Wednesday's Words of Wisdom - Tinza's Tiddly Bits

Since I have been negligent in doing an update I thought I'd repost something from my sister's well-written & much-followed blog:  Tinza's Tiddly Bits.  It is a wonderful definition of luxury & good food for thought:

{ luxury found in time & quiet }

Family always comes through, even if they don't know they do. Thanks, Leah!!

{ photo from anewspaper article in the early 1990s aboard the Pacific Swift }

Stay well, blogland...

J xxo

Nursery Design

I'm very close to finishing up Hugo's room.  It also functions as our guest room so it can't be too baby-baby-ish.  My inspiration started from a piece of a dingy seat I discovered while beachcombing last summer.  And I didn't want to be too kitchsy-nautical but definitely wanted a boaty-flair:

{ beachcombed boat seat }

I found some paper fishies at our local toy store:

{ Djeco mobile }

and you can see the rest of my inspiration board here, here or here:

{ Hugo's Nursery Inspiration Board }

Need a little help feathering your nest?  I'd be happy to help.  Email me at juliasmith@telus.net.

'Til next time webworld....
xx Julia oo

Happy Birthday, Mum!

Today is my Mum's birthday.  She taught me many things... about being a mother, a wife, a woman & a person.  Here are my top FIVE in no particular order:

Have adventures.

I grew up sailing the South Pacific, riding the trains of India, cruising the Caribbean, navigating the Needles and the English Channel, braving the wilds of the northern BC coast and more all thanks to my Mum {& Dad}.  I haven't been as bold as my parents were but we do travel with our kids, take them out to fancy restaurants {which can be quite the "adventure"}, and look forward to taking the road less traveled.

{ sailing off the Isle of Wight, England }

Set the table for dinner.
Even if it's just a regular Tuesday night dinner of spaghetti & apple juice.  Light candles, put out placemats.  Set the table.  It makes you stop, enjoy your food & each other.  The same goes for your home.  Put out flowers.  Hang up your kids' artwork {or yours}.  It doesn't have to be perfect.  But it will make your house a home.

{ rustic meal with blooms from the garden}

Don't finish your kids' food.

Basically:  you are not a garbage can!!  Garbage in; garbage out {or on the hips!}.  If you want a treat, have your own & enjoy it.  Food is not to be avoided but to be savoured.  

Go on dates with your husband.

When we lived in Oona River, my mum's friend, Sharlane, would come & watch us so Mum could go on 'crabbing dates' with Dad.  They went out on the Distant Drummer, my parents' fishing boat, and spend the afternoon crabbing together off Porcher Island.  A date doesn't have to mean spending a wagonload on dinner out {while that's always very nice!}.  My kids will grow up and move out & I don't want to look across the table at my husband & not know each other anymore.

{ me & Craig }

{ Mum & Dad }

Pray.
When in doubt, worried, scared, happy, concerned, puzzled.... WHATever:  PRAY.  God is listening & the answer will come.  Not always the answer you want but your prayers will be answered.  I like Annie Lammot's thoughts on prayer.  She says all her prayers {mine too} come under the "help me... help me... help me..." or "thank YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!" variety.  Yup.  Pretty much.

Happy Birthday Mama-Doo.  I love you.  You are the best mummy in the whole world.

Back to School

September always feels like a fresh start to me... a clean slate. Almost more so than January 1st. The two big kids are back to school this year. Here are a few images from around the web to inspire those who are less inclined to get a kick out of the back~to~school~thing.

For those heading to uni or who just love books:

In case you need a little somethin' somethin' for the teach:

{ from One Charming Party online }

And to finish off some back to school bling:

{ from Design Mom }

Happy Back to School!

Chateau de Moissac

Craig & I are planning on taking the wee three {some not so wee anymore!} and heading to Europe next summer.

{ 1760s map of Europe }

We have no firm plans other than meeting up with our English rellies for the London 2012 Olympics. I've been following Design Mom's blog about her time in France with her husband & six chilluns and trolling the net to see where we should go. Craig's iPad has been getting a workout looking at chartering a boat to sail the Croatian coast {my pick} or the Greek isles {his}.

{ ahhhhhh... }

Look at this fab find I just made online thanks to Spearmint Decor:

{ Chateau de Moissac }

Chateau de Moissac is located in the Upper Var in Provence. The area is known for truffle & wine production. The interior finishes are almost all shades of neutral, but the lack of colour is far from boring. The light does wonders with the argent, cream, ecru, chalk, grey & off white {call it what you like, it's fabulous!} used throughout the chateau. See what I mean....

I have emailed them to find out about cost & availability. Could you imagine soaking in a bath here:

And reading a good book or enjoying a glass of vino here:

Making a grand entrance here:

And tucking in after a long walk in the vineyards here:

I could!

