It is hard to wrap our head around but in a week and a half Christmas is here. No idea where December went let alone the rest of the year. It will soon be time to take stock of the year and start a fresh one with possibilities and plans.
This year was different. I'm going to use that word as parts were hard and parts weren't. We are still in a pandemic but things opened up. We got to go to restaurants, sit on patios, take in a few shows and be with family and friends. Oh yeah and get vaccinated!
The hard parts were still not travelling outside of province, numbers rising and still restrictions. Thinking of we were clearing this only to be into another wave. Things are again tightening up before the holidays with numbers rising.
This year was making the best out of what was available. Sitting on those patios, BBQs, cottages, the beach, family and friends. Grabbing our wins when we could and shifting what was important. Supporting our community buying local. One of us purchased artisans gift boxes all year as they are struggling with less craft shows and less people coming to the ones that were open.
So we are heading into another year in a pandemic. Another holiday season. There is no point in being bitter of what we can't do. Everyone is in the same boat - word-wide. If family can't get to you shift your thinking - Zoom. Opening presents together via Zoom. Decide to make the most of what we can do and what we have. What about making a care packages as a family for the homeless? Check in on neighbours or people with no family near.
We have some control over how we spend our holidays - our attitude is a major one. Decide now no matter what restrictions are in place to be positive. What ever plans you have to change, you are going to take a breath and make the most of it. What we can do? What can we do differently? Maybe you will find out differently is the new way to go!
Turning the calendar was a bit of a shock. How did we get to the last month of 2021? What happened to 2021? Remember March 2020 and being told March break would be extended for a week due to COVID19 well.....we know how that went down and here we are rolling into 2022 and the world is still dealing with it.
Enough of that we want happy posts. So we decided to showcase a few things worth collecting and displaying for the holidays. In no particular order.....
We are rolling into the last part of the year. Looking back we thought we'd evaluate some goals of the past year.
We thought we'd share some Christmas / Holiday ideas. It is not to early to start planning for the event. Especially if making / baking is involved. Plus a few home tours to get us into the spirit.
Check out Hershey kiss christmas-cookie.
These mini art easels are so cute. Have seen easels at Dollar Store.
Here is a Christmas home tour from A beautiful mess.
Now here is wreath for your kitchen!
Also check out YouTube for painting tutorials. Maybe make a friends' evening of it.
Head over to The Art of Doing Stuff for a Christmas home tour
How to make modern Christmas wreath on a budget.
Not to late to make an advent calendar. This link will show you a great variety.
These look delicious. Chocolate sticky buns. Christmas morning or any morning! Oh what about this Saturday?
What do you think of this gradient rainbow Christmas tree.
Drop us a line letting us know your holiday ideas. We would love to check them out and maybe add them to our list!
This is a total shameless, not relevant to anything post. If you want to spend a few minutes browsing through nothing majorly important here it is. Below are some items we have come across recently that we are wanting. In no particular order....
Inspired by Charm totally obsessed by these ghost tea lights. Want.
Want one of these essential oil diffusers.
A friends' spa weekend. Somewhere within driving distance.
What about starting a collection of seasonal coffee mugs?
Local artisan pottery. No link as I want us all to be shopping local for this!
Hmm....thinking I might want a vintage rug or two.
What about you? Drop in the comments your wants so we can check them out!
If you are not into reading a rant over raising kids stop reading. This is a post that I felt strong enough after listening to a conversation that I had to write.
Woman of two boys mad as son (adult 18) borrowed something and didn't return it. It was a pass to get over a bridge so inconvenient in the extreme the next day. Texted him angry about it and him not returning it. Then said "boys just don't think of those things." Boys don't think of "those" things. Those things are respect for other people. Returning something you borrowed. Boys just don't think of those things as well they are boys. Give them a pass.
I had to stopped talking as knew I wasn't being heard over respect and giving "boys" a pass. Daughters are not giving a pass over respect. There is an expectation for females to respect, return, take care, do the right thing. I know I am over simplifying it but seriously? Boys don't think of those things. Hmm....
Maybe this is why we teach our daughters how to be safe. Watch your drink. Make sure you park where it is lite. Leave with friends. What are we teaching our sons? Doesn't seem to be the default is "no" when forcing/raping a female. All I hear is unless they "say" no it means yes.
