Life ¤ Love ¤ Laughter ¤ Linds

I love my monkeys and my hubby. They mean the world to me. So once upon a time I ordered a necklace from The Vintage Pearl with their names on it. Everytime I wear the necklace, people comment on how much they love it. And it reminds me how much I love them (the boys). And then I remember how much I love the products offered at The Vintage Pearl. So I browse the site and want to get more custom jewelery. Or buy gifts for people (my mom got each of the grandkids' initials on hers for Christmas.) Ooooh, I love shopping! Anyhow, check them out - they're doing a fabulously huge giveaway for their blog readers: The Vintage Pearl: happy birthday to me. (BIG giveaway!) Good luck!

It's March Break/Spring Break here and woohoo - the weather, with the exception of today's off and on drizzle, has been cooperating!  What gorgeous SPRINGlike days we've been enjoying.   The kids (my monkeys and a couple of daycare sidekicks) were so thrilled that we got to spend hours outside on Monday - the playground was damp & spongy but with rain boots, who cares? And we broke out the chalk (it looks like we had a rash of bodies dropping dead on the driveway!)  We went for a walk and just enjoyed the fresh air without freezing - we even survived without mittens - wow! Yesterday was a trip to the mall to buy new runners for the boys - we tried their 'old' ones on and it resulted in tears and squishy toes.  I think they've both had growth spurts.  Can you believe that with just a tad more than 18 months between them, they've got the same size feet?  And wanted the same shoes?  And they're both in that aw...

I've reached a new low and will be dedicating today's post to toilet seats.  In my own defense, when you're outnumbered 3-1 in the male/female ratio, 'potty talk' becomes the (unfortunate) norm.  Today we took a quick trip to Home Depot to buy a replacement seat for our ensuite toilet.  (We also had to replace the patio door handle because I broke the actual handle right off last week - but that's another story!)  The builder-grade seat that came with the house has turned colour and started to peel - odd considering it's the least-used bathroom in our home.    We thought it would be a quick in and out - I mean how many toilet seat options can there really be?  And then reality hit and we remembered that nothing is ever a quick in and out with two monkeys in tow, multiple bathroom trips, an overwhelming level of energy and a wall of toilet seats.     We found what we needed - budget friendly basic white but this is what...

I feel like I've been neglecting my blog.   I think that sometimes life just gets busy and alot of things get the out-of-sight-out-of-mind treatment.  (You don't even want to imagine the piles of laundry I have stashed in my room awaiting the closet?)   I know I also ebb and flow in regards to what gets that precious slot of free time - somedays I want to browse, somedays I want to craft, somedays I want to write, somedays I want to organize and clean (what!?!), somedays I want to curl up with some good books.   So no regularly scheduled programs this week (or last for that matter.)  You're just out of luck until my frame of mind changes, I suppose.   On a side note, my meal plan this week is semi-existant... but because it's week 2 of the big grocery shop, it's not exciting - pasta, chicken, chicken soup, pasta again, chicken again, and whatever else I can scrounge up from the freezer and my pantry. Here'...

The weather can't seem to make up it's mind.  Is it spring?  Is it winter?  Let's freeze one day, snow the next and melt it all down a few days later.   I find the weather actually affects my cravings and eating habits - and this wonky weather has me just as confused as it seems to be.   I want light spring-time meals, I want tummy-warming comfy food, I want someone else to cook for me for once! I made it 2 weeks without doing a major grocery shop again (so proud!) - with just a quick run to replace some of the consumables (aren't all groceries consumable?  I don't think that's the word I want... but my brain is not cooperating this morning.) Here is our mealplan for the next week aka - week 5: Turkey Pasta Bake (made this last night so I just have to bake in the oven - hooray for easy meals!) Turkey Stew Turkey Pot Pie (using leftovers from the Turkey Stew) Maple Chicken, Brocolli & Rice Perfect Roast Chicken , Twice Baked Potatoes, ...

I'm skipping the wishlist today.   I'm seriously slipping because I skipped Monday's meal plan (we had enough groceries remaining from last week and dining misadventures that we're borrowing from the last one.) Now that I think about it, Friday's post was a day late too!  Such is life in the Brown household.  Always late or off-schedule.   I could take the time to come up with some wishes... but really I'm feeling satisfied today and there's nothing 'jumping' out at me that I 'want'.  Oh sure, there's lots that I want... just nothing to throw into a collage and talk about.  I've been workin on more shower details for April - including the finishing touches on the last of the 40 handcrafted invitations.   For today, I've had it with ribbon, charms & embossing powder.  Our venue is booked (Aurora Seniors' Centre), colour scheme selected and I think we've picked the favours we're going to use.   We'll ...

So I'm going to make this quick - I'm in the car (passenger seat!) typing with my thumbs. Ignore the typos please! We're all dressed up for a night in the city - it's my sister's engagement party and I'm so happy for a grown-up night out. I realize that it's Saturday but in finite if Family Day here in Ontario on Monday, here are some affordable family fun boredom busters: 1) Teddy Bear Picnic - great for the under 6 crowd. Simple fun that encourages you to use your imagination. Grab a quilt, your favorite stuffy, some honey sandwiches and lay out your spread and enjoy! 2) Slumber Party - stay in your pjs, build a fort, tell silly stories and don't forget the microwave s'mores. 3) Family Game Night - break out the board games, start a tournament on the Wii. Encourage your kids to take turns, play fair and the rediscover the importance of laughter. 4) scavenger hunt or any variation thereof. Got some pirates? Draw a map and make sure ...