Cake Class

I finished the Wilton cake level 2 class tonight and have to say it was a lot of fun.  I even managed to learn a few things along the way.  Here is my final cake with some flowers (I'm so not a fan of flowers)  I made and it was a chocolate cake with a very rich chocolate buttercream icing.

My girlfriend and I start level three next week which is working with fondant.  While I don't like the taste of fondant there is a lot of very cute things I will be able to do with it.  Stay tuned for more creations.

Show us where you live Friday - "Dining Room" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Dining Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

This week we are going to tour "Dining" Rooms and while I have a beautiful space that is designed for that purpose it's not being used for dining.

I do have a dream of what the space will look like in 10 years (if I'm lucky) but for right now it is being used by the smallest members of our family.  Honestly, when we viewed the home for the first time this is exactly what I envisioned for it so it fits perfectly.

It is ideally situated right off the kitchen and just across the hall from my office so it was perfect for a playroom.  It has big bright windows and lots of space.  It's fun being in the space and the kids love it.

Here is what my dream dining room will look like in a few years...

But for now this is what it looks like and I'm perfectly fine with that .  :}  (Sorry for the poor picture quality my camera was misbehaving today.)

The area for the hutch fits the IKEA Expedia bookcase perfectly !  I have put everything into bins that are color coded for age and labelled with their contents.  It is a great system when dealing with kids of varying ages as well makes everything neat at the end of the day for Mama !!

On the left side of the bookcase is a lovely little chair I picked up at IKEA that is great to curl up in and read a book.  To the right is a desk for the kids to do coloring at.

My favorite thing in the room is the wonderful little wooden kitchen that we got Laila for Christmas a few years back.  I'm so excited that she and Sophie will be able to play together there soon.   

Next to the kitchen is a small table and chairs that we now have regular tea parties at.  On the table is a picture frame that I cover in a pretty paper.  It is usually hung and used as a bulletin board.

I snagged some great inexpensive picture frames in primary colors that we have placed throughout the room.  

I let my oldest select some of his favorite pictures for the small ones.  For the larger ones I showcased a few pieces of  Hayden's work from school.  These are great frames because they don't have glass in them so if say a "little" person was to pull one down they won't get hurt.

 I have a little sofa for reading and a painters easel that has been used to create some amazing creations.

So that's our dining room I hope you enjoyed the tour and thanks for stopping by.....If you want to see more great dining rooms stop by Kelly's Korner !

Wordless Wednesday - September 29th

Sweet Sophie

~ 9 months old today ~

Hits and Misses....

The new fall TV schedule is in full force and I have tried to catch my old favorites as well as a few new shows....Here is just my list of what I think are the hits and misses for this year.

Hits: 

Dancing with the stars (although I don't even know some of the "stars")

Top Chef (Glad to see the old show back)

Survivor (Never get bored of this show)

Modern Family (Awesome writing and acting)

Parenthood (Funny and relatable if you have kids & a family)

Come Dine with Me (my latest obsession and I'm totally going to convince my friends to do try this) 

Grey's Anatomy (Amazing season finale and pretty good premiere)

Brothers and Sister (it seemed to have a very dark feel in the first episode of the season but I think that will change going forward)

The Amazing Race (Hands down my favorite reality show)

Dexter (We don't get this channel but considering last season how can it not be a hit this year)
The Big Bang Theory (Funny, Funny show)
The Dragon's Den (Love this show but didn't watch Shark Tank the US version of this show)
The Tudors (I wish I had started watching this from the beginning as the few episodes I did watch were very good)
Wipeout (Funny summer show)

Misses:

Lonestar (Too much going)

Hawaii Five-O  ( I guess should at least watch on episode but just can't)

An Ordinary Family (I wanted to like this because of Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz but it's a yawner for me)

The Office (which hurts because it was very much a favorite for the last 4 years but it's just not as funny this year.)

America's Next Top Model (enough already)

The Apprentice (I dislike Donald Trump and found the celebrity version just a little easier to watch)
Desperate Housewives (desperate show)
So you think you can dance  (I'm not into dancing so don't feel this show's vibe at all)

I have the following shows PVR'd but haven't had a chance to watch them yet...The Good Wife, Glee, The Real Housewives .

Mamma Mia, new boots, potty's and M&M's....

We had a great weekend just quiet and calm the way I like them !

