40

Howdy sweet peas!  Yep, it's me!  I know it's been a while.  I have no excuse, just that life takes over and blogging had to take a backseat.  I guess that IS an excuse, isn't it?

I do still visit YOUR blogs and I LOVE staying in touch on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook.  Still addicted to social media.  heehee...

2012 has been an interesting year, that's for sure.

One 'notable' is that I turned the big FOUR-OH.

Yes, I did!

I thought it would bother me but it really didn't.  I think turning 30 bothered me more!  

I am happy where I am and I love my life so it's all good, baby!

My hubby planned an awesome night and really, between lunches, nights out, dinners with my family, I was celebrating my birthday for a week. 

That's the way it should be, don't you agree?

So some friends came over for drinks and appies at our house and then

hubs rented us a limo to take us downtown to party!

You can kinda see it behind this good looking group of people.

; )

We ate, we drank, we danced.

It was a super fun night!!

I even had a special cake...

No, I didn't drink all of these myself.

I'm 40, I can't be doing those things anymore!

I may have had more than one though.

*me and my sissyboo*

*me and my honey*

My sister made this '40 Sucks' basket. 

It really doesn't suck.

Life begins at 40, right?

40 is the new 30, right?

I'm stickin' to that.

It's pretty darn good so far.

See you soon, sweet peas!

xo

Still kickin'

Howdy gals!

I'm still around but have been soooooo

neglecting my little Sweet Peas.

Will you accept my apologies?!

I hope you haven't given up on me.

Work is crazy.

Life is busy.

But it's almost summertime!

No more school and kid activities.

Woohoo!

Geez, you really know you've been away

awhile when you come back and blogger is 

completely different!

I don't even recognize things around here!

My girls had their dance recital.

They did a beautiful job!

Holeeeee hair and makeup, Batman.

Took me forever.

Here they are with their dance teacher.

And a family pic thrown in for good measure.

So I went out on a girls night this past

Saturday night.

I got home at 3am.

THREEEE A.M.!

I never do that.

Momma needs her sleep.

But it was a great night.

We went all out.

We got a limo, went for a chic (aka freakin' expensive) dinner,

And had a reserved table at a downtown nightclub on the rooftop patio.

SO FUN!

Yup, I'm the short one.

And I had heels on too.

Here is my lovely friend who organized it all.  

She is worldly and makes sure I get out of the house now and then.

: )

Dressy dress

I love gettin' girly.

I also went on a girls weekend with my Mom and sister to the mountains.

We did a spa day, had dinner and stayed overnight.

We also had an amazing brunch the next day at super fancy hotel.

Fab-o. : )

Me and my mama...

Me and my sissyboo...

I know, people say we look like twins.  We aren't.

She's older.

Ok, I lied.

We are twins.

Ok, I lied again.

I am 19 months older but I like the twin thing better.

I love my sissy.

So that's what I've been up to in a nutshell in between our kids' activities, soccer,

swimming, horse-riding lessons and dance.

I am trying to slowly figure out a good time to blog

because I really do miss it and I miss hangin' with all my 

bloggy loves.

That would be you.

I hope you'll follow me on twitter

@blogsweetpea

I'm also on instagram - search sherisweetpea

Til next time, sweet peas!

Linked up for Monday Mingle!

New Twitter account

Hello my little sweet peas!

I know I have been MIA,

I will return veeeery soon

with some happy goodness.

In the meantime, I have a new Twitter account

'specially for Sweet Pea!

Check me out, sweets!

@blogsweetpea

I would love it if you'd follow me.

Be back soon!

xo

Glow Dough

I found this website on Pinterest that I absolutely 

LOVE.

I spent over an hour last night perusing it 

and getting so many ideas for crafts for my

girls to do.

This one was easy to do and the cool factor was through the roof!

Glow in the dark playdoh!

I made the playdoh and added 4 different colours of neon paint

although under the black light

the yellow and green looked the same.

Thank you to my hubby for going to two different stores

to find the tube-style black light.

: D

We set up a table and chairs in the bathroom,

the darkest room in the house.

Hey, it worked so why not, right?!

And the girls played

and loved how the playdoh glowed,

as well as their own shirts and even their teeth!

Love those black lights.

For the how-to

check out

Play at Home Mom LLC.

They have amazing ideas!

We also did perler bead crafts,

here are their masterpieces

That is a well-used table these are on, as you can see.

: )

Happy Crafting!

Happy Easter!!!

via

Happy Easter, sweets!

Speaking of sweets, I have consumed

an awful lot of chocolate in 2 days.

Those easter cream eggs are my weakness, I tell ya!

We had my Dad's side of the family over

for a potluck dinner yesterday.

It was absolutely wonderful!

Tonnes of food, lots of visiting

a wee bit of tasty beverages.

