12 - 14/52

 

week 12

 

kai: enjoying the joys of sunbathing in cuba.  and, i am loving his sunkissed cheeks with freckles.  so cute.  or, as he was repeatedly called in cuba, "lindo".  it means pretty :)

 

 

week 13

 

kai: while visiting a pottery studio in cuba kai was immediately mesmerized by the artisan pictured above.  kai thought his creations were magical.  what was once a lump of clay all of sudden became a bowl, a sombrero, a vase, etc.  as he watched in awe kai said to me, "i think he's inspiring me to be a potter." 

 



 

week 14

 

kai: upon seeing the caribbean sea - the bluest and clearest was found on the north side of the island in varadero - he proclaimed it was the biggest swimming pool ever. he lived in that water for the two days we were there.   

weekend pics, pampering and packing

by the time you read this post my boys and i will be on a plane to cuba! 
 
the weekend was mostly spent thinking about what to pack.  in particular, just how many shoes can i fit into my carry-on luggage?  yup, we are travelling with a carry-on each so i must edit, edit and edit again.  at first i thought, "ha, having limited space will make it so much easier to pack, i'm so smart."  but last night - as i was writing this post - i had yet to pack and thinking, "holy smokes, what am i going to pack?!"  i like options when i am away and a carry-on does not provide you with many options. 
 
with packing on the brain, it was nice to be distracted and pampered too.  while running errands for our trip, we visited matchstick's new coffee shop in chinatown followed by a stop at beta 5 indulging in caffeine and pastries and chocolate.  we hung out with are fabulous friends darrin and alexia who fed us the most delicious waffles - i loved mine with bananas and maple syrup dusted with some chocolate.  and, i squeezed in a pedicure while my boys were kicking the soccer ball around. 

it was all good.

 

i'll be back with vacation pics in about three weeks so i will see you then, okay?  have a lovely time whether at home or away.  and, whenever internet connection is available, i will try to post a few pics on instagram.  adios :)

the sweet magnolia tree

 

a walk in the neighbourhood yesterday showed a sign of spring.

 

magnolia trees are marvelous and this one i spotted instantly put a smile on my face.  it allowed me to stop in my tracks in the midst of running errands, inhale (that sweet scent) and exhale with intention, and just enjoy the moment. 

 

amazing how flowers can be such mood changers.  don't you agree?

petals and penmanship

i wish vancouver had such a cool workshop. 

when choosing flowers for the house i never grab the ready-made bouquets.  it's much more fun to pick and choose my own flowers.  but then i get home and dump them loosely into a vase.  it would be lovely to actually arrange them.

and my penmanship?  well, it could use some help.  seriously, i have a second graders messy hand printing.  at work, i'm always embarrassed when i pass along my counselling notes and every time i promise myself i can write neater.  i wanted to be a teacher when i was a little girl... i don't think my printing would have passed the penmanship test :)

sign me up for this class anytime!  it looks like it would be such fun.





 

the photography is so gorgeous, right?


11/52





kai: he still loves lego; this car is his most recent build and he is very proud of it.  his focus and determination when he is creating is a lovely thing to witness. 

malaysia flight 370





image from national geographic





as everyone probably has, i have been thinking about the malaysia flight which went missing just over a week ago.  it must be excruciating for the family members, the not knowing.

i am a nervous flyer and the idea of getting on a plane soon terrifies me.  flying always terrifies me but not stefan.  he spouts out facts about how flying is safer than driving, about how unlikely it would be to be in plane accident, and how there is nothing to worry about.  i believe him but i continue to worry.

i dread turbulence because i'm afraid we'll fall out of the sky.  i dread take off and landing because i inevitably start to feel nauseous.  i dread when stefan flies alone and since his new job involves more travel it means i worry more too.  i usually send him off by telling him to be safe and if something did happen to not be a hero but instead to save himself because he has two people waiting for him back home.  i don't like it when i don't hear from him when i'm supposed to, right before and after a flight.  of course, he always comes back safe and sound.  if something ever did happen, well, it's too difficult to fully grasp.  i know i'd hold on to the belief that he was okay, he saved himself and will be coming home to me.

perhaps i'm naïve, but i'd like to believe those 239 passengers will be going home to their loved ones. 

