Northern Love

I'm exhausted

2011-12-14T11:46:00.001-05:00

I am exhausted from all the holiday hoop-la that has been going on this past weekend. It doesn't hit full force until next week, so this was just the test run. Saturday was a busy day. A ride on the Santa train, birthday party at chuck e cheese (first time and last time). What a wretched place. This is what hell must look like. And then back to the house to prepare for a UFC party that my husband was hosting.

The train ride was good. I wore the wrong outfit though. No one told me I would have to walk through the snow to get to the train. I wore Jimmy Choo high heeled boots and a cute, but not overly warm, Mackage coat. After watching me attempt to walk in the snow my mother-in-law said "Michelle you and your fashion!"

Snapped some cute pictures of Rowan. He went through a range of emotions while waiting for Santa Claus. He started biting on his fingers, which he does when he is nervous. He smiled. And he also had this blank look on his face with his mouth wide open...zoning out and in his own world. This is the first year that Rowan really understands the whole Santa thing, so it is a treat to watch him.

Chuck e cheese. Never go there. EVER. Hell on earth.

I had the opportunity to watch James and his crew cheer grown men breaking some arms, and choking people until rendered unconscious. I tell ya, a potpourri of Saturday activities.

December Daily 2011- Days 5 to 7

2011-12-09T15:11:00.010-05:00

My December Daily is looking a tad schizophrenic. I was going to go with a softer colour palette but then October Afternoon's Holiday Style arrived at my door and I had to re-think my decision. So now, there is no method to the madness. I am treating every page differently. After all, this is supposed to be fun, is it not?

Day 5 - Cupcakes. We all love cupcakes.

Day 6 - Looking ridonkulous while having my hair done at the salon. The end result makes it all so very worth it.

Day 7 - Documenting Rowan's obsession with Prep and Landing.

I LOVED this age

2011-12-06T20:58:00.001-05:00

December Daily 2011 - Day 1 to 4

2011-12-04T23:47:00.001-05:00

This is going to be a long post with tons of pictures. All scrapbook related. I am warning you now.

Day 1 - I wanted to do something Christmas related with just James and me. The book last year focused on our experiences together as a family, or specifically about Rowan, and while that is important, it is only a facet of our lives. I want James and me to be represented as well. I should mention James was game for coming home from work and just relaxing. Which I get. He has a super stressful job. But being the good hubby he is, he begrudgingly came along for the ride. I met him for dinner at Lonestar. It is a Mexican restaurant that James and I if possible would like to have their nachos, salsa and queso drip fed into an IV. At this point we were feeling very full and I could have easily have said eff this event and go back home. But I really wanted to meet this blogger who was going to be participating in this event at the West Elm store. She was super sweet. I stocked up on some cute advents that I will attempt to make next year. Here is a link to her website where she provides the templates for free. Check it out.

I am using the Evalicious journal to use as my base. But I have been removing the pages and embellishments that I don't like and using my own. I removed most of the Echo Park paper and replaced it with Crate's Peppermint collection. I am so glad that I did. I love the softer palette. I included the West Elm invitation, Aubrey's business card and the cute little brown and white bags she was selling.

Day 2 - I must have lost a bet with god at some point because I always get sick over the holidays. My sorry ass was feeling ill and depressed until the door knocked and there was my iPad2. I am in love.

Day 3 - Still sick and had to cancel my hair appointment which I hate doing. I so look forward to having my hair done. I love it when someone else has to spend an hour blowdrying my hair. I may be guilty of not going to the gym for a few days after getting it done so that I don't have to wash it.

Typical Saturday at the Eaton residence. Lots of playing with Rowan. James had an early evening hockey game so Rowan took a swim in our six foot long bath tub with jets. After about an hour I drug him out because he started to prune. I have been using Elle's Studio Christmas vintage number tags. The Crate paper brads have been getting a lot of action as well.

Day 4 - We put up the tree. I'll let the journaling do the talking for this one.

December Daily 2011

2011-12-01T11:33:00.001-05:00

Last year was my first crack at creating a December Daily. I love to look through it to re-live all of the small details that I have already forgotten about last year. I purchased the Evalicious journal for the second time. I love her eclectic embellishments and sewing details. I use it as my base and then add stuff from my own stash into the journal for good measure. Mostly Crate Paper's Peppermint collection and October Afternoon's Holiday Style.

James and I are going this event at West Elm tonight. So I am thinking that will be my topic for the first post. The tree goes up this weekend. I can't wait. If I could have a tree with lights in my living room all year long, I would. I love grabbing a cup of coffee and curling up on the couch and staring at the Chirstmas tree lights. Soothing.

I am loving seeing everyone's December Daily pop up in the Studio Calico gallery. Off to look through it now. Happy December!

A flare for the dramatic

2011-11-24T17:58:00.001-05:00

I love him. End of story.

First Day

2011-11-22T14:05:00.001-05:00

I haven't been good about posting my layouts as of late, so this is my attempt to catch up a bit.

Rowan's first day at his French Montessori school. He was so excited to go on his first day, which is why he has the huge smile on his face. He wasn't keen on going a few days in. Way more structured learning than what he was used to at his daycare where he could run around free as a bird. At this point, I would say that he likes it. Wouldn't say that he is loving it, but his mother sure does love when she can hear him sing French songs to himself in the back of the car, or when he is tucked in his bed at night.

A few layouts about Rosie's wedding. I rarely cry, but when Rosie saw her father for the first time on her wedding day, I kind of lost it. I am glad the moment was captured.

And Rowan..being Rowan. He has about a hundred different faces that he makes. He is so dramatic. I think he may end up being an actor or a politician. God, I hope not.

Amy Tangerine Mini Book

2011-11-18T10:19:00.001-05:00

I must confess, I am a tad mini book challenged. I start them with the best of intentions but never finish. That being said, I had a blast putting this one together. At first, I thought the subject of the mini would be Rowan, but I realized that there are tons of scrapbooking pages dedicated to the happenings of Rowan, so I decided that the book would be about my life at 35. Funny. I don't feel 35. I am certainly hoping I don't look 35. However, I will take the wisdom I have gained to get to 35.

Apologies for the bad photo quality. I was in a hurry. If I have the time this weekend, I will post the second half of the mini.

Instagram Love

2011-11-15T19:32:00.001-05:00

Here are some of my most recent posts to Instagram.

Trying to figure out what to wear to an event during Toronto's fashion week.

Rowan at the pool.

All the leaves that need raking. That is my husband's job though. :)

James and I trying to entertain ourselves while at a friend's birthday dinner. It was one of the worst dining experiences I have had recently. The food was overpriced and awful.

Rowan before his skating lesson watching the Zamboni clean the ice.

The Style of the Soul

2011-11-11T20:26:00.001-05:00

Every civilization has its one basic principle, one single, supreme, determining conception, and every endeavour of men within that civilization is true, unconsciously and irrevocably, to that one principle. Every human soul has a style of its own. Its one basic theme. You'll see it reflected in every thought, in every act, every wish of that person. The one absolute, the one imperative in that living creature. Years of studying won't show it to you. His face will. You'd have to write volumes to describe a person. Think of his face. You need nothing else.

Excerpt for Ayn Rand's the Fountainhead

For Mémère

2011-11-09T21:29:00.000-05:00

This one is for Rowan's mémère.

My mother came to Toronto for Halloween this year. I think this picture is too cute.

I am hoping this week is going to take a turn for the better at some point. I was handwashing a sweater in the downstairs sink and the sink literally fell through the marble counter (it is an undermounted sink) and on to the top shelf of the cabinet below it. Not only did I have to clean up all the water, I got to pay a hefty bill to a plumber who scolded me the whole time he was here fixing it. By the way, if you have an undermounted sink, make sure you aren't putting too much pressure on it. For example, pressing down on the sink while cleaning or handwashing items. Apparently when you do this for an extended period of time to an undermounted sink, the adhesive starts to break down and well...you know the rest of the story.

Oh and Lola threw up all over my duvet cover while I was sleeping on Tuesday night....That was the cherry on top. And it is only Thursday. Giddy-up.

Our Reality - Circa October 2011

2011-10-11T16:19:00.000-04:00

I can't help but smile when I see these two pictures for several reasons

1) Rowan's look is classic "I'm not getting my way, I do not want to share". He's upset that I grabbed his hockey stick.
2) Lola is in the background, just chillaxing, and wants to be in the mix and not left out.
3) Jeans, t-shirt, converse, no make-up..My uniform when I am at home.
4) These photos are blurry. Because James took them. Which is also the norm around here ;)
5) Rowan and I pretend we are monsters when we are playing together about 99% of the time lately.

Hockey

2011-10-04T23:14:00.000-04:00

The Eaton clan has been working at lightning speed for the past several months. Big client accounts at work for both of us. Rowan has started French Montessori school, is enrolled in swimming and is taking skating lessons so that he can become the next NHL superstar defenceman and we can ride his gravy train when gets older. Hopefully by the age of twenty. That would work nicely with my retirement plans...Summers always seem to fly by so fast. I really am trying to slow it down and just be still every once in a while.

Rowan at his very first skating lesson. Kids are so resilient. I would not be happy if my butt was falling on the cold hard ice every second minute for an hour straight. Kids though, apparently they are fine with this.

