snickerdoodles

Home to be...

Well friends,  the months of house hunting are over and I have found a little place to move to at the end of August.  

 It's been quite an adventure and not enjoyable.  I even had a rent to own contract and came very close to taking over a 1968 double wide trailer that was in serious disrepair in attempts to find a place to make a home for my boys.   It would have been a huge project and got extremely complicated but I tried to make it work.  My life coach Jodi then made a very good point about holding onto what I really wanted and how I really wanted to feel in a home and it made me doubt what I was doing but still persisted because I felt stuck.   The end of that week after I picked out many of the things to start that reno,  the property owner bailed on our contract.  I was disappointed and angry about all the time I wasted planning, but that morning when I logged onto the rental site this little home was listed.  The trailer was not meant to be.

I called right away as it was the first adorable home I saw for rent so far that was within my budget.  It was also in the area I really wanted to be.  The area I had been envisioning.  Through that week I spent hours everyday looking at other options too until the owner was able to show this one.  This week I got to see it and was completely surprised by how perfect it was for me on the inside and suitable for my boys.  The landlord was amazing and although it's a 1930's house it is in very good shape.  

Of course, because it's a full moon, immediately after the showing my truck wouldn't start yet again.  The third time that week, and Ry and I waited for two hours for a tow truck.  A gracious friend lent us a car to get home as the truck was no quick fix and that night Ted fell very ill.  The next morning he went to the vet and in for emergency surgery right away as he had ingested a bunch of thread and it was serious.  Another fellow also had first dibs on the house but I held on to the hope it would work out, and I harassed the landlord a fair bit too in hopes he would pick me.  

As the Blue Moon rose in the sky things began to feel alright and settled.  The truck was being dealt with and Honda Canada, and a customer service angel named Jane gave me wonderful help and Bannister Honda was efficient and fair.  While over at Central Animal Hospital, Ted was operated on and saved from his awful situation and out of pain.   Like most I had a really restless sleep under the Blue Moon last night and kept holding on to the hope the little green house could be mine to rent and make home for the boys in.   I pictured my furniture in it, them playing, and where I would hang special things, what I might plant in the rock garden or put up the Christmas tree.  Everything about it felt right.  It isn't fancy or luxurious it is just homey.  I can teach art there and ride my bike to the library or for work meetings, it's in town and a fresh start.

Today after getting the truck and the very drugged up cat I headed back to Lumby.  I quickly got Ted settled and reunited with his brother, then went on email and was sooooo thrilled to have a note from the landlord offering the place to rent.   It is such a huge relief as the fear of homelessness was getting near.  Now I get to stop house hunting and have more playtime with the boys while I start packing for the move and also get some really nice time with my sister who is coming with her family for a couple weeks.  It has been much too long since I got to snuggle my nephew Chase.

So many of you supported my house hunting journey and sent me good thoughts, thank you.  This week cost me a small fortune in unexpected bills but it all ended well, and I am beyond grateful.

 Like Robert Nesta Marley (Bob Marley) once said:

"Money is numbers and numbers never end. If it takes money to be happy. your search for happiness will never end."

oxo

 

 

 

 

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LEGO party d.i.y. cheap & mellow style...

  Ry recently turned 7 and was over the moon excited to have a birthday party.  He wanted a Lego themed party which seems to be so popular lately but it was his day so I was onboard.

As it was fairly last minute right after spring break it had to be done fairly simple and I did't have a huge budget.  We used some generic invites I got from Indigo on 80% off clearance by Pistachio...a seriously eco friendly printing company.  They were my fave green and cheery and simple enough for a kids party and $2 for 10!  Invites out on Wednesday party for Sunday...yikes.

Before the kiddos came I set the table...I LOVE setting tables.  I had a little cloth I bought from a friend that sorta worked and just simple paper plates I added Lego faces too.  Paper cups and old fashioned paper straws as they are a cuteness weakness of mine.  Could have done so much more but really once eleven seven year old sit down the table is destined to be trashed.   

In the middle I set up a little game to keep them busy while waiting for cake.  They liked it.  Little pieces of paper and felts were left for them to use to write their names and guess and they took turns sharing.

The main event ws the cake which I definitely am not capable of making like this.  I hired an local gal Amy Gervais who is so talented to tackle that.  I love making deserts but I didn't want to be stressing off a Pinterest fail on Ry's day.  Amy rocked it.  If you are in the Okanagan I recommend her for cakes and cupcakes for special events...it was lovely and yummy.  

