Meet Fi-Fi

Say hello to little Miss Fi-Fi!

As promised, here is Gretchen in her second costume. This one was borrowed from Kim, whose daughter Jane wore it last year!

I'd have to say that Gretchen's first Halloween was a success -- we didn't have very many trick-or-treaters (I have a bowl of Rockets to prove it) but the ones who came were cute & polite! Add 'handing out candy' to my growing list of things I love about living in a house!

I hope you all had a fabulous & safe Halloween night -- or just a happy Saturday overall!

Peace.

Happy Halloween

A couple days ago we watched The Great Pumpkin and it was so incredibly nostalgic. I'm not sure I've seen it for maybe 5 or 6 years, which I suppose isn't that long, but it still made me think of being a little kid and watching all of the Halloween specials on tv. I love sharing piece of my childhood with Gretchen. It feels so special.

What is your favourite Halloween memory?

My Little Wookiee

For Gretchen's first Halloween we've been lent two different costumes -- here's the first:

My little Chewbacca babe.

Thank you to Felicia for letting us borrow this costume!

PS. Costume #2 shall be revealed tomorrow.

Chai Love

When the fine folks over at Prudent Baby asked me to share a DIY the first thing that came to mind wasn’t exactly crafty, but, surprise, surprise – tea related! You all know by now what a vital role tea plays in my life.

I’ve actually wanted to share this recipe with you all for quite a while now and I really hope you’ll all give it a shot.

Ingredients:
♥ 3 cups of water
♥ 1 cinnamon stick
♥ 10 cardamom pods
♥ 8 whole cloves
♥ 1 cup of milk
♥ 5 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
♥ 4 teaspoons of loose black tea (or you can use 3-4 teabags)

First, grab your mortar & pestle to crush up all of your spices. Pour the water into a saucepan, add the spices & bring to a boil. Cover & simmer on low for about ten minutes – you’ll already be drooling at the aroma which will have consumed your entire kitchen at this point. Now add your milk & sugar and bring back up to a simmer. (You can also finish the recipe without adding sugar at all so that everyone may add as much or as little sugar as they’d like to their own mug.) Once you’re simmering again, toss in your tea leaves (or bags), cover & remove from heat. After a few minutes, strain into cups & enjoy!

Feel free to play around with this recipe to suit your own tastes. If you don’t want as much clove, ½ the portion, or if you want a creamier tea, add more milk – have a sweet tooth? Add more sugar, or even honey! This is a very customizable recipe so enjoy & have fun with it.

Simple, tasty & straight from the Indian food restaurant that I worked in when I was younger. (Side note: The restaurant has since changed hands & is now a Thai place called Karma's which was actually featured on Restaurant Makeover a few years back.)

This tea tastes best in the company of friends, family, or curled up in a cozy chair with a good book or a favourite movie.

I believe it’s guaranteed to bring smiles & warmth!

Peace.

Twas The Day Before Halloween

Details.

I love this season! We've done a tiny bit of decorating -- a cute sign on the door, some pumpkins out on our path & porch. Tomorrow night I'll get to hand out candy for the first time since I was still living at home with my mother -- years ago!

Soon I will share Gretchen's Halloween costume(s) which I think you'll all get a kick out of.

Bye for now!

Thrift Love

Last week I picked up this gem at Value Village. There's just something so kitschy-fab about it that I just love.

It's now hanging in our bathroom & it makes me smile.

Have you thrifted anything interesting lately?

Fawned Friday

Good morning!

I have so many fun finds to share this week -- enjoy!

01. Hoth chocolate.

02. Tutu-torial.

03. Blue tudor rose yoga bag.

04. Subliminal messages.

05. Scissor Variations blog love.

06. Halloween themed appetizers.

07. General store love.

08. The Secret Garden.

09. All manner of cute for $3.50.

10. When she is feeling floristy.

11. Recycled soda bottle cups.

12. Vintage spool peg rack DIY.

12. An ode to blue.

13. Pumpkin carving guru.

14. Rad Swiffer cover DIY.

Have a fantastic Friday & an even more wonderful weekend!

Peace!

Love List

♥ my freckles
♥ baby smooches
♥ G's smiles & little nose
♥ chai (recipe coming soon!)
♥ my little Winston pup
♥ a new knit hat

Every Mother Is A Working Woman

Yes they are.

Source.

Nine Months

Nine months old & amazing in every way.

