things that make me go hmm...

How sweet it is!

2011-03-08T15:16:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

I know it has been awhile since I have last posted so here is snippet from my weekend. My mother, sisters and best friend (yes Sharan I am including you because you were there in spirit) threw me a wonderful surprise baby shower. There was so much love and care put into this event that I do not know of enough words to describe it. Just to show you, here is a picture of the cake and cupcakes that my sister had designed especially for the big day:

Yup - as the title of this post says, "How sweet it is" to be loved :)

Hmmm ...

2011-02-18T14:49:00.000-08:00

There are only 3 monthes and 5 days left till our newest family member makes their arrival (not that I am counting of course!). So what am I doing in the interim?? Shopping for baby of course :) Well, right now, it's more like perusing the web for baby related items and wishing for some of the stuff that I see but hopefully I can convince the hubby that we need some of these baby-related items.

Let me show you exhibit A for example:

It's the Bloom Stylewood Baby Lounger and isn't it just gorgeous??? I love how sleek and modern it looks. And, it would match beautifully with our hardwood floor. *Sigh*, I heart it. A. LOT. Maybe the hubby will surprise me with it (wink, wink, nudge, nudge).

Another baby related item that has recently caught my eye is this high chair (also by Bloom):

Of course I could not justify the 400$ price tag of it but it is fun to imagine how awesome it would look in our kitchen. I think the orange would be a great pop of colour... don't you??

Nursery ponderings...

2011-02-01T17:39:00.001-08:00

With less than 4 monthes to go for the arrival of our newest family member, we thought it would be a good idea to put some thought into decorating the munchkin's room. We definitely do not want to go overboard in the nursery and, since we are do not want to know what we are having till it arrives, the room will need to be as gender neutral as possible. We are not feeling the green/yellow combo (too cliché for us) but also wanted something that was a step up from neutral. After perusing the world wide web for a few weeks, we have come up with a grey and yellow/orange/green/black palette that we think would work really nicely.

We have already picked our paint colour which will be Benjamin Moore's Gray Horse (but matched to Olympia's low-VOC version to reduce off-gassing in the baby's room):

There were plenty of neutral nurseries that we saw with this color so think that it will be a nice choice.

As well, we have purchased the following fabrics that I think I will use to make pillows for the room and possibly a crib skirt. The picture below does not do the colours justice (sorry about that!). The fabrics really are a lot more vibrant than this image shows. And, I saw the elephant fabric used as a cornice in another room and loved it so am definitly excited to see how it will look in our space!

The fabric should be arriving sometime mid-march which is great since that is when our crib should hopefully arrive to. It is on back order for awhile but I am keeping my fingers crossed that it arrives in the next few monthes if not earlier.

And that's what we got so far. We still have to find an area rug, some sort of dresser that we can use as a changing table and a few accessories. So exciting!!!

Rock-a-bye...

2011-01-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is my favourite way to share some news with you all. You will need to pause the music player on the right to hear it :)

Enjoy!

2011 will definitely be a very exciting year for us!!!

If you like it then you'd better put a rug under it

2011-01-21T09:59:00.000-08:00

I have recently decided that it was time to change up the Master bedroom. It's not that I don't like what we have - I do. I just feel that it is time to evolve the space and make it more reflective of us. The room is not yet complete so I really want to finish it up so that I can move on to other spaces. So far, I have bought the Barometer lamp from Ikea as well as the Andrea Satin duvet cover for their industrial look and clean, straight lines. In terms of the bed, I was thinking of changing it and getting a new frame but after thinking about it and looking at it, I realized that what it really needs is some bling. We already have new bedding that we like. And, since I absolutely love mixing textures and layering, I have decided that an area rug under the bed is what was missing to make it look great and define the space better. (I can hear my hubby groaning now...)

For some reason, I am drawn to the Ayo rug by West Elm. It is darker and more masculin than what I normally go for. As well, it has circles which I am not usually drawn to but for some reason, this rug speaks to me. My only concern is whether or not it will clash with the straight lines of the bed linens? I think it may be too much but then again, I do love mixing different textures and it is returnable if I don't like it (returnable being a 5 hour drive to Toronto from here since there is no West Elm near Ottawa). But why not? Do you think they would mesh well together?

