Sneak Peak at the Nursery

Before we started moving a ton of furniture into the new place, we bought paint and got busy painting the baby's room. 

We chose yellow as we didn't know what we were having, and more so because I wouldn't have painted the room pink or blue anyway. 

Let's avoid those horrible gender stereotypes from the get-go, amiright?

Plus I've always been drawn to the colour yellow with its inherent happiness.

The first shade we bought I hated. 

Of course I hated it after I painted the entire room.

So we decided that rather than repaint the entire room we would buy a lighter shade and make the room two-toned.

The result ended up being fantastic.

I love that room a little more every time I go in there.

Especially now that we've started adding furniture and pictures.

For my birthday, John sneakily scoped out my pinterest 'Baby on Board' board and found links to Winnie the Pooh prints that I had fallen in love with on Etsy.

He set up an Etsy account and ordered the prints. 

I cried when I opened them. 

The effort and the thought and the perfection of them was all it took to get me teary (though truth be told most things have what it takes to get me teary these days).

These Winnie the Pooh prints came courtesy of CloudNinePrints on Etsy and they are beautiful.

You may notice that one is actually Jeremy Fisher, the beloved Beatrix Potter character. 

And you might also notice the Life Aquatic print at the bottom left (courtesy of ArthursPlaidPants on Etsy) - this one I bought for John a few weeks ago. 

Thankfully the colour scheme of Steve Zissou goes perfectly with the room. 

We made a stop into Ikea last night for picture frames (and meatballs. And curtains for our living room - yay!), knowing that we wanted the white RIBBA frames. Now the pictures are up on the wall and I'm even more in love with Baby E's room. 

Sneak peak #1.

Sneak peak #2.

The hard -to-make-out yellow blanket in the basket is courtesy of my coworker who knit it for me. 

The colour matches the room perfectly and the gesture, again, almost moved me to tears.

In the coming months expect more updates - with a crib, once we get one!

Wish List: Home Edition

One of my favourite things to do is make lists. 

This includes grocery lists, packing lists, and wish lists. 

I think this explains why Pinterest is so addictive because it's essentially a giant wish list. 

I don't want to jump the gun but ... we're moving moving in mid-June!

After looking at a few houses to rent, we finally found one that both of us love. 
We signed the lease last night and barring some unforeseen calamity, it'll be our new home in a month and half.

It's a bungalow with: 

• Two decent sized bedrooms 
• Central air
• A large living room and a dining room 
• A kitchen with way more space than we currently have as well as a double sink and a dishwasher (!!!) 
• A deep bath tub (where I will be found most days)
• A linen closet (we currently don't have one so I tried to fancifully arrange our towels in a basket in the bathroom but the dog uses them to scratch her beard so they're not the cleanest any more) 
• A working wood burning fireplace (on the drive home I said, "awwww we can hang our stockings by the chimney with care!") 
• A large backyard  (accessible from the back of the house and is fenced in so we can let the dog out for some morning exercise without having to take her to the park)
• Patio furniture (nothing fancy) and a BBQ
• The house is about a 15 minute walk from the subway or a quick bus ride and is close to a few plazas, and 2 big parks, one of which has an off-leash dog area.    

Basically I'm in love with this house. 

Rent isn't that bad and it includes all utilities. 

So my wish list now revolves around things we will need for our new space (assuming everything goes accordingly and we can move in).

One thing we can't wait to get is a real couch.

Right now we have a daybed that we use as our couch and ... I hate it. 

It's actually pretty cozyg as no one ever really sits on it, it's more of a lay-back-and-take-a-nap type couch. But it takes up room and always looks too much like a messy bed. 

So the plan will be to put the daybed in the second bedroom and buy a new (real) couch!

Wish List item #1: a real couch.

Wish List item #2: a new TV bench for the living room. 

Option A. 

or Option B

Wish List item #3: new dresser to match our bed frame and bedside tables.

Option A.

Option B.

Then in due time I want to get a second kitchen cart (this one, also from Ikea) for more counter space/storage space in the kitchen since there's an empty wall that could be used for pantry items.

I'm so excited! 

I'll admit I am sad thinking about leaving the first home John and I had together, my first home away from my parents, and this wonderful busy neighbourhood.

But I'm so ready for more space and for this new adventure!

The Balcony Project

As we start the hunt for a bigger place (our place is too cluttered and we really need a yard for the dog), I've been thinking up ways to make our balcony more liveable.

