And we are off....

Life is a series of journeys and here I go again, and I couldn't be happier.

Yesterday was the first day in longer than I can remember that I felt good, really honestly inside and out, mind and body good! I had just come out the other side of a weekend of mysterious fevers, chills, the most extreme exhaustion I have ever felt topped off by a very sudden and very atypical type of migraine that totally took me by surprise. So to wake up yesterday feeling fantastic was wonderful.

Last year was a doosie and the first part of this one has been chock full of change, all of it good, some of it hard fought for. All irrelevant in as much as life is now on the right path for us and I am feeling immeasurably lighter of spirit. And so this bring me to the reason for this post...

Anyone who has read my blog before or who knows me personally knows my weight has always been a source of struggle for me. Now I know a few posts back I swore off the scale and swore that I would be happy the way I am...and I have come a long way to achieving that goal, BUT, my reality is such that I cannot let my guard down and that is what has happened as a result of the aforementioned post. Weight has crept back up to a point that I am uncomfortable with and to a point that clothes are no longer fitting as they should. So here I am starting again and it seems fitting really with the way I feel  that I should give my body the opportunity to feel good and healthy again.

I am not putting an end number on this, but I am putting a starting goal of losing 20lbs in the next few months. I am aiming for about 2 pounds per week which is healthy and aiming to get back to regular exercise with the goal of being able to run again by the time spring finally takes hold here. So... Here I go!

Join me if you like. I will try to check back here with my progress and efforts, and am counting on people holding me accountable...a mission that is yours if you choose to accept it.

Trying to get back to here...

Here's to being off and running again!!!

Busy hands are happy hands?....

Busy hands are happy hands...or so the saying goes, but are they?

I have been thinking a lot about this lately, in the context of my own life, the lives of the women I know and in the context of the changes I am making.

Here is what I am coming to see and understand. In today's society women are expected (often by other women) to be successful, and it seems to me that it is hard to define success and so by default success has been defined by how busy someone is. How many volunteer committees are you involved in, how many nights a week are you running to and from meetings, or children's activities, how many mornings do you rise with a full plate of things to do places to be? How many businesses do you have your hand in? How much networking are you getting in, to push those businesses? How many hours do you spend working to get ahead?

I stopped...

I stopped to ask myself these questions and to take a moment to define what success meant to me.

via my pinterest

I stopped and looked at my life from the inside out, not from the outside in as I had been, and here is what I saw.

I saw someone who from the outside in may have looked like she had it all together.
I saw someone who was busy on this committee or that committee, going to that meeting and this meeting.
I saw a woman who worked to make her business successful and who spent many hours away from her family in order to do that ( even if she was physically present).
I saw a woman who spent quiet moments alone wondering about how her children were but not being with her children.
I saw a woman who was living with her shoulders up around her ears tight with tension and stress trying to please everyone around her, trying to be heard and seen doing the 'important things'
I saw a woman who missed an entire session of her children's swimming lessons because she had a business to run.
I saw a woman who when the weekend came and her children's eyes would light up at the idea of being together as a family had to tell her children no, she had to go to work.
I saw a  woman who had no time to visit her eldest daughter as she begins her life and career.
I saw a woman who had lost sight of her priorities.
I saw a woman I did not like, nor want to be.

Now, not everyone will stop to look and not like what they see. Some people will be completely happy to spread themselves thin and stretch their limits and challenge themselves. For some people this will give them purpose and meaning. It will fill them with pride and contentment. Some will be able to balance the many facets of their lives in a way that makes them feel whole. Not me.

I love my family, my children, my husband and they are my priority. I want to have as much time and flexibility to be with them as I can. I want to be able to be present in all ways, not just physical. I want to stop checking emails and messages every ten seconds because I might miss something. I want to not have a tension headache all the time. I want to feel normal again...whatever that is.

You see, the thing is only you can decide what is right for you, but many of us are trapped or wrapped up in this notion that being busy equates to being successful...it does not...in my case it just makes me tired.

