Letting go of the past and beginning again

?~"Letting go of the past and beginning again, isn't forgetting the pain that was caused. It simply forgiving, moving on, living and loving again. To hold onto the hurt is to deprive yourself and someone else of a beautiful relationship.~ ?

house refresh: new table & rug

When Scott and I first bought our 1950s semi-bungalow, it was meant to be a stop-gap until we found our forever home. Eight years later, we're still happy living here, but that doesn�t change the fact that some of our rooms are in need of a refresh (including our 60 year old kitchen which needs either a miracle or Scott McGillivray).

We had already done a lot to the house in our eight years of ownership, but when it comes to older homes there always seems to be something that warrants your attention.

I started with our main floor sitting room which had been missing a coffee table for a while. I had moved an animal print ottoman into the foyer for us to perch on while we put on our shoes which left a gap in the room (fantastic for spontaneous dance parties but challenging when you want to serve snacks and drinks to company).

I knew I wanted a glass table as soon as I spied some in the homes of Style at Home editor, Erin McLaughlin and Sarah Milne of daffodil design (both pictured above). Although, Sarah�s Urban Barn Thilde table is no longer available (it�s been replaced with this), I was able to find a similar one at Structube for quite a bit less.

I like that the table adds a modern edge to the room and helps to showcase the gorgeous patterned rug I found at Home Sense. I love that place. Who doesn't really?

Now that the table and rug are off the list, it's on to these to dos:

Sitting room

Purchase coffee table, side table,  rug (dog friendly!), drapes & sofa (this one's nice)

Front door
Paint door, mailbox & light fixture, switch out house numbers

Front entry

Find wallpaper & light fixture

Foyer
Find light fixture & assemble gallery wall

Kitchen
Entire redo including floors, cabinets, countertops & window

Main floor bathroom
Gut job!

Master bedroom and dressing room
New windows, drapes (ordered sample fabrics from Tonic Living) 

Dining room
Find vintage brass bar cart, new art

Basement
Paint guest room & add gallery wall to main area

I'm hoping that by posting this list I'll be kept accountable and actually get things done. Because having lots of ideas swimming in my head is not really working out for me.

Let me know what you think of the table and rug!

p.s. Trying to make out what books are on the table? It's Domino: The Book of Decorating, Design*Sponge at Home and Home by Novogratz. I got the latter two for a steal at Home Sense!

jasper bound!

We�re heading to Jasper today on an adventure weekend in the mountains with our friends Ryan and Angela (sans kids & dogs!). We�re doing this and this and making plenty of these so it should be a lot of fun.

I�ll be posting pics on instagram and facebook over the next few days, if you�d like to follow along on our travels.

Happy Friday, friends!

(Photo via.)

eat: mixed berry pavlova

If you invite me over for dinner, there's a good chance I'll arrive wearing an Anthro dress with a pavlova in hand.

Truthfully, I haven't met a pavlova I haven't liked yet. And the Barefoot Contessa�s Mixed Berry Pavlova is no exception. It's one of the easiest desserts to make yet it elicits the most oohhs and aahhs. I made it for my dad's birthday last week and for my appearance on Come Dine with Me Canada.

If you do give this recipe a go, make sure your egg whites are at room temperature and that your bowls/egg beaters are squeaky-clean. It also helps to sprinkle some cornstarch on the parchment paper to prevent the meringue from sticking (I found this out the hard way!). And don't fret if your meringue cracks, the whipped cream and fruit will cover it.

The first time I tasted pavlova was during a trip to Australia a few years back (pre-blog). I took my first bite of marshmallow'y soft meringue, rich cream, kiwi and passion fruit and was instantly hooked. Now it's your turn!

p.s. I'm tackling this dessert next. It's always been one of my favs to eat. Now it's time to make it (:

Why A Man Should Never Complain.

Why A Man Should Never Complain.

A man was sick and tired of going to work every day while his wife stayed home.

He wanted her to see what he went through so he prayed, "Dear Lord, I go to 

work every day and put in 8 hours while my wife merely stays at home. 

I want her to know what I go through, so please create a trade in our bodies.

