Spooky Gifting

Happy Halloween everyone!

I've said it a couple of times already, but this year I wasn't as into Halloween as I usually am (it's usually my favourite holiday, even above Christmas). I'm not sure why that was, I think the main reason was because I didn't have anyone to do activities/crafts/baking with. Last year Heather and I had a big calendar with all our activities planned out for the month, and we did lots of silly things, but this year I was on my own, so I just wasn't into it.

I wanted to do something though, so I decided that if I couldn't be with my friends for Halloween, I could make and send them little Halloween packages so that they would remember the fun that we used to have and still get into the spirit a little bit. So all month I went about making up the packages. Here's a shot of what Anna's package looks like (Heather's was basically the same except for the picture frame, she got the mini that I blogged about below.)

Since I'm not able to drink this Halloween, I each gave the girls a shot glass with some spooky drinks for them to try in my place. They sounded sooo yummy, Dan is drinking Banshees tonight, I'm a bit jealous.

Candy corn, of course, in a hand-painted little box.

The main thing I made for the girls was a "magickal herb/spell kit" I included herbs that had qualities I wanted for each of them (fidelity from their boyfriends, success, visions to their futures, happiness, etc), and I also included a personal 'spell candle' for each. Heather's is the 'love spell' because I want her and her bf to get married (ha!), and Anna's is the 'amber moon spell', which is supposed to help you find your way in life (she's currently trying to decide what she wants to do career wise.) I got the herbs and candles from a local...witch?...store that sells all these things, it was really fun to check out!

Herbs and Magick candle label.

I made this little frame for Anna, it has a great creepy quote in it, I hope she uses it next year for a decoration and thinks of me :)

So today was mostly comprised of cooking and baking...I made Dan his beloved molasses-spice cake (that he only gets once a year), and I also tried something out of Martha Stewart's Halloween magazine, sausage-apple handpies, they turned out yummy! I think tonight we'll just be hanging out, I've been handing out candy for the past hour or so (I had a little bucket of candy necklaces sitting in my porch, and some punk kids stole the whole bucket! grr.) I'm looking forward to next Halloween already though, when I'll have my own little pumpkin to take out trick or treating :)

Hope everyone has a fun night, whatever you're doing on this All Hallow's Eve!

Spooky Scrapping

So my "big" scrapping project for the month was this mini I made as a Halloween present for my friend Heather. It was quite fun and quick to do once I got the idea in my head of what I wanted to do. I used photos from our Spook session last year, and bought a really cute Fall paper pack from Michael's. The rest of the supplies was just old stash, which is always nice to use. I chose a few "creepy" quotes to include, split it up into the 3 main locations we went to, and voilà! A Halloween-inspired mini. She just received it yesterday so I can now share :) There was also more in the package I sent her (I also sent one to my friend Anna), but I will wait until I get word from her that she received hers before posting what was in the packages (they were basically the same...) I love doing things like this, I'm much more inspired to make things when they are going to be gifts for other people (and I'm hoping that this motivation will carry over into my Christmas gifts this year...more on that later.)

Anyway, here are the pages, if you want to see more I posted close-ups of each pic on my Flickr.

I've done some more scrapbooking (non-Halloween related), but it gets so dark so early these days that the sun goes down before I get a chance to take pictures of them, so hopefully I can do that this weekend.

What spooky scrapping have you been doing lately? Or have you moved on to working on your December Dailys already? (I can't wait to start mine!)

Night night.

Saw this on Kara's Tumblr today (who found it on KC's Tumblr...both very interesting.) Love it so much, and wishing I could be brave and motivated enough to live it.

Be back later today with more scrappy goodness and rambles.

Happy and inspiring Thursday to you.

10 years later, I still love 'em...

Last night Dan and I went to see one of my favourite local bands, Hot Toddy. They've been around for a looong time, but I first saw them about 10 years ago when they came and played at my high school. And pretty much since then I have seen them play at least once a year, sometimes more (though I did miss a few years here and there). I just love this trio's mix of blues, folk and bluegrass, while still seeming 'young' and not too 'country', if that makes sense. Very chill. Anyway, it was a great show and I'm glad I got to see them since it will probably be the last time for awhile (they don't play much together anymore...and oh yeah, I'm having a baby.)

*Aside: I hardly ever drink alcohol, like really hardly ever, but last night Dan was having White Russians at the bar and ooooh man did I want one (or a Vodka lime, for that matter.) It's funny how you just want things when you can't have them.

