coffee with Julie » Tales

Things I’d like to Bottle-Up Forever

Julie — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:33:17 +0000

As I sit sipping a coffee and enjoying some mellow time on a Saturday morning, I take in a deep breath and recall how much I have craved this — and for so long, it seems. The kids, now 9 and 3 1/2, are so much more independent and are happy doing their own thing until we leave for Stella’s drawing class at 9:30 this morning. The days of early wake-ups and diapers to change are now in the past.

And knowing that they are in the past, makes me recognize that some of my most cherished things today will soon be a yesterday. From the daily pleasures of parenthood, these are the things I’d like to bottle-up forever:

How Max, who is 3, will run downstairs if he notices that I am in the laundry and chant, “I help? I help!”
How Max says “Aw-wright” instead of “Alright.” I can’t even bear to correct him, it is just that cute.
How Stella, who is 9, will get Max some breakfast in the morning and even put his potty seat on the toilet for him.
How when I come home from work, both kids rush out to greet me with hugs and “Hi Mom!”
How Stella has decided that she will be an artist and go to the same university that I went to, in the hopes of staying in the same dorm building.
How Max has the most adorable dimples right above his bottom.
How Stella shares all her feelings so frankly with us.

I know these things will change with time. So I record them here, and hope it helps me remember them forever.

What is the appropriate way to celebrate 15 years of marriage?

Julie — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:47:32 +0000

Last week, Hubby and I passed a pretty major milestone — 15 years of marriage.

When we celebrated our first anniversary, we went to a bed and breakfast in Kingston. Although it sounds peaceful and romantic, and that was certainly the intention, it really wasn’t. A couple staying above us came in really late and made a whole lot of racket laughing and stumbling around drunk, which was followed by some other, ahem, “noises” that kept us up half the night.

But after that first anniversary, it all starts to get fuzzy and mostly involves me forgetting what the actual date was in January (thank goodness Hubby had the date engraved on his ring or we’d never remember!). We did, however, manage to pull out all the stops for our 10th anniversary. Hubby asked whether I’d like a special piece of jewelry or a trip. I said “trip!” And off to Cuba the three of us went (Stella was 5). We had a fabulous time!

Now, it’s 15 years. That’s a biggie sort of anniversary, isn’t it? In the morning, Hubby gave me this beautiful card:

I looked up what the traditional gift is supposed to be for year #15 and this is what I found:

“Crystal is the primary material for the fifteenth anniversary with glass as the modern material and watches as the alternate modern choice. Beautiful crystal jewelry, crystal flowers, or a figurine would make a nice gift. The crystal anniversary is also a great opportunity to invest in a feature piece of decorative crystal or art glass for your home.”

So in case Hubby was feeling a bit lost, there is some definite clear guidance out there on what is considered the appropriate gift for celebrating a 15th wedding anniversary. Being a man of unique tastes, he instead opted to give me this. He explained that this gift, with its ability to increase the effectiveness of our interpersonal communications, could certainly get us through the next 15 years.

What can I say? The man is genius. GENUIS! I tell ya.

Happy anniversary baby! xoxo

The Homemade Gift

Julie — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:35:14 +0000

Us busy folks just love a homemade anything, don’t we? Marketers, of course, know this and like to use the word to advertise their wares any chance they get. But the truly homemade gift is a special thing indeed.

Some of the most cherished homemade gifts I’ve received include a quilt from my mother-in-law for each bed in the house, a quilt from my special Aussie girlfriend Nat, and a scrapbooked collage from my mom. As for gifts from Hubby, I can’t even list the number of homemade gifts he’s made for me over the years. He is crazy-talented and I’ve received everything from jewelry, decorative boxes, and artwork to a cedar-strip canoe and a bed!

This year for Christmas, I was fortunate enough to receive two homemade gifts. The first was a painting by my father. Hubby and I are beyond thrilled with this since it’s the first painting that he’s painted especially for us. And the second is this very groovy tote from my sister and brother-in-law. Check it out! (You know it’ll be on my arm at the next BlogHer or Blissdom, don’t you!)

On the front is the image that represents the age-old saying: “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

And on the back, you can see that the tote has been customized for the blog! Here is a close-up shot:

They also gave me a cookie-mix in a jar. I’m glad it looks pretty in the jar on my shelf since, well, I don’t bake or cook. But it’s the thought that counts, right?

Christmas Gift Wrapping

Julie — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 22:30:25 +0000

I never would have thought of using paper doilies for anything except snowflakes (remember making those as a kid?). But I happened to have seen Guilia’s wrapping and then happened to see red doilies in the dollar store. So here is how I’ve wrapped Stella’s teachers’ gifts this year. I love how they turned out!

