What Baby Likes To Do

Take all the clothes out of the ottoman and place them on the floor.
This is what Baby likes to do. 

Focus On The Beauty

Tank – gift; Jeans – Guess; Sandals – Rocketdog; Bag – F21 (my patches)

Ever have a mixed bag of a day?  Some wonderful time with Baby, a great visit with some friends, a great rehearsal *see some pics here* , and then just some poo-ey other stuff.  It’s crazy how we let the one crappy thing overshadow the great things in our life.  I’m guilty of that.  I just couldn’t shake that down feelin’ despite the beauty of the day.    I really should focus on the things that make me so blessed  and not the things that bring me down *and that I have no control over*.  

On that note, an article I wrote is now up on the Mommy Connections East Toronto website.  Check it out! 

Point Me Towards A Map

Shirt – Stradivarius; Cargos – Esprit; Flip Flops – Abercrombie&Fitch.

The first day of summer was glorious!  Sunny and hot.  But the second day of summer is wet, gray and humid.  I hope this isn’t a harbinger of things to come.   It has been a lazy day where I’ve pretty much bummed around while Baby is sleeping and watched a few too many episodes of How I Met Your Mother while playing computer solitaire.  It’s that kind of day.  And I unabashedly love it!

Don’t you love slow and simmering days? 

I do have a rehearsal tonight, and I’m heading out early to buy a really good map of New York and Brooklyn for my trip in July.  I’m a map person.  I don’t need directions just an address, I’ll find it on the map and get myself there.  I did all of Europe that way – map in hand.   I’m looking forward to a chance to bum around Brooklyn and New York by myself (with my sister occasionally), sleeping in and generally taking time to relax.

What are you looking forward to this summer? 

A Boy And His Vespa

Husband has been working on his Vespa for over a year now.  It’s taken that long considering life has always gotten in the way.  And he finally got it in running and took it ’round the block. 

Husband and my step-Dad finish on the Vespa and walk it out for the big test run.
Hoping it’ll work.
Husband comes ’round the corner.
He’s so happy!
It’s adorable! *ahem, ahem* I mean it’s so manly.
Post race debrief.
They really are like little boys aren’t they?  But that’s why we love ’em.

A Story All Of Their Own

Me and my darling babe playing on the swings!

Hat & Glasses – F21; Dress – vintage; Shoes – Payless; Belt – Spotted Moth.

First off, I’d like to say a warm welcome to my new followers!  You’re all awesome!  And I really hope you enjoy my humble blog.  It’s a genuine pleasure to write for all of you.  And your sweet comments always make my day. 

I’m kind of obsessed with vintage dresses lately.  You may know of my general obsession with dresses, but the fact that these dresses are so unique and they have a history all their own really intrigues me.  I am small *not that I’m complaining*, so a lot of stuff doesn’t fit me all that well, but that’s why this belt is awesome.  It’s nice and thick and when I wrap it around me is suddenly makes things look like they fit.  I love this belt so much that I have another one in a tan color too!

Fun tidbit of news:  check out an article my friend was responsible for here.  It features a quote from me!

Tuesday In Review: The Best Flip Flops

These are about 5 years old.

These flip flops from Abercrombi&Fitch are the best flip flops I have ever found.  I don’t say that lightly.  I have very sensitive feet, and a foot that’s not shaped like regular folks.  Mine are long and narrow.  And I’ve found that any flip flops I ever wore – including Havaianas, I’m sad to say –  would chafe in between my toes.  But more than that the strap at the top would rub off my skin.  Gross, I know.  But I’m just tellin’ it like it is.  I would be skinned alive by flip flops within a matter of minutes. 

Then I bought this white pair.  I was really hesitant to buy a pair of flip flops for $40 *I’m a cheap skate you see*  But I was in desperate need of comfy flip flops at the time as my foot was injured and I couldn’t wear regular shoes.  So I tried them on and forked over my credit card.  And boy am I glad I did!  These shoes are nicely cushioned which makes walking around a pleasure, and the fabric strap is sooooo gentle on my delicate feet.  It was so nice and refreshing to walk around without my feet hurting.

