Aloha!

So the exciting news 'round these parts is that The Boy and I are headed to Hawaii for two weeks in March!! EEEEEEEeeeee!!!!!!

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I'm so freakin excited!! I've always wanted to go to Hawaii. The Boy has been a few times long before we started dating. His family has a timeshare a few blocks from Waikiki Beach. Through a series of events (which I won't bore you with) this trip came up at an affordable cost, so we jumped at the chance to go.

As I said a few weeks ago, life has been stressful. In fact 2014 has felt like a tough year in many ways. So we really need this vacation. Get away, relax, explore another part of the world and spend some time together. Thank you to everyone who commented on that post and sent me their love and support. It meant a lot to me. And for those of you who are probably curious, things are slowly turning for the better. Slow, but steady. 

As you can imagine, My A-type personality has been scouring the internets for packing tips, sights to see and, naturally, been debating whether I will purchase myself a vintage Hawaiian or tiki print dress on etsy before we leave....I've always wanted one...what better excuse?!

In anticipation for my trip I'm planning a series of posts dedicated to the mid-century history/obsession with Hawaii, packing tips and capsules for the vintage girl (I couldn't find ONE online!), some vintage and antique shops I plan on visiting along with some other fun posts.



Have you ever been to Hawaii? Do you have any packing tips for vintage girls? 



Lisa.xo

Two Months Later..

So I guess I needed more than a month.

I took this one morning a month ago before work on our front lawn. 

I've been struggling to write this post...I really don't like getting super personal on the blog. But I will tell you that on top of being very tired from overworking myself this year, the last two months have had personal stresses that I have been trying to deal with. I'm not out of the woods yet, but I'm in a much better place than I was a week ago. That's really all I can ask for right now.

Sorry this post is so vague...I really wanted to stop in and say I'm still here and ready to start blogging again, but also give you some - however lame it is - explanation for my extended absence.

I'm off work until the New Year now, so expect to see my face some more 'round these part. I missed you guys!

Lisa.xo

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Another year, another birthday.

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Today's the day. :) I've had many wonderful texts, emails and phone calls from friends and family already. I've eaten birthday cake for breakfast. So far, so good. :)

This afternoon I plan on collecting my free birthday drink from Starbucks and then hitting up Value Village for some thrift shopping. Tonight The Boy and are going out for dinner with friends.


I love birthdays. Today I feel blessed for the many wonderful things and people in my life. This feeling keeps me going through the tough times life throws my way too (who are we kidding, no ones life is perfect except in the blogosphere, right?!). I am also thankful for you, who come and visit this little blog of mine - thanks for hangin out - you guys rock!



I'll post birthday outfits and tales of dinner tomorrow. See you then!

Lisa.xo

Good-bye. Hello! (OR Thank God for the Internet)

I have a little story to tell you today that starts out sad, but has a happy ending.


First let me introduce you to my favourite brooch:

There he is (yes, for some reason the little butterfly is a he). I bought him while I was working at Ragpickers in university. I love butterflies (if you couldn't tell already from my blog name) and I was instantly enamoured by his diminutive size and intricate metalwork details. I have no clue from what era he hailed from, but it didn't matter. I loved him anyway. 

Here he is hanging out among the flowers:

He always seemed to round out any collection of brooches on my lapel. He was a good bug. 

Well…I lost him. 

Last year while we were on the Munsch Tour. He was pinned to one of my cardigans and disappeared one day in some school somewhere in Winnipeg. 

I held it together all day after I found out he'd gone missing. When I got home I wept. Such a silly thing to cry over a lost brooch, but I was devastated that he was gone. That I had done him wrong and lost him - my favourite. That's not how we treat the things we love. 

That was almost a year ago now. And maybe just like buying a puppy after your trusted old hound passes away, I was finally ready for a new butterfly. It occurred to me last week that I might find a similar brooch for sale online. And boy was I right. 

Today my new little buddy was shipped out from California - I'm so excited! Here he is:

Very similar. And naturally, I have made a vow to safeguard him better than his predecessor. Wish me luck!

If you like this brooch I have many more styles saved on my Favourites list on Etsy. Check them out!

Lisa.xo

The Miser of Middlegate

Here's the official plug for my latest work project. A new play by my friend Carolyn Gray:

zone41 theatre & Theatre Projects Manitoba present

The Miserof Middlegate

   Dark days have come for Winchell, our modern day miser.  He is faced with the most dynamic situation of his life: he must woo his wife back so he won’t have to pay her out in divorce court, and cure his recently engaged daughter Emily of the matrimonial urge, so he won’t have to pay for a wedding – ever!  A cheeky and irreverent romp into the lives of one entrepreneurial Winnipeg family.

