So We Moved

Normally this would be where I list excuse after excuse for not being a better (read: more consistent) blogger. Instead I will list only one: we moved.

This was our first time selling our place (verdict is in; it's not very much fun) and the one-millionth time we've moved (still not so fun). The fun part? Our new place! Plus unpacking. I loooove to unpack. So much so that that's how I spent most of my birthday. Moving-nerd-alert.

We are totally unpacked and have only been living here for 3 weeks. As much as I would like to share some photos, we still have some work to do (painting and such) and I'd be happier to show the final results. So instead, I will show you a photo of lovely drawing given to us from our Real Estate agents of our new home.

{our place is the left, my parents' place is the right}

You didn't forget that we bought this place with my parents and we each live in half, right? Well so far, it's working out wonderfully (according to me). I have a sneaking suspicion that I am becoming the annoying neighbour that stops by unannounced (every.single.day). To offer them comfort, since I'm sure they're reading this, in two months I will be back to work and will have much less free time to be wandering over for random visits. 

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Lately

{the only way to get things done; baby in a basket}

My apologies for the radio silence again over the last couple weeks. I started the new year feeling ready to blog on the regular again. Then life happened.

Last fall, my parents and Nick and I decided to embark on a journey that most people wouldn't dare try. Purchasing a house together. To be clear, it's more like two semi-detached houses. I mean, we're not that crazy.

There had been so much back and forth with all the various moving parts, that we had almost completely given up on it actually happening. Until the one thing that needed to happen did.

What that meant for us was we then had two weeks to get our place completely ready for sale. Our little condo, which was full of things (aka absolutely not ready for potential buyers). So instead of spending our days doing leisurely activities and playing with Ruby, we were going nuts patching holes, painting, cleaning, de-cluttering, moving furniture and staging our place. Once that was done, we moved ourselves out (to my parents house) so that I wouldn't be trying to round up a dog and a baby every time someone wanted to view the place. Between that, having Nick's parents over for a lovely winter visit, planning my mom's retirement party, all three of us having colds and taking care of Ruby, there was pretty much no time for anything else.

Now, *breathes sigh of relief* that we're out of our place, I can get back to blogging a bit more regularly I hope!

Ps. Selling your first place is a lot more emotional than I ever expected. More on that later...

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Children of the Corn

Do you remember the movie Children of the Corn? It's about those creepy blonde children that are evil and force their parents to do awful things using the power of their evil little minds. Well, we may or may not be dealing with a little Children of the Corn scenario over here. Nick and I are starting to think that Ruby and Rocky may be working together to kill us.

Rocky had us thinking this for a little while. Our main concern is his antler. He has this deer antler (naturally shed, they sell them at pet stores) that he chews on. It seems a bit like he's sharpening it (in the way an inmate might sharpen one end of a toothbrush to turn it into a weapon). He frequently does this, and leaves it standing on end (sharp end pointed up). I didn't even think a dog could position a chew toy the way he does.
Now, Ruby has shown little twinges of evil behaviour, the creepiest was when she grabbed Nick by the neck, dug in her little nails and then just smiled at him. A loving smile, or a death threat? We can't be sure.

{the weapon; left on its end, ready to stab someone, on the regular} 

{they may look innocent, but I swear they're working together}

These two blonde haired children are out to get us. Just putting it out there, if something bad happens, we were on to them.

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Christmas Time

Well Christmas is just a few days away. Last year was a little different because (most of) Nick's family were here. This year will be different again with our little Rubester on the scene :)

We're really looking forward to having Christmas morning with her and even though she's too little to really understand, we will delight in watching her open presents (and probably just try to eat the paper). I am so excited to start our own little Christmas traditions.

Until the day arrives, indulge in some Christmas movies (like The Grinch), and tune in to your favourite Christmas music (you can find my favourites here and here).

Have a lovely holiday!

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Places to Eat: Detour

Last week, Ruby and I took my dad out for a daddy/daughter/granddaughter day out to celebrate his birthday (albeit a little late). We drove in to Dundas and after spending some time at the park, we went looking for a place for lunch. We parked up on the main street and figured we would pop into a place that looked interesting. We found Detour. It is the perfect little breakfast & lunch spot. As soon as I saw macaroni and cheese on the menu, I was obviously getting that. He opted for gourmet grilled cheese. Both choices you can't really go wrong with, in my opinion. Ruby said she was too full, and I think she regretted her decision after seeing our meals.