" God, in his infinite wisdom, granted the man's wish.

The next morning, sure enough, the man awoke as a woman. He arose, cooked breakfast 

for his mate, awakened the kids, set out their school clothes, fed them breakfast, packed 

their lunches, drove them to school, came home and picked up the dry cleaning, took it to 

the cleaners and stopped at the bank to draw out money to pay the power bill and 

telephone bill, drove to the power company and the phone company and paid the bills, 

went grocery shopping, came home and put away the groceries. 

He cleaned the cat's litter box and bathed the dog. Then it was already 1 p.m. and he hurried 

to make the beds, do the laundry, vacuum, dust, and sweep and mop the kitchen floor. 

Ran to the school to pick up the kids and got into an argument with them on the way home. 

Set out cookies and milk and got the kids organized to do their homework, then set up the

ironing board and watched TV while he did the ironing.

At 4:30 he began peeling potatoes and washing greens for salad, breaded the pork chops 

and snapped fresh beans for supper. After supper he cleaned the kitchen, ran the dishwasher, 

folded laundry, bathed the kids, and put them to bed. At 9 p.m. he was exhausted and, 

though his daily chores weren't finished, he went to bed where he was expected to make love 

-- which he managed to get through without complaint.

The next morning he awoke and immediately knelt by the bed and said, 

"Lord, I don't know what I was thinking. I was so wrong to envy my wife's being able to stay 

home all day. Please, oh please, let us trade back."

The Lord, in his infinite wisdom, replied, "My son, I feel you have learned your lesson and I 

will be happy to change things back to the way they were. You'll have to wait 9 months, 

though. You got pregnant last night!"

What Goes Around Comes Around

One day a man saw an old lady, stranded on the side of the road, but even in the dim light of day, he could see she needed help. So he pulled up in front of her Mercedes and got out. His Pontiac was still sputtering when he approached her.

Even with the smile on his face, she was worried. No one had stopped to help for the last hour or so. Was he going to hurt her? He didn�t look safe; he looked poor and hungry. He could see that she was frightened, standing out there in the cold. He knew how she felt. It was those chills which only fear can put in you. He said, �I�m here to help you, ma�am. Why don�t you wait in the car where it�s warm? By the way, my name is Bryan Anderson.�

Well, all she had was a flat tire, but for an old lady, that was bad enough. Bryan crawled under the car looking for a place to put the jack, skinning his knuckles a time or two. Soon he was able to change the tire. But he had to get dirty and his hands hurt.
As he was tightening up the lug nuts, she rolled down the window and began to talk to him. She told him that she was from St. Louis and was only just passing through. She couldn�t thank him enough for coming to her aid.

Bryan just smiled as he closed her trunk. The lady asked how much she owed him. Any amount would have been all right with her. She already imagined all the awful things that could have happened had he not stopped. Bryan never thought twice about being paid. This was not a job to him. This was helping someone in need, and God knows there were plenty, who had given him a hand in the past. He had lived his whole life that way, and it never occurred to him to act any other way.
He told her that if she really wanted to pay him back, the next time she saw someone who needed help, she could give that person the assistance they needed, and Bryan added, �And think of me.�
He waited until she started her car and drove off. It had been a cold and depressing day, but he felt good as he headed for home, disappearing into the twilight.

A few miles down the road the lady saw a small cafe. She went in to grab a bite to eat, and take the chill off before she made the last leg of her trip home. It was a dingy looking restaurant. Outside were two old gas pumps. The whole scene was unfamiliar to her. The waitress came over and brought a clean towel to wipe her wet hair. She had a sweet smile, one that even being on her feet for the whole day couldn�t erase. The lady noticed the waitress was nearly eight months pregnant, but she never let the strain and aches change her attitude. The old lady wondered how someone who had so little could be so giving to a stranger. Then she remembered Bryan.

After the lady finished her meal, she paid with a hundred dollar bill. The waitress quickly went to get change for her hundred dollar bill, but the old lady had slipped right out the door. She was gone by the time the waitress came back. The waitress wondered where the lady could be. Then she noticed something written on the napkin.