Saturday Hayden and I went to the afternoon matinee of Mamma Mia playing at the Jubilee Auditorium.   Next to Phantom of the Opera it is by far one of my favorite shows.  This is the 3rd time I have been to see it and enjoyed it just as much as the first time.  Hayden really liked it as well but was embarrassed when his mom got up and started to dance (now in my defence most the audience had already gotten up so I wasn't that one crazy women dancing on my own but to a 7 year old it was still horrifying none the less).

I have started shopping at Superstore again for groceries and love to stroll the kids clothing section while I'm there.  Honestly, I have always said buyers are the heart of a store.  They can make or break a business by what they select to be sold in their stores.  Well hats off to the Superstore buyers because the kids stuff is very cute (& affordable) this coming season.  I would have taken picture of some of this stuff but forgot my phone.  I did pick up these adorable boots for Laila for $19 dollars...Aren't they so cute !!

This week we are exploring the world of potty training again with Laila.  She is giving us all the signals that she is ready but she is one tough cookie and is not going to make this easy on Mama.  So really what are two highly experienced parents going to do to try to solve this problem...well bribe her of course. (gasp).

I picked up a two boxes of the Halloween size packages of M&M's because you see next to MacDonald's fries which I can't give her every time she sits on the potty these are a favorite candy for her.  I know this very strong will is going to serve her well through life but god it is very hard to deal with as a 2.5 year old.  Wish us luck and hopefully in a few weeks I will only have one kiddie left in diapers.

The girls are suffering with head colds this week so sleep as been a bit sporadic for everyone but we are slowing getting better so that should hopefully improve the nights and naps soon !

Calgary is experiencing some lovely weather this week so we are hoping to get out and enjoy a little bit of it.

Moo....

This past summer I discovered totally by accident these delicious little candies at Costco.

They are called "Cows" and are well just lovely !  My family devoured the first container within days of me bringing it home and when I went back to get another one there was none to be found.  :{  I would check every time I was there and this Sunday my world became just a little bit brighter when I discovered a flat of Cows in the candy isle.   Then  I stood there then trying to figure out how many I should actually buy...I decided 2 would be acceptable.

Seriously, I would skip breakfast just have a 6 of these beauties.  You put them in your and they just burst with the chocolate filling.  They are soft and chewy with a lovely butter toffee coating.

If you shop at Costco pick up some Cows today and I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

Show us where you live Friday - "Master Bedroom" Edition

"Show us where you live Friday - Master Bedroom Edition"

Hosted by Kelly @ Kelly's Korner

When we looked at this home a few years back I fell in love with the Master bedroom.  The builder modify our home to only have 3 instead of 4 bedrooms upstairs.  What we got from this is a huge master suite and a 2nd floor laundry room.

I appreciate the space that I have in our master bedroom.  It is a place to escape for a few hours in the evening to either watch a bit of TV or lounge in my chaise to read a favorite book.    We have four large windows that provide lots of natural light during the day.

Our Master bedroom is at the top of landing and it has double doors at the entrance.

With such a large room our king size bed fits perfectly with lots of room left over.   Again, my less is more theory of decorating is applied to this room.  I seriously need to hire some of the women on this tour to come and decorate a few of my bare rooms.

For years I wouldn't buy wood furniture but we have a company in Canada called "Old Hippy Wood".  They make beautifully hand crafted furniture and when I discovered them I couldn't resist buying a bedroom suite.

We have a lovely sitting area adjacent to our sleeping area.  I searched for a long time to find just the right chaise for the area.  I have spent many hours relaxing with a good book, napping with my littlest one or surfing on my laptop. 

 Right now our youngest is still sleeping with us in our room.  Her crib and dresser fit wonderfully in the sitting area.  (Sorry no picture as she was sleeping at the time I was doing this post).

Lastly, here is a view from the sitting area out to the 2nd floor landing area.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of my little piece of paradise...I can't wait to view everyone's master bedrooms.  Thanks for stopping by !!

If you want to view more master bedrooms

 head over to Kelly's Korner !

The sweetest sound...

Is listening to Sophie in her crib saying "mama" over and over again when she wakes from a sleep.

Truly melts this mama's heart ! These moments are what makes being a parent so rewarding and special.

Wordless Wednesday - September 22nd

"Optimus Sophie"

Favorite Baby Things (Part 3) - Diapers and Wipes

Let's chat about Diapers......

The biggest thing I have found after having 3 kids is they are build slightly different so what worked for one may not necessarily work for the others.

We used Pampers Swaddlers for all three of our kids when they were just newborns.  They were only in these diapers for a few weeks so the fit was fine for them all.

It's when we moved to the next stage we found that all 3 kids would come to wear different brands

With Hayden we tried a few different kinds but found that Pampers Cruisers worked the best. He was very slender once he started to walk and the Cruisers just fit snuggly around his leg.  We had him in those until he was potty trained at 3.