And so as change is the only constant in this world, I am making changes, and I am happier for it. I left all the committees I was on. I stepped away, and the world did not crumble. I am closing the business we have worked at for the last four years because now is not the time for this...now is a time to be a mom, and while I will have to work outside the home, I will come home at the end of a day and be present. I will have weekends to spend with my children and I will have vacations to take. Hopefully my shoulders will drop and the headaches will lessen. I will be a dedicated employee but when it is time to head home, I will be a dedicated wife and mother. This will be my definition of success.

I wish each of you your own definition of success.
Jo

The universe is talking to me...

Yes it is true...the universe (via pinterest) is talking to me.

In this, the last month my business is open, the universe had this to say to me today:

via my pinterest

via my pinterest

Both messages so very appropriate for me at this point in time and very befitting how I feel at present. I feel strong and powerful for letting go of that which I have worked so hard to achieve and maintain, but that I also feel it is time to move on from. I am also very thankful for all the lessons learned over the last four years and very ready for what the future now holds.

And as I prepare to finish this post the radio starts to play...'have a holly jolly Christmas...it's the best time of the year' and yes it is. Here is to a great December and a wonderful New Year!

Life evolves...

Life evolves and then it ends... This statement is not meant to alarm, it is merely a fact.

My grandmother, 'Nan' passed away a week ago. I was with her as she left us and moved on. She was ready she wanted to go and was, I believe, waiting for my mom before she left. There were four generations in that room as she passed and while it was a peaceful transition, it was and is difficult to see, and to convey what it felt like to watch as she took her last breath.

It was a surprise to many that she passed. But I knew the moment I laid eyes on her in that hospital bed that she would not be returning home. She had been admitted for a minor complaint, nothing life threatening had raised anyone's concern, but to look at her was to see life leaving her. When the nurse was called because we suspected she was not breathing she chirped to my mother ' well let's just see what's going on shall we?' It was shock pure and simple on her face when she entered the room and touched her hand to my Nan's chest. It's a scene I am trying to erase, not because I want her back, she is truly where she wanted to be now, but because it was painful to see my mother and my daughter gripped with sorrow and shock.

My daughter and my Nan

I loved my grandmother, but to say that we had a warm and fuzzy relationship would be a lie. She was cool, showed clear favorites among her grandchildren, had a tendency to speak harshly of others, was not terribly tolerant of opposing or alternate lifestyles, and said what she thought whether it was appropriate or not. When I found myself pregnant at 16 she wrote me a harsh letter speaking of her disappointment and how she thought I should handle things, admonishing me that 'it was not this baby's fault that he or she was being brought into this world'  It was that baby who witnessed her leaving this earth a week ago.

I loved my grandmother. I have few memories of her as a child, none that involve hugs or playful experiences, but a few snapshots that I will hold dear. And though she could be a bit of an old crag, and never did I hear her say so, she loved her children, her grandchildren and her great grandchildren.

A grandmother is a constant to many, and she was to me, the matriarch of our family, the glue that kept us all together, and now that she is gone one wonders what will happen to our extended family? Will we drift? She was always the conduit of information between the four siblings and their children. She was how I knew my cousins were engaged, expecting, moving, had given birth...she was the operator in our family, she had all the information. And so while she may not have been a warm fuzzy Nan, she will be missed. I will miss her.

Sometimes you don't understand someone until you look back on them, and this is how I feel today looking back on my grandmother's life. It was not an easy one, from the depression to raising four children alone while my granddad was in the Sanatorium recovering from Tuberculosis to outliving three grand-daughters, to caring for her husband as he died from lung and liver cancer, she saw so much in her life, overcame it all and lived independently until the day she entered the hospital three days before she died. She was strong...and I hope I have a little of that in me...I think I do.

So...life evolves, it has highs and lows, happy and sad times, easy and hard times, and then it ends

Goodbye Nan...I loved you...I always will.

9 Saturdays...

I don't know if you count or not, but I do and it is 9 Saturdays until Christmas.

via my pinterest

I love Christmas, I love the lead up to it, the change of the seasons, the cozy feelings that come with that and the planning and build up to the big day. I love the anticipation of young children and the reading of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' . I love the decor, the yearly argument with my husband about how soon we can put a real tree up, the planning to get the outside lights up before the weather turns too cold and we freeze while doing it. I love it all. And while for many it is too soon to even start thinking about it, this year I have added reasons for having Christmas on the brain.

