Happy Friday

This week definitely had its fair share of highs and lows. I'm glad to see the weekend is just about here. We're going to hide from the snow, visit our friends, and catch the big game on Sunday (I watch for the food, obviously.) In the meantime, here are some things that have made me happy this week.

This guy. I've been completely sappy lately (more so than usual) and when I'm down, he really knows how to pull me back up, and when I'm up, he's there next to me smiling. I am so lucky. Sappiness over.

Chocolate chip muffins. I'm loving these right now. I'd probably eat one a day if I could.

This little girl. Her kicking reminds me of what she's up to, and I love it (even when it's my bladder she's kicking).

Have a great weekend!

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In Dreams

I’ve always been one of those people who can recount my dreams in the morning. They’re never as clear in my mind as they were at the time of the dream, but I still remember what I saw. In high school, my bff and I used to discuss our dreams on our way to school in the morning. Now, I roll over and tell Nick (if he hasn’t already left for work).

The other morning, I was in luck because he was still home and my dream was weird. I gave birth to a puppy. The puppy was our new baby girl. The strangest part was that it wasn’t at all strange for a human to give birth to this Daschund puppy. We named her the same name we’ve chosen for our baby (I’ll share it eventually :)) and proudly showed her off.

I felt like a total champ because I had slept through the entire birthing process. I was like ‘pain? What pain? I slept through the whole thing. Women are sissies’. Hmm…pretty sure that isn’t going to ring true in a few months’ time.

Anyone else with ridiculous dreams? Anyone? Bueller?

Image via

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Give That Bump a Name

There's all kinds of thought that goes into naming a baby. For some (like me), they will find out the gender half way through the pregnancy and can (if they want) use the baby's name for the other half of said pregnancy. Others (with the patience of Saints) can wait until the baby is born and so can't really assign a name to the baby in advance. I suppose there's a third category of people who know the gender and are still unable to decide on a name until they have that little one in their arms.

The solution? Name the bump! It's a completely non-committal way to use a name. My bump has a name...we came upon it accidentally, but it has a name none-the-less.

Most women notice that their belly button turns from an innie to an outie during the process. Apparently I have a weird belly button because it just kept stretching more to the sides, looking like an eye. Nick said it was looking at him and reminded him of the Eye of Horus (the all-seeing eye).

Ignorant me, not really knowing the spelling, assumed he was saying Horace. And that, my friends, is the bump's name.

Ps. Sorry for the repeat picture of the bump (above), it's not like I take those every day. Seriously.

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Lego

The other night, I saw a trailer for the new Lego movie. I mean LEGO, the movie. I can't wait to see it! It's probably obvious now how much I love Lego. Ever since I was a kid I've loved it. My brother and I got it for many Christmas and birthday gifts. We had the Caribbean Clipper, the Wolf Pack castle, and the beach house, beach front restaurant and little beach hut (those last few were all mine :).

I kinda have an obsession with building Lego because I want it to be built exactly to the specifications of the instructions. I'm not really an 'outside the Lego-box' thinker. So when Nick got a Lego airplane for Christmas last year (to accompany his flying lesson), I built it. By myself. Exactly as shown on the box.

Why do I love this toy so much?

Confession: I once selected a candidate for an interview for an internship position just because he stated he was part of his University's Lego Club on this resume (always scan the hobbies/extra curriculars). And I asked him all about it in the interview. Giant nerd alert.

Sometimes I use this blog to confess my eccentricities. This would be one of those times. My apologies to any family or friends who are now embarrassed. I am not.

Ps. The photo above is from a 1981 Lego ad. You should read the entire article that goes with it. It raises an excellent point on gender-based marketing to children.

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A Good Old Fashioned Slumber Party

It's January. January in Canada can be soooo blah. So what's a great way to beat the winter blues? A slumber party with your girlfriends!