  Carolyn Gray’s modern version of Molière’s classic satire is part screwball comedy and part sex farce – it’s erratic, irrational and unconventional.  Expect spit takes, slapstick, verbal sparring and a whole lot of doors!  Exploring family, love and money, The Miser of Middlegate expertly balances humour while sharply critiquing our culture obsessed with acquisition. 

We've been working long hours in the last few days incorporating the set and technical elements into this amazing play. After watching it over and over for a month straight I am still laughing! It's not to be missed! If you live in the Winnipeg area I highly recommend coming out to see this show. 

Click here to buy tickets!

Lisa.xo

Another Dressing Room Update

This should be one of the last ones. lol! This room is nearly complete.

I've got a curtain to hide the treadmill, a laundry basket and a few more floating shelves to purchase, install and she's done!! :) But I couldn't wait to show you, so here it is!

The gallery wall I hung (with a little help from The Boy - he hung the anchors for the venetian style mirror). I love this. It makes me smile like crazy.

And what it looked liked in previous incarnations.

You can see the old carpet and wall colour really well in this photo. 

And now:

Pretty awesome! :) Lots of elbow grease in this room, but worth every second.


For more photos of the progress on this room click here. 
For Dressing Room inspiration check out my Pintrest board here.


Lisa.xo

Around Here...

I just thought I would post quick and give you fine folks a little update on what's been going on around here...
(if you stalk follow me on Instagram you're in the loop)

The Boy and I drove out to a wedding on the weekend in Lac du Bonnet. No pictures of the two of us (as usual), but I did manage this selfie in the truck from the ceremony to the reception.

The groom and groomsmen made a splashy entrance (no pun intended) by 9 seater plane. They flew over the guests 3 times and then flew low over us and the trees, landed on the lake and taxied in to the dock. Best wedding entrance in history! They almost upstaged the bride it was so good!

We camped on a neighbouring yard (the reception was on her parent's property on the lake - so lovely. Perfect weather on Saturday. They were very lucky!) in a rented vintage Boler. We enjoyed it, but decided that we wouldn't buy one. The Boy is too tall to stand up in it and it felt a little squishy with us and the dog.

We've also been reno-ing and decorating my dressing room. New wall paint (fresh, crisp white), new carpet and today we hung drapes! It's coming along nicely!

We've also been doing some MAJOR purging in the house (our basement looked like an episode from Hoarders!). A truckload of stuff went to Goodwill and I've got some furniture listed on Kijiji. Still working through the house and getting rid of things we no longer need or use. Feels so good!

Plus, I took the plunge and went through my vintage clothing and made a massive pile of things I A) am ready to let go of B) don't fit me and C) were given to me and aren't my style. I have an appointment with a local vintage seller to sell everything next week.

So other than that, things have been pretty low key around these parts. I've been spending most days at home, surfing Pintrest and my favourite blogs, puttering around the house and hanging out with The Boy and Dave. Plus, I've been enjoying the occasional afternoon nap. :)


How have you been enjoying your summer?

Lisa.xo

Yesterday...

I had a great birthday yesterday! Thank you all so much for your birthday wishes here and on Instagram!

We went to Hermanos for dinner with two other couples. None of us had been before, but I heard it was good. We were not disappointed! Our service was impeccable and our food was absolutely delicious!! There was a band playing live music and when our server found out it was my birthday she brought free champagne to our table! We had such a good time!

After dinner we went to a club around the corner for some more drinks and dancing! It was a great evening!

Lisa.xo

Break's Over Honey...

Well, I did it again. I abandoned you for too many days while I returned to work.

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No matter how many years I've been doing this, starting a new job somehow makes my personal life all scrambled. I just haven't been able to manage my long work days with life at home (more on what my work days look like here and here). We eat dinner too late, I ignore my friends and family (not intentionally!!), I forget to do laundry, the kitchen becomes a mess (not to mention the rest of the house), I abandon the blog and the list goes on...

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This time around I've been slowly working at remedying this situation. Let's face it. No one likes being un-organized  (at least I don't...anyone here like being un-organized?!). I can't fix it all at once, but I'm trying to attack the problems in bite sized pieces.

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This week I'm working on staying organized in the mornings right before work and dinner right after work. It's quite amazing how connected they are. The whole thing really revolves around making dinner. If I don't know what I'm making for dinner when I get home I get so behind. I hum and haw over what to make, then I have to actually make whatever it is I dream up, we eat and clean up. When I'm done I'm usually too tired to spend any more time in the kitchen or do anything else for that matter, therefore not making lunch for the next day, or laying out my clothes or anything else I need to do. Leaving it all until the next morning. And I never wake up in time to get it all done and I spend my mornings rushing around my house like a chicken with my head cut off...I'm exhausted just writing it all out...