Anyway, my favourite song of theirs is called "Hard Times". It's so beautiful, I really wish I had a full clip of it for you to hear (you can check out their website though and purchase an MP3 if you're interested.) I made a layout using the lyrics about 2 years ago, back when Dan and I were separated for the 40 millionth time (well not really, but like the 4th or 5th time anyway.)

Thom Swift (the guy who wrote this song) is my favourite in the group and he's actually from the same little dirt patch that Dan is from (McAdam), which is kind of funny, he used to coach Dan's brother hockey. Small world. He's coming out with a solo record soon and he played one of his songs last night, I can't wait to hear the rest.

"I was in a hurry,
To be out on my own
You can't turn back time,
But if I could,
I would go back home."

Sigh, love.

The only video I was able to find of them on YouTube was this one, this is one of their many instrumentals called "Morning" (but personally I think they have much better ones than this one.) Hope you enjoy it!

Cloth Diapers=Woah

So I've been researching cloth diapers on and off for quite awhile now (even before I was pregnant), but only today did I really buckle down and do the research needed to see what I thought I would like, and more importantly, what it would cost us. I think I've made my decision, but I wanted to post here and see if any other cloth-diapering mothers out there could give me some advice on my choices. (Plus it's Saturday night and Dan has gone out to a party, so I'm all alone and have nothing better to do, ha!)

The main thing I've decided to do is to get a variety of types of diapers, so that I can find out what I really like and then adjust accordingly when little Kid A gets older (or for the next baby...)

Because of their price value, I've decided to buy 2 packages of Bummis Organic Cotton Prefolds, one for Infants and one for Baby. Each comes with 6 diapers and from what I can tell, they are fairly easy and good to use, even when (and maybe especially when) the baby is really small. I will probably use these mostly on days when it's just me and the little one at home, so that Papa won't have to use them too much, but I'm sure he could learn if he had to. For our budget (less than $500 from birth to potty training, including all accessories), this seems like the best way to go.

To go with these of course I'll need some Snappies (I'm not really aware of any other kind of closure devices, are there others out there?), and some covers/wraps. Based on the reviews I've read, the Bummis Super Whisper Wraps are the best multi-purpose use wraps, they fit well over prefolds, flats and fitted diapers, even non-Bummis brand ones. So I'll be buying 4 of these, 2 with Velcro closures and 2 with snap closures (the woman at the store said that snaps are better for older kids since they are harder to get off.) The patterns are so cute!

Another type of diaper that we'll be getting is the fitted kind. These will be easier for Dan and the grandparents to use, but are still cheaper (generally) than pocket and all-in-one diapers. I haven't done a ton of research on different kinds, but another mom recommended Sandy's Mother-Ease fitted diapers since they are super absorbent and long-lasting. So the plan is to buy 3 of these at the moment, and if we really like them I'll probably buy more.

Since we don't have a huge budget we won't be able to afford many pocket and all-in-one diapers, but I did buy 3 Fuzzibunz Pocket Diapers today because they were 24% off and seemed like a good way to ease into our cloth diapering purchases. I've only heard/read good things about Fuzzibunz so I have no doubt that I won't regret buying these.

So that's what I have planned out so far. The cost will be about 250$. This still only equals 18 diapers and 4 wraps (9 for up to 15-20lbs and 9 for 20lbs+, plus 2 covers for each weight category), so I realize that I'll definitely need more, but I'm hoping to find some 2nd hand and/or receive a few as gifts to fill in the gaps, and if not I'll most likely fill in the gaps myself with more prefolds or fitted diapers, and only count on my luxury diapers for special occasions. But overall I'm quite happy and excited for trying this out, I realize it's going to be some work, but I'm lucky (?) in the fact that I haven't changed a lot of diapers in my life, so I'm not used to disposables by any means, so if this is all I know then it should be easy.

Now, ideally, if I had all the money in the world, there are some cloth diapers I would definitely buy, like the Bum Genius all-in-one diaper, (or even the Fuzzibunz all-in-one diaper-as opposed to the pocket version I have), and the Bummis Bamboozle Fitted Diaper looks really nice too. And for the mother of all wool covers (with a price tag to boot), is the Aristocrats Wool Soaker.