{grilled cheese for dad, mac and cheese (with spinach!) for me}

The staff were so sweet and even helped us get the stroller inside. It's got that great vintage/antique vibe with updated touches (some of my favourite art). I would definitely recommend giving this one a try.

{I love the art - of local skylines - they have displayed}

Have a great weekend!

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Weekend Bits

How does Monday get here so fast? Did you have a good weekend? We had a lovely one. Friday night was just a chill at home night. Somehow, Friday has just turned into that. We're both too exhausted from the week to make much of an effort to do anything but just have a drink and curl up.

Saturday morning little miss Ruby was up bright and early and ready for action so we were out for a walk by 8:30. The weather stayed clear enough to go apple picking in the afternoon with friends. Check one thing off my Fall To-Do list, plus, we got so many delicious, local apples.

{all smiles for our morning walk}

{two men and a baby...and a wagon full of apples}

{some of our haul}

After that, our friends treated us to what they referred to as a 'simple supper'. I am now going to start calling them the ultimate hosts because two homemade soups plus gourmet grilled cheeses wasn't what I would call simple (in the best way possible). For future grilled cheeses, allow me to recommend old white cheddar, bacon and apple or pear, brie and fig jam. Just go ahead and make it right now, you won't be sorry.

{there were six of us eating, so you don't think we're that bad}

Sunday, after being served coffee in bed, was a typical lazy day around the house, but when we went to family dinner at my parents' place, guess what they had decided to make? Poutine. Looooved it. Poutine with different choices for toppings (slow cooked beef or pulled pork). Does your mom make poutine? Just saying.

{coffee in bed} 

{family cuddles}

{pulled pork poutine}

This was a bit of a food-centric post...I swear I live for more than just eating (riiiight). Now here we are, another Monday. I hope you have a great week!

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Baby Talk Canadian vs English

I've written several posts about the funny conversations Nick and I have that highlight the differences between British English and Canadian English. Now I've discovered more differences in the baby world. These have all surfaced since Ruby has graced us with her presence.

{taking Ruby for a spin in a proper pram - it was Nick's as a baby!}

We say                   They say

Onesie & Sleeper     Baby Grow

Stroller                     Pram

Crib                         Cot

Diaper                      Nappy

Soother/Pacifier        Dummy

Burping                    Winding

Drool                       Dribble

While we were in England, I tried not to confuse everyone too much with my words, but it's funny how the context changes so much with just one word. The word diaper has a different (and apparently gross) meaning. Who knew?

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

A Cool Thing My Dad Did

My Granddad passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 94. Yep, the Walker genes are strong. Years before he died, he would tell us stories, often of things from his past. The older he got the more the stories were repeated. One particular story was how he and my grandma used to ride their bikes from  Liverpool to Chester. He would always say, "it's sixteen miles from Liverpool to Chester". We would smile and nod after hearing that fact over and over, but it's something that stuck with us. Turns out it was more like 32 miles, but anyway...

About a week ago, my parents went to England (four days after we got home actually) and went to stay with Nick's parents for the weekend. They had decided that my dad and Nick's dad would cycle from Liverpool to Chester. They even dubbed it the Frank Walker Memorial Cycle. How sweet is that? Luckily, my father-in-law also documented the ride with some photos. Don't tell me their selfie isn't one of the cutest you've ever seen.

{the start} 

{finish!}

{the dads/ granddad & grandpa - perfecting selfies since 2014}

It's my dad's birthday today, so happy birthday dad! I think it's so cool that you were able to do that ride. xo

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Ruby's First Trip to England

{four generations} 

We are back from England! Actually, we've been home for a few days but the jet lag was a killer so I couldn't bring myself to do much until now.

We had such a lovely time introducing Ruby to her aunties, uncles, cousins and especially to her great grandmother. Her granny and grandpa were also very excited to see her again. Every morning we would wake up, stumble downstairs, I would drink I giant French Press of coffee (all to myself) while Ruby was enveloped in cuddles.

We had lots of time to catch up, as well as do some sight-seeing and tourist activities. We had family dinners, trips to the pub, sing-alongs, walks around town, a trip to Liverpool to see my cousins, a trip into Chester for shopping, we visited a beautiful garden that had a monkey forest, took a trip to the beach in Wales, and we even got a night out with friends while granny and grandpa looked after Ruby.

Here are some pictures of the trip...

A Necessary Life Skill

Something that I think everyone should be able to do (but not everyone can), is make a good cup of coffee. It's not difficult, yet I feel that this little tidbit of knowledge is often overlooked by many-a-parents. Not mine though. I'm not exactly sure why my dad taught me how to make coffee when I was so young (under 10 I believe)...either I asked because I was curious, or he saw the strategic advantage in training an eager-to-learn child.

