mmMMMmmagic...

For those of you who have kids... don't you love those magic moments of 'firsts'... the first word, first giggle, first high-five?  Well, today this mama got to experience another one of those delicious times... first baking session with my 2+ daughter!  So fun!

Clad in her sweet chef hat/apron (Christmas gift from in-laws) Azriel delicately placed each raisin in a bowl of water (since they were wizened almost beyond hope).  She also helped squish the gooey bananas into the mixing bowl, and stir all the ingredients together - a delightful assistant for her mama.

mmMMmmmmm raisin banana muffins... steaming from the oven and soaked in butter!

And that is the face of sweet satisfaction.

I think the next muffin adventure will have to be ginger-carrot... nom nom.

Look out baker Ben... the girls are taking over the kitchen!

P.S - Sorry this blog post does not have a 'scratch n' sniff' feature, you'll just have to trust how yummy this adventure was in our nest,

Mel ;o)

knit.wit.

I used to be a knitting-poser.

My gal pals and I would get together and knit while chatting, watching t.v... whatever.

I could knit.purl. row on row... and that was it.

I have no patience for patterns.

No commitment to counting.

Knitting and I were just not going to be friends for too long I fear.

And this, this bunched up pile of knitted hat was my only real 'project'.

Sure, I just invented the pattern... namely, knit two tea cozy type shapes... and stitch them together ... and flop it on my noggin.

I have to push all the extra 'bulges' in at the side - otherwise, to my husband's great delight - I have huge teddy bear ears sticking out the side of the toque.

If I twisted the hat around I would resemble a rooster - a highly adaptable piece really.

I can't even take credit for the neck warmer, (bought at a craft show).

Everyone tells me to try crochet... it's supposed to be more my style: "fast and easy".

Maybe I'll tackle that new venture in the future... or maybe I'll force myself to commit back to knitting (since the hoarder optimist in me still has a nest full of needles and wool).

Do you stick with projects if they require more than an ounce of creative commitment?

What group are you in... the knitters or the crocheters?

Knit-wit mama,

Mel ;o)

 

slide.show.sunday.take 29.

Brrrr.. that was a real taste of winter this past weekend!  Needless to say our family stayed pretty quiet and cozy in the nest here:

 

 Frosty windows... darling daughter.

 Ben and Azriel take advantage of steamy windows... as a scribble pad.

 Big mama caught in the act - Ben and I are playing with a new camera (he had the new one here)...

 A delicious brunch with friends... while the kids were a blur of activity.

 Up to the in-laws for family.dinner.saturdays...

 Snuggles with Nana...

Chuckles with Grandad and great Granny... as Hazel the wonder dog licked Azriel and she squealed "Ew.... gross!"

Hope you had a cozy and fun weekend where you were too!

See you on the flip side,

Mel ;o)

colour me cozy (outfit + palette post)...

 If my clothing was transformed into a colour palette....

You may recall that I am persuading 'plum' into my wardrobe recently.  Hence, the purple tights.  I'm still enjoying this combination of tans.browns.taupes.cinnamon and plum.

I used to make these palettes in past posts... and it's so much fun I think I'll start doing them more regularly again.  I'm a total colour addict... (when I used to work at Benjamin Moore I would always be found inventing colour combinations with various paint chips!).  If you share this delight then here's three beauty sites for your perusal:

Colour Lovers

Design Seeds

Creature Comforts

.... you're welcome! ;o) 

Back to the outfit details

Mel's palette:

Hat: DeLux

Audrey Hepburn button: handmade.

knitted cowl: thrifted

grey cardigan: thrifted G.A.P

russet brown shirt: Reitmans

brown skirt: thrifted

plum tights: 725 Originals.

suede boots: Zellers

Have a colour-full weekend friends!

Mel ;o)

blue eyes, bellies & bicycles...

Today the sun was shining... so Azriel and I got all dressed up to strut the sidewalks.

Here's her classic 'maniacal cuteness' face. 

She opted for one of my hats (you'll see why)... my plastic blue 'pearls'... and a freshly discovered handbag gifted to her from Christmas.  And yes, like last week's small style post, I still adore this gal in navy.white polka dots!