There were tears in her eyes when she read what the lady wrote: �You don�t owe me anything. I have been there too. Somebody once helped me out, the way I�m helping you. If you really want to pay me back, here is what you do: Do not let this chain of love end with you.�
Under the napkin were four more $100 bills.

Well, there were tables to clear, sugar bowls to fill, and people to serve, but the waitress made it through another day. That night when she got home from work and climbed into bed, she was thinking about the money and what the lady had written. How could the lady have known how much she and her husband needed it? With the baby due next month, it was going to be hard�.
She knew how worried her husband was, and as he lay sleeping next to her, she gave him a soft kiss and whispered soft and low, �Everything�s going to be all right. I love you, Bryan Anderson.�

Three couples got married

Three couples got married and spent their honeymoons at the same hotel, where they were all attended to by Jeff the Bellboy.

The first man married a nurse.

Jeff showed them to their room, all the while thinking to himself, �Lucky guy! Nurses are known to be hot to trot.�

The second man married a telephone operator.

Jeff showed them to their room, while thinking to himself, �Wow, he�s one lucky dude. Telephone operators have such sexy voices and once you pop that top button.. Va-voom.�

The third man married a school teacher.

Jeff showed them to their room and thought to himself, �Poor sap. She may be pretty, but teachers are way too frigid.�

At 5:30 the following morning, Jeff reported to work. He expected the teacher�s husband to call for breakfast any minute, but was sure the other two wouldn�t call until much later in the day.

The phone rang at 6 a.m. and it was the nurse�s husband wanting breakfast. Jeff took breakfast up to the room and when the husband opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man�s pajamas were still pressed and his hair nicely combed.

�Sir, what happened?� asked Jeff. �You married a nurse.�

�Son, don�t ever marry a nurse,� the man sourly replied. �All I heard last night was her nagging voice saying, �You�re not sanitary, you�re not sanitary�.�

The phone rang again at 6:30 a.m. and this time it was the telephone operator�s husband calling for breakfast. Jeff took it to the room as quickly as possible. When the man opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man�s hair was neatly combed and his pajamas nicely pressed.

�What happened?� Jeff asked with surprise. �Telephone operators as supposed to be as sexy as their voices.�

�Son, don�t ever marry a telephone operator,� the man groaned. �All I heard last night was her nasal voice saying, �Your three minutes are up, your three minutes are up�.�

Jeff returned to his desk, sure that the teacher�s husband would be calling at any moment.

Finally, at 4 p.m., the teacher�s husband called for breakfast.

Jeff couldn�t believe it, but quickly took the breakfast to the couple�s room. When the man opened the door, Jeff stepped back in shock. The man was wearing only a pair of boxers, his hair was a mess, and there were scratches all over his chest, arms and legs.

�My goodness sir, what happened to you?� Jeff asked, fearing the worst. �Did you have a fight?�

The man, grinning from ear to ear, happily replied, �No. Son, when you marry be sure it�s to a school teacher. All I heard last night was her sexy, smooth voice saying, �We�re going to do this over, and over, and over again, until we get it right�.�

Paying The Price

 

William and Mildred decided to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary with a trip to Las Vegas. William went to the front desk to check them in while Mildred stayed with the car.
As he was leaving the lobby, a young woman dressed in a very short skirt introduced herself as Candie. William brushed her off.

When William and Mildred got to their room, he told her that he'd been approached by a prostitute.

"I don't believe you," laughed Mildred.

"I'll prove it," said William. He called down to the desk and asked for Candie to come to room 1217.

"Now," he said, "you hide in the bathroom with the door open just enough to hear us."

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Candie walked in, swirling her hips provocatively. "So, I see you're interested after all," she said.

William asked, "How much do you charge?"

"$125 basic rate, $100 tips for special services."

William was taken aback. "$125! I was thinking more in the range of $25."

Candie laughed. "You must really be an old-timer if you think you can buy sex for that price."

"Well," said William, "I guess we can't do business. Goodbye."

After she left, Mildred came out of the bathroom. "I just can't believe it."

William said, "Let's go have a drink and forget it. "

Back downstairs at the bar, the old couple sipped their cocktails.

