Into The Woods

        Last week we had so many of our wonderful friends visiting us from out of town- we always love showing people a slice of our life in Vancouver- we really love being tourists in our own town. We go places we don't normally explore which can be a real treat. With our friends gone- either home or onto the next leg of their vacations- our little apartment was feeling very quiet- we all felt it- so we took the party outside as we tend to do.

        Continuing with the theme of "tourist in our own town" we decided to pay a visit to Stanley Park - we packed a picnic and our swim suits and really truly spent time enjoying the park. We started out with a visit to the newly refurbished Aquarium- the Littles were disappointed that some of their favourite bug displays were gone and the octopus was in hiding. From there we enjoyed a picnic in the shade- relaxing under a canopy of branches and enjoying the cool shade after the pressing crowds of the Aquarium. We had no where to go and nothing to do so we truly relaxed into our picnic.

           After a quick cool down in the water park we moved onto parts of the park we have never visited with the Littles- we hit the trails and hiked out to view Siwash Rock- which is a stellar part of our coast. The Littles had lots of explore and look at amongst the ancient trees with trunks so wide even a family of four fails to reach the circumference.

         One of my favourite things about Stanley Park and in fact Vancouver in general is that regardless of being a major city there are so many hidden pockets of quiet and nature. The trails of Stanley Park are cool with few hikers and few bikers- well off the beaten path so to speak- deserted enough to make us forget- if only for an hour- that we aren't in the middle of a busy city.

Ladies Who Lunch

           Since the Littles both started school last fall I have found myself with chunks of time on may hands- twice a week I usually have no children for three hours- for this Mom of two very close babies this was a bit unnerving at first- slowly it has become my life raft! I chose the word life raft because that is exactly what it is- a foray back out into the world with out my children by my side- a foray back out into the world as myself. Initially I sat at coffee shops and wistfully watched Mommas stroll by with their toddlers- missing my own wee ones badly. Then I was gently nudged into taking a yoga class once a week- connecting once a week with friends and myself in beauty and quiet was just what I needed.

         Recently- with the return of fair weather- this time is being spent venturing further afield on regular outings- lunches- with ladies- also known as Ladies Who Lunch- yeah it's becoming a thing and it's wonderful! Our numbers vary depending on who is available on any given day- the general goal is to source out new spots with yummy new flavour combinations- and coffee- always coffee! How can you go wrong with good friends, good food and really good coffee?

        Yesterday was a bit of an impromptu Ladies Who Lunch outing- friend Erin and I hit the sea wall in the sunshine for a brisk walk all the way out to Second Beach in Stanley Park- cutting up through the park into the West End it was decided we needed coffee before picking up Miss Lo. Enter in Greenhorn Cafe- gently nestled in the heart of the West End at 994 Nicola st. While we had visited Greenhorn before neither of us had actually eaten anything more than a scone- so we settled in and stayed a while- soaking up the excellent ambiance all the while indulging in a delicious post walk snack.

        Both Erin and I tried the house made daily quiche- bacon and tomato- it did not disappoint! There was much speculating about the quiche crust as it was so tender yet not at all greasy and slightly crispy- in a nutshell it was fantastic. We had to ask what the Greenhorn quiche secret was- turns out it's a fresh homemade tortilla! Ok and the coffee of course needs a shout out- this is by far one of my favourite Lattes in Vancouver- delish!

          What we both really like about Greenhorn coffee- beyond the food and coffee is the casual and interesting style- the menu is printed on great rolls of kraft paper- beautiful floral installations abound. Located just a few blocks off bustling Robson street Greenhorn is like a little oasis in the middle of the city- a mixture of all sorts of people from families and dogs to tourists and business type folks- makes for some superior people watching!

       Friends it is Friday once again- the sun is shining and my little Miss has her Kindergarten Orientation today- *sob*- my how time flies! This weekend we have birthday parties and book launches and all sorts of wonderful plans with friends! My you all have sunshine on your face and love in your heart! Happy Friday Friends!

The Glam Event

        You all may remember reading about this little old blog being nominated for Vancouver Mom Top Blogger about a month ago- I posted a few links and if you are a Face book friend I may have incessantly pestered you for votes. Well last night was the big event- Glam - which was held at Secret Location- yah it's the swanky white and chrome restaurant at the corner of Water and Carrall st in Gastown with no sign.

        So here we all gathered - this years Top 30 and previous years as well- along with our support systems- AKA best friends, cousins, sisters and two husbands. It was such an interesting collection of women- such a wide range of passions and talents- to say it was all a bit overwhelming and hard to take in would be an understatement! I saw so many people that I wanted to talk to yet just did not know what to say- it was really a bit surreal- meeting people for the first time that I feel like I know already through reading their blogs!

        The over all Top Mom Blogger of Vancouver is Mitzi of East Van Baby- she gave a super lovely speech- which I am pretty sure she memorized- kudos for that! The evening also included past participants speaking on their own experience with blogging- Nat Nanton and Jen Kossowan both had inspiring words.

         I am sitting here this morning- looking at the lovely images of time spent with friends- old and new and I am still trying to digest all that transpired- words said- snippets keep coming back to me and buzzing around my head like mosquitos. These lovely ladies below made the evening super fun- Kat Chong and Amber Chong Smith- from the Momma Stuff Blog as well as lovely cousin Laura- thanks gals!

         And cue the grainy interior shots- because a few friends all are dying to know what Secret Location looks like inside! The restaurant is pretty beautiful- if you ever go there be sure to check out the painting in the bathroom- which I neglected to take a picture of! Gorgeous rugs, hip art work and that bar! Shut the front door- it was just beautiful- yes it is glowing!