IKEA Andrea Satine bedding (it has a more greyish/purple undertone in person than in this shot)

Ayo rug by West Elm:

How does your garden grow??

2010-08-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

Ours grows quite well. We have been rather busy these past 8 months. From trips to Nevada, Hawaii, California to house projects like putting up a fence and finally getting pictures up, the most exciting thing for me is our garden. We planted tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, red chilies and watermelon and boy do we have a harvest! Well, okay, only the tomatoes and chilies grew but they are impressive. The tomatoes need about another week but the chilies are ripe for the picking.

And here is a shot of our new fence in the evening. Isn't she a beauty? Too bad she can't keep that pesky neighborhood mole out of our peppers.

SEASON'S GREETINGS ALL

2009-12-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

I am sneaking in a few minutes to wish you, on behalf of Hubby and I, all the best for this Holiday Season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa or even Festivus, all the best to you and yours and may you all have a wonderful and safe New Year :)

We have progress people!!!

2009-11-19T10:24:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you but I love seeing pictures of progress when it comes to design. They are so exciting to look at and it always amazes me how creative some people get! Of course, as per the this post's title, I finally have some pictures of my own to share. They are of our kitchen and family room and although these rooms are not yet complete, we have made a lot of headway in the last 5 monthes and I am happy to post what these spaces look like to date.

So, without further ado, may I present the kitchen:

This was what it looked like a few weeks before we moved in. The kitchen is on the left and the eat-in area is on the right. The island will go on top to those black wires that you see sticking out of the floor (for the dishwasher and sink).

Here is what it looked like the night we moved in. Sorry about the yellowness of the walls. Please blame it on either a bad photo or bad lighting. The paint really does look very nice!

Here is what it looked like the next morning. We were paranoid about scratching the floor so laid down cardboard while we were unpacking. And see how much nicer the paint looks? I told ya it wasn't bad :)

We then decided on this for our backsplash tile:

and voilà! Here is where we are to date. We are pretty proud of how it looks so far.

All that is left for this area is to
- find artwork for the wall next to the kitchen
- find some barstools for the island and
- get some accessories for the top of the island to make it look prettier.

And now on to the other room. Our Family Room (or "Great Room" as some people call it) is right in front of the kitchen. We decided that wanted to use it for conversation and as a place where one could cozzy up by the fire on a cold winter evening. We really tried to make it feel casual yet chic and so far, I think we are succeeding in this. Here is what the room looked like when we moved in (excuse the green tape - they were markers for some issues we identified):

And here is the room now:

We got blinds for the windows, a new sofa, a new shag rug, a beautiful chocolate brown club chair and finally a mantle front for our fireplace (which was supposed to be installed in August but that's for another post). So far, it looks great and we love the way the colours complement each other. Of course this room is no where near done but we finally have a place for people to sit when they come over (as opposed to standing or sitting on the stairs) and that's makes us happy. Or course we still have a lot of work left to do. Briefly, we need to:
- install the granite around the fireplace (the tilers are coming on
Monday to take the measurements)
- get another club chair (we only bought one to because we weren't
sure about it originally)
- get a table lamp and floor lamp
- get "something" for the wall to the right of the sofa (not sure what yet)

Oh yeah, and we need a proper coffee table.

Speaking of which, I already have some ideas here on what I want to buy. I think a glass, wrought-iron coffee table would look great. It would really keep a nice openess to the space. I really like this table that Maria Killam posted on her blog Colour Me Happy but have no idea where it is from:

This Nova square cocktail table from M.Y. Home is also really nice:

For the wall to the right of the sofa, it would be great if we could put a desk there with a funky chair. I am debating between either of these two. Both would fit the wall nicely with room on either side. The first is from Sunpan Imports and I really like the criss-cross pattern of the legs however, since you'll never really see this table from the side, I'm afraid that that detail would get lost. The secod table is from a company called Style In Form. It is sleek, minimal and also really nice.

Hmmm.. if you have any ideas of things you think would look great, let me know! I love hearing other's perspective.