If you want to try it, you’ll need:

Brown paper bags (Michaels)
Paper doilies (The Dollar Store)
Glue for sticking the doilies on the bag (The Dollar Store)
Ribbon (Michaels)

I had the day off as a vacation day to attend Stella’s Christmas Concert at school, and since it got cancelled with the freezing rain, I got some wrapping done and watched season one of Californication on Netflix. I was bummed out about missing the Christmas concert, but it turned out to be a nice relax.

Multi-tasking is the bane of my existence and also my life bread

Julie — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 22:17:26 +0000

It’s all the rage these days to talk about how multi-tasking isn’t really a good skill to apply anymore. That you are better off focusing all your attention on one task and in doing so, you will actually get it done quicker. In other words, you’ll save more time and get more done if you just line all your tasks up in row and knock them down one by one.

That, my friends, is not how multi-tasking works. As any mother knows, multi-tasking is not about getting things done quickly or more effectively by doing more than one thing at once. In fact, we’d love — more than anything! — to be able to devote all of our focus on one thing at a time.

Multi-tasking is not a choice. It is something that one must do, if one expects to actually get anything done at all.

As Exhibit A: My work day is now done and this is how my evening is going to play out …

Supervise a short homework period with one child (nagging as needed)
Drive over with above noted child to my Gram’s residence and pick her up for dinner
Drive over to Swiss Chalet, because both Gram and child will eat there
Drive over to Chapter’s where I have a meeting scheduled with out daycare provider at 7pm
Deposit Gram and child into Chapter’s. Let them browse for an hour.
Discuss other child for one hour with daycare provider to share tips and sync-up
Re-group with Gram and child and drive Gram back to her residence
On the way home, stop at drugstore to pick up some face cream and toothpaste
Arrive home, usher child into bedtime routine (nagging as needed)

Now, why am I doing all this at once? Well, because I had scheduled a meeting with my daycare provider for this evening. But I am also long overdue in taking my Gram out for dinner and she is in the same neighbourhood. I also promised child to a new book, and this is in the same neighbourhood too. And I also promised my face that I would finally get a refill on skin cream since the last one has been sitting empty for too long.

And if I didn’t multi-task all of this into one evening, then I would still be feeling terrible for not taking Gram out in ages and not fulfilling my book promise to child and having dry, uncomfortable skin! There is simply not enough time to not multi-task.

Please tell me this is normal. In the meantime, I will try to get a half-dozen things done ineffectively and check back for your answer.

p.s. Despite all the practice I get at multi-tasking, I still fail at it. Frequently. Case in point: The day got so busy that I forgot to do the draw for the $50 Mark’s gift certificate. So you now have until 10 am tomorrow to enter!

Beautiful Book Stores: Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers, NY

Julie — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 13:18:12 +0000

I can remember my father telling me that when he was young he dreamed of having a house full of books and art. I can also remember the look of contentedness he had on his face as he sat in his own home telling this to me. You see, I can never remember us living in a home that wasn’t full of books and art.

Granted, there were always far more books than art. Much of the artwork that we had on the walls when I was a kid was of his own creation. He’s a very talented painter. But as time went on, and the house filled with more children, he had much less time to devote to his painting. But the books, they were always there. My dad always — always — has at least one book on the go.

I’m not sure where he acquired this taste for books and art. He grew up in a house with little money, and although both his parents were literate, I don’t recall a lot of books in my grandparents’ home. (Although I do recall with great fondness how my grandfather would pull you over to share an article from the newspaper. It made me feel special that he wanted to share it with me.) As for art, well … there was a massive velvet matador rug hanging on a wall. Let’s just leave it at that.

As for where I acquired this somewhat irrational need, especially in this day of e-readers, to surround myself with pretty paper bound together … I place the blame squarely on my father’s shoulders. I must have observed him with his nose in a book so many countless times that I concluded books were like a magical spell to which one happily surrendered themselves. In fact, as of late, I have joined the crowds on pinterest (an online bulletin board that allows you to pin up items that you find of interest and enjoy a voyeuristic tour of the pin boards of others), and I have a board titled “Books are little lovers.” Because, really, besides a book, what could hold a person’s attention with such force other than a new lover?

It will come as no surprise to you then that when I took my recent trip to New York City, beautiful book stores were visited. One of these was in a Brooklyn neighbourhood called Williamsburg. Home to artists and indie bands, and more recently, a gentrified collection of boutiques and shops, my friend Kerry and I were staying in a nearby area of Brooklyn and we toured over to Williamsburg on foot.

As soon as you walk in, your heartbeat slows and you melt into the vibe of Spoonbill & Sugartown Booksellers.

