winter family photos

just a few of the ones we ended up with but I had a really hard time choosing...

LOVED THEM ALL!!!

 

 

i may be the worst blogger EVER.

seriously? its been how long since I posted?

but I miss this blog. and I am going to find some time in the new year to keep up with it.

Christmas is sneaking up on me this year.

like HOLY CRAP its almost here!
and am I ready?
NO WAY IN HELL could you consider me ready
I haven't finished shopping or making the gifts...
I don't even want to think about corralling the toys and general chaos to get the house tolerable for Christmas dinner... I might break out in hives just thinking about it actually.
menu needs to be set....
grocery list needs to be made...

 so pretty much I'm not ready at all.

you know what though?
if it doesn't all get organized and finished.... it doesn't really matter.
there will be turkey, stuffing, the basic sides... and FAMILY.

and that's all that really matters.

selective memory??

warning*** this is an angry post.
if you are looking for rainbows and unicorns you will not find them here.

***********************************************************************

this happens every year...

we live in Alberta.

it snows here

A LOT


do people forget that???
I swear the first snow of every winter automatically turns people into first time winter drivers.

a drive that normally takes me 15-20 minutes now takes at least 45.
why?
because people are idiots, that's why.

what part of there are 4 lanes available to be driven in makes it ok to drive in the middle of two lanes and swerve constantly so nobody can pass you? oh, because the other idiot taking up the other two lanes is doing the same thing?!!

NO

no it is not ok.

if you are not capable of driving in winter conditions you should NOT be driving here. take public transit or figure it out. move, I don't care.

people who can't drive according to the road conditions are a danger to the general driving public as far as I'm concerned.
Don't get me wrong... I'm a fairly cautious winter driver, so when I can't believe how slow and ridiculous people are driving its pretty freaking bad.


I hate cold and winter but by far the worst thing is the drivers. the cold you can prepare for, the idiots unfortunately you just have to deal with.

Random crap wasting space in my brain.

Did you know that the plastic tip on the end of your shoelace has a name? 

Well I did. 

Why do I know this?

No clue. 

Heard it somewhere probably 20 years ago and that little tidbit of useless information has been lodged in my brain ever since. 

It's called an aglet. 

Guilty pleasure... And a mini rant :)

I put CREAM in my coffee. 

A pretty good sized dallop. 

I cringe at the idea of people using skim, 1%, or even 2%. In fact I will decline milk for my coffee often if I can't have real milk/cream. 

I drink homo milk just to drink... Anything less in coffee feels like it waters it down instead of making it creamy and delicious. There is nothing creamy about skim milk. I'm a pretty firm believer that it should not even exist. If you really want watered down milk just add a splash of milk to your water... It tastes the same. 

My baby!

He's 2!

How did that happen?!?

He amazes me every day. 

And every day I am so glad we took the plunge and decided to start a family. I can't imagine life without Hugo. 

Being a mom has its ups and downs but overall it is pretty great. 

Nothing beats watching my baby learn and grow and blow my mind. 

We just had a low key family gathering for Hugo's birthday yesterday and it was nice. Hugo loved it and was excited for everything. 

I think he was maybe the most excited for his new kitchen. I may be a bit jealous. This thing is pimp. Like puts the kitchen I had as a kid to shame. 

He's played with it non stop so far. 

And just a few more pictures and I'm all typed out for today...

Thankful Thursday

This may sound odd.... 

But I am thankful for play dough. 

I think I would lose my mind if not for this magical dough. 

Seriously. 

Play dough is one of the few things that entertains Hugo for a decent amount of time. He's happy, contained (he plays with it in his high chair), and entertained giving me a much needed break some days. 

I was busy last night. 

This recipe was triple the size of my normal one. 

What a workout! My arm is actually a bit sore from stirring it. 

So worth it. 

weird wednesdays... my latest theme day

well,  for those of you who don't know me super well.... i'm a bit quirky. those of you that do know me might be so used to my strangeness it doesn't even register any more.
either way... its ME.

here is an example.

 

 

I love pigeons.

I smile whenever I see them. even on grumpy days

 

like I stop and talk to them and can make convincing enough pigeon noises that the male pigeons will puff up and strut around trying to impress me.