Decorating Dilemma

2009-10-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

I have hit a bit of a wall with one of our rooms. It is quite a large room and I think that it is the scale of the room that is throwing me off. Originally, the room was described as a Living/Dining room area. We have currently have a seating area in our kitchen and are not in the need for a Dining Room. We would however, like to have a media room on the main floor (until we finish the basement which is 2-3 years down the road) so have decided to use this Living/Dining room space as our TV/Media room.

The space is beautiful. It faces a walking path/pond area so has really nice views. But it is too big (10'9" x 19') for me to figure out what to do with it so I feel that I am a bit everywhere.

Here is a picture of the layout of the main floor (I flipped the image as our house was built as a mirror of the plan so that would explain why the words are backwards).

The room is on top of the porch in the picture - or rather, as you enter the house, the room in question is located to your left.

To better visualize the room, here are a couple of pictures of the room from different angles. The first is when you are standing in front of the room (as you enter) and the following 2 pictures are from the end of the room looking towards the entry way.

The entire main floor is painted in this colour from Benjamin Moore:

We have already ordered faux-wood blinds for the main floor but they will be coming at the end of November.

We have 4 main functions for this room:

1 - We want it to feel warm and inviting
2 - It will be used by the hubby to entertain the boys for hockey, and football (and
host the SuperBowl party)
3 - I will also use this room to watch movies or tv with my girlfirends.
4 - Maybe put our Mac in this room so that we have access to the computer on the
main floor

Anyhow, here are the pieces that we have come up with so far for this room:

On the wall on the left, I was thinking of placing a media unit like the Besta one from Ikea in black/brown like this one to fill the wall and put our tv there:

In front of the tv, we are thinking of putting a chocolate brown leather sofa like the Tavern from EQ3.
To protect the hardwood for now, I thought that getting an area carpet sized the same size as the room minus 1 foot from the wall (to show off some of the floor) would be nice.

And that's about it. But honestly, this looks boring to me so I have hard time committing to it. I know that accessories can completely pull things together but with such a large space, I feel that these pieces are not doing the room justice. Perhaps we do need to break up the space into 2 functional but joined rooms but I am stumped.

Hmmm... if any of you have some suggestions/pictures, feel free to send them our way! We are more than happy to welcome different perspectives.

Oh the places we call home ...

2009-10-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

I love looking at other people's houses. Not in a scary "I am stalking you" kind of way but more for general interest. I wonder how people come about the places they eventually call home.

For example, when I was in Florence, I saw this and it made me wonder how someone could live over a bridge when there was plenty of land on solid ground only a few meters away.

Living here would seriously give me panic attacks but that's probably because I am slightly afraid of bridges. I ofen have this re-occurring dream that I am walking across a bridge when all of a sudden it starts to sway and one by one the suspension cords start to unravel and then... oh wait.. sorry. That's not a post for this blog...

Here's another dwelling I snapped a picture of while visiting the market in Venice a few years back:

Of course "market" is a relative term there since the market was actually the boat that you see in the forefront of this picture. And if you were not there on time, the boat merchant would boat off to another tourist-filled spot. Anyhow, imagine living in a city that is under a state of alert because of the possibility of sinking?? That would also give me sleepless nights.

Hmmm... have you seen any interesting places that people call home? Are there any types of dwellings that you would/would not care to call home??

Monday Showers

2009-09-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

I don't usually like the rain. It makes my hair frizz. It makes my clothes wet and it is usually cold. I think that rainy days are meant to be indoors with a nice cup of tea, curled up on a great chair right in front of a warm fireplace!

... if only we had a fireplace that is :( We had ordered one over a year and a half ago BUT - something got lost in translation from the time we ordered to when we moved in. We had a fireplace (that didn't work we quickly found out) but there was no lovely mantle. Just wall. We found out that our original mantle was discontinued. The builder offered us an upgrade which we took. It was supposed to be installed 1 month ago but didn't come. We inquired again and found out that the paperwork for the new mantle was never submitted by the builder to the mantle place. Oh well. Everything is all resolved now so hopefully we should have our mantle installed by the end of October *fingers crossed*.

