Day 15: some style inspiration for the season

this was a pretty fun post to do.

is it weird to take fashion style inspiration from kids and babies?

because i pretty much always wish that kids clothes came in my size.

especially baby shoes.

original image: gap.com

striped t: Old Navy, $15 (on sale)

jeans: Old Navy, the Sweetheart skinny jeans in Gray, $25 (on sale)

ballet flats: Payless, Gwen jewel flat by Fioni, $29.99

felt camera brooch: Lupin on Etsy, $24.95

original image: Joe Fresh

sweater: Joe Fresh, open shawl-collar cardigan, $24

white long sleeve t: Old Navy, perfect crew neck t, $9 (on sale)

jeans: Quiksilver, Lorne skinny polka-dot jeans, $64.50 

shoes: Toms, silver houndstooth classic, $65

large button brooch: tutorial here at Bugs and Fishes Blog

i may have to look into getting some of these items in the near future

(i mean being back at work should have some perks--$$)

and here is a little secret, if you have womens size 8 or under feet, you can fit in the size 6 at Gap Kids and Joe Fresh Kids.

No Joke.

Day 14: a favourite movie

a long time favourite movie of mine is Babe.

i love those talking animals,
i love that wee Babe's heart,

i love the irrational duck Ferdinand ("Christmas means carnage!")

i love that Farmer Hogget is humble and loves simply,

and don't get me started on those singing mice!

it may be a children's tale but it always makes me feel nice and content and refreshed.

it is a simple story, and i love it.

Day 13: something i'm proud of

this is the thing i am proud of: my body.

i had, for quite some time, not been a huge fan of my body.

it wasn't the way it looked in high school (duh.)

none of my clothes seemed to fit anymore (some were from high school, can i say 'duh' again?)

it didn't let me eat anything i wanted to (the way i could in high school-are we seeing a pattern here?)

so apparently i was in some high school warp where i assumed that my 5'7" frame should be at 28 years old the same 100 lbs it was at 17.

why do we do this?

here is where my pride comes in:

my body gave life!

i am in awe that my body grew a little miracle from teeny tiny cells to a big 8lb 9oz baby girl and then birthed her out!

seriously, i am an amazing amazing woman.

my body has done me proud.

i am more so in awe of my body this day than i have ever been before. 

anytime i feel like it doesn't look like it did when it was 100lbs, i first say, 

'kate, you wrestled in high school and cut crazy weight-not healthy. secondly, you are not 17 years old and your body will look different, and thirdly and most importantly, your body did an amazing task. give it and yourself some hip hip hoorays and some love and grace!"

and so i do.

Day 12: three blogs i can’t get enough of

woo hoo!  

I am so happy to share with you 3 blogs that i can't get enough of.

#1

the first is definitely Young House Love

John and Sherry and Clara and Burger and all their house renos.

pretty much every time Maryann and i get together we say "hey did you see this or that on Young House Love?"

right now they are in the process of taking out a wall between their kitchen and dining room.

it went from this:

to this:

to this:

i can't wait to see what it will all look like when it is done!

they also tell a really honest tale of what it is like to be full-time bloggers and that a lot of becoming full-time bloggers is luck (lots of time to be sure, but it is kind of lucky as to whether or not you end up with a huge following or not)

#2

the second blog that i check daily is the Anderson Crew

this is a fairly new to me blog.

i forget how i came across it, but i love to read about Emily and her family.

she has 5 kids with one on the way!

she talks openly about life with that many kids and the process of adoption and adding a child that way to her family.

here they all are:

i love this blog so much because of how honest Emily is.

she loves Jesus and her family and has really cool ideas on how to keep so many kids organized and feeling loved and special.

i also like it because i love the idea of a big family.

#3

and the third blog i can't get enough of is Tollipop

Tollipop is Kirsten, she is a Canadian mama living with her husband and 3 daughters in Las Vegas.

of course i have soft spot for her because she is Canadian, but it is more than that.

her posts are great. they read like a well written book and can be absolutely hi-lar-ious!

she writes about the Death Squad, a group of men that she runs with through the desert.

she writes about killing scorpions SCORPIONS! that are a natural little yucky thing to deal with in the desert.

(imagine-i shudder at the thought)

she also has an etsy shop where she sells the most wonderful drawings of little characters.

Isla has Remy Fox and Margaret Bunny up in her room.

here is Kirsten with her girls

Tollipop writes about life:

drawing, baking, running, violin, cello, piano, hamsters, volleyball, family, cousins, royal weddings,

hair fascinators, 

she writes in french, franchment

she is a mother after my own heart.

i love how her girls are creative and real.

i read blogs because they inspire me, they give me ideas on how to craft, write and live.

it expands my world a little beyond my city.

Day 11: something i've been craving

oh man.

if you know me, and you've been around me at all near Christmas, you know that live off of occasionally like to indulge in President's Choice Candy Cane Ice Cream.

I definitely had been scanning the ice cream cooler at Loblaws and Superstore 

(and to be honest, the Independent as well-a little desperate? it has been 10 months!)

but nothing.

then.

on thursday.

we got our flyers, and included was the President's Choice insiders report.

it was all christmas, and lo and behold there was my ice cream!

woot!!

i've been on a pretty good no dairy (minimal dairy?) kick since June (lost 15 lbs btw-apparently i like cheese)

but i will give in for this. 

seriously, i wait all year for it.

i know that a lot of people don't like the bits of candy cane, but oh i do.

i finally found it and bought one little tub (such restraint, i know!)

and i've even only had one little bowl.

i can hear it calling to me.

lest we forget.

it is Remembrance Day.

in Canada we observe a moment of silence at 11:00 am

the official national ceremonies are held at the National War Memorial in here in Ottawa.

my Poppa (my mom's father) fought in the war, and last year he went down to the ceremony in Burlington with my mom.

this year my gramma has all his medals mounted so he can wear them all proper on his coat.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

-Canadian Physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae-

Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium

Day 10: what i love about my job

i've just recently started back at work post mat-leave.

i was a little nervous about going back.

i didn't love my job before going off, it was there, i enjoyed my coworkers, it paid the bills.

but i definitely didn't love it.

but, since i have been back, a surprising thing has happened, i am really and truly enjoying my job.

it is fascinating and stretching and rewarding.

the thing i love the most (and probably no surprise here)

is talking to new parents.

(i don't love giving those little wee ones immunizations, but you gotta do what you gotta do)

it is lovely to see how they are doing and listen to them gush about their wee ones.

i like the moments i get to sit down with any patient really.

it has been nice being back and having patients remember me 

(i was there for a fairly short time before i went off)

i saw a patient today that i have been waiting to see since i came back.

he is a joker and a teaser and a lovely man.

the patients are my favourite part, yes indeed.