Last spring/summer our building was undergoing construction, which meant we didn't have access to our balcony from early in May until sometime in September.

It also meant I had to be more careful about lounging around in my bath robe since construction workers could pop up on their platform at any time.

I finally got around to getting rid of the box of empties that we store on our balcony and I swept up the debris left over from the fall. 

I want a place we can entertain or sit with a good book and feel more outside. 

I came across this picture on Pinterest and wanted to recreate something like this.

If I could afford to spring for some new furniture I'd look into this storage bench from Pottery Barn.

Here's what I've done with the balcony so far.

I moved one of our shelving units outside (which uncluttered our living room area a bit) and plan to use it to show off some plants. I'm thinking a herb garden and maybe a few flowers. We had lots of dogwood left over from our wreath decorating party in December so I used what was left to decorate the side of the shelf.

Expect more updates as this project moves along!

Home Owners: A Someday Dream

It's been a full year since I've had steady employment in my career field.

I've been lucky in that there have been months where I feel over-worked and exhausted.

I mean, obviously I don't feel lucky at the time but afterwards seeing my bank accounts creep up and up is very satisfying.

A few months ago I set up a tax free savings account and have already put $1000 into it.

I switched my chequings  account to one where I don't pay per debit card transaction (which is huge because I use my debit card a lot) but I forgot to give the paperwork to HR at one place of employment so one of my paycheques goes into one account and the other goes into the old account that is no longer connected to my debit card.

Which means there are paycheques accumulating that I forget about, only to find this "extra" money when I do my banking.

It's fantastic.

For all the complaining I do about shift work, it's nice being able to regulate my schedule a bit and being able to pick up extra shifts when I need to.

I've put in full time hours (maybe full time plus) this month and I had planned on not working so many shifts in September.

But lately John and I have been talking more about when we could reasonably start looking at houses.

Which turned into right now.

We can't afford anything just yet but we've started looking and my goodness it's exciting!

I've watched a lot of those shows - House Hunters, etc - where people turn their noses up at everything and find all sorts of reasons not to love a house.

I know for a fact that each place we walk into I'm going to love.

I'm going to find reasons to want it to be our home.

I'll definitely need John to be the realist.

Anyway, it's given me more stuff to do during my night shifts, namely looking at properties and then going décor mad on Pinterest.

If I had an unlimited budget, here are some things I would include in my dream home:

1. A bright and cozy reading nook.

2. A deep bath tub for long soaks. 

A sunken tub vs. a claw-footed tub. Maybe one in each bathroom.

3. A backyard built for entertaining.

How AMAZING would this fire pit/sand pit be?

Also on my list of desirable features: an open kitchen preferably with island, lots of closet space, and lots of windows for natural light.

If money wasn't an issue, what 3 things would you want in your home?

Detoxing Home & Body

In my bid to redo our bedroom I finally got around to putting some pictures on the wall above our bed.

I went to Ikea and - after trying to make a budget version myself - caved and bought the framed Picasso sketches that I love so much.

I then went on a bit of a Picasso binge.

 

 

The quality of my pictures isn't so good because of the glare from the window but this is what the Ikea picture looks like:

 

 

In other news, I've been having some stomach issues off and on for awhile. I can't pinpoint what exactly it could be that makes me so bloated and uncomfortable.

It happened again today seemingly out of the blue.

I get bloated to the point where I convince myself I've been pregnant for 3 months and am just starting to show.

It's bad.

And it's uncomfortable. When the bloating hits I have to lie on my stomach or with a pillow pressed up against my midsection just for some relief.

 

So I decided that I would try something my best friend tried a few times before she conclusively knew she was gluten intollerant:

 

The Brown Rice Cleanse.

 

I don't think I'm gluten intollerant. I eat a lot of bread. And generally there are no ill side effects. I don't think I'm lactose intollerant either cause I eat a fair bit of cheese, again, with generally no ill side effects.

But I feel like dairy might be the culprit...

 

Anyway, the cleanse works like this:

for one week (7 long days) you eat only foods that are gentle on your digestive tract which gives your body a chance to heal any damage done by foods that don't agree with you.

Sounds like a fantastic plan.

But basically you have to eat the most boring diet - brown rice, vegetables (but no corn or mushrooms and I also saw one incredibly restrictive diet plan that said to cut out tomatoes too but I'm going with the less harsh plan because if I followed the serious one I'd either die or John would find me hiding under the bed eating a 20 lb wheel of brie and then what good is the cleanse?), fruits (no bananas, no citrus other than lemons and limes)...