In short:
♥ She scoots (with legs tucked under, and quite quickly)
♥ She babbles (dada, baabaa, pfffttthhhpppttt!)
♥ She’s very cautious of unfamiliar people & we’re dealing with some separation anxiety (which means we haven’t been separate since August)
♥ She loves sweet potatoes and apples
♥ She can sign for milk & nurses a lot, especially at night
♥ She’s been “teething” for MONTHS, it would seem, but still just has the two bottom chompers that she’s had since 5 months (though I have a feeling the top two are coming soon)
♥ She LOVES music & sometimes will do a little dance
♥ She likes to play peek-a-boo
♥ She enjoys her book collection (especially for chewing)

We’re so in love, little miss.

Happy 9 months!

Wordless Wednesday (My Doe Eyed Fawn)

Hanging On To Autumn

Love List

♥ cozy baby hats
♥ taking photos in the park
♥ spending the afternoon drinking tea with friends
♥ pizza with broccoli on it
♥ snuggling & nursing my daughter
♥ reading quietly in bed

♥ the boy fixing our bathtub drain issue

♥ kind emails from my readers

♥ lower than expected gas bills

♥ hugs of all sorts

Sharing The Blog Love

This afternoon three friends came over so that I could teach them 'the ways of the blog'. We sat in my living room, drank tea & enjoying homemade cinnamon buns while I taught little lessons on creating a blog, editing posts & customizing their layouts.

It was so fun to share this part of my world with them & to welcome them to it!

Thanks, Caren, Karen & Astrid for the fabulous afternoon! I can't wait to see how your new blogs evolve & grow!

(Gretchen helped too.)

Robo-Love

Look what my neighbour brought us! It's a cute little robot snack container/thermos type apparatus -- or to Gretchen, a fun new drum!

Thank so much, Caren!

We've Been Featured!

Thank you so much to Allie at No Time For Flash Cards for featuring So Fawned on her blog today! I'm so honored!

I've been reading Allie's blog for a while now & would love to share with you a few of my favourite posts as of late:

♥ Books About Fine Art

♥ Free Art With Fun Tools

♥ Naptime Creation

♥ Goodnight, Sleep Tight!

I also love when she sings!

Enjoy! And have a fabulous night!

For The Love Of Reading

Last night my neighbour Caren, Gretchen and I all went to the local La Leche League's spaghetti dinner fundraiser. We had a really fabulous time -- especially at the silent auction! I battled it out for a few items, and in the end walked away with this fabulous prize:

My $20 bid won this set of 31 brand new Franklin books!

Books are one of those things that I just can't and won't stop buying for Gretchen. You can never have enough, really, and she actually already loves to have stories read. She does get a little impatient, and would sometimes rather be chewing the pages than looking at them, but when she holds them and stares at the words it makes my heart sing.

I spent HOURS everyday during my childhood just sitting & read -- inside, outside, in the woods behind our house, in the hammock, under my bed, under the kitchen table, on the desk in the living room, in my tree house, by the pool -- anywhere & everywhere. I would grab a blanket or some pillows and curl up to devour some Judy Blume, The Baby-Sitters Club, Sweet Valley Twins, Chronicles of Narnia or Anne of Green Gables.

Every night I would read til I fell asleep. My mom would come in to turn off my light & place my book on my nightstand.

I truly hope to pass down my love of books to my daughter. It's such a fabulous world & I want her to explore it, page by page, just like her mama.

...

Note: I've added two new features to the right hand sidebar. Gretchen's Picks will showcase books that she's been enjoying lately, and under Currently Reading I'll be updating books in my own reading list. Feel free to email any suggestions for books you think we'd enjoy Merci!

When Nerds Carve Pumpkins

Happy almost Halloween!

Fawned Friday

Could it be? Is it really Friday already??

My word.

Enjoy!

01. Mix tape pillow.

02. Gradated leaf garland.

03. Bibliochaise.

04. Pepper pillow.

05. DIY doily racerback.

06. The little forest & brew prints.

07. Fuzzy little squirrel hat.

08. Pinup girl messenger bag.

09. Super simple DIY baby pants.

10. A guide to getting well.

11. Autumn colour love.

12. Dog & baby love.

Happy Friday, mes amis. Much love.

The Art of Multitasking

East City Is The Place To Be, Mes Amis

Have I mentioned lately how completely enamoured with my neighbourhood I am??

A couple days ago the weather was so lovely and the colours outside were just beautiful -- we sat outside in our driveway with the babe, and our neighbour Caren, and just chatted while enjoying the peacefulness of our street.

While we sat, it struck me how fabulous it is to live in a house! We've been in apartments for so long and sitting outside like this would never have been possible at our last two places -- not without being asked for money, having smoke blown in our faces or watching tons of traffic go by. Not our idea of a serene afternoon.

We feel SO happy to have this little house in East City. It's just so sweet.

So yes, we sat in our driveway -- the babe, the boy, our neighbour, her dog, Gracie, & our cat, Kitten -- and I took photos to savour the moment.

Happy Thursday, friends!