You see this Christmas will mark the end and the beginning for us. Our little gallery here in Muskoka will be closing at the end of the year, and so this year Christmas marks the last time I will see many of my loyal patrons and it marks the end of this remarkable journey, and the beginning of a new stage in our lives.

It has been an excruciatingly difficult time deciding to close this business we have dedicated ourselves to over the last four years, and that has been a fixture in our community for 15 years, and while we are trying to sell it, we have also had to plan for the possibility it won't and we needed to put a date on things to move on. So it is that we decided to call it a day at the end of the year and go out on a Christmas high.

via my pinterest

We have been blessed and though being a small business owner is harder than most would understand, with much less monetary reward than many think, we have loved it, but realize now that this is not the time in our lives to be doing this. With two young children we need time to be able to spend with them. Weekends, Holidays, vacations...we need those things. As we move forward I am excited to be returning the world of Interior Design and will be working with some wonderful people who have been extremely supportive during this time. I'm not gonna lie, I am also looking forward to a regular pay cheque and two days a week off. That will be heaven to me!

At the heart of it, we are returning to simplicity where we can refocus on ourselves and our family and put that first above all else. My husband and my three girls that is what it is all about.

So as I count down the last 9 Saturdays until Christmas I face many things that need doing, but I know that at the end of this mountain of work lays a wonderful new road ahead and I am grateful and excited and sad and nostalgic all at once. but above all else, I am at peace and I am happy.

Jo

*note* If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing a wonderful art gallery and gift shop in the heart of Muskoka please contact me at art@silverbridgegallery.com

To Be Thankful...

Today, for many, is the beginning of an extra long weekend as we here in Canada celebrate Thanksgiving, so today I thought I would share why I am thankful.

Today I am thankful for my husband and children. Jake is my best friend and I truly do not know what I would do without him. He makes each day brighter in some way or another, can always bring a smile to my face even amid tears and he loves me like no other. My Girls bring me innumerable moments of joy, whether it is my oldest settling into life as a grown woman, and doing so with strength, courage and a great deal of poise, or my middle daughter running her first cross country race to my youngest who decided to sail to India this morning in a wicker laundry basket.

Today I am thankful for my mother, father and brother. My mother who cares for my wee girls when I cannot and who does so with such joy and happiness that the moment she enters the room they run screaming  N A N N Y !!!! and jump into her arms...even though they see her every day. My dad who at this very moment is tiling my tub surround because I have to be at work, but more than that he is a man who would do anything for his children and we know it. My parents are full of the most important kind of love, the love that abounds and lets their children know that no matter what and above all else they are loved. I am thankful for my brother who is going through a major life change and has sacrificed a lot to do so (perhaps more than he should). We are excited to have him in our home as he starts this new chapter in his life and we are excited to have 'Uncley J' around for lots of fun and games with the girls.

Today I am thankful for the friends I have...though not many they are the best kind of friends who are there when you need them, no matter if it has been three days, three weeks or three months since you last saw them.

Today I am thankful for the changes we are about to undergo as we begin the process of closing our business and moving on to the next stage in our lives. I am thankful for the opportunity that being a small business owner has given me, for the things I have learned and the people I have met along the way. And although we will be open for the balance of the year, I am thankful for the many words of kindness and understanding that we are receiving after having shared this very difficult decision.

Today I am thankful for the job I have waiting in the wings and the people who have so generously understood my current situation and are still willing to wait to take me on board. I look forward to the new challenges this job will bring, to returning to a world I love, and to be working once again with some amazing people whom I have had the pleasure of working alongside before.

I have so much to be thankful for, I am brimming with gratitude and hope you have half as much to be thankful for and moreover that you are able to recognize all that you do have, it is a wonderful state to be in, and I hope you can join me...what are you thankful for?

Cheers,
Jo

Of days gone by...

Oh how joyful it is to watch your kids grow up. My wee girls are both in school now, the youngest in Junior Kindergarten. OY!

Time is flying and we often feel the need to record every moment because the things that they do and say are so very precious we are terrified we will forget them.