Rowan is obsessed with evil super villains. It is all he has on the brain lately. This is his imitation of Syndrome from the Incredibles, you know, with hockey gloves.

And then we have the dogs...Nothing is sadder than a pug.

This is the Silver Dress....

2011-09-19T23:16:00.000-04:00

that I am going to rock out when I attend my friend Amy's California wedding next year. Is this dress too "white" to wear to a wedding? It looks silver to me. And I think it would be perfect, but I know how some people can get all bent out of shape about these kinds of things. Which is why James and I skipped the whole thing and took Rowan to city hall. I wore a plaid dress and Christan Louboutin heels. Just because one goes all "JP" (Justice of the Peace) doesn't mean one should miss out on an opportunity to wear some new fashion.

My wedding day pictures. Out with family for dinner at a steak house. Perfection.

For James

2011-09-14T22:44:00.000-04:00

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Take Seven

2011-09-05T13:06:00.000-04:00

My camera has been on the fritz lately. The focus on the camera is not working correctly, which is why these layout photos didn't come out as crisp as I would have liked. It may be time to get a new Canon body very, very soon. The first two layouts were made using Studio Calico's Boardwalk kit. The "I Do" layout uses both the Crate Paper Portrait and Emma's Shoppe collections.

Rowan Show Me Your Monster Face

Seeing This Makes Me Happy

I Do....Based on the Style Me Pretty blog post.

BBQ

2011-09-04T21:43:00.000-04:00

The Eaton clan took some much needed down time and attended a BBQ this afternoon. Rowan is in a serious monster phase lately. Michael Jackson's Thriller is on consant rotation on my computer.

And meet Bella. Isn't she cute?

Destiny

2011-08-20T17:27:00.002-04:00

This kid is destined for big things. Jury is still out on whether he will use his powers for evil or good. :)

R's Bachelorette Weekend

2011-08-10T17:25:00.019-04:00

I have been meaning to write this post for a while. Time has not been my friend lately. So after months of long distance planning, Rosie's bachelorette weekend finally came to fruition in late May. Her bridesmaids live around the world, so it was a little tricky working out the details, but between skyping to Italy, calls to California and Chicago, we made it work!

The bachelorette was a two day affair. Saturday being the Bachelorette party and Sunday afternoon being the bridal shower. I realize that may not be the best of circumstances considering how much trouble one can get themselves into on the Bachelorette night, but folks were flying in for the affair, so it was best to work both activities into one weekend so the majority of the bridal party could participate.

Saturday was a jam packed day. It started with Amy and I getting up early and running around like chickens with our heads cut off making sure everything would be perfect for Miss Rosie. Things like the gift boxes filled with lip gloss, glitter nail polish and the like.

At two o'clock the girls swang by to hang out at the hotel suite at the James. Seriously. Could there be a more perfect hotel for Rosie? (her husband's name is James). We sipped on champagne and wine, hired a make-up artist to make us look pretty, and had the whole day captured by Krysta, who was such a trooper.

We played silly games, we threw on youtube to show Rosie why we had gotten her a cowbell...She had never seen this Saturday Night Live skit. The horror.

It rained the whole weekend. But you don't get a second opportunity to have someone like Krysta follow you around for the whole day. And it isn't very often that this group of girls gets together, so we went out in the rain...In the feezing rain I may add...I had bought this yellow and white striped Anthropology dress for the occasion. Believe me, this dress wasn't the most practical of choices. Sometimes one must suffer for the greater good.

In the end, I am glad we ventured into the rain, I think some of the best pictures were taken outside.

We piled into a cab, headed back to the suite, changed and toasted the bride to be. Rosie handed out gifts to all the girls. Necklaces with champagne diamonds.

All pictures taken by Krysta Manthe

Then it was off to Maude's for late night dinner and drinks. That is as far as I made it. I lasted until midnight. I turn into a pumpkin after that point. Seriously though, I started to fill very ill at dinner and had to cab it home and curl up in the fetal position in the hotel room. I vaguely remember hearing Rosie and Amy's voices in the early morning...

The next day was a little rough, but it was all made better by the best food EVER that was served at R's bridal shower. More to come on that later...

Fall Fashion

2011-08-07T12:53:00.009-04:00

I know that we are in the throws of summer, and I do appreciate all the sunny weather we have been getting, but I have a weak spot for fall clothes. The sweaters, the blazers, the jackets...Oh sweet lord. The jackets.

I love this blazer. LOVE. I could wear this to work and going out for drinks. Same with the dress below. Both from the Proenza Schouler 2011 fall collection. Adore the lace up leather boots with the dress.

And speaking of leather boots, take a look at these bad boys. The Italians do know how to make some mighty fine leather boots. These boots are from a company called Guidi.

I love fashion, however, I am not big on the actual shopping part anymore. I don't have the patience to roam amongst the crowds of people, waiting for a changing room with a three year old in tow.....So, I just call Rosie. She sends me pictures of what she thinks I would like (she gets it right 99.99% of the time), I choose, and then she ships it off to me. No muss, no fuss.

Here are a few things that she has sent that have caught my eye.

Elizabeth & James jacket

Valentino Red Collection dress

I have no idea where I would wear the leather and chiffon black dress (definitely not work), but I would love to rock that thing out.

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Take Six

2011-08-06T08:42:00.014-04:00

Lately, I have been having a good time hauling my supplies outside on the deck and have been scrapbooking the weekend away with the pugs at my feet and Rowan running around the backyard spraying everything he can with the power hose (another story for another time). Love being able to scrapbook outside in nice weather.

I took photographs of my more recent creations. Studio Calico's Paper Moon has to be one of my favourite kits to date. It screams boy to me. The yellow, blue and orange colours...so good. The October Afternoon. I took an inventory of what manufacturing company that I use the most when scrapbooking. OA won. Never seem to have much of it left when it is all said and done. The kit is sold out, but isn't a beauty?

Rowan as Rambo - I thought I would be a masochist and hand stitch the circles on the yellow American Crafts paper. That was a part time job in itself. Then I dipped into October Afternoon's Rocket Age to spice things up. I love that blue paper. And you won't be able tell in this picture, but I also used Maya Road Iridescent Pearl Mist in specific areas of the layout.

Next we have I love your smile. When i get a picture that I really love, I print it big and just do minimal embellishment work and leave it alone. It's all about the picture in this case. Love the hand stitched Amy Tan tag. Love the SC Wood Veneer.

Magic - I found the Roald Dahl quote on pinterest. I have a folder of inspirational items that I keep from pinterest. I decided to actually use one for a layout. Note to Self: Need to do more of this.

Rockstar - This is one of those pages that came to together in ten minutes start to finish. Again with the Rocket Age line. I have a soft spot for stars.

Watermelon Face - This one is actually a two pager with the title and the journaling on the page that isn't shown here.

Last one...just because I rarely have the opportunity to use anything remotely girly...

Summer Reading List

2011-08-05T20:54:00.003-04:00

Trying my best to spend less time on the computer and more time doing....well...anything else. The ten hours a day I spend working on one should be enough. So in the spirit of spending less time in front of the computer screen, here's my summer reading list.

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand
The Picture of Dorian Grey - Oscar Wilde
The Giving Tree - Shel Silverstein
Glass Castle - Jeannette Walls
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese
In the Garden of Beasts - Erik Larson

Magic

2011-07-22T17:45:00.002-04:00

Cosmic Love

2011-07-08T18:36:00.005-04:00

Florence & the Machine and So You Think You Can Dance.....It doesn't get much better than this...I am a bit obsessed with this girl. I love her edge.

Rambo

2011-06-24T16:11:00.006-04:00

Of course he has no clue who Rambo is, but that is all I can think of when he decides to take his bulldozer track off and put it on his head. He certainly is an entertaining little fellow.

The Lady is a Vamp

2011-06-12T23:21:00.006-04:00

I swear I could have been the next Victoria in the Twilight series. Yes, I know..I am too old to be watching Twilight. Let's move on.

I look a little like death here, I am not going to lie...There was also a steady stream of rain...See I am prepared for the crap weather in Forks.... Some of these jokes aren't going to be as funny if you have not seen Twilight. Maybe if you have seen Twilight they still won't be funny. So go forth and watch what could be one of the biggest tween chick flicks in the universe. Total guilty pleasure.

This is me...

Photo by Krysta Manthe
This is Victoria. And this girl has airbrushing to make her skin that white. She has red hair, although my guess is she is wearing a wig. I could totally stand in for this girl. Victoria also seems to have quite a bit of sass. Check! I have all the bases covered.

Bachelorette Preview

2011-06-08T00:17:00.003-04:00

Too many details to recount tonight, so I will leave it for another time. Let me just tell you it rained the whole weekend, but that didn't stop us from having some fun. No, it did not.

Photo Credit: Krysta Manthe

Outside

2011-06-05T16:02:00.004-04:00

Outside is where I want to be these days. There has been so much rain lately. I have had enough of the doom and gloom already, I need to bask in the rays. Besides, I think some little kisses from the sun would do the family good. We look like a clan of vampires. And another reason that I yearn for summer...So You Think You Can Dance has started. Giddy-up!

Keep on Rocking in the Free World

2011-05-21T16:05:00.005-04:00

Just pretend my thumb is tucked in....I wasn't as quick on the draw as my son is with his rocker pose. To all my Canadian friends, have yourself a rockin' long weekend!

