we're ready

Finally, Halloween is here and the mini chocolate bars will no longer line our cupboards. I think we're onto our fifth bag! We needed this day to arrive. Badly. Have a great Halloween! Next year we'll have a mini pumpkin joining our crew.

my new vegan purse

Have you heard of Matt & Nat?  I love their company's brand - vegan friendly accessories lined with incredibly durable fabric that is created 100% from recycled plastic bottles. Animal friendly, environmentally friendly and stylish? I'm a fan. Here's some background info on the company. A local store in Vancouver (Obsessions) had a sale on Matt & Nat purses this weekend, so I splurged as a late birthday gift to myself. Inside the purse was a little quote tucked inside: Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself. Love this company.

Illuminate your weekend

a new life

I got to visit my friend's beautiful new daughter Elle yesterday. She is such a sweet little soul. I just know she's going to learn so many amazing qualities from her moms and in return their hearts will never be the same. It won't be long before baby Elle realizes just how lucky she is to be born into the family she now has. I already feel like the world is a better place with this little girl in it. Holding her, while sitting in the rocking chair, just made me overwhelmingly ready to meet our baby. I can't wait. Just the idea of knowing that soon I'll be able to look into my child's eyes makes me giddy.

Boo!

Here are a few festive homes in our area. I'm always amazed that some people really do go all out for Halloween. In the bottom photo, the family has set up a Christmas tree in their living room decked out in Halloween lights. Do you like Halloween? Have you ever walked through a haunted house? Check out these photos of people being scared out of their wits: Niagara Falls Fear Factory photos. I'm so curious as to what happens there because it is only approx. 15 minutes to walk through and yet over 100,000 people have chickened out part way, too frightened to continue. We walked through a creepy tomb with live actors once at Universal Studios in California and needless to say, I'm pretty happy that photos weren't snapped back then and plastered on Facebook.  I swear all of the colour drained out of me (which isn't easy because I'm about as pale as they come), and there's a very good chance my hair was standing completely on end. Actors literally jump out at you down dark passageways or sneak up and tap your back. I remember jumping into my hubby's arms and screaming like a crazed little girl when an actor, dressed as a mummy, grabbed my shoulder. It is possible that I screamed so loudly, I frightened the actor. Do you like watching scary movies on Halloween? If I can cling to someone, I can watch them, but solo? Forget about it. Movies that completely scared me were The Ring  and Paranormal Activity where it's more about what you don't see than what you do.

Changes

Are you a person that thrives on change or are you happiest when you are surrounded by familiarity?

I'm definitely a person who loves change - for me it keeps me on my toes and feeds my curiosity. I'm happiest when travelling to a new place, camera in hand, discovering things for the first time. I think that's why every year I make myself a list of places I want to see, things I want to try, accomplishments I hope to achieve. That's why I love new destinations, new restaurants, mixing with different people, taking classes, devouring books, trying new recipes - it keeps everything feeling fresh, invigorated - gives me a sense of renewal. Do you categorize yourself as someone who loves change or do you feel happiest with more of a routine? Does it scare you to try new things? If there's one certainty in life, it's that you cannot stop change. Try to do something that is out of your comfort zone - it's the quickest way to grow as a person. 

The Great Pumpkin Patch Caper

This weekend we headed to the Country Pumpkin Patch in Richmond to get our pumpkin fix on. It was a lot of fun seeing the animals, taking wagon rides to the pumpkin patch (each wagon is equipped with knee slappin singers), mucking our way through the corn maze and combing the fields for the best carve-worthy pumpkins we could get our cotton pickin' hands on. Word to the wise: remember to pack your rubber boots and a change of shoes for afterwords. I actually saw a woman attempting to climb through the mud in a pair of ballet flats (I guess common sense really is a gift).  If we hadn't fuelled up for a delicious brunch at Brown's Social House first, I would have been ALL OVER the pumpkin patch's mini donut stand. It was so much fun spending the afternoon watching our friend's little bambino react to everything. I can't wait to show our little baby days like these. I hope you had a great weekend!