weekend pics, wet and grey with lots of warmth

there was lots of warmth infused in the weekend despite being out in the rain for most of it. 
 
kai very much wanted to play in the soccer tournament (which means four games) despite stefan's and my hesitation to travel out to suburbia for both saturday and sunday.  but it turned out to be well worth standing in the rain and cheerleading when both kai and his team played like superstars!  hot chocolate helped too.
 
darrin, alexia, kara, snehal, dan, dylan, and aadishri... i'd happily live in a commune with these people.  the kitchen would be beautiful and huge and the homemade meals that came out of it would be gorgeously delicious. snehal would cook up flavourful curries - although this weekend it was her inventive version of coq au vin and it was so. very. good. - while alexia cooks up soups and pastas, aadishri would bake, and stefan would puree and braise and stew.  we love our food and all the better when shared with friends :) 

oh, and in that commune of ours, there would be silliness and giggles, board game nights or words-with-friends while we lounge on comfy sofas together, darrin's mid-afternoon coffee drinks, raspberry kisses for the little ones, dancing made-up moves like kara's adorable 'goldfish' dance, snehal's flower arrangements scattered about the house and deer in the backyard.  swoon. 

 

 

 

hope you had a splendid weekend too. 



a hint of spring

we've had gorgeous weather over the last few days, makes me hopeful that spring really is around the corner! 



pastel vessels

chic bun

linen towels

pastel plates



blooms



cute dress

a lovely paint-by-number

unknown



pretty floral washi tape

 have a lovely weekend.



10/52

 

kai: his love of building forts with pillows and blankets hasn't ceased.  early one morning kai made a fort so that jude would have another cozy spot to hide during the noisy construction happenings around our home.

in a funk

 

i am a lucky girl.  yet, despite the health of my beautiful boy, a truly awesome hubby, and insanely beautiful friends, my internal dialogue is filled with a string of complaints and worries lately.   

sometimes i feel i am battling my way through housework to do lists, emails to write and respond to, filling the refrigerator, soccer practises and games, band practise, homework, and a big one of late, negotiating my way around puberty.  i worry if kai feels loved, is he getting enough calcium in his diet, is the alarm on, are the elastic bands out of reach of the cats, especially loki?  and on and on it goes.

i am not a complainer or worrier by nature; i know this is life and i wouldn't trade it for the world.  i have simply forgotten to recognize the bliss around me.  so i will try harder to be on the lookout for those zen moments... in that freshly folded stack of towels, a perfectly shot soccer ball, kai's knack for expressing himself using fancy words correctly, the cup of tea brewed just for me.

i have a few friends going through difficulties lately whether with the health of a loved one, a broken heart, or other challenges.  life can change in an instant and all of a sudden you are living a new normal.  

i want to be thankful for all the crazy that is my normal because it's the crazy that makes those beautiful calm moments so very good, yes?  i also read that keeping a daily gratitude journal lessens worries and increases happiness.  will you try it with me?  what three things are you grateful for today?  trader jo's peanut butter filled pretzels, the tickle-themed wrestle kai and i had in bed before school, a surprise london fog tea.

beautiful moody image from here

weekend pics

the highlight this weekend was reconnecting with old friends, a sweet and fun loving couple.  it was like no time had passed and, as per our tradition, the men prepared dinner, we indulged in wine, and good conversation and company was had.  

the only difference was that they are now a family of four with a darling baby and playful dog in tow.  and, omg, aren't leo's cheeks made for pinching!  kai and bole had such fun - and i mean, laugh out loud giggles!  bole, their hungarian pointer, is hyper yet so very gentle.  seeing the two of them play ignited my need for a dog.

although all of the dinner was executed perfectly - herb rubbed chicken, pea puree, roasted pepper salad - my favourite was the strawberry soufflé.  a gorgeous light dessert that i would happily consume again anytime soon.  so much goodness was to be had saturday night.



individual appetizer plates were served!



 





bole wanted in on the dessert action :)





the rest of the weekend was pretty quiet.  stefan made the most flaky and beautiful flatbreads, kai's ban on video games was temporarily lifted, and i read the new conde nast traveler - amazingly redesigned by pilar guzman - and bon appetit magazines cover to cover.  such pleasure.

 



 

i hope there was some goodness in your weekend too.