Sunshine On Her Shoulders...

...makes model/actress Shelley Hack happy in her vibrant floral jacket.  I also love the rays of sun that illuminate her hair and pretty face in this picture, which I recently found in one of my vintage Seventeen magazines.  

Trotting out bright floral-fresh new clothes was always a rite of spring passage.  It began with the Easter outfit which included black patent Marjane's, white lace-trimmed socks, a smocked dress, pastel spring coat, white gloves, and a beribboned straw hat with a too-tight under-the-chin elastic strap. But Easter sometimes came with frigid temperatures and it was back to ski jackets and knit hats the next day. 

April is a changeable month in the Northeast.  A co-worker once vowed that on May 1st, no matter what the forecast, she would begin wearing her spring clothes (turnip!).  I know that longing and since I've never been good at transitional dressing, selecting things to wear in early spring is always a challenge.  I wish dressing now were as easy as pulling on a tropic-colored summer dress over my head.

My daughter and I went shopping yesterday and she couldn't decide if a tangerine sweater was "too bright".  I explained that once the sun shows itself again in earnest, the tangerine will feel just right. She bought the sweater.  I bought nude pumps to lighten up my work pants and sweaters.  

As I yearn for lovely sunshine on my own shoulders, I look back at some of my most memorable and favorite spring clothes:

mint-green "baseball jacket" with rainbow cuffs my grandmother made me

red, white and green striped dirndl skirt my mother bought me when I was in Jr. High School

white piqu� dress trimmed with daisy rick-rack for 6th grade dance

shiny vinyl egg yolk-yellow raincoat with "fireman" hardware closures worn over bell bottoms on rainy school days

double-knit rose-colored date dress with short sleeves, Peter Pan collar, and three matching pearl buttons 

red dotted-swiss dress with white lace trim and back tie worn under graduation gown

(Graduation Day)

luka & oliver: month one

Time has wings! I can't believe our little dudes are a month old. Even weeks after their birth, it still boggles my mind that Scotty & I made these perfect little humans. 

What I've been loving lately:

• their squishy faces & bodies' 
• their tiny squawks, squeaks & snorts 
• their big little sneezes 
• their alert soon-to-be blue eyes following my voice 
• the way they snuggle into my chest
• the way Oliver purses his lips, sticks out his tongue and makes funny faces after a feed 
• how Luka's smile & sweet disposition turn everyone around him into a mushy mess 
• can't. stop. smiling or covering their perfectly wrinkly foreheads in a million kisses
• seeing how much our family and friends love and care for them

Every day I look at their sweet faces and think to myself, "Wow, these are *our* babies! They were so worth the wait and all the pain we endured over the years because I can't imagine my life without them in it." I'm beyond grateful IVF worked for us and helped make a seemingly impossible dream a reality. 

Becoming Oliver & Luka's mom is the best thing that's ever happened to me and seeing Scotty in his new role as a dad makes my heart feel things I never knew possible. I couldn't have asked for a lovelier life. ?? 

p.s. Aren't the boys' quilts beautiful? They were lovingly made by their Aunties Cathy and Caroline. I'm going to attempt a monthly picture of Ollie and Luka on the quilts for the next year. Attempt is the key word here. (;

Valentine is pleased to present

Reflections on the Surface

Paintings by Dennis Kardon

Opening Friday March 4, from 6:00 - 9:00
The exhibit runs through Sunday April 3

The In-Between

I have long adored J.M. Barrie's tale of Peter Pan and was delightfully charmed when Peter said he would wait for us between sleep and awake - the space where dreams are remembered and love is endless.  My brother called that drowsy spot BooBoo Land, a cozy suspended state between dual worlds.  Anyone who has experienced anesthesia may well know that warm and fuzzy place too. But as I found out recently, there is nothing warm and fuzzy about an in-between land where one waits for medical test results.  Scary medical tests.

Helping a loved one cope in the medical In-Between is as good as residing there yourself.  You want to take away the pain, the agony...you want it to be you and not them.  The endless "what-if's" expand and seep into every crevice of every thought...until the mind is bubbling and spouting like spreading lava.  Or perhaps I should just say I understand the phrase, "waiting to exhale" like never before.

