My Favourite Family Blogs

Lately, I've been looking at blogs (literally, I can't read my two present favourites as they're in Spanish and Finnish). I adore the family style, decor sense and DIY projects on these blogs (thank goodness for Google Translate when I just have to know where something came from or how to make it). You can check them out here:

• Varpunen
• Con Botas de Agua

Images via Varpunen and Con Botas de Agua.

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Today is my Grandma's birthday.. We celebrated with a ladies luncheon complete with the most delicious potato salad, chicken and chorizo empanadas and a seven layer lemon cake. Happy Birthday Grandma! I love you!

March is birthday month in our house (Greg and me), so I'm collecting ideas on fun and casual celebrations. I'm loving this ombre cake!

Composition of a Family Home

Our house is really starting to feel like a family home with onesies hanging on our laundry rack, a high chair at the head of our dining table and toys strewn on our living room rug. I love it.

Album

... a few more of our sweet boy (he'll be seven! weeks old tomorrow).

Future

Some images snipped from Le Dans La, which I anticipate being reflective of our home in the coming months and years.

Thank You

Have I mentioned that Greg and I have the most generous parents? Seriously, we are beyond blessed. Couriers and postmen have been arriving at our home in a flurry over the past few days with a string of beautiful, modern - including a high chair, stroller and baby lounger - for our little guy. In honour of our parents, I wanted to offer this simple post as a public thank you for all your support, love and generosity. You're all going to make wonderful grandparents. Image via Anna Bond.

Discussion

Speaking of babies, aren't these two just the cutest? Cue heart swooning! Image of Greg (on the right) and his twin brother, Chris, gossiping circa 1972.

News

Please know that I've been bursting (bursting!) to tell you, but finally now is the perfect time to announce that Greg and I are expecting our first child! In late summer, a bouncing baby will be coming home to Circular; I'm half way to our due date of August 24. We cannot wait to welcome our sweet baby boy (yes, we found out on my birthday that we're expecting a little boy) and show him all the love, care and support in the world. I hope you'll join me here on Horizontal Stripes for the second half of our journey into parenthood. xo

Mealtime

Dear friends and family with recently announced pregnancies; congratulations!

Though hectic mealtimes might be a little far off for you yet, I stumbled upon this blog this am (via Swiss Miss) and thought it offered plenty of solutions to please parents and tots. From mocktails for the whole family to roasted squash and apple soup, One Hungry Mama has it all. Image via One Hungry Mama.

Party-Time

Tonight, I begin our preparations for our mini Christmas Eve party for my mom's family. On the menu? Chicken skewers with chipotle sauce, red pepper and goat cheese crisps, homemade egg rolls, tomato crostini with balsamic vinegar, fudge and festive cupcakes. Now off to the kitchen! Image of red pepper and goat cheese crisps via Real Simple.

Hotels

One of my favourite things to do when staying in hotels is to sit in the big windows and drink in the city skyline. Greg's in Ottawa for business this week, and I know that if I was accompanying him, I'd be doing that right now. Images via Noukka Signe and Alice.

Speaking of things people do in hotels, my brother-in-law, Chris, started this website a few years back - cool idea huh? Legend has it, the idea to compile photos of people jumping on hotel beds came from noticing how many photos people upload those sorts of photos on Flickr. Do jump on beds in hotels?

20x200

I've written about this fantastic site before and my love continues! To thank our beautiful friends for their support as our wedding party this past May, we selected a print for each friend that we felt matched their personalities - it was a hard task and I hope we succeeded. Our selections are above.

For friends reading, I'm keen to propose a little game: any guesses on which pictures above match which attendant?

My current favourite? Try Letting Go.

Nest

This is the (new) inspiration for the family home I hope to build with Greg some day. Images of Maxine Brady styling via Desire to Inspire.

Knitwear

Last night, my brother arrived home from studying abroad after being delayed in the UK for five days as a result of the Icelandic volcano. We're happy to have you home, Gary! Thank you for the lovely presents (the picture above is one of the beautiful AND striped sweaters that he gifted me). Now that he's back on this side of the pond, I have plenty of tasks to keep him occupied as my Man of Honour.