To my rescue comes: The Meal Plan and my Crock Pot!

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Seriously people. Knowing what I am making every day of the week (I'm working up to a monthly Meal Plan) and cooking it in the Crock Pot is saving me. I come home to a cooked meal, clean up is simple and I have leftovers for lunch the next day. I also have enough energy to plan out my outfit for the next day and hang out with The Boy.

Not only am I only buying food which will be cooked and consumed (saving money on groceries), but I'm enabling The Boy and I to eat dinner almost immediately after I walk in the door from work! Keeping me from being in the kitchen all night.

Dinner isn't the only thing in my house undergoing improvements. I've been examining all of our routines and systems in the house lately and trying to devise some better ways to do things so we're (I'm?) less stressed and overwhelmed when life gets hectic (ie: when I'm working). My goal is to organize and simplify some of our (my?) day to day routines so we can spend more time enjoying life. It might sound a bit lofty, but I think it's achievable with a little work.

These blogs are really helping me stay focused on achieving this goal:

Six Sisters' Stuff - Amazing slow cooker recipes on this site!! I made 3 this week!

Nesting Place - This amazing blogger/mother/wife's motto is: It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. This is advice I really need on the days where I feel like I have to do and be everything to everyone.

Organizing Made Fun - I specifically like this bloggers How to have a (fake) immaculate clean house posts! I'm working towards integrating these methods with my new weekly meal plan routines now that I've saved myself some time in the evenings.

The Minimalists - Strange, yes, I know. A hoarder collector like me reading a blog on minimalist living. Like The Nester, it reminds me that all of this stuff doesn't matter and that sometimes it in fact gets in my way. This blog motivates me to buy less, get rid of more and streamline my life as much as I can. Simple is good. :)

Modern Parents Messy Kids - Yes, I know, I don't have kids, but I have a messy life and this bloggers Organize Your ENTIRE Life posts are very inspiring.


I know, not much of a vintage-centric post, but this is what's on my mind lately.



Lisa.xo


Want more organizing tips? Check out my Pintrest Board on Organizing Tips for more!

When the Cat's Away...

the Mouse gets Painting!! (that's how the saying goes right!?)

The Boy has been away for a three day bachelor party marooned on an island in the middle of a lake in Ontario somewhere and has now decided to spend the weekend at our place at West Hawk. So I find myself home alone for a week!!
 He's a funny boy, he loves the "after" of home renos, but detests the mess between the "before" and the "after".

So while he's gone I've taken it upon myself to get some unfinished painting done that has plagued me since we painted our living room, dining room and hallway three years ago: the hallway doors. It's not unusual for me to get a project done while The Boy is away. I get to make a mess and work at my own pace.

In fact, having The Boy away for so long (we're rarely apart for more than a day) has made me revert to my livin' single days.

I've spent the last three days watching bad movies on tv, Sex and the City, drinking copious amounts of coffee till noon and eating vegetarian food for dinner. Or breakfast for dinner, whichever strikes my fancy! And of course I've been eating in the living room watching tv.

Oh and painting...
I painted three closets this week...I took my time...it actually only took me two days...and I only painted the doors. Ok, maybe that's a long time, but it was a pain in the butt! I had to paint the trim, the doors are 8 feet tall, they have all these nooks and crannies...this is why it wasn't done three years ago...it sucked. I am so sick of painting. Now I know why all the rooms in my house aren't painted yet either. I like to get started and when I'm about 3/4 of the way through I am cursing myself for starting this messy project. I am a messy painter and always end up with paint ALL over me.

This is just a taste of me covered in paint. My feet look weird. And yes, those are my pj pants. Why get dressed if you're gonna get messy? Stay in pjs I say...

Right, the painting...I'm all over the place today...
It's a subtle difference, but here's the front closet door before. As The Boy calls it in "Dirty Old Bra" colour that much of our house was/is.

And the subtle after. Can you tell the difference? Yes, you can. It's so overcast today I thought I'd be able to take some decent pictures, but the light is messing with my not so fancy camera.

It makes the alarm box look dingy...maybe it's time for a new one...

Our front door needs to be painted inside and out as well. I'm still trying to decide what colour to paint it. Any thoughts people?

That mark on the bottom left corner is from the former owners dog scratching to get out. It had also chewed some of the baseboards in the house as well. Annoying!! 

So that's been my week and I still have three days before my man gets home. I've made some plans with family and friends this weekend to keep me busy.
After all, I did just spend a month at the lake. I have some catching up to do...

