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These photos were taken last August, developed last February, and finally scanned onto my computer today. Better late than never though, right?
I'm more aware lately of just how much I have to be thankful for, and I want to always remember moments like this picnic. I mean, we had candles & lanterns for goodness sake! haha
We threw this picnic as a send-off for a dear friend and it was such fun afternoon. The most delicious food (You've had Libert� lemon yoghurt before, right?) and the best company - everything a summer picnic is made of!
As summer comes to an end, don't forget to soak up every last minute with those you love, eating delicious food, celebrating the big & small lovelies that surrounds us every day.
And maybe squeeze in a picnic or two :)
xo,
B
I know we can't be the only family to have such colour indecision. We've gathered paint swatches for months, debating colour ideas and going back & forth. But, fall is almost here and we need to paint!
As of this very moment, only two of these colours are on our walls (Natural Wicker & Gossamer Blue). And one is standing in as the rough shade of our living/dining room wallpaper (Green Smoke). The other four are still in idea stage, but I wanted to put them all together to see what I thought, and what you guys think! So here is the shade breakdown:
Green Smoke - our living & dining room have this kind of crazy but kind of awesome deep green wallpaper, and it's staying. It's roughly the shade of Green Smoke, although it is two-tone, so some parts are a bit lighter. While overall it is quite dark, we have light pine floors and lots of white trim so it works fairly well.
Revere Pewter - I think we should paint our kitchen cabinets this colour. It goes well with our current countertops (which aren't changing), white appliances (not changing in the near future) and IKEA island & chairs (which we love & wish we'd bought sooner!). We might do the upper cabinets a shade or two lighter, but at least the bottom cabinets will be this colour.
Teresa's Green - in real life, this shade looks a bit lighter and not quite as green. I think this might work really well on the kitchen walls(!). With white appliances, white trim (5 doors & a window in the kitchen), greige cabinets and black floor, it needs a colour that works will all of that and doesn't clash with the living/dining room or family room which both lead off the kitchen. I think some shade of light turquoise-green might look really good :)
Merlot Red - We've been thinking of painting the family room red for a while. It gets a TON of natural light thanks to 2 big windows and a skylight so it won't feel too dark. And I think the red will make it feel cozy (gets a little cold in there in the winter) and be a fun pop of colour off the kitchen :)
Natural Wicker - Moving upstairs, this is the colour on our back staircase walls (we have 2 staircases, welcome to old homes! haha) and upstairs hallway. Good, solid neutral that works will the current carpet and back staircase colour (black bean soup I think?).
Gossamer Blue - One of the bedrooms is in this colour and it's so lovely. Looks gorgeous with white trim and beige-y carpet.
Cornforth White - The colour I'm thinking for my bedroom! I was leaning towards a grey a little darker (Martha Stewart Chinchilla) but this one is my current favourite. Just the perfect amount of grey to offset the white trim and sand-y carpet.
The first four would be downstairs, while the last 3 are/would be upstairs. The whole house has chunky white trim and with the exception of the kitchen, fairly light floors. What do you guys think?
xo,
B
Why hello again! I hope you had a wonderful week while I was away!
No, I did not fall off the face of the earth haha, I was just up at camp. With no internet/social media/email. I always go into camp with a bit of a panic that something major will happen with work while I'm away and I won't be able to do anything about it (or even know it's happening!) but it always seems to work out.
It was a great week - started off a little cool but they put on fires in the dining hall and it's kind of the best to come into breakfast all cozy and have a cup of tea by the fire :) Theme nights went well (under the sea & 1963/diner night) with yours truly and my assistant/co-counsellor on decor. My cabin of girls was so great - was the last year for some as they graduate to teen camp next year and that's always a little bittersweet.
Still in recovery mode a little haha - had a nice sleep-in this morning and my bed will probably call to me earlier than usual tonight, but I wouldn't trade camp for anything. There's just nothing like it on earth :)
xo,
B
This was my first time reading Altman, and I'm pretty impressed. This wasn't a formulaic category romance. The conflict was solid, the back-stories were intriguing, the romance hot, the characters dimensional, the setting ideal, and the secondary characters hilarious. The book had a smooth pace, wanting me to keep reading, and Altman's writing style was both sweet and funny. My only quirk was secondary character, Marcus. Without throwing up a spoiler alert, I didn't feel being in his head added anything of substance we couldn't have gotten from the heroine or hero. Alas, recommended!
My only issue with the book was the ridiculous notion Jesse had about writing a romance. Being a romance writer myself, I got not only frustrated, but angry with the way she went about writing this book and her idiotic theories. Honestly, it was downright insulting. Kaye did a great job in putting her in place and giving her the proverbial slap upside the head, rectifying the situation. However, in the end, "publication/the big break/the call" came way too easily, almost proving Jessie right.
In saying that, in true Kaye style, this was funny and sweet and satisfying nonetheless. Kaye never lets me down. It was so rewarding watching Jesse be proven wrong and seeing her fall�right into Fisher's arms. Fisher and his family were quirky and sweet. Hilarious. I haven't read the other books, but I really need to. Especially Karma (the sister). Can't wait. Recommended.
