Roses are red…or are they?

Certainly not in my house!  Red roses are lovely, romantic and definitely make an impression.  They’re gorgeous and they know it! But any time my home needs to be brightened up with the beauty of roses, ten times over it will be orange roses glowing on my table.  And yes, I said “need”.  I don’t need roses for Valentine’s day, but that random Friday last month?  Absolutely.  When we are...

Furry and faithful

Last fall our family said goodbye to a very beloved pet. A dog we had gotten as a puppy fifteen years ago finally became too old, too lame, too tired to go on.  For any of you who don’t have pets, you probably will want to skip this post.  If you haven’t shared your home with a pet for an extended time, it will be difficult for me to tell you how much our world revolved around her, and how different the house is without...

A flashback, and some perspective

The following was written last year, something I wrote in a giant vent of frustration and then never posted.  It began as a comment on someone else’s blog post but swiftly became far too long to leave as a comment, so I just wrote it out and tucked it away.  Obviously, it was a point of contention at the time and a struggle I was finally putting to rest.  If you read the article I wrote recently for the Yummy Mummy...

Spend Money and Time Wisely

“Sometimes I have more time than money… sometimes I have more money than time.” This little saying has saved my sanity on more than one occasion.  A busy family schedule with plenty of work, two young kids, and businesses to run doesn’t exactly lend itself to doing everything ourselves, every time.  And while I absolutely believe in DIY and elbow grease, let’s face it.  There are only so many hours in a day! So...

Quiet renewal

January is a chilly month not often included in anyone’s list of favourites.  In fact, it probably earns its fair share of bad press…when you are trudging through snow and ice, freezing every time you leave the house, you might be forgiven for grouchily perusing travel websites as you sniffle through yet another winter cold. But it could be easy to miss what this time of year holds for those hardy enough to...

Giving Back for Tomorrow

As a parent, one of the things I want to teach my kids is how easy it is to give to others.  But it can feel overwhelming.  There are hundreds of ways we could give back…in our communities, in the world beyond.  But the question looms:  how far can one donation really go?  We need to realize that when someone lacks the hope or resources to change their fortune… one donation can make all the difference.  Of course it...

Reflections of a year gone by

It’s that time of year again, too quickly.  If anyone knows where this year went, would you let us know please?  I feel like we are still settling in from our move, but the calendar whispers “nearly ten months.”  (Yes, I whisper back “stop talking to me”.  Anyway… )   It has become our story, moving and moving on.  And so it seems fitting to start the story of 2010 with our move back to city in which we were...

Cupcakes all around!

Today my daughter turns two years old.  Two!  How could two years have gone by us already?  Presents opened, pink icing on her chin, the evidence has been all around for two days. This morning she is running around in a dress worn over ripped, faded jeans.  She may only be two, but forming her personality and identity at a breakneck pace.  I feel happy when I see her spin in a dress, then get down on her hands and knees...

Autumn in my Kitchen

I love fall. Fall means comfort food, warmth from fireplaces brought back into use and a season of goodwill just around the corner.  Fall meant time to enjoy all nature had to offer us in swaths of colour and bounty from gardens.  It meant crisp mornings and sunny afternoons gazing at still-green lawns covered in golden leaves. Fresh pots of coffee brewed.  Steam would escape from a large pot on the stove, while soup...

And now we are six…

My boy. Six years old and the sun still shines on him a little brighter than anywhere else. Kissing my son goodnight on his birthday is always bittersweet. I love him so much and am so proud of the tall, handsome creature in front of me. But he was my first, and the taller he grows the harder it is for my memory to reach back to his sweet baby days. He reads so well. Last year, I could feel that it hadn’t clicked for him...