My friend set up this girls night before Christmas so we would all have something to look forward to in January. We got ourselves some delicious snacks and all settled in for a night of catching up, gossiping and watching chick-flicks.

Our movie list included: Clueless, Mean Girls, and Now and Then. It helps to choose moves that everyone's seen so you can chat while watching (without totally ruining it). If you're like me, it's also great because you can recite the lines just before the actors/actresses say them. Because everybody loves that ;)

Have everyone come in their favourite lounging around clothes, armed with snacks/wine, a pillow and some fun games (Cards Against Humanity, anyone?) and have at 'er. Pillow fights optional.

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Some Exciting News

Well I've been sitting on this news for quite some time now. I'm thrilled to finally share the news here on the blog. I'm having a baby! Well not right this second, obviously, but in June :)

Although technically I've been in the 'safe zone' for may weeks, I was just feeling funny about making a very public announcement. More on that another day. Now I'm ready to share the happy news. Nick and I are thrilled and last week we found out that it's a little girl!!

Although I don't plan on morphing This is Lovely into a baby blog, this is a personal/lifestyle blog and since my lifestyle is changing there will definitely be some baby content in the future. I hope you'll stick with me!

I won't get into too many details, but as of now, I'm feeling well, my bump is growing and we're eagerly anticipating the arrival of this little one in early June.

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Where Should You Actually Live?

I came across this quiz from Buzzfeed, that helps people to find out what city in the world truly makes the most sense for their lifestyle. Of course, curious, I took said quiz. If I had to guess what city I would have ended up in, it probably would have been somewhere in the UK, 'cause, you know, I have a thing for the Brits. Boy, did they prove me wrong.

It turns out that I should actually be living in Capetown. It also said I was adventurous. I'm not entirely sure I answered the questions properly, but I guess I'll get to go on that safari after all!

Take this super scientific quiz here to find out your best match, and start planning that big move!

Have a happy Friday and an even happier weekend.

Ps. Stay tuned next week for an exciting announcement :)

Image source

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Weekend Bits

This felt like a real back to normal weekend after all the holiday hoopla. We took advantage of a free friday night to catch a movie. In an effort to see some of the biggies in time for award season, we went to see The Wolf of Wall Street. Overall it was a great film although it was quite long. Definitely worth seeing and honestly with all the hype I expected to be more aware of the f-bombs...it didn't even register to me which leads me to think I must use that word too often.

We also got to spend Saturday night with friends we hadn't seen in months. We caught up over apple pie dip (look for it on Pinterest), chilli and brownies.

Sunday morning Nick and I had a pancake date while we watched our football (soccer) team kick some ass.

We also had a great family dinner and came home in time for the Golden Globes. My picks for best dressed? Margot Robbie, Julie Bowen, Amy Adams and Lena Dunham.

Overall I give this weekend two thumbs up. Oh, hey...Monday.

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Last Night's Surprise Visitor

Last night we were just sitting in the living room, relaxing and minding our own business when all of a sudden something comes flying in overhead. I thought it was a bird...

It's a bat! Nick shouted and immediately jumped up and ran to open the door.

It was at this point when my 'fight or flight' reaction did not kick in. Why does nobody talk about the 'freeze' reaction? I threw my hood over my head, and froze in a little ball, screaming 'Where is it? Where IS IT?!'
The problem is, our living room ceiling is vaulted and you can't see it unless you're sitting directly in the room, so from the door, Nick had no clue where it was. In reality it was right over my head.

After screaming for a long time (probably more like a minute), I got up enough adrenaline to run out of the room and hide in the bathroom. That's when the bat decided to take flight. It was flying all over the place, so Nick had to jump into the spare bedroom to avoid it. We spent the next little while trying to devise a plan while yelling to each other from room to room. Did I mention Rocky was barking along because we were so obviously freaked out? My plan was to wait for Nick to decide a plan while I stayed safe in the bathroom.

