Meet Henry

Henry's first photo shoot

 We have a very special new addition to the family - an 11-week old schnoodle (schnauzer-poodle mix) named Henry! We picked him up on Friday and it's been delicious chaos ever since. I forgot how much work a puppy can be, so it's been constant care and attention - plus outdoor potty training and middle of the night whining ever since!

We really wanted a buddy for our dog Gus, who has some anxiety issues. He's starting to adjust as of today, but definitely went through a jealous phase on Saturday and Sunday! He's used to being an only pooch :)

It was also my bday yesterday so there were all kinds of wonderful things going on - dinner out with my hubby and a family birthday party. So great! I'm happily exhausted today and back to work...but I can't wait to rush home and see my little Henry!

 My two boys together, Henry and Gus

 

 Sweetie pie!

How was your weekend friends?

Happy Birthday Gus!

Dear Gus,

I never had a dog growing up, so I didn't know what it was like to love a furry little boy...until your dad convinced me to get you. You melt my heart every day with your zest for life and carefree attitude. You don't have a mean bone in your body, so we love watching you play with children and babies. You sniff around and you love to smell the air (especially riding in the boat or hanging out the car window, I love that!). You're fiercely independent, but you graciously give me clingy morning cuddles. You're a bit of a troublemaker at times, but you've taught me to lighten up and laugh more. You bring joy to our house and love to our hearts. Thank you for being the most amazing dog I could ever ask for. Happy 2nd birthday Gussy!

Irish Eyes are Smiling: For Grandma

Hello friends. I'm writing this post with a heavy heart. What started out as a joyful weekend quickly took a different course early Saturday morning. J and Gus and I were out at the lake when we got the call that my grandmother's health had taken a turn for the worse. She's been in a home for the past few years and has been slowly deteriorating in mental capacity. At 94 years old, she had lived many lives over. We made it back to the city in time to say one last goodbye, say one last I love you and give her one last kiss on the forehead. She slipped away peacefully late last night.

my auntie Terry, my mom, me and Grandma

I'm sad to have lost her, but if anyone has qualified to get into heaven and deserves to enjoy it - it is my Grandma Bruneau. Born Catherine Corrigan in Ireland in 1917, she met my Canadian grandfather during the war and moved to Canada to raise her family of 5 children, including my mom Norah, the youngest. She went on to have 14 grandchildren (we all grew up fairly close to each other) and now many great-grandchildren.

She was an ever-present Grandmother. She lives in all my childhood memories due to her frequent visits up north to see us and our many trips to Winnipeg to visit her and my grandpa. She was - in one word - joyful. Humour was her weapon, defence and charm of choice. She always had a joke and could always laugh at herself. She lightened up tense situations and made us all take ourselves a little less seriously. A devout Irish Catholic - she shunned judgement for love, acceptance and forgiveness. She was truly a special lady.

She was a girly-girl's grandma. We had tea parties for hours in her basement, using only the finest china and drinking cup after cup of irish tea (a bit of tea with lots of milk and heaps of sugar). She let me play in her make-up and she was never seen without her Amway rose cream blush. In fact, on the morning she passed, she work struggling to breath, about to take her morphine and the only words that came out were 'make-up...' This makes me smile - as I too can only imagine getting through my life struggles with a little blusher to make me feel more confident.

Grandma, you will be so so missed. I love you. I thank you for being the best grandmother a little girl could ask for. Let's still talk often - okay?

Weekend Recap

Hello friends! Did you have a good weekend? It was SCORCHING hot here and I'm not joking - at many points registered 29 degrees inside our house...

We stayed in town to go to a family shower and bbq put on by J's family and I spent half the time standing in the kiddie pool. It was such a lovely evening and I'm so lucky to be marrying into such a kind and generous family - thank you McGee's!

We also enjoyed date night on Friday with a gift certificate we got for our first shower to local Italian restaurant Mona Lisa - yum! The rest of our time was filled with popsicles, movies in our upstairs bedroom (the only one with A/C!) and wedding errands. I can't believe it's only 6 weeks away!!

Last Thursday, my mom, sis and neice came over to help with wedding crafts and we spent a few lovely hours visiting, sewing rosettes for the photobooth backdrop, painting signs and cutting fabric for bunting. Here's a few pics of our evening... (excuse some of the blurries - other people got a hold of the camera, ha ha!)