I can't remember how often I would do this, but I remember getting up early and putting the coffee on for my parents. My dad would call me 'Coffee Angel' which was the perfect positive reinforcement for me to want to make it for them again.

Isn't it nice to be able to offer someone a nice, warm, perfectly brewed coffee? Yes, I know your Keurig or Tassimo can do it, but I'm still a fan of a big ol' pot of coffee.

It doesn't take much, all you need to know is the ratio. For every scoop of coffee (I'm talking about the little scoop that either comes with the coffee or your coffee maker, put in two cups of water (according to the gauge on the side). Oh and buy good coffee. Making it at home is SO MUCH CHEAPER than buying it out, so go ahead and splurge on the good stuff. If you are feeling really hospitable, you may want to warm the mugs up too - my dad also taught me how to delecately balance their mugs, upside down on top of the coffee maker to absorb the residual heat.

The things you remember from childhood, eh?

Have a great weekend.

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

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.

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Christmas Morning Traditions

What is your Christmas morning like? Back when my brother and I were little kids, we'd be awake from about 4am on. Good thing my parents allowed the opening of stockings before they were up. Eventually (probably around 5:30am) my parents would crawl out of bed, clearly desperate for coffee, and indulge their annoying children. At the time, I knew it was early, but I had no real concept of how crappy it must have felt. For that I say, thank you dear parents.

Since we've grown up, we've changed up the tradition a bit. Whereas before, all gifts would be open by about 7am, now we don't even make it over to my parents place until about 10:30. Nick and I open presents together at home, followed by a lively Skype with our family in the UK. Then we head over to my parents' place. We will drink coffee and leisurely open our stockings. Then, we will all sit down to a big Christmas brunch of french toast, bacon, sausage, fruit, mimosas, sometimes followed by cinnamon buns (because the rest wasn't indulgent enough).

Eventually, we'll drag our full tummies back to the living room to open gifts. This ends up lasting into the afternoon. If weather and energy permits (as it did last year) we'll head outside for a walk. So our Christmas morning really turns into an entire day.

This year will be slightly different, but for a wonderful reason. Nick's parents and sister are coming to town! We'll change up the routine just a bit (Nick and I are hosting brunch), but they will still get to experience our version of a Canadian Christmas. Just a couple more days until they arrive :)

I will be taking a holiday blogging break, but I'm looking forward to 2014 and all the excitement it has to bring. Have a very wonderful holiday!

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Donut Cake

What do you do, when it's your guy's birthday and you're not baking him his favourite cake until the weekend? Why, you assemble a donut cake, of course. I'm glad I opted for a half-dozen...not sure we'd be able to say no to donuts and I really didn't want to eat six to myself (for the record, I've only had one so far).

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Thanksgiving Weekend

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians!

What do you normally to do celebrate Thanksgiving?

We always have a family dinner and I usually try to get in some outdoor activity. Going for a hike to check out the changing leaves is my favourite. While this holiday isn’t quite as ‘big’ as American Thanksgiving, it’s a really lovely way to kick-off the fall season. This year, I’m just looking forward to spending quality time with my family and enjoying the deliciousness that is my mom’s Thanksgiving dinner.

Enjoy the little things this weekend.

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Family Cottage Weekend

In high school, I lived next door to my best friend. We loved this because I didn't grow up there, we moved in when I started grade 9. Each summer, her parents would invite my parents up to their cottage for a weekend. When we were old enough to stay home alone, we always told them we had to work at our summer jobs that weekend. Lies. We wanted to stay home and have a double house party. Naturally.

So fast forward many years later, and we were dying to be able to get up to the cottage with both sets of parents. My how things change. Well, we finally coordinated it this weekend. Despite the fact that it was a pretty rainy day on Saturday, we had the best time. After all, a rainy day is a great excuse to cuddle up, drink mugs of coffee and just relax. Combined with homemade tomato soup (recipe from my mother-in-law) was just what we needed. Luckily, the sun came out on Sunday so that we could soak up some vitamin D, and go for a hike. The boys fished in the rain and the shine. Here are some pictures, if you'd like to see.

Warning: this weekend features me, sans make up, sans hairbrush, and re-wearing my moose leggings. A lot.

