nesting: from summer to autumn

I know it's technically been autumn for a while now, but to this Vancouverite, it still feels very much like summer. That said, I have been finding myself slowly but surely nesting, autumn style. Knowing that the next few months will be spent mostly at home, I've tried to de-clutter and make little changes that make our space feel cozier.

This month I finally put a duvet on the bed, with a soft throw blanket and some bright pillowcases to break up all the white. I switched up my gallery wall with dropcloth artwork I won from Maze & Vale, a photo from our trip to New Zealand, and a photo Gui and Michaela took of us last week. In our little dining nook I changed up my plate wall. You can see what it used to look like here. These are a collection of plates from all over: Ikea, fancy kitchen stores, and the op shop, of course. Lastly, I traded my summery garland for one that screams winter. A cozy garland of teapots and teacups I crocheted a couple years ago.

And now I hope to spend these next few weeks reading good books, drinking tea and filling the freezer with nourishing foods and baked treats. While I still have time to read, do you have any book recommendations for me?

4 years

Yesterday was our 4 year wedding anniversary. The last year has brought us some high highs and some crushingly low lows, so hitting this anniversary really feels like a  milestone. We celebrated by going to our favourite special restaurant, Cafe Sydney, where we gave each other high fives, and toasted to this next year of marriage. I'm so happy this is the guy I get to spend my days with. He's pretty awesome.

photos by Gui and Michaela

bump: 37 weeks

On the weekend, my husband and I got to spend some time with Gui and Michaela of Gui Jorge Photography. We strolled through Parsley Bay while Michaela and Gui snapped photos all the while chatting about expat life, travel, family, weddings and babies. I even got to pick both of their brains for photography advice. They are a seriously awesome (and crazy good looking) couple. Not only did they take these photos for us, they gave us the sweetest baby gifts, perfect for bringing bub home in. Last night Gui emailed me the photos and I kind of wanted to cry. These are so special to me for so many reasons.

 

In so beautifully capturing this special time in our lives they remind me how blessed we are. We're on the threshold of such a big change that it can be hard to stay present and grounded. It's hard for us to imagine what it will be like to meet our baby for the first time, to see its face and hear its coos. And of course there are worries too... Will we be good parents? Will the birth go ok? How will we know what to do? The truth is that we don't know, but we'll be fine.

I also feel so grateful that Michaela and Gui snapped some sneaky photos of my husband and I. Other than our wedding photos, we have hardly any pictures of the two of us as one of us is usually behind the camera. My friend was looking through them today and she pointed one out as her favourite. I asked her why and she said it was because of the look of adoration on my husband's face, a look that cannot be faked.

 

The other thing I love about these photos is my dress. Like I said before, these photos are special for so many reasons! One of my favourite yoga students happens to be a talented designer with a label called Wonders Cease. She came to class one day with this beautiful dress wrapped in white tissue paper; a gift for me, just because.

 

These are some of my favourites (ok, lots of my favourites) but in case you want to see even more photos of my belly, you can check out Gui's blog. Michaela and Gui - I seriously cannot thank you enough. We can't wait to hang out again soon.

makeup by Liv Lundelius
dress by Wonders Cease
photography by Gui Jorge

voices of 2013

Lately, I've been reflecting on this little blog of mine and how grateful I am for all the wonderful opportunities it's bringing me right now. Nothing earth shattering, I've just had some great experiences lately that I would not have had if it weren't for this blog. On the weekend, for example, I got to hang out with the sweetest couple who took my 37 week bump photos. I never would have met them were it not for blogging, and I'm glad that I did. On the way there I popped into a makeup artist friend's place so she could disguise my baby-won't-let-me-sleep-under-eye-circles. I realized as we drove there that I met her through blogging as well. Internet friends becoming real life friends, it's pretty damn cool.

I'm also completely delighted and amazed to have been included as a finalist in the Voices of 2013 top 100 bloggers. It was a total surprise to me (and I still don't know who nominated me, so if it was anyone reading right now, thanks!) and I'm honoured to have been chosen amongst some of my very favourite blogs.

And finally, just to round out the awesome week I'm having, I heard from Leslie of Maze & Vale that I won her giveaway! I love her fabric so much and I'm a bit tickled that she posted 2 of my projects today on her blog.

I probably don't say it enough, but thank you for reading and for taking the time to leave such thoughtful and encouraging comments.