I also snapped a few pics in the backyard when my brother-in-law came to pick up the girls with my nephew. Here's little Wyatt hanging out with Gus!

My adorable neice Hailey (she's Justin Beiber obsessed and plays a mean game of ringette).

My lovely mama...

And J and I...

They were such a big help and I enjoyed all the special family time!

What did you get up to this weekend friends? Are you feeling the summer heat like we are?

The 20-Year Old Tray

I made this tray in my Grade 9 woodworking class. Not too shabby, eh?

Would you believe my my mom still uses it everyday to hold her copious amounts of tea while she reads curled up on the couch? Yup, that means she's had it for 20 YEARS!! How's that for motherly devotion...and craftsmanship for that matter?

I really think my high school shop teacher would be super impressed at how well this little tray has stood up to daily wear and tear. 20 years worth...

This is WAY behind, but my mama approached me about refreshing her tray "Lather Creations" style for Mother's Day and I thought that was a pretty fun idea. She's in the middle of a kitchen redo so it's the perfect time to revamp her beloved tea tray.

So the plan is to sand her up, do some repainting and add a little something special - I have a cool little graphic idea and I  promise to share the 'after' shots once it's done.  Remember friends - if it's solid wood, odds are you can do something cool with paint to give it a whole new look.

Do you have an old wood tray? Why not paint it creamy white or soft turquoise and distress it heavily for a vintage look? Or paint it a sleek solid in a vibrant bright like raspberry or lime green? Such a great, inexpensive way to add a pop of colour to your space.

Does your mom hoard your childhood items? What would she show off of yours if I stopped by for a visit?

By the way - love you mom and thanks for all your ongoing support - your my biggest cheerleader! Now we just need to figure out how to display those synchronized swimming medals!! Tee hee...

Have a great night friends...

This is what relaxation looks like...

It looks like a pile of books from your favourite authors all found at the same thrift shop!

It looks like warm weather with sunglasses and no jacket!

It looks like the expression of joy on your pup's face from spending most of the day lying in the sun in the backyard!

It looks like pulling your cruiser out for the first bike ride of the year!

It looks like your sweetie lacing up his rollerblades so that you, he and the pup can enjoy the nice weather as a family!

It looks like three completed Lather Creations commissions, just waiting to head to their new homes! (pics to come)

What does your happy easter look like friends? I hope it's been as relaxing and joyful as mine!

'Something Old' with Love

Well hello Miss Friday - it's soooo great to see you! Can you tell I'm pumped it's almost the weekend? I'm pretty transparent....I have big plans to do my fave thing (sleeping in!), mixed in with lots of reading (the new Jodi Picoult), getting organized for tax time (ugh!) and playing around in Photoshop. I've just discovered actions and I'm totally smitten! You can see my practice right here in this blog with the vintage feel I've given the photos.

It's been such a busy week that the wedding has been on the back burner. But I did want to share this personal detail with you. As you know, I'm getting my dress made by a local seamstress and I was crushed to learn I couldn't really afford a lace dress. But I did manage to find the deal of the century - gorgeous champagne 100% peau de soie regularly priced at $99 a metre and marked down to a mere $5 a metre (because the fabric store was closing). If you're new to the blog, you can check out my dresscapades here. Now ever since I've been really struggling with the idea of a silk dress, as I really am a girly girl in love with embellishment details. If I can find a cardigan with a grosgrain trim? Sold! Cute buttons or a floral lining - I'll take it!

So I was wondering how I could make this dress extra special.....it feels so plain in my head.

Well say 'hello gorgeous' to my mom's wedding dress, circa 1976!

Isn't she dreamy? It's so whimsical and pretty and with a few tweaks, it could be very fashionable today. Unfortunately - I fit this dress when I was 10 years old. Yes, you read that right! My mom is a petite gal and back in ye old 70's, she was a true twiggy! It's been in my sister and I's 'dress up box' since we were little but knowing it's importance, we always treated it with velvet gloves. So it's in remarkable condition. (Plus a fun note for the locals - she bought it at Helene's Bridal Studio!)