 

as much as I love pigeons I am a cat lady... so I don't really have the safest pigeon habitat at my house. I think I would have kidnapped several by now if it wasn't for the kitties.

 

instead i'm thinking maybe I need this pillow.

I could hug it and squeeze it and call it mine forever!

consider this officially on my Christmas list.

 

Guilty as charged.

Confession. 

I haven't cut my hair in ages. 

Why you ask?

Pure laziness. 

It may be a bit more work to brush out but oh dear god what would I do if I couldn't put my hair in a bun?!? 

It's funny because random people compliment my big bun (on top of my head... because let's be honest it's the biggest bun I've got) and I say oh thank you and smile... But on the inside I'm laughing. Knowing that I slept with my hair like that and just didn't bother to take out the 2 or 3 bobby pins and wrestling my hair out of the way all day. 

Everyone laughs at the mom-bun 

I'll raise you a bed head bun. 

Ha

Oh how my hairstyles have changed.

I think this might be the longest I've gone without a drastic change. 

 

I do miss my bangs but after the bang massacre earlier this year they were just not salvageable. So they're pretty much grown out now but I just don't have enough motivation to actually cut them again then deal with maintaining them. 

i guess its official...

it is fall.

sigh.

summer is over.

boo


I will mourn the loss of the 30 degree weather.

I will NEVER complain about it being too warm.

fall makes me sad.

it kills summer.

every year.

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh


the only redeeming thing about fall is the excuse to wear big cozy sweaters, scarves and boots.

that's about it.

and lets face it... I wear those in the summer too.

You'll always be my baby...

Hugo...I know that I may have complained about your less than ideal napping requirements but one day you aren't going to want to be held to nap and I think we will miss it. A lot. 

I'm sitting on the couch nearing the end of nap time today and I am a bit sad thinking about your 2nd birthday sneaking up in just under a month. 

How are you almost 2?! 

It's been an amazing time but does it have to go by so quickly? 

Houston, we have a problem.

Well we did have a problem.

You know all those little packets of condiments you get with takeout? Well my fridge is where they go to die. 

The cheese drawer was full of them. They just got tossed in there. I was just in the fridge a little while ago and I realized just how many were stashed in there. 

Holy crap. 

A LOT!

Happy to announce I went through the drawer and cleaned house. Said goodbye to some vintage ketchup and soy sauce. 

Seriously some of them expired in 2007! 

And the really scary ones... Didn't have expiry dates. 

You think oh, how many can you fit in that little drawer?? 

A LOT!

Almost a quarter of the garbage can under the sink. 

How did they get that out of control?! 

I have a new system... Keep a few for packed lunches but they have 2 separate dishes and if they don't fit in the dish they don't get to stay! 

I'm not going to let that happen again!

And since you might not grasp the severity of this situation... 

Proof. 

there just aren't enough hours...

in just over a month Hugo will be 2

OMG how did that happen?!?!

I know that in the beginning that I thought things would work themselves into a new routine and all the things I used to fit in would all be back on track in just a matter of time.

I
WAS
WRONG.

so very wrong.

I wouldn't give up the time I spend with hugo for anything but holy hell some days I need at least another 8 hours to even pretend I could get all the things I wanted to accomplish done.
seriously.

some things I am realizing....

1. one kid has more stuff than 3 adults.
2. houseplants will suffer neglect. they are always on the bottom of the to-do list and it shows
3. you clean up one mess and another one replaces it.
4. a shedding pug loses more hair than I do. I thought I shed a lot... draco should be bald according to the hair that accumulates on the floor in a matter of minutes.
5. your standards get lower. for a lot of things.
6. sometimes things stay on the to-do list for weeks. it happens. obviously nothing life threateningly important.
7. DIY projects only get done if you decide you need less sleep. I am currently starring at a chair that is hideous. it needs to be sanded and painted. ha! I didn't find time for it pre-Hugo and now I'm thinking it will be damn near impossible to get done. fingers crossed.
8. things like this blog are often on the to-do list for weeks. I miss it though so i'm making an effort to post at least a couple times a week from now on. I guess we will see how long that lasts.
9. I used to do laundry a couple times a month. now I do it every couple days. at least. sucks up a lot of time. folding laundry is overrated and so is putting it away. I am guilty of using it straight out of the laundry basket more often than out of drawers.
10. its a good thing i'm not stinky by nature. I just bought a new deodorant. for the first time since the summer before hugo was born. oops. that's something that apparently takes longer than i'm willing to spend applying. I forget to put it on a lot. or think of it once I've already left the house. no way i'm going back in just for that!

