Avoiding puddles

I am officially on the hunt for a new pair of boots! In addition to the hole they are sporting near the sole that left my sock soaked last week, I didn't realize someone decided to snack on them!

Unfortunately, stores don't seem to be stocking knee-high black boots anymore. Guess I will be waiting til fall and searching for some cute spring pumps!

If anyone finds some cheap black pull-ons with a fair heel, in the Edmonton arae, shoot me a message!
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Recovery

Excuse the awful shot. Exhausted! That's how I feel today. Last night was pretty trying.

Our poor little girl was pretty out of it last night. We spent most of the evening trying to convince her just to lie down and go to sleep. She wasn't buying it though...

Obviously, she's pretty sore and just wanted comfort. She desperately wanted to lay on the couch with her momma, but since it wasn't good for her to jump up, I spent a good portion laying on the floor, until my legs fell asleep from a heavy puppy laying on them.

I'm admittedly a little squeamish when it comes to blood so checking her incision is hard. Administering her pain meds is awful but necessary. Watching my poor puppy wince and cry cause she's moving too hard or too much makes my heart hurt.
Trying not to laugh when she gets stuck sideways in her kennel because the cone she's wearing round her head is caught in the grooves, is sooo hard.
But knowing that this little girl bolted past dad this morning to catapult herself onto our bed, just so she could snuggle in, next to me and forgo an early morning potty break, melts my heart!

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Mama's girl

This little bear is at the vet today getting spayed. I'm not gonna pretend it doesn't break my heart and make me nervous. I've only ever had boys so I wasn't prepared for an invasive surgery. Nor apparently was I prepared for the cost...

Yikes! Big dogs cost a lot! Holy mackrel.

Anyhow, I'll be making sure this little girl is comfortable tonight and maybe setting up a little crafting so she can sleep underfoot.
Enjoy your day!
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Sometimes you just wanna sparkle....

however, usually the feeling of confort prevails.  On those days, I'll be reaching for this comfy new Calvin Klein hoodie!

I picked it up super cheap last weekend at The Bay and will be wearing it EVERYWHERE!

I love when casual clothes are a little "fancified" (yes, that's the technical term) so that I can get away with wearing them outside the house or gym!

(excuse the awkward boob shot)

Here's hoping your day has a little sparkle in it!  Happy Monday!

Home Scents(y)

Back in November, I was working a very slow craft fair and in order to keep my boredom from setting in, I wandered around and perused all the other booths' offerings.  That is where I decided to try this Scentsy deal I kept reading about on blogs.

Being newer to Canada, I hadn't really even seen them before that show, but I could definitely SMELL them that day and fell in love with the scent wafting through the church that day, so I wandered over and after a good couple hours with a catalogue and the sample scents, picked out a combo for myself.

When it arrived a few weeks later, I was excited at how big the warmer actually was.  Unfortunately, that meant it wouldn't work in the room I had purchased it for - the powder room.  Since we had eliminated the towel bar and were working with a towel stand in front of the plug in, there wasnt much space nor did I like the idea of anyone getting electrocuted.

So it was moved to the living room instead and I am pleased to say I LOVE IT!! 

 First of all, I chose a neutral white warmer, so it works very nicely with our decor.  

My absolute favorite thing about it is obviously that it is NOT  a candle!! With a dog and 2 cats, candles are always something we really have to watch around here.  Plus, I don't have to worry about changing out the candles when we have a party or anything. 

I also really love the scents I chose:

Coconut Lemongrass is light and refreshing. 

Perfect for having a big group over cause it's not too overpowering.

Paradise Punch is fun and fruity.  I like this one for when we're just chillaxing, watching a movie or when I have the girls over.

Blueberry Cheesecake is a great scent but really strong.  This was nice during the winter months when I wanted to curl up in front of the fire and read while Cory was at work.  I only ever use one block at a time, and you could even split 1 block in half with this scent.

I love that when I want to change scents, all I do is pour the melted wax back into it's container, wipe out any residual with a papertowel and pop in a new block.

I did just notice on the website that they do have wall plug-ins, so I may have to snag one for the powder room that was my original plan.