Ensemble

Have you been to Vancouver's Ensemble restaurant? Home of Canada's Top Chef winner Dale MacKay? We gathered our own ensemble of ya-yas to share some tasty tapas. My personal favourite was the Gnocchi: Ah-mazing. It's a great spot to sample a wonderful mix of appie size plates. We tried: Roasted Beet Salad, Herb Risotto, Cornmeal Crusted Scallops, Black Cod with Thai Broth, Poached and Crispy Chicken, Potato Gnocchi, Fries, and for dessert we chased it all down with Raspberry Souffle, Strawberry Pavlova and Chocolate Fondant. Actually, looking at this list, I'd say we hit that menu pretty hard. Everything was extremely tasty. It's a little on the spendier side for the portion sizes, but the food was delicious. My baby and I give it four thumbs up :) There's nothing more fun than catching up with great friends over amazing food. 

a beautiful addition to the world

Today I had the amazing honour of meeting one of my dearest friend's new baby girl. They are still working on her name and once they finalize it, I will update this posting. She was born yesterday and weighs 7 lbs, 7 ounces. She has two beautiful moms and will definitely be surrounded by a lot of love. I teared up as soon as I saw her for the first time. I have shared this pregnancy journey closely with my friend and now that her little one is here, I'm just so overwhelmingly happy for them all. It really blows my mind to think this perfectly formed baby was all cozy in her mom's belly, just a few short days ago. The human body is truly remarkable. I am so excited for them that they finally get to meet her, to carry her, to hold her little wrinkly hands and to look into her eyes. I think our baby is going to be so lucky to have this sweet little girl as a friend.

the best part about birthdays

This birthday marks my last nail scratching effort to desperately cling to my 30s. I definitely think as I get older, my favourite part about birthdays is just seeing all my loved ones during the week surrounding my birthday. Okay, okay, I also love cake. Last night we had a fun visit with our sweet friends who threw a lovely cozy birthday shindig for eight. I was so happy to have everyone together around the table. They really are the funniest crew. This year was really cute, it definitely was the first time I've ever been on a cake, (usually I'm just jumping out of them (just kidding, I'm not a stripper, although I would love to have the body of one right about now). Do you like to celebrate your birthday? Or are you happier to hibernate and let is pass quietly?
Last year I made a list of 38 things I wanted to accomplish while I was 38. Even though it wasn't completed, I was pretty happy with how many items were checked off. Of course I was truly happiest that the first item, my dream of all dreams, was finally crossed off: Here's my 38 things.
I think today I will work on a new list for 39 - because as you know, a lot can change in a year. I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Tap Restaurant, South Surrey

Pictured above(Caesar salad, Malaysian prawns, Parmesan Risotto, Baked Brie)

My birthday falls on Sunday but Craig and I celebrated it early with our own date night. He picked out Tap Restaurant for us and I couldn't have loved it more. The food, the ambience, the service were all top notch. I think it's my new favourite local spot. The Caesar salad and Creme Brulee were the best I've had. We had planned on seeing the late show of the Ides of March (some of my all time favourite acting chops are in it - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Ryan Gosling, and it doesn't hurt that Clooney shows up either).  But it turned into one of those amazing nights where we had dinner at a leisurely pace, great convo and after two+ hours realized we had missed our movie. I love dinners where you completely lose yourself in the experience, don't you? If you're ever in White Rock, you really should check out Tap Restaurant, nestled Rosemary Heights - I highly recommend it.

project 365 catch up

Thursday, Oct 13 - Yes, Halloween is one of my favourite times of the year - mainly due to the plethora of mini chocolate bars available. They seem so guilt free and innocent with their dainty come-hither size, until you realize you're re-stocking on Halloween treats yet again, and let's face it, the kids won't be knockin for a few more weeks. There is no way the latest supply in our house will last until then. The stores are genius for loading up their shelves early. They know that people like me exist. I curse them and applaud them at the same time.