My dear sister and I were in the In-Between for several weeks.  I'll stop here to tell you, she's going to be fine.  But the not-knowing nearly did us in.  And it got worse until it got better - to make it even more agonizing, we dealt with an appalling number of apathetic medical office staff, dropped phone calls, a doctor's sudden vacation departure...it was hell.

One night, I googled "how to cope while waiting for medical test results" and surprisingly found something called, "A Healing Prayer for a Sister Awaiting Medical Tests Results".  It was sweetly comforting and genuine and I shared it with my sis.  But there is no really good information on coping with life in the In-Between although I know it's a place nearly everyone gets to visit.

Throughout, my sister and I did learn a few things.  Numero Uno is that one must have hope however that manifests itself in your life (i.e., the found prayer).  Next, I would be careful with whom you share.  I cannot tell you how many people responded with an immediate "Yikes!" when I described what was going on.  I'll be very careful next time.  As best as one can, sticking to a routine is helpful as well as ice cream - the creamy full-fat kind.

In the end, my sister found out she will be made as right as rain.  The relief was immense.  And because she had been suspended for so long, she was exhausted.  So yesterday, she took the first flight out of In-Between and landed in BooBoo.

With love...I met her there.

PS:  Would love to hear how you coped on your trip to the In-Between.

say hello to our sweet boys...

Oliver Finn and Luka Ellis! 

Born on Wednesday, February 3, Ollie (top) arrived first at 6:07 p.m. weighing 5 lbs 14 oz while Luka made his debut at 6:21 weighing 6 pounds. Our sweet little dudes stole our hearts immediately. We love these tiny people in a way we never knew possible. ??

Unfortunately, our elation quickly turned to shock when we found out just a few hours following their birth that Luka had a heart condition, called pulmonary atresia, and would need to be transferred to the Stollery Children's Hospital for further evaluation. We were beyond overwhelmed with emotions over this news (nothing can prepare you for finding out your baby's sick) but we're slowly starting to emerge from the fog and are feeling much more hopeful about the future. Ultimately, we're grateful he'll be in the capable and experienced hands of the Stollery's pediatric cardiology team. They're Western Canada's best! 

Late last week, Luka underwent a catherization procedure and he will also need a series of surgeries over the next six months. He's in stable condition now and we received fantastic news today -- his breathing tube was removed this morning. Yay! We're hopeful he'll continue to make gains in the coming days. Especially since the dude's feisty like his mama. (: The photo above is from yesterday. I held Luka for the first time since he was born which made me so so happy! 

Meanwhile his older brother Oliver (above) is in the NICU at the Royal Alexandra Hospital. Initially his blood sugar levels needed to be stabilized (they were low which is not unusual in pre-term babies). Now that his levels are stable, he needs to master demand feeding before coming home. We're hopeful this will happen soon, but in the meantime we're enjoying snuggling, feeding & changing him. He's such a chill super snuggly baby and all of his 'Aunty Nurses' are just as besotted with him as we are. They call him Mr. Sweet Face. 

Over the past six days we've experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, but surprisingly enough we've found the strength to keep it together through the support and love of our family, friends (thanks for the surprise food drop offs, peeps!) and of course, our mutual goofy sense of humour. Yes, we've shed many tears but we've also shared many laughs. Even with two babies in intensive care, we still have much to be grateful for and we'll continue to stay positive for the boys and for each other. We're overjoyed to finally have our little miracles here!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention and thank the wonderful nursing staff at both hospitals. They've been nothing short of amazing (both during and after labour and in the NICU). It's been a challenge dividing our time between two babies at two separate hospitals. Knowing both boys are receiving the highest level of care by their Aunty Nurses gives us comfort and peace of mind. 

Our sole purpose in life for the next while will be to bring our sweet babies home, healthy and happy. For now, we'll continue to relish the fact we're finally parents to the most adorable wee dudes. Our wish came true and we couldn't be more thrilled!

