered clipped Canadian coupons from eBay {YES you can do that and you should!}.

As for the "extremeness" of the Extreme Couponing show, I've now learned that it's just not possible in Canada, but AMAZING deals are still to be had.

My first couponing adventure was a couple of weeks ago. Big A and I went to two stores to start our stockpile. Both teenage cashiers *hated* us and gave us dirty looks while scrutinizing the details of each coupon. But we persevered the judgment and eye-rolling teens, and we saved a few bucks. Our stockpile had begun.

I spent about 2 hours scouring the flyers this week and found some pretty good deals {including $3.33 Diet Dr. Pepper - SCORE!}. When all is said and done this week, I spent about $120 and saved $100. 

It took me a couple of hours to put together the coupon binder, but it's AWESOME. I got the printable category index from the Krazy Coupon Lady website, and the trading card holders {plastic sheets with small pockets, perfect for coupons!} from Staples.

I was even stopped this weekend in stores by other shoppers wondering if I really had a coupon binder! I proudly showed it off and they loved it!

I keep this box in my car with the binder and other printable coupons.

Here are some pics of my stockpile. It's not organized yet. It requires a central location, so I can get the grocery store effect. But it's a start.

I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see all these products in a line - just like at a store! I can't wait to watch it grow!

I asked Big A to put away the haul. This is how it looks in our garage. I think he's making fun of me? Well, I'll be laughing all the way to the bank!

I won't run out of the laundry detergent any time soon!

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Happy Monday from EZ: The Spanna Edition

A few weeks ago EZ got a new-to-him Spiderman scooter at a yard sale for $5. He calls it his "Spanna", which is presumably a truncated word in EZ-speak for "Spiderman."

His "Spanna" is one of his prized possessions. When he's not riding it, he's talking about it in the backyard or on the sidewalk in front of our house. He loves to show of his mad scooter skills to family & neighbours.

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EZ wants to wish Dada a Happy Father's Day too!

Please ignore the hideous Mater socks. My little boy is obsessed with Cars. Can't wait for this Friday!!!

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Happy Father's Day!

It was nearly impossible to find a photo of Big A without him holding a baby or the dog.  I think that tells you something about my hubsy - he's a DO-er! Always busy and helping with the kids and house in every way.

Here's a few snapshots of the Big A over the years.  You rarely see him in photos on this blog, but you definitely see his handiwork! 

Thank to Big A for making all my projects possible and indulging my crazy ideas. You are an amazing hubsy & father. 

Probably around 2006, just chillin' at a family party.

Fearless against the elements, and all dolled up in Bedoin headgear on our Sahara Desert journey in Morocco, 2007.

Vancouver Island, 2009

And to my own amazing dad, Happy Father's Day.

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Mummy's got new sandals!

How is it Friday again already?

This week just flew by. I had big plans to finish some projects this weekend, but given that it's Fathers Day, I imagine they won't get done.

Another time. Anyway, time for another shopping reveal!

I went sandal shopping yesterday. I'm always on the hunt for comfortable, yet still fabulous flat sandals that don't look like an ancient "Earth Mother" or too hippy-weirdo.

So I found these. And they are on sale for only $79. They are Rockports and they are so fresh in my fav colour combination white & gray! It feels like you are walking on air in these babies!

My next shoe purchase will be these cool 70s Rockport sandals, but they are sold out EVERYWHERE! But I know I'll find them eventually!

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EZ's 1st ice cream cone in the car AKA What was Mummy Thinking?!

We had a fun day yesterday! Not only did the Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup, but EZ had Dairy Queen for lunch! Yep, an ice cream cone goes a long way -- but mostly just messing up his car seat in the Flex!

{NOT the Benz, thankyouverymuch!}

This kid doesn't like perfectly good {just splattered!} ice cream get wasted. Must lick it up.

He seemed to be doing ok...until he cracked the cone and it splattered everywhere! We cleaned it up and changed his clothes.

After the ice cream debacle, we decided to go thrifting. Shopping with 2 kids? Luckily I had my good friend with me to help.  EZ found some major scores. A Lightning McQueen car, a Lightning McQueen shirt {do we see a pattern here?!}, a cool Polo shirt, a baseball glove, & a new pair of unworn sandal-type shoes.

Aren't they cool?! Trust me, though, you don't want to see the rest of this picture! EZ didn't want to get his photo taken. See exhibit 2 & 3 below.

I swear that baseball glove never came off his little hand!

Isn't this the saddest face you ever saw? This face is also known as "Didn't nap enough so everything Mummy says is so awfully tragic and requires a tear festival."

In other news, Little A didn't get a call back for the national TV commercial. That's ok, she's found a new passion. 

Eating paper.

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Look what I got in the mail!

I was delighted to get a bunch of coupons in the mail yesterday -- since we're only getting mail 3 times a week now! Lucky me!

I attempted to organize them {I even bought plastic card holder sheets to make a coupon binder!}, but I was too distracted by the Stanley Cup Final hockey game last night to finish it. GO BRUINS!

