A Baby Shower celebration...my OOTD

My BFF's youngest is going to be a mom very soon and a group of women friends got together for a baby shower.
I loved seeing all the gals sitting in a circle smiling eagerly as they observed the very pregnant soon to be mom opening gifts. We were gathered together to celebrate womanhood, mothering and babies.

Emotions flowed and my thoughts wandered back to my own experiences of carrying a child within and the overwhelming joy that I felt when I held my newborn daughter for the first time. There were some fears that I might not know how to keep my baby happy all the time and would I make the right decisions?

First time mothers are navigating new territory and it is such a comfort having older women who have been here before to reinforce and encourage them to listen to their maternal instincts.
It's enough just to be there and listen,
make a cup of tea, or hold the wee one while the new mom has a shower and washes her hair.

I am getting ahead of myself though...it's the shower!

You know it's a party when there are balloons in the room!

Vintage Silver Cross Pram.

The baby will enjoy many outings travelling in style.

The shower had an owl theme...

and coincidentally one of the gifts that I gave was a velour sleeper with and owl on it and an owl soft rattle.

I knit a blanket for the crib and popped in some receiving blankets and some onesies.

Baby clothes were hung like bunting...

The beautiful christening gown on the left was made by my BFF's French Canadian great grandmother.

It was used for family christenings...and with several of the younger cousins expecting babies it might be used again in the near future.

Ooh la la cupcakes!

The table was laden with delicious treats which disappeared surprisingly quickly!

This wee owl was atop the tiered glass cake stands.

We were given goodie bags with English Bon Bons inside as we departed.

(I ate mine later that evening while reading my novel in bed.)

It was a lovely shower and I am so excited that my BFF will have her third grandchild in her arms very soon.

I can hardly wait to meet the baby...we don't know yet if it is a boy or a girl.

In the spirit of Faux Fuchsia I painted my nails.

OPI Peru-B-Ruby, an oldie but a goodie.

I wore my Eileen Fisher linen scarf.

Hand made earrings by my friend Peggy.

Anne Klein black tunic top and tights with Mee Too ballet flats

My nails looked pretty all of two days...

I am much too hard on polish to keep it on for very long.

I ate a healthy breakfast before heading out the door for my walk in the rain.

Scrambled eggs, pea shoots and salsa on a corn tortilla.

Keeps me sated until lunchtime rolls around.

On the WW front I am on the 6 weeks of maintenance and so far so good.

Fingers crossed I get that golden key and the lifetime membership which means I can weigh in and attend meetings for free!

Hope that your week has some fun packed into it!

Rainy day post...

Yikes we are having a storm!
Thunder and lightning are not that common in these parts...
the cats were freaked out by the noise and the forked white lighting quite unhinged me.

Now the skies have opened up and we are getting buckets of rain.

It's a great day to stay inside our Humble Bungalow
hunker down and cocoon,
just keep warm and dry.

The LG machines are swishing through their cycles as I conquer the laundry.
Not that I am a domestic warrior but I do feel powerful when it comes to getting the job done...
especially with these sturdy and reliable workhorses.

My new morning routine seems to be falling into place...
I tidy up as I move from room to room.

Last night I washed the Le Creuset frying pan and left it to dry with a few other utensils on the mat beside the sink, this is a new habit for me leaving dishes to air dry overnight. It used to really annoy me when I was working to wake up and see things that I needed to do before I left for work...
as a retiree spending more time in our Humble Bungalow as this is my domain.
I work here!

Making lists of things that I need to do helps to keep me organized. My lists are short as I try to get them done in a timely fashion.
Do you use lists to keep you on top of things?

Achieving a rhytmn and balance on my daily round is a work in process.
One that I am figuring out as I go along.

Yesterday I spent the morning playing with our lovely grand-daughter Isla and I held wee Henry while his mom did some laundry. He is a very calm and content baby. I loved looking at his small fingers as they curled around mine.
He is such a gift...and I cannot tell you how beautiful and sweet he is! I can try but words seem to fail me.
I promised not to show pictures of my grandchildren here on the blog so you'll have to trust me!

It is so heartwarming holding a newborn child,
it is rather overwhelming gazing down at the wee man in my arms knowing that he is our grandson.

Do you remember this felted bag?

I made it several years ago when I was on a knitting/felting binge!

I'm knitting a baby hat.

I love this yarn as it is so bright and cheerful.

KNITCOL ART.KN

Adriafil superwash Italian virgin wool

(~ virgin wool ~ ?)

You can find great patterns at Churchmouse Yarns.

This one is easy peasy

a perfect little project to have on hand for a rainy day.

