life is busy.

My crazy nephew Caden showing me his 'smile' face.

A visit from my grandmother.

A baking day with 1 nana, 3 moms, 3 toddlers, 2 infants, and 2 of my mom's friends...crazy.

Ammie trying to help out.

Rhys doing a very good job at rolling fancy crescents.

Life is very busy.

maryland street

For some reason the depths of my mind have been bubbling, gurgling up memories of my time spent of Maryland Street. I’ve been reliving the smells, the friends, the colours...the whole experience.

While I had spent time away from home on a few occasions, the quaint little house became my very first residence that was ALL MY OWN. I could decorate how I wanted, eat how I wanted, sleep how I wanted and clean how I wanted (or not at all)...it was MINE!

I lived in the house right beside Bella Vista, a tasty hole-in-the-wall pizza joint which featured lived bands, including one of my personal favourites, Scott Nolan, every Wednesday night. A rickety old fence was all that separated the back ‘smoking’ door to the restaurant and my bedroom window. I would often wake up to drunken conversations spoken too loudly...”it comes with the territory” I would tell myself. And it did. Wolsley is a colourful neighbourhood full of passionate people; the activists, the apathetic, the poor, the wealthy...they are all there. I managed to fall somewhere in the middle of it all and found myself quite a comfortable spot.

For the first part of my stay on Maryland Street I worked at, what I like to call, The Great Waste Of Life (Great West Life) doing all of the shit work for their Living Benefits Department. While I made some good friends and funny memories, it was an awful way to spend your work week. Picture ‘Office Space’ and that about sums it up, horrid. I wish that experience on NO ONE. However, I did find a pleasant solace walking to and from work everyday. What a wonderful time of reflection, of quiet. I would soak in the sights, the sounds, the houses, the people I passed. I would let it seep into me, into my soul...maybe that’s why I feel such a close connection to Maryland Street.

Or maybe it could be because it was James and my first shared living space? The house wasn’t my own for very long, but that was 100% okay with me, living on your own tends to be overrated. And besides, JAMES moved in! “Oh Glory,” I thought, “I get to live with a man!” We had friends over, we had movie nights, we had dates, we hosted our youth group, we went for walks, we cooked together, we didn’t clean together, we slept in together, we made the space OURS and it was all new to US. So that could be it.

OR, maybe it’s because it was the first house that we carried a little bundle into, the first house where I created a nursery. It turned into a sanctuary for me and my brand new baby. The first place where I soaked in what it meant to be a parent, with all its ups and downs. Maryland Street was where I became Mrs. Erskine and Mom. It’s also where I was able to welcome people, family, friends, into my space for the first time.

I don’t really know why I keep on thinking about that stage of my life. Maybe I’m just supposed to reflect on it until I learn something. Who knows?

My mom thought that I was going to die when I moved into that house. It turns out she was wrong, I didn’t die...in fact, I lived and I lived a lot.

design bria.

Today is a great day! Why, you ask? Well, I'm coming out with a new post series about a little topic that is very near and dear to my heart...DESIGN! For those of you who don't know this side of me, you will soon learn (through these posts) just how crazy I am about the design world. My obsession spans all levels, mediums, and era's. I love fashion, interiors, furniture, media, and jewelery...just to name a few. I am hoping to do one design post a week, but we'll see how it goes. Hopefully I wont go over-the-top and I'll try to take into consideration those of you who couldn't care less about this topic. I'm not planning on doing any long essays on trends or designers, but I do hope to show you what I love and what catches my eye.

Let's get started:

I found this beautiful antique Ukrainian cupboard on usedwinnipeg.com. I guarantee you, if I had $250.oo (which is an insanely great price for a beautiful piece of furniture like this) this would be in my house, refinished in a high-gloss black or bright red, or orange, or robin's egg blue or a million other colours that I can think would look great on something this pretty. It's still for sale...hint, hint, hint.

I've worked with recycled magazine's many times in my crafting years but I had never seen them utilized in such a unique fashion as found on this lovely mirror. I would love to put this unusual piece in a fun entrance way or use it to spice up a boring hallway. It can be found over at urbanoutfitters.com for a reasonable price of $52.00 (US).

Last, but not least, a little glimpse at one thing that I love in my own home...the mug shots located in my bathroom. Quirky, a bit odd, and a good guessing game for company using the loo. (Pictured clockwise from the top right: Johnny Cash, Machine Gun Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Hendrix, Bill Gates, and Jane Fonda) I bought some simple frames from Walmart and printed the pictures off of the Internet. Quick & Easy.

I hope you enjoy this little series that I've started and if any of you have any suggestions or comments (even if you have a totally different idea of what good design is) I'd love to hear from you.

random bria.