Some of my favorites...

Lilah asking if she can sit 'benext' to me or if we can go on a b'venture. Even more precious was Lilah saying the other night 'I miss the old days...I miss being three...being four is hard'
Or Izzy when she used to sing 'Kwinkle Kwinkle' Little Star.

Then there is Lilah and her wiggle dance that she does...primarily when she is naked...or 'nakey' as she calls it, and Isobel talking with her hands like what she is saying is the most important thing on earth...which it is!

They grow up so fast and before you know it they are getting their first raise (like my oldest daughter Cait). Take the time today to put down the phone, tablet, newspaper...close the computer turn off the TV and watch and listen to your kids...today will be tomorrow before you know it and there will be so many yesterdays you wish you could get back. Sing  to them, read to them, dance with them...play with them. they need you more than they need anything else and the most precious gift you can give them is time...and it is really all they want.

Looking for some more parental inspiration? Check out this post over at A Cup of Jo and then read anything over at Hands Free Mama.

My favorite time of day is bedtime when I crawl into bed and sing to each of my girls...three songs each and then I give them snuggles, kisses and say goodnight...I always say 'I'll see you in the morning'...and they always say 'not if I see you first'. It doesn't matter what has happened that day, how frustrated I have been with them...it always makes me smile.

I can't wait until bedtime...you?

Monday Musings...

Happy Monday!

It has been a few days since my revelations and realizations took hold, but let me tell you that the shift is palpable...and welcome...and wonderful...and joyful.

I'm not completely there yet, accepting myself wholly and fully is going to be a process but I can see it happening...feel it. This morning I walked down main street and where I normally look at myself in the shop windows and think negatively, today my inner dialogue was different...it was more accepting and appreciative, it liked what it saw.

All around me the world is changing and the direction is a glorious one primarily of acceptance and appreciation how can one not help but be happy? When you are happy those around you are happy, and supportive and appreciative and loving and generous and kind...it really is true...the energy you put out into the world is the energy you get back.

I stumbled upon a new to me blog last week and today's' post was a good one. Over at Marc and Angel Hack Life they are talking about the 9 Things you Do NOT Need to Be Happy. Check it out, it is worth the read and will have you realizing how true this list really is.

And because every post needs a photo I thought I'd share something from my 'Beautiful Inspiration' board on Pinterest...

via my Pinterest

Happy Monday! Hope your day holds beauty love and laughter!

Revelations and realizations...

When I turned thirty my world changed...I settled into being me I cared less and less what those on the outside thought or said about me and I found a new sense of self. Now as I approach my fortieth birthday I am feeling a further awakening or embracing of who I am and who I want to be.

My whole life my weight has been an issue for me. I always thought my life would begin if I could just lose the weight...and we are not talking a little weight, we are talking about 75-100 pounds at different points in my life. Then I met my husband and he fell in love with me...curves and all. It was powerful and maybe should have ended my fixation on my weight, but it did not. Together he and I struggle and while we generally eat healthily, we are both stress eaters and he in particular tends to nurture others (read me) through food as he loves to cook. I have devoted so much time and energy to thoughts of my weight and longing to change it, willing the scale to move in my direction, cheering when it did, scowling when it didn't. Too much energy...energy that I can and should be directing elsewhere.

I came across a wonderful photographer who is compiling a book called the 'A Beautiful Body Project'. Jade Beal is an Arizona photographer and mother who is essentially wanting to show the world and it's women just how beautiful our bodies are no matter our size. The images she is compiling are compelling and I will admit, difficult for me to look at at first. I have never seen a real body represented in mainstream media. I have never seen images of real bodies in magazines, or in the movies. I grew up with the Molly Ringwald's the Julia Roberts', the Gwenyth Paltrow's...the apparent ideal body type and image, the one we all strive to become. The one we all relate to as beautiful and sexy. I will never be a Julia Roberts, though I do have a killer smile that could giver her a run for her money... So after I came across Jade's project and read a quote (I do not remember if it was Jade or another photographer and I am paraphrasing) about how he/she has photographed many many women naked and all of them whether a size 0 or a 22...all of them have rolls when they sit down, I realized that perhaps it was time to find a way to embrace this body of mine.