Edited to Add: Apparently my hand gesture means I love you in sign language. Not what I was going for, but I'll take it!

He's Three!

2011-04-04T12:20:00.005-04:00

Rowan turned three last Friday. We celebrated with some sugary cake and party hats. There are only two pictures EVER with all three of us in them. This would be the second. Rowan looks about as unimpressed about the whole thing, as he did in the first one.

Don't Feed the Bad Wolf

2011-03-23T19:02:00.002-04:00

I love this story so much, I needed to re-post.

An elderly Cherokee Native American was teaching his grandchildren about life… He said to them, “A fight is going on inside me, it is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One wolf is evil—he is fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, competition, superiority, and ego. The other is good—he is joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith. This same fight is going on inside you, and inside every other person, too.” They thought about it for a minute, and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win, Grandfather?” The Elder simply replied, “The one you feed.”

Pumped Up Kicks

2011-03-17T17:05:00.007-04:00

This song makes me yearn for warm weather. And it is so catchy, especially the whistling bit. Which is ironic given the meaning behind the song...

Reason number #230

2011-03-03T22:24:00.006-05:00

Rowan keeps me young. I have always been a strong advocate of humour and silliness and just letting kids be kids. I figure they'll have more than enough time to be adults real soon. Kids say what they mean and they call it like they see it. They live in the moment. They are curious. They question things. They push boundaries. They let their imaginations run wild. They do cartwheels. Their eyes twinkle. They giggle.

It is my opinion that the lucky ones in life never lose sight in the importance of all these things. But most do. I do. Fortunately, I have a three year old that acts as my trigger. He constantly reminds me of the benefits of living a simple life. At times, he can be the best kind of therapy. One that doesn't cost 250 dollars a pop. Amazing, isn't it? A three year old has a better pulse on the keys to happiness then I do. Maybe I should rephrase. Rowan has the key and opens the door. I have the key, but I choose not to open the door. Because of fear. Rowan has no fear.

But it all makes so much sense. Somehow as you progress through life many things get rationalized and explained away. And we become so good at justifying it to ourselves. We have created our own box. We have boxed ourselves in to a place where it is not OK to say what we mean or talk about how we feel for fear of how other people will perceive us. We look forward to the tomorrows. We think how much happier we will be on a vacation next month, or how happy we will be when we find a better job next year...Constantly waiting. In limbo.

It's been a rough week. Rough weeks always lead me to re-thinking, re-evaluating and revising the choices I have made. How to be happy. How to be free. Surprisingly enough, it is in my roughest hours that I just take a seat beside my child, and watch. I go along for the ride. I watch his eyes twinkle. I watch him giggle. I watch him live in the moment. And this makes me content. It comforts me. It awakens a desire for change.

So we built a snowman...

You are in desperate need of Chanel

2011-03-02T11:53:00.010-05:00

I know the lines in this movie by heart. Meryl Streep is absolutely amazing. And the clothes. I die.

Stanley Tucci is hilarious. "You do know that cellulite is one of the main ingredients in corn chowder?"

King of Limbs

2011-02-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

Radiohead's new album dropped on Friday. I like what I am hearing thus far. Reminds me of the "Kid A" days. Thom Yorke is such a creative genius and seeing him getting his groove on in the Lotus Flower video makes me very, very happy. New album equals new tour dates. I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'll be waiting for you in Toronto, Thom!

The digital copy is available for download here. They also have what they are calling a "Newspaper" album, which includes the album on vinyl, and some other cool items like artwork. You have to check out this video. Genius.

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Take Five

2011-02-03T10:32:00.011-05:00

I decided that I needed to take a photo and do a layout that contained the details of this post. It is just something that I want to remember. And if it doesn't get written down, I'm likely to forget it ever happened. I forget things that I did last week....

The last three layouts that I have done used that KI Sew Cute Calendar paper. Love.it.to.death. And that was my last piece of my favourite Studio Calico paper to date, called Woods. They'll be coming out with the same pattern in a different colour scheme with their Countryside release. The name of the paper is called Grove and I have included a picture below.

Sometimes I feel like i want to tell a story using words, as I did with the layout above. Sometimes I don't feel that words are necessary to convey the message of a layout. And this would the latter.

Making Snow Angels documents Rowan and me during our first outing in the snow. He was the cutest. He could not get up in that snowsuit after finishing his snow angel.

In other news, the folks are coming to install my new bathroom shelves today, which means that after two years my dream bathroom is finally here. I was over 8 months pregnant when we moved into our house, in which there were a ton of renovations going on....I gave birth before all the work was done, and we just decided to wait on a few things until Rowan was a little bigger, so we could live in our house in peace. Well the time has come, and I am excited to show pictures. I have been holding on to these vintage letters from Timeless Treasures for a few years now, and they have finally made it to their rightful home on the wall.

Odd behaviour

2011-01-27T13:51:00.005-05:00

I needed to put pencil to paper, or in this case keyboard to computer screen, concerning a very odd habit Rowan has picked up lately. When I think back to the time that James and I saw it first, it makes me laugh. Because we literally stood there speechless watching Rowan. Without saying a word, we came to the same conclusion. That of "freak, freak , freak". I think I recall circus music playing in my head.

So hear it is. Rowan likes to lick his pillow. But apparently the pillow licker has rules that must not be broken. And they are that he will only lick the pillow when it is covered by a a particular blue pillow sheet and he will only lick the pillow before he goes to bed. I have tried to entice him with other pillows. Pillows with Star Wars characters on them, soft fluffy fleece pillows, I even tried throwing on the nice Italian pillow sheets (that would have won me over in a New York minute)but no dice. He wants the blue one. And he won't go to sleep until he has the blue one....When we put him to bed he puts his head on the side of the pillow and sticks his tongue out and in, out and in, until he makes a big drool spot...But it gets worse....Then he will say things like, mommy come look at my computer and point at the big puddle of drool?!!! What-is-up-with-that?!I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. But I choose laughing.

Maybe all children exhibit a wide variety of odd behaviour and I'll look back and pish posh this blog post. And if that is not the case then please just lie to me. James and I are trying to decide on a course of action. Do we take that blue pillow away and deal with the consequences of Rowan being a holy terror, or do we ride it out. Because in the grand scheme of things, it is not that big a deal. That is, until he starts obsessively licking his pillow at sleepovers when he's twelve. Do you see how that could be a problem? He gets this "quirkiness" from my side of the family....He comes by it naturally; we're all a little bit of crazy. We just have to work on Rowan turning the crazy down a notch in public.

This segways into my next topic of conversation, which is the craziness that always ensues at the monthly Studio Calico pre-sale. These kits are hot, hot, hot I tell you. I scored Lollipop and Pulled Taffy. Good enough to eat.

C5

2011-01-17T11:11:00.010-05:00

First scrapbooking schtuff, then c5. The layouts pictured below are probably two of my favourite layouts made to date. Ever. I just love them. I think it has to do with the combination of the pictures and the music lyrics that were incorporated into them.

God I love this picture. Taken by Tara when I was eight months pregnant with Rowan. James is like a warm comfy blanket.

Rosie seems to be my muse lately. She just has such a vast inventory of gorgeous photos to choose from. Every time I look at these photos Radiohead's "You're all is need" starts playing in my head. It took forever and a day to stamp those lyrics.

I trip to C5 on Sunday with friends. This is Haiden. I want to take him home with me. But the Eaton residence is at capacity.

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Take Four

2011-01-12T14:25:00.003-05:00

Christian Dior Extreme Sandals

2011-01-11T13:02:00.004-05:00

On my feet. Two little slices of heel perfection. These bad boys won't hit the pavement for several months. This picture is a good reminder that I need to get back in the gym.....I promise I made my bed after this photo was taken.

Finally Some Snow

2011-01-10T10:39:00.009-05:00

I have been waiting to make snow angels with Rowan for months now. We finally got enough snow over the weekend to do it. Operation Build a Snowman was a complete failure. The snow was too fluffy.

James and Rowan "hiding" behind their snow fort.

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Part Trois

2011-01-05T10:27:00.007-05:00

And the uploading of the 2010 layouts continues. First up "Happy". I love, love, love the KI Memories Calendar paper. This colour is called Leafy. I bought it in several other colours, and I could use it on everything, but I am trying to restrain myself.

Magical layout. I loved the look of Sassafras' Mix And Mend line, but I had issues actually using the line, particularly the free Composition paper. I couldn't make it work. However, I do love how this layout turned out. Photo taken by Tara.

R - I love the picture of Rowan in the leaves. I also love the SC Elementary line, especially the particular piece of paper called Penmanship.

Scrapbooking Schtuff - Part Deux

2011-01-04T14:47:00.006-05:00

Ok, I promised a 10 favourite layouts in 2010 post, but that is not happening today. However, I did get in some scrapbooking time recently. Nicole Samuels made my all time favourite layout using Studio Calico's On the Easel kit. Not only did I lift her page, because I needed one to call my own, but I used the design to come up with my Love layout below. There is also oodles of Susan Weinroth inspiration. I adore her work! She can work magic with circles.

The words written across the two pages is the word love in various languages. This is my best friend Rosie and her fiance James. These pictures were taken by Tara in 2010. If I would have been on my game, I would have written love in Thai since Rosie is Thai, but you can't win them all....