A follow up to Losing It, Faking It is a great take from both Max's and Cade's POV in first-person. For those who read Losing It and felt for poor Cade, well, he gets his. Max is relatable and I rooted for her all the way, even when she needed to be smacked upside the head. Eh, she's young. New Adult genre and all. Cade is a great hero and puts up with more than any other guy would. The back-stories were particularly interesting and this had a good conclusion. It was nice watching these two heal each other and fall in love.
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Thursday, August 29, 2013
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Quintessential Summer Picnic
These photos were taken last August, developed last February, and finally scanned onto my computer today. Better late than never though, right?
I'm more aware lately of just how much I have to be thankful for, and I want to always remember moments like this picnic. I mean, we had candles & lanterns for goodness sake! haha
We threw this picnic as a send-off for a dear friend and it was such fun afternoon. The most delicious food (You've had Libert� lemon yoghurt before, right?) and the best company - everything a summer picnic is made of!
As summer comes to an end, don't forget to soak up every last minute with those you love, eating delicious food, celebrating the big & small lovelies that surrounds us every day.
And maybe squeeze in a picnic or two :)
xo,
B
All photos taken by me, with a Minolta XG 1 on Fugifilm 400
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
House Colour Palette
As of this very moment, only two of these colours are on our walls (Natural Wicker & Gossamer Blue). And one is standing in as the rough shade of our living/dining room wallpaper (Green Smoke). The other four are still in idea stage, but I wanted to put them all together to see what I thought, and what you guys think! So here is the shade breakdown:
Green Smoke - our living & dining room have this kind of crazy but kind of awesome deep green wallpaper, and it's staying. It's roughly the shade of Green Smoke, although it is two-tone, so some parts are a bit lighter. While overall it is quite dark, we have light pine floors and lots of white trim so it works fairly well.
Revere Pewter - I think we should paint our kitchen cabinets this colour. It goes well with our current countertops (which aren't changing), white appliances (not changing in the near future) and IKEA island & chairs (which we love & wish we'd bought sooner!). We might do the upper cabinets a shade or two lighter, but at least the bottom cabinets will be this colour.
Teresa's Green - in real life, this shade looks a bit lighter and not quite as green. I think this might work really well on the kitchen walls(!). With white appliances, white trim (5 doors & a window in the kitchen), greige cabinets and black floor, it needs a colour that works will all of that and doesn't clash with the living/dining room or family room which both lead off the kitchen. I think some shade of light turquoise-green might look really good :)
Merlot Red - We've been thinking of painting the family room red for a while. It gets a TON of natural light thanks to 2 big windows and a skylight so it won't feel too dark. And I think the red will make it feel cozy (gets a little cold in there in the winter) and be a fun pop of colour off the kitchen :)
Natural Wicker - Moving upstairs, this is the colour on our back staircase walls (we have 2 staircases, welcome to old homes! haha) and upstairs hallway. Good, solid neutral that works will the current carpet and back staircase colour (black bean soup I think?).
Gossamer Blue - One of the bedrooms is in this colour and it's so lovely. Looks gorgeous with white trim and beige-y carpet.
Cornforth White - The colour I'm thinking for my bedroom! I was leaning towards a grey a little darker (Martha Stewart Chinchilla) but this one is my current favourite. Just the perfect amount of grey to offset the white trim and sand-y carpet.
The first four would be downstairs, while the last 3 are/would be upstairs. The whole house has chunky white trim and with the exception of the kitchen, fairly light floors. What do you guys think?
xo,
B
Monday, August 19, 2013
Home again, home again
Why hello again! I hope you had a wonderful week while I was away!
No, I did not fall off the face of the earth haha, I was just up at camp. With no internet/social media/email. I always go into camp with a bit of a panic that something major will happen with work while I'm away and I won't be able to do anything about it (or even know it's happening!) but it always seems to work out.
It was a great week - started off a little cool but they put on fires in the dining hall and it's kind of the best to come into breakfast all cozy and have a cup of tea by the fire :) Theme nights went well (under the sea & 1963/diner night) with yours truly and my assistant/co-counsellor on decor. My cabin of girls was so great - was the last year for some as they graduate to teen camp next year and that's always a little bittersweet.
Still in recovery mode a little haha - had a nice sleep-in this morning and my bed will probably call to me earlier than usual tonight, but I wouldn't trade camp for anything. There's just nothing like it on earth :)
xo,
B
Review: Staying at Joe's, by Kathy Altman
Allison Kincaid's boss has sent her on a mission to find Joe Gallahan and bring him back to the PR firm for a very important client. Millions of dollars and her job is on the line if she fails. Except her and Joe were more than just colleagues. Their out of office romance is what cost her a promotion last year. Joe agrees to help only if Allison stays for two weeks to help him restore his run-down motel. But wielding a hammer and working side by side again may just give them the second chance they both secretly crave, if only there weren't so many obstacles in their path.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Review: Call Me Wild, by Robin Kaye
Sportswriter Jessie James just got the pink slip from her dream job. Unable to support herself, she moves from New York to Idaho
Review: Faking It and Losing It, by Cora Carmack
Cade moved to Philly in the hopes of moving on from what happened his last year of college in Texas
*~*~*
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