NO! the default should be everything is NO unless she says yes lets have sex. So if she is drunk, stoned, can't communicate effectively. Mumbling yes to everything doesn't mean males can say oh that was a yes to sex. Oh passed out that is a no also.
You might think this has veered off topic over not returning his mother's pass but has it? Boys don't think of those things? Why not? Why are they given a pass when females are not? Why aren't we teaching our boys to be respectful?
This is 2021 almost 2022 why is it still a man's world? Maybe the place to start changing course is raising males to be respectful and not giving them a pass. That the world is not theirs to manipulate and rule. Females are not their "play" thing.
Yes to teaching our daughters to be safe and have critical thinking and be aware of the world and what is happening right around them. Also raising our sons to know the default is "NO" all the time. That they don't get a pass because they are male. They still have to do the right thing. Period.
It starts at home.
It is almost that time of year again. Someone said today 10 more Saturdays until Christmas. WHAT! I'm not counting and confirming but thinking yeah likely right. Also we have been hearing about delays and shortages. Mail early to get there on time - you know the drill.
Part of this can easily be taken care of if we shop local. If we support our local boutiques and artisans. Search in Instagram for local pottery. What about checking out small local shops. Decide among family and friend to only buy and support local. Seriously most of us have enough stuff and Amazon will be okay if we shop local. I don't want to hear local costs more blah blah blah. Maybe it costs more because it is better quality and not mass produced.
What about not purchasing something that has to come through the mail hence delays. Yes know family/friends away we have to mail items but come on there are enough people near us to purchase items locally that don't have to be shipped.
Set a limit for gifts so less or no debt in January. Purchase gift certificates for local restaurants or spas. A lot of artisans are not doing craft shows as anxious. Still a pandemic people. Why not support people in our community. Feel good about supporting local and being part of a solution.
So keep it local. Keep it close. Check out artisans boxes in your area. Maybe start supporting a particular artist if you like their pottery. How cool would that be to start collecting pieces! We can make a difference in our community. Keep it local. Keep it close.
Yes to fall decorating. Getting the fall candles out, the pillows and blankets. To adding those brown, rusts and orange colors to your home automatically warms it up. Fall decorating can start right after Labor Day! Few of us feel a tad too early could we not wait until at least third week of September. Fine. Whatever.
Debate came over Halloween Decorating - putting it out once October hits. Is it part of Fall decorating? A totally different theme? What? Fall decorating can be done with no Halloween in sight. Oh really what about pumpkins? Seriously? Are pumpkins just considered a Halloween thing or a fall thing?
What about all our pumpkin spice! That is not associated with Halloween. No, definitely not. Majority of us are not putting pumpkins in the Halloween category. Yes they can be part of Halloween but they are also part of Fall decorating period.
Friend has a beautiful collection of glass pumpkins she puts out in September until almost when her beautiful Christmas collection comes out. There is no Halloween in site and it doesn't even cross your mind when you are in her home.
So what do you think? Is Halloween decorating part of Fall decorating or it's own thing? Majority rules here so, we are going with it's own thing. If you love Halloween do it (yes you can use the pumpkins, black cats, ghosts the works!). Incorporate it into your Fall décor - why not?
It doesn't have to be an either/or. We are off to have pumpkin spice lattes and/or mulled cider. Whatever floats the boat.
A fun post and also a gratitude post as we should be grateful to have things that bring us joy. They should be celebrated. Here is goes!
For some of us Fall/Autumn is our favorite season. Here are our top ten reason why!
How is that possible? The days are long but the weeks/months have been fast. The weather is definitely fall here. Warmer days and cooler nights. Which is fine after the humidity we have experienced. Okay I'm not talking for ALL of us but I'm the one typing so........
We were talking about getting some focus now that the seasons are changing. School back in. Summer vacations over. That lead to projects or goals we wanted off our plate before we roll into a new year. The following is what we will be concentrating on.
In no particular order.....
The decorating talk is having functional furniture. Pieces you can move around. To shake up your décor. So what piece is the most versatile? A few were out right away. Not a sofa. Yes to certain chairs as can be moved around and even to bedrooms for a seating place. After discussion and we went with majority. We decided side or end table is pretty versatile. Besides by your sofa it can be a bedside table. Certain ones can be plant stands or even storage in a closet.
