cat nap

stefan and i have been talking about purchasing cat beds.  jude has been sleeping in the same cardboard box that we brought him home in. loki occasionally has also managed to squeeze himself in the box and shove jude out. there can be alot of drama between these two!

i was surprised by the amount of choice in the cat bed world and not all of it so bad.  there is alot of lovely cat beds out there.  choosing one has been a slow process because stefan and i disagree about which cat bed to purchase.  i am leaning towards pretty and he is not :)

i want this pretty one:

he wants this enclosed one (cats do love crawling into cozy spaces):



i think this cat pod is a good compromise (a little pretty, a little enclosed) that will make us both happy:

weekend pics, part 2 (the snow)

it snowed, finally!  it was very pretty in the city (and if the weather gods have it right, there should be more tomorrow). 

we went up to grouse mountain for kai's weekly snowboarding lesson and it was a winter wonderland.  because vancourites have not seen much of the snow this season  it was also very busy up on the mountain.  it took stefan about an hour to find parking while i held our spot in line to get on the gondola up the mountain - when he finally showed up his ticket wasn't valid and he was going to turn around and leave when i begged him to buy a new ticket - one of the staff must have witnessed our interaction and gave him a freebie (thank you grouse mountain staff person, you are awesome!!!). 

stefan took advantage of the fresh powder and went snowboarding then met up with kai to ride with him.  kai was happy to show-off his skills on the board. as usual, i went  snowshoeing and what a delight to do so on newly fallen snow (and it was still falling!). despite the rigorous climb up the mountain, fellow snowshoers always had a smile of encouragement. i love that.  and i made sure to do the same on my way down.

 











  

i had more options once i reached the peak to continue on but went back to the chalet!



 

kai is the one holding the snowboard

we hoped to eat an early dinner at their timber room restaurant (it is very good) but it was closed for a private function so instead we ate from the cafeteria (it was okay) instead of returning home, hoping the line-up back down the mountain would get shorter but unfortunately that wasn't going to be the case. nevertheless, it was a wonderful afternoon.

the private function was a wedding - do you see the bride?



we came home to find the little cat, jude, destroying our paper towel roll! he is a naughty one.

weekend pics, part 1 (kai around the house)

kai cooked up breakfast popovers!  all by himself!  and they were delicious!

a popover (in case you don't know) is a light, airy bread but i called them muffins to entice kai to try them.  and he loved the idea that there was a little compartment that could be filled with sweetness. he immediately knew what he would fill his first popover with - nutella.

 

 

this boy of mine loves his hot wheels so much. i am thinking about getting one of his favourites photographed as a prezzie for his room makeover. and lego, there is just so much of it in the house right now. i don't mind, in the world of toys there isn't too much to worry about with cars and lego. both of these toys spark his imagination - i love listening to the stories he comes up with. right now they are filled with good and evil storylines and when i suggest adding some love and sunshine (i.e. the yellow corvette noticed a field of flowers and he pulled over to admire them) he gives me his 'are you serious' look. i can try, can't i?

 

kai was also in a poem writing mode.  he told me he was going to write a 'poem' using math and this is what he presented me with.  he then emailed his poems (he wrote others) to me so i wouldn't loose them.  i love it!

kai got some loki love.  a cuddle is a rare occurrence between these two boys.  i love that loki has his paw around kai.  too cute!

not directly kai related but i had to add this last item.  i cooked!  but the terrific part of this is that both my boys ate it up.  this was a simple udon soup with bok choy, carrots, and the broth is miso based but with lots of flavours added like mirin, tamari, and rice vinegar.  yum.

to shoot well

this weekend i am most excited to attend a workshop about photographing children.  kai is getting more reluctant to pose for photos so i need to learn some techniques to take more spontaneous, in the moment, casual photos of him.  and, learn to use the manual mode of my carmera. i am looking forward to it.  the funny thing is that i have a business card of a photographer whose photos i find inspiring and just the other day i realized that the photographer is the same woman giving the workshop.  so, i am very excited to meet claudette in person!

image from claudette

have a lovely weekend!

pretty photograph

what a perfect photograph.  i love everything about this vignette. drinking tea would certainly be all the nicer if it were served exactly like this.

sorry, i don't remember the source of this image

adios amigos!

we are booked! my boys and i are off to the mayan rivieria in the spring. i was there with stefan 8 years ago when kai was in utero. actually, i found out i was pregnant while vacationing there.  kai has been interested in 'returning' to mexico to experience it firsthand. he wants me to take him to the places we visited when he was in utero and i am happy to oblige.  can't wait!

mid-century loveliness

three items for the home that i have loved for a long time. 

1. the adnet mirror - it was made in partnership with hermes.  the frame is made of leather and has brass details.  stunning, i say.

image from here

2. the bubble chandelier - i love the multiple globes clustered together.  so very pretty.

image from etsy shop

3. the lotte lamp - a mid century icon.  it comes in a variety of shapes and glazes.  so simple and perfect. 

image from here