Family fashion and flowers...

I attended a gathering of family and friends to celebrate our son's 30th milestone birthday...the event took place at  his home.
It was a sunny afternoon with crisp blue skies and not a cloud in sight and the heat of the sun streaming through the windows warmed not only our souls but our hearts.

Tears did not spill as I had anticipated...but there was no lack of love, emotion and hugs.
One never knows what might bubble up....sometimes it catches me off guard.

Their home is perched high up on a rocky outcropping replete with Garry Oaks. The panoramic view can been seen from it's many windows offering glimpses of the ocean and the snow capped mountains beyond. It has a large and open plan which makes it a great entertaining house.
It has several bedrooms and bathrooms...more than ample room for a growing family.

Flowers greeted us at every turn
the food was delicious and plentiful...

I enjoyed sipping my tea and perusing the assortment of tempting treats
I needed to exercise restraint...
I nibbled cheese, crunched veggies, ate a devilled egg and then...
I  enjoyed a few tasty cookies made by my DIL's mother...
 sweet buttery mounds sprinkled with butterscotch chips...yum!

So many rosy cheeked toddlers and wee ones were in attendance...we literally could have opened a preschool!

Try as not to steal the focus of the event (but how could she not)...the lovely Miss Isla tugged at my heart strings...
I held her for a bit, (not long enough) before she wanted her mommy back
Miss Isla and her Mom have a very close bond, serene and lovely...it's as it should be.

There was floor play with toys in a sun filled room. Isla flirted with another baby boy her age...her eyes lit up and she was definitely pouring on her charms, smiling broadly and tilting her head!

I had never seen this side of her before...as we usually see her with her parents.
She is crawling...crawling backwards and rolling over, and standing up at the coffee table.
Diminutive and gorgeous this little lady has harnessed beauty and it's all wrapped up in one cuddly package...

I wore basic black

top and bottom

right down to the toes.

a garland of pearls

to add length

and

interest

The Burberry jacket came out too as it was not too cold

My hair has been in my face so much of late

I decided to go retro and put it half up the way I did when I was younger.

My cheeks are not thin so the look is...

well 

the word matronly comes to mind

for want of a better word.

It shows my full face

a bold and brave statement!

I need to feel more confident about wearing my hair pulled back

and is matronly a bad thing when one is closing in on 56?

My Yoga practise has given me

 a renewed sense of energy.

Lululemon Yoga Gear

Privo shoes

Capris and a tank

Yoga mat

The Studio where I practise is very close to home.

a leisurely stroll.

I have been trying to watch what I eat 

and 

ingesting more enzyme rich raw food.

Reading about the raw food movement has been quite interesting.

I could not embrace it in it's entirety but can adapt and adopt some of the principles.

Winter weight gain necessitates 

choosing food with mindfullness

and upping the exercise quotient.

I hope that I am up to the task.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway

Good Luck!

A Hostess gift...a milestone birthday...and a pathetic attempt at humour

                                                    Welcome to the Humble Bungalow!

I am looking out onto the front porch and pondering life
while I am actually cleaning my oven.

There's a self clean super hero that does the hard work for me.

I stay close just in case the many roast beef Sunday dinner drippings decide to ignite...

and when Mr. HB comes in the door he'll actually think that we are having a roast!

The Lampe Berger will get some sweet scented time after the cycle has finished.

My wonderful son is celebrating a milestone
he's turning 30
and there will be partying and presents...
celebrations are the order of the day.

Emotions spill forth,
tears woven with memories...

cherished photos
and
bronzed baby boots
I'm gonna HUG HIM BIG when I get the chance!

I'm in the mood for a party
and what's a party without gifts?
It's time for a gift for a follower...
your comments really rock my world...

In gratitude, I'd like to share something of mine

maybe it'll be yours!

It is snug inside this wooden box

any guesses?

a 20 inch strand of Majorica

faux pearls

considered to be the BEST faux pearls

from

Spain

Nordstroms sells them

Majorica

To be entered in the giveaway

you must be a follower

and

leave me a comment

Please tell me what Bungalow posts you enjoy the most

or suggest a topic for a post.

I'll keep the contest open until February 27th 

The night that The Oscars will be on TV 

I will draw a winner

and The Pearls go to....

actually I'll ask Mr. HB to draw a winner

it will be low tech

paper pieces with your names on them

put into a bowl or bag

shaken up

etc.

Good Luck

Front porch

the Free Plants Sign has been resting here since the Fall

The twiggy branches await budding 

warmer weather and longer sunnier days are required.

Boy that oven takes a long time to clean itself!

 I am content with the snowdrops in the front bed...

although I'd like them to multiply rapidly!

go and visit Tabitha

she's got snowdrops too!

 I remember manually cleaning ovens

what a dirty job

stinky too 

 those ammonia aerosol sprays

my gloves got filthy

I perspired

not my favourite thing

and

afterwards a long soak in the tub was necessary to rid myself of the grime.