I also love the idea though of handmade knitted wool diaper covers (even though I know they are not as absorbent), but for the cuteness factor alone I would suffer through some leaks. I mean, look how cute this is! (Mama, si tu es entrain de lire ceci, voici un autre projet pour toi, haha)

Photo from here

So that's about it. My main source so far as far as cloth diaper education and reviews go has been Simple Mom, she has a wonderful series on cloth diapering that completely sold me on the idea long ago. I've also been checking out The Diaper Pin for reviews on items Simple Mom doesn't have listed. There are so many brands out there though, it's hard to know which ones to go with, so I've basically stuck with the most popular brand names, but if there's one that I'm missing, please let me know! (I've also chosen these brands because they are available locally at a wonderful local baby boutique called Nurtured, it's gorgeous in there, and they sell mostly natural/eco-friendly products, check out their site!)

So, cloth diapering mothers, what advice do you have for me? Mothers-to-be, are you thinking about cloth diapering and if so, what brands/types are you leaning towards? I'd love to hear from someone else, since it's such a large investment and part of your child's (and your) daily life, it's important to make good choices.

Or am I just nuts and obsessive on this Saturday night?

I may just be.

PS-I totally plan on using disposables sometimes, especially when he's just a tiny itty-bitty newborn and maybe near the end when they are potty training, or just to have a pack around for nighttime/travel, but I'd like to be about 80% cloth diapered.

Finding ways to pass the dark evenings...

Saw this on Evalicious' blog and I thought I would play along (she saw it on AE's blog, so you know, play and post along with us!)

Outside my window...it's quite dark and cold, smelling like snow and wood stoves burning already...it's pretty nice actually.

I am thinking...about my son (or 'mon p'tit fils' as I call him)

I am thankful for...all the people who are going to make sure that me and my Marfan-y body delivery this baby as safely as possible. I'm very lucky to be so close to a wonderful health care centre that specializes in high risk pregnancies (the only one in the Maritimes).

I am wearing...the only pair of non-maternity jeans that still fit me, a T-shirt from Old Navy, a hoodie I bought a couple of weekends ago (and is already tight), and some black socks.

I am remembering...to enjoy every moment that I can with Dan, since we won't be alone much longer.

I am going...to resist starting Christmas projects until at least November, even though I want to start them now.

I am reading...nothing at the moment (must change that soon.)

I am hoping...that our plans will get sorted out soon, and that I can delivery my baby the way I want to (no C-section).

I am creating...some presents for friends, a blanket for a friend and some cards for my 52Q Art Journal.

On my mind...all things baby. Mostly things I need to get soon, such as a crib, car seat, cloth diapers and a stroller. Also thinking about my delivery and what it will mean for our plans.

From the kitchen...Nothing tonight, we had to do groceries so we ate out. This weekend though I plan on making some apple crisp with my bruised apples.

Around the house...Dan is re-stringing his guitar, Shimi is outside adventuring, Neil Young is playing and orange candles are lit.

One of my favorite things...right now is feeling a kick in my belly :)

A few plans for the rest of the week...this weekend I plan on working on some crafty projects (trying not to jump into Christmas items), bake an apple crisp, and go to a Hot Toddy concert on Sunday night with my hubs.

A photo to share...

My 20 Week shot (my hand is over my face because I can't believe I got so big so fast! The past 3 weeks have been crazy, he just popped right out! I was happy though because I finally got to wear this sweaterdress that I've had for over a year, I was waiting until I looked preggo enough and not just 'fat' to wear it.)

If you play along please link me up in the comments, and happy chilly night to you!

Poll Time...

The ultrasound is today, so the question is: Will it be a boy or girl?

I have no idea but I can't wait to find out :)

Sigh, October (and Flickr)...

Flickr Favs-October, originally uploaded by Genevieve_vev.

Fall has got to be the best time to take photos, don't you agree? So much beautiful light, the wonderful clothes, and just a hint of gloom...I love the photos that come out this time of year, some are so cheerful and bright while many others are darker and sadder and more serious (these are the ones I love in particular). And by golly, I think I love landscapes, yes I do.

The table has re-opened...

I completely forgot to post this, but a couple of weeks ago Heather and I decided to re-list the items that we didn't sell last year from our Etsy Shop, La table carré. We have 6 items up for sale now, with a few more waiting to be posted later on...I'm not sure if anything new will be included, with us being on opposite sides of the country and me having no motivation without her, but these cold-weather items are still wonderful and would make great Christmas presents! So check us out if you have the chance :)

*Shameless plug over*

Etsy Buy Handmade latablecarre

[Dogs + Leaves]

Pretty much sums up last weekend for me. I went home for Thanksgiving and had a nice time hanging out with my sister (we did some shopping and I got a shirt, 2 hoodies and some headbands, so not that much, and I still needs pants that fit like you wouldn't believe!), sewing with my mom and grandmother, visiting my friend Sara and just enjoying the decent weather. Daphné also wanted me to take some pictures of her family (her and her husband and pets), but her husband wasn't around and the cat wouldn't come hiding out of the bushes so it ended up being just her and the 2 dogs, including her newest pup, Nemo...what a sweetie she is!