With Laila we tried Pampers but found because she was a little chubbier then Hayden they didn't fit quite as well.  So we went to the Huggies brand and found they worked best.

When Sophie came along we tried both the Pampers and Huggies but neither really worked for her.  We had leakage problem with both the legs and up the back.  I was at a lose at what to try but came upon the Kirkland brand one day in Costco.    I decided to buy a box to see if they worked any better.  Well they did the trick and we have been so pleased with these diapers.

We have moved Laila over to these as well and have not problems yet.

They fit well around the legs and have this extra protection barrier for those up the back poops.  I recently found out that they are produced by Huggies for Costco so it makes sense why I like them.

Baby wipes are the other thing we have tried a few different kinds but honestly have found the best one for the best price is again the Kirkland brand.  They are fairly thick and don't have a strong overpowering smell to them.  They come in a box of 704 wipes but are individually packages.  They recently changed them slightly and while I preferred the old style the new ones are equally as good.

I know lots of Mama's who are going the cloth diaper route with their little ones but we knew Sophie was going to be our last so I didn't want to make a big investment when I would only use them for one baby.

What's your favorite brand of diapers and wipes ?

Happy Saturday !!

Saturday is my favorite day of the week !  As a child I remember getting up and watching cartoons in the morning, as a teen it was hitting the malls with friends, as a young adult working it was a day to recover from Friday night's adventures. Now as a mama it's a day to sleep in with a chance of maybe recharging my battery.

No real rushing on this morning everyone just wakes up when they want.  I make a big breakfast and today was omelets, bacon with homemade buns.  Once the bellies are full everyone then figures out what's going to happen.

Faruq, Hayden and Laila are heading to Costco for some groceries.  Then maybe a quick trip to the library to drop off  books and pick up some new ones.

My plans are to make some baby food for sweet Sophie, try to get a few more flowers done for the final cake due in the Wilton's cake class I'm taking and then maybe do a little baking as I have very black bananas in my fridge that are just perfect for a lovely banana loaf.

Hayden is super excited to be starting a skating class this afternoon.  He has not interest in hockey but wanted to learn to skate so I found a great session at the U of C.  For the locals you need to check out the U of C as they have great programming at pretty reasonable prices.

He is heading to a friends for a sleep-over tonight so it's just daddy and the girls at home.   I think we are going to open a nice bottle of wine when the girls are down for the night and watch a movie.

Tomorrow Faruq is working and Hayden has a birthday party so I'm going to try and enjoy the calm today !

Happy Saturday....I hope you all have a great weekend !

Don't you just want to pinch this...I love baby rolls !!

Say What....

We woke this morning to a lovely treat from Mother Nature ....SNOW !  It's mostly gone now but it will be back I'm afraid sooner then later.

For heavens sake it is only September and we should not be having any of that for at least a few months.  I have no idea who's coat or boots fit them from last year and honestly I haven't even thought about it yet.  Mitt, scarfs and hats are still packed away but I guess will sadly replace the flip flops and sun hats currently in the kids bins.

Summer is over before it really even started here in Calgary and we will miss the warm sunny days that we spent at the playground and the long walks around our neighborhood.  We

On a positive note only 98 till Christmas....anyone start their shopping yet !!

Show us where you live Friday - "Living Room" Edition (Take 2)

"Show us where you live Friday - Living Room Edition"

Hosted by Kelly over at   Kelly's Korner 

I loved this tour last year and thought it would be fun to take part again sadly I haven't changed much since that time so I'm also recycling some of my pictures.

Our living room is attached to the Kitchen area to make one big great room with the kitchen and eating area.  We aren't in here a lot as we have a toy room and the basement is developed but it's a great space for entertaining lots of people which we do often. 

The main wall has great built-ins that we store games, books and movies in. It has a gas fireplace and a small TV that I primarily watch while I'm cooking in the kitchen.

The outside wall has these 4 great windows that provide lots of light during the day but also it's a gives me a great view of our backyard so I can see what the kids are doing if I'm not out there.  We have two extra large leather chairs that I love to curl up in and read for the whole afternoon (which doesn't happen often now).

On the inside wall we just have a very comfy sofa & great coffee and end tables .

I'm afraid I'm not much of a decorator and tend to be fairly simple when it comes to that !

There's not much else to tell ya' !

Thanks for stopping by for a peek !! 

If you want to see more lovely living rooms stop by Kelly's Korner's.

See you all next week !