I think that's enough. I can't give away all my secrets in one post!

what has changed for you since kids?
what did you do before that never happens now?
I can't be the only one like this!

It's a miracle!

I have been terrible about toenail polish this summer. Like almost embarrassing bad.

I have painted my toenails once and gotten them painted twice. Lets just say they were less than glamorous most of the summer. 

Well it's taken me 2 days but I made them pretty. My goal is to add a layer of top coat but no guarantees that will actually happen. I'm pretty proud of myself even that I actually got this far. 

I used to always make sure my toenails were nice... Now I look down to make sure I don't have toe claws and choose shoes accordingly. Today I wore peep toe kitten heels to go to the library and grocery shopping just so I could look at my toes!

I put that shit on everything.

No, I'm not on another hot sauce kick... Though I do miss cooking spicy food. Why don't I you ask? 

Well that will be another blog post on its own. Soon. 

But back on topic here.... 

COCONUT OIL

I've been using it for years. 

Didn't love it, didn't hate it...

Now I want it to marry me. 

I occasionally use it for cooking. Not as often because I find it adds that coconut flavour a bit too much for my liking. 

Baking... It has pretty much replaced butter/margarine, oil/shortening in most of the muffins, cakes and cookies I make. Some still get their exact recipe because certain things are just sacred.  Like ooey gooey chocolate chip cookies that I have always made with margerine... They don't get messed with. 

Moisturizing. Yes I guess I've gone hippy. I started using it as lotion/cream. My hands and nails haven't been this happy in ages. Works like a charm and smells yummy too. 

Hair. The last month or so I've embraced beachy wavy/curly hair. Coconut oil has been a big part of this. Best thing I've ever put in my hair. Tames frizz without weighing it down, keeps it super soft and happy... Which makes me happy. 

Draco! 

Yes. The pug. 

He gets coconut oil added to his food every time he's fed and omg the difference is ridiculous. He's suffered from allergies his whole life and since Hugo came along and started leaving a trail of Cheerios behind him I've had a really hard time keeping Draco from eating those blasted little wheaty O's. 

so Draco ends up wearing the cone of shame. His face has been so much better since he's started on the coconut oil. Like has only worn the cone of shame  once in the past 2 months. For just a couple days. Only because I rushed when I was doing his nails and they were still sharp. But normally he'd have had the cone on 50% of that time because his allergies get worse when it's hot (I'm thinking sweaty wrinkles are more sensitive perhaps?) so 2 days in the cone as a proactive thing since it took me two days to actually file down the edges that were going to be an issue.... Kind of a miracle. 

So hippies that I have previously made fun of for your obsession with coconut oil... I apologize. And though I will continue to shave my legs and armpits (time permitting of course) I would like to humbly request a spot on team coconut oil. 

Preying Saints!

If you haven't checked it out yet... 

You should! 

http://vueweekly.com/music/story/little_of_this_little_of_that/

And if you didn't know... 

Tonight is their cd release  party!

hard to believe...

I can't believe August is almost over.

where did the summer go??!

so many things on the summer "to do" list still waiting to be done.

seriously, WHERE DID IT GO??

we had what seemed like a few good summer days, but a somewhat dreary summer overall. or those lovely days that start out nasty and you plan around the gross weather and then as soon as its too late to change plans the day becomes gorgeous. or the other way around and you plan out a fun day and half an hour before the fun starts it clouds over and starts pouring.  those days i'm definitely not a big fan of either.

i'm hoping to still make some progress on the things to do list but some of the stuff is just not going to be happening. like no way jose.

oh well I guess.
not much can be done about it now.


on to the fall to do list I guess.

here are a few of the things coming up on the list...

get my etsy store back up and running. the first 2 years of hugo's life took a big toll on my online selling. hoping to resolve that in time for fall/winter shopping!