Once the kids arrived we headed downstairs for a major Lego play...I layed out quilts and sat them in a circle and dumped all the baskets of Lego in the middle and they went at it.  They liked it so much many chose not to do the craft I planned and kept building.  They were all together though and it was fun...they munched Ry's fave snack foods while they worked.

I used up all the leftover science fair poster board pieces my other boys to cut out Lego man parts so the kids could assemble their own and decorate it with sharpies and dot stickers.  Ry made the sample man shown and it was easy but complicated enough to satisfy 7 year old crafty kids...they made some cute creations.

After a good play we took them upstairs again for cake, ice cream and and presents.

Sparklers made the cake very exciting for them, it was sweet.  

And look at all those smiley, giggly kiddos...so adorable.  Ry was a very happy fellow and loving all the festivities.

The gifts party at kiddo parties is always mayhem, as much as you try to keep it humble and calm...they can't control themselves.  You just gotta go with it and make sure no one gets trampled.

But the buddy hugs and huddles make it all so worth it.  Ry is in the middle of this group love session.  I think he was pretty darn grateful for his friends, the fun and his gifts.

As the party ended we headed outside for a little spring play in the sun and I gave them their goody bags as they were picked up.

They were used as decorations on the buffet for the party and did double duty.  Just coloured paper bags decorated with dot stickers to look like Lego bricks, and tied with bakers twine I had.  Inside I placed a Lego minifigure, a lollypop, some Lego candies, a little fingerlight, and a trading card.  

 

I did a few other little decorations as well.    Everything was simple and inexpensive and done within a couple fun hours.

Lego head balloons...

On Ry's actual birthday I suprised him at school with a bunch of seven hellium ballons.  Being the frugal sneak I am, and yellow lover I intentionally picked simple yellow ones with the idea I would add Lego faces and use them as party decorations a few days later.  I just used a Sharpie to draw face ideas I got off Lego minifigures...cleaned up the bottom of the balloon and stick with tape and covered it with a cheery ribbon bow.  Then I took small balls of plasticine and stuck them to the bottom of big mason jars to hold the balloon stick securly and filled the jar with lego blocks.

Total cost $14 as I found the balloons already blown up at Dollerama and had the other stuff already.

Lego block banner decoration...

This is a terrible photo as I took it quick late last night.   I did this so last minute but it was a fun way to welcome the kids at the front door before they saw the other decorations.  Three pieces of bristol board cut into rectangles.  The I used a mason jar lid to trace the circles and a hole punch to string them on a long piece of ribbon I had.  The colours were bright and cheery despite this wretched photo.

Had I had an hour to spare the Martha Stewart in me would have liked to write LEGO inside each traced circle but I let that go as no seven year old would notice anyways and really the shindig was for them.

So that's it.  One little boys Lego party done quickly, inexpensively and stress free.  It wasn't easy to resisit the hundreds of amazing ideas calling my name on Pinterst and not become a kid birthday Momzilla but I did it...and I had the happiest little love bug give me the best thank-yous that night as my reward.

Lego is amazing...all my boys love it still and have loved it forever.  So grateful for this timeless toy.  It's such a staple in this house full of boys I have a Lego Love board on Pinterst we go to often for ideas...if your clan loves Lego too take a look and enjoy.

oxo

 

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Lego love...

Gently doing party prep for Ry's Lego Party tomorrow and contemplating this tidbit of Eckhart brilliance.
I Farmed out the cake to a local talent from Cupcake Envy and carefully choosing how to spend my day and stepping away from everything complicated and towards everything that feels right. Realizing after fifteen years of being a Mom that less is always more...less stuff, less activities, less stress = more LOVE...
The love is what I want them to feel and remember above all else.
Happy Weekend friends,
oxo

frugal Valentine's Day decor ideas...

   Living frugally is not something I am ashamed of...I wear my good deals with pride.  I don't think I am a cheapskate as I give generously but I always shop mindfully and try desperately to stay within our means.

I do LOVE pretty things though.  My pretty isn't ever girly.  I live in a house with nine males...five are not human but their testosterone still affects me to my core.  My only allies are an aloof cat and one leopard gecko and neither are very supportive.  

So when it comes to seasonal decor my look and style isn't easy to achieve.  I look for good quality stuff at blow out prices that is a perfect mix of timeless appeal, charm and a certain masculine type of pretty that there is no word for.  I thought I would share a couple of my fave finds and tricks in case there are any others out there with the same decorating dilemmas.