* Photo by Ellen Arthur. She actually took this at the nursery way back in august, which is amazing because all the photos that I took that first day of shooting manual are rubbish. P.s. it's quite funny to see myself in photos where I'm not pregnant, like "oh, so that's what I look like without a giant belly!"

smoothies 3 ways

It's not an over exaggeration to say that buying a vitamix has changed my life. I have used it at least twice a day, every day. I've made sauces, vegan cheese, pesto, peanut butter, almond milk, etc, but mostly, I've made smoothies. Today I bring you 3 of my favourites:

This is my staple; I make some kind of green smoothie every day. I make sure to always have a big bag of spinach or kale in the fridge, and then I just add whatever else I have kicking around. I always use a base of water, and usually throw in some chia seeds for extra creaminess/nutrition. For this particular green smoothie I blended up:

- a big bunch of kale
- half a frozen banana
- half an orange
- 1 date
- 1 small apple
- small handfull organic frozen blueberries
- small pear

Did you know that you can also make juice in a high powered blender? Revolutionary, I'm telling you. To make juice instead of a smoothie, you need to add water (otherwise it won't blend), and then you have to strain out the pulp. After blending up my ingredients here, I poured the contents into a nut milk bag over a big bowl. You squeeze gently using your hands, and then you can compost or toss the pulp and drink up the juice. Yum. Here I used:

- a cup or so of water
- 1 yellow carrot
- ginger
- half a passionfruit
- 2 small apples

Lastly, my dessert smoothie. I am a chocolate and peanut butter fiend, so this is just a glass full of my favourite things. I made this one slightly healthier with the ingredients listed below, but you could also use a spoon full of nutella instead of the cacao and honey and it's delicious. Perfect for an afternoon snack. The cast of characters:

- 1 frozen banana
- big scoop of peanut butter (I used peanut butter we made in the vitamix)
- 1 heaping teaspoon raw cacao
- 1 teaspoon honey (or maple syrup if you're vegan)
- a cup or so of milk (dairy, nut, soy etc)

Some other smoothie making tips... I always make sure to have at least a few frozen bananas in the freezer. Once a banana has some brown spots on the peel I peel it, break it in half and throw it in a freezer bag. Frozen bananas will make all your smoothies (especially the green ones) extra creamy and yummy. To wash your blender after, it's easiest to fill it up halfway with warm water, a splash of soap and then turn it on high for half a minute or so. What's your favourite kind of smoothie?

p.s. this isn't a sponsored post, I just love my vitamix

a day in the mountains

 

I've written before about how the Blue Mountains are special to the husband and I; it's where we spent most of our time together when we were first dating and a place we continued to visit as often as possible once we were married. And then life happened - I started spending most of my weekends at yoga workshops and classes, which left very little time for rock climbing together.

We knew we wouldn't be able to climb this weekend, but we still decided to drive up and spend the day wandering. We started with a bushwalk that was meant to be short and easy, and ended up being straight down a ravine and then, of course, straight back up. Whew. Lugging around the belly is not easy, let me tell you! But I was glad for the exercise.

Next, we did some exploring. We stopped to take some bump shots, bush whacked a bit, took photos of the flora, and stopped at the three sisters. On a clear day, the mountains can always take my breath away. Once again, we talked about how much we'd like to live up there. I don't think it'll ever happen though; it's way too far from our jobs, and I would miss the beach tremendously.

 

Finally, we spent some time in our favourite towns: Katoomba, Blackheath and Leura. We had a terrible experience at the Bakehouse on Wentworth (don't go!) which nearly resulted in an angry, pregnant lady meltdown. Once we found a nicer place to eat though, I started to feel much better. A generous helping of scones definitely helped. By the time we got home I was so wiped from our outing that I slept better than I have in weeks! There's definitely something to be said for that fresh mountain air.

bump: 36 weeks

 

 

This weekend we headed to the blue mountains hoping for cooler weather and a quiet day. But even at altitude, our indian summer continues and the mountains were not only hot, they were bustling with people. We had a wonderful time though (I'll blog the rest of our day later this week) and found a great spot to take this week's bump photos.

36 weeks. When I look at these shots I'm amazed at my bump - it's huge! It's hard to believe that the baby and the belly will be growing more, but I'm sure they will. On our drive home last night we were talking about how the baby seems like a real person now, with a personality. Bub reacts to loud noises, pushes back when you press its feet, has certain times of day when s/he wakes up and treats us to some acrobatics, and doesn't like to let me sleep on my right side. The closer we get to meeting the little one, the more excited we become. Next month, next month we'll be parents...