Yep, instead of finishing my coupons, EZ & I watched hockey :)

He loves to ham it up for the camera -- "CHEESE!"

Where'd he go???

There he is!!!

Isn't he such a doll!

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EZ's room - Project Mini-Update

Weekends just go by too fast now that summer's here, don't you think?  Our projects are taking longer than usual as we enjoy family time in the warmer weather {which we so deserve after the winter we had!}.

Nevertheless, Big A was able to tackle a bit more of EZ's room this weekend {in addition to painting the Bergere chairs -- we can FINALLY have them reupholstered now!!!}.

Here are some pics of the progress!

Adding a flat bottom trim to the baseboard.  Big A had to sand and cut the wood to size.

Here's a close up. You can see that he still needs to paint the trim too.

A close-up of the angles...

 

I LOVE this wall treatment so much - I had to take another shot!

The room still has all of Big A's junk in it as he is still working on it when he can. Hopefully it's finished soon!

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Introducing: BABY BENZ!

Here she is!!! And she's all ours {after signing our life away to Mercedes Benz!}. I'm really excited to have a zippy, fun car that's both reliable and chic. I *had* to have a white car - I'm obsessed with all things white lately. Thankfully, we found exactly what we were looking for - IN WHITE!

Isn't she a beauty? I love the checker detail strip along the bottom. And I heart that it's a TURBO! This little car has a LOT of power! {193 HP to be exact!}

The console is cool, with chrome & faux bois accents!

A decent amount of leg room in the back too! Not like the Sexy Flex-y, but still pretty good for a tiny little hatchback!

The trunk is actually quite large - enough to store baby gear for two kidlets!

Pretty slick looking little hatchback! So excited for our new car!  I'm also looking forward to the many adventures we'll have with our new wheels!

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I can find Pyrex ANYWHERE!

Last Saturday, in the middle of a horrendous thunderstorm, my mom & I found ourselves in a small town about 90 minutes from home.

On the way home, I spied a Value Village {the VV Boutique, if you will}, and I immediately wondered what a small town VV would have in terms of Vintage Pyrex.

So instead of staying in my car, I ventured out in the crazy thunderstorm in my brand new Toms {they are AWESOME in case you were wondering, but they are canvas so definitely NOT water resistant!} to check out Pyrex.

It was worth soaking my Toms for. Look what I found...

YES! That's PINK Pyrex! My first PINK piece! Too bad there was no lid :(

And how about this little yellow summer sunflower dish. The lid is amazing.

I can seriously shop any time, any place, and find AMAZING things. Sometimes you just gotta go out in the rain.  Even if people think you're crazy.

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Little A is a star! or is it Beginner's Luck?

Photo is not from her modeling gig this week. It was taken in April by Blink of an Eye Photography

A few months ago I signed Little A up for modeling. Not like the "Toddlers & Tiaras" type thing - just some fun kids clothes modeling etc. I have some friends that have their kids with a certain agency, so I knew they could be trusted.

So I sent my money in to register Little A with the agency, then I never heard from them again -- until this week.

Little A had TWO firsts this week:

1) Her first commercial audition

AND

2) Her first modeling gig - and not just a flyer ad, a BOOK COVER!

We were so excited and accepted the booking immediately.

So the photo shoot was yesterday.  They wanted me to bring sleepers and nice casual winter clothes {it was a winter scene}.  So I packed a FULL bag of clothes, with each kind of clothing put into smaller bags {ie. short-sleeve onesies, long-sleeve onesies, leggings, skirts, etc} so they would be easier to find. I was SO ready for this photo shoot.

I arrived an hour early, and it turns out that you can be too early for a party. The photographer and the entire crew was eating lunch and we interrupted. They were very gracious and I explained that we came in from the burbs and weren't sure about the location, parking, etc.  I was offered a seat on a comfy couch and a nice cold bottle of water. Did I mention it was 30+ degrees celsius {plus humidity!} and the studio wasn't air conditioned. I must have lost 5 lbs just waiting to start!

The other mommies & babies arrived about a half hour later. I recognized them from the audition the day before, so it was nice to know them.  I quickly realized that we'll probably be at the same gigs from here on in, given that our babies look the same.

Shortly before we got started, the photographer and stylist came over to discuss wardrobe. Little A ended up wearing a white onesie -- but I still don't regret planning so well and having more options on hand.

We got started about an hour late {so now I've been there for TWO hours!}, and Little A went first. She was hot and tired, and not herself. She was fidgety and was trying to break free from the male model {a Fabio look-a-like!} holding her.  I tried to capture her attention to tease some smiles out of her, but she was having none of it. They took about 10-15 photos and then switched out to another baby.

 I realized that what this photo shoot needed was a more docile, sleepy little baby, so I grabbed Little A's favourite brimmed hat {remember I told you about her little idiosyncrasy in this post?} and she pulled it over her eyes and quickly fell asleep.  She slept through the other babies' photos, and when it was her turn again, I whipped off her hat and she came to life -- a smiley, coy, playful {and very tired!} Little A. And then she ROCKED the shoot.

