Inspire

Design Sponge has an all-new and improved website! It's the prettiest site that I've been to in a long, long, long time. The dark background, fancy fonts and pretty ribbon details really knock my socks off. Not only is it an eye-catcher, but they've made some serious improvements to the site as well. I can't wait to take some time this week and cruise through all of the new features. Check it out!

There's a new post today on Design Sponge that shares the best loved peeks. The photo above is from one of the tours. I can't wait to look through the rest on my day off tomorrow! There are so many dreamy photos being saved in my inspiration folder it's not even funny. 

Happy Tuesday!

Multitude Monday

It's time for Multitude Monday!

Each week, I try to keep track of ten items that I'm thankful for. It helps to get the week off to a great start.This week, I'm thankful for (in no particular order):

180 - my cute little basil sprouted over the weekend!

181 - our new nephew, Ian! Daniel's bro and his wife had their first baby. He was born on Friday evening, and him and his mama are doing great (his daddy-o, too ;)

182 - a Friday date night consisting of a yummy supper at a restaurant and a beautiful walk on the beach... at sunset, no less

183 - great dental plan coverage - I got the last part of my root canalled tooth all finished up today

184 - a refreshing breeze blowing throughout the apartment - I have all of the windows opened up to enjoy it while it lasts.

185 - saving bread bags and closures. It make me feel like a granola chick... and I love it.

186 - lots and lots of fresh mountain water to water our garden with (and to drink, too!)

187 - a new purchase for Daniel arriving in the mail today - he's going to be pumped!

188 - a super duper pretty card from Kel last week - she knows me well :)

189 - watching a cute movie over the weekend (the new Karate Kid, if you are wondering)

What are you thankful for today?

Happy Monday!

Garden, Shmarden

Daniel and I have been making a lot of progress with our garden lately, so I thought that I'd keep you up to date with what we have done.

The "tiller guy" came last week and tilled up the ground in the area that we had staked off. We measured it to be 10' by 20' but it ended up a little narrower, and a bit longer. Since the shape changed, we decided to run our garden in the opposite direction: lots of short rows, instead of a few long rows.

Saturday, we spent a lot of the afternoon picking rocks. Yay! My back was sore for a few days afterward. We also raked and leveled the area. We talked about how tough farmers must have been years ago: huge gardens, and doing every bit of the prep work by hand. We were tired after an hour or two!

Daniel had the day off from work on Monday, so he took all of the rocks that we picked over the weekend, and made a bordered edge around our garden with them. He also did a lot more raking of the soil to get it all prepped for planting.

Monday night, we headed out to our little plot to form our rows. We shaped each one of them, and make stake and string rows along each one to help keep our planting straight. We planted four veggies that night: beets, onions, mesclun salad mix, and turnip. The rest of the items will be planted a little bit later.

We've been watering our garden on the days that there hasn't been any rain. So far, nothing's sprouted, but it hasn't even been a full week yet. We plan on planting tomatoes in containers, and a big herb container as well. It's been so much fun to spend time outdoors together, working on a project that we'll get to reap benefits from!

Since there hasn't been an activity in the field where we have the garden in a long, long time, we have been finding lots of little treasures in the soil. There are tons of tiny pieces of metal, glass, and ceramic. I've been collecting the prettiest pieces to use in some cool way. Look at the colour of this teensy goodie:

Well, that's about it on the garden front. I hope to work on it a little over the weekend. The weather has been so beautiful lately, doing anything outside is fun. Take some time to get some fresh air over the weekend - I'm sure that you will enjoy it!

Happy Friday!

Summer Must Have Swap

I participated in a super fun swap this month through Krysten's blog, After I Do. It was a summer "must haves" swap, so we sent our partners items that we like to enjoy in the warmer months. I was paired up with Kara, a fellow Canuck, and boy, did I get some cute little goodies in the mail this week!

I got the cutest necklace (I love the subtle, earthy colours!), Crystal Light (for making the ol' eight glasses a day a little easier to drink), two different types of Burts Bees lip products (yay! Burts Bees is awesome), and a yummy smelling bottle of grapefruit lotion, perfect for keeping in my beach tote during the summer months. 

Thanks, Kara, for all of the goodies! I'm so glad that I got to participate... and I hope that you enjoy your treats as well. Thanks, Krysten, for all of your hard work organizing the swap!

Make sure that you check out After I Do for other participants snail mail goodies... it looks like we all had fun exchanging our must-haves!

Do you have any items that you love in the summer?

Happy Thursday!

If you have five minutes...

Watch this:

Polyvore Loves

It's time for this week's edition of Polyvore Loves!

