recently

It seems my blog posts are few and far between these days. Perhaps it's the warmer weather we have now, got to take advantage of that. Perhaps it's that two little ones take up so much of my time, it could be that too. Regardless, I miss blogging and enjoy coming back here when I can to fill in the blanks and put my memories down on paper, or computer screen I guess. Please don't mind the randomness of this post.
We've been up to a whole lot of just regular things. Park dates are pretty much where it's at these days.
In the Yukon, our winters are harsh and long, so when spring/summer come along, we have to take full advantage because it only lasts a few short months before the frost comes back.
Lately we've been doing a lot of hanging out with friends, working on the house, eating lunch on our back deck and gardening. You know, spring/summer things. It's been so nice. Our food choices have been very summery as of late, BBQ, all kinds of salads, corn on the cob, popsicles and drinking yummy drinks.
Right now we are coming up to the height of the midnight sun. As it is every year, I still can't get used to it. Katia has been waking up lately at 2:30 in the morning, thinking that it is day time. Yes, we do have black out curtains, but if there is a faint slit of light coming through, it throws her off. It throws me off too actually.
In other news, I now am the proud owner of a 6 month old. Yes, Katia is now 6 months old. Where oh where did that time go? I intend on writing a proper 6 month update on her soon. She can do so many new things!
Lastly, I just wanted to write down that I've been enjoying going to church so much lately. I had the chance to go one week with just Katia, which was really nice because I was able to sit there and have a fairly uninterrupted hour to myself of just reflecting. I am so grateful that I belong to this very very special and unique church. It took a long time of looking for a church before I found this one, but boy am I happy that we found it. Our church is such a welcoming mix of younger and older people. I get the feeling that people genuinely care for one another and that everyone, yes absolutely everyone is welcome at our church. Whether you are poor or rich, black-white-purple-green, gay or straight or anything in-between, a believer or questioner, you are welcome at our church. Whether you need some help through a rough time or you want a church family to celebrate with you...this is such a place of acceptance and love. For more about my church, see here.
Hope you are all doing wonderfully (for anyone who still reads my blog).
xox
ps. for those interested in the toy that Noah and Katia are playing with in the first photo, it is a vintage Fisher Price Activity Center. I started collecting vintage Fisher Price toys when I was pregnant with Noah. I'm still on the hunt for an original record player (not the new replica ones) but I refuse to go on to Ebay and buy it... I want the thrill of finding one at a thrift shop. I know it will be hard to find, as they are less and less common and more popular these days....but one can hope right? Here is my full collection.

a few details for baby

It seems to me that I haven't posted very much in the ways of details about what our baby's room will look like, so I thought I'd show a few details of her room and talk about a few things that I have picked up for her over the last few months.

One of the reasons that I haven't posted about her room is that it currently acts as the guest room and will be staying that way until after December. We have visitors coming to se us once she is born, like my mom who is coming all the way from PEI to be with us (in just a few days!!! weeee!!!) and my sister Sarah and my sweet baby nephew Bowan. So for us, we needed to keep that room ready for our guests.

The second reason why I haven't done a lot in terms of making it into a nursery is because we know that she will be sleeping in a basinet in our room for the first while and then will most likely join us in our bed when she is a bit bigger. We co-slept with Noah and expect to do the same with her, unless she happens to be a really good sleeper on her own. So really, her room will be used as a quiet space to nurse her, a place to change her, and a place to play and read quietly.

But a few of the details that I have been working on are hanging some fun and colourful items on her wall, like this framed alphabet print that I had hanging in Noah's nursery when he was a baby and these metal silhouette birds that Winslow and I picked up when we were first married.

I also hung up a small print of a lady in a large hat. I think this is a famous image, but I've never known who the artist is or what the title is. It was something that my mom had hanging in my childhood home and its one of the very few things that I have left of our old home, so I wanted to hang it. Plus, I've always found it to be pretty and feminine.