Below are a few of our favorite end/side tables and why.
If you are limited on time, energy and money consider a statement wall. An easy commitment. Here are a few of our favorites.
We had a face-to-face get together and started discussing cottages. A few of us are renting a cottage or camping. What are the draws to a specific cottage? We thought we'd share our thoughts.
Summer is here in out part of the world. Parts are having a heat wave (awful). Some people are still tossing their butts out car windows. Hmm.....forest fires anyone? Everywhere in British Columbia seems to be on fire. Seriously people butts? Won't express my true feelings here as would be a totally different post than outdoor furniture.
What do you think of these chairs? Swinging chairs seem to be the rage right now. Would need a solid roof or something to hand them from.
Yes another COVID-19 post. I'm sure you are sick of them. This post will be positive we are all aware of what we have lost in the past year and a bit. Time, money, energy and heaven forbid family and/or friends. This is random as we all had something to say!
Happy first day of summer! Can you believe it. This year is racing by. The days at times feel long but the months are fast. Does that make sense? I guess getting older makes me appreciate time more. Having less of it. Always waiting for the weekend, which is what 28.5% of my week. So basically racing through 71% of my life for two days.
That was got to stop. 71% WHAT! Or people that live for summer and heat. I just want winter over with. Again that could be three-five months for some people. Which is a good chunk of your life. Think about it. We are willing to write off 50-70% of our lives because of the weather or a work day. I for one don't like those numbers.
What can we do? Well to start with enjoy all seasons. If you find winter long take up a winter activity. That can range from skiing, curling to reading. Work days don't leave all your housework until the weekend and complain you had no free time. Break it up into manageable pieces you can complete during the week. You can take two evenings to clean the bathroom. Toss a load of laundry in. Free up more of your weekend but managing your week better.
Oh yeah what about taking a class one night a week. Setting boundaries over screen time. Creating a bucket list of events/festivals in your area. Supporting local business. Seeing what is offered twelve months a year in your area. The library is a good place to start.
The biggest take-away is stepping back and realizing we are wishing over 70% of our lives away. Seriously. That has to stop. Make the most of each day. If you hate your job that much maybe you need a major overhaul. Make the most of each day and each moment. Create moments during the day whether you are at work or not.
Don't wish life away once it is gone.......just saying.
It has been an incredible hard year plus for everyone. Kids have been in and out of school. People are working from home that never signed on for that. Grandparents are not seeing grandchildren and travel is well non-existent.
Small businesses are struggling. Yes things are opening up and hopefully will stay open for the summer season and local tourists can take up the slack from no out of province visitors. This will be another hard summer for small business that rely on visitors coming to cities and local areas.
We wanted to showcase one way people can help small business and local artisans by purchasing gift boxes. These boxes are put together to showcase artisan products. These products range from jewelry, soup, pottery, essential oils, candles and more. WOW something for everyone. So if you want to support artisans here are a few boxes we think would do the trick.
Blush Box some high-end products that are not sample sizes. The spring box had a beautiful gold necklace, earrings, candle and more. Definitely check it out.
Hodgepodge artisan box is cheaper than the Blush Box so maybe more affordable for individuals. Again local Nova Scotia products in this one.
Happy Artisan Gift Box this box is made from Alberta artisans producing small batches of products at home.
Joy Box a larger producing box. Can also build your own box. Has seasonal and special occasion boxes as well.
We know this is a small sample of artisan gift boxes out here. They are all Canadian in different areas of the country. If you know and/or have an artisan gift box you can recommend please drop it in the comments so we can check it out. It feels good to support artisans and this gives you a taste of more than one!
Not everyone has a large backyard. Plus even if you do have a good size yard, there is something welcoming having a planter by the front door or on the desk. Here are a few we are crushing over.
Spring is here and the weather (where we are) is slowly warming up. Still a bit of a bite in the air some days but it is coming. We thought it would be fun and easy on the head to show you some small space gardens we are digging and why. Here goes.....
Instagram is one of our favorite social media platforms. From décor, travel, food to family reunions. We want to see it all. We thought we'd share our favorite accounts with you. Please let us know your favorites so we can check them out!!