Candie came up behind William, pointed at Mildred, and said, "See what you get for $25?"

Male Logic

Woman: Do you drink beer? 

Man: Yes

Woman: How many beers a day?

Man: Usually about 3.

Woman: How much do you pay per beer?

Man: $5.00 which includes a tip.

(This is where it gets scary !)

Woman: And how long have you been drinking?

Man: About 20 years, I suppose.

Woman: So a beer costs $5 and you have 3 beers a day which puts your spending each month at $450. In one year, it would be approximately $5400 correct?

Man: Correct.

Woman: If in 1 year you spend $5400, not accounting for inflation, the past 20 years puts your spending at $108,000, correct?

Man: Correct.

Woman: Do you know that if you didn�t drink so much beer, that money could have been put in a step-up interest savings account and after accounting for compound interest for the past 20 years, you could have now bought a Ferrari?

Man: Do you drink beer?

Woman: No.

Man: Where�s your Ferrari?

How you got HIV, my love?

This is the story about a boy and a girl. They met at a college where they studied together. Boy was rich and the girl belonged to a normal middle class family. They were best friends and shared everything with each other. By the end of the college they realized that they loved each other and couldn�t live without each other.

After college they told everything to their parents. Both of their parents were happy for their children and were together with them in their decision to get married. They didn�t cared about the girl being middle class. One day both of them went some place to have fun and on the way to return home back they had to face a huge accident.

They had not even thought of that. They were only happy in their own life but no one had even imagined that they had to go through that. The girl was badly injured and was taken to the hospital. She needed the blood as most of the blood was lost due to the accident. There was shortage of blood in the hospital which matched her but it was the co-incident that the boy�s blood matched. He was ready to give blood and was taken for taste. There was another huge stroke for him,doctors told him that he was found HIV+ while testing.

He had no idea what to do then he remembered once he had taken blood from a general hospital and it was the carelessness of that hospital due to which he had HIV. His life was ruined there was nothing he could do. He decided not to tell his love because he knew that if she came to know she wouldn�t be able to live. So he left her in the hospital after arranging the blood.

After the operation she asked for him but he wasn�t there. She was shocked to hear that he left her alone forever and she was not ready to believe. Her parents told her that it is due to there poorness he left her. After few days she came to know the truth and her love for him grew deeper. She went back to him and they started living together.

feeling the love

It's been an exciting few months for all kinds of lovely and I couldn't be more grateful, thanks to some major love from wonderful peeps I've met through blogging and instagram.

• Remember when Dyan, Toni and Jennifer of blah blah birds asked me to participate in my very first style guest post? That was so much fun!

• Modern Mama chose me as one of their Top 10 Instagram Moms. I'm the lone Aunty (:

• Sara of SaigeWisdom nominated me for an Instagrammie along with a bunch of other cool cats.
  
• My friend Christine of Just Bella shared our 10 for a happy marriage with her readers.
  
• And today I'm guest posting for Kerry over at First Time Fancy. Kerry is soon-to-be-married and asked me to share my thoughts on marriage. Pop on over and check it out!

If you haven't already, please be sure to visit all of these blogs. This group of ladies couldn't be more genuine, kind or sweet. And in this case, really effing funny.

Plus, kindness begets kindness, right?

Print via.

Daughters Are Precious

A couple made a deal the night of their Marriage to NOT open the door of their room to anybody who comes knocking in the morning for any reason!

In the morning, the parents of the husband came and knocked on the door, the husband and the wife were looking at each other and as they agreed before, they didn�t open the door. After a while the parents of the bride came knocking at the door to check on them, the couple were looking at each other, then the bride dropped a tear & started crying she said: �I cannot keep them knocking & not open the door, I miss them already.� The husband didn�t say anything and he let her open the door for her parents.

Years & years passed & the couple had 5 children, the first ones were boys & the 5th was a little girl, when she was born the father was extremely happy that Almighty blessed him with her, and he threw a Huge Party for her in Grand style, people were so amazed with his joy and his happiness that they asked him, why are you so happy with her more than you were before with her older brothers?