We did an egg hunt for the 6 kids and my mom

had made up baskets full of goodies for prizes.

I adore my family, it was a great evening!

Thank you to everyone that has sent me happy thoughts

on my first week of work.

It went well!

I put so much pressure on myself that I feel

like I should be a pro already.

And I feel that others expect it of me too.

Why do I do that to myself?

Anyway, I think once the learning curve has flattened, 

I will enjoy working there.

It was SUPER hard to only see my girls for a short time 

in the evenings before they went to bed.

The evenings were crazy getting ready for the next day.

This is going to be a big transition for us all.

I am trying to check in on you, lovelies, as I have time

and figure out a good routine for everything.

I miss you guys!

Have a fantastic Easter and an even better week ahead!!
xo

Call Me Maybe

Today was my last week day off with my girls.

Well, at least until next Friday which is a holiday.

: )

Monday I'll be back to work.

Yikes.

We have had such a fun spring break week! 

Just hanging out, going bowling,

farmers market, playing,

and DANCING!

We loved the similar video that the Bieber fella and his friends

did to this song so we decided to do our own version.

It was so much fun!

I have no idea when I will find the time to blog

but I promise I will try to pop up now and then!

Have a great weekend, sweet peas!

xo

Fill in the Blank Friday

Hey sweets!

I hope you had a great week.

My girls just started spring break so I am

looking forward to sleeping in 

*slightly* next week!

After next week my days will be

looooooong, since I 

got a job!!

I will be up at *gulp* 5am.

Not sure how I'll handle that again.

It's been a while since I've had to get up that early

let alone 5 days in a row every week.

oh boy.

I'm happy and sad to go back.

Will miss being at home and having time with my 

sweet girls.

But I am looking forward to being around adults

and being downtown with all the action!

haha...

Ok lets fill in some blanks with Lauren.

1.  My favorite color is  purple.

2.   My home decor color palette includes   beige walls, cherry accents, touches of colour here and there including greenery.

3.  Other people always tell me I look good in the color  red. I like it too, any bright colour, really!

4. The color I detest is  dusty rose.  It looks awful on my skin tone, like AWFUL people!  

5. If you were to look in my closet most of the colors you'd see would be   lots of navy and gray with green, coral, red, yellow, intermingled.

6. A color that I simply cannot pull off no matter how hard I try is   Oh oops, I answered this in number 4.  Good ole dusty rose.  And some yellows I can't pull off either.  Some are good, some aren't.

7.  The color of my favorite dress is I like white and I have a new one with different shades of purple that I love.

Have an awesome weekend, guys and gals!

xo

Follow me - somehow!

Hey peeps.

So my google friend connect isn't working.

Mine should work still, right?

Only non-blogger sites

won't work is how I read it.

Yet mine isn't working anyway.

Soooo.....

I need to figure that out.
It's like hide and seek in bloggy land right now.
How do I find my fave blogs?
Where did they go?
Where did my followers go?
Now you see me....

via

...now you don't!
If you'd like an alternative,

you can now follow 

*sweet pea*

on Bloglovin'!

Just click the little widget over on the left.

I'm there, baby.

And while we are at it,
I am now on Instagram!
Just getting my sea legs on that one.
Find me if you like at
sherisweetpea.

I really need to figure out this Google+ stuff too.

Why oh why must they change things?!

If you know any good tips or tricks

with all of these changes going on,

let me know!

xo

I love me some jewelry

Did you know that I LOVE jewelry?
haha..don't we all, right girls?!

I {not so} subtly suggested to my hubby that he needed to buy me

a giant jewelry box for my last birthday.

He did and I love it.

All my pretty things laid out so beautifully.

I also have a coat rack type thingy

in my closet that holds my necklaces, belts and scarves.

I have to show you some new jewelry I got

courtesy of my wonderful Australian friend, Loulou

of Here I am Loulou.

She makes gorrrrgeous jewelry.

She had a giveaway recently on her blog and I won this necklace!!

Gorgeous, right?  It's actually a locket!
How cool is that?
Here's me wearing it, happily. ; )

The top of the necklace is black ribbon.
I just adore it.
The bracelet I am wearing was from Loulou as well.
So thoughtful, she is.
Here it is a bit closer up.

Here is another necklace, this one is long and for this top, I knotted it
at the back of my neck to make it shorter.
Love that I can wear it either long or short!

If there were such a thing as best friends in the blog world, and
what the heck, I am declaring that there is,
Loulou is mine.
She makes you feel like the most special person with her
super sweet comments.
We have so much in common that I am convinced
we MUST meet someday.

Go check her out, if you haven't already.
Her 'About Me' section is phenomenal.

She did not ask me to do this post by the way.
I just wanted to because she does so much for others.
And her jewelry is so perty.
: )
Stay tuned for Part 2, I have a
few pics of Loulou's jewelry for kids!

