Thursday, February 28, 2013

5 Year Old Birthday Outfit

My sweet S.R. is turning 5 in just a few days.
She asked for a special dress for her fairy tea party (a Queen Clarion dress to be exact).
The dress has been made, and she squealed when she saw it...the reaction every mother wants when she's worked so hard to make her little girl happy:o)
When I was searching for the fabric for the fairy dress, I came across some fairy knit fabric in purples and pinks. S.R.'s two favorite colors. I was slightly hesitant about purchasing it because my last experience with knits was quite disastrous. 
 I will have to say, this little skirt was much easier than I expected:o)

The hopscotch skirt is now my new favorite skirt to make...I think I'll be making one for myself now:o) I followed a super easy tutorial, and you can find it over at iCandy handmade.

I can't wait for the celebration:o) It's going to be so much fun!! I just hope that the snow they are calling for will hold off until after our guests return home safely:o) 
Have a great weekend, and I will see you back here next week with the details of the fairy tea party:o)

Monday, February 25, 2013

I'm back...

Had a nice break. Excellent submissions on the Vancouver competition. My favorites:


frank:
Vancouver-where you can hike in the morning, Sail in the afternoon,. ski in the evening, or pay a mortgage instead.

Vancouver- Rich, retired, running-from-the-law?- best place you could live


Vancouver- A great place to VISIT
Anonymous
Vancouver, the best place to stay broke and some:=)
.....................................

Just got back from Hawaii and had a few beers one night with a couple of real, native Hawaiians. Not much love for the tourists or the the 'Mainland... (no not Chinese)..but Americans'! - which include us. "They are either staying at expensive ecologically damaging resorts, or buying the waterfront and waterview condos for the two weeks they come and then rent it out as an investment."

The same properties a native Hawaiian could never dream of buying. Land that may have been expropriated, or bought for a song years ago. "Worse these new land owners are not here to fight the rapacious developers. They are not here to fight the illegal blocking of beach access by resorts and waterfront owners. They just come to play on the manicured, sprayed golf courses and fly back."

I certainly got an ear-full, and it was interesting to find a place where WE are the big buyers, much to the chagrin of some of the locals. In fact the local paper had just run a piece saying Canadians were buying the most investment property, after Mainland US citizens, and as much as all the rest combined (Japan, China, Aussy, Europeans etc)

Heck it is happening everywhere. The Hong Kong residents are complaining about the Mainland Chinese buying everything, even demonstrating about it. Until the bubbles collapse, then people long for the old days.

I will try and remember this fact when I get on my soap-box about the inflow of outside money pricing us out. We are doing it too!

If you are interested in the issue. Hawaii. Land. Independence. will bring you a lot of info on Google like this.



Sunday, February 17, 2013

Going to be out of town for a week...

Thought of an amusing exercise you can indulge in, while I am away.

We knew that advertising executives spend a great deal of brian power coming up with the perfect catch line to sell something. Now that something can be a city or State/province.

Ontario- Yours to discover!
BC- Canada Starts here!

Vancouver- the best place on Earth! or the Best Place to Live!

Ok so now it is yours turn. What pithy statement can you come up with. Nothing with profanities, or sexual, racial or other slurs please. Let your imagination run wild. It doesn't have to be RE related- your call.

Here are a couple to get you going.

Vancouver- Where HAM comes to get washed.

Vancouver- Where two-by-fours cost more than gold.

Ok they were pretty lame, lets see what you guys can come up.

Friday, February 15, 2013

Money And Love Personal Finance

MaLPF.com = Money And Love Personal Finance

Front Entry Way

We have lived in our house for 3 years now, and this wall has always bothered me. When you enter our house, this is the wall you see.
There is a doorway to the right and a column just a few feet to the left.
Very un-welcoming. 

For the past year I have had a picture of the kids hanging there and that was it. 
I wanted a table and a lamp and just stuff to sit there, but there wasn't enough room with the column in the way.
After 3 years of brainstorming, I finally came up with a solution. Took me long enough, didn't it?
I have some cabinets in the attic that are really narrow. I picked them up at a yard sale for $5. They are real cherry, and beautiful, but absolutely non-functional. I think they were spice cabinets in their former existence??


I took one of the doors and turned it into a wall shelf that resembles a table. The door is super narrow, so it's the perfect depth and adds so much to this space. The legs, hardware and spray paint were purchases from Lowes, and the frames and sign were purchased from Hobby Lobby.
There isn't an outlet on this wall, so I can't plug a lamp in...I'll show you my solution for this problem in my next post:o)
Now I reeeeeally like my entry way. 
It's a lot more inviting, don't you think?:o)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day to you all! 
I hope to be back here soon. I've been taking a creative break for a bit. Have you missed me?;o)
I hope your day is extra special today!
Looking forward to our little family Valentines dinner after basketball practice tonight:o)
I'm really excited about digging into this yummy cake...with REAL buttuh cream icing...that's right, I said BUTTUH:o)

Friday, February 8, 2013

Congratulations!

We made it!

Thank you HAM and Mr Flaherty and Carney....and thank you Greenspan and Bernanke for causing the financial mess which led to ZIRP....and where would be without our local cheerleading media and politicians and of course our Eastern retirees, oh and how could I forget the banks, without you and the CMHC-in-your-pocket we would never have been able to achieve the heights that we have achieved...

And the Grammy... OSCAR.... stuffed lemon coloured llama...  RE award  GOES TO US

We are now officially the priciest city in North America and it isn't because of the price of our bread.