Conversation
Nick: Maybe it's gone, I don't see it flying around. Oh wait, it's there hanging on the curtains! Look!

Emma: {leaning head out the bathroom door to look} eeeeeeeeek!  - it took off flying directly towards me.

I watched that thing fly around through a crack in the door while Nick suited up. I'm talking work boots, toque, jacket, and then a blanket that he could see through over his head. I was narrating the bat's every move. He's in the kitchen! Now he's back in the dining room! I'm sure I was extremely helpful.

Nick: ok, enough is enough, this bat is leaving.

He marched out, full bat-proof costume, opened the front door and after we patiently watched the bat fly around the house some more, it finally made it out the door.

We were left sitting there, completely freaked out, wondering a) how did it get in here and b) how long has it been in the house?? Insert heebie jeebies here.

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New Blog to Follow: Tell a Tale Tillia

Let me introduce you to my friend Cait. We've been friends since high school but sadly we haven't lived in the same city (or even nearby each other) for years. She's a world-traveler, foodie, bike-enthusiast, beautiful person, fantastic story-teller and can always make me laugh. Right now she's on a trip through Asia and she's decided to blog about her adventures. Her posts are fun to read, give some good insights into the places she's visiting and highlight what a savvy traveler she truly is. I feel it's safe to say you will love following along with her adventure.

Check her blog out here. Like me, you can live vicariously through her.

photo credit: Cait's Instagram

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Tuesday Ramblings

+ It's Tuesday (January 7th) and apparently if you're here today, you've made it through Blue Monday (pseudo-psych's most depressing day of the year). Good for you!
+ Does anyone pronounce Tuesday, like chews-day?
+ What about saying shh-edule instead of sk-edule? Those are both fancy ways to say those words. I'm not fancy enough for those pronunciations.
+ It's absolutely freezing today. No walk for the dog today, sorry pup. He wouldn't like it anyway (or so I've convinced myself).
+ Can I wear two pairs of pants today? Will it be too warm at work?
+ I'm afraid my car won't start.
+ I'm really glad I have a warm house to live in. #superthankful
+ If schools close during extreme cold, why not offices?
+ Did anyone watch The Bachelor last night? Obviously I did and obviously I liked it. I was glad to see he got rid of a few nutsos right off the mark. Probably not the best idea to go on a televised dating show shortly after having your engagement broken.
+ On the other hand, he gave the first impression rose to a girl who didn't seem very interested and called their interaction 'forced'. Stay tuned for some more examples of poor judgement.
+ My sister-in-law is in Australia right now and Oz is apparently facing extreme heat. If I had to choose between extreme cold and extreme heat...let's all go to Australia!

Have a great day, and think warm (unless you already are, in which case, I'm giving you the side-eye).

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I'm Going Resolution-Free

I don't usually come up with a New Year's Resolution until the new year has already begun. So here we are, just days into 2014, and I am resolving not to resolve. This year, I am just going to enjoy it without trying to adhere to any rules. Why? Because I end up breaking the resolution anyway. I think I'm going to be happier simply enjoying the things that make me (and those around me) happy.

I do know someone who resolves to do something new each year. They are usually adventurous and interesting and I thought those of you who want to resolve may find that inspiring. Instead of resolving to eat healthy and lose weight, pick an activity that you've always wanted to do and commit to doing it sometime this year.

Which camp are you this year? The resolver or the non? Maybe next year I'll rejoin the resolvers but for 2014, it's all about the enjoyment.

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Hello to a Brand New Year

I've noticed a lot of people saying 'good riddance' to 2013, but I don't share their sentiment. 2013 was a wonderful year and although I'm ready for 2014, I will still look back at this year fondly. It was a year that Nick completely changed careers (very successfully I might add) and I got a great promotion. We bought our first home. We celebrated with our friends who got married and welcomed babies into their families and we've shared amazing memories with both our English and Canadian families. This year has been absolutely beautiful and I expect great things from 2014.

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