P.S. Less than one month until I become Mrs. Katie Clarke!

MaryBeth

This past weekend, Greg and I travelled to Toronto to celebrate the marriage of our dear friends MaryBeth (affectionately known as MB) and Adam (ahem Peter Adam... I mean Pierro Adamo). They're a heartachingly-lovely couple who match each other with their sweet demeanour. I couldn't think any more highly of them if I tried. They'll have a tender and compassionate life together - this is a certainty to me.

I've known MB since our days on Collingwood Street in Kingston. We were fast friends. We wore almost identical coats. We taught each other economics and statistics. We made pasta dinners together. People referred to us as twins sometimes (which I not-so-secretly loved). She and Adam were in love then, and his frequent trips to Kingston from Richmond Hill meant I had a ride to the large fancy grocery store every few weekends... needless to say, Adam was easy to like. I was ecstatic when he asked for her hand in marriage last March.

MB is a dear friend, and her wedding was Style Me Pretty fabulous. From the lavish location, to the centrepieces, to the extensive menu (think an antipasto bar.... chased by a pasta course... chased by chicken AND fillet mignon... chased by family-style passed desserts such as cheesecake lollipops and chocolate dipped strawberries... chased by cupcakes... chased by a crepe bar... chased by... wait for it... poutine served in mini Chinese take-away containers), the navy and soft pink affair was entirely them and was entirely delightful.

Did I mention that the bride was stunning? Like mouth-on-the-floor stunning? Yep, she was.

I had a fantastic time welcoming in the new Mr. and Mrs. Fazzari with our other dear friends Cheryl and Amy and Matt and his fiance Jen. Weekends away are fantastic and we should take them more often (particularly when they involve shopping sprees and delicious Turkish tapas). Cheryl, thank you for sharing your home with us. You're a fantastic host. Sisters, thank you once again for a memorable weekend and birthday celebration. I love you all and cannot wait to see you again soon. Photos via Cheryl and Greg.

Doppelgangers

Greg and I have life doppelgangers. They live around the corner from us. Literally. We have the same names (i.e. Greg and Katie, and Greg and Katie), a similar age difference, and seemingly common lifestyle. However, another surprising connection hit home this past week when we met on the street corner while on an after work walk. Greg and Katie and their brood of kids (four to be exact) stopped to say hello and revel in the beautiful sunny evening. Before parting ways, they called to their son who was running ahead. His name is Thomas. He's precious. Once they were all around the corner, Greg and I looked at each other. We've floated the name Thomas as a potential for a future son! This moves well beyond a coincidence! In fact, I think this couple is more than a life doppelganger, they seem to be our vardoger. It is as if we can experience our life before its even happened. Image via Dalla.

Birthday

Happy Birthday Greg (and Chris)! We had a lovely evening celebrating next to our ocean, and I hope you two did as well in Dubai.

Earrings

This Christmas I have been blessed with endless generosity from my family and friends, near and far. Thank-you to each of you kind souls for your cards, gifts and warm wishes.

As she's far away, I'd like to thank my soon-to-be mother-in-law (MIL) for a collection of very lovely, thoughtful presents, particularly a set of retro earrings (complete with matching broach) that reflect both my love of buttons and my desire to learn about and be a part of my new family's history. Your collection of gifts to me was entirely generous and appreciated. Thank-you.

These earrings chase a similarly themed present from Christmas 2008. At that time, my MIL gave me a pair of earrings that Greg made from bike parts in 1992. He'd given them to his mom more than a decade earlier, and last year she passed them on to me. I was very touched by the gift. I've since decided that these presents, and the tins they came in (one a vintage tin that once belonged to Greg's great grandmother, the other a vintage cigarette case), will be passed along to our daughter or daughter-in-law or niece one day. What a lovely tradition Greg's mom has begun, and I look forward to continuing it.

Our little corner of the world has been aglow with possibility and excitement for the new year over the past few days. Happy New Year to all who might come across this post: many wishes for a happy 2010.

Driveway

What a sweet before and after!