little changes

when i was a kid, i remember knowing clearly in my mind that i did not like change. 

at least not big changes...

i think i endure big changes now with more ease than i used to,
but it's the little changes that i often embrace. 

there's something so refreshing and motivating about making little changes in life.

this week, they're in our home. 

if you know about what happened last week around here,

you might understand why it feels like i/we really need some of those changes. 

something new and uplifting! 

a vacation would be great right about now, but that's not gonna happen,

so i'll take a dose of little changes around the house for brightening my spirits. 

the first was getting our well loved orange lazyboy out of the house. 

we got that chair for $25 when we lived in VA for a year and brought very little furniture with us. 

it's a great chair. 

barley liked it even more than we did, and so it came to the point when we had to say goodbye...

jude and barley have adapted well to this change

this is a very simple change that likely needs an explanation. 

rather than a crate, we lock barley in our back hall area when we're out and at night. 

living in an older home, one of the doors didn't latch properly. 

every time we went out we had to move furniture against the door to keep barley in that area. 

now we have this latch.  it works like a charm!

not our new security system.

we also rearranged our living room and added some new art above the desk and voila! 

much more spacious and functional.

i love it.  amazing how old stuff can feel new again.

you know i love a deal, so i have to tell you what these 'little changes' cost:

less than 5 bucks and a little bit of time.

amazing!

there are more little changes in the works, these involve paint and maybe a few more accessories...

check back in a couple weeks!

and just so you're not thinking, wow look at cheryl:

being all positive and coming through this so well...

(it has been a really hard week emotionally)

here is a little change that i'm not embracing:

using a pc...i miss my mac. 

does that make me a computer snob?

break in

we spent a nice weekend in southampton with family. 

we came home to our little home that we love, and discovered that someone had come in uninvited. 

it was heartbreaking. 

yes they took, a lot of "valuable" things, but the upsetting part is that it also feels like they took a little piece of me, of our family.  they took our computer with all my photos on it.  that's not fair.  computer, ipods, jewelry can be replaced...a years worth of photos cannot.  lesson learned:  back up photos regularly, because you never know what's going to happen. 
they also took my comfort in my own home.  i do plan on reclaiming that, but it will take time.  the break in happened through our kitchen window, apparently the person came from the trail, through our backyard to the window.  i find whenever i'm in the kitchen i'm checking out the window to make sure no one is there.  i'm very aware now of any unfamiliar noises.  i never used to lock the door when we were home, except when we were sleeping, now it is always locked. 
it's funny how you process and wonder...what ifs.
things i would change:  motion light in backyard would have been on.  barley would have been home.  not at the kennel.  we would have taken the laptop with us on the weekend.  i would have back up my 2010 photos last week (it was on my list).  i would have had the girls photobooks printed months ago.  i would have asked the neighbours to park their car in our driveway.  and i'm sure the list could go on...
i can't change what happened or how or why.  i can control how i respond and recover.  i think how i responded that night was normal, but i wish i hadn't caused selah to worry.  i think it was really hard to for her to see her mommy cry so much.  fortunately emery was sleeping when we got home and slept through the police being here and everything.  i am really happy with how i talked with emery about what happened the next morning.  both girls seem to be doing fine now, just asking questions as they come up.  emery is missing a few of her special things and her camera.  i told selah the night we came home that i was sad about losing so many pictures and she suggested i take some pictures of her right away, so i did.  she's a sensitive and thoughtful girl. 

i think just writing about this is a step in the right direction. 

jude was very calm through all this and has remained that way.  we haven't had too many trials in our life together, but he is always an anchor when the come.  i'm so thankful for him and my girls and that we're all safe and sound.  i'm also very thankful for all the love i've felt from family and friends since this happened.

(i did take a photo for my potd, didn't have the heart to photograph the mess, so i took a pic of the footprints outside the window of choice.  i lost my card reader though, so this entry will be photofree)

funny face

selah attended a cooking class recently with her friends.  they loved it, she loved it!  

it was an hour, and included baking banana muffins and decorating an 8 inch chocolate cake with a funny face, then eating the muffins and bringing the cake home.  not bad for eight bucks!

the teacher started the class by wanting to see each child's funny face - selah was happy to comply.

they also got to decorate their own chef hats.  

most kids didn't wear them or their aprons, selah was all over it!

this expression in the next pic is a combo of "what do i do mommy" and 

"put down the camera and help me"

jesse

ali and ainsley

listening to the instructions

she had her funny face all planned out...

she purposely didn't use all the treats so she could eat what was left over

enjoying the muffins

definitely going to sign up for another cooking class - i need to get emery to one of them.

potd

i'm doing it!  

what is it, some of you may ask - this potd?  