Collecting treasures that transition from Christmas to Valentine's Day is key if you want easy peasy, versatile and great deals.   Almost all of my Valentine's Day decor staples are actually stuff I bought apres Christmas at 70% off or more.  You will find this type of markdown from January into February.

Winners/Homesense and other home decor retailers are where to watch.  I have had this red candle holder for a few years.  Regular retail was $30 as it's really nice and heavy and well laquered.  It was marked down to $12 and I actually got it on an additional 50% off...so $6 was the final output.   It works well for Christmas as it's really tall and makes a nice statement behind things and it stays out well into February.   Generally I am not a red lover so I tuck it away after that in favour of dark pink accents.   My eldest made that blue paper dove when he was little so it's special to me and I keep it tied on to the candleholder.  The candle was a Beaver Canoe find from Target a couple weeks ago...regular retail when I first swooned over them at Christmas was $15 which is fair for a unique, good quality pillar candle but four markdowns later I picked it and another up for $3.59.  It's a creamy cable knit look so it's great for all winter holidays.

Here is another new thing this year.  I always like the style of stuff made by Creative Co-Op.   This wood and paper strip wreath was a Christmas item but it works fab for Valentine's Day.   Regular retail $24.99...picked it up in the clearance section in Winners for $3.   The red wooden dove is a holiday ornament too I added on for the picture but actually don't love with the wreath now that I look at it.  Got it for 90% off at Chapters...$2.  

We are prepared this year and got Ry's cards done on the weekend.  They are waiting in this tin bucket I use so much from the Land of Nod, normally I have a sponsor button from them on my sidebar but I haven't updated.  I sometimes write for their blog Honest To Nod.  Now is the time to hit the clearance sections for holiday decor at higher end shops like that and Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware...buy things you adore that you can afford now and tuck them away till next Christmas.  

Be creative and have fun with it.  Look around your house and find stuff that works you already have.  Here is a mish mash of other finds I threw together to share.    I use bakers twine for everything...grab it on sale and use it again and again for gifts.  Another Beaver Canoe candle from Target $3.49.  Heart ornament bought on half price at Chapters $3.50.  Nice grosgrain ribbon from Chapters as well...$1 for the spool, regular $4.  A holiday frame from Winners $2...I love that picture even though it's very Christmasy so I left it.  Vintage book in red.  Holiday kraft wrap with red dots, and a snowman ornament from my collection with a cute heart sweater.

Stay true to your style though...don't just buy stuff as it's cheap.  Then you will smile every December as you unpack the holiday stuff and love it for years to come.  

For more last minute Valentine's ideas and inspirations check out my Valentine's Day Love Pinterest page...it's chock full of gems.

Find past years of Valentine's fun from Snicks here...

Valentine's Day 2013 d.i.y. ideas & more ...

My littlest Heart Baker...

 

lovely reworked-recycled-reclaimed valentine's day ideas...

d.i.y. eco-friendly heart stampers activity...

If you are really brave or bored hit my archives for other Valentine's Day shares all the way back to Feb 2008.  Just go into the Feb month each year and scroll around.

love you friends,

oxo

tea time with Back To Earth...

 
Back to Earth launched a line of teas and I have been sampling and enjoying the custom blends all week.  

I was fighting  a bit of a sick bug so I sipped the Immune Support and Wellness blends with a nice dollop of local unpasteurized honey and made a batch of Back To Earth Elderberry Syrup to soothe my cough and throat and boost antioxidants.  It's yummy and soothing, my kids like it too, so it's good to have a big batch in the fridge this time of year.  

Read d.i.y Elderberry Cough Syrup from a Snicks post in 2012.

I also loved the Peace & Calming blend for the evening and the Liver Cleanse is perfect when you want to restart your system after some fast food or general fatty feasting.

Here is the latest Back To Earth Newsletter that gives a nice explanation of the four new teas and a cool breakfast recipe.  If you want to order from Back To Earth take the button on my left sidebar over to their webpage and shop away with ease.  Watch their Back To Earth facebook page for the latest news, tips and other wonderfully earthy stuff.

 

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for mommas of boys from Old Spice, poor us...

 

I have another post about two sentences from being ready to publish but I just saw this and it totally made me laugh.  So I thought I would share it first just in case any of you also had a tough day seeing the kids off to school again and being faced with an empty house, no distractions and a head full of stuff you would rather not think about...

