instagram of the week.

my faves for the week...

1. another project finished for baby boy's nursery. a handmade paper mobile. {how-to coming soon!}

2. my sweet 4 year old in her favourite t-shirt. she makes life considerably zany but i wouldn't have it any other way.

and while we're on the subject...

i cannot wait to order one of these custom iPhone cases from Castegram using my collection of instagram photos after baby arrives. i've been using instagram for nearly a year now... it's by far my fave app. i am so in love with the memories, activities and goodies we've captured throughout the year... and what's to come!

things i love friday.

image via fudge banana swirl

how adorable is this collection of BabyLit board books by jennifer adams & alison oliver? turning a literary classic into a tale for your toddler using beautiful illustrations. they're going to look adorable on my girls' book ledges in their new room!

check out these fantastic organizational ideas for your office using tension rods, labels, baskets, and folders. i'm on a quest to find super short tension rods so i can reorganize my billy bookcases in my office, amongst other nooks and crannies in our home.

tried, tested and true. these recipes should be on your weekly menu rotation. thank you pinterest for feeding my family well. 1. grilled chicken quesadillas 2. fettuccine with peas, asparagus and pancetta 3. tomato tortellini soup

i'm stocking up on activities for my 4 year old in preparation for baby's arrival. i ordered H this fingerprint drawing book by ed emberley and picked up a washable melissa and doug stamp pad set from indigo. the designs are simple and oh so cute. she is going to have a blast with this book!

i'm looking forward to transforming my wardrobe this Spring after baby arrives. after little h, i didn't get much of a chance to get into a groove... i became pregnant again when she was just shy of 7 months. i am loving... these shoes, this jacket, this cardi and this dress! as many moms can relate, i've lost much of my fashion sense since having kids and one of my resolutions to myself is to gain it back!

valentine's day is around the corner and here are some craft ideas for that sweet girl or special boy in your life.

happy weekend!

{i love} pumpkin cookies.

thanksgiving and halloween have come and gone, but my craving for all things pumpkin remains. my sister-in-law shared this recipe on our family recipe blog and they've become Hannah and my most favourite cookies.

we're experiencing frigid temps here in alberta which increases my hankering for baking tasty treats. i baked another batch last night! it's a quick and easy recipe, and partnered with your favourite tea or coffee, even better. enjoy!

the cookies.
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

preheat oven to 350*.
beat sugar and butter until well blended.
beat in pumpkin, egg and vanilla.
combine dry ingredients. mix in gradually.

scoop onto parchment covered pan.

bake for 12-15 min. until edges are firm.
drizzle glaze over cookies while they're still warm.

the glaze.
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla

beat together until smooth.

yummers!

instagram of the week.

i couldn't pick just one...

1. my girly girl hazel sporting an adorable hairband from shabby lane boutique

2. my boy's drawers stacked full of cute hand-me-down onesies and jammies

3. a delicious oversized piece of pie shared with my hubs on our last date before baby's arrival

4. an awesome vintage book for $1 on a thrifting date with my mom

{family fun} a bookshelf favourite.

since late november, i've shifted my beautiful collection of penguin classics to my office bookshelves, and replaced them with a giant stack of children's books. in our family, it's important to be surrounded by story books of all kinds, shapes and sizes. and when they're sitting in the middle of the room, it's hard not to pick a few up each day and share a story.

for Christmas, hazel received some new hardcovers from her grandma. while hazel is only 15 months old, she LOVES books. she'll sit quietly in the playroom at the table flipping through picture books, especially ones filled with animals. but, her most favourite storybooks are these two by leah wilcox. i think my husband and i equally enjoy them. they're a quirky twist on two classic fairytales...

waking beauty by leah wilcox

falling for rapunzel by leah wilcox

do you have a current bookshelf fave?

things i love friday.

i miss blogging! sitting at my desk is uncomfy these days to say the least... i only have 4 weeks to go until we meet baby boy h. that is, if i go the distance! i'm excited to finally share my things i love post with you... i've had it started for over a week!

......................

hazel's nursery is in the middle of a major transformation. somedays when i put her down to nap, she must wonder where she is! many of the goodies we've added to baby's room are made with love by mommy or grandma hollie. we are loving how it's taking shape and cannot wait for the big reveal in the next few weeks.

with a new year comes a list of resolutions and goals, making to-do lists a little longer and lofty. i am loving this fab freebie printable i stumbled upon through pinterest. i've printed a stack of them, popped them on a clipboard from the dollar store, and they'll sit atop my kitchen island, hopefully increasing motivation to get it all done around here!

with baby due to arrive in mid-february, we've gotten a jump start on H's preschool Valentines. this year, after having her pick from a few ideas, we're running with the lolly self portrait cards. a few other favourites included the you make my heart bounce bouncy ball treat and the i'm bananas for you candy treat.

last year we made these... sweet treats {with a free printable!} , a set of felt heart hair clips, and a few heart shaped crayons {with a free printable!}

do you love monograms as much as i do? hop on over to linen & thread for some fantastic ideas on how you can decorate and personalize your home with monograms. my most favourites are the initials for each grandchild bordering the playroom, and a beautifully DIY'd oversized monogram gracing a master bedroom.

i haven't held back this pregnancy with my indulgence of all things sweet. i've been trying my hardest to avoid the chocolate and dip into a more healthy snack. 9 times out of 10 i'm unsuccessful, however, i did bake this deliciously fluffy lemon-blueberry yogurt loaf and it was a hit!