Following Jade on Facebook led me to The Militant Baker who is the fierce young women who took on Abercrombie and Fitch via her own photo-shoot and subsequent media popularity (check her out here), which started a slow paradigm shift in my own mind. I looked at her images and thought why can't that body, not dissimilar to my own be considered sexy? But still it is not what I had been hardwired to consider as appealing and so I continued to fight with the scale, and my wardrobe...or desired wardrobe. I would continually go to my Pinterest board 'Personal Style' and pin outfits like this

via my pinterest

As you can well see this beautiful woman is no where near a size 18-20. All of the fashion on my board is of this nature, so far from my reality that all I could do was continue to try to reach that ideal. And then slowly something started to change...slowly I started to see a shift in the fashions showing up on Pinterest for repinning...slowly I started to see this

also via my pinterest

And then I had the thought to search plus size fashion on Pinterest and whole new world flooded in to me. It had me starting (just last night) a new board called Embracing Me... and I have vowed to immerse myself in this board regularly so that I may see the image of myself, the kind of woman I am beautiful in all my curves.

both images via my pinterest

And so as I move into my forties I will let the number on the scale go...it won't be easy it has been my nemesis for so long. I will focus on my current beauty not an unattainable beauty, and I will focus on making this body, the healthiest it can be, because...

via my pinterest

What I want to be when I grow up...

Oh my, it has been a very long while since I sat down at the keyboard in this way to place my thoughts on the digital page and share them with whomever stops by...it feels strange, unfamiliar and a little frightening, but here I am.

It has been over a year since I left my thoughts here on this blog, and for that I would say I am sorry but I am not. The past year has been one of many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, all of which have brought me back here so hello once again.

I read a comment somewhere last week from a teacher that noted that she treats September as her New Year and she was making her resolutions now and I thought that was quite interesting, and appropriate for so many...and me this year in particular.

Both my wee girls are in school full time now, my big girl has graduated college, settled into a good career as a wedding and event planner at a boutique hotel and she has now just gotten her first big raise as they recognize her dedication and hard work...something I am very proud of myself!

My husband turned 40 this winter and I threw him a huge surprise party where I managed to get a personalized video greeting to him from his favorite singer. We traveled to Boston once again to see said fav singer in concert and had a wonderful mini vacay.

I am about to turn 40 and while the number doesn't really bother me too much, I am now at a point where I am trying to decide what I want out of my life, and whether or not I have found it. In many regards, I have. My husband and I just celebrated our fifth anniversary, my children are happy healthy and thriving, and now it seems it is time to turn my attention inward and find out what I want for me.

I see big changes afoot and while I am not sure exactly how things will pan out, or how to make them pan out, I am working on it. I am scared excited and tentative, but know that the direction I am headed will be what is best for me, and for my family. I see relief in the distance and I am anxious to get there.

My mom has always said that 'A change is better than a rest'...here's to more change!

Been another while...

Hi all...

This is going to be a quickie, but I felt compelled to share with you something that I found to be amazing inspiring and inspired. Margot Austin blogged today about the late great Ray Staples...as I have commented to Margot on her blog, Ray is quite possibly the reason I became a designer. She was a straight shooter who wasn't afraid to design, and as you will see in Margot's post, if that meant bullying then so be it! She was a phenom and a wonder and designer or design aficionado alike would be remiss if they didn't know who she was.
Head on over to Margot's blog to see what a wonderful and inspired tribute she put together...

From Margot Austin's blog and her Pinterest

Thanks Margot!

Oh Hey!

Wow! It has been over a month since my last post and in a strange and totally unplanned twist it was a year ago today I started this here blog. It has been a busy year with lots of change, a few ups and downs, lots of love and a whole lotta laughter.

My oldest daughter has graduated college and is currently living back at home but for how long no one knows. My middle daughter is just finishing junior kindergarten and has not quite come to understand that school finishes next week for the summer, and my baby turned three.

I have been busy at the gallery with clients, artists and growing the business. I have begun doing freelance CAD work for various professionals, done a couple of home staging jobs, expanded my business into another community in partnership with a designer there, and am knee deep in committee work helping to build our community's new brand and loving it. I have also been doing some speaking engagements on customer service and sales to some emerging artists and entrepreneurs. I have been a busy busy bee.