 

Yes they suck you dry, take every ounce of patience and give you wrinkles and grey hair but boys are wonderful.  I had a sort of awful day and my therapy was starting a big pot of chicken soup simmering just after drop off this morning. I made my boys chicken noodle soup, big cheddar biscuits then a batch of blueberry, orange and white chocolate scones for snacks tomorrow at school.  Food made from scratch is cheap and the chopping and mixing and measuring clears my mind.  Seeing them slurp and nosh and smile is one of my greatest joys as a Momma.  I love feeding people.   I love my boys...I love playing every sport possible with them, doing legos, making creature habitats, making messes, singing, listening, exploring.  I love everything but the fighting and arguing and the pee aim issues in the bathroom.

 Every night I send out a wish for them to be happy, whatever that looks like, and as hilarious as this commercial is it was a little wake up call on how fast they have grown and how little time I actually have being a Momma to people smaller than me as two are already making me look like a shrimp.  

Okay, now I am sad and I have to watch it again before I get to making lunches for the man clan tomorrow.

love ya friends, enjoy this Old Spice diddy, 

oxo

 

there are more too...

 

 

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Christmas Eve 2013...

   Tomorrow is Christmas.  Oh how this holiday is fabulous at tip toeing in... and all of a sudden all our mile long to do lists and ambitious Pinterst boards get a serious reality edit.  Be fine with that, embrace simple, messy, and easy in honor of being present and loving in lieu of being perfect and perfectly unlovable.

Life has been full this year so simple and last minute has been what has worked best for our clan.   Last week we had a little hockey get together that was a bit of a whim but ended up being a wonderful way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Everyone brought an appy and we called that dinner.  I made a small army of gingerbread men a big batch of almond icing and put out candy and the kids were adorable making cookie creations.  I do love having people over during the holidays for easy get togethers like this and hope to do a few more wee gatherigs before the kids go back.  I have great memories of holiday parties when I was young and I want to give my boys the same gift of celebrating with others.

Little Izzy, Ry's hockey and art friend made quite the masterpiece.  

I make a small keepsake present for everyone in the family each year, and often it is an ornament.  This season I didn't really have the time or inspiration for anything grand so I opted for a very lazy but still cute option.

We call our house Birch Hill for the trees that were here when we found the lot.  I bought these birch bark letters at Target and got the first letter for everyone in the family...except the pets.  On them I simple took a fine Sharpie and wrote the year, each persons age, their likes and a whatever else came to mind about them in 2013.

Not my best Christmas memento project ever but it just worked for where I was at and being able to carry on the tradition in a very managable way still gave me a sense of accomplishment as the resident Mom/memory maker around here.

Now...just because Christmas is tomorrow and we are all pretty limited on what we can actually pull off between now and then don't get discouraged.  I hope to use the lazy days apres Christmas to try some of the ideas and recipes I have been swooning over on my Christmas Love Pinterest board.   Take a look, there are 557 wonderful seasonal ideas to keep you and your kiddos busy till school starts back up.

One thing I am definitely prepping tomorrow for Christmas morning is this monkey bread...

Drool worthy present opening nourishment!  FInd it along with lots of other variations on my Christmas love board.

Happy wrapping, baking, cooking, creating and celebrating friends,

oxo

 

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a lovely version of the Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix ...

oh how they grow...

  This week I got something I have been wanting forever...

Best part is that it was made locally and personalized.  It's a wooden ruler style growth chart.  I had the boys name put on and our family saying 'brothers forever'.  

Kristine Kibble makes them and more awesome family friendly stuff in Kelowna.  Her business has been thriving since they moved to the Okanagan from Prince George and being a Momma to two little girls helps her know just what Mommas want.

Lil'Bubbas facebook page shows a wide selection of their creations ready to order.  Take a look and give them a like, they have the best personalized kids gifts that will be passed on through generations.

You can also email her at [email protected] or call 250.808.0763.

Here is a close up of the wonderful craftsmanship of our ruler...

Now I just have to find a place to hang it and find all the random scraps of paper, cardboard growth charts and a random piece of trim I copied marks on the wall onto during a move and place them on our new keepsake.

Kids grow up way too fast for my liking.  The fact that this goes over six feet is golden for a Mom of three big boys...two already bigger than me!   

happy day friends,

oxo

a touching reminder...