We chose a black marble for the surround and the wood will be stained in an espresso colour to match our floor. Here is what it will look like (minus all the decorative stuff in this photo of course):

Of course, until we get it installed, this is what we have to "curl up in front of":

One fine house

2009-09-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Progress on the outside of our house has been coming along so well (albeit slower than we imagined!). Everything (except for the paving of our driveway) is now done. All we have to do is plant some flowers and shrubs and the outside is all set. We bought some awesome Muskoka chairs for the front porch and have already put them to some great use!

It's hard to believe that just 9 monthes ago, this is what our house looked like:

It then went to this in April:

to finally this last week:

We could not be any happier. Like seriously, it makes us giddy. Well, okay - it makes me giddy but I know Hubby is smiling too - even if it is only on the inside :)

Style me pretty

2009-08-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

This whole "decorating the house" adventure that I am on is not always the easiest. Sometimes it is just plain frustrating when after 2 monthes, we can still not find the perfect chair to compliment our kitchen table or the perfect rug to tie in our family room furniture. I know that it will all come together in time but I guess that I am getting impatient...

...until I just discovered Stella & Dot. Like seriously - where have they been all my life?? I am absolutely smitten with the jewellery. I love the vintage/stylish look of many of the peices. I may not have that perfect couch or rug or circular-espresso-stained-wooden-framed-mirror to hang above my mantle yet but at least I'll look great while I'm shopping for the rest of the furniture for our new home and that's just as important right???

Check out these beauties. Recently I have really been in love with the colour of coral and I think that these pieces are so up my alley:

Selma Brooch Cuff:

Selma post Earrings:

Soirée Pave bracelet:

I am also a sucker for chunky bracelets and just can't get enough of the Kelly Cuff ones. I like both the black and red one so am not sure yet on which one would be the better purchase for me. Hmmm... maybe I'll buy one and ask my Hubby to "surprise" me with the other one for Christmas...

And of course, I think that the Jasmine Filigree earrings are just so classic and stylish without being over the top. They look versatile enough to be paired with just about anything so I will definitely get them too.

We've got lights!!

2009-08-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Actually, we've got new lights I should say. I was getting tired of the standard builder "boob" light (as I like to call them) on our main floor so Hubby and I went out and shopped around and found a great track light for above the kitchen island. I love the straight lines and simplicity of it. And, it gives off just enough light to highlight the kitchen area without over powering it. Check it out:

We also saw these two lights and think that we will purchase them as well. I love the contemporary and classic look and feel that they have and think that they will be a great addition to our space! The first light will be 20" in diameter and will look fabulous above our 42" kitchen table. The second one will be mounted in the center of our Great Room, flush with the ceiling and will be 16" in diameter.

I'm back!!!

2009-08-06T10:46:00.000-07:00

And I am so sorry that I have not been able to update on the house progress! I have been so busy with work and summer and - well not having a computer for 2 monthes!

But fear not. I promise to blog more faithfully. Speaking of which, I have an admission to make. I became obsessed with The Bachelorette this season and am upset to have found out that the guy Jillian Harris chose has been cheating on her this whole time. Yup. Pick up US Weekly and you'll see for yourself. The nerve of the guy. I never really did like him. I mean, he was quirky and goofy and I could see how that appealed to Jillian but there was something about him that just made me want to grab Jillian by the shoulders and tell her to "Run!". I always thought that she should have picked Reid but to each their own I guess.

Anyways, back to the house! All of the exterior paint and parging is done. As well, we now have grass! I can't begin to describe how beautiful it looks and feels to us. Hopefully it will stop raining so that I can take a decent picture and post it to share.

We're in!!!!

2009-06-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

And loving it!

And I am so sorry for not having written anything since we got the house two and a half weeks ago! The move went well but we have been so busy packing and unpacking and cleaning etc that I haven't had time to blog. And, my computer is back in the shop so I have been unable to share any pictures of the final product (although it is beautiful if I do say so myself!).