Thanks to my friend Claire at Boutique de Laine in the Estevan Village,

she is super friendly and very knowledgeable when it comes to knitting.

Do you knit?

Where do you like to shop for yarns and patterns?

Online or in person?

Must close for now and put the kettle on for some tea...

and pick up my knitting.

Cheerio,

Hostess

A long weekend boating adventure...

We have been out on our new boat this weekend!

Meeting up with friends and family on beautiful Pender Island over the long weekend is a tradition.

We have pot luck dinners, share appetizers, have cocktails and play disc golf. There is a trophy for the winning team...this year two teams tied. Lovely daughter and her fellow participated and were on the winning teams.

We took the cats with us which was quite an undertaking...

they didn't like it when the boat was underway but seemed to enjoy exploring all the nooks and crannies when we were at the dock.

They liked being able to be out on the back deck under the canvas as they could see other boaters, sea gulls and dogs which intrigued Chester but not Pepper!

It's a very cozy salon.

the compact interior requires creative storage solutions and minimal galley gear!

the ledges come in handy

our first dinner aboard 

Pepper is snug and dry even when it rained

both cats liked the dashboard

Pepper snoozed on the cushions

Chester hung out on the dinette

(which I had to clean every time I used it!)

the boat handled very well

it helped that the seas and wind were favourable

we had a great cruise and lots of fun this weekend

and have a list of things that we want to improve and a few staples that we want to purchase.

I'm hoping to get over to visit Henry Brian and Isla this week.

I thought about our new grandson while away and I was fortunate to get several photos on my IPhone 

from our lovely DIL!

Cannot wait to have another snuggle...

 I have gifts to deliver

and I think I'll cook them a meal so that they can enjoy an easy dinner.

Tomorrow is the first day of school.

It will feel odd not going back to work as I have done for the past 25 years!

What was your weekend like?

New life...

I am thrilled to announce the arrival of our grandson!
He came into this world on August 28th, 2013 two weeks early, weighing in at 7 pounds 12 ounces.

Isla has a baby brother

Henry Brian

Vegetarian chili

While my daughter in law was in labour I needed to keep busy.

I got to work in the kitchen preparing food for them.

 When they get home from the hospital there will be lots to do and little time to spend in the kitchen.

They will be adjusting to the new routine and very likely tired.

Something nutritious to eat for the new family...

Blueberry Muffins

I had several cups of coffee

as I had been up since I got the text that her water had broken at 5:00 am

Perogies 

Grammy knit this for you Henry...

I can see you swaddled up in this cozy blanket.

I thought you might be a boy!

My BFF left me this beautiful Blue Bouquet while I was out delivering the food to my son and DIL's home

 I had a small window of opportunity while he dashed home from the hospital for a shave and a shower.

delphinium blooms are so pretty

I wish they liked my garden soil, 

 that they might thrive 

in The Humble Bungalow Garden but alas

 it is not to be...

beauty in blues

New life and babies,

   a miracle in so many ways...

 a humbling and emotional experience

and not one that I can find the right words to describe my feelings...

I'm overwhelmed and bursting...

saturated with Joy.

Baby Henry, 

you've been born into a family that will honour, love and support you.

Welcome into the fold...

Love Grammy and Grampa.

XO

A Royal British baby and books...

The Royal Baby has been born!
It will be exciting to see pictures of little prince and watch him grow...
I am sure that he will be very handsome as he has such good looking parents.

They must have a few names in mind...nothing radical I would imagine,
something dignified as tradition would dictate that they name him after one of his ancestors.
The BBC news is completely focused on this event...there's a huge paparazzi buzz.
I am waving my own flag here and toting around my bag joining in on the fun.

I buy books all year to read in the summer when I have more time and fewer demands...

whenever I see a title or book jacket that sounds interesting I bring it home and pop it inside my bedside table.

That was until I realized that the bedside table was full so I filled up my summer straw tote.

I am currenty reading this novel and it is set just after the end of WW II. 

A Polish couple separated by the war are reunited in England

It follows their day to day lives in England and flashes back to their individual struggles during wartime.

It is well written and enjoyable,

I am far from being finished but I can recommend it.

My summer books 

Santa Montefiore's godfather is the Prince of Wales!

Her books are light reading which I prefer in the summer 

especially when there are so many distractions

 I am unable concentrate for longer periods of time...

This is an odd title but the jacket cover says that it is a funny book 

and comes with many rave reviews so I'll give it a try.

What books would you add to my list?

Now that I am officially retired I should be able to read more frequently all year long!

What name do you think Kate and William will name their little prince?