admiration

Can I just say, Caro, that I am loving some of your recent Facebook photos! And I just wanted to share.

Really fun to see Elsie's 2nd birthday photos too, thanks. I love you and miss you as always.
whistle, whistle.

great news, big changes

I got the phone call this morning ... the voice on the other end saying that they would be pleased to offer me the permanent full-time position at Innovation Credit Union {the job that I've been hounding them for weeks and hoping for} and would I be willing to accept the offer? Oh my, yes. Yes, yes!

I will finish my part-time job on Monday (7 days working there in total!) and start at Innovation the following Tuesday, October 2nd. Back to the banking world for me. My Dad will be pleased --- we can finally talk shop again!

Sam's parents are coming for a visit from Thursday til Tuesday so I'm happy to have next week completely free now while they are here. After that, I'm an 8:30-5:00 girl!!

And very, very thankful.

a little leaf goes a long way

We suddenly noticed in the past 3 days that the leaves surrounding our back kitchen door have turned a wonderful shade of autumn red. We love fall! --- by far our most favorite time of the year.

Happy almost-October, everyone!

the birthday boy's cake request

There was no hesitation in Sam's voice when I asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted this year --- the answer was of course his new favorite, Martha's White Layer Cake with Betty's Lemon Buttercream Frosting. So while he was out all day yesterday at a company golf tournament I tied my hair back and got to work, taking pictures as I went along as I love food photos and the inspiration of everyday things. {Whet your appetite with a peek at my latest favorite food blog La Tartine Gourmande - just amazing.} Sam was welcomed at the door with a homemade card and a homemade 'as requested' cake ... and he was very happy indeed. Sweet tooth definitely satisfied.

ps. I could have used a triple batch of the buttercream instead of just a double. It was a feat of patience to stretch it on as I did!
Single Recipe of Betty Crocker's Lemon Buttercream Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup softened butter
1/2 tsp grated lemon
2 Tbsp lemon juice

time, where did you go?

4 hours driving to and from Regina.
5 and a half hours waiting in the Passport Application line-up.
5 minutes before the day's closing time, forms were stamped and approved.

And I didn't even get any coffee.

{happy birthday sam! it was not the fun day i was hoping for us, but i'm always happy to just be with you.}

not for musical chairs

We spent another long day yesterday shopping in The Big City, this time Saskatoon. Two and a half hours northeast through flat, flat prairie countryside. We were focused on getting to Urban Barn {love their Groove chairs! on my wish list for sure...} to fill in a couple furniture gaps in the house right away. Sadly though our chairs probably won't arrive before Sam's parents come for a visit the end of this month. But we did share a hotel room with them for Sam's graduation back in L.A. so I think we're all ok with being cozy...! :)


We got this Lara style couch but in a chair and ottoman set instead for our living room. All we have now is our 2 seater couch and so we're feeling quite squished. Never mind when company arrives! I've always wanted a really comfy chair and ottoman... for reading or watching a movie snuggled under a blanket. Can't wait. And Sam can finally stop putting his feet up on our coffee table too!


Chair and ottoman are in this fabric. Hard to see, but it's similar to a Herringbone pattern and a little tweedy to the touch. A bit more hardy than just a soft fabric. Love it!


Plus 3 of these very cool, very contemporary adjustable bar stools for our kitchen eating counter. Also perfect for family haircuts!

fat quarters

In trying to find another contemporary home design store in Saskatoon yesterday, I happened upon Periwinkle Quilts in the same parking lot. It must have been fate. Soooo much better than our Swift Current store {of course!} and well, I couldn't help it if there was a basket full of fat quarters on sale! Aren't they yummy? {click on photo for a close up}


Oh, and a certain person might have taken advantage of an etsy shop online sale this week to get my hands on this set of amazing vintage fabrics. Thank you, Kelly McCaleb! Check out her blog ... I am such a fan!

mr postman, bring me a book...

I was so excited to receive an email today telling me that Simple Scrapbooks has finally shipped this dreamy book which I pre-ordered last month! Oh, how can I be patient?!

The Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker ... you had me at hello.

going green

Alright, yes, I admit it. As my mother in law noted in her last comment, I've got the sewing bug! It's amazing what you can whip together when you're motivated...

happy birthday bethany!

It's my sister's 25th birthday today!! Lots of love to you, Beps, I hope you have a wonderful day with Glen.

scraps

Well, I finally did it....I dragged out the sewing machine that my Mum passed on to me years ago and finally sat down to figure out how to thread it!! Turns out it was laughably easy and I was happily clicking away in no time so all my worries were for naught. How ironic. It's a sturdy, reliable machine and it works wonderfully, but you can guess by the style of the instructions booklet just how many decades old it may be!

I thought I'd start out again with something easy, using some random scraps, to break in my rusty fingers and to give my perfectionistic tendancies a rest. I remembered the cloth coasters that Brenda and Cheryl's mom made me and I happened across an easy tutorial here last night while surfing my crafty blogs. A fun, quick craft for a sunny Saturday, next some real quilting!