This is my straight up lift of Nicole's layout...I love the picture of Lola looking terrified in James' arms.

One of my all time favourite pictures of Rowan.

Rowan and his many faces. Gosh, he is so young here. How time flies! That star paper from Crate is a fav from 2010, as is the MME Alphabet Soup line.

Holiday Wrap-up

2011-01-03T14:29:00.005-05:00

I have been busy making espresso for anyone who has a mouth and is over the age of let's say two and a half and doesn't have four legs. I am in love with my Christmas present. The Nespresso CitiZ in White to match my kitchen. This particular edition was inspired by the Chicago skyline. So it was destiny really. I went down to the Nespresso boutique today to redeem my 75 dollar gift certificate to fill up on coffee. Caramel, Vanilla, Almond, Brazilian and Indian blends....divine! I also use my milk frother to make Rowan a wicked cup of hot chocolate. And if it's good enough for Clooney, well then, it is good enough for me...

James and I stayed in for New Year's. I am OVER going out for NYE. We decided to be hermits this year and played the Xbox Kinect that James got the family for Christmas. Soo fun! That thing is a workout and a half and I needed to stop after about 20 minutes of play to grab some water and to pull out the fan and blast cold air in my face....

I'll be back tomorrow with a favourite 1o layouts of 2010 post. I was perusing my albums and realized I haven't posted many of my favourites so I need to get them out of their albums and take pictures. Here's to a great 2011!

New York Chic

2010-12-29T10:07:00.006-05:00

This girl knows how to put herself together...

Merry Merry Christmas

2010-12-27T14:45:00.016-05:00

In typical holiday fashion, Rowan got sick on December 23rd, and I picked it up on Christmas Eve. I was sick as a dog, with a fever shivering in my bed. I am still not feeling well, and I missed out on a lot of the fun Christmas activities this year. Rowan, while not 100%, was feeling well enough to enjoy the last several days filled with food, family and PRESENTS. I drug my sorry self out of bed on Christmas day to take pictures of Rowan opening up his presents. Santa brought and put together a train set for Rowan downstairs. That's right, Santa assembles at the Eaton residence....

Taylor Tomasi

2010-12-24T10:10:00.007-05:00

My fashion muse at the moment....Taylor Tomasi. The Style and Accessories Director for Marie Claire, Tomasi has become a recognizable figure at fashion weeks around the world, and not just for her unmistakable red hair. Her style is a blend of edgy and constructed with soft and feminine. Take a look. All pictures courtesy of the Jak and Jil blog.

Hello Lover - Take Two

2010-12-20T16:53:00.005-05:00

Shoes and sheets. My two loves.

Hot Chocolate

2010-12-19T17:33:00.005-05:00

One had hot chocolate, one had hot chocolate with a splash of Baileys, one had wine, and the other had beer. Regardless of drink preference, a good time was had by all.

This one had hot chocolate....

This one had hot chocolate and Bailey's. The best thing EVER.

Hudson Bay display window in downtown Toronto

December Daily 2010 Continued...

2010-12-16T12:44:00.020-05:00

This is going to be a picture heavy post. Here are some pictures of Day 2 through Day 11. I will be catching up on Day 13 through 16 tonight. Day 13 will be an interesting one. It has to do with my first hand experience with a person that was not in the festive, holiday spirit. I got rear-ended while stopping for a pedestrian in a residential area on my way to dropping off Rowan at daycare. Yes, Rowan was in the car. Everyone is fine. It really was a minor accident with just at teeny, tiny scratch on my bumper. And even then, you really have to get up close and personal to be able to see it. This guy, who was clearly in the wrong and was not driving to the conditions, tried to brake, hit a patch of ice and ran into me. The kicker? He gets out of his car and starts SCREAMING at me. He went off. Right in front of Rowan. I asked the guy, if he could take it down a notch and refrain from cursing like a sailor, because my child was in the backseat. He screams back at me..."I have two children!"...So I replied. "Well then you ought to know better". After that comment, he gets back into his car, and at this point I presume he is going to just move his car to a side street that has less traffic so we can exchange information. Ah no...He gets into his car and high tails it out of there. Flees the scene. It happened so fast....Rear ends me, gets out to tell me off and then leaves. Lesson learned for everyone that is involved in an accident. Get your phone out and take a picture of the license plate immediately. Easier said then done. It all happened so fast. Rowan was upset about the guy screaming at me. I told him that Santa was putting him on the naughty list and that the "bad man" was getting no presents this year. Rowan liked this. He talked about "the bad man" all day long. Merry Christmas.

Stank

2010-12-12T19:33:00.005-05:00

Stank is our nickname for the newest addition to our family. This is because his breath literally smells like broccoli that has been rotting in the garbage for about a week. It's gotta be a gastrointestinal issue. The boy has had his teeth professionally cleaned, is on a dental dog food, and gets his teeth brushed....And it all doesn't seem to make a difference. We love him nonetheless. And by some force of nature, Lola loves him too. It really could have went either way.....I mean, she is the Queen Bean, the princess, our only little girl. In other words, she can be a real prick at times.

They have joined forces to annoy the living shit out of us. Frank barks, then Lola barks. Did I mention I hate barking....So, in my ultra stern voice, I tell them to "shut it". Which Rowan has picked up...My bad. They turn to me to see who it is that is talking to them, realize that is only the woman who is literally the lowest person on the respect totem pole and continue to bark away. They love to torture me.

Then there is all the kissing. They kiss incessantly. Seriously, they need to get a room. It started off as really cute. All...look they are getting along, they like each other. The cuteness is starting to wear off.

I am so thankful that Frank is all settled in, and is feeling comfortable. I know this, because he took Lola on a few days ago....Usually when she is annoyed and decides to rip his face off, he comes a running for a human. But this time, he was taking no mess from the Bean, he actually went back for a second round of whoop ass. Like I said, he's getting comfortable.

And I know that they love me. Because look at how they'll oblige me for a December Daily picture....

By the hammer of Thor....

2010-12-08T14:30:00.006-05:00

I just finished Day 8 of my December Daily. That means.....I am NOT behind. I know...I surprised myself by keeping up with it for this long. The holidays are always a struggle to find a balance between work and home. Work usually wins. And even though this November/December has been challenging on the work front, I have managed to strike a nice balance. Here are a few pictures that have made it into the album. I love Christmas. I really do.

December Daily - Day Two

2010-12-02T14:16:00.010-05:00

The tree is up. Now give me some snow! It was snowing all pretty like this morning, but it has since stopped. I have the urge to make a snowman with Rowan, but the white stuff is a key ingredient.

I took a stroll to Anthropologie today. Love, love, love their displays. They actually had a sign on the door looking for display people. Such a cool job. Maybe in another life. Here are the various pictures that will make it into Day Two of the December Daily. The first two pictures aren't holiday related, BUT I wish Santa would bring them to my house for Christmas.

My house, with a sprinkling of snow.

Scrapbooking Schtuff

2010-12-01T15:08:00.011-05:00

First page of my December Daily is done. We shall see how long it lasts. Took some quick pictures of the first page, in addition to some scrapbook pages that I have completed these past few months. It is a miserable, rainy day here in Toronto. Just received an e-mail about the latest issue of Covet Garden. If you haven't checked this e-zine out, you really should take a peak. Tons of home decor inspiration.

All of the layouts were done with kits from Studio Calico. Not a whole lot of sunshine to take good pictures today so these will have to do for now. Little bit of Kelly Noel inspiration for the Hockey Days layout.

The Physics of the Quest

2010-11-30T14:17:00.003-05:00

In the end, I've come to believe in something I call "The Physics of the Quest." A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you're brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.

Elizabeth Gilbert - Quotation from Eat, Pray, Love

Christmas Wishlist 2010 - Part 1

2010-11-22T09:16:00.011-05:00

Tamar Mogendorff Birdcages

Les Indiennes Bedding

Liz Tran Artwork

Nespresso CitiZ in White

Roslyn Boutique Fall 2010

2010-11-13T10:28:00.010-05:00

I ventured down to Chi-town last weekend to visit my friend Rosie. As soon as I arrived in Chicago it started to hail and then proceeded to start pouring buckets of rain. I managed to get a few shots of Rosie's beautiful store, but the light just wasn't the best, and there was no time to go back because of the ba-jillion bridesmaid dresses I had to try on during the weekend.

I would live in this joint if I could. The displays are amazing.

Elise has set up a little shop in the corner of the store. It is the cutest. But it also is in the very back of the store, so the light wasn't good enough to do her space justice. That's as much blogging as I can muster up today.

Bungalow Love

2010-11-02T13:32:00.012-04:00

I saved the best home for last. This is my dream house. Hands down. Bar None. I love the quirk. I love its charm. I love the kick of colour. I love that it has polish but at the same time says come jump on the bed, put your feet on the couch, make a mess in my kitchen. Perfection.

They sold this house. For 1.6 million dollars this year. They being Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo. All pictures courtesy of Domino Magazine.

Boo!

2010-11-01T12:57:00.012-04:00

Taking a break from home inspiration to talk about our Spooktacular weekend. Rowan's fireman costume arrived the day before his daycare's Halloween party. It was cutting it very close, even though I ordered it from ebay about three weeks ago. The quality of that outfit was amazing. He wanted to wear it to bed the first night he tried it on. He wore it to the hockey store while James was buying a new stick...You get the point. He wants to wear it everywhere.