figure out a few craft sales to focus on for fall/winter/Christmas and get ready. in advance. I won't be doing Make It this year and i'm sad, but it just wasn't in the books this year. the cheque book mostly. i'll miss it, but maybe i'll be able to swing it next year. just will have to see how it plays out.

get ready for Christmas. yes. Christmas. I want to be ready by December 1st this year because the past two years I didn't get ready in advance and I hated all the last minute scrambling and stress. I used to always be ready at least a month early and i'm hoping that can happen again.

get some much needed purging/reorganizing/cleaning done around the house. I've been working on this all summer bit by bit, but my goal is to get most of it done by hugo's birthday. that gives me a month and a half-ish. its hard finding time, but I am getting better at MAKING time. it needs to be done and it is going to be done! nobody warns you just how much STUFF you end up with when you have a baby/child. I had no idea. and with all of that STUFF everything else becomes displaced... in the end (at least for us) CHAOS.

and since this is a long no pictures post I think I will cut it short here.

the end.

I've been busy!

Brand new! 

Not only have I just started to brand all my kabukikreations goodies, I'm taking custom orders for these darling little charms! Can be added to a bracelet or necklace! Simple or as part of a design. Your choice! 

Just let me know and we can work out a design perfect for you! 

the hardest post i've ever written

I have been putting off posting because I wanted to post about something that has proven to be super difficult for me. I have started this post countless times and just couldn't get through it.

its been a while, I just have to force myself to sit here and type this.
I want to do it, but it is definitely a struggle.

I lost my princess.
I have had and loved Kobe for most of my independent adult life.
she was the best cat I have ever encountered and I will miss her forever.

she was getting old.
I knew this.
I knew she couldn't live forever... as much as I would have loved for her to.

one sunday evening out of nowhere she was acting strange. hiding in weird spots and would not eat anything. I knew something was wrong.
Monday I took her to the vet. she was examined and other than being very senior and slightly dehydrated there was nothing visibly wrong with her. so blood tests were next on the agenda.
I took her home and awaited the results.
a couple hours later the phone rang.
early stages of kidney failure.
could be treatable but due to her age she would be unlikely to respond well to any of the possible treatments.
we tried giving her fluids. just incase.
she made it through the night
I wasn't sure she would.
I spent the majority of the night in the bathtub with her praying that she would either pass quietly in her sleep or show some sign of improvement.
no improvement.
the vet called to check up on her Tuesday morning.
she hadn't eaten anything since sunday morning.
I knew it was the end.
I had to make the hardest decision I think I've ever made in my life.
I didn't want my poor princess to suffer through the last bit of her life so I called the vet and made the appointment for that morning to take her in and have her put to sleep.
when I got there I took her in and they took me into a nice little room and I sat there sobbing. holding her and telling her how much I loved her.
they got her ready and brought her back to me.
the staff there were amazing.
I held her as she passed.

I put her in her bed with her favorite toy all cuddled up like how she used to sleep. she looked like she was sleeping. except I knew this time she would never wake up.
I couldn't stop crying.
I had made her a "casket" from a box that I wrapped up in pretty black paper and I left the clinic and took my princess to her final resting place with the rest of our well loved pets in the cemetery we have at the farm.

I think I cried more than I have ever cried in my life.
I never thought it would be SO hard losing a pet.

coming home without her was insanely difficult. everything reminded me of her. I cried and cried and cried.

I am thankful for the amazing staff at the vet clinic who went out of their way to try and comfort me.

I am more than thankful for all of the amazing time I had with kobe. she was my rock. she got me through so much.

she was close to 20 years old and for a little cat she lived a long and happy life but I will forever miss her and never forget her.

This made my week.

So you know, my other husband... In my dreams...

he started posting videos on Instagram. 

Totally made my week. 

Maybe my month. 

Sad? Slightly stalkerish? possibly... I just can't help myself

! 

Love these! And so did hugo!

Super easy and yummy! 

And FYI... They work just as well with baking powder. I Accidentally added that last time. 

I used whole wheat flour and also added blueberries. 

Hugo just started liking pancakes so these are awesome. 

Things that make me smile...