Happy Monday, sweet peas!
Go ROCK this day!

Friday Frolics - All things Green

Happy Friday, peeps!

There is no Fill in the Blanks linkup today

so I thought I'd just post some green randomness.

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day!

I bought my kids some Lucky Charms as a treat.

via

Ok, I admit, I love them too.

They really are magically delicious!

Good thing we only buy them once a year.

I also bought some mint ice cream,

so maybe we'll whip up some milkshakes.

via

Yummers.

If you want to dress in green,
which OF COURSE I do
for St. Patrick's Day....

via

Can you believe those shoes?

So cute.

Hubs and I are going to a dinner party

on Saturday night (sounds so fancy doesn't it? haha...)

Looking forward to a great weekend!

via

Are you doing anything for St. Patrick's Day?

I'd love to hear your ideas,

food, crafts, fashion?

I love green!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

xo

Pretty party time

I love to dress up.

How 'bout you?

Is anyone else taking this time change hard?

Holeee mother, it is knocking this girlie out.

But I LOOOOVE that it's light out in the evening.

The girls and I went for a lovely walk last night.
It felt so good to get some fresh air and it wasn't dark at 4pm.

I have been absent from YOUR blogs for a few days, my lovelies,
but I just needed a break from everything.

I am looking forward to catching up on what you all are doing!!

For now, here is a pretty pic, just for you.

via

Spring is sprungin' and I couldn't be happier!

Today it rained briefly, it smelled so fresh after.

Perfect.

Oh until it turned into snow.

And now it's sunny.

Welcome to my weird part of the world.

; )

I hope your week is turning out to be fabulo-so!

xo

Fill in the Blank Friday

Hello sweet peas!

It's Friday, phew, we made it!

This week was a hectic one, thanks for all your sweet comments.

I had one interview and it went well, I have a second interview next week.

We'll see how it goes!

I'm really looking forward to the weekend,

we are going to a dinner theater tonight.

I'm going to pig right out and have a few drinky-poos ya know what I mean?!

B'bye stressful week.

; )

Let's fill in some blanks, linking up with Lauren but

today's blanks were courtesy of Jen!

All about the home...love these!

1.  My favorite room in my home is my bedroom  because I feel comfort there.  It's where I can escape to and cozy up with my blankie and a bajillion pillows.

2.   My current decor style is  fairly traditional with a bit of eclectic  but I wish it were more a bit more modern and eclectic.  I like the clean lines of modern homes but not too much of it or a home seems cold.

3.  I wish I could redecorate the  living room in my house to make it more  modern and snazzy.  we need new furniture so badly.  I'd also like to paint it a different colour.  We still have that 'builder beige'.  I'm bored of it.

4. My dream house absolutely has to have a  an amazing kitchen and a giant basement for lots of entertaining.  My hubby would also say it has to have a 3 car garage.  I could live with that.

5. One house item I am willing to splurge on is  entertainment centers (tv, sound systems).  We like our big tvs for movie nights!

6. A decor trend that I just don't "get" is   all white everywhere.  It can be pretty, I do like the look of it but with a splash of colour here and there.  Plus when you have 3 kids, it's just not practical.   

7. Lots of framed family photos is a little touch that makes my house feel like home.

Have a fabulous weekend peeps!

Let me know what your plans are!

The Lenny Factor

Is there anyone cooler than Lenny Kravitz?

I think not.

Watch this.
Seriously.
I would die.
In a totally good way.
You'll see what I mean.
; )

Ghost of Something New

I loved all the advice on how to deal with stress,

thanks ladies!

I'm taking it all and absorbing it so I can manage it better.

It's not the end of the world type stuff but it's stressful to me.

Job-hunting.

Interviews.

No one loves them but I haven't had to do this in over 11 years!

So I'm trying to get my confidence back.

It ain't easy.

I'll get there.

Thanks for the support!

xxoo

So I always hang out at a nearby Starbucks while my girls are at dance 

two nights a week.

About a month ago, I heard a song while I sipped my chai latte

and I SHOULD have asked someone what the name of the song was.

But I didn't.

This song moved me to tears.

Maybe just because of the frame of mind I was in,

or the hauntingly beautiful melody.

Something about it made me fall in love with it.

I quickly made a note of some of the lyrics
(*like, we are talking a few words*)

and went home and searched for what seemed like for-EVER

to find this song.

Nothing.

Since then, I've searched a few times online,

on the Starbucks website even.

Nothing.

Until last night.

I finally found it!

I typed in the few lyrics that I had

and FOUND IT!

It's so brand spankin' new so that's probably why I couldn't find it.

There was literally nothing on the internet about it until this week.

But I found it and now I've been playing it over and over.

I hope you like it too.

I actually made a whole playlist of 'relaxing' songs.