...you know what?

Computers have the copy and paste function for a reason

 

(From corehealthmuskoka.com)

 

"What’s allowed on the diet?

1)Brown rice, preferable organic

2)Fresh vegetables, any kind you like, lightly steamed. Onions are especially good for cleansing and are very sweet and tasty when steamed. Try a plate full with some fresh garlic.

3)Fresh fruits, any kind, except oranges and orange juice. With fruits and vegetables, it is best to consume only organic produce whenever possible. However, as this is not always possible, buy in season and locally grown fruits and vegetables, and wash them thoroughly befreo eating. When buying dred fruit, purchase only unsulphured dried fruit.

4)Fresh garlic and ginger

5)Cayenne pepper and/or non-salt herbal seasoning (e.g. "Vegit")

6)Vegetable and fruit juice – the best is fresh pressed from a juicer, otherwise juices with no additives, sugar, chemicals, and little or no salt (can be found in health food stores)

7) Other foods allowed are lentils, rice cakes, sesame seeds, ocean-going fish, free-range chicken, humus, tofu, and tempeh

8)Absolutely no shellfish (i.e. shrimp, oysters, scallops, clams, lobster, etc.) or catfish "

 

 

In a nutshell, I'm pretty sure the first few days, if not the entire week, are going to be miserable.

But I want to fix this bloating and find out what's wreaking havoc on my digestive system.

 

Here's hoping by the time next Saturday rolls around I look & feel like this:

 

Even though I can guarantee with almost 100% certainty I will look and feel more like this:

 

Mainly because caffeinated beverages are a big no-no and coffee is my life force.

 

Also the girls at Sugar Mountain are going to wonder what happened to me.

I'm almost a regular there.

 

Wish me luck.

I'm pre-writing a lot of this week's posts because otherwise I think if they're written in the moment they'll be very angry.

If you follow me on twitter get ready - I anticipate running the gamut on emotions this week.

 Desperate, bored, rejuvenated, clean, bargaining.

But probably a big dose of hangry.

 

Quinoa + Fall Vegetables PLUS: Bedroom Redecorating Update

 

Sometimes I make great choices. Case in point: the new bedroom set I purchased recently.

Sometimes I make poor choices. Case in point: not sleeping at all on Wednesday until the bedroom furniture was set up.

 

My dad made the mistake of phoning me on Tuesday and got suckered into coming to Ikea with me to help me carry a bed frame and 2 side tables.

 

 

Tuesday night I started to piece together the first of the tables but then I had to go to work so I didn't get too far.

I came home on Wednesday morning and decided that I would set up the bed frame then go to sleep.

Taking off the mattress, wheeling out the old frame, sweeping the floor and clearing out enough space for the new frame took about half an hour.

 

Then I built.

It took unil about 1 pm before I had this:

 

I was exhausted but it was so worth the effort. It looks so nice and the bed is so high, it's almost like sleeping in my sister's bed (ed note: she has the most insanely comfortable bed I've ever slept in).

 

Now I need to get the matching dresser, a new tv, and to put up some photos on the wall above the bed.

 

I tried out a new recipe the other night using the food de jour: quinoa.

It was hearty and very tasty.

The recipe can be found here.

I left out the eggs.

 

 

Time for a Change

 

When I was living with my parents - once we'd moved into our house and I had my own room - I used to redecorate and move furniture around at least once every 18 months or so.

I think it's healthy to change things around, clean out the clutter that's accumulated and start anew.

 

I've been living in my apartment now for 4 1/2 years and not once has anything really changed. Sure we got a new shelf here and there, we did buy a wardrobe because the closet became too small (I selfishly took it over) some new pictures to hang up, we cleaned out our closets and shelves a few times, but apart from that everything has been more or less untouched for almost 5 years.

 

I've been itching to change things around for a long long time. I've wanted to paint the place since we moved in but we've never gotten around to it.

 

I know John isn't such a huge fan of change (as indicated by the desire to not paint or really switch up furniture, also he said as much yesterday) but I figured it was time to stop talking about it and hoping he'd get on board and just go for it.

 

I moved a bookshelf out of our bedroom and into the living area where it actually works quite nicely.

That gave us some extra space in our oh-so-cluttered bedroom. I uncramped a corner and pulled the bed out into the centre of the room so that John has room on his side of the bed to open his wardrobe, walk, etc.

 

Then I went to ikea.

 

I'd been eyeing a few items for awhile and I finally put my mastercard to work.