8 months pregnant - another photo for the fridge

This photo was taken on Wednesday after our fifth ultrasound. I love any chance we get to see the baby moving around inside. This time the technician told us that the baby had turned head down. (Yay!) This means instead of lying transverse (horizontally) across my belly, the baby is now vertical, which is what we were hoping for. Now that the baby has turned, I've never felt so much movement. I think the baby is liberated with their new space. It's pretty exciting. Sometimes we just lie there and watch the belly show - you can see feet kick and huge waves move across my skin. I find it more entertaining than anything on   TV these days. I never thought I'd enjoy pregnancy as much as I am. I feel like this baby has given us the greatest gift. Now if they can just miraculously appear in our arms without the whole pesky labour side of things, that would be the best.

hibernating

On these dark drizzly nights, I crave homemade soup, delicious baking and a cozy fire. A glass of red vino would be the perfect end to the day, but hot tea has become a temporary substitute. I've got a nice Tetley buzz going on right now. Tonight I whipped up these pumpkin pie tarts ( I just substituted tart shells instead of pie crust). Pumpkin seems to be one of those things people either love or hate. Are you a pumpkin person? I can't get enough of the stuff - pumpkin scones, pumpkin lattes, pumpkin pie - yes, yes and more please. I had three Thanksgiving feasts within 24 hours. Sunday night with my family, Monday afternoon at work and Monday night with Craig's family. Let's just say I'm giving my maternity jeans' waistband the ultimate test. It was no shocker that today's weigh in with the doctor was one of my quicker gains. I'm pretty sure if you look into my eyes you will see cranberry sauce.
Have you seen this ad? Hilarious.

the times, they are a changin'

mom's delicious pumpkin pie

With two back to back Thanksgiving dinners this year, I'm particularly grateful for my stretchy maternity pants.

the comforts of a cozy fall day

We spent the afternoon walking on 4th avenue, ducking into quaint shops and cafes. Don't you love this time of year when the air is sunny and crisp and you get to hear the crunch of leaves underfoot? 

31 weeks pregnant

Hi lovely friends. I felt a little nervous to post this photo because it feels a little bare but I wanted to document the changes that come with pregnancy. Putting on shoes is definitely an event now - often involving me teetering over in some kind of grandiose way. I seriously can't understand how men with big beer guts manage. We have approximately two months before we get to meet this little baby. I keep picturing that moment when they lay the baby on my chest and I get to finally see them - I seriously can't wait. We have no idea if it's a boy or girl - it's definitely the most frequent question that we are asked.  So far, our family and friends all speculate that it's a girl. I honestly have no guesses either way. The baby is still lying in a transverse position (horizontally across my belly) - which occurs in approx. 1 in 2500 babies and explains why my belly is carrying the baby so low. This transverse position allows the baby to jab their hands and feet into my ribcage, which I keep trying to explain to them isn't a set of monkey bars. I know there's not much to play with in there, but the rib jabs can really hurt. I'm spending a lot of time trying different yoga positions to turn the baby so that it is vertically head down - it's the only way I'll be able to deliver the baby naturally. I have another ultrasound appointment next week which will determine if it's changed position at all. The doctors also ordered the ultrasound to see how the baby is developing, as right now it is only measuring in the 10th percentile, which is really surprising to me given that my hubby is 6'5" and I'm 5'7". We're not exactly "petite" people.
If there's one piece of advice I can give to expectant moms, it is that too much information can be a bad thing. Ever since I heard my doctor say, "10th percentile," I've been researching information on the internet and have grown increasingly concerned with what I was discovering, to the point where I wasn't sleeping properly. I even called the on-duty doctor at the mat clinic to ask a few more questions because waiting to see my own doctor next week just felt too far off. They told me not to worry and that they weren't seeing anything in my file that was triggering any alarm bells. It was definitely the reassurance I needed. Each week seems to come with new discoveries and hurdles, but I am so thankful that I've had the chance to experience pregnancy, for years I thought pregnancy would never be a possibility and even with the ups and downs that come with it - it's really been the most incredible experience - profoundly connecting me to my physical self and this little being. I better go do some stretching, the baby is all up in my grill again! Have a great day!

rest in peace Steve

homemade lemon meringue tarts

I keep finding new ways to give in to this pregnancy's lemon addiction. Did you have any cravings during your pregnancy? Some big ones right now: ice water with lemon wedges, crunchy salad with iceberg lettuce, smoothies made with fresh berries and toasted BLT's without the B. I've gotta run, I'm getting munchy! 

Whistler with the Williams crew