I want want want this. Every time I pass by the store I see it and want it again. And I know what you're thinking...'but you have so many squirrel lamps'. Really though, one can't have enough.

It's not everyday that a girl falls in love. Walking into the new-to-Toronto Crate and Barrel store the other day though, that's what I felt. My heart flipped and my jaw dropped at all the colours and cute designs. And all the leaves everywhere...leaf shaped platters, fabric, my new future duvet cover and a leaf table runner that I am considering buying a table for just so I can have. Perhaps because it's the fall season all the colours were perfect for me...look at this striped rug...and could that log side table be any more perfect?!

Sailboats too...

And this amazing shag carpet that I just had to bury my toes in. It was seriously the highlight of my day. I died a little when I saw the price ($1500). I plan on visiting this carpet again, but sadly I won't own it.

Woke first thing in the morning...which is 10:30 by the way...to call my friend and arrange on a meeting place for lunch. As we talked I heard her 5 month old daughter screeching in the background. Just blood curdling sounds. At such an un-godly hour. Hanging up I realized sadly, that I'm not fit for motherhood.

Then I went back to sleep.

Once I was washed, clothed and ready for real life and interaction I met up with my friend and her two daughters. The screeching turned out to be a sound that her daughter Emy makes when she's perfectly happy. Dimples and all. And admittedly, once you see the smiles and dimples, the sounds are rather charming.

And the other daughter Neshie, at the young age of 4, was flooring me with her bright snappy spirit. Clear and straight forward, no hesitations in asking for what she wants or needs, even from complete strangers, and the ability to know what she needs at a given time. She put my communication skills to shame. Seriously, this 4 year old running around naked could be an influential life coach for my whole family.

We all had a lovely day of chit-chatting, lunch and jewellery shopping.

Highlights included:

Emy's delighted face as she tried butternut squash for the first time

Realizing Neshie and I shared the same taste in music (let's hear it for Annie and The Little Mermaid!!)

Picking out 'eyeshadow' for Neshie at a children's store and watching her pay for it with 'found' money from her little purse

Having her ever so gently apply said eyeshadow to me, then exclaiming that I "looked perfect!"

All this and of course the nice adult conversation I had with their Mom.

Thank you all for showing me how giving and fun families can be. Motherhood seems less daunting indeed. Rather it seems adventurous and exciting. Just not before mummy's awake.

This is my new bracelet...Pretty huh? It's made up of many orange gemstones of some sort.

So this is the story...

My sister and I made plans for dinner with one of our very awesome cousins (she married into the family obviously). She arrived before us and was reading one of my favorite books (luulabies for little criminals) and wearing this bracelet. Jordana, my sister, made a comment that I would probably love her bracleet, which I did and said so.

I love things orange and green and brown (like the 70's) and Jordana loves things pink and purple and turquoise (like an eight year olds drawing of a princess), so it was typical of me to like the beads and typical of Jordana to notice.

Our sweet cousin Maria immediately reacted to my compliment by offering me the bracelet. Even though I politely declined, she continued to insist, explaining that she had just bought it in Banff but had forgotten that she bought one almost identical, previously in Arizona. After some persusion I accepted. I put it on, showed off to Jordana about my good luck, and she whispered back, "I can't believe someone bought that thing twice".

Well, I like it.

So, camping season...time to pull out the ol' tent.

Or not...why not sleep outside. Really, didn't we once sleep outside, us humans. Now we lucky folks are attached to our cozy duvets and air conditioning, we would have a hard time settling into a night in the open.

For me personally, even sleeping in a tent with no fly is an exciting event. Smell the air, see the trees above, perhaps even the moon...

Keep your eyes open and absorb it all.

In Australia while traveling, I went on a tour through the Kimberly's in the North West and while most of the group slept in tents, I chose to sleep outside in a swag next to the fire and the two guides. I was terrified of snakes and spiders and dingos and plenty of other things that could kill me, but I was too excited by the idea of sleeping right under the blanket of stars right next to the campfire, and knew that an opportunity again like this would be far away. The kind of swag they let me borrow had a slightly padded bottom and a heavy canvas covering and my sleeping bag fit right in it. Aside from rolling out the swag, and crawling in, there was nothing else to it. There I was saying 'goodnight moon' and looking right at her. Fall asleep with a soft fresh breeze on your face, your last sight the sky filled with stars. Wake to a huge sprawling burst of red, orange and pink hues of the sunrise overhead. Remember that life really is magic.

another reason to love leaves

At dinner tonight, after a glass of wine, a friend told me about an intriguing thing. She explained there is a device she has, that can determine where a woman is, in her monthly cycle. All you need to do is spit on this device, and a beautiful fern leaf pattern will appear if you are ovulating. Spit, fern leaf, time to get preggers. It seemed like the kind of thing where a day later I would call my friend and tell her, 'ya, I had this crazy dream where you told me about this thing...you had to spit on it, and then your saliva would turn into a fern leaf and that's how you would know you were ovulating...I know, crazy dream...', but NO, not a dream, not crazy. All real. Ah-may-zing.

I found some of the mentioned awesome ovulation testers on the Internet and I'm not trying to get pregnant but here are the reasons I'm aching badly for one:
I like trees and leaves.
I can feel myself ovulate. Or so I think and would like to know for sure.
I have my 'monthly moons' within a day of the full moon. This last point can count more for pride than reason.

Well, my friend had barely any use for her tester as all she had to do was the basic necessary deed to become even a bit pregnant...twice...so she has offered me hers. After telling me this I wanted to blurt, "OF COURSE I WANT IT", but I also felt as if it's like sharing a toothbrush or diva cup. Still though, the urge to see my saliva form into a beautiful fern is too overpowering.

gold leaves

I have a pair of beautiful gold leaf earrings that I was given as a gift by my lovely friend Sarah. She knew I was obsessively looking everywhere for leaf earrings and she found these in New York by a local artist and bought them for me. They are so perfect I cried in a good way when I opened my gift.

I usually wear them as a fancy occasion accessory. Here's what they look like on me...

And this is a video where I explain them at a craft show...