I have thought a lot about this here old blog (I can say that now that it's a year old) and where I want it to go what I want to use it for, and how. Do I have that all figured out just yet, not really, but as time progresses more and more reveals itself to me. For the moment I am happy in my life and where it is taking me and when I can, I will stop by to give you all an update or to give my two cents on whatever meets my fancy.

I haven't even really been on pinterest much lately...that is how busy I have been. But I did find this today and thought it rather appropriate...something we as women need to remember.

original source and via House of Fifty Mag on pinterest

Also my lovely daughter has started a blog as well...and if I do say so myself she's pretty darn good. check her out here at Cait- Off the Beaten Path.

I thinks that's all for my one year anniversary post...which once again was just a fluke that I happened to log on and happened to decide to post and it happened to be the exact one year today...too funny...and perhaps a bit of a sign...no?

Cheers!

Empty...

I just wanted to pop into today to give you an explanation, since those of you who have been kind enough to read this here blog may (probably not...but maybe) be wondering where I got to.

Well I am here, and all is well, health has returned to normal and of that I am so very thankful. the process of healing was an interesting one in that the side benefit was having the time to reconnect with my kids, my mom, and my husband. In so doing I have disconnected from the blog, blogging, and the world of blogs. The few that I have sent to my email I read because they are there, but this is the first time in ages I have logged into blogger and looked at my blog roll. 

It is the start of our season here in Muskoka and with the sun shining and the temperature sitting at 27 degrees our corner of the world is heaving. Those of us who own businesses up here have been busy for weeks getting things ready; stock in, stores organized, product displayed all for this most important starting weekend, and it is proving to be one for the record books.

As far as my input into blogland, as you well know there has been none. And the reason is I have not felt that I have anything to add, share, or give voice to in a long time. I haven't felt interesting, or engaging and so as I would in the real world, when I have little to add, I add little. I am not one to talk, or in this case type just for the sake of talking. I have, in a very real sense, felt empty. And though this sounds bad, it really really isn't. I have been living a very full interesting, complex life since my last post, but nothing in this life has inspired me to action on the blog front.



from my pinterest


Where will I go from here? I am not sure. Will this little corner of the blog world still exist?...I think so. I trust that at some point in the near future I will feel inspired and with a voice again, and then I will be back at it. But until then, I am here, I am well, and I thank each and every one of you who reads this post. I am checking in though very infrequently, but checking in none-the-less.

Thanks!
Jodi

Been awhile...

I haven't disappeared literally, just figuratively I suppose. Healing and recovery are going well, but not being out in the world is becoming difficult. I am struggling with motivation and inspiration...I should say I was, because over the last few days things have turned a corner for me.

Let me explain...before the surgery and the cyst that precipitated the surgery I was active and in the middle of my weight loss journey. I had lost 40lbs and had about 40 to go. When the cyst was discovered I felt fine and continued to live my active life, but not long after the diagnosis something happened that left me in pain, a lot of pain. A trip to the hospital to a deaf audience it would seem and they felt it was a bladder infection though there was no pathology to support this. No-one wanted to hear about the cyst and no diagnostics regarding it were done. We know now that if they had they would have discovered that the cyst had moved, and twisted, a torsion cyst, which can be quite dangerous. I suspect that if that had been discovered, the surgery would have happened long ago and recovery would be a thing of the past, but c'est la vie. As it was I left the hospital with antibiotics and went about my business. The pain receded and we presumed the 'infection' was gone. I started to exercise again but again was met with pain. I stopped exercising and waited for a few days then tried again to the same outcome, so for the six weeks leading up to the surgery I did not really exercise. This ended up having a very negative effect on me both emotionally and physically. I gained weight and the tiredness I experienced pre weight loss returned. Now my recovery has been a bit more difficult than I anticipated, in that while I physically feel good, I am so very tired much of the time, and I still cannot do much activity. I always thought I hated running, but did it because it was the best way to burn calories...turns out I miss it so very much and now that the weather is turning I am dying to get outside for a run.