  At the mall the other day while waiting for parking spots,  I literally had the spot I was waiting for taken by someone who whipped in right in front of me four times!  Each time I moved along wondering wtf?  Not very good Christmas spirit folks.  I have to wonder about those people who do things like that and avoid eye contact as it somehow makes if seem ok?  

Anyways, it wasn't a big deal, I have legs and am perfectly capable of walking from the farthest spot possible so I just stopped looking for something close and did that.  

When I read this I thought of that morning and those lovely parking warriors.   It is good to remember what this season is really about and open up to love and giving and seeing the big picture.   This story makes me desperate to find those openings.  To truly celebrate the spirit of Christmas.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

Via elephant journalon Dec 14, 2013

Parents were away for a month. Mail carrier kept our mail until they came back. Mom gave her a gift basket and got this note. Makes you think about the battles people have each day. And how the little things can make a difference. (Story, image via imgur, Reddit)

Bonus: For more: Completely in Tears After Reading this Sweet & Heartbreaking Comic. ~ Candice Holdorf

 

Mrs. [redacted]

Your thoughtfulness is appreciated beyond explanation in words. I recently got divorced after 25 years of marriage and after being homeless for the last three years just last week got my own apartment. You literally put the first food in my cupboards! And for that I am so grateful!! Serving people like you makes my job so rewarding. And it’s a daily pleasure! May God bless you & keep you safe at home and in your travels, always.

Thank you so much!!

Hugs & Blessings,

[redacted] (your mail carrier)

 

 

-taken from Elephant Journal today.

Last night I had the honor of attending an RCMP Veterans dinner with hubbie.  We were their guests and treated well.  None of them seemed to be recently retired...they were an older group.  I spent the night looking around at those gentle, gray haired people knowing that would be me in thirty five years or so.  Many of them were widows, having lost their husbands who served.  This was a big night, a very special occasion for many of them, looked forward to from year to year.  I wondered what the rest of the year looked like, if they had the support they needed and such.  I spoke to my boys about seeing those opportunities everywhere to reach out a little bit to someone and to do a little something to serve a little bit.    Today I am gathering up jackets and warm clothing, toiletries and other daily essentials to drop off at our local House of Hope.  Also asking them to pick somethings to give to Santas Anonymous...we have so much and this seems like such a little thing but it's something.  

BEST PART of last night is a new friend I met I am sooo excited to get to know more.  She was the piano player and sat with us for dinner and right away the connections started flying back and forth and the laughs...we both love piano although I can't play but Liam is fantastic, we love horses and the woods.  She happens to live in one of my fave places just a few minutes from my house and about 8 kms up a logging road and has 80 acres and horses and knows the trails I long to explore.  They lived in Whistler like us and she founded the children's choir my boys sang in , we knew the same people, they cowboy-ed for the ranch whose cows roam the creek below us and come up to pass by our house in the fall.  Molly is 78, raised five kids and fit as a fiddle and a firecracker of a woman and I know we are going to be great friends.   She was telling me about their simple life in the woods ranching with a twinkle in her eye and how her and her husband just love to take the horses and find little lakes and horse camp or take their beater snowmobiles and explore the mountains together and she stopped and sighed, looked so content and said:  "We just have the best time!" 

I rarely win something and both hubbie and I won a basket in the raffle...only one prize was allowed per couple and when he claimed his basket he looked at me and we both agreed it was a no-brainer to give it to Molly to enjoy in thanks for the fun piano intros she did when he had to speak and just for being her.    She said her pond was frozen and perfect for skating right now and her husband doesn't skate so much anymore so we exchanged phone numbers and I plan to visit this week and most definitely to take the boys over the Christmas break...I can't wait to open myself to all she has to offer and she has offered to trailer her horses up to my place come spring and show me all the trails...something I have been dying to do since moving here four years ago.   I am so grateful for going last night and meeting her and the experience in general.

Wishing you lots of fulfilling connections and openings for giving this month too friends, I would love to hear your stories too,

oxo

 

 

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welcome baby Brody...

  This afternoon I had a wonderful fix of newborn goodness capturing six day old baby Brody.  He was alert and strong with little legs and arms that just wanted to stretch out and a little head that didn't want to miss anything.  For over two hours I got to be with him and he hardly cried at all and just stared away like a wise ole soul.

We did get some brief sleepy spells...

Congratulations to Christina and Jamie on this little gem of a man to round of their family which already includes two sweet girls who I have worked with in the past as well...see them here:

Sigh, new babies are so magical I am always honored to get to be with them and capture their newborn beauty.