All of the nice weather that we have been having is making summer seem like it's just around the corner. I know that we have a month or more to go before we can hit the sandy dunes, but it sure feels a lot sooner. I was texting with Jacalyn tonight, and we came up with this little post idea. Summertime, summertime! 

When it's time to hit the beach, please, please, please don't think that your only option is a itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy, yellow polka-dot bikini. You can look oh-so-cute in a classy one-piece. It's safe (no peek-a-boo accidents), modest, and most of all, a more chic option. Take one super sweet vintage-inspired swimsuit, add a trendy (and functional) pair of sunglasses, and a show-stopping tote, and you're ready to rock and roll! No need to parade around in your birthday suit - these swimsuits have got you covered! (Literally - haha :)

I hope that these three options leave you feeling inspired. I know that I'm eager to go swimsuit shopping, which is a rare occasion. Maybe I should say that I'm eager to go swimsuit browsing ;)

summatime by littleohme featuring large sunglasses

Pretties from Work

I thought that I'd share some pretty pictures from work with you today. I'm working at a garden centre and flower shop this year - I started last week. My job consists of working in the flower shop, marketing, merchandising, and advertising. So far, it's been fun, but I'm finding it challenging to get a good work/home balance. I'm so thankful for finding a full-time job in our area. It's hard to be cranky at work when you are surrounded by God's beautiful creations!

Here are a few photos that I took:

The colours are so vibrant! I don't know a sweet thing about the garden centre, but I've been taking pictures every day to use for our company's Facebook page. It's so much fun to cruise through the greenhouses, looking for anything that catches my eye. These photos (except for the container) are all of pansies, which we featured one day last week.

Have you started any gardening this year? Any plans?

Happy Wednesday!

Rhubarb Muffins

After seeing one of Smitten Kitchen's latest posts, it got me craving a nice and moist rhubarb muffin. Not just any muffin, though, and not the recipe from Smitten Kitchen - my mom's recipe is the best. I have some of last year's rhubarb in the freezer that I need to use up fast - it's almost that time of year again to be filling my boots with fresh rhubarb. I made a batch of muffins this afternoon, and I'm sure that Mom would be thrilled with me sharing the recipe.

Rhubarb Muffins

1 1/4 c brown sugar

1/2 c oil

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 c milk

1 1/2 c rhubarb, diced

1/2 c nuts (optional)

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Mix first five ingredients until smooth. Add rhubarb. Combine with dry ingredients just until mixed. Scoop into muffin liners and sprinkle with brown sugar or a cinnamon and sugar combination. Bake at 400 for 18 - 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Let me know if you give Mom's recipe a try - I guarantee that you will love the results! You see the muffin in the photo? I ate it as I wrote this post :) (By the way - PC has the coolest napkins ever! A navy and white chevron print?! I bought a couple of packages a few weeks ago... I love them.)

Happy Tuesday!

The Beat Goes On

 It's been a lonely, lonely place around this blog. Only one post last week?! I can almost hear the crickets.

...

...

...

The self-made hiatus is over! I'm back in action! I decided to take some blog time off last week - it was one of those times where I just wasn't feeling it. I'm desperately trying to get into my groove with the new job(!)/home/activities schedule, and for a while there, the blog was the easiest thing to just scratch off of my list. If I had any spare time last week, I just wanted it for sleeping. Polka Dot Soup is for fun, after all... and I want it to be a fun place for you to visit!

I have so much to share with you this week. Each day is going to blow your mind with bloggie goodness. Well, maybe that's a little much... but I know that we'll have lots of fun here on Polka Dot Soup. Stay tuned - I'll be back tomorrow!

Happy Monday!

Multitude Monday

It's Multitude Monday! 

Each week, I try to take the time (when I remember!) to share a few of the things that I'm currently thankful for. It helps to get my day off to a positive start... now the challenge is for me to stay positive throughout the day! :)

image via weheartit

This week, I'm thankful for:

170 - a new job! Eeek... I start in half an hour.

171 - transportation to my workplace

172 - all day shifts for D and I!

173 - ice cold mountain spring water, straight from our tap

174 - an Epicure party that I hosted last weekend

175 - a hymn-singing trip to the local nursing home - THAT'LL make you thankful!

176 - Blogger working again! YAY!

177 - new episodes of Income Property online

178 - a cute Etsy purchase arriving in the mail (I'll show you soon!)

179 - my little brother going for his beginner's license tomorrow

What are you thankful for?

Happy Monday!