The other project I have been working on is a display of pretty fabrics in embroidery hoops. This is something I had seen done many times on Pinterest, and when I found out we were having a girl, I knew right away that I wanted to do this. I think it lends itself a feminine feel (artsy and crafty) without being too over the top girly.

A few other little goodies that I have picked up along the way....

This beautiful custom made Waldorf doll. I ordered her back in October and hoped that she would arrive in time for Christmas. Obviously the baby won't care about her yet, but I have always wanted a Waldorf doll because they are well made and something that can be passed down again and again. This doll was made by Atelier-Blueberrie, a Waldorf making doll duo out of France. I just received her in the mail today and am so pleased with how she turned out. I was even allowed to choose the colours, prints on her dress, skin colour ect. I wanted her to reflect what my daughter will most likely look like (half Asian), so I chose a bit of a tanned skin colour and black hair. Please check out their Etsy shop.

I have a few other dolls that will be displayed in our little one's room, like these three adorable Russian Matryoshka dolls that I got off of Etsy and these other little baby Waldorf dolls that I have been collecting for a few years.

For her coming home from the hospital clothes, this is what I have chosen and packed away in my hospital bag. When I was down South this past summer, I went a little bit nuts at the children's second hand clothing shops. Where else can you find adorable brand name clothes for just a few dollars? So I picked up this sweet little one piece white knit romper (baby Gap) for just a few dollars. The brown and white hat was Noah's and I still love it, so it is packed away in my hospital bag. I also had my friend, Lindsay, who lives in Ontario knit this adorable sleeping owl hat for me and will definitely be putting it on her when we take her outside to go home as it is so very cold here and of course little babies need to be kept warm. Please check out her Facebook business page if you are interested in ordering a hat from her. She makes gorgeous custom made hats.

And finally a little sneak of where the baby will be resting her head for the first few weeks of her life. This is the basinet that we had for Noah when he was a baby and this is where she will be sleeping too. Right next to me in her little Moses basket. I just can't wait for her to be here now ... oh I'm getting excited. And so that is it for now. Just playing the waiting game and hoping that she makes her debut soon.

When I see all these details together I am kind of happy with the amount of handmade and thrifted items that I have picked up for her. It's a nice feeling to know that she will be surrounded by quality items that were made by hand and made with love or by items that have been given a second chance.

Thank you all so much for all the kind wishes and prayers being sent our way. I appreciate all your comments and love. I am a little bit nervous about the birth because this will be my first time delivering a baby naturally. Noah was an emergency c-section and his labour was very hard and exhausting on me. But the good news is that I am in a really good head space. I have talked with my doctor (who I really like by the way) about all the different scenarios that could play out. I know that I really want to be able to have a successful VBAC and will do everything in my power to make it happen, but at the same time, I am accepting that if it doesn't work out I will be at peace with knowing that a second c-section was what was meant to be.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend dear friends. Be back soon! Hopefully with a baby in my arms while I am typing!

xox

a flight home, a welcomed treat and computer time

Noah and I retuned home yesterday after a long, very long, day of travel. We woke up at 4am Ontario time, got a 7:30 flight to Vancouver and arrived in Whitehorse at 3 in the afternoon. Let's just say, I was pretty darn happy when that second flight touched down on Yukon land. I won't be flying anywhere again (knock on wood) for another 5 months and that's perfectly okay with me. Oh and why did my seat have to be put inf ront on a 20plus teenage boy soccer/or rugby/or hockey team? And where were their manners? Uggh 6 hours with hearing about farts and "shut up" and "woah were gonna crash". Let's just say I was so happy to get off that plane.

But what might have been a long and hard day of travel was all made up for when I came home. When I pointed out to Noah that his Dada was all the way down the hall at the airport, I never in my life had seen him run so fast or shriek so loud with excitement. It made my hear sing to see Winslow swoop up Noah into his arms and to see Noah so happy to be with his Dada.

Also I came home to all the fixins for a bbq, the first one of the season for us, yum!