Saw this and loved it. 

well i think i'm recovered...

make it was a crazy busy and awesome time... but i was burnt out by the end.

i'm really not that great at balancing mommy duties, office work, work from home work, crafting and preparing for a big sale. my sleep really suffered since hugo was not sleeping well the weeks leading up to the sale weekend.

so... i think i'm going to take a more fun aproach to sales for now.
make what i feel like and what i have time for and stick to one day sales!


speaking of one day sales....
have you checked out the mercer collective maker's market?
you should!

http://www.mercercollective.com/

and you should come see me there on saturday!
some new things up for grabs this weekend and for any of you who have been patiently waiting for dino planters i will have a few available! VERY limited quantities.

Seriously?!

I'm sick of hearing about Abercrombie drama. 

I'm sorry if you are too big for their clothes. Either do something about it and lose weight, or shop somewhere else. 

Please stop complaining. 

I don't get it. Not every store caters to every person/body type. 

If I go to a mens clothing store do I have the right to bitch and moan and complain endlessly that I can't buy a dress there? Of course not! Are they discriminating against me? Um, nope. They're selling to their demographic. 

But if a store doesn't have large enough sizes and doesn't want their clothes made in large sizes then its different?don't  think so. deal with it. 

And stop whining. 

Please. 

Pleeeeaaaaaaaasse!

If you are going to hate them, do it because they destroy all of their overstock rather than donating it to charities that could use them. 

Or because they have lame clothes. 

Or because they have super angsty looking models some time. 

But not because you don't fit into their clothes. That is not their fault. 

another confession...

sometimes hugo sleeps in.
those amazing mornings i just lay there like a lump.
in bed.
reading,
playing on my phone,
generally doing something unproductive.
this happens maybe once a month so its not like a regular thing...
but HOT DAMN i look forward to those mornings!
yesterday was one of those mornings.
AMAZING.

i know i could get up and do work, but i just need to enjoy the peace and quiet of the morning once in a while.

hugo!

these are up on facebook already but i know i've got a few people who check here since theyre not on facebook...
and i just cant get enough of these pictures!

Maybe I'm a judgemental bitch...

But this really bothered me.

I had to go to old navy to return a hat I'd bought for Hugo that ended up being too small.
I pulled up beside a car to park and as I look over I see that there is a little boy in the running car with the window open sitting there with a super sized Big Mac meal. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan of occasional fast food. What bothered me the most was that he was maybe 4. In the car by himself. He said hello to me. So clearly nobody has taught him to not talk to strangers.
What else bothered me?
He was eating a huge unhealthy meal.
Clearly obese.
In a car literally filled with crumpled fast food wrappers.
I actually got back in my car and debating if I should call in to the police to report the fact that he was sitting alone in a running car in a busy parking lot. Then second guessing that decision, not sure if they could even do anything.
About 10 minutes later his mom (I'm assuming) came out and stuffed herself into the drivers seat and drove off. She was huge. Before she left she set up her own McDonald's picnic on the passenger seat I'm assuming to eat while driving.
It really bothered me.
Why do people make such bad decisions?

Maybe now that I'm a mom I notice things like this more. But it just was wrong to be on so many levels.

Am I crazy??

cough cough its dusty in here!

life has been busy, gotten in the way of all the things i do in my down time. the past couple months all i can say is "what down time?"

hoping now that the bulk of my crazy busy time is over until fall/winter that i'll be able to keep up on here.

so what's happened?
i'm going to do a few separate photo posts for to avoid having the hugest longest post ever here.

the main overview:

• Make It! HUGE success! i sold out of all but 5 dinos. amazing. if i'd have expected that kind of response i would have had more ready!
• HUGO! 18 Months!! will get his own post. but definitely makes the list
• family gatherings.... seems like there has been a lot. between easter, fernando's birthday and just regular visits it got a bit crazy. at least for me.
• i have the most massive "to do" list. EVER.
• its spring! kinda. well at least until sunday. then i think its supposed to be winter for a couple more days, then back to spring.
• i have my own nails. first time since 2000 since i haven't had gel nails. SOB! i miss them but in order to make myself feel pampered i got my tonails painted on monday.

i think thats it.
i'll be posting more the next little while to get caught up!

but here are a few photos in the mean time

So true.

I wish more people thought this way. The world might be a nicer place.

Things that make me say awwwwwww

How cute is this little guy?
I just want to squeeze this little cutie!