My blooming two year old is starting to look like a mini-me...  I lived in ball caps as a kid.

Sometimes I still do... hence, Azi sees - Azi wears one too.  I think her face here is hysterical, as if she's expecting to be crushed any moment from mama's 9month baby belly.

Then it was time to hit the sidewalks... on a push-bike... which inevitably ends two seconds later and Azriel - or I - have to push an empty bicycle the rest of the walk.

These mama-daughter days are extra-special lately on the eve of our new addition.

With baker Ben working full days again... we're getting a lot of time together just Azi and I.

I love discovering the world afresh through her blue eyes!

Linking up with the other sweet kids at Mama Loves Papa:

Azriel's small style:

hat: mama's...

polka dot shirt:thrifted

white shirt:thrifted

jeans: Zellers

coat: thrifted

purse: S.W.A.K

P.S: I'll even throw in a 'mama style' post for y'all later! 

Have a beauty day friends,

Mel ;o)

home decor: child's play 'feng shui'...

So, I used to chuckle at people who were always 'renovating.reorganising.reformating' their living spaces.  I laughed because I couldn't understand why they didn't just organise their rooms the 'right' way the first time (since I would map out a room - with graph paper - before arranging the furniture.. and then live with it permanently).

 

 Then I became a stay.at.home.mama.

Then I understood.

Now I laugh at myself as I heave the tables.couches.chairs from one spot to another... weekly!

This is one of my recent 'organizing frenzies'... creating a nook for all of our daughter's books... in the fireplace.  In lieu of it not being a functioning fireplace (I wish it were) I opted to make it functional for Azriel's growing stack of books.

It's a great - accessible - spot for her to go grab a favourite read.

(Side-note: yes, those are her harem pants I sewed from a blouse)!

Here's a 'play zone' I recently created in the living room for her too.  Every time I talk about creating a new 'nook' or 'zone' in our nest... my husband gets a wary look.  Try convincing your minimalist partner that bringing more furniture into a space will help it feel more spacious!  

So, I grabbed this bench from our garage to create a play area for our daughter next to the upcycled furniture oven.  Now she can sit here and cook.play.read.colour.  Ideally there would be some wicker baskets under the bench to house toys... since one must always have more baskets tucked around the house! ;o)

I guess this living room just keeps morphing since it's where we spend the majority of our time.

It's our living space.dining area.entertainment station.play zone.

Call in feng shui or just the fact that many females are intrinsically connected to their surroundings... but I just keep changing it until it 'fits' right.

So what about you?  

Does the dust have time to settle on your furniture... or do you manically move it around too?!

Nesting mama,

Mel ;o)

my baby.fruit basket.9

Somebody hit the 'pause' button... we're suddenly entering our ninth month here!  It's all starting to become more of a reality now... there's a new addition and he's coming soon.  The majority of my pregnancy was a dazed stupor of not really acknowledging that this baby is for 'reals'... call it being distracted by the baby outside the womb - namely, this sweet gal Azriel... 

 Yep, she's pretty distracting with her daily chatter now of "whatcha got here mommy?" and "snugg'oh me" and "what doing mommy?" etc.  I think she - and the cats - are still convinced I'm just growing them a 'perch' to sit on... with all this combined weight I'm sure the babe is forced downward.  Though he still seems to have room in there to thump and bump all day long lately.  I feel like a clothes dryer with a bowling ball and cue balls being bashed about inside... goodness.  Anytime I put Ben's hand on my belly to feel the rumble he shakes his head and states "that will never not be weird".  

Weird and wonderful.

Two defining terms for this family I'd say....

To be honest, I still have no clue how this nest will change soon.  

Sure, there's the obvious lack of sleep.. and surplus of diapers..  but I'm still not sure how this heart will transform again.  How this birth will cause another 'doubling' of love and delight for a new member of our crew.  How my patience will be tried by two voices crying for attention.  How our marriage will stay priority in the wake of these changes...

I'm not sure how my heart can handle anymore love to gush out on this newest babe... but I know its here, growing like my belly each day, waiting for the moment when I see his wee face and overflow in affection for him!

Sweet moses... I'm having a baby!

Melon mama,

Mel ;o)

P.S... you can follow this baby's progress down the produce aisle here.