It is warming up! Well most days. Restrictions are still in places in many places. We are making the most of what we can do. Coffee shops and restaurants are open in our area so we have been taking advantage of that. It was such a treat to go to a restaurant. I felt like an adult and realized how much I missed simple things like eating out and heading to a coffee shop.
For something fun - plus to give us a push we decided to do a spring bucket list. Check out you can always start now spring bucket list. We took a few of her items!!
It has been over a year now since we closed down. Opened, closed and opened again. COVID-19 is still out there. Over the weekend we were discussing COVID-19 fatigue. Yes it is a thing. We think the majority of the world has it.
People are getting vaccinated - great - but we can't get complacent. The vaccine is one line of defense. Some positive numbers for COVID in places are as high as they were at the beginning. People we have to hold fast! Mask, wash our hands, physical distance and stay home. Festivals and events should no be happening yet! With numbers on the rise and governments slow to shut down we have to hold fast ourselves. We can't wait for our governments to tell us what to do. At this point we know what to do. It has been over a year.
If governments are going to put the economy before health we have to take a stand. We can support local through on-line and take-out. Yes we know it has been a long year and people are tired. So tired. Life seems on hold at times. We get it. We feel the same.
The thing is if we don't hold fast this might get out of control (it has again in some places). Then all the sacrifices we have made might be for nothing. This isn't going away anytime soon. Vaccines or no vaccines. We have to take a deep breath and hold fast.
Get back to safer measures. Cut back on socializing (hard I know). Maybe if we pull it together we might have a summer of small get togethers. Think community. Just because X and Y are not behaving safely doesn't me we follow suit. We are bigger than that.
So hold fast. Don't toss it in now. Things are in place we just have to keep doing the right thing. We have this.
We decided to take the family and rent an Airbnb. Pandemic has kept us close to home for almost a year. It is now about making the most of what we have. We have some beautiful places to visit close to home. We drove an hour and stayed at a beautiful old home (1844) right on the water. The owners bought it a month ago and are renting it out.
We had pretty well all we needed. Claw foot tub to soak in, fireplace to enjoy and enough bedrooms for everyone. What was missing in a few bedrooms were nightstands. Seriously no big deal until I'm in bed wondering what time it is and not wanting to get up and go over to the dresser. Yes, I know I could have left phone on the floor by bed.
That had me thinking of nightstands and that they are a must. Somewhere to put your phone, book, lamp for reading. That was the other thing no nightstand so no lamp by bed. They don't have to take up a lot of room. Some are simple shelves next to the bed. Here are my top takes on nightstands. Let me know your thoughts!
If you want extra storage in your bedroom a nightstand with drawers is a must. Also if you don't want a cluttered top just pop your stuff into the drawer.
We can see why the consumer industry is pushing organizing January as a sale tactic. It is after the holidays, people are experiencing winter blues and looking for something to do. Hence - organize and purge. Seems most stores had plastic bins, baskets and organizers for sale in January. Yes, we bought into it. See earlier post for our storage options.
One of us purchased on recommendation the IKEA drawer organizer. She is loving it for keeping her drawer neater and easier to find things. Another one of us found a cute basket that is now in her entryway closet with extra mitts, gloves and scarfs. We have also did some purging and had goodwill bags of clothing and even dishes. I mean really how many mugs do you need?
There was also a few home improvements going on in January. X painted the inside of her closet a blush color. It just took a small can of paint and she smiles when she opens the door. Another one of us put a picture rail up in the dining room area.
There are lots of small changes and/or projects we can do in the dead of winter. What do you think of painting the inside of a closet? Maybe the entryway closet? Or putting wallpaper in an unexpected place? Even switching your pictures up. Do you have one in your living room you could swap out with one in the bedroom? Even just to try for a few days. What about getting those tablecloths and/or runners out and using them? Here is a major one if you have China put away! Get it out and use it. Pack your everyday dishes away and use your China. We're hoping it is dishwasher safe. If not even the mugs. Don't save stuff.
So we're hoping you are getting through this. Let us know what you are doing this winter to pass the time. Projects, DIY, books we want it all!
We are all about celebrating. Valentine's Day is in the dead of winter for a lot of us. It isn't just about giving to your sweetheart. Seriously! It involves chocolate, love and crafts! People decorate for Christmas, Halloween and Easter so why not Valentine's Day. We're in.
