shirt and tie

school dance

we went to kai's galactic themed school dance.  what an awesome job the parents did to transform the gymnasium into space, so wish i had taken photos of the details!  i think i have mentioned before that i am not at all crafty but i think kai's costume, put together with stuff about the house, turned out okay.  i think i should have covered his entire face green...

 

 

 

   

 

local designer

i recently learned that one of our very first friends here in vancouver is now making and selling jewellery.  i wish i had photographed heidi's jewellery line when i visited her. she is making some lovely stuff. but i did make a purchase. i have had my eye out for a necklace with a feather pendant but i hadn't found one that i liked very much until my visit with heidi. 

heidi is one of the most charismatic people i know.  she's funny and has such an easy laugh.  she's also pretty amazing - not only does she make jewellery, she also sings in a local band called the western investors, works part-time, and is a mom of two young boys. amazing, yes? kai and her youngest were in utero at the same time and whenever they get together, which unfortunately is sporadic, it's like no time has gone by. 



image taken when kai and ollie were 2 years old



 

saving up

in the next few months my work schedule becomes on the heavy side, working full-time hours.  i love my work so this is welcome.  the monies that comes with it is welcome too!  aside from finally being able to contribute to the household bills again, i hope to make a big-ish purchase.

i have been thinking about purchasing an ipad.  the price tag was a bit of a shock so i'm going to let it simmer in my head for awhile.  i have been on the fence about purchasing it.  but i think it's something that the three of us can enjoy.  a prezzie for the family.  i don't know why, but this thought makes me happy.  maybe because i am not the breadwinner so to be able to make such a purchase is a nice thing.  i know, it sounds kinda silly.  i predominately work on a casual basis so i have learned to be disciplined (most of the time!) and good at budgeting.  so, it's hard to make a big-ish purchase. hmmm...

image from the apple on-line store

chocolate and cabbage

easter at home began with my boys looking for the chocolate i hid around the house.

bunny made by kai

then we spent the afternoon at the van dusen gardens where kai had fun learning about spring beginnings and in particular how the bees, the flowers and all the other life makes spring so special. his favourite part was pollinating the flowers.  van dusen gardens, all 55 acres of it, is right nearby our home and is quite spectacular. 

from the website, "The garden design features displays of plants in picturesque landscape settings. Specific garden areas are planted to illustrate botanical relationships, such as the Rhododendron Walk, or geographical origins, as in Sino Himalayan Garden. These areas are set amidst rolling lawns, tranquil lakes and dramatic rockwork with vistas of the mountains and Vancouver cityscape."

 

      

 

we ended the day with a most delicious dinner.  stefan cooked up the best vietnamese spring rolls.  the three of us inhaled our dinner.

crazy for nutella

oh my goodness, i'm speechless.  why is this not available in canada?  kai and i would seriously be giddy over the moon and our kitchen cupboard stacked high with this nutella snack/drink.  i have been known to sneak a teaspoon of nutella for a midnight snack.   shhhh.

this nutella snack & drink can be found at all roadside gas stations in italy. it contains a serving of nutella, breadsticks to scoop it out and a splash of iced tea to wash everything down.  actually, this would not be good for me. no. no. no.  but, oh yes!

image from the livin wide blog

i perused the official nutella website (italian only) and love their commercial, check it out.

quilt inspiration

i was at a friend's house recently, an afterschool playdate, and noticed a homemade quilt laying on her sofa. there is something about quilts that are very personal and precious.  it made me remember the little project i have in mind. i imagine that one day i will piece together a quilt from snippets of kai's clothing that i have hung onto over the years. 

this website is full of beautiful quilts, each with a story to tell. visit, you will be inspired to make one of your own too, i'm sure!

 2 napkins 

1 wedding tie

1 rugby tie

1 snippet of a wedding dress

1 kimono dressing gown

1 child's school smock

1 child's dress

1 pillowcase of Samantha Fox 

For a man who loves Frank Lloyd Wright

i covet...

i love the platters from john derian but not their price tag.  i first spotted them at the cross, a local vancouver home shop.  can you believe decoupage, the art of cutting and gluing, could look so fabulous?

i think the watermelon or strawberry platter would be a perfect gift for my mom.

  

      

springtime

daffodils, kara's embroidered dress, and an elephant say springtime, don't they?  spring is a little late for vancouver this year but we welcome it.

brought back from our travels to vietnam for kara

kara belongs to darrin and alexia. i can't seem to let her be. those thighs. those cheeks. too cute!  darrin and alexia are our most beautiful friends.  i believe people come into our lives for a reason and i'm glad they came into ours.  they are indescribably sweet, kind, and generous. i'm glad kai has them too.

we got to spend some much needed time together.  stefan was in the kitchen preparing brunch, which included scones, a favourite!  and, he and kai made ice cream with his new ice cream maker (photos from earlier in the day).  it was perfect.  he used the coffee we brought back from vietnam to make the most delicious coffee ice cream.  thank you my sweets.

fast food

this wrap is our version of fast food but for those who love eating! there aren't enough hours in the day for stefan to spend the time he wants in the kitchen during the weekday evenings but we must eat.  so, stefan has taken to making wraps every so often for a quick weekday dinner.  we pick up either some organic chicken, ahi tuna, or salmon, a couple of salads from whole foods' salad bar, and masala wraps.  so easy (i could even do it!) and yummy.

while waiting for the tuna to cook and the wraps to be assembled, kai was on the computer with his math booster program.

wait a minute, is he doing math?