Cow-Monkey-Fish-Goat

right before we played our last cow-monkey-fish-goat of the trip

What's that, you ask? A game, of course. As I mentioned last week, this is a game we play every time we're together with our England family. A brief (and hopefully accurate) history: Cow-Monkey-Fish-Goat was invented by Nick's Granddad. I like to think he was ahead of his time, because a box version of this game actually exists, called Scatergories. CMFG plays the same way, but what makes it better is that the players get to exercise their creativity.

All you need is some paper and pens and away you go. We each take turns choosing a category, and we write them down in a list (typically we'll have 10 - 12 categories). Then, we find a way to choose a letter (either closing your eyes and pointing to something in a paper or magazine, or just by yelling one out). Then, you have to write down a word for each category using the chosen letter.

Once everyone's finished (OR you can stop the game when the first person finishes), we go around and read out our answers. If your answer is unique (but still a legit answer *cough* my father-in-law cheats *cough*), you get two points. If one other person has the same answer as you, you each get one point and if more than two people have the same answer, no points for you. Add up the total at the end, and see who wins!

We usually play at least three rounds, just changing the letter up each time.

To help get your game going, here are some categories we frequently use: names (girl or boy), dog breeds, things you'd find on a pirate ship (thanks to yours truly), things you'd find on a treasure island, body parts, rude words, cities...I could go on.

Let me know if you play, and what new categories you create :)

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Somebody Call the Doctor...

'cause I've got baby fever. Real bad.
It doesn't help that my friends all have the cutest (and, according to Nick, the coolest) kids.
And that everywhere I turn, another friend is expecting.

our furry baby

We've had a couple weekends in a row where some 'cool' babies were present (I'd use the term cute, but you get the idea). Last weekend, while at a fairly loud event, Nick was talking to a couple of people and was yelling (over the music) then, there was the awkward moment when the music stopped and he was still yelling. The phrase he yelled? "I'm totally stalking your baby!" Good thing his lovely accent tempered the scariness of that sentence :)

Looks like I'm not the only one with baby fever.

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

Father's Day

There are tons of great gift guides for father's day floating around the blog world, like this, this and this. Here's my take on gifts suited specifically to my dad. 

+ He's a self-proclaimed chocoholic, so that usually must be part of any good gift.

+ He loves good quality skin care products.

+ His two sports of choice are golf and biking, so some brightly coloured golf shirts and golf balls are a must. Plus the iphone case is great and reflects his hobby.

+ He listens to a lot of radio and I thought the old-school portable one was pretty cool.

+ Last but not least, a favourite DVD. Sorry Dad, I've outed you on your very odd totally normal taste in movies.

Ps. Despite the fact that my dad likes to tease us about it being the cost of the gift that counts (not the thought), time spent together is by far the best father's day gift (deep down, I'm pretty sure he agrees!)

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe

House Sitting

So my parents are headed on holiday for a couple of weeks. What does that mean, you ask? Well, it means that we are house sitting (more like dog sitting, whilst living in their house). So what does that mean? ...HOUSE PARTY!

Just kidding - my parents read this blog, I thought it would be a funny joke.

But actually, back in the day, I will admit, my parents house was party central (when they weren't home, obviously).

They started out small, just 6 or 7 friends. But then, when those parties went unnoticed, I got a little braver. One year, I even asked to have a New Year's party. Let this be a lesson to all future parents out there. It is never a good idea to let your kid have a New Year's party. Ever. Even if they promise it's just going to be a small group. The entire school will undoubtedly show up and trash your house. Trust me - it happened.

Wanna know the worst part? The next day, I got dragged out of bed at what felt like a very unreasonable hour (it was probably like 9:30) to clean the house. I cried while cleaning. It seemed to take all day. Even my brother was mad about the state of the house. I took a long break from parties after that.


Years later, one summer my best friend (who just happened to live next door) and I cooked up a little plan. Our parents were headed up north together, but, sigh, we couldn't go because we 'had to work'. Meanwhile, we planned a party that would span both backyards (and both houses). Our neighbours wanted us arrested wished we would move. I will admit, the parties were a little loud and a little rowdy...
The worst part? When our parents returned home, to spotless houses nonetheless, the neighbours came over to tattle on us. Busted.

trouble maker: the shirt says it all

After that, I stopped having parties. Months later my mom called me at university to tell me she found her garden statue with the head knocked off hidden in the basement. Sorry about that one, mom, and I swear, it was my brother's idea to hide it.

ps. I have other tales of what happened with the parents on vacation...I'll save those for another day :)

pinterest | instagram | facebook | twitter | subscribe