We have had a few "incidents" with our furniture that were frustrating to say the least. Remember the kitchen table that I bought 2 monthes ago? Well, when we finally assembled it last Sunday (got tired of eating at the breakfast bar), the base fell apart and DENTED our brand new hardwood. We had cardboard underneath it to protect it but that did not save the hardwood underneath. Luckily though, the dent is really only noticeable to us but still. It was definitely not a plesant experience. And we decided to return that beautiful creamy-white leather sofa and side chair that we bought because the colour really did not go well with our space and the sofa was a bit too small for the room. However, that being said, we did find another kitchen table that we are ecstatic about (we are going to go and pick it up next week) as well as find a sofa that will definitely look a lot better in our place. And we have decided on the backsplash tile that we are going to use in our kitchen. I do have a picture of it and can share this. Think of it as a bit of a teaser till I get pictures of the rest of the place posted:

Oh la la...

2009-05-21T09:07:00.000-07:00

All of our cabinets have been installed and they look great! The knobs are the wrong ones (on all of the cabinets) but the cabinets themselves look wonderful and I am very happy with them. As well, I really like the layout of the kitchen. I wasn't sure when we originally chose it since we decided on the layout based on what was on paper instead of an actual picture of what it would look like, but after seeing it last night, I am so happy with it. I already have ideas of how I would like to decorate it and the adjoining eat-in area (I just have to make sure Hubby doesn't look at his Visa bill for awhile...). The kitchen was really messy when we were there last night but I think that they had just finished installing everything. And, technically speaking, we really weren't supposed to be in the house till next Tuesday so I'll let the mess slide for now :)

That green thing that you see is someones' tool kit and we will definitely be replacing the builder standard white hood fan with a stainless steel one to better match all of the stainless steel appliances that we bought.

Hmmm... these next 5 days are gonna feel like forever!!! Thank goodness we still have a ton of packing to get through to keep us occupied.

7 days to go!!!!!

2009-05-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

That's right. By this time next Tuesday, yours truly will be an official home-owner! How wonderful! Last night, Hubby and I went to visit the house and boy is it ever coming along.

What has been done since our last visit:

The front porch has been finished
The railings have been put in
Outside lights have been intsalled
The siding has been installed
All of the walls are finished (drywalled and painted)
The hardwood has been installed on the main floor
All of the cabinets have been delivered

What is left to be done:

Finish the top of the porch and add decorative front
Finish the posts that hold up the roof above the porch
Put the fireplace mantle in
Install all cabinets in the Kitchen, Master Ensuite and Second bathroom
Lay the underpad and caret on the stairs, upper hallway and all the second floor bedrooms
Install the glass shower in the Master Ensuite
Install all the plumbing fixtures (toliet, sinks, faucets etc.)
Attach all of the closet/room doors
Pave the driveway and add the sod
And a few other minor things here and there

All in all, the house is almost done and we are very happy with what we have seen up to this point. There are a few goof-ups that we have already brought to the attention of our builder and they will be addressed/fixed before we take possession next Tuesday.

SO - without further ado, here are some shots from last night. Enjoy the latest eye-candy :)

The front of the house:

The side of the house (including a shot of my husband crouching down to take a peek inside the basement):

Our tv room. The hardwood was just finished earlier in the day and I guess the workers didn't want to scratch it up (hence the cardboard on top of it):

Our closet:

A decorative niche located at the top of stairs:

Here are our kitchen cabinets. Unfortunately, the handles on the doors and drawers were not the ones that we signed off on. This will be fixed in the next few days.

And that's about it for now. We will probably stalk... er... I mean check out our house tomorrow evening so stay tuned for those photos!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!!

2009-05-05T09:49:00.000-07:00

We don't really celebrate it here in Ottawa but there are plenty of people that do so hopefully you are enjoying it. What do people do for this day? Are there particular foods that are made? Is it a gathering for friends/family/both? I am intrigued. Perhaps next year, I'll organize a Cinco de Mayo par-tay at our new home. Speaking of things celebratory, one week from today will be our second year anniversary. We don't have anything planned but it's a nice to know that we have made it this far. And speaking of far, three weeks from today will be when we get our house. For some reason though, I am not that excited today - probably because I am under the weather and so am feeling crummy. Don't worry - it is not the N1H1 virus!

I was cleaning up a few minutes ago and found a piece of paper with a note on it. It said, "Take a spontaneous trip". I don't know where it came from or when it was written but it really got me thinking about getting on a plane and going somewhere. There are so many beautiful places to go so it would be hard to narrow it down to just one but if I had to choose right now in this instant, I would pick Paris. It's a small city with such a huge, international profile. And it's so iconic. I would love to go there and chill for a week. I definitely would not be bored.