Here are little snippets of the Halloween decor. I used the MME Blackbird line to create the little banner that I hung on the fireplace.

I can't begin to explain how many leaves have fallen off the trees. This is Rowan in all his snotty gloriousness. The boy has an obscene amount of buggers lately. Usually, I make sure there are no bats in the cave before I take pictures, but I wanted to take a few au naturel. He'll love these when he gets older ;)

A few pictures of Rowan in his fireman's costume. This was his first Halloween where we went around the block and actually knocked on doors. It was a little overwhelming for him. We managed to hit about eight places before we called it a night and went back to grandma's to pass out candy to the children. That was his favourite part. Giving candy to all the kids and seeing their costumes.

Rowan helping Daddy carve out a pumpkin at grandmas.

Walking through the mass of leaves before trick or treating.

Boy's Rooms

2010-10-29T14:12:00.008-04:00

There are two spectacular houses that I come back to time and time again. One of the two is Jenna Lyons NYC brownstone. In particular, I love what she accomplished in her son's room. It is the perfect combination of whimsical, sophisticated, and cozy. I have this issue of Domino magazine at my house. The ultra glossy pictures in the magazine make this place look even better if that is possible.

And then this little gem. Love the solar system and the star lights. Ohdeedoh is a great children's design website that is worth taking a look at.

Someone would be in the kitchen more...

2010-10-28T09:47:00.008-04:00

If her kitchen looked like these beauties...And even then, I would just be sitting in my kitchen mesmerized by the sheer fanciness of it all, there would be no actual cooking involved. Nuh-uh, I wouldn't want to mess up my pristine white kitchen! No dogs, kids and/or husbands allowed. I really have nothing to complain about, I already have a nice white kitchen....Just need a few finishing touches and I look to these pictures for inspiration to finish the job. I must say these people have guts to paint their wood floors white. Not something I would do, but it does complement the room.

You can read the full kitchen inspiration article on decor8.

Can you believe this next picture is from IKEA?!

Love. Amazing. Full article on decor8.

And repurposed Whiskey barrel flooring. The angels start to sing from heaven when I look at this picture. I debated putting this photo up, because I may cry if any friends were to get this before I did. So please don't. Really, that would be the nice thing to do.

I may have to interrupt the regularly scheduled home inspo program to talk about the cuteness that is my son in his Fireman's costume for Halloween. Bear with me.

Marrakesh

2010-10-27T09:36:00.006-04:00

I have a computer folder jam packed with home decor inspiration. There are so many wonderful sites out there filled to the brim with eye candy. I thought I would devote a week to home inspiration. First up decor 8, with an ode to Marrakesh. I died just a little when I read this post. This place is amazing. I want to move in. I am packing my bags right now. The ceilings, check out the ceilings people!

December Daily 2010

2010-10-19T10:24:00.005-04:00

I have been thinking about doing the December Daily this year, but I don't think I would see it through if I had to create the album on my own. Too much going on these days, and violin lessons are starting up soon. Ugh. Violin homework. I don't know what it is about minis. I start them but never finish. I burn out about halfway in. And the obsesser in me needs to follow through on things I have started, so this year I purchased an album from Evalicious. It takes some of the work out of the equation, and I think I can realistically commit to finishing it for the month of December.

i carry your heart with me

2010-10-18T20:48:00.003-04:00

Flight is booked for Chi-town! All this wedding talk reminds me of this poem, which I adore.

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in
my heart)i am never without it(anywhere
i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear
no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)i want
no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

Thanksgiving

2010-10-13T17:13:00.007-04:00

Just pictures for this post. James took the first one before Thanksgiving dinner. I think it is pretty cute.

Firestarter

2010-10-12T10:30:00.006-04:00

I try my hardest not to get into altercations with law enforcement. And I have had them. Very weird, bizarre situations that I will leave for another time. Today was not one of my finer adult moments, but the teenager in me is sitting here with a satisfied smirk on her face.

For those of you who don't know, when people with red hair get really mad (and everyone that has ever had red hair DOES get mad), their hair literally bursts into flames. Kind of like Drew Barrymore in Firestarter. Remember how she used to explode into a fire-y fury when she got pissed off? Well I was Drew this morning. Here's the story. I'll summarize when possible. I am sick this morning, I usually drop Rowan off at daycare. Today James drops off Rowan at daycare because I am sick. On his way home he goes straight at an intersection where there is a sign indicating that you cannot drive straight between the hours of 7-9 AM. James drove through it at 8:19 AM. Policeman runs out of bushes nearby and flags him over. Proceeds to give James tickets. One ticket is for having out of date registration. He comes home. He slams the door. Drops tickets on desk in the entryway. Curses as he continues down the hall. I pick up tickets. I read the out of date registration ticket............And all hell breaks lose. This is the part where the red hair takes over, the part where that hot Eric Bana guy starts to scream get out of here before he changes into the incredible hulk.

Suddenly, I don't feel sick anymore. That is the nice thing about adrenaline, although temporary. I slip on a pair of jeans. I grab a hoodie. Screw taking a shower, there is no time. I look in the mirror and take the little piece of parsley or whatever that is stuck in my tooth out, because the hulk has no time to brush his teeth....No, no, no, I need to go find the police officer that gave my husband a ticket that he didn't deserve. You see, I personally renewed that registration less then a month ago, and I will be damned if I am going to get a ticket for something that we don't deserve.

So I drive a few blocks and low and behold I see the police officer in his car. Writing a ticket to a little Asian lady that looks petrified. I wait until he is finished, get out of my car, and walk over to his window. He doesn't look up. The conversation goes something like this.

Me: Can I have a moment of your time?

Him: Make it quick.

Me: You gave my husband a ticket that was not deserved and I would like to discuss it with you.

Him: Technically I am not supposed to discuss that with you.

Me: Ignoring his previous comment, you gave him a ticket for out of date registration, when the registration is up to date.

Him: I told your husband what the problem was...

Me: Well why don't you tell me.

Him: Let me see your permit and your registration.

Me: Hands it over.

Him: You see this sticker? This sticker is supposed to go on the back of this registration card.

Me: OK. So why did you not just tell my husband to stick it on, and call it a day?

Him: Does not respond.

Me: Seriously?

Him: I told your husband all he has to do is come to court and I will drop the charges.

Me: Why don't you rip up the ticket then. This is silly.

Him: Says nothing. Still hasn't looked up at me this whole time.

Me: Thanks for your time.

Him: No problem.

This is the point where I wanted to Drew Barrymore his ass. I wanted my hands to turn into fire ball launchers and set his car on fire. That is what I wanted to do at this point....But since I really can't summon fire on demand, or turn into a big green pissed off monster, I got into my car, drove home, and am sitting here typing this waiting for my red flaming hair to die out. Did I overreact? Maybe....Did I need to drive down and find the man that did my husband wrong....Probably not....Do I feel better that I went down there and told the officer what he did was unjustified and silly. 100%. So, how is YOUR morning going?

Pumpkins

2010-10-04T16:21:00.007-04:00

As James and I were sitting on a wagon with Rowan riding around in a pumpkin patch last Sunday, I had an out of body experience. One where Michelle of five years past was looking at me in her super cute high heels, hair and makeup done and choking on her Cheetos at what has happened to the shell of her former self. James and I looked at each other about the same time on the ride and we could tell this is what the other one was thinking.....How the hell did we get here? I have never been to a pumpkin patch, or an apple orchard....all of that stuff seemed like shit before Rowan came along. But I find myself loving what he loves, and smiling when he smiles, and if that means jumping on a tractor that is literally going around in circles while we look at pumpkins and the few odd scarecrows scattered around the farm, so be it. That being said, I am looking forward to a weekend with Rosie in Chicago in the upcoming month. A weekend of fashion, eating, wedding talk and trying on bridesmaid dresses. I am hoping trying on bridesmaid dresses isn't the equivalent of trying on bathing suits. Or I may need to have a few pops before we head down that road.

I am the one that takes pictures of the family about 99% of the time, the other 1% is when I make James take the camera so that I can get a few shots in with Rowan so he knows that I was alive when he gets older and forgets this stuff..I would like to have some more candids, but it wasn't in the cards at the pumpkin patch. It was a little overwhelming for Rowan and for mommy and daddy too. I have come to realize rude, selfish people make rude, selfish parents. Some of these people have no clue as to what is going around them. I notice this every time we go out to a fair, or a public place where there are a lot of kids with their parents. I seriously want to karate kick some of them in the head. But I am a good parent. I will wait until Rowan goes to the bathroom with daddy before any infliction of physical violence. Remind me to bring my ski mask and lead pipe when we go see Santa Claus.

Before Pumpkin Patch...happy Rowan

At Pumpkin Patch....not so happy Rowan

Unicorns and Rainbows

2010-10-04T14:05:00.004-04:00

My husband and I have this running joke about "adding sparkle" to websites since we are IT Consultants. Imagine my elation when he sent me this e-mail today.

Hi Michelle,

You remember when I told you about an app that can add Unicorns to any Web Site? Well guess what? They've upgraded their app, and they can now add both Unicorns and Rainbows. How awesome is that? Get it here:

http://www.cornify.com/

Regards,

James

Buahaha! Little notes like these make my day. Just wanted to spread some unicorn and rainbow sparkle your way today.