Hi Lisa!

did you laugh?

Hi mette!

Your recent post reminded me that my pony needed an outing!

 Hope that your weekend is chock full of delights...

I'll be here and there

prepping foods

wrapping gifts

hugging family

and

recording milestone moments in my heart

and 

snapping a few photos along the way...

Snowdrops, greed, magnification and...magazines

I wandered out in the garden for a spell today
in a sliver of sunlight I spied a small patch of snowdrops under a rhodo
they looked so pretty and dainty
and with only a few clumps I considered carefully but
I could not resist picking a few
to bring indoors.

One of my dreams 

is to have a garden that has masses upon masses 

of snowdrops 

I plant them whenever I see them offered for sale

but they are difficult to find here

I am a victim of garden envy 

and my envy is a vivid shade of green

gardeners 

love to share

  to acquire

 new 

 beautiful 

and 

exotic

and often are secretive 

and smug 

and will not share their sources

some even resort to stealing...

I

remember hearing about 

The Orchid Thief

and later reading the book.

Driving on a shaded street nearby

I spied a profusion

en masse

of white wee poppets

the boulevards were overflowing 

littered with the tiny white drooping heads 

snowdrops...

what a sight!

green and greedy

 my gardener's envy 

reared it's ugly head...

I remarked to my mother

that I might come back at midnight and dig up some of them

they have so many would they miss just a few?

I would never actually do this

but the thought did occur to me...

I can visualize the snowdrops in my minds eye...

unfortunately my eyesight is not 20/20

all kinds of activities

beyond reading

things near and far

require glasses

so the time has come...

for

 a magnifying mirror

for

eye make up

foundation

and dare I say it

tweezing

ugh!

8X magnification on one side 

and 

an honest and true reflection on the reverse

Anything new that comes into the Bungalow needs to be inspected

and 

as you can see

Pepper is on the job.

I was surprised at how expensive these mirrors are to purchase

I have been looking for a sale

and have had no luck

so

I gave up waiting

this is more of a need than a want.

my favourite magazine

for

recreational reading

and dreaming

supreme

 UK

at first glimpse 

I thought the flowers were snowdrops...

now glasses on

 I see they are muscari album!

Town and Country 

arrived in the post

and 

looking at the cover image

I pondered who the target audience was...

funnily enough the issue is titled Spring Fashion

and flipping the pages I see that this image goes with the article

"What is a Socialite?"

not Spring Fashion after all!

Whew!

and

my current bedside read is 

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austin

by Syrie James

I'm hooked...

BTW

Mr. HB and I took in the film

The King's Speech and we both loved it...

Colin Firth's performance is superb

if you haven't yet seen it

I highly recommend it

and the book is available at the booksellers.

peeking inside these sweet snowdrops

can you see why I am infatuated with their beauty?

Galanthus atkinsii

there's so much detail

in such a small space

dreamy

in

white

and 

green

 and

The Hostess has

an embarrassingly large punch

 of greedy gardener's envy!

Cashmere weather....

Bon Chic Bon Genre

or

good taste good class

it's a wee bit of bling on my cashmere top

this logo  is subtle

and resides at the bottom of the top

I normally eschew logos

but the cashmere won me over

there are days when I would like to stay in bed 

this frosty morning is one of them...

the top has a cowl neck

has long sleeves

with 2 pockets near the hem

it's cozy and warm

 my go-to top when it is cold

today there is frost on the ground

and I am wearing grey leggings

cashmere socks

and boots

We had some bubbly last evening...

it tickled my tongue...

and 

the dinner of ribs and coleslaw was simple and tasty

Happy Post Valentine's Day!

Tell me all about your day...

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day
February 14th, 2011

It's a day for
Hearts
and
Flowers...
Hugs
and Kisses

Hearts of gold and sprinkled with diamonds

They dangle and jangle from my wrist

on a bracelet of hearts

a circle of

tokens

gifts of love

from my sweetheart

Mr. HB

Today might include a movie date...

Valentine's Day

is a sweet 

romantic comedy

 a feel good

light hearted

escape

as are these...

DVD's for TV 

or the laptop 

perfect for when we are away on the boat

or snug in a cabin by the ocean

away from it all

We'll be celebrating while holidaying 

in a rustic cabin by the sea

soon

and I can hardly wait!

On Valentine's Day

whatever you do 

however you celebrate

I hope that there is someone that you love

someone you can hug

or snuggle up with

someone who enjoys spending time in your company

someone to savour 

 everyday simple moments 

with....

if you do not tell them everyday

how much they mean to you

make a point of

reminding them today...

just how special they are!

Roses

 image from  2010

Our plans involve a stay at home evening here in The Humble Bungalow

I'll be preparing a home made dinner

serving it with some wine or bubbly

Bubbly

image from New Years 2011

lovely daughter will be here too

it's her laundry night 

and our routine is to

watch 

The Batchelor on TV

Happy Valentine's Day!

Hugs from the Hostess

XO