I feel as though my life has been a tad hectic this past week...not that that's a bad thing, I just haven't found time to let you guys in on anything that's been going on. I've really been enjoying keeping this blog and taking the few moments for myself when I sit down to write new posts and upload pictures. I don't have a lot on my mind today, but I do have a few pictures from this past week of activities. Enjoy.

The proud new mama and papa with their very little baby.

Ammie is wearing pigtails! She actually looks like a girl now:)

Delbert and Christina at their crazy fun social. I think that I danced for about 3 hours straight (my legs hurt SO badly the next day!).

Baby Annabelle's dedication at church.

fresh babies are good for the soul ~ part 2

madeline jane

november 11th 2008

4:30 am

6lbs 8oz

and a whole lotta cute!

(I'm so excited that Amelia now has two pretty little girl cousins

to invite over for tea parties!)

And I would like to point out the baby monster hat that Rhys is very excited about:)

monster mash.

James gave me some old t-shirts the other day. It turns out they make great monster hats...and Rhys makes a great monster!

let it snow.

SNOW! As much as winter bothers me (especially the time it takes to get two kids out the door) I love the first snow. It's so pretty, so different, so new. My excitement was heightened this year by the two kids who were ecstatic to see the obscure white blanket covering the yard. Rhys and Ammie starred out the window for the longest time taking in the new scenery, they weren't even interested in their morning cup of milk! I was asked a million questions about the 'now' (snow...Rhys doesn't say the 's'. When James tried to correct it this morning it turned into 'Th-now'); how did the snow get here, where did the rain go, why is it on the cars, why is it on the trees, when can he go play in it, do we have a little boy shovel...on and on and on.

Winter is so long in Winnipeg, month after month after month of white, jackets, runny noses, cold cars, shoveling, indoors, and dry skin. While I hate freezing my butt off (I don't retain body heat very well) I have to point out that I love Winnipeg because of the distinct season changes. Each season is so defined and beautiful in it's own right. Each season ushers in a time of visible change; something that I find strangely comforting. Each season brings with it something to look forward to...snow brings Christmas. I love Christmas. I love the time of giving, of family, of friends. I love the time of hot chocolate, carol singing, and decorating. I love the time of brinkerhonkers (can anyone guess what it is?), Christmas trees, and Christ. This year I especially love that our family will be expanded to 5 little ones to wrap gifts for. I'm glad that Rhys is a year older and can understand Christmas that much more.

So, here's to the first snow and to a new season!

I've made a Christmas Song playlist to get all of you into the Christmassy spirit.

Enjoy.

hallowe'en.

Hallowe'en was tons of fun this year! I was a little bit frazzled the whole day due to baking and cleaning from the moment my eyes opened, but hey, I've got a clean house now (well worth it). James had a bunch of guys over for a poker night so I spent the majority of the day getting ready for that (sometimes I wonder why I clean when it's just guys coming over because I'm sure they really don't care...).

Later in the evening we took the kids out Trick or Treating and Rhys had such a blast seeing all of the other kids and getting so much candy that he could hardly lift his bag. I think that while we were out we missed all of the cute little kids that came by our house because by the time we got back to hand out candy it was basically kids that were old enough to have a job to buy their own candy. O-well, if that candy stays in my house I just end up eating all of it in one sitting then getting sick to my stomach while experiencing a massive breakout and a minor panic attack that my thighs are going to expand even more.

When all of the guys showed up I got kicked out of my house, which was just as well...who wants to stick around to listen to tool/hunting mumbo-jumbo for the umpteenth time that week? Not I. My friend Christina and I went to Club Regent and played Bingo with all of the 50+ Bingo-bopping addicts. We had no idea what we were doing (who thought Bingo could be that complicated) which became clear to all of those around us and even to the Bingo supervisor who decided to make frequent visits to our table to 'check-up' on us. On the way to Bingo Christina and I repeatedly told each other how unlucky we were at winning things but it will be fun anyways. Well, apparently the tables turned because we both ended up winning money which made it a free evening of Bingo fun! We want to make it a monthly adventure...heck, maybe we could even make friends with the two ladies that kept on pointing out that we were bopping on the wrong sheets. We laughed very hard and felt very accomplished by the end of the evening.

The only thing that I would have done differently for Hallowe'en would have been to dress-up; apparently I was too busy thinking about getting the kids and the house together that I didn't even think about a costume for myself. Delbert dressed up though...he pretended to be a Hair Lume (Heirloom Custom Cabinet is where James works) installer and I will leave you with a disturbing picture of his crafty get-up...