Get Those Creative Juices Flowing

2010-09-28T14:34:00.005-04:00

My friend Amy is holding her very first online workshop starting October 11, 2010. Here are the deets which you can find on her website.

I’m very excited to announce my first ONLINE workshop. I've taught classes in-person in Tennessee and Hawaii (and places in between), but this will be my very first time using a private blog, video tutorials and photo demonstrations to bring my creativity, ideas and techniques to everyone.

Overview:
• Daily weekday posts on a private blog October 11 - October 22.
• Instructional videos demonstrating techniques and direction
• Loads of inspiration, techniques, tutorials, secrets & tips that can be used over and over again in future projects/crafts
• Individual feedback on questions, comments and suggestions
• A peek into my own studio, various workspaces and creative life
• Giveaways galore for class attendees, including a signed copy of Creative, Inc, American Crafts products, Hambly products, stamps from Hero Arts, Fiskars products, Studio Calico products, & hand-stitched tee shirts

I’m very pleased to be offering the same level of instruction and direction that go into my seminar-style classes in this new online setting.

Some of the class topics will include:
• Infusing Creativity into the Everyday
• Creating On-the-Go
• Stretching your Creative Mind
• Rethink the Way You Record Memories
• Embroidery the easy way
• Unique Handmade embellishments
• Use the supplies you already have to make something extraordinary
• Put those scraps & fun bits you've been saving to good use

Workshop Price $27

The Balancing Act

2010-09-26T17:23:00.005-04:00

Earlier this year I made a resolution that I would find a better work life balance then I had in 2009. Which wouldn't take much since there was no balance at all. It was all work and no life. I think it probably has been like that for the last eleven years, but I never really felt the effects until Rowan was born. Or it was the straw that broke the camel's back, who knows...The balancing act proves difficult when you are a managing consultant for IBM. Very difficult. Proposal time doesn't leave much time for blogging. The little free time I have had these past few weeks has been spent staring blankly at the computer screen. Mostly looking at Studio Calico eye candy. The October kit On the Easel is for sale tomorrow. It's looking good!

I did have some time to take pictures of Rowan today. He is absolutely my favourite photography subject. Lola does come in a close second. Frank (pug #2) doesn't like to smile for the camera just yet, but I'm working on it.

Cupcake

2010-09-18T20:40:00.007-04:00

Yes, I am biased, but I think he is adorable. I am envious of his baby blues. I am also envious of those yummy cupcakes he has got in hands....

Sesame Street equals Chinese Water Torture

2010-09-17T13:51:00.009-04:00

A big project at work is eating away into my blogging time this week. The nerve. Before I had Rowan, I was never one of those people that dreamt about having kids all their lives. What that means is I have become a wingman....or wingwoman. Not a whole lot of preparation time. Everything from the nursery, to the clothes, to the daycare....all of it was based on flying by the seat of my pants. Pants with really cute high heels. Despite this, things have turned out rather well. What can I say, I work best under pressure. And all the preparation in the world wouldn't have helped my sorry ass out for motherhood. So, when it came time to choose books for the little fart to read, I had absolutely no idea what to choose. I don't have many friends who have kids, so I received no recommendations. No research was done on parenting.com. I just headed to the children's section of the local Barnes and Noble and started to pick up books.

This is my first kick at the can at parenting but what I have found out in a fairly short period of time, is that you cannot predict what kids will like. I mean, Rowan refuses white chocolate raspberry cake. What's up with them apples? So, I bought books that I enjoyed looking at and reading. Selfish, I know. But if I am going to have to look and read these books as much as I have been watching Sesame Street, I better REALLY really like the damn things. 1,2,3...4,5,6...7,8,9..10,11,12 ladybugs came to the ladybugs' picnic...Sesame Street has become Chinese water torture for me.

I have picked up all of Oliver Jeffers books. I love the illustrations. I love the story. I love that sad little penguin. Rowan kisses the penguin every time we read them. Looking for this image, I came across pictures of the author himself. Not a bad looking fella that Oliver is...I love his books so much more now!

Handsome

2010-09-12T13:49:00.003-04:00

He sure looks good in plaid.

Feel Free

2010-09-09T12:34:00.009-04:00

I was going to write a post about some of my favourite children's books that I have gotten for Rowan recently, but I am going to save that for tomorrow. I got a little sidetracked while weeding through my e-mail today and I came across this e-mail from Tara. I need to put these paragraphs on my fridge, or maybe the cabinets that contain all the chips and cookies. Maybe then I will feel less guilty for eating a full bag of cookies in a day....Not saying I have ever done that...What I got out of this note is that Tara is going to love me even when I am as fat as Jabba the Hut. Which will happen if I were to keep eating boxes of cookies. Which I am not. Yup. Not eating them.

Before you look at your photographs, i want to say one very, very important thing. okay, well maybe two. :)

be gentle with yourselves. try and see you as i saw you. i know how hard it is to see yourself and all of your imperfections. just remember, everyone that loves you and knows you sees you just as you are every day, and they love you anyway. you need to love yourselves just as much. we are all very different, and your definition of beauty may not include yourself, but i want it to. because my definition of beauty includes you. all i see when i look at each one of you is immense stunning BEAUTY. each and every one of you is so beautiful and special to me. no matter wrinkles, size, break outs, whatever. it is what makes you YOU. full of character. lovely. unique. (tears!)

please, as you look at your photographs, remember these words. feel my love for you. be gentle. and understand most of all that no matter how much you doubt it-YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are.

I don't believe I shared any of my pictures of Thailand on this blog. The other girls yes. Me, no. I am not sure why, they are quite pretty. I remember feeling not so pretty at the time because I had given birth about six months before the trip. Still had some baby poundage. I must get some of the pictures that I took of Thailand up here.....The places we visited were so beautiful.

Painting Blows

2010-09-08T15:11:00.015-04:00

I have always liked the idea of painting. Painting is so fun in theory but is always excruciatingly painful in practice. To clarify, I am talking about painting furniture. Painting walls suck equally. So I get all inspired by these design blogs, letting you know how easy and cheap it is to transform your furniture with just a tiny dabble of paint. For the record, I find it neither cost effective or easy breezy lemon peazy. But painting and I have history, so before I get all excited about going to the paint store to pick up the paint, because honestly that is the only part I like about the painting process, I force myself to do the grunt work. You know, the stuff that I usually sucker James into doing. Like sanding, taping and priming. Ewhh. I hate those words. But since this was "my project" as James so eloquently put it, I decided I would take on those tasks by myself. Actually that is a lie, I wanted James to do it, but he said no.

On to the fun stuff, the paint colours. The shelf in Rowan's room was a stark white before I painted it green. I had the green polka dot on his curtains colour matched at the store. I thought this would add a touch of whimsy and a pop of colour to his room. In actual fact, in blends in better then the white did, therefore it is less noticeable then ever. Score a big fat zero for Michelle.

By the way, can you tell someone is a Maple Leafs fan? This is the one thing that James got excited about when we went shopping for new fixtures for our house. Yes, I know it doesn't match anything. But it was coming in regardless of my opinion. Sometimes you just have to take one for the team. However, I did get pom poms!

There was also a random shelf in my upstairs bathroom that was probably headed for my mother in law's dumpster, and somehow ended up in our bathroom. Many things magically appear in my house that have come from my MILs. It is like the Bermuda Triangle. It gets lost on the way to the garbage and ends up here. Mysterious. The shelf was a boring brown and didn't jive with the bathroom which is all white with notes of blue....So I thought I would have fun and paint it the colour of one of the Crate Paper Restoration borders....I know...Random....The colour is the yellow one... Third one from the left.

And while I was taking pictures of the projects, I wanted to snap a few of Rowan's room for fun..Pssstt..I told Rowan that I painted those birdies....

And the chair that Eeyore is sitting on? It belonged to James when he was a child; it even has James' name carved into it. Beautiful history to that chair.

No more painting projects for me until Rowan turns 30.

Can I get a lift?

2010-09-06T13:14:00.005-04:00

I played along with Studio Calico's "Lift a Layout from your Favourites" challenge. The girl I lifted is a scrapbooking rockstar in my opinion. My style is nothing like hers, but I gave it a go. It also gave me an excuse to dig into Crate Paper's new Restoration collection which I love.

Here is Kaori's layout entitled "Delight". Eye candy, isn't it?!

Here is my interpretation...To be honest I have a hard time doing an exact lift. My mind takes me to other places, and the lift ends up evolving into something a little different.

My layout entitled "Journey"

In other random news, I am covered in paint. I have two painting projects that I started this long weekend that I plan on finishing. Photos of the completed product to come tomorrow.

25 things about Jamesie E

2010-09-01T15:56:00.004-04:00

I have done a twenty five things about me post on a few occasions, and I thought it would be groovy for Rowan to be able to look back and see what his dad was all about from his mom’s perspective. For the record, I didn’t ask for James' permission to post these twenty five things, and he might not like being exposed, but whatever, he should know what he got himself into when he married me….