Ahhhhh...now I need a bubble bath and some wine (lots of it)

and I'm golden!

; )

Here it is.

STRESS...

...how do you deal with it?

Luckily I have a good hubby who I can talk to 

but when I get stressed, I just want to pull the covers over

my head and hibernate.

I so wish I could be that person that just takes it all in stride.
Do you think that can be learned?
Like, now?

via

Cute Blog Award

A couple of weeks ago, Kim from A Very Sweet Blog

bestowed the wonderful honour of a Cute Blog Award

on Sweet Pea!

I appreciate it so much, Kim!

Kim's blog is SUPER-cute,

so pretty and always full of amazing things.

I'm really touched that she thought of me for this award.

So now I get the super fun task of passing on this award!

But first answering the award questions...here goes!

The Cute Blog Award Questions: 

1.What is your go to make-up brand? Usually whatever is on sale at the drugstore!  But I do like MAC when I get to splurge. 

2.What was your favorite fashion trend of 2011?  Bright colour...or is that this year? 

3.What is your favorite dessert?  Anything with chocolate, although I had cherries jubilee once and thought it was straight from heaven.

4. Favorite color?  Purple

5. What is your middle name?  Deanne

6. What is the last song you listened to?  Stronger by Kelly Clarkson (LOVE this song!)

7. Cats or Dogs?  Dogs

There you have it!

And now, my picks for The Cute Blog Award are:

Hope in High Heels

Here I am Loulou

Nico of Satin and Salt

Jill of Meet the Dubiens

Catherine of Live by the Sun, Love by the Moon

Cathy of Stitchfork Designs

Katie of High Heels and Bubble Gum

Whatever you choose to do with the award, ladies, just know that I adore your blogs

and you brighten my days!

Happy Monday, now go ROCK the week, sweet peas!

xo

Day off

So no Fill in the Blank Friday today,

Lauren, who I usually link up with is

a new mommy and is spending some

precious time with her babe.

Understandably!

Enjoy, sweet lady.

: )

Thank you my sweet peas, sooooo much

for all the fantastic feedback on yesterday's post.

You all gave me some great ideas.

I am going to consult with my decorator

*aka hubby*

and figure something out.

Hubs is also working on developing our basement

so not sure how much time we'll have for another project.

I really want to get started though!

I miss my Grandma so much and I'm hoping this will help me heal a bit.

Thank you again for all your input, it is so lovingly appreciated

**kiss kiss hug hug**!!

I am really excited for today,

the girls are I are going to visit one of my favourite

people after school today.

My Aunt - she is so amazing,

she always feeds the most delicious food and it

is always impeccably presented. 

Beautiful!

She is a very elegant lady,

very artistic,

and every time I go to her house

she has changed around her artwork on the walls,

moved furniture around or bought some new fantastic book to peruse.

I LOVE that!

She is so inspiring to me

so I really cherish the time we spend together.

And I am allllmost ready for my twins' birthday party on

Sunday.

They will be 8.....I say it every year....how did that happen?

8 years ago I had a ginormous belly and was verrrry uncomfortable

*understatement*

Happy Birthday to my sweet, crazy, wonderful, gorgeous girls.

Mommy loves you like crazy.

Refurb

I have not always been a fan of old 'stuff'.

I am more an out with the old, in the the brand-new kinda girl.

But seeing how people have refurbished old stuff

is amazing!

I have a dressing table and dresser that belonged to my Grandma.

They were always in her bedroom and I have good memories of them.

I got her dressing table when she moved out of her house and into
her apartment a few years back.

Then I got her dresser when she passed away in December.
Both pieces are sitting in our *unfinished, dirty* basement
and it makes me so sad that they are not being loved and used.

They are old and need some TLC, paint, something.
They are not the best quality or the best-made pieces either.
So I am not sure what I can or should do with them.
But they mean a lot to me.

I really really love the brightly painted furniture styles
I see nowadays like this one

Or the distressed pieces like this




I REALLY love this funky piece

Not sure where I'd put it but....I would LOVE that in my house!
; )

My hubby thinks I need to keep the 'art deco-ish' pattern on the pieces
which I probably should but I'm not sure if I am huge fan of.
But yet, I feel like I should preserve that part of them.

The dilemmas!
I am terrible at envisioning the potential in something old
so I'm hoping my hubby, who is good at that stuff,
or one of my wonderful followers...!
Can give me some inspiration.

Have you ever refurbished a piece of furniture?

Most wonderful day

via

Sorry for the quality of this pic clip but I loved the message in this

so much, I had to share.

Sometimes I forget to live by these words.

The day-to-day-to-day of life

can sometimes beat a person down.

I SO want to remember that today should be my most wonderful day.

This makes me teary-eyed and I am totally using this

on my kids to remind them of the same thing.

Lovely. ♥