I liked them so much that I took them backpacking with me.  For three months they were subjected to ocean, mud, rain, being crammed into tiny regions of my pack, folding, smushing, communal bathroom floors,  and general abuse.  And they held up beautifully!  All I have to do is use some soap and water, and a little scrubbing makes these 5 year old flip flops look like they do in that picture.  Actually, I took that picture after I scrubbed them just a couple of weeks ago.

I liked them so much that the next year I bought another pair, this time in navy.

About 4 years old.

And I’m happy to say, they have held up just as well.  Though Drake the Dog has managed to chew them up a little. His favorite thing to do is grab them, run into the yard and whip them back and forth like he’s killing some small game.  Hence the little puncture marks in the picture.

Picture from official website.

They have changed the pattern on the fabric strap since I purchased mine, but these are the same style, make and material.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

My Not-So-Graceful Marilyn Moment

So here’s some shots of the outfit I wore for Baby’s party. 
I love that my dress twirls!
My hair was just not going to be straight with the humidity, so I just added some light curls to give it a little life.
Dress – handmade off Etsy; Hat – Ruche; Sandals – Zellers.
I love this little handmade dress.  When it came, I had to fix several of the seams because they weren’t done well, but really for $14 I couldn’t expect much.  And fixing seams is really easy so I’m not complaining…too much.  I really love the feminine feel of this dress.  Later that night I went to work, and walking down the street from the coffee shop I noticed something:  for some reason this dress makes my hips sway a bit more, and my back sit a lot straighter.  It just makes me feel a lot more lady-like and womanly.  And therefore, I think you’re going to see a lot of it!
P.S.  In that last shot my dress was caught by the wind and started rising right up.  It’s my Marilyn moment…only she handled it with a lot more style!

Random Sundays: Celebrating With A Walk

Father’s Day is not a good day for me.  So for most of my life I just kind of ignored it.  But today was the first day that I actively pursued celebrating it.  Because today I’m celebrating not my own life, but the life of my daughter.  Today I celebrated her Daddy!  And in order to do that, I bought him an intensive RPG computer game.  He may be a Dad, but he’s a little boy at heart!

My in-laws are here and we spent the day with family….

Her Grandpa tried to put a hat on Baby…

But that didn’t work, so he just put it on himself.

Then Baby changed into one of her B-day presents.
The sights along the Humber River.

This is how the day felt.  Overlit, relazed and a little hazy.  A very good day.

Baby loved looking at all the people in the park.

Husband’s parents enjoy going for a stroll.  As do we!

Baby’s First Birthday Party

Yesterday was Baby’s first birthday party.  We kept it very small and made it a simple BBQ.  And that was absolutely perfect!

My friend and Baby’s godmom, tried to give me an angry face…
Baby ended up shirtless because the chocolate cupcake that was her “cake” was on her face, all down her arms, in her hair, and of course down the front of her shirt as well. She didn’t seem to mind. 
Goofing off with Auntie Emily.

Me and my Mommy!
One of my favorite gifts was a book that our friend got ‘her’ entitled “Go The F@$k To Sleep.”  It’s hilarious and says exactly what every parent thinks sometimes. 

I can’t believe she’s one already!

The Birds

I kept it simple in this outfit.  Basic Walmart t-shirt with a beach bum skirt *literally!  I bought it in Barcelona on the beach!* The shoes are my garden/backyard shoes from Value Village.  The reasoning behind this outfit?  I was tired so I didn’t feel motivated.  It was hot, so I wanted something light and cotton.  And I didn’t want to have to shave my legs, hence the maxi.

On a side note, the rose bush in my garden is a great backdrop for photos lately!  But that’s where my nature loving ends.  I hate the birds in my yard!  They eat all my plants and I only got half a strawberry cause of them.  Now I understand the allure of scarecrows.  I seriously want to adios the birds.  Anybody have a bow and arrow?

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