1. Eat Sleep Hockey is his mantra.
2. He would be the happiest man on earth if he could figure out a way to be fed nachos, pizza and beer intravenously.
3. There is this particular scene in the Austin Powers the Spy who Shagged Me movie where Austin uses the woman “Robin Swallows” as a human shield to fend off knives, bullets, bazookas and eventually the concrete pavement. James thinks this is comedy gold. It is hysterical to him. Even though he has seen it about a hundred times.
4. He loves the Lord of the Rings. He read the books as a child.
5. After he burps, he says “excusez-moi". Apparently saying it in French makes belching more sophisticated.
6. He is the only person in the world that calls me Shelly B.
7. He loves music and music history. He is a big fan of the Ongoing history of new music. If you haven’t heard this radio show, you really must take a listen!
8. He has traveled all over the world.
9. He has lived in Canada, Germany, the USA and Australia.
10. He has a deep voice that was made for radio.
11. He had his own radio show in Germany while living there as a teenager.
12. He can do the best one arched eyebrow that I have ever seen. It is right up there with Jack Nicholson. See picture below.
13. He avoided getting a cell phone for as long as it was humanly possible, yet he is an IT Architect by trade and it VERY computer savvy.
14. He was a DJ. I used to travel from Ohio to Toronto to watch him play in a bar on Thursday nights.
15. I knew when I met him in university that I wanted to marry him. Apparently he didn’t feel the same way because he dumped my ass in fourth year of university. Luckily he realized the error of his ways shortly thereafter.
16. He hates when I tell people fact number 15.
17. He is in charge of everything that has to do with the outside of our house. I only do insides.
18. He gets along with everyone and everyone gets along with him.
19. That should be apparent; he is married to ME.
20. He is the meat to my potatoes, the cheese to my gravy, and the ice to my coke.
21. He is a brilliant father.
22. I have only seen him cry twice. When his grandmother died and on the day that Rowan was born.
23. He has a man crush on George St. Pierre.
24. We have the exact same degrees from the exact same universities.
25. I adore him.

Driveway Graffiti

2010-08-31T14:35:00.003-04:00

James and Rowan had fun drawing on the driveway with chalk a few days ago. This what I see every time I get in and out of my car. And no, Rowan isn't really orange, but his eyes are that blue. Cute.

Summer breeze

2010-08-30T11:31:00.007-04:00

Makes me feel fine! Ah, Summer, you always pass me by so quickly. There won't be many more days of pool frolic, sun burns, BBQs, sand filled shoes, and mosquito bites. I will miss you Summer, but push over, you need to make way for my new boyfriend Fall. He lets me wear all kinds of cute boots, and beautiful sweaters. Chin up Summer, there is one boy in town who will miss you lots. Until next time around...

Uber Meltdown

2010-08-27T09:35:00.008-04:00

These pictures were taken approximately an hour or two before Rowan had the meltdown of the century. Sometimes when he is in these meltdown moments, tonight it was because he wanted daddy to give him a bath and not mommy, I asked him some poignant questions. One's that I think that a two and a half year old should be able to answer. Like this...

Rowan - Bawling so hard he is coughing, boogers are spewing out his nose, jumping up and down kicking, screaming "I want Daddy."

Michelle - "Rowan do you realize I gave birth to you?"

Rowan - No response. Continues to scream bloody murder.

Michelle - Chucks Rowan in bath while he is in full meltdown mode. "Rowan, and do you also realize that I breast fed you, doesn't that win me any brownie points with you?!"

James - Outside the bathroom chuckles. Laugh it up Mr. Daddy. "Don't you know that I gave birth to YOUR son?!"

Michelle to Rowan - "Because really kid, I think it should get me a get out of jail free card here."

Rowan - At this point looking like he is having a seizure in the bathtub, because he is crying and shaking so hard. "Mommy, I don't like you anymore." Splashes water in my face.

Michelle - And mommy meltdown to commence in 3-2-1.....

Great Quote

2010-08-26T10:48:00.004-04:00

Seen on Jen Johner's blog. Found on tumblr via rosieG

Spit out the candles

2010-08-23T15:48:00.008-04:00

I had a lovely birthday weekend which revolved around food. More precisely, me shoveling it down my throat. Envision champion hot dog eating guy, but with red hair and a cute purse. Did you realize that there is actually an International Federation of Competitive Eating? My true calling. Replace the hot dogs with cake though. Food makes me happy. I sent an e-mail to my friend Rosie telling her about my birthday weekend, and my first sentence was "Rosie, I ate the most amazing halibut of my life, you need to come up here so I can take you to the restaurant." Yup. Food good.

James and I celebrated my 34th year of existence a day early. He surprised me with a trip to a restaurant I have never been to, but most definitely will go back to. It was a cute little place that has the best halibut EVER. With mushroom lemon risotto. I was in heaven. And then I tried James' beef tenderloin, and it melted like butter in my mouth. Double the heaven. Happy Birthday to me!

Sunday birthday brunch consisted of strawberry french toast and a breakfast burrito. I couldn't decide between the two, so I ordered the french toast "for Rowan". And then I ate half of it. Speaking of Rowan, no matter whose birthday it is, he insists on blowing out the candles. Did I say blowing? I actually meant spitting them out. Doesn't matter, I would eat that cake if it fell on the floor. Five second rule.

That's right folks. I am officially four years old. Count the candles...they don't lie. Do you see this cake? This is a mini version of my wedding cake. And guess what?! There is none left. I ate it all. With little help believe me. And now, I am in a food coma.

Memory Lane

2010-08-19T21:10:00.006-04:00

Two posts in the same day is a rare occurrence, but I just took a walk down memory lane. I am in the midst of backing up all my pictures and I have some oldies! Look...James has hair! And mine is brown. We were babies! The two of us getting into trouble in Amsterdam in 2001....

Actually, my hair has been every colour of the rainbow...

But wait, it gets blonder...Wait for it.....Wait for it.....

I love the way you lie

2010-08-19T19:23:00.002-04:00

The Marshall I love is back. It's been a long time coming. His new album is in constant rotation. I put the headphones on and get lost in the music.

Now I know we said things
Did things
That we didn't mean
And we fall back
Into the same patterns
Same routine
But your temper's just as bad
As mine is
You're the same as me
But when it comes to love
You're just as blinded
Baby please come back
It wasn't you
Baby it was me
Maybe our relationship
Isn't as crazy as it seems
Maybe that's what happens
When a tornado meets a volcano
All I know is
I love you too much
To walk away though
Come inside

Eminem - I love the way you lie

Rosie and her James

2010-08-17T20:19:00.007-04:00

My best friend Rosie and I have this problem. We both have significant others named James. This is Rosie and her James, as we like to call him. Not my James. Don't they make a lovely couple? Doesn't Rosie look like a smurf? Or should I say Smurfette. Not in the blue skinned way, as in the she's itty bitty way. And if you don't know what a smurf is then you are too young to be reading my blog, go away! I shouldn't be made to feel like an old fart on my own blog.....

Back to these two. I am in the midst of planning a girl's getaway bachelorette party. To Mexico. Fingers crossed. Because Mama needs a vacation, somewhere where they serve pina colodas. Some place where a nice tan person takes your order by the pool and comes back in minutes with a fruity beverage. This Canadian wants to migrate south for at least a week. So, yes, I am pushing Mexico. That's right, I'm a pusher.

In the midst of planning what I am sure will be the event of my year, and a feast for the eyes (have you seen her store?!) Rosie and her James went and visited my Tara. That's right. My Tara. The engagement pictures?! In the words of Carrie Bradshaw, "Me likey!"

I don't know what's with me tonight. Someone must have put a side of sass in my beef burrito.

One more picture for good measure. Because they just are adorable.

Beaches

2010-08-14T21:08:00.009-04:00

Ah..The perfect day. Not too hot. Not too cold. By the water. With the boys. Skipping rocks. Getting wet. Teeter tottering. Climbing. Brunching. And now....resting!

Mad World

2010-08-12T19:40:00.004-04:00

I will be glued to my television in about fifteen minutes time for the next few hours to watch the season finale of SYTYCD. Words cannot describe how much I love this show. I sit on my couch with a perma-smile. Here's Billy and Ade dancing to Gary Jules' version of Mad World. One of my favourite dances of the season. Love the song. Here's hoping that Robert wins. He won't. I am crossing my fingers. Must go.

Create

2010-08-11T12:59:00.007-04:00

I am going to take brief pause from all this dog talk and post a few layouts that I created with Studio Calico's Summer Camp kit. I love this kit. It rivals Joyland as a favourite. The first layout's design and topic are ones that I have used before so this is the About Me..Second Edition page. I wish I could swim in that rose ribbon. This one just sort of fell together.

And this layout....I messed up and had to cover my tracks. I tried using the alpha stamp that was in the Sugar Woods add on this month, and had stamped the word "Nana" under one picture, and I was well onto finishing stamping Rowan's name when I got to the W and it smudged. So those two labels with the names on them are actually masking my mistake...Blah.

And then my cover page for Debee's Inspire Lovely class. I love Debee's style, but it is very different from my own. Very different. I still have spray paint on my hands.

Meet the newest member of the family

2010-08-07T20:30:00.007-04:00

AKA Frank, Frank the Tank, and Frank and Beans. Although Frank and Beans can get a little tricky since Lola's middle name is Bean. And yes, before you ask, I realize that these are dogs and not children, but doesn't every dog deserve a middle name? A middle name better then Shirley?! Uh-huh. Sorry, I'm getting off track there. I must apologize for that rather rude letter from Lola a few weeks back. Lola had a rough go of it at first. And while they are not yet bosom buddies, they are getting along. I should rephrase. Lola is getting along with Frank. Frank gets along with everyone.