If you'd like to see more of the babies make sure to pop on over to Instagram or Facebook. I'm an ecstatically proud new mom, so I'll be sure to share more photos as their little selves begin to develop and we celebrate all of their victories, big and small, in the NICU...

xoxo, Dajana, Scott, Luka, Oliver & Lucy

The Warmth of Winter Perfumes

Winter is a heady time for the senses:  frosty cold, pristinely white landscapes, soft cashmere, the glow of firelight, comforting soups, and rich warming perfumes.  Choosing fragrances with opulent spicy undertones mirrors our cravings for soothing restoration during nature's most savage season.

Here in the Northeast, we are having a spate of ice, snow, and ultra-cold temperatures.  The stress of commuting and constant treacherous walking and shoveling, has me turning to my favorite just-for-winter scents which enrap me in cheer and comfort.  Burrowing into my scarf on my way to work and inhaling a warm ambrosial scent puts a heartening lilt into my winter day even knowing that I will have more snow to contend with before my evening commute home.

Don't be charmed by the fresh spring scents that are popping up in department stores now.  I promise there will be time enough to choose those breezy scent sisters when the light returns in earnest again.  For now, reach for deep and evocative forest-like perfumes with calming accords. If you live in the Northeast, you're going to need it.

Here are my favorite winter perfumes, all mysterious and all with the potential to make others want to nuzzle.

Shalimar
Chanel 5
Prada Candy
Tuberose Gardenia (technically a floral, but with a powerful richness that clings to coat linings, sweaters, and scarves)

What winter perfumes are warming you?

A Valiant Fight for Glamour

When I was newly single, I became a docent at a wonderful historic home that was rich in costuming.  A lovely elderly woman managed the volunteers and when she found out about my divorce she took me aside and said, "Now the world is your oyster!"  I knew she meant that I could make different choices, try new things, explore, have freedoms I never would have had as a wife. Over the years, I have come to see how very right she was.

If it were not for my divorce, unwanted though it was, I would not have found my dearest friends, begun a writing career or have even written this blog.  I would never have been able to discover so many wonderful things to be passionate about.  I've been finding "oysters" for years in places like my daily train ride to Boston where I conducted a private three year self-study of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and in a bookshop where I found my forever muse, the 18th century Mrs. Delany.  I have been able to read and contemplate and then incorporate others' truths into my own life from those I admired in the books I never would have read as part of a married couple.  And my single life has been all the richer because of it.

My latest oyster is the now-forgotten teenage designer, Emily Wilkens.  Miss Wilkens fell into clothing design when her charming illustration work in the 1940's was eventually noticed by a few Hollywood stars who then asked her to make clothing for their children.  Before long, her style aligned with young teenage girls who loved her easy-going pretty clothes.  Miss Wilkens' focus on the young set may have actually ushered in the youthquake of the 60's.  Her resulting book about teenage grooming called "Here's Looking at...You!" has a charm school quality written from a big sister to a little sister, with advice to begin a "valiant fight for glamour".  Miss Wilkens believed that all teenage girls could look wholesome AND glamorous and proved it by designing the first little black dress appropriate for a young miss.

The advice I love most from Miss Wilkens is to "ease into your clothes...make them part of you".   I know that when I feel my best, it's usually because I am wearing something beautiful and luxurious but delightfully simple too.  Clothes like this make one forget what's on their back and just enjoy life.  That's the beauty of fashion done right.

The picture above is of Emily Wilkens in one of her own designs.  Note the brooch tucked into feminine and gently flopping bow.  Later, Miss Wilkens became a spa and beauty expert and always maintained a happy youthful insouciance.  I simply cannot get enough of her.

Emily Wilkens' suggestion to keep jousting for beauty and style is something I take seriously.  Many people lament that no one dresses well anymore and there is truth in that.  In a world where yoga pants are worn all day and pajamas are allowed in restaurants, I'm going to continue to fight the good fight against all that's base and banal.  I mastermind the narrative of my life by wearing my best clothes with as much elan as I can find in the far reaches of my jewelry box and scarf drawer.  My valiant fight begins again every morning.