Anyway, here are some shots from the weekend, I'm trying to take more pictures but it only seem to happen when I'm not at home...oh well.

(Should have taken these with nothing in the background, you can hardly see the leave she threw, but trust me, it was cool) :)

I love Daphné's house, it's in a beautiful spot with a little mountain and river in her backyard.

Introducing Nemo, a lab/husky/Shepperd mix. She is such a big baby though, loves to be petted and is so calm and quiet compared to Quincy! She fits in well with the family :)

Cuddlin' with her mama.

Quincy, being a pretty guuuurl.

Daphné and her daughters (used some PW Actions on this one...have I mentioned how much I love those Actions? They save my butt quite often.)

And of course we can't forget about the original pup in our lives, ole' Félix (picture of him after my mom and I took a walk out at the camp, he has little burdocks all over his face.)

Anyway, that's about it, just wanted to share some Fall love (even though it's been quite chilly here the past couple of weeks, it feels more like November than October! I kind of love it though.)

This past week I've gotten a bit bigger in the belly (it's crazy how quick it's happening now!) I'm about 85% sure I've felt some little movements and kicks, and I've been asked by not one but by both of my in-laws which car seat/crib I want, and I have no idea, so I guess that means I better get started on that, haha...I've also been working on some seasonal projects, which I'll probably share this upcoming week. We're going for our ultrasound/doctor's appointment on Wednesday, so we're quite excited about that, and I hope to have lots to share this week, so again I excuse my lazy blogging, I promise I'll do better soon :)

Hope you all have a great weekend!

PS-Is anyone else totally looking forward to Christmas yet? I am, and I partly blame Simple Mom (she's doing a 12 weeks series on getting ready for Christmas)...only 10 weeks left!

[Still Yay for October]

I love this picture of Shimi. I was out snapping some pics for my 18 Week Belly shot and caught her mid- swat at this leaf. As much as she annoys me sometimes, she is pretty darned cute (and spoiled!)

Well let's see, another week has gone by, how can that be?! I always have intentions of blogging more than once a week, but Heaven help me I can't seem to pull it off. I'm going to have to make another resolution to blog every day for a week again, that seemed to help me get into the groove some (and then I got pregnant and the groove was gone, ha) I'm already coming up with a list of things I want to do in November, so I think I'll add that goal to the bunch.

Anyway, my weekend was good, my mom and grandmother came up and we got to spend some time together, not doing too much. On Saturday it was gorgeous out so we went to Point Pleasant Park (the main park in Halifax) and walked around, it was nice, then that evening we started working on a long-overdue baby blanket, using my friend Heather's sewing machine (which has been gathering dust in my house since June!) It was a nice surprise to pull the machine out because with it Heather left a bunch of cool craft supplies, including some material and embroidery supplies. So I've been working on the blanket all week, I need to finish sewing all the rows together tonight so that I can bring it home to be ironed and sewn together...it's coming together really quickly and I'm quite pleased, it's gonna be cute!

(Some pics from the weekend)

This weekend promises to be quite fun too, I'm heading to Sussex to visit my family (sans the hubs, but that's ok I guess.) My sister and I are planning a shopping trip on Saturday, she needs a new wardrobe and so do I, and then I'll probably work on the blanket some more, visit my friend Sara, eat some yummy food, spend more time with my grand mama and just enjoy the extra days off. The weather's not looking superb, but I'll try to get out and snap some pics anyway.

Other than that, not much new has been going on. On the ole' preggo front, I'm finally starting to show a bit, and I succumbed to wearing my first maternity shirt on Tuesday. My co-worker was kind enough to send me her Bella Band, so once I run out of loose fitting pants to wear I'm sure I'll be using it more, and I have 2 pairs of Maternity pants in the sidelines, but I'm going to try and hold off on wearing them just yet since they are still a bit too baggy. I imagine in 2-3 weeks though I'll be wearing them. For some reason when I took my 18 Week shot I was looking super bigger than I actually am, but I 'm starting to think that maybe it's just in my head that I'm still small, maybe I am this pregnant in real life, who knows! It's fun though.