Hmmm... maybe I'll plan a trip out there for later on this summer - once the new house has settled...

Happy May 1st!!!

2009-05-01T16:52:00.000-07:00

There are only 25 days left and counting!!! Hubby and I went out to the house last night and no one was around so we were able to sneak in and take a peak. I love, love the way the tile in the front entrance is coming along. It'll be such a nice complement for the dark 3 1/4" plank hardwood that will be laid in the adjacent rooms.

The railings have already been put in. I love the chocolate stain that we chose. It looks so rich and hopefully matches the hardwood *fingers crossed*
Here is the Master Ensuite. They just finished the tiles but I noticed that it was not placed correctly so we have already contacted the builder to have it fixed. The listello on the bottom left was supposed to continue into the shower. As well it is supposed to be a double-line and not a single one. Hopefully the tilers will fix this before the glass-shower gets installed.

Our future Master Bedroom. I can not wait to decorate it!!

We're in the homestretch now!

2009-04-26T18:36:00.000-07:00

We have exactly ONE month left till our house is complete and the excitement is setting in. Hubby and I went out on Friday to check the progress and it's hard to believe how much has been done.

The concrete on our front porch has been poured:

The brick on the front as well as the shingles on the roof are now done:

The siding on the side of the house is complete. The rest of the front will be done next week:

Here's a picture of our future kitchen. The drywall is almost all done:

This has nothing to do with the house but I could not resist. Here's my best friend (aka my Hubby) trying out an ATV Saturday afternoon. He was unaware that I took this shot and I think he looks great!! That's all :)

Because anything can happen...

2009-04-24T09:45:00.000-07:00

I really like this video. It gives me a warm, fuzzy feeling...

She's coming along

2009-04-23T19:15:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe how much progress has been made on our house. Almost all of the brick has been done (except for the porch) and the siding will be finished this week. On the inside, all the insulation has been finished and the guys have moved onto drywalling. Hard to believe that in 5 weeks, the house will be done and ours!!

I'm back!!

2009-04-23T19:00:00.000-07:00

Actually I never really went anywhere. My computer broke down so I took it into Future Shop to get fixed. What was only supposed to be a 1 week separation ended up being 4 weeks of no computer, no blogging, no virtual world!! How did I survive you ask? Easily. Hubby and I went out and bought a car. And what a beaute she is. And I love that we are now mobile and can come and go on our own whim. I have already started to have visions of the many road trips I would like us to take. So exciting :)

Hmm... I wonder if I have enough vacation time to take off from work...

The other half...

2009-03-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

Now that I am getting into this whole blogging thing, I thought that I would introduce my other half, named JC, and talk a bit about us. Here is the story of us:

How long have we been married?
Although it feels like forever sometimes, we got hitched in May 2007 so almost 2 years now.

Who's smarter?
That's a tough one and I guess it depends on how one defines "smart". JC has an incredible knack for storing tremendous amounts of information about cars and tools and business but ask him where he put the spaghetti jar we bought last night and he's clueless. Then again, if you want to know anything related to pop-culture, then I'm your gal but ask me the pros/cons of variable vs fixed-rate mortgages and I look at you like you are an alien. So I guess I'd say that puts me ahead by a nose :) Just kidding, we both are equal in this department.

Who is the neat-freak?
Alright, I'll admit it. It's me.

Who hogs the blanket?
Darn - got me again. It's me but only when it's cold. When it's warm, I am blanket-free.

Who drives when we are together?
To keep my sanity intact, it's easier if JC drives :)

Hubby says I'm a dreamer ...

2009-03-16T13:20:00.001-07:00

But I'm not the only one :)
With less than 3 months to go before the house is done, I have been starting to seriously think about how to decorate it. Here is another inspiration pic that I found that I really like. I think that it will complement the colours in the living room pic I posted about last week quite nicely. The floor and cabinet in this pic are similar to what we choose and I really like the bar stools and white chairs. I really like the contrast and want to try and achieve this look for my kitchen/eat-in area.