Have a great weekend!

Lisa.xo

And Now We Interrupt Our Regularly Scheduled Programming...

I had a completely different post planned for today, but our day yesterday has derailed that completely.

I'm not quite sure where to begin...I feel like I should be making jokes about it to lighten the mood, but it still might be a little too soon...for me...I'm not even sure what to call it yet either. Neither does any of the weather networks...I've heard severe thunderstorms, plow winds (extremely strong straigh-line winds) and funnel clouds.

After what I experienced. the first two just don't seem to do it justice.

Yesterday The Boy, Dave and I went out to Twin Lakes Beach (one of the sites of last years flood for those of you on the up and up with Manitoban news) to my friend Jenny's cabin for a fun beach day!

We did have a great day! The sun was warm, there was a slight warm breeze and the water was delightful. We lounged on the beach, rode the Sea-Doo, went for boat rides and swam with the dog.

Mid afternoon the clouds started to look like rain and they were headed straight for us. So we packed up our gear and sat under the boat house until the rain started. And then it started to hail, so we ran into the cabin. Pea sized pieces at first and then the hail grew until it was the size of a quarter. It was pretty crazy! We were laughing and throwing bits of hail at each other. The Boy was worried about his truck so he parked it under a tree to shield it. Little did we know what was coming next.

Then the wind picked up and the rain started to fall harder. Water stared to pour in through the windows of the cabin. We tried to stuff them up with towels, but it didn't help. The towels got soaked in minutes and the water spilled onto the floor. At this point I started to worry. The windows weren't feeling so secure and the rain and wind and hail was abusing the poor little cabin. The sound was deafening. We were all freaking out. Jenny was trying to call her parents who were staying at another cabin with little luck when the window in the far bedroom broke and glass blew into the house. We ran and closed the door. The Boy was standing at the back door fixated on his truck and I kept yelling at him to come inside. Just as I turned around to give up on him he came inside and yelled "A tree just fell on my truck!" It was no small tree. This tree was huge!

We didn't have much time to think about the truck when We saw the boathouse (which we had been sheltering under not even an hour earlier) lift off it's foundation and slam onto the roof of the cabin!! The entire house shook. The power went out, all of the ceiling lights fell out and the rest of the front windows of the cabin broke. And the wind and rain and hail continued without apology. We were terrified. I just kept praying that it would end and that the cabin wasn't going to fall in on us. It was like being in a movie.

After all that we just sat and waited until the next thing. Whatever it was going to be. The Boy held Dave in his lap and held my hand. I tried to breath and stay as calm as I could so we could deal with whatever came next. Thankfully that was the worst of it. Eventually the storm started to die down. The hail stopped and the rain lightened to a trickle and the wind ceased to blow so hard. We emerged from the cabin to assess the damage to our things, because thankfully we were all ok.

The best news is that the tree didn't demolish our truck we were still able to drive it home. The worst news is that Jenny's family isn't sure whether their cabin is repairable any more. They didn't sustain too much damage after last years flood, but the combination of the two might just make it a tear down. Time will tell.

For the next two hours we cleaned up and spoke to the neighbours. Hydro came to fix the power and the fallen power lines. Fire trucks came to put out fires and police came to take pictures and reports. It was a bit of a haze. Overall there were minor injuries in the area. No one died, but the property damage was high. Some peoples cabins were blown apart like cardboard shacks and there were too many fallen trees to count.

I've heard now that the winds were 100 to 150km/hr (that's up to 93 miles an hour) and that Twin Lakes Beach (where we were) was hit harder than anywhere else in Manitoba. Here's a youtube video from the area yesterday that is similar to what we experienced:



I've uploaded one of my videos on youtube too:



I haven't been in shock that badly since my Dad died. And I have never been so scared in all my life. On the way home The Boy and I were mostly silent. We did talk a bit about what happened and we're so thankful that we're ok and it's just the truck that was damaged a little. It could have been a lot worse.


Lisa.xo

Congratulations Kevin & Danielle!

We're back from The Boy's brother's wedding.

It was a great day! We were a little worried in the morning before the guests arrived as it started to rain, but luck was on our side and the clouds parted, the sun came out and shone on us for the rest of the day. Couldn't have been more perfect.

Here are a few of the photos I snapped in no particular order:

On the dock. I think Danielle looks so cute in this picture!

The Boy's parents

Me, and a rare photo of The Boy

The Happy Couple (and their pooch, Kona)

The day couldn't have been more amazing. We had a great time! Congratulations Kevin and Danielle! Love you guys! <3

Lisa.xo