Right now the main excitement is waiting for the ultrasound in 2 weeks, when we get to find out the sex of the baby...my sister in law (who's due 1 week before me) jut found out that she is having ANOTHER boy (that's #3), so I'm foolishly hoping that it'll be a girl, but I know I shouldn't get my hopes up too high, and I'm sure I'll love the idea of a boy just as much as a girl, but still, it would be nice to have a Flynn grandaughter in the bunch (only 4 boys and one on the way as of yet.)

In the next couple of weeks I plan on doing some more research on cloth diapers, Simple Moms has a good series of articles on them, because I'd like to start purchasing some of them soon, maybe just 2-3 at a time over the next 5 months so that when the baby comes I'll have my full supply and I won't have to drop a lot of money all at once for them...then there's a carseat, crib, stroller to think about, oh my.

In non-baby news, I've started working on some secret crafty projects for friends that I'll hopefully be able to share soon, I'm quite excited to see how they turn out, because they include some things I've never made before :) I went to Michael's last night and bought some supplies, I haven't been there in forever so I browsed the scrap aisles a bit and it really got me in the mood to get scrapping again. I bought a super cute autumn paper pack (for the secret project) that I'll be using this weekend hopefully, but beyond that I want to get back into some of the things I've been putting off. As soon as I'm done sewing this blanket I think I'll get back into it. Emily's 52Qs are almost done for the year and I only have less than half done, so I printed off the list and I thin that'll be my next project to tackle. Then there's AE's December Daily album, and finishing off my 365 album, and...and...

Quick randoms:

-Last night I got the song "Joy to the World" in my head and now I'm anxious for Christmas...what is wrong with me?! I haven't even gotten all my Halloween stuff out!

-Started watching some Simpsons' Treehouse of Horrors, and I download The Craft to watch (does anyone remember that movie?! So bad but so good...)

-It's been raining and cold here for a few days now, it's making it quite hard to get up in the morning. Poor Dan called in sick today, I just hope it's nothing too serious (and nothing I'll catch!)

-I took this self portrait earlier this week, and I realize that I really need to get back into this again too, I think I may make it another goal for November, to take at least 50% self portraits during the month. November's looking quite busy!

To all the Canadians, have a happy Thanksgiving this weekend, I'll be back to share pics and stories next week!

loves,

G.

Yay for October!!

This is my absolute favourite month, I love everything about it...beautiful leaves, chilly weather (it really hasn't been that cold here yet, and the leaves haven't begun to change dramatically, but I'm hoping that'll change soon), the colours, smells, food, holidays...what's not to love?! I can't wait and hope that it doesn't fly by too quickly.

(I also think part of the reason why I'm loving it so much is because I feel much better now than I did a month ago, the sickness is almost all gone and I'm way less tired, so yay to that as well!)

I'm reeeeeally itching to buy something off of Etsy lately, the last purchase I made was back in June, and that was the fabric for a blanket I haven't started :S There are so many wonderful things, and my eye is particluarly drawn to anything dark/Fall/Halloween-ish. Check out these beautes:

Halloween kit from Evalicious (she's got an awesome blog, have you seen it?)

Cool necklace from Untamed Menagerie

Love it...from this shop

Too adorable...from Sleeping King, but also sold on RVA

If I were to ever get married again or have any sort of renewal of our vows ceremony, I would wear something like this. Stunning. By Kate Towers.

My my, yes. Etsy=eye candy all day long.

So this month I am hoping to:
-Pick a pumpkin and some apples
-Compete a few Halloween packages for friends
-Make a spice cake from MS (Dan loved it last year and insists I make it again)
-Travel home for Thanksgiving at the camp
-Get started on my blankets
-Take lots of walks outside; one more out of town trip with Dan
-Go over my wardrobe and get ready for...eek...maternity clothes
-Watch at least 5 scary movies with Dan
-Participate in at least one Halloween-type activity
-Decorate my house
-Watch all my Halloween favourites, including It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Treehouse of Horrors (all 20 of them!), and Nightmare Before Christmas
-Wear my sweater dress with tights
-Find a pair of cute (flat heeled) boots
-Try to savour every second of this wonderful enchanting season.

Anyway, should be a fairly busy weekend for us here; I'm meeting up with my friend John (aka my Spain buddy) tonight, whom I haven't seen in over 2 years, it's crazy!

Tomorrow my mom and grand-mama are coming for the weekend (yay!). Hoping to do some sight-seeing, sewing and catching up with them, should be really fun! Then I have Monday off, so I'm going to try and catch up on some of my to-dos, can't wait!

Are you all looking forward to October as much as I am?