source

Anyhow tired, lacking inspiration yada yada yada...Then last week a friend of mine posted to Facebook about a tough run she'd just had and how she ended up walking half of it. She was disappointed in herself and I thought why is she disappointed she got up a 5am, got out the door on a very windy cold wet morning and ran 10k...ummm hello...hero? So as I sat here that morning thinking about her post I thought 'by jeez if she can do that then the least I can do is lace up my runners and get on the darn treadmill'...so off I went and walked a half hour...I realized I had been stuck in a mode where I felt that if couldn't do what I wanted to do (run, yoga, weights) then why bother with anything at all...silly really but that is in the past.

Then on top of the wonderful motivation my friend unknowingly provided me (I did later message her a thank you and some encouragement) I caught a segment of Ellen interviewing Tom Shadyac a Hollywood producer and director. I didn't see all of his interview but caught that he was promoting a new documentary called Happy

source

During the interview Ellen asked Tom about his move from his Hollywood mansion to his mobile home...this caught my attention and while I was then distracted by a child in need, when I had time I settled down with my laptop and Google'd Tom Shadyac, what I came across was a documentary he made called I Am. I watched it last night and highly recommend it ( It will explain the move from the mansion).

I have once again found my inspiration, in the people around me and the world at large and cannot wait to get on with things.

I hope your weekend is full of inspiration, love, happiness and health!

Happy Weekend all!

Happy Wednesday!

Hi all hope you are having a stellar week...Here, I have no complaints. Recovery is going well, all pathology came back clear so life is slowly returning to normal.

So as I often do on Wednesdays I thought I would share with you where in blogland I visited today...

However before I do this I have to share my new favorite beauty product. Now, I am not a slave to makeup, I wear very little; a little blush, sometimes a nude eyeshadow, occasionally eyeliner, and always mascara. My only other must have is that I cannot stand to be without my toenails polished. When I was in hospital that polish had to come off and I could not wait to get home and get polished. My darling daughter Cait was kind enough to paint them for me as I was not able. She even went to the store and bought a new sweet blossom pink colour by Joe Fresh. Last week I decided to paint my finger nails which I almost never do and since my toes were blossom pink by Joe I thought so should my fingers...I am in love with this nail polish. It goes on smooth, wears well, dries fast and does not smell horrible. I am officially an addict :o) My sweet husband even went  back to buy me a few other colours.

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Okay...now back to our regularly scheduled program...

It was a bit quiet out there in blogland this morning, but I came across a few great posts I thought I should share.

Blair from Delights by Design just finished tearing through (literally) Steven Gambrel's book and has shared the images that were at the top of her pile. I am pining away for this stairwell...

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Designwali asked Shannon from 8Foot6 'Where's your colour at?' Hop on over to see what Shannon has to say, and to see her fantastic photo's.

Sue at The Zush has stumbled upon some fantastic TOMs ballet flats for her Wednesday Wants post.

Tim over at Design Maze is looking forward to summer and sharing some great outdoor furniture by Brian Gluckstein.

And finally Heather Bullard is doing man stuff...and enjoying it!

There you have it! Where I got to in blogland today and some musings about nail polish (and I was not compensated in any way for this)...Happy Wednesday all!

Parenting...

Today I read two blog posts over at Huffington Post. Both were on the same topic...a 7 year old who has identified himself as gay. Both were written by his parents, one his mother, one his father. Both were wonderful.

Amelia writes about the first time her son verbally identified himself as gay and the moments since. It is an eloquent account of how she is managing this realization and it's early onset. She talks about how she and her husband are simply accepting that this a part of their son just as his love for Lego is a part of his seven year old self. Amelia's husband Dave has written a blog post in response to many comments to Amelia inquiring about how he is reacting to his 7 year old sons revelation. Dave is also eloquent, understanding and non-judgmental. He says "I don't see how a father, or any parent, can look at their son, the one they've loved since before the child was even born, and upon hearing him say, "Dad, I'm gay," turn their back on him."

