Work It Girl

This white duck is simply beautiful, and obviously very comfortable with her pear shaped figure. Imagine being dressed in a lovely feathered frock all the time. This gal has it going on.

These next few pics are images that encapsulate fresh and simple beauty. Can't get enough of the stuff.

Ahhhhh, I think I need to hang a clothesline in the new backyard. My panties wont exactly be blowing in a flowery country breeze, but still fresher than the LG dryer.

I love this arrangement of gorgeous vases, especially the crystal cut ones on each side. I hope to have my own garden one day to adorn these glitzy happy makers. Every home needs a little sparkle.

Lace, chiffon and sunlight- lovers like peanut butter and jelly.

I wouldn't mind doing the dishes in this ensemble.

It could use a top...if Morgan's around.

Who wants to get lost in a book?

I do, I do. All day long, if its here.

Who says libraries have to be navy and burgundy,

and oh so serious? Not me. Heck no!

This picture speaks to me...It says, "Lane, your life of glamour and utter chicness is somewhere in the laundry pile, in between the soggy Cheerio and stinky dish rag." Oh, how I miss getting dressed to the nines a little more often than...well, hardly ever.

Ha, what we do for our sweet babes. Dear Old Life, "I promise to wear my lulus only 3 times a week. I also promise to get some panty hose on, some sexy lingerie and some killer heels for 'almost' every date night. And if I want to rock some comfy sweats around the house, I'll do it with the panache of a fearless, sexy woman, who rules her life on her own terms. Take that old life."

I kind of feel more like this these days. Work it girl.

Candy in the Sky

If all goes as planned (ha) we'll be moving into our new home mid Sept. We are waist deep in renos (literally), and we've only just begun. If I could describe my style, it would be...relaxed elegance. I never want the rooms in my home to feel contrived. Too much on one style feels dated and inauthentic. A good eclectic mix of time and style is just what the room doctor ordered.

I want the rooms in my home to come together with a clean organic warmth that feels more like a sanction to rescue us at the end of the day. What I've learned is to trust what I really love, what the hearth of soul cannot do without. Here are a few pics of my inspiration.

When I was a little girl, I would have LOVED something like this whimsical chandelier. I've seen them at a few children's boutiques in Edmonton, but they come with a ouchy price tag. I wonder if I could embark on making one...they're like candy in the sky.

This outdoor haven is rustic but pretty, something you'd enjoy in Tuscany, but could create here. I could definitely enjoy the company of my family and friends with an outdoor space like this. Who wants to laze around on a tepid fall day with steamy tea and homemade scones with me? Good conversation is a must. Comes naturally with the fresh air, doesn't it.

Ok, now this swing looks like something from The Secret Garden, and thats exactly why it speaks to me. It would be so easy to make. We have a huge crab apple tree in the new backyard. I wonder if it could support this? This is one of those things my soul just can't do without.

Dreamy. Every girl needs a beauty space like this, right.

Ok, I'm drooling over these gorgeous beat up floor boards and soft cotton curtains that pool to the ground. The beams and skylights are yummy too. I am such a sucker for the serenity of white, especially when its having a rendezvous with natural materials to give it a more organic feel. I can just imagine myself sleepily walking down this hallway, inhaling the abundance of natural light, my bare feet soaking in the creeks of the floor, on my way back to bed for a morning snuggle. Ahhhh, I'm manifesting it. Oh, yes.

I love oversized, well-made furniture (although I can't always afford it, especially at this point in my life, but I can dream). Its so comfortable and makes a small space look grande. I'm totally into slipcovers that are washable, AKA- Morgan friendly. My affair with light colours needs to work for my lifestyle too.

"Hello, ladies."

Sweet dreams.

Morgan's Babies

After such a huge month of life-changing events, it was so nice to have a quiet day at home with Morgan. I love just watching her play with all of her toys. It fascinates me how she's so observant and already able to make sense of many things in this life. I can't believe how quickly she learns and picks up on how things work. They're like little miracle engineers.

Those cheeks, I could kiss, kiss, kiss.

That tiny tush makes my heart melt every time.

You just keep thinking, 'This month is for sure my favourite,' and then they're a month older and you think, 'No, its this month,' and so on. It just keeps getting better.

Its awesome to experience and celebrate they're milestones.

Every minute is like flying over a rainbow-

so spectacular and special.