First opened in 1999, this bookstore specializes in both new and used books — contemporary art, design, architecture, photography, philosophy, and literature. Although I could spend an entire day in practically any bookstore, I know for certain that I could have spent at least two days in this one. Which is saying quite a bit since they are open from 10 am to 10 pm every day of the week!

Needless to say, I did not leave empty-handed. For Hubby, I found this really interesting used book titled The places of houses: Three architects suggest ways to build and inhabit houses.

Published in 1974, the authors believe that there are three elements fundamental to a successful house: rooms to live in, machines that serve life, and the dreams of the inhabitants. As someone who pours his soul into everything he builds, I really thought he’d enjoy this book.

I also picked up a book for my three-year-old son Max. Impossible to resist, I am a Bunny is a recreation of an original Golden book first published in 1963.

I loved the large images, with simple text. There’s much more to this book that I love, but I just don’t have the right words to describe it. And Max, as I suspected, adores it too.

Now, do I need to admit that I also treated myself to a book? Well of course, mes amis! It was “Month of Me,” wasn’t it? So, the book that I picked up for myself has a NYC beat to it. Titled Netherland, the publisher description reads:

“Unexpectedly finding himself marooned among the strange occupants of New York’s Chelsea Hotel, feeling lost in the country he has come to regard as home, Hans van den Brock begins an unlikely friendship with Chuck Ramkissoon, a charming Trinidadian who introduces Hands to an “other” America populated by immigrants and strivers of every race and nationality.”

I wish I could say I’ve read it. But for now, it sits prettily on the mighty stack of books by my bed. I have a lot of books waiting to be read. They are all so lovely; just having them around makes me happy.

Disclosure: if you click on one of the book images above, the links are what are called “affiliate” links. What this means is that if you buy a book from one of my links, I will receive a 4% commission from the total price of the sale. So, if you are going to buy one of these books, please use my links because I will get rich if you do. Rich! Rich, I tell ya!

Cue the Scary Music …

Julie — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:40:16 +0000

… Help we’ve got grubs!!!!!!!!!!!!

What was once the pristine lawn that welcomed us to our new home in July is now quite a big mess. We wondered why bits of our lawn were all of a sudden being upturned, and a neighbour explained that the raccoons come out at night and pull up the top layer of the grass to get to their treats — grubs! Yuck!

We’ve never had grubs before. If I pretend I never saw them, will they freeze off and die over the winter and we can start fresh in spring? Or is this something that we need to take care of right away? Advice people!

p.s. Happy Halloween!

“Month of Me” post #11: Time with My Hubby

Julie — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 23:46:47 +0000

When this whole crazy “Month of Me” concept started to solidify, I started to consider “what exactly would I want to do if there was no one else influencing the decision?”

At first, it was easy: I would accept an invitation to She’s Connected even though that would mean booking time off work that I wouldn’t be spending with my family and even though my only real reason for wanted to go was curiosity and a bit of “fun factor.” Same for the Blissdom Canada conference: sure, I love blogging, but how could I possibly justify two blogging conferences in one month, requiring time off work and time away from family? But then I remembered that I shouldn’t need to justify how I wanted to spend my time.

And the easiest part of all was New York City. I adore visiting New York — the buzz, the broadway, the shopping! Even before the wine-infused idea of “Month of Me” took form, Hubby had already suggested that I take a trip to NYC for my 40th. And without my knowledge, he had secretly squirreled away money from the family budget to help make it happen. Then, when Kerry mentioned she was heading to New York, it just all fell together.

But there was something big missing from all this excitement — my Hubby! It was possible that I could book off a day or two from work on my own, but it was impossible for us to take a trip as a family during October. So I set about trying to find a way for us to get some “couple” time. Camping, since it had been our first love, seemed like the perfect thing for us to do together. My mom and dad offered to take the kids overnight, so it was booked and put in pen (“Camping with my Honey!”) on the calendar for Saturday, October 22nd.

But on Friday, October 21st, we still didn’t have any plans for where we would go. We had been running like mad this autumn season. And frankly, the thought of packing and un-packing again after I’d already done so three times already in the last couple of weeks made me droop.

Then I remembered, it’s “Month of Me” — me! No guilt and no justification was part of the deal I had made with myself. So I told Hubby that we weren’t going to go camping. Instead, we’d have some adult time to ourselves, doing things we love and just plain enjoying each other’s company. With the decision out of his hands, his shoulders visibly lowered.

