i covet...

i love this locket so much that i subscribe to get updates from the online shop belinka.  my thinking is that i will see the locket in the 'for sale' section.  it's been months now and it has yet to make an appearance there.  i'm patient.  my favourites are the sand and grey colour ones.  very pretty.



mazes

kai is obsessed with drawing mazes - otherwise known as video games on paper.  the detail and storyline behind each maze is quite amazing.  stefan, too, spent many hours doing the same as a little boy.  like father, like son. in so many ways!

marrakesh memories

i love to travel, whether it's a day trip, a weekend away, or 3 weeks abroad, it doesn't matter.  when i came across this blog, moroccanmaryam.typepad.com, i was immediately hooked and visit her regularly (and yes, this is what i was doing just before posting).  this woman is living in morocco with her family and building a riad.  how cool is that?  i very much enjoyed the time stefan and i spent there for our anniversary (sans kai, thank you aunt melanie!). it was bliss.

do you see the rabbits she's holding, i'm thinking they are going to be dinner?

our riad

knitting

kai's school started a knitting club and he asked to join it.  he has always been intrigued that my mom knits him scarves and hats and has asked to learn since watching her knit last summer. i took him shopping for needles and yarn and he has begun to knit himself a scarf.  he carries his knitting needles everywhere.  yesterday while in the wait room of the travel clinic (getting shots for our upcoming vietnam trip!) his act of knitting received lots of smiles.  it was funny, many people took a double take to be sure they actually saw a little boy knitting!  he has inspired me to learn!

post soccer

kai joined a soccer league, their season began in september and ends in march.  he plays every saturday. this first image was taken after the game.  he was a tired boy and i love that he chose to relax with a book.  he enjoys reading and his one of his favourites right now are spy books.  he is reading the 'zac power' and 'jack stalwart' series books.

later that day, we went out for supper and kai and i 'texted' one another:

 

too cute

sometimes, kai has enough of my camera in his face.  but i simply cannot help myself, he is too cute (i know, i am biased).  i asked him how it was possible that i made him so cute.  he replied, "because you are so cute." he certainly knows how to make this girl feel good! i love him.

grouse mountain

ski season is upon us and my weekly snowshoe hike has begun.  while kai is in ski class i do the snowshoe grind up, up, up (seriously, it's an uphill climb).  it was a gorgeous day - cold and sunny, just like toronto.  thankfully, stefan joined me.  i needed the encouragement to the top (it was very, very hard).  however, if previous years prove right, by the end of the 8th week i should be running to the top (well, maybe not running).

i covet...

i came across this pinata in the living etc. magazine and immediately wanted to own it - i even think i have the perfect place for it in my home (above the drum kit).  the pinata is made by the confetti system, it's actually filled with handmade confetti.  upon visiting their website, i also need want to own their tassel garland, the multi-coloured one is my favourite.  aren't they fun?

morning cuddles

this morning kai, just out of bed and looking very sleepy, comes into my room, finds me standing in front of my wardrobe trying to decide what to wear for work (sometimes i stand there for what seems way too long but that's another post!), without a word he takes my hand, walks me to the bed, and we cuddle. total heart melt.  what a lovely start to my day. the best.

image taken by stefan in 2006, vancouver island, qualicum beach. he is growing too fast!

loki

let me introduce you to loki, the older of our two cats.  he is 3.5 years old and is huge, weighing 14 pounds.  he is named after the norse god of mischief.  it turns out the name is appropriate for our loki who likes to leave throw-up around the house. we don't know what to do about this so if anyone has any suggestions please let me know. despite this flaw we love him. 

he is such a cuddle monster.  loki often greets me standing on his hind legs and stretched to my sternum to be picked up.  once in my arms, he immediately settles in and nuzzles into my neck. stefan may say loki is a tad too clingy.  he loves being wherever we are, following us around the house. 

loki is also a scared-y cat.  outdoors, he stays close to the house.  he doesn't realize that he can use his hugeness to his advantage.  he's afraid of other cats, dogs, persons, and the slightest of noises will have him hiding under the bed or in the hamper. 

he loves his treats.  we think he is a food addict.



 



 

an unhappy cat after a bath.

pompom cheer!

i wish i was more crafty.  i envy the moms who bake or make their children's halloween costumes.  i think my first project would be pompoms.  i am loving them lately.  especially the wreath below.

image from handmade charlotte.

image from pickles.

beginnings

the beginnings of new friendships are so sweet.  i made a note on the chalkboard that kai's new friend was coming over for a play afterschool.  a few days later i noticed kai added something of his own.  sweet, yes?

i covet...

the photographer, massimo vitalli, began photographing italian beach panoramas in 1995.  he would set up his camera 20 - 30 feet in the air, frame the landscape he planned to capture then would wait for it to fill up with sun-kissed people lounging and frolicking in the ocean.  such dreamy landscapes, yes?



top three images via actually lucy

i love the way the photographs look within the spaces below.  during our vancouver grey days, i could imagine gazing at this beach scene hanging on my wall and the winter blues would melt away. aren't the interiors gorgeous?

bottom two images via coco and kelly

south china sea

we did it!  we are booked to go to vietnam in the spring.  i have been devouring the vietnam guidebook.  it already looks like it's been there and back.  so. very. excited.

cypress mountain

we hiked cypress mountain.  it was a snowy paradise.  kai wasn't too happy with the steep climb up but once it leveled out (and after a quick snow nap!), it was easy to enjoy the snow, especially when snowball fights are involved.  the bum ride down was especially fun!

image taken by kai