If you use a Scentsy, please let me know what YOUR favorite scents are.  I am always looking for suggestions, as it was hard to smell and the samples and not start to think they all smelled the same!

Have a great Sunday!

Favorite Things: March Edition

I thought it might be nice to do a fun feature of some of my absolute favorite things each month.

One might wonder how it's possible to compile a list of "favorites" each month, but I think it's easy... I'm fickle like that...

Anyhow here's what I am loving currently:

Coach Poppy Signature Sateen Glam Lurex Tote is my newest bag and latest love!  It's HUGE!  In addition to my wallet, keys, cellphone, makeup bag and gum, I can fit my gym clothes, lunch and random papers in here.  I could probably also cart my laptop around if I wanted to as well!  Plus, in silver, it stands out a lot more than everyone's black bags.  Everyone stops me to comment on it!

Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People This catchy little tune is ALWAYS playing on my computer... at work, at home and when I get my ipod fixed or buy a new one, in my car!  Love the whistling, love the tune, love the cuties in the video! 

Princess House Appetizer Plates  These little babies are constantly in rotation at our house.  The perfect size for absolutely any snack, they sit in their caddy on my countertop and we can't wash them fast enough!  Not available in stores, you can only get these from a Princess House consultant.  In the Edmonton area?  THAT WOULD BE ME!!  Shoot me an email if you want to order these, or any other products!!  :)

Old Navy Sweetheart Bootcut Jeans  I have been on the search for some new jeans for a really long time.  I used to always shop at Gap Kids, then they went and stopped making their jeans with lycra in them, which is just stupid - kids (and smaller adults) need some stretch.  Plus, it helps retain shape in demin....  Anyhow, I resigned myself to the Adults section today, and tried these babies on.  Couldn't whip my debit card out fast enough!

This cute Calvin Klein top I can't find on their website, but I snagged off a polyvore site somewhere and then lost the website.... oops.  I picked this up, on sale today at The Bay.  It's very forgiving, if say you haven't been to the gym in almost 2 months... or something like that!

So yeah, those are 5 things I am loving right now.  How about you?  Anything you're loving lately?

share!  I'd love to hear!

Happy Friday!

Hope ur all enjoying your day. Help yourself to a slice of the delicious chocolate cake I made!

Brought it to work today to share with the gang, it's sitting here on my desk tempting me with it's sweet smelling French Vanilla icing.

We're headed to the casino tonight with some friends, essentially to hear a good band play, but I'm sure we'll be trying our chances and venturing out onto the floor. I'm a blackjack girl myself so fingers crossed I can maybe do some winning tonight so I can do some shopping tomorrow while cory's working! :)

I have a couple gift cards burning a whole in my wallet, so I am heading out tomorrow to see if I can find some good house finds.

Have a great one!
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Frugal Find: Birdcage Candleholder

My latest find is actually pretty great! Of course it helps that this little find was FREE! It was collecting dust in our warehouse at work.

As you can see, it was "showcasing" some faux ivy for that lovely cottage look. Other than that, I actually think it's pretty charming as is. The top and bottom are a creamy ivory with a slightly distressed finish and the metal is pretty rusty looking which adds a nice element.

I'm not actually sure whether I will paint the whole thing white or leave it as is, or even where it will end up... But I think it's perfect for adding a little spring time whimsy.

I'll make sure to share pics when this beauty finds it's new home!
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Your opinion needed; In the market for...

Cory and I have been doing a little research lately on a nice air compressor and obviously, a paint sprayer. Seeing as our nice weather days are limited in Edmonton, and I do not have the space for an indoor workshop during the summer, and paint projects are limited to summer days. That usually means I have a ton of projects to work on come Spring and only a handful of days to work on them.

I'm thinking it would be a good idea to splure on a sprayer to speed up my time and allow me to tackle more projects. Plus, give me better quality spraying.

While we're a little ways away from actually getting started (due to the snow we're still getting), I was hoping some of you could let me know what brands you're loving! And maybe some that you hated so we can get a comprehensive idea!

Thanks!
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If only...

No, I don't have anything to announce. But if I did, I would definitely want to try this beauty on!
this site   is a gold mine for gorgeous stuff that isn't cookie cutter! I am in love!
Maybe someday...sigh!
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Currently loving!