Little A must have REALLY been watching America's Next Top Model with me last season because my little 6 month old knew all the modeling tricks. She gave the camera -- all on her own! {and with a little help from the stylist!} -- smiles, serious face, angles, and ALL KINDS of CUTENESS etc. 

This girl is PHOTOGENIC! She looked at the male model, snuggled into his jacket, smiled, hid half her face in the model's jacket's lapel, then re-emerged with a big smile. She was able to make tiny little movements, so every shot was different and more interesting than the one before.  

This went on for at least 30 minutes. 

The director said, "What's this baby's name? She's the best baby we've ever had! We totally lucked out! She's going to be an actress!"  He then took me aside and wanted my information so he could contact us because he definitely wanted to use Little A again.

After Little A was done, the director called it a wrap. The other little babies only got 10-15 shots each, and Little A probably got about 200 photos. So I'm no art director, but I think she may be on a book cover before Christmas!

I don't want anyone to erroneously assume I'm going to be a stage mother. If Little A wasn't up for photos yesterday, I still be proud of her. Heck, she's only six months old! It was just a really fun experience for us both, and I'm so grateful that she did so well for a first-timer! 

So perhaps it's beginner's luck, or this is the beginning of Little A becoming a star!  

*Paging Dina Lohan!*

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Little A: 6 months

 

 

It's amazing to me that my sweet Little A is now 6 months old.  She is bright, independent, and so adorable.

Her 6 month stats are:

• Height: 28.5 inches {off the charts -- no surprise!}
• Weight: 14 lbs, 3 oz. {10th percentile}

So Little A is long and lean - perfect for a supermodel!  She's actually got an audition today for a commercial, and on Thursday she's booked for her first modeling gig -- a cover of a book! {They book several babies because babies are so temperamental, so we'll see if she actually makes it onto the cover, but it's nice to get booked!}

She is liking her brown rice cereal, and soon {when Mummy isn't so busy!}, we're going to try our veggies!  Despite being slender, this girl has an appetite!

She likes to sit up, but hasn't mastered it yet. She loves sitting in her Bumbo watching Mummy in the kitchen {yes you read that right. I actually don my apron from time-to-time to pretend to be domestic!}. Little A also really likes her Baby Einstein jumper.

Little A likes to not only rock {she LOVES music & singing, like her Mummy!}, but also ROLL!!!  She is rolling all over the place and loves her tummy time too. She likes to stretch and grab her toes.

She's VERY ticklish and loves to giggle. Only her big brother EZ can make her belly laugh though. She absolutely lights up when he's in the room -- he always has her attention.

She needs a hat. Not just because she's a bald beauty, but she likes to cover her eyes {presumably to darken her surroundings?} when she sleeps. It also must be a brimmed hat, like a newboy cap.  She then grabs the brim & pulls down the hat to cover her eyes, all the while sucking her thumb.  Not only is this totally adorable, but it helps her get to sleep any time/any where -- even at night!

Speaking of nighttime, she has not yet mastered sleeping through the night. Actually, she was great up until about 3 months ago. She likes snuggling with Mummy and that includes all night long, baby. I don't mind too much, that's why I'm on mat leave, right?

This girl is CHATTY! Seriously, hubsy & I aren't very naturally talkative, so it's amazing to us how much our kids chatter!  EZ of course is non-stop narrating his day {I used to do this before he could talk himself, so I guess it stuck!}. Now Little A can chat away with me for an hour straight! I imagine it's a sign of things to come!

We are absolutely blessed to have this smart, talented, little angel in our lives.  She is completely different than EZ in many things, so as a mom of 2, I was surprised that it's been such a different experience with #2. 

Life is good. We are so grateful for our children.

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A Tuesday Update

Hello Blogosphere. It's been a busy week.  I literally have not been able to sit down at the computer.  

We've been enjoying the good weather as a family; we've had plans with friends; and we've been busy looking for a new car.  Sadly, the day we finished paying off our car -- it died. We've tried to resuscitate our little Jetta {our first car!}, but it just wasn't worth it.  

So now, we have to get a new car.  We have our eye on a few little & zippy cars {and it's VERY few bc we have a TALL order - literally - my husband is a giant and we have two tall kids}. 

We'll probably have it sorted out in the next few days, so until then, I'll share with you our current "TO DO" list for our home.

I wrote this out 2 weeks ago, and nothing's been completed yet. Shameful, really!

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In Honour of National Running Day...

Here's a photo of my new running shoes. 

This was the 2nd time I wore them. I guess I can't return them now. 

I went running with Little A in the stroller yesterday. We were out for about an hour, then I decided to take a short cut through the woodlot near our home -- just for fun.  Turns out it wasn't so fun, and it took about 10 minutes of wading through ankle-deep mud and muck {carrying the stroller all the while}, to make it through.

With my dirty shoes, real runners who pass me will think, "Whoa, that lady has put a lot of miles pounding the pavement in those shoes," thinking I earned the dirt -- never knowing it was a momentary lapse of judgment. I guess I don't have to tell everyone the truth.

 Now lace up your running shoes, and get out to celebrate National Running Day!

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