      At the end of the evening a few of us needed more food and quite frankly I needed another drink so we hit Chill Winston's for a few libations and a meat & cheese plate- which was fantastic! Sitting outside in the warm June evening- surrounded by Gastown's twinkle lights I felt myself start to relax- it was a great way to round out a very fun evening!

       Thank you to everyone who voted for me and my little blog- who knew a year ago when I set out on this journey that anyone other than my Mom would come back here daily to read ramblings of a slightly sewing obsessed stay at home mom! I may not have won Top Blogger- but being part of this and meeting all these super women has been prize enough!

Sunday Stroll

   January can be a tricky month to maneuver- in the past we have kept ourselves busy with baby related things but this year there is no denying we have kids not babies! How is a family to get through this gloomy month of January- not just get through it but thrive through it! Saturdays are never a problem what with soccer, ballet and the Farmer's Market- but Sunday can be a sneaky day. What starts out as relaxing can often escalate into full scale anarchy by  late morning. So  yesterday when the cannonballs started flying off the back of the couch we did what any sensible family would do- we took to the forest of course!

      Before we had these Littles my Mr and I loved a good hike- mainly because it is free and we were broke-hiking was a great way for us to explore the hidden beautiful places of our new (to us then) city.
We are still eager to explore new places and so we decided to check out Pacific Spirit park- shockingly a place we had yet to set foot in.

     Vancouver may have been experiencing a deluge of rain but under the sweeping arms of the giant spruce trees we were fairly dry- stepping onto the path and into another world we ran and hid and played for hours. In a city where most of this climate has been erased it is easy here to see where the spirit of Vancouver comes from- imagine once upon a time this forest covered all of the city!

     Pacific Spirit park is a whopping 763 hectors in size and sits between our city and the University of B.C.- a dog walker's dream  with 54 kms of semi packed, easy to walk paths this is a great beginner trail for families with small kids- you could easily spend an entire day here. Even though one of us ended the hike with a shoulder ride on a pair of sturdy Daddy shoulders everyone agrees this is a good hike- mushrooms, birds, squirrels, rocks and sticks- we give it two enthusiastic thumbs up!

   The forest worked it's magic on our family- after an entire week being cooped up inside with the flu this was just what we needed to get centred. We have challenged ourselves to a hike a week- we are starting small with just the month of January- this give us a new project as a family- something to research and plan for in a month where there is nothing to plan for!

It's a table runner! A.K.A. something for Mamma

    This past Saturday I got to do something that I never get to do, I haven't done this in months- possibly in years. I went shopping by myself! I didn't really need anything in particular although I had the vague idea that since my Birkenstocks had cracked in half I should look for some new sandals. At any rate 10:00 am on Saturday morning found me getting dropped off on the side of the road in the middle of my favourite shopping street- South Granville! Eeee! thats right I squealed!

    The Mr. had taken the kids for a hair cut and a movie so I felt like I was in no rush to get home, I tried on clothes till my little hearts content. And didn't buy anything. I hit all my favourite interior's stores looking for inspiration to freshen up our space. I am in our home a great deal- I would say I am often home 20 hours a day. So I am constantly looking for ways to spruce the place up and make it interesting, similar to our nature collection our home is a constantly evolving exhibition.

     A wonder through Restoration Hardware was a breading ground of ideas for me. Also known as inspiration or appropriation in the arts world but more commonly known by the rest as stealing of ideas. Thats right folks I get my ideas from other places, things I see and love then change to make my own! I don't come up with this stuff on my own!

     At Restoration Hardware there was a plethora of "hand made" quilts and throws on sale, lots of linen, and loads of neutral tones. I let all this inspiration ferment for a few days and yesterday while my babes were chilling out in the shade on a hot afternoon I came up with this little table runner. I had a whole bunch of left over grey linen from a top I made a while ago, I pieced it together in a fun way- part of the goal was to use up as much scrap as possible. I backed the whole thing with a piece of sturdy Belgian Artists Linen.

      My last stop of the day on Saturday was one of my favourite stores- The Cross Decor & Design- on the corner of Davie and Homer in Yaletown. I love this store and if I could just sit one of their chairs and smell the candles and look at beautiful books and people all day I surely would! The cute little succulent pictured above came home with me as did some John Robshaw tea towels. The lantern pictured is also from there but from last summer.

    Now our deck is almost the oasis I am dreaming of- the final step is to sand and paint the coffee table, maybe put some new castors on it, paint the planters, get a new run, sew some cushions.... "Love Where You Live"!

Cup of Joe

            I love coffee- I mean I really love coffee. I am a bit obsessed with it, so much so that I often start thinking about my morning latte the night before. You see the picture above really speaks volumes of my favourite activity- sitting on my deck in the early morning with my book and my latte. No one else is awake yet and this is my time to just be; no fetching of snacks or breaking up of arguments. I sit in my pyjamas for as long as possible sipping my latte because it really is all about the coffee right?

           Not any coffee will do- it must be espresso in one of its clever forms- with skim milk-foamed-latte! With hot water- Americana. With ice cubes and a drizzle of cream- Icy Iced Coffee to beat the summer heat. If it is made of caffeine and steam chances are I will drink it!

           My particular bean of choice comes from a popular local coffee shop called JJ Bean- just the mere mention of this establishment brings a tear to the eye of many hardened Vancouverites. There is, conveniently, a JJ Bean located street level in our apartment building- a direct line if you will to the bean.

So if you stop by our apartment on any given day and no one answers the door- check the coffee shop- chances are thats where we will be- the kids munching on a zucchini muffin and me stocking up on more beans!

p.s.- if you buy bulk beans at JJ Bean you get a free small coffee! Re-use your coffee bag & get a discount! Love this place!