But what I'm really after is the pretty embroidered lace flower detail. Here's a close up shot. It's absolutely exactly what I want! My dress will have a 2-inch band across the high waist and I plan to have the seamstress create flower clusters on one side of the band with the pieces from the dress. We might even sew scattered random flowers across the skirt and bottom hem.

This was my big plan and then my sister pulled out a bag of lace and fabric remnants my grandmother and her mother's wedding dresses (my grandmother passed them on when my sister got married a couple of years ago). She didn't end up using them except tucked inside her bouquet, but I plan to incorporate them the flower clusters on my waistband, creating a raw edge, layered look to the fabric blooms.

I am so so excited about my dress now, because it will have such a personal element that totally suits my personality and my style! Four generations of my family will be sewn into that dress. Can you believe it? I tear up a little just thinking about it...I know I'm going to be a total waterworks on the big day.

Now the real hard part...waiting until the wedding to get to wear the finished dress and having to wait to share pics with you all!!

Did you have a chance to incorporate 'something old' into your wedding day? I'd love to hear about it!

Have an amazing Friday and a fabulous weekend my friends!

Family Weekend

Happy Friday friends!  What are you up to this final long weekend of summer?  J and Gus and I are headed to the lake after work today and we've  invited my mom, sister, brother-in-law, neice and nephew.  It will be a weekend of sleeping in, fishing, crib tournaments, bbq dinners, reading in the afternoon and smores.  Mostly it will be about hanging out together and enjoying the peope who are always going to have your back in life.

{Image via}

What are you doing this long weekend? I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and take some time to truly relish the important people in your life.

Talk to you Monday!

Shades of Gray

May long weekend has come and gone and as usual, with less than desireable weather!  But it was great to get away and take the year's inaugeral boat ride. 

Gus the Fisherdog taking his first boat ride!

Gray, gray and more gray!

The boots I had to buy at the Bargain Store because I foolishly left my cute rubbers back at home...

The hat I had to buy at the Bargain Store to keep my hair under control in the wind...

Crashing waves on a lake that NEVER sees waves!

The sun poked its head out the next day but the hurricane force winds meant no boat rides.

J put a wood floor in the cabin this year and what a difference it makes.  Years and years of god-knows-what's-in-here nasty carpet was pulled up and J installed a salvaged gym floor maple mixed with a few tigerwood boards.  It lightens up the whole place and the floor design is quirky and unique.  Love it!

I found a fab used couch set on Kijiji for a major bargain and it's got the perfect rustic, retro cabin feel with very comfy cushions!  They were put to good use with all the movie watching we did during the rain!

As always, it was good to go but it's good to be home.

What did you get up to for your weekend?  Do you love coming back home after a getaway?

Written with love,
Lenore

Pie and Conversation

It doesn't get much better than sugar pie, hot tea and philosophical conversations with Grandma.

We stopped into Finales in St. Boniface on a rainy Monday evening to celebrate Mother's Day and catch up on my recent vacation to the Keys.  They serve scrumptious desserts and other tasty treats.  Lots of windows, light and comfy seating makes this one of  my fave tea and sweets spots in the city.

Grandma Joyce is turning 90 years old this year and she is one cool grandma.  Sharp as a tack and refined as a queen, she loves big band and used to send me the Vanity Fair music issue every year as a teen.

We talked motherhood (so much easier back then, now you have to learn all the technology to keep up), travelling (her next dream trip is to cruise through Alaska or ride past castles on the Danube), the oil spill crisis (she thinks they're not telling us the impact on the coastline animals), and the ipad (she loves the feel of the newspaper in her hands).

Mmmm, what a delicious evening.

Don't you get the feeling you're really getting the straight goods when you hear it from someone who's been watching the world go by for almost 90 years?

Written with love,
Lenore

Thanks Mom

In honour of her special day, I thought I would share a few old pics of me and mom...

I was really hoping to dig up the old stuff but I haven't gotten around to scanning them all yet.

A Christmas visit a few years ago.

Coming to see me perform in The Vagina Monologues in Calgary.

Riding the tilt-a-whirl in Disneyland!  (Just like we did at Tinkertown when I was a kid.)

I'm lucky enough to have a mother who is always there for me, no matter what.  Sure, we bicker like any typical mother-daughter.  But I am grateful for everything she has done and continues to do for me, including never-ending love and support.

Thank you for being my mom!

Written with love,
Lenore