Polyvore Loves

Oopsies! A little late for a Friday post, eh? I'm sure that you will forgive me :)

This week's edition of Polyvore Loves would be perfect for somewhere special this weekend. The ensemble would be perfect for a wedding, shower, graduation, or special occasion. The sweet lightly coloured outfit would flatter any skin tone or figure, too. A little heel never hurt anyone. either ;) I have a feeling that Jacalyn will be crushing on this little number. I don't blame her - I'd like everything here to be mine, too.

I hope that you have a great weekend - and maybe this outfit will inspire you when you go to grab something from your closet. Don't despair - you will be able to find something out of your already owned selection.

Happy Friday!

sassy lady by littleohme featuring lemon jewelry

Inspired

I love a good home decor book. They are not an easy item to find: I do have a particular type of book in mind. I want bright, vibrant colours, lots of beautiful photography, ideas and ways to make things work in my own home... but most of all? 

 I want to feel inspired when I turn each page.

I picked up a new book a little while back, and boy, am I glad that I did. Take a look:

This book, Junk Beautiful, is perfect! I love using antiques and beaten-up "old trash" within our home. Each piece has so much more personality than the average big box store, press-board garbage. I would much rather use something that's been well loved over the years that I genuinely love (and keep it out of a landfill, too!) than settle for something that has no personality and just fills a void.

Junk Beautiful has so many ideas that I've never even considered before! Best of all? I felt inspired - it made me want to make our home more genuine. I'm slowly taking the time to examine each item, functional or decorative, that we own and deciding - do I love this? It's time to get rid of anything that isn't loved. Yard sale, anyone? :)

Here are a few beautiful "rejects from the past" that I love:

Vintage Coat Hook from Piper and Scout

Salvaged Jewelry Organizer from Junk Genius

Vintage Clock from Shop Unique Boutique

I have a mental list of items that I'm always on the lookout for. Are there any items that you feel will make your house a home?

Happy Thursday!

Scrap Happy

Yay! I took some time to make a scrapbook page. 

I'm trying to get photos scrapped right away instead of adding them to the piles of photos that I intend to make pages for. This was the photo that we got at Christmastime from my little niece and nephews. I figured it was time to take it off the fridge, and put it in an album. They're the cutest little nuggets ever. I wanted to use bright, cheery colours that weren't too gender specific... and I love me some buttons. I like how the page turned out. 

Here's a close-up of some details:

... and I can't forget about a close up of their sweet little faces:

 I hope to keep the scrapping up - I'm tired of finding stacks of photos and mementos jammed into little crevices throughout our home. I always have the best intentions, but not much in the form of results. Here's to conquering projects!

Happy Wednesday!
(Isn't the week flying by?!)

Out and Around

Daniel and I have been spending the past week helping my inlaws with prepping our yard and garden for the warmer weather. (We live in the "granny suite" that's attached to the end of their house, in case you aren't familiar with our current living situation.) Daniel raked a big ol' chunk of the yard on Saturday, and Sage and I went bottle collecting in the woods. Sage was so cute, traipsing along behind me, hopping over little bushes and shrubs, happy as a clam to be spending time outdoors. There used to be a family dump in the woods years ago, and there are the prettiest bottles buried. I want to use them in a cool way... I'm still brainstorming.

My mother-in-law got her decorative flag out and hung up, along with a new welcome sign. She's been doing some planning - we picked out a new colour for the exterior doors. It's a beautiful olive green, which will be beautiful with the white trim and brown wood shingles. She got super pretty solar lights for Mother's Day, and those are all along the back of the house, along with some new white stone. It looks so cheery!

Our place is really coming along... I can't wait to move on to our other outdoor tasks!I want to build a "window box" style container out of worn-looking wood to hang from our step. I'd like to fill it with some really vibrant, eye-catching, low maintenance flowers. We have big plans for our vegetable garden - I'm excited to share our progress with you as time goes on. We're getting the ground tilled this week, so after that, we're clear sailing...

Here's a few photos from Saturday -

Have you been spending any time outdoors lately? Do share!

Happy Tuesday!

From Me to You

I made a print for our apartment today that I'm happy to to be able to share with you! I made a list of reminders to help my day run smoothly... it's the "dos" instead of the "don'ts".

There are two different versions - a black and white one, and a brightly coloured rainbow one. Chose your favourite style, download the PDF, and then print on cardstock or plain paper. Pop it on your wall, your fridge, in your car, wherever. You can even give it to some special. Easy-peasy!

I hope that your Monday is extra lovely - let me know what you do with your print!

Daily Mantra - B&WDaily Mantra - Rainbow

A Little Revamp

I painted Mr. Octopus wayyy back in 2008