And after our early dinner, out of nowhere, my sweet friend Sarah came over with a welcome home treat. A yummy quiche that will be enjoyed for lunch today and a loaf of her famous homemade bread which we all enjoyed this morning for breakfast.

It feels good to be home, but there are some adjustments to be made. Noah woke up at 3 am today, to his defense it would have been 6am in Ontario. Also I'm having a bit of a hard time letting go of all the family time that we just had. Nothing can replace time spent with family. To be with my sisters is like home to me. To see Noah and his cousins play together is like my childhood all over again and I am sad to have to miss that again now.

But with the give and pull of everything, life goes on and it's important to remember to live in the now.

These next few weeks are going to be very busy here for myself and the family. On the 19th of April we get the keys to our new home, and I'm so so excited to share that with you all. Also I have a number of photo sessions coming up as well as a backlog of sessions to edit. All the while, I still am a mamma to a little boy who so deserves my attention. Where to find the balance dear friends?

Lately, I've been thinking more and more about my time and how I spend it. It used to be common for me to have my laptop by my side almost all the time, clicking away while Noah occupied himself in one way or another. Going online was my escape, my connection to the outside world and my time for myself. But somewhere along the line, I noticed that my son was noticing what I was doing. He would come over and try to get my attention or sometimes he would even close the lid to the laptop. It occurred to me that this wasn't fair to Noah and I started to limit my online time quite a bit. I didn't want him to have memories of a distracted mamma.

Going online still has a place in the day for me, it just happens way less. It still remains one of my favourite way to unwind (over t.v.) and I love being able to read through my favourite blogs, but it is a treat and that's where I am starting to change my viewpoint of computer time. It is a treat, one that I get once Noah napping or asleep for the night. It is time that I want for myself, and I want it to be uninterrupted. I don't want to feel guilty about doing something for myself or that I am taking away from my son's time. Also with my line of work (photography), I spend a fair amount of time on the computer editing my work. This too can start to rack up the amount of time that I sit at my computer. And so, all this to say, that I may be more quiet at times but I am still here. Still loving my time on my blog, but being mindful of the time I spend.

I'd be curious to see hear how others limit their online time too. Is it even an issue in your home? How do you find balance between your real life and online time? One of my sisters refuses to get Facebook and limits her email time...I'm starting to see her reasons.

Hope that you are all well dear friends. Spring is a busy time with all sorts of new starts, projects and things to do. I hope you are having a happy day.

xox

ps. be back later with a Tuesday Diptych!

thrifting fun

You may remember that back in January I lucked out and I scored two retro Fisher Price toys when I was thrifting one day at Value Village. What I didn't tell you was that I had to leave a really cool toy clock behind because they were asking way too much for it in my opinion.

Well, fast forward to April and wouldn't you know it the toy clock was still there in the glass case. So I went up to the manager, explained that it had been sitting there for at least 3 months and and scored it at 50% off. Yipeee!!!!

It now sits with the others as a well rounded collection in little Noni's room.

i heart thrifting

Do you like my new (to me) vintage sweater? It was 5 bucks and comes from an old Ottawa company called Sarah Clothes. I got it at Value.

Have you found anything fun lately?

cuteness

Ahhh don't you just love a good vintage find? Check out this super cute purse I found last week at a near by thrift shop. I heart thrifting!

thrifting

I forgot how much I love thrifting. I used to do it all the time back in my highschool and university days but then I became a bit of a nomad and had to cut back on things like collectables. More recently I've been enjoying blogs like Buttercupped and Smile and Wave where these girls really know how to find a good treasure and they inspired me to get back into the whole thrill of it.

This weekend I did a really quick poke around Value Village and the Sally Anne....and look what I scored! Two vintage Fisher Price toys and a beautiful set of ceramic canisters that will be used in my studio.

So how about you? Do you like thrifting? If so what do you specifically go on the look for? What stores do you hit up?

Oh and please don't forget to sign up for my giveaway...it closes on Wednesday!

xox