Hmmm... there are so many options and possibilites that I could choose from...

Could this be it??

2009-03-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Hubby and I went to visit my family in la belle province. During our visit, we decided to go shopping with my siblings. Normally, my husband is quite mall-adverse but he knew how much my sisters like to shop and seeing as how it was one of their birthdays, was happy to go along with us. Anyhow, while we were shopping/browsing the clothing stores, I noticed a furniture store that caught my eye so went in and that's when I saw it. The kitchen table that I have been searching everywhere for for the last 2 months. I have seen very similar versions of it here in Ottawa but they were always too big. I was starting to think that it was probably not available in the size that I needed so was going to give up on it but thank goodness I didn't because I now know that it is available. And the salesrep said that they can order one in for me but wasn't sre how long it would take so will call me back to let me know.

Hmm... I found out that the base of this table is made of eco-friendly wood. Although I am not as passionate about the environment as my counterparts, hearing this made me feel like I should go and hug a tree. For a second anyways...

House updates

2009-03-16T12:38:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Hubby went and took some photos of our house and it is amazing how quickly it is coming along! Our second floor and roof are already in and they were working on laying the shingles for the roof. Most of the windows are in as well. Here is a picture of the side of the house. This is the garage, side view of the dining room and the bedroom on top. Below is a picture of the front of the house (love the port-a-potty in the picture!). All of the windows, except for the one in the great room (it is blocked by the potty) are in and the support beams for the porch are in as well. As of today, there 11 weeks and 3 days left to go!!!

Hmmm... maybe I should get started on shopping for the furniture now...

I heart this room

2009-03-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Completely. That's all I have to say.

Hmm... maybe I will use this as the inspiration for my family room...

Excitement!!

2009-03-08T18:03:00.000-07:00

So I was just sitting here thinking of what to blog about when I realized that today is the 8th of March which means that in 3 months and 4 days, we'll get our house!!! And that the thought of that makes me so happy :)

Just to tease myself, I decided to take a look at the design choices we have made so far and I still love them and can't wait to see how all of our choices come together. It will look fabulous.

Have a look. Here is a picture of the tile that we have chosen for our foyer and powder room as well as the hardwood that we chose for the kitchen, living room, dining room and family room. This carpet is what we chose for our stairs, upstairs hallway and all the bedrooms.

Here is a picture of the kitchen cabinets, countertops and the same hardwood/tile from the previous picture. I think that this picture does not due the colours justice but hopefully it gives you an idea of what we are doing.

Actually, here is the inspiration for our kitchen. These are the same cabinets, countertops and handles that we have chosen. Although the backsplash is nice in this picture, we find it to be a bit too traditional for our contemporary taste and are leaning towards using 1"x 1" glass tiles... if we can agree on a style that we like.

And finally, the bathrooms. For the master ensuite, we decided to keep the same cabinet/countertop/handles as in the kitchen so as to keep a common look and feel throughout the house. For the floor and tub tiles though, we went for a really neutral tile with a brown listello framing the roman tub. The listello is really cool and has flecks of gold, beige and chocolate brown - a perfect complement to the other elements in this room.

Here are the options we have chosen for the second bathroom. On the top left, is the countertop; below that is the cabinet; below that on the right is the tub tiles (minus the optional motive tiles) and on the bottom on the left is the floor tile.

Hmm... I'm more excited now than when I started this blog tonight. Tata :)

Appliances and Furniture

2009-03-06T16:56:00.000-08:00

We bought our fridge and stove and I am so excited about it. They are stainless steel and so beautiful - it was definitely love at first sight! I love that the stove is a slide-in and that the fridge is counter-depth. Oh I can't wait for them to arrive!!! Do you like?

And check out this great area rug that I bought from this place in Texas. Well, I didn't actually go to Texas - I bought it online but the place is in Texas so it's kinda the same thing... kinda :)

Hmm... I wonder if this rug will match my white leather sofa?? Oh the wait is gonna feel like forever!!