{printables} colorful label template.

i'm reposting this freebie printable as many of you were having troubles with the download link. the link has now been fixed! enjoy!

i'm working at designing some new labels for our new addy...

this last design i whipped up for our current address & i thought i'd share the template with you {simply designed in microsoft word}

the labels can be customized with your name & address & printed on 2.58 x 1 inch labels
{the ones that come 30 per sheet; staples or avery brands}

tip.
highlight & edit each character of the last name separately so the color styling remains, or feel free to modify the colors to your liking!

tip.
save the template first; re-open & edit.

{download the colorful label template}

happy holidays everyone!

happy Christmas!

while we were in california this november to celebrate a beautiful American Thanksgiving ... we spent our last day at The Grove and the Santa Monica Pier. It was a real treat. we did a bit of shopping, celebrity sighting, munching on tasty treats, rode the ferris wheel over the ocean and best of all, my girls snuck in their visit to Santa Clause. who would have thought he'd be there the same day we would?

to think last Christmas, we had a little 3 month old all snuggled up, being passed back and forth from guest to guest. and this year, she's a bouncing 15 month old, dancing to carols with her sister, eating an endless amount of cookies, learning the magic of Christmas, and anxiously awaiting to tackle the pile of gifts under the tree. and now, we're excitedly awaiting another arrival only 8 short weeks away.

our family is so blessed.

we have health and happiness and you cannot ask for much more than that.

i read a quote on pinterest the other afternoon and it stuck with me. i'll take it with me to 2012.

i wish you and yours a very happy holiday season.

take time to enjoy your loved ones and soak in the memories.

merry Christmas!

things i love friday.

chevron quilted throw from linen and thread's etsy shoppe

my talented mother-in-law launched her etsy shoppe and blog yesterday. in her shoppe, you'll find cozy modern handmade quilted throws and stroller quilts impeccably crafted with gorgeous fabrics. and you can feel even warmer knowing that 100% of your purchase is donated to the juvenile diabetes research foundation {www.jdrf.com} follow her blog as she designs, crafts and inspires... how amazing is her sewing room!?

have you seen chloe's adorable DIY'd costume closet transformed from an old dresser into a magnificient cubby of creativity? i would love to design something similar for my babies playroom downstairs. my husband's list is growing daily and the hunt is on to find the perfect second hand piece.

if you're in search of some easy dinner inspiration, check out my recently pinned meal additions. this past week we dined on tomato tortellini soup, a twice baked potato casserole, over-stuffed stromboli, and honey chicken. all of which were delish... but the honey chicken recipe is to die for!

our advent calendar is providing us with endless activities this month. yesterday we built our gingerbread house and today we're decorating with handmade snowflakes. you can master the art of trimming a perfect snowflake by following this tutorial.

edieslab is a newly discovered shoppe on etsy, feeding my mini obsession for monograms. how many h's are too many h's? i'm still trying to figure out where i could tuck this beauty!

ready, set, colour! if you're designing a nursery or redesigning a kid's room, check out the abundance of colour inspiration from ohdeedoh's annual small kids, big colour contest. love that they have an international extension of the contest where some canadian rooms are featured.

enjoy your weekend!

instagram of the week.

both babies have been under the weather this week

which has been tough on our household...

but at the same time, has given us ample time to accomplish a lot indoors.

today i spent a good portion of my day baking.

i've been sewing projects for little man's new nursery and the girls' room.

and finally in the midst of addressing our holiday cards.

my procrastination of our cards this year was doused by the arrival of a couple from family and friends earlier this week.

i crafted a handy holiday wreath to display our cards with odds and ends i had in my craft bin. i really love how it turned out.

all you need is...

1. branch wreath, or an embroidery hoop, or any wreath will do

{i found mine in a michaels clearance bin for $1.99}

2. clothespins, covered in festive paper or glitter

3. ribbon for hanging

{my velvet candy cane ribbon was found at dollarama, $2 for 6 metres!}

4. a hot glue gun

all you need to do is...

1. glue your clothespins equal distance apart around the wreath, alternating direction so that every other one opens to the middle or outside of wreath

2. remember to leave a space open at the top of your wreath for your ribbon

3. wrap your ribbon through and hang on a door, mirror, wall or window

4. pin your collection of holiday cards!

another letter to santa.

holidays are so much fun with my little 4 year old.

december is a month full of decorating, crafting, baking...

and, of course, learning of the true meaning.

our advent calendar has been providing us with endless activities.

and Elfie has been up to his regular shenanigans this year.

the curiosity of a 4 year old is incredible. it makes holidays all the more fun.

she's full of questions and demands answers. some of which i've had to be extremely inventive.

and if i can't satisfy, she's been writing her fair share of letters to the big guy to ask him directly.

here's a small round up of cute {and free} printable stationary for your little one to send off to the North Pole.

retro letter stationary, seals and gift boxes from blush printables

a little letter to santa by blush printables : 3 cute stationary designs to choose from!

adorable deer silhouette letter to Santa by The Tom Kat Studio

colour your own letter to santa by style me gorgeous

And, after he enjoys a tall glass of milk and a plate full of scrumptious cookies, we know that the big guy will be writing our girls a special note for Christmas morning on his very own personalized stationary too.

happy holidays to you and yours!