I had to share these posts because Amelia and Dave are parenting role models. Regardless of whether you believe a 7 year old is capable of identifying his or her sexual orientation, the heart of the matter is showing your children love and respect and acceptance.

via my pinterest, original source

Thank you Dave and Amelia! Loving the children in your life is the easiest and most rewarding thing in life.

Happy Tuesday all!

Friday fancies...

So a week has passed already...time flies...hope the pace keeps up or I'm gonna get bored.
Today I thought I'd share a favorite space in my home...
Every day I pass by a corner of my home that I love, it sits atop the stairs, houses an old armchair and a bookcase I picked up long long ago when I was a single gal on my own. I love this bookcase...I always have, I always will.

As you can see it is not styled, the books are just forced onto the shelf however they happen to fit. The top is full of family photo's and little treasures are found on each shelf...maybe this is why I love it. The chair was bought from Habitat for Humanity's Re-Store here in Muskoka (honestly the best you will find...it is worth traveling for) the fabric is so bad it's good. I nursed my youngest in this chair during her late night feedings. This is the chair I curl up in when I cannot sleep and the chair I read to Isobel in when we have to put Lilah to bed before her (they share a room). My two cats curl up here at night and sleep together, and I often perch on the arm of this chair to peruse the bookcase for a good read.

This corner is one of my favorite spaces in my home. It is not designed, nor styled, but a reflection of how we live, and the things we love. I hope you have a space in your home that you love as much I do this.

Happy Friday All!

I'm Back...

Hello all! How've you been? I am here 4 days post op...home and doing well. Struggling to sleep comfortably, but with the ability and expectation to nap during the day it's all good.

I wasn't sure when or what I was going to post when I got back to it, so I spent some early morning hours thinking about it, and settled on sharing some of the things I missed on Pinterest while I was out of the loop...
The biggest thing is that they have adjusted their terms of service which I am happy to report. Not gonna lie, I was worried I would have to leave this shangrila and thrilled that the powers that be listened to the concerns of their users and worked to allay their fears.

As I scanned recent pins this morning I came across this pin from Rue Magazine

via my pinterest, original source

This chair would be of such comfort to me right now...absolute perfection...I love it in white!

Then there was this beauty from ModCloth

via my pinterest, original source

I am down ten pounds since the day I went in for surgery...crazy, but soon enough I might like to try out this sweet vintage vibe for myself.

And finally...some words of wisdom to leave you with...

via my pinterest, original source

Happy Monday all...enjoy the beauty of each day...but most importantly the day that is before you!

What I've been up to...

So time is ticking along here and it is now one week to my surgery. I have been busy trying to get everything organized at the gallery for my absence. Bookkeeping up to date...filing done...and a new and exciting venture (more on that at some point in the future) organized and running before I vacate for a while.

On the home front I am feeling a little lost without a project on the go, but am loving the revamped laundry and bathroom. If you missed the reveal you can see it here.

On the blog front I have discovered a few new blogs that I am crushing over. I happened upon Heather Bullard Lifestyle Blog I think while I was checking link backs on my pinterest. I fell head over heels for her beautiful photography, and was excited to learn of her new online magazine Souvenir going live next week.

One only has to look at some of the images on her blog to know that the magazine will be divine.

See for yourself;

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I then hopped over to the Souvenir Facebook page to check out some of the contributors and found a host of other bloggers sooo worthy of following...my blog roll is almost getting too much to manage but I cannot stop myself.

Happy Thursday all...and if I miss you tomorrow have a glorious weekend...supposed to be stunning up here in Muskoka...can't wait!

Time to lighten the mood...

Happy Weekend everyone...

Things have been a little heavy around here lately, and so it is that today I thought I'd share some of my favorite pins from Pinterest.

via my pinterest originally from here

via my pinterest originally from here



via my pinterest originally from here

 Just so you know this was an unintentional alliteration; bowls, bottles and books :o)
Have a beautiful weekend!

Note: There seems to be a lot of discussion surrounding Pinterest, their policies as well as the idea of copyright infringements, so in an effort to keep things very clear, I will now link to my pin board but also to the original source the image was found. I have been spending a lot of time going through all my pins to make sure they link back to their appropriate source, and where they don't I've been deleting them...quite sadly sometimes. Pin wisely my people, make sure the link back is live and correct.