Sunday, April 28, 2013

Signs of Spring

Today was a perfect spring day. Here are a few signs that spring has finally appeared in our neck of the woods!


The crocuses are in full bloom.
The magnolias are flowering.

The tulips are finally starting to poke their heads out of the ground.


But the real sign that spring has sprung is that outdoor projects are in full swing. The gazebo that we put up last spring was a casualty of this year's long winter. Instead of buying a new one, my husband decided he'd attempt to build a pergola from his own plans. I have great faith in his abilities and I'm sure it will be wonderful once it's done, but for now, THIS is the state of our deck. Yikes!








I'll keep posting as progress is made. Hopefully by next weekend our backyard won't be quite such a disaster area.

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Scenes from the weekend

Today is April 14 which means that Spring started a few weeks ago, right? Well, you wouldn't know it from the view outside my front window this morning.



Not exactly the Spring-like weather that we're used to seeing mid-April. That's why I decided to do a few things to help me feel a little better about this sad situation. 


I had a bunch of lemons which I placed in one of my favourite blue and white bowls.

And speaking of blue...




Take a look at my newest purchase. The bag's turquoise interior and daffodil yellow lining just make me happy. 




I painted my nails with Crazy for chic, the brightest pink I could find. 




We opened up the last bottle of wine from our trip to Italy and pretended to be sipping it from a sun-filled patio.





I read the May issue of Style at Home cover to cover and dreamt about gardening and outdoor entertaining. 







And the very best thing about this weekend are the tulips that my husband brought home for me. I love tulips and, if I can't see them growing out of the ground, the next best thing is admiring them inside my house!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Escape

I have not been a very consistent blogger lately. The long winter we've been having in Ottawa has left me feeling lethargic and uninspired...quite blah actually. But today the winter blahs are gone thanks to a one week escape to the sun. My husband and I started going away for one week holidays during winter a few years ago; sometimes with the kids, sometimes without. This year I felt the need for the getaway more than ever. The last few months have not been the easiest for me and I had been feeling quite frazzled and physically exhausted. The week away could not have come at a better time. 

During our little vacation I didn't do much other than lay out in the sun or the shade to read, eat delicious food, drink mojitos, take long walks on the beach and, surprisingly, run.  I say "surprisingly" because I have never been a very good or consistent runner, but for some reason, I enjoy running barefoot with the sound of the ocean cheering me on. After the second day, I started looking forward to our 4 o'clock runs on the beach. 


We went sailing twice. The water really is that clear and turquoise coloured.
The absolutely stunning infinity pool. 
We had a few of these burgers. I didn't think I would like egg on a burger, but they were quite delicious.
Last walk on the beach before returning home. 
Many hours were spent doing absolutely nothing under these cabanas.

After a week of this routine I'm feeling strong again and ready to face the real world. Bring it on world... but no more snow please, I've had just about enough of that!