So instead of camping (which would have made a far more interesting blog post), this is what we did:

Hubby dropped the kids to my parents’ house in the morning
He then went out for a long mountain bike ride
I painted my toe nails
Stripped the bed and laundered the sheets
Popped a bag of popcorn and watched a movie on the couch in broad daylight
Then we both drove into Hintonburg and had a coffee
After that, we meandered around a collection of antique dealers’ wares
From there, we drove to the market and had dinner, courtesy of a birthday gift certificate (thanks B & J!)
On the way home, we stopped into the local movie rental place
Laid in bed with glasses of red wine and watched a silly movie
Slept-in on Sunday morning

And? It was fabulous.

“Month of Me” post #10: Splatter Paint Party at 4 Cats Art Studio!

Julie — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 17:37:09 +0000

Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

The Invite:

I’m turning 40 in October, but I sure didn’t get here alone … each of you gorgeous women has played a special part in my life and as a little thank-you, I hope you can join me for a fun get-together!

We’ll be literally be partying like it’s 1984 since we’ll be acting like big kids as we do a SPLATTER PAINT PARTY!

Details: You need to wear old clothes AND shoes! There is a refreshment room so if anyone is up for bring potluck snacks, go for it. Absolutely no gifts, please.

See you there my friends …

The Invitees:

In attendance at the party were women who have all played a special role in my life — from our daycare provider who has kissed countless boo-boos, my first boss (turned forever friend) in the field of marketing, my bloggy-mentor and good friend, and my current marketing colleague who puts up with me daily …. to my “baby” sister, my friend turned sister-in-law, my mom, my nine-year-old daughter Stella, and my faithful friends who in addition to sharing laughs over the years have propped me up and helped me get through some of my toughest times as a mother and woman.

Getting the Party Started:

As I shared in an earlier post, the 4 Cats Arts Studio parties were initially designed for kids’ parties.

But on Friday night, once the last of the scheduled children’s parties was complete and cleaned up, my gang of gals descended upon the place.

Located in an area of Ottawa (1107 Wellington Street) that I’d hadn’t been in for while, I loved the vibe of Hintonburg. To me, it felt like this neighbourhood was really coming together, with lots of groovy little boutiques on either side of the 4 Cats Arts Studio. Also, for future reference, if you’d like to do a party at 4 Cats, a gorgeous new restaurant called Burnt Butter has just opened right across the street from the studio — perfect for a pre-party dinner!

Before the party started, Emaly, our host and Hintonburg studio owner, passed around a sign-up sheet for those who might want to receive the 4 Cats Hintonburg Newsletter. At the top of the list, I am referred to as “the birthday child.” I’m okay with that.

And, The Party!

I think these photos speak for themselves.

Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

: Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

The Thank-You:

Thank you to the girlfriends who made it out, and love to the ones who couldn’t. Thank you to my fun twitter friends who followed along and cheered us on. And big, huge thank-you to Emaly Green, owner of the 4 Cats Arts Studio for inviting and hosting this party.

Because, oh, my, did we have fun!

Photo Credit: Andrea Tomkins

“Month of Me” post #09: It’s my party, so I’ll wear sweats if I want to

Julie — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 21:57:56 +0000

“Month of Me” is a little ol’ wild and crazy concept: In October, the month I celebrate my 40th birthday, I will do a whole slew of things that I love. Just because. You can read the kick-off post here.

Hubby: Sweetheart, it’s your 40th. You should have a party. How about I organize a party for you.

Me: Uh, remember, I don’t do fun.

Hubby: But, it’s your 40th.

Me: I’m having an entire “Month of Me,” so it’s not like I’m depriving myself or anything.

Hubby: Oh yeah. But are you sure?

Me: Yes.

Hubby: Okay, well, while I’m away camping this weekend, why don’t you think about it.

Me: But I said I was sure.

Hubby: If you gave me a list of names, we could have a cocktail party here.

Me: I don’t like adult parties.

Hubby: But it’s your 40th.

Me: I prefer kid’s parties. You book a place, you show up with a cake, there is an activity, a host to herd people around, and then after 2 hours, it’s all done and everyone goes home.

Hubby: *sigh* Okay, well, just think about it while I’m away, will you?

Me: Okay, I will.

******************
Hubby: So, did you think about the party thing?

Me: Yes.

Hubby: And?

Me: It’s all organized.

Hubby: What? I was supposed to organize it for you.

Me: Er, yeah. But it’s all organized — all done.

Hubby: Okay, what is it?

Me: You know that place I told you about for Stella’s 9th birthday party: The 4 Cats Art Studio?

Hubby: Yeah …

Me: Well, I talked to the owner Emaly and she said she’d be happy to host me and my girlfriends on a Friday night.

Hubby: Oh. Okay …

Me: It’s gonna be sooo cool! We’re all going to show up wearing sweat pants and old clothes on and have a splatter paint party!

Hubby: You know it’s your 40th, right?

Me: Don’t remind me.

To be continued …..