The Bachelor

2009-03-03T09:42:00.000-08:00

Every season I pick a reality show and follow it through. It doesn't really matter what it is. I just pick one and that's the one that I will devotedly watch. What happens if I miss an episode? Hubby will watch it for me (he is the BEST!!) or I'll try and watch it online. Anyhow, last nights' Final Rose/After the Rose episode really through me for a curveball. I felt like I was sucker-punched right in the tummy. I mean, here I am all season like, "Oh Jason is such a good guy" and "what a great father - I hope he finds the ONE" and then he does and I was so happy for him for because he and Melissa genuinely looked happy. But then, what does he do 4 weeks later??? He turns around, dumps the poor girl on national television and goes after the runner up. Class-LESS. Who does that? I could understand if he was contractually obligated to give his decision on national tv but that was just low if that was the case. Poor Melissa. I liked her and thought she was sweet even though she wasn't the one that I was rooting for. And the fact that Jason, who looked so upset for hurting Melissa, turns around 20 minutes later to ask runner-up Molly (who had no idea what had just happened) if they could see where things could go between them - I mean come on. All I can say is that Jason Mesnick is officially a douche-bag in my books.

Hmm... it's ironic how Jason's wife left him broken-hearted for another man and how he called her low for doing that yet he turns around and does the same thing to Melissa - and on national television nonetheless!

Manning Face

2009-03-01T08:44:00.000-08:00

I had to come into work for an hour and - 4 hours later - I am still here. I like to think that I am good at my job. Heck, I think I am great at it but that doesn't mean that I need to spend my weekend here! Oh well. At least the O/T check will be nice. Maybe I'll use it to treat myself to some much needed self-indulgance like a trip to the spa or a new purse or finally buy these Micheal Kors shoes that I have loved ever since I saw them last season...

Ma Maison...

2009-03-01T08:36:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we went out to check on our lot and it's amazing how quickly the house is coming together. We already have a second floor and the roof should be installed in the next couple of weeks. Here is what the front of the house looks like (there is a cut out for the door and bay window on the left) as well as a picture of the side where the garage will be.

She ain't pretty - she just looks that way.

2009-02-28T09:28:00.000-08:00

Seriously. Our regular, 10$ faithful iron that we had for years finally went kaput on us so we decided that it was time for an upgrade. And oh what an upgrade. One look at this beauty and we were sold. With it's LED readout display and vertical steam feature, we thought it was perfect for us.

But as the title says, the best part of this iron was only in its' outward appearance. It takes forever to heat up, cools down almost immediately after it has heated up (i.e.:while I am using it!!) and it beeps. ALL THE TIME. It is rather annoying. Now I have to find the receipt, pack it up and take it back to the store and find another iron. Such a shame. It is such a pretty iron and we loved the way it looked but oh well - guess we've learned my lesson. Better off choosing function before style (in the case of the iron of course). I hope the next iron we buy will be good *fingers crossed*

Our first home!

2009-02-28T08:25:00.000-08:00

After years of renting, hubby and I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a home. We looked for months at everything from condos to townhomes to old homes with lots of land and some homes that had no land and could not decide on a house that we both liked. Then one day it just happened. We heard of this new development and decided to check it out. We weren't really thinking about buying a new-build but we heard some good things about this new builder and decided to check it out. They had some model homes so we took a walk through them. Then it happened. There was this one model that, when we stepped in, we just new it was the one. It just felt right. It was as if this house was built just for us. Within an hour of seeing that model, we rushed over to the Sales Center to choose a lot and purchase our very first home!!!! I am so excited. We have a beautiful porch and facing a park and pond. There are lots of windows so lots of light coming through. The house will not be ready till June 2009 so we still have lots of waiting to do but it will be worth the wait when it is ready.

Here is a picture of the model home. We chose the same exterior options (brick, siding, shingles etc.) as what you see in the picture but have chosen a different look inside. The model home is beautifully decorated in a traditional-modern style that looks fantastic but our style is more on the contemporary side so that will be the look/feel that we will try to achieve.

Inauguration

2009-02-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

I've done it. This is my maiden voyage into the world of blogging. So exciting! And it's all thanks to my husband. Sort of. Funny story really - he told me that I should start blogging because I talk too much. I think what he meant to say was that I should share my thoughts with the world. At least that's how I'll take it :)

So welcome to all those that want to read what it is I have to say and hopefully you enjoy my ramblings ;)