Yes that's right, Scotties with Lotion have become my best friend! I am once again battling a killer head cold and I am starting to believe that maybe all this sickness is related to something else, like maybe allergies?

I am on the look out for a new doctor to see if I can work towards a proper prognosis and maybe a recovery sometime soon.
I'm sure everyone around me is sick and tired of my coughing and nasty sounding hacking.

Hopefully I will be feeling well by the weekend!
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Lightening Up!

We recently sold one of the showhomes are work. Our goal is always to sell the homes fully furnished, so that we don't have to store the furniture with the hopes that the decorator will be able to use it again.  Sometimes however, the buyers choose not to take the furniture, and I'm left to list it online. 

In this particular instance, the homeowner took about half the furniture and while there was no furniture that I was particularly fond of left, I did manage to snag myself something pretty great:

This pretty little porthole mirror was gracing the little girl's bedroom in the showhome.  I first spotted it a few weeks ago and couldn't get it out of my head. 

You can't really tell from the picture but the paint is pearlescent.

I wasn't exactly sure where I was going to put it when I said I wanted it, but I knew I would figure out a spot.  When I brought it home, it was pretty easy to decide where I wanted it.  This small wall between the living room and dining area was begging to be lightenend up. 

Previously, it had a painting my mom had commissioned for me.  While gorgeous, this Northern Lights painting and frame were much to dark for the space.  You can see a picture here (mind the Christmas tree, I didn't have many photos of that spot).  Oh, and yes, Cory had it hung waaayyy too high.

I think the new addition is much better.  It really lightens the space up. 

 I had been wanting to replace a lot of our dark furniture with white for quite some time now, but was scared to make a commitment, unsure if I would love the look or not. 

But seeing this addition today, confirmed that I am much happier with the lighter color.

It looks a little small in the photo, but in real life, it actually fits the space perfectly. 

Here's a bigger picture so you can get a better view.

Oh, and the best part.  It cost me NOTHING!

Bringing Spring Inside

Just a quick post to share one of my favorite new things around the house.  I've actually had it for a while now, but don't think I have ever shared my Bird Nest Bowl:

I snagged this cute storage/decor piece at work.  I'm pretty lucky in that I'm friends with our in-house designer, so I get to take advantage of her discount and snag some cool finds direct from suppliers.

This particular find is available in some local stores, of course with marked up prices.

I was originally gonna see if she could order it for me in white, since I do love me some little white birds.  But she had an extra one in pewter, so I just snatched that one up instead.

I think it looks great over in the corner here.  Plus, it provides a good little hiding spot for small things:

cat toys, tealights, nail clippers are rounded up in this corner of our living room!

The perfect addition for spring, which I hope shows its face soon!

Fill the void!

We'll have been in our house 2 years this June, and overall we've been pretty happy with how it was built.  Other than wishing it was bigger, we don't have too many complaints of the builder.  However, there is one area that has bothered me since the day we moved in:

Yeah, the fridge. Or more so, the huge blank space above the fridge. (sorry for the dark photos, pretty gloomy out today) You see, when we went down to the appliance store, we had decided that we were most definitely upgrading the fridge since we wanted something with an ice and water dispenser since we entertained often.  One thing we also remembered to do, was ask the sales guy to make sure that the fridge would fit in the space designated for our fridge.  His response after looking at the model "oh yeah, it's a standard size, so it'll be fine."

Being that he probably did this hundreds of times a week, I trusted him.  That was obviously MY mistake.  So a few months later, when we got the keys and took possession, I saw that the fridge was not only a bit too deep.  But it was too short.  We had this lovely gap between the fridge top and the cabinets...  I was NOT impressed.

However, I didn't ever think to complain to the appliance company OR the builder.  Why?  I really have no good answer for you.  I just didn't.  Somehow, I think I decided that it was obviously MY fault.

Anyhow, eventually, the top of the fridge became an eyesore.  It was the spot Cory decided to keep all his large, odd shaped kitchen items.  Creating this lovely look:

I was constantly emptying it out and telling him to keep it clean, but then a week later, there it would be again.  So I knew I had to do something about it. 