Frank seems to be adjusting rather well. I can't say that I blame him considering what a day in the life of a pug is all about. Get up in my plush king size bed. Check. Have someone else serve me my breakfast. Check. Bathroom Break. Check. Wipe my face all over the nice linens on the plush king sized bed. Double Check! Nap. Check. Play time. Check. You get my drift....When the two aren't getting the humans undivided attention this is the sorry sight you'll see on the couch. Seriously, they should take their show on the road. If you saw these two pathetic souls on the side of the street wouldn't you throw them your spare change?!

The blogging has been sparse these last few weeks because my parents came to visit from the East Coast. And THIS is the best picture we managed to get for the entire 10 days. Sad. Actually that's not true. My mom took tons of pictures of Rowan. The rest of us are chop liver ;) At least Rowan looks cute.

Dear Frank...you suck by Lola B

2010-07-30T13:24:00.007-04:00

Dear Frank,

Is that your name? Apparently that is what the family calls you, not that I give a rat's ass. Listen buddy, it was bad enough when Rowan came along. It took me a good long while and about a year's worth of dog therapy, but I have slowly moved into what the experts call the acceptance phase. If you must know, things have been pretty good around the house before you showed up last Saturday. The kid goes to daycare, mommy (aka the woman I like to leg hump) isn't working so much and I have been getting lots of pats, and walks. It all boils down to attention for me Frank. That is the key to my happiness. That and food. So you can imagine my concern when you sauntered your fat butt into MY house last week. Seriously? Dude, you can't even jump up on the bed or jump down from it without the humans having to carry you up and down.

The first few days were rough. I have to admit that looking back it was a full on battle of wills at that point. You would go near mommy, daddy or Rowan. I would rip your face off. You would look at me for too long. Again, I wanted to destroy your life. And then, you went and did what will put you on my shit list for at least a week (which is way more in dog years) you took my CHEWIES. That's right Frank the Tank, you stole my food. Big Mistake. Huge. At that point, I saw red, and went for the juggler. I think they refer to that in shrink jargon as temporary insanity. You need to know that there is a pecking chain in this here family and that you are on the bottom. Well you may be in front of mommy, because she is apparently every one's doormat. I am writing this to you after being annoyed and inconvenienced by your smelly presence for exactly a week now. I have stopped wasting my time to try an inflict violence and fury against your world. The only reason I am stopping is because daddy gives me a poke in the back every time I do this, and it really sends me into a tail spin when daddy is mad at me. Don't read anything into this. I am not going to play with you yet or be your best friend. I just watch safely from a distance giving you my look of utter disgust.

Surprisingly, my humans like you. They give you all sorts of pats and plays. They have gotten some things that are apparently going to help with that foul breath that you got going on. They have been cleaning your ears, brushing your teeth, you know getting you up to speed in the cleanliness department.

This is the kicker Frank. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you were actually going to sleep in MY bed. What I mean is my parents bed. You know the king sized one with the nice Italian sheets that I like to blow my nose in...Fun trick I'll teach you to annoy the humans should we ever become Bffs.

I'll tell you Frank I am wearing down. At this point, I am willing to tolerate your existence, and I have not been trying to start a fight with you in the last few days. At this point I am not sure if you are going to be a permenant fixture at the Eaton house. Jury's still out on that from my perspective.

Mommy has taken pictures of Frank a few days back, but I wasn't in the right frame of mind, and asked her to delete them from her computer. Maybe next week.

Mommy proof read this document and wants me to tell you that she wants to talk about all of this from her perspective in the next few days.

I am watching you,

Lola Bean (AKA the queen of the house)

{Inspired Lovely}

2010-07-28T21:43:00.005-04:00

Can't wait for this class to start. I have been a fan of Debee's work for some time now. Time to get my hands dirty!

{Inspire Lovely} is a week of love & whimsy all in an on-line art class starting August 1-7.

Class includes the following:
* 7 days of rockin' "art school" style classes (I loved art school, i know you'll love it too!)
* 7 Inspiration Board photos to inspire your creativity
* 7 Art sketches with detailed instructions + photos
* 7 photography prompts
* 7 journaling prompts
* Printable PDF embellishments designed exclusively for "Inspire Lovely"
* Video techniques (including spray paint, layering with style, using "white space", splatter and watercolour effects)
* Access to private art class blog (will be up for 2 weeks after the class ends so you can work at your own pace)
* Access to one-on-one access to instructor via private e-mail.
* Sharing techniques and my personal inspiration lists and places.
* A PDF of the class will be sent out once the class ends. Will include photos and detailed instructions you can reference at your leisure.
* A sweet giveaway! I love giving things away :) One Belladrummer etsy shop certificate worth $15. xoxo

This class may be purchased on-line for $20 here on Debee's blog

Debee's cover page for the class

Raised by Swans

2010-07-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

I love finding new music, especially when the artists are Canadian. I watched Atom Egoyan's Chloe this week, and two songs by a band called Raised by Swans were in it. I loved them, so I downloaded their new album No Ghostless Place. They remind me of bands like Sigur Ros, and Radiohead. Lovely.

Yes, I still scrapbook

2010-07-22T09:14:00.002-04:00

Hay fever

2010-07-21T10:03:00.003-04:00

Someone wouldn't jump the farmer's fence to take some cool pictures of the hay bails. That person wouldn't be me. So, while I'm in the field, someone else stayed behind and took this picture, which I like very much. Mostly because of the smirk on my face. The one that reads, "Hey, I just jumped this fence. I'm trespassing, so shoot me." Luckily no farmers came out with guns, or weapons of any kind.

It was a good day....

2010-07-17T22:31:00.004-04:00

Some had a better day then others....

Dear Mia

2010-07-15T18:53:00.002-04:00

Dear Mia Micheals,

I am upset that I am having to write this letter to you so early in the SYTYCD season. You started off so well. All cheery and funny and I was loving you up. And then you had to go and do it...again. I understand that you are an artist, and that with artistry comes strong emotions. This is why I love you. Even if you cry on every single episode. Because really, that IS a lot of crying. I feel the emotions you convey are very raw and real, and because of this when you are frustrated or not feeling a particular dancer or dance you can come off as a mega beatch. Case in point, last week with Adechike. Rather then provide constructive criticism, because really, isn't that why you are up there? To help dancers learn and better themselves through your critique. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for being honest and straight forward. But telling Adechike you wished Alex was dancing his number instead, and on top of that saying that he is just not as likeable as Jose, was downright rude. Did either of those comments have anything to do with his dancing? Nope. Can you take those comments and learn anything from them? Nope. Did you tear his hurt out and leave it on the SYTYCD stage? Yup. And then you ran up there and ate it for dinner. You know it's bad when you have to apologize the next night for it. I'm hoping it was heartfelt and not just the result of public feedback. So please Mia, I'm asking you to be a little more respectful with your critiques. Really, it is just the right thing to do.

But I still love you,
Mic

Rising Star - Roslyn

2010-07-13T11:58:00.008-04:00

I have blogged about my best friend Rosie a few times. See here and here. She asked for some pictures that I took while visiting her in Chicago in 2009. I had forgotten about some of the fabulous pictures of her gorgeous boutique and i thought I would share. Rosie is up for a FGI Rising Star Award for 2011! So proud!

Maybe you're going to be the one that saves me?

2010-07-11T10:48:00.003-04:00

I'm searching for a live performance that Noel Gallagher did of Wonderwall on the 102.1 the Edge radio show. Word on the street is that Liam was a no show so Noel whipped out the guitar and did this acoustic version. I love it. I found Noel's acoustic version on iTunes from "The Dream we have as Children" album which will have to do for now. If you know where to find the Edge version, e-mail me!

She...

2010-07-07T20:45:00.005-04:00

She loved life and it loved her right back.

She listened to her heart above all other voices.

She pursued big dreams instead of small realities.

She saw every ending as a new beginning.

She discovered her real measurements had nothing to do with numbers or statistics.

She was kind, loving and patient...with herself.

She woke up one day and threw away all her excuses.

She realized that she was missing a great deal by being sensible.

She turned her cant's into cans, and her dreams into plans.

She ignored people who said it couldn't be done.

She had a way of turning obstacles into opportunities.

She went out on a limb, had it break off behind her and discovered she could fly.

Excerpts from She... by Kobi Yamada

Photo by Tara Whitney

Ketchup

2010-07-05T11:10:00.006-04:00

It was a very busy weekend for the Eaton Clan. We went up to Gammy's in Niagara on the Lake on Friday for some sunshine, pool time and a BBQ. Rowan is so cute in his built in floaty, Toy Story bathing suit. He looked like a mini sumo wrestler. The pool and Rowan equation kind of gives me a heart attack. He fell on the slippery cement more times that I want to count. We were up at 6:00 AM the next morning, ate breakfast packed up and then ventured home to prepare for company coming to stay with us for a few days. Had a great Saturday at our BBQ get together and I snuck out early for dinner and Eclipse watching with a buddy. Sunday and it was off to Pride for some silliness, nonsense, dancing and socializing. I'll post pictures of the Pride festivities later in the week. So until then here on some pictures of Rowan getting his ketchup on...