 

Here's what I bought:

 

 A Hemnes bedframe in black-brown.

 

 

2 new matching Hemnes sidetables, also in black-brown.

 

 

Next on the list is the 8 drawer Hemnes chest, seen below.

Also a flat screen TV for the bedroom so we can get rid of the state of the art TV with built in VCR that currently occupies space on our dressers.

 

I started to assemble the side tables as soon as I got home so tomorrow will be spent finishing them and starting on the bedframe!

Then out for some Korean food with a friend.

 

Hurray for change!

 

 

Valentine's Day Brainstorming

In the 3 years that I have celebrated Valentine's Day with John (this year will be number 4 - holy cow) I have come to appreciate the Lover's Holiday for it's more practical uses.
Let me explain.

John does not like Valentine's Day. Not because he hates gushy-mushy relationship stuff, not because he had a bad experience once, and not because he's anti-holiday. He just resents the fact that once a year men are expected to step up their game and prove to their ladies how much they care about them. John believes that men should do this for their significant others eveyday.
All together now: awwwwwww.
I agree ... to a certain extent. I still like the idea of a day set aside specifically to provide an opportunity for those who may not always have the time to show and tell that special someone how much they care. Plus I enjoy getting gifts and chocolate and just generally being pampered.

But fear not for me friends. My dear mother takes care of all that! She is where my love-of-all-holidays comes from. She buys my family gifts for every holiday. Valentine's, Easter, I'm pretty sure we've gotten gifts fo Halloween before...She's toned it down and while we might have poked fun at her for it, her generosity and love never went unnoticed.

She's the best.

2 years ago John and I started what I like to call the "pratical approach" to celebrating valentine's day. Instead of buying jewelery (love), chocolate (love), or any other little gifts we decided we'd split the price and buy a gift for the both of us. 2 years ago we bought Guitar Hero. Last year, since V-day fell on a Saturday or Sunday (I forget), instead of gifts we each rented 2 movies and ordered pizza & wings & garlic bread. So good. I think we watched The Kingdom, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, The Usual Suspects, and The Big Lebowski.

This year's practical gift is one that we REALLY need.

We're going to get a new computer chair.

The one we have is okay but it's not very comfortable and it provides almost no support. Plus we have a $20 coupon from Ikea from purchasing our Christmas Tree there and we need to use it before Feb 28th.

I did some research on the Ikea website and have narrowed my choice down to two:

1. The Allak swivel chair ($99)

2. The Moses swivel chair ($69)

I think I prefer the Allak chair because of it's higher back. And (100 - 20) / 2 = $ 40 each. Not too shabby.

P.S. If you're wondering how I'm blogging today it's because at 5:30 this morning I got a text from my clinical instructor telling us that she was feeling under the weather so today's clinical was cancelled. I set my alarm for almost 4 hours later (9:30) then got up and went to the gym. Now I'm watching Rachael Ray and feeling like the weekend has come early. Yes I still have to work tonight and yes I still have clinical tomorrow but tomorrow is Friday and is one of my favourite days of the week.

For good measure, here is a Valentine's Day recipe for you, courtesy of Marthstewart.com

Mini Heart-Shaped Cakes

To make 6 4" cakes:

• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons red food coloring
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable shortening, at room temperature
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 cup melted dark chocolate, for decorating

1. 
   Preheat oven to 325 degrees with rack in the center of the oven. Butter an 18-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet, line with parchment paper, butter parchment, and set aside.
   In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, food coloring, and 1/4 cup boiling water. Set aside to cool.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and shortening on high speed until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
   Stir buttermilk and vanilla into cocoa mixture. Into another medium bowl, sift together flour and salt. With the mixer on low, add flour mixture alternating with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until incorporated.
3. In a small bowl, mix together vinegar and baking soda until baking soda dissolves; mixture will fizz. Add to batter and mix until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared baking sheet, smoothing the top. Bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
5. Cook cake completely on a wire rack. Using a 4-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 12 hearts.
6. Place 4 strips of parchment paper around perimeter of a serving plate or lazy susan. Place 1 layer on the cake plate. Spread a thin layer of frosting on the cake; top with another heart, bottom side up. Cover entire cake with a thin layer of frosting and transfer to refrigerator for 10 minutes. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.
7. Remove cakes from the refrigerator and cover each cake with a generous layer of frosting, smoothing as you go around to create a flat surface.
8. Place chocolate in a pastry bag fitted with a small plain round tip; decorate as desired.

Back tomorrow :)