My first thought was to get a piece of wood stained the same as the cabinets and simply add a false front and just cover up the hole.  I even went so far as to ask the service guy to keep an eye out for trim in our color.  He unfortunately, never found any.

My next option was starting to price out how much it would be to get a millworker to come in and create something there, like maybe a built in wine rack or something handy.  But I just couldn't justify the cost for something so silly.

Last week, I have a great idea while grabbing a magazine.  You see, I kept them in these baskets.....

Five minutes later, I had my solution:

They're a pretty goosd size.  Almost the same color as the cabinets, provide hidden storage, PLUS they are shallow enough to still allow us to keep big, bulky things behind them!

SOLD!

We're always short on storage, so I use the baskets to store dishtowels, rags and cloths, freeing up space in the jam-packed tupperware drawer!

Here's the finished look:

Not perfect, but definitely an improvement!  Don't you agree?

The baskets were part of a 4 pack from Ikea . Although, I went back to get more since my magazines were now loose and they don't seem to carry them anyhow... I am sure you could find something similar though.

Currently on sale!

I got the latest Pier 1 flyer today at work and took a quick peek before I passed it on.  I have to admit, I don't think I have ever bought anything there that wasn't for someone else's gift registry. I typically find it a little too expensive.  Plus, the exotic, brightly colored Asian zen vibe that my local store seems to favor, doesn't necessarily blend well with my creams, whites and blues.  But today, was definitely a different story. In fact, I will be popping in there tomorrow to check out a few of these items:

This Sea Glass lamp obviously.  But I think I am more drawn to the color than the shape....

I'll be snagging myself a pair of these saly & pepper shakers.  They have three of my favorite things all wrapped into one sweet package: white ceramic animals, pretty birds and whimsical salt and pepper shakers!  Plus, they're only $3 US!

Lastly, I have have my (online) eye on the next two tables for a couple years now.  Since before we moved to this house actually...  I've never actually checked them out in person since my store has never had them in.  But I am hoping since they were in the local flyer, they might be in stock.

This Directoire style table would be perfect just about ANYWHERE in our place!  It looks small enough that I could even pull it up to the couch when I am lounging and too lazy to reach for the coffee table.  Alternately, I think it would look amazing in a little girl's room.  Or even in our bedroom when I eventually get around to finishing it and putting a great reading chair in front of our window.

They also have it in a console!  I am thinking that this one will most likely need to sneak it's way into the house somewhere as well.  We could use it in the front hallway for sure as a place to stash keys and the like.  However, that space is a bit small so I am thinking the stub wall between the garage and kitchen might be a good depth!  Although, do we think it would look better sprayed white?

Remember, I have a grey-blue wall color and bright white trim with dark wood floors.

I'll let you know tomorrow if it makes the cut. Plus, I'm not sure what Cory will think.  Perhaps if I snag my gf's designer discount in addition to the already great price?

got my eye on...

I currently have my eye on these chairs:

I am loving everything about them: the color, the shape, what I imagine the fabric to be, the nailhead detail and most of all - the fact that they most likely won't work with our current dining room table!

Leave it to me to find an addition that requires me to get more new stuff!

I just don't know if I can convince Cory....

Thoughts?

Some recent Destination Shots

I have been having a heck of a time with the internet at home lately.  It seems to only work on certain sites, when I am doing certain things... it's getting very difficult to load photos and get some blogging done.

I did manage to get some photos from our trip last month uploaded, so I thought I would share some of those for you, until I get some other good stuff up here.  I haven't fallen off the face of the earth - just technological impaired right now.

Enjoy!

The gorgeous wedding location:

The yellow bird of happiness paid us a visit!

A great fish-eye view of the ceremony area

Yes, this is the only semi-good picture of us both from the WHOLE ENTIRE TRIP!!

Cory's face is sunburnt, his glasses are awful and his outfit a mess!

My hair is blowing round in the wind and I am standing awkward.

So much for buying a nice camera to take nice photos, specifically for THIS TRIP! oops...

I did however, capture some nice stiill-lifes, like the gorgeous flowers!

Note to everyone: Don't forget to actually carry your camera around with you while on a trip.  It will be cumbersome, and you'll hate it while you are doing it, but you'll thank me later!