The Right Direction

Before I became a mother, I was kind of like a bit of dandelion fluff, going wherever my life would take me (how's that for cliche?). I didn't really care what I was doing, and I certainly didn't have a purpose for my life. I just cared about the now, not the future. I was in every sense an irresponsible, selfish brat. Now I'm just a brat.

When Robbie and I found out we were expecting (rather unexpectedly, I might add), there were many thoughts that ran through my mind. From absolute fear to then excitement to extreme love, my emotions ran the gamut. I loved every wiggle and kick and stretch and hiccough that the baby made, and we anxiously anticipated the birth of our new family member. We hit the jackpot, I must say.

At this time, four years ago, I was pacing up and down the hallways of the delivery ward, nervous as all get out, and so ready to DO THIS. Roughly nine hours later, a squirmy, screaming, human freaking being came out of ME and was very much here and real. It was amazing!

We watched her grow over the four years into what she is now, a really, really awesome little person who cares very much for others and demands kisses and hugs and snuggles up when we're watching TV and makes jokes that we don't get, but are hilarious nonetheless. This past year, she's done everything from chopped off all her hair:



to gone to Disneyland:



to splashed in the Atlantic:



to learning to tie her shoes and spell her name! While the physical differences are not great, she sure has grown up.

And I've been growing right alongside her. I am far more confident in my ability to raise a good person. I am so sure that empowerment is the answer to success, and unconditional love is the key to happiness. I have a direction now, and it's a good one.

Just as I can compare Elodie today to Elodie four years ago, I can compare me today to me before Elodie and realize that I am a far better person, not because I'm older, but because Elodie is.

Many, many, many happy returns to the person who changed my whole life and steered me in the right direction.

Renovation Update

Rip out carpets in the livingroom and hallway - DONE
Rip off and dispose of all mouldings - DONE
Wash walls - *almost* DONE
Tape and prime walls - DONE
Paint walls - DONE
Empty spare room and rip out carpet - DONE
Lay subfloor in livingroom, hallway and spare DONE
Lay fancy-pants new laminate floor - DONE
Empty and rip out carpets in Elodie's room and master bedroom
Lay subfloor in E's room and Master
Lay laminate in E's room and Master
Put on new crown mouldings.


That's right, folks. FOUR STEPS LEFT!!! Then I get to renovate the bathrooms. Oh hell.

I've cast on for Vera. Right now, I'm just getting the pattern started, and have one quarter of the shawl on the needles (in a scrap yarn) to do that while I wait for the actual yarn from Colourmart to get here. I'm so freaking excited to get things going!

Action Shots

My dear hubster took pictures of me with the shawl to give an example of how big it is. Here it is in a three-quarter fold:





And my favorite way to wear square shawl, folded in half with the top half rolled around the neck to keep my neck warm from the chilly spring wind.

Done and Done

The cupcakes were finished on time, as was the floor and the painting and the cleaning. Our little princess had a great time playing with her friends, and we had a good time hanging with the parents.



She got more Barbies than I think I owned as a child, and she also got a really thoughtful gift from my parents (a oil painting of Elodie done by a friend) and a bike from Robbie's dad, a book from Robbie's dad's girlfriend, and an umbrella with matching rain jacket from Robbie's step-dad and his wife.

Also in the news, my cousin's wife had a baby on Friday. Cohen Anne is a sweet little girl, and we're so happy for Tanner, Kyla and big brother Caysen!

Finally, a knitting project is done. It's the biggest project I've EVER knit with by far the most stitches. I love it.



Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), I ran out of yarn halfway through the fifth chart and was forced to cast off early. Considering how huge it is, though, not knitting the last chart and a half was probably a good thing. For scale, i inserted a cool beverage in this photo...



Said beverage is currently being consumed. ;)

Cupcake Queen

You may be reading this post, looking at the time stamp, and wondering to yourself, What is Kayla doing up at this time of night. The honest answer? Freaking the frack out.

It is 12:03 a.m. It is Elodie's birthday party tomorrow, and tomorrow we are expecting no less than 30 people to descend on our house around 2:00. That's less than 14 hours away, for those of you who are doing the math. Today, I had to repaint my house. I am WAY behind on laying the kitchen floor, which I was going to be using today to do until I had a little accident (or rather the paint store had a little accident) and tinted my bucket of touch-up paint a darker grey than the colour I had painted the walls with. Suddenly, I had HUGE dark patches on my lovely walls, where I was just supposed to be touching up. So then I had to repaint THE WHOLE HOUSE. By whole house, I don't mean, oh, I touched up a room. Nope. Kitchen, livingroom, hallway. Did I mention we have vaulted ceilings? FUN TIMES.

And I was supposed to be completing the laminate floor in the kitchen today, but instead, was painting the whole house, so I started laying the floor at 9:00 p.m. Three hours ago. I have three feet done. OMG.

Did I mention there's a birthday party tomorrow? In my house. HERE. So I am awake, despite being exhausted, despite my bed calling to me...I can hear it now. I haven't knit anything in a week, so my stress level is nearly through the roof, and now...I'm baking cupcakes.

Elodie requested ladybugs. I was originally going to make wee fondant ladybugs sitting amid a cupcake of grass with wee flowers. Well, that got fracking tossed. Now I'm doing lady bugs, the easy, cheap, fast way.



It's a good thing her Mommy is creative.

I'm Grateful...

This morning, when I was having a shower and getting ready, I started thinking along the path I always think when I have to look at myself naked in front of a mirror. UGH. I mean, I think, ugh, I miss the way I *used* to look, ugh, why are they so low, ugh, why can't my hair just lay straight, ugh, I have cellulite, ugh, look at that zit...and on and on and on. How negative of me.

So today, I started to list things I'm happy with on my body.

- I have thick hair.
- I have green eyes.
- I have a wee rib cage.
- I have an hourglass figure.
- I have cute feet.
- I have long eye lashes.
- I have a pouty mouth.
- I have a nice smile.
- I'm getting laugh lines (better than frown lines!!!).

That, of course, led me to start thinking of all the things I'm grateful for in my life.

- I have a smart, sassy, polite, beautiful daughter who makes me laugh every single day, without fail, and keeps me on my toes.
- I have a smart, handsome husband who is always kind and considerate and was even willing to run out into a blizzard yesterday to pick up a bottle of wine for us to enjoy the power outage with.
- I have as many friends as I have fingers and toes, and they're all people I'm proud to surround myself with.
- I am able to afford a nice house in a great neighbourhood, and it's got a big backyard and a big tree out front, and it's close to schools and close to Robbie's work, and the neighbours are great.
- I was lucky enough to be born to parents who love each other far more than I think they realize. They came from nothing, they worked their butts off, and they have been very successful in life. They were able to provide an excellent starting block for my brother and I.
- Speaking of brothers, I'm grateful for mine, and that we have finally made it to a place where we are friends. He knows me better than most everyone on this earth.
- I am lucky to have three grandparents alive and in good health (one of whom is turning 90 in December!).
- I am grateful to be a child of two countries, having an immigrant father and a umpteenth generation Canadian mother.
- I am grateful to be able to work from home.
- I am extremely grateful to be able to knit because it's the place I find solace.


My gratefuls far outweigh my negatives.

Almost...There....

78 rows left on my Oriental Impressions Shawl. That's 100,000 stitches.


I'm almost done. YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!