He answered simply: �She is the one who will open the door for me.�

~ The End ~

Baby girls are the comfort of the eyes of their father!

They hold the key to their mothers hearts!

Daughters are really unique.

They care for their parents even after they are married.

Its rightly said, �A son is a son till he gets a Wife, a daughter is a daughter the rest of her Life!�

This Story Is Dedicated to all daughters and Daughter in Laws, Please Share.

A teacher asked,what is forgiveness?

 

A teacher asked,what is forgiveness?The little girl answered it�s the wonderful smell that a flower gives when it is being crushed.

Much ? To All Women!

 

�I am a Women,I bend I don�t Break!� ~CHOZENWOMAN

�We are all a little weird and life�s a little weird,

 

�We are all a little weird and life�s a little weird,and when we find someone

whose weirdness is compatible with ours,we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love�

~Dr.seuss

If you think positively�

 

If you think positively, Sound becomes Music,Moment becomes Dance,Smiles becomes Laughter,

Mind becomes Meditation,And Life becomes a Celebration!

Fear :has two meanings:

 

Fear :has two meanings:1:forget everything and run or face everything and run . choice is yours

If you love something let it go..

If you love something let it go,If it comes back to you it�s your,If it doesn�t ,it never was.

True friends last Forever!

 

True friends last Forever!A strong friendship doesn�t need daily conversation..doesn�t always need togetherness..As long as the.. relationship lives in the heart true friends will never apart

respect people�s feelings.Even if it,,,,,,,,,,,,,

We live in a world where we have to hide�.

There�s always a little truth behind every �just kidding�

 

Broken Hearts Of Apple

 

Broken Hearts Of Apple

Take a bite of love, but live in no misconception that your heart will escape pain of separation.

Don�t worry,just breath��

 

Don�t worry,just breath.If it�s meant to be,it will find it�s way.

Just follow your heart!

 

The world as we view it  is much like a dance,
you can take what is coming and live it by chance�
Or seek answers to questions and live it by choice,
just follow your heart and answer its voice.

Each new day is another chance..

 

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed!!

 

Sometimes you just have to stop worrying,�..

 

Sometimes you just have to stop worrying,wondering,And Doubting, have faith that things will work out may be not how you planned,But just how they�re meant to be.

Love test illusion!

 Apparently if you concentrate on the center text (focus, don�t blur your vision!), and if you�re loved, hearts will skip a beat and disappear! Check it out, it works like a charm. Another side effect is that the missing rotating heart will turn blue. Many nice effects in such a simple optical illusion, don�t you think? This animation was created by Mr. Scott Henderson, and works identically as Disappearing Dots, 

It is really confusing!!!!!

 

Face in a Crowd Optical Illusion

One of our fans pointed me to this art instalment featuring face made from bunch of people. When I used reverse image search on Google and Tiny Eye (to get more info on this interesting poster), nothing showed up. So there you have it � an anonymous, beautiful, crowd-formed face illusion. If someone feels confident taking a detective role for a moment, feel free to do your own investigation and please share your findings with rest of us! I would be more than grateful.

A Boy and A Girl

 

A Boy and a Girl were Playing Together,
The Boy had a Collection of Marbles..
and The Girl had some Sweets with Her..!
The Boy told the Girl that;
�he will give her all His Marbles
In Exchange for Her Sweets..�
The Girl Agreed;
The Boy kept the biggest
and the most Beautiful Marble Aside;
and gave the Rest to the Girl..!
But The Girl gave Him all Her Sweets
as She had Promised..=)
That Night, the Girl Slept Peacefully,
But the Boy couldn�t Sleep as He kept Wondering
If the Girl had Hidden some Sweets from Him
the Way He had Hidden His best Marble..=(
->Moral of the Story:
If you don�t give your 100% in a Relationship,
you�ll always keep Doubting;
If the Other Person has Given His/Her 100% !!
This is Applicable for any Relationship;
Give Ur 100% to Everything U do & Sleep Peacefully..! =)

Like & share if you agree with the moral of the Story.

We are all here for some special reason

We are all here for some special reason. Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.