Home Office

Today I am going through emails... loads of them. I have been having problems with my laptop which appear to be fixed ~ FINALLY! With a yogurt parfait & coffee for sustenance:

{ one of my favourite breakfasts }

and this little guy overseeing my work:

{ Hugo BOSS (get it??!!) }

I hope I can be productive...

Room Consultations

While I was awaiting Hugo's arrival, I did a few smaller projects that kept me busy & my mind off waiting~for~baby.

Joanne's Family Room

Joanne is a long-time friend with elegance & energy to spare. She & her husband, Peter, have a family summer cabin right next to ours & I love it when we are up there together. We can spend hours drinking tea or wine {time-of-day dependent!} or going for long walks & chatting about life. We have such fun together & I enjoy her company immensely.

{ Joanne & Pete at daughter, Ashley's, wedding }

Joanne was feeling as though her existing family room needed a new look. She wanted to tweak it just a little but without spending a fortune. She asked me for some advice. {Now, let me be clear. Joanne has a great sense of style & is very design savvy so it was more of a conversation vs. me telling her what to do with no input from her.}

Here are some 'before' pictures {aren't these the nicest 'befores' you've ever seen!!!}:

{ Fireplace Wall ~ South Facing }

{ Window Wall - North Facing }

And here is the style board that I did to give her suggestions:

{ Joanne's Style Board }

Accompanying this style board is a furniture schedule which outlines where to purchase each item. This allowed Joanne to do the leg work herself when she had the time.

If you are interested in a similar type of design consultation, email me at info@bakerhillhomes.com or check me out online at Baker Hill Homes. Remote design consultations encouraged... we do not have to be in the same city for me to help you with your space. All budgets welcome!!

New Arrival

So, you may have guessed from the dearth of blog posts that something has happened. Well, yes, indeedie!

We have a new baby boy, Hugo, who has rocked our world. In a good way. He was born early in the morning of April 17th (12:47 am). He came into the world with great speed after a 10-day delay.

{ iPhone photo of Hugo a few hours after he was born}

I couldn't have asked for a better birth experience. Hugo came quickly {+/- 2 hours of labour}. And there's no way I could have done it without the support of my incredible husband, Craig, and our fabulous midwife, Irene of Midwifery Associates, North Shore.

The kids are loving their little brother. They are so kind & gentle with him, it is pure sweetness to watch them love him so much:

{ big sister Paulina in the hospital }

{ big brother x2 Sebastian at the hospital }

{ dog pile on Mum & Dad's bed }

{ kisses for Hugo from P }

And a few more assorted photos... just in case you needed confirmation that we are IN LOVE with this little morsel of a person:

{ me & H }

{ big yawns from a tiny man }

{ kisses from Dad }

{ handsome boys }

{ a-snooze }

{ now we are FIVE! }

Soon I will be back to blogging about design-related things but for now Hugo is taking centre stage. And that's just fine by me.

Kisses..... Julia

PS - many of these photos { all the black & whites and the colour one of Hugo napping } were taken by Becky of Bee Chalmers Photography. She's great. She's a friend & a fabulous photographer & did our prenatal photos. She can even make a sleep-deprived new mama look half-decent. Which, in my books, goes a LOOOOOooNG way!

Happy 6th Birthday

Happy Birthday, Paulina {aka Leenzie-Loo, Super Dooper Looper, Sweet P... our Paulina Gabriella Smith}. Six years ago today in the early morning hours you hastened into this world surprising everyone with your speed of arrival. You still have a mind of your own & do things in your own time. You are sweet, kind, sparky, have a great sense of humour & love with your whole heart. God bless you little one as you grow into a lovely big girl.

Kisses, your mama, always. xxxoo

In My Nest

As I mentioned in a previous post, we aren't putting together our nursery until baby is born & we confirm if he's a boy or she's a girl. We have a bassinette set up in our room:

{ anticipating baby's arrival }

The moses basket is an inexpensive find from Toys R Us {click HERE for the link} & combined with a rocker base, suits us just fine! I love the sage & off-white colour (which is perfect for a newborn boy OR girl):

{ loving the stripes! }

Some hand-me-down teddy bears from big brother Sebastian & big sister Paulina await our wee one:

{ cozy spot to land }

And a bunch of books to read & blocks to play with:

{ I love Beatrix Potter }

While I was setting up baby's space in our room, I was indulging in some non-alcoholic beer. It's not quite as good as an ice-cold big girl pint but this little baba is well worth the sacrifice in taste:

{ non-alchoholic beer & baby belly }

We've got a chest of drawers full of itty-bitty clothes, receiving blankets, diapers, etc. etc. & I've set up a change table on top:

{ diaper-zone }

If you've had a baby, did you find out the sex? Why or why not? And are you good at predicting... what do you think we're having?

Boy??

or girl??