Even when it gets busy, we do our best to soak her in

like a sponge of endless of love.

The treasure basket of endless fun.

Can any mommy ever get enough of those little hands and feet?

These are Morgan's most loved babies.

Her new favourite game is to line them up on the

window and rearrange them again,

and again, and again. Its so cute.

"Ok, you three. I'm going to show you my muscles. Hang on."

"Hi, Mommy."

"Ok babies, now you sit and behave."

Brydon named this sweet pink elephant, "Chopper." Ha.

She's always using her babies as pillows.

"Ok Hansel, you and Chip the squirrel are going to sit together whether you like it or not."

"Ok mommy, I'm getting sleepy."

Nap time, my love.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

I always dreamed of having a sister. Now, I can hardly believe I have three. I had the pleasure of meeting my 3rd sister, Mattea, over the weekend. She is an absolute doll, and I can't believe even though we're 10 years a part, how much we have in common.

Like weird things...we both rub our feet together to fall asleep, when we're walking next to someone, we usually walk them right off the sidewalk, we both LOVE to shop and are totally drawn to the same things, goo goo for anything girly and romanic, have BIG appetites, love to be active, put up with our super fine hair, love to read, crazy about animals, and live our lives to the tilt!

We seriously bonded over this fab sparkly nail polish we adorned our thumbs with at Sephora. We were going to buy it, but weren't willing to stand in the monstrous line. Instead, we decided to bond over something else...Oh, notice, its like the same thumb! Me on the left, her on the right.

Next, we stopped at Forever 21 and did a wild montage with Rod Stewart gold la-may leopard print leggings and matching disco tops- we were rockin. The camera was loving us!

This was hilarious. I seriously felt 19 again, loved it!

This girls got all the right moves.

Oh Jesus.

She seriously wanted to take these

bad girl

tights home with her.

I don't blame her, they were sweeeeet.

Instead of bonding over nail polish, we decided on these awesome head massagers from Urban Outfitters. Every time we use it, we'll think...hmmm I wonder if my sister's massaging her head??? And then we'll send loving vibes to each other...we obviously have our crazy, silly sense of humours in common!

I feel so lucky to have so many awesome people in my life, especially all this new family! Mattea is a fun-loving, down-to earth, endearing, beautiful young woman. I can't wait to spend more time with her. Smooooooch!

Another Grand Reunion.

This summer, the mountains have really been a sturdy sanction of change, renewal and strength for me. Last weekend, Morgan and I made the road trip to Jasper once again to shed the busy city vibe with dad, Bev, Ryan (Bev's son) and Domi (Ryan's fiance).

On Saturday, after Domi, Ryan and I returned from an awesome white water rafting trip, my birth father, Rob, made a spontaneous trip up to meet all of us.

Here we are. What a crazy experience.

My whole life, I always thought that my birth father was Swedish. Ha, nope. I found out that I'm actually Slovakian, Hungarian, Turkish and Austrian. Sure, I'll take that. Rob said, if I were to ever be given a sword, I'd probably know how to use it very well...there's an idea. Can it be adorned with rubies and emeralds too?

Morgan loved Rob's big puppy- the lovely Keanna. Although Morgan continually harassed her with pats on the nose and tail tugs, Keanna's gentle nature prevailed. She also let Morgan feed her, carefully taking her food right from Morgan's tiny palm. What a good puppy.

Morgan checking out Rob's camera. In the evening, we went through several photo albums of my ancestors. It was wonderful to learn more about my roots. Rob and his family didn't come to Canada from Slovakia until he was eight-years-old. Fascinating to know that my grandma was a glamourous beauty queen, and my grandpa was a well-known commercial artist, professional photographer, and architect who designed the Saddle Dome, Mount Royal College, most of the bridges in Calgary, and many many more. Sooo interesting.

I think it was love at first sight.

My two papas!

Wow, how amazing to see them together.

Again, the support from my family was just awesome.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Morgan waving bye bye to Grandpa Rob.

I'm so looking forward to meeting the rest of the family,

especially my brother and sister, Mattea and Kaja.

Her ring is freakin BEAUTIFUL.

It was so good to spend the weekend with you guys.

'Ok mommy, time to let loose.'

Little monkey getting into kitchen mischief.

All tuckered out from so much

excitement and love, love love.

What a girl...

What a weekend. What a month! What a life.