"picture of the day"

for a year, you take a picture every day...

yes, it's jan. 20th

and no, i have not taken a pic everyday of the year so far...but starting now, i will try to!

silliness - i got my great camera for christmas, but hadn't used it much since the holidays.  

i was looking through my photos earlier this week and there weren't many for 2011 so far.

next day - kept my camera close and was so glad i did!  

since then, i have been wishing i had my camera handy at various points through out my day.  

today especially - so game on.  potd here i come!

thank you catherine for the final nudge i needed and telling me it isn't too late to start.

i don't plan on blogging every potd - but i will show you todays:

girl's room - looking good!

today's pic is of the girls room, because i spent about 2 hours up there tidying, organizing, vacuuming...

how lovely it would be if it stayed this way - but i guess that would only be fun for me.  

another reason i wanted to take a pic of their room, is because we're painting it purple soon.  

i love the green (the only colour that stayed when we moved into this house), 

but some work has been done in there and some things need patching and painting 

and there isn't any of this green left...so purple it is! 

the name of the colour is 'dignity' on the chip - love that.

selah says she'll stay in her bed all night when the room is purple (not sure i believe her).

if you could of taken a picture today, what would it have been of?

design gig

first design gig of the year:  

a postcard advertising a fundraising event.

here is the outcome:

front and back

thanks to myw for the opportunity!

favourite things

one of my favourite songs of all time is 'favourite things' from the sound of music.  

today selah was singing that song as we walked to pick up emery from school.  

she was singing as loud as she could!

i wish i could remember the exact way she sings it and the words she mixes up...it's so great!

i do remember our conversation afterward though...

me:  selah, i love that song, you're such a good singer

selah:  yes, i am a good singer.  i sound just like the real singer for that song.

me: you do.

selah: i must have the exact same voice as her!

look out julie andrews!  love the confidence of a singing 3 year old - get me some of that!

~

today jude also brought home a surprise of one of my favourite things - gerbera daisies!

so i thought i would get out one of my other favourite things (camera) and take some photos!

such a lovely day.  what are some of your favourite things?

christmas morning

 here is a glimpse of christmas morning at our house!

closest thing to a family shot on such an exciting morning!
barley was enjoying the treats in her stocking.

little beanster was all about opening presents...and finding out 'what's next?!'
glad i caught a moment of true excitement about what she received.

we don't make a big deal of santa, but he did bring one toy for each of them.
this is what selah got from the big guy.  he knows her so well!

emery received a bead set and she decided to make a necklace for the neighbour boys' mom.
so at about 8:30 christmas morning, this is emery running out in her new nightie
to deliver a christmas gift across the street!  such a sweet girl.

so thankful for my little family and the memories we share on christmas and every day.

back to the ice

on christmas eve, we ventured back to the ice for the first time this season.  

this year both girls are on single blades!  

first day back was a little shaky, and the ice was pretty bumpy...

but after a few more skates, emery can make her way around the rink without a fall or hand!  

selah... she loves to watch!

squirmy worm

emery used to be our little squirmy worm.  

that's what we called her when she was a baby - she was always moving...

now she's still our worm - but turning into a little book worm...

this girl can read!  

she's learning so much at school and has also been working through hooked on phonics at home.  

it's so amazing to watch her learn and see her confidence grow.  

at a family christmas gathering, she proudly went from person to person 

to tell them about the "chapter" book she had just read.  

i do hope her love of reading continues...

checking out the latest book from opa

so proud of my girl!

out of the water

my girls love to swim and i love to lifeguard through the lens.

these were some of my favourite pics from the last time we went swimming

 (a few days before christmas):

pruney beanster

waiting for big sister

selah rain - age 3 1/2

looking back

so, it's a new year.  woot, woot!

i wish i had something deep and moving to share about my wishes for this year...

but that's not my style. 

so instead - here is me and my family, photo-style.

looking through the photos of this past year brought back great memories and 

reminded me of all i have to be thankful for.  

2010 was a goodie - looking forward to whatever 2011 will bring.

jude and emery - winter fun at belmont park

new cousins: daniella & evan, and a visit with april

i'm loving the love here and they were loving the couch fort 

this month started with easter and a birthday
in the hospital and ended with a happy, healthy girl

our first trip to NJ to see the birches
and some great photos by my sister

 welcome aubree - my niece

lots of summer fun, including strawberry picking
for the first time with the girls

we got a dog named barley - judah likes this

back to school and celebrated emery's 5th bday
(photos taken in guelph when jude spoke at 'take back the night')

thanksgiving in NJ and all dressed up for halloween

a little before bedtime play, while i played with my camera

gotta love new jams on christmas eve!

wishing you all the best this year!  have fun.