So here are a few of our favorite Valentine's Day ideas and blogs!! Drum roll please.....
Inspired by charm is one of our go to eye candy blogs. Check out this White Texas Sheet Cake. Oh yeah he has other Valentine's Day goodies there also.
Head over to A Wandafulthing for a great variety of easy Valentine's Day projects. These are for adults and kids.
One of my favorite wreaths (not Valentine) but made because I saw this one. A Wandafulthing has the cutest Dollar Store DIY wreath. I made it in yellows for spring and in a circle. Love it!
Again one of our favorite blogs a beautiful mess has a post on DIY projects and recipes for Valentine's Day. One stop looking!!
How cute is this! modpodge rocks. Can see on entryway table. Want it.
kastyles shows us a cute mason jar DIY for Valentine's Day.
This doesn't touch it but hope you find something you'd like to make and share. A few of them have multiple projects and a good variety. Kids included.
Happy Valentine's Day
Where the crawdads sing by Delia Owens
This book was highly recommended. Well written definitely. Mixed reviews here. People have favorite genres they are drawn to - one of us is thrillers. Another more light reading like Me before You. So people head into a novel with different expectations - even when they try not to.
The book jumps back and forth in time to showcase Kya growing up and the present day (well present day at the time 1969) story line. It was a bit of a struggle at times to think of a child that young being left to fend for herself. It showed how you can't assume people's intelligent by whether they attend school or get a formal education. It was a great book to show how much learning can take place exploring and through nature. How there are different ways to learn and yes don't make assumptions on looks and education.
If you enjoy a mystery there was one. Plus a love story so different elements in the novel. It was slow to get into but enjoyed more once backgrounds established. Kya is a strong female character. The other characters in the book we found where supporting characters. Moving her story along. They also showed different sides of her. Vulnerable intelligent, strong and capable.
You end up rooting for some characters and wanting payback for others. The story was written at the time of segregation and anyone not white and living in town wasn't enough. Enough white. Enough smart. Enough worthy. You name it, so take a deep breathe when you read how ignorant and hurtful people can be. (and still are!)
It is somewhat a coming of age novel. You watch Kya grow and adapt to her surroundings. To having family and then being alone. She wants what we all want connection. There are twists we didn't see coming so keep reading.
Yes this is a recommendation. Hard at times. Sad at times. But so is real life.
January seems to have turned into organizing, purging and sorting month. We're all for that. So we thought we'd share a few of our favorite storage solutions you can pick up at IKEA (or other stores).
under the bed storage This is a good area to use to swap out seasonal clothes like t-shirts and winter sweaters. Also sheets.
clothes organizer A few of us have these. Dividing the drawer up makes it tidier and easier to get at things. Love not opening a drawer and having a bundle to look through.
open bin This is great for kids to store toys or in an entryway closet for extra mitts, hats and gloves. One of us has one in bedroom closet to store t-shirts when not in season.
two chest of drawers This is so versatile. Great bedside table or even end table. Oh what about putting one in an entryway closet!
utility carts These are great in a kitchen or craft area. Wheels so you can move around and out of the way.
baskets You can't beat a pretty basket for dropping blankets or even toys into for a quick clean up.
pegboard Sometimes desk space is limited - especially now when people are working from home. So get some stuff off your work area. Pegboards are great idea.
Hope some of these ideas caught your eye. Winter can be long so having projects definitely helps and organizing can also feel so satisficing
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WOW we are into the second week of January already. Christmas and holidays were different for some of us and not so much for others. For smaller disbursed families it was the status quo. For others there were many empty chairs around the table. It was all about making the best of the situation for ourselves and those around us.
Now that the year has started and it is status quo for a while longer. This writer is thinking at least until June. Sorry. The decision to move forward is stay positive. Make things happen we can control. One of us is learning how to crochet. Book club is still happening via Zoom. It is organizing January - have you seen all the containers in the stores? A few of us are embracing this. One of us purged Christmas decorations. No longer holding on to items that weren't her aesthetic. Thanks but no thanks.
It is winter for us. A time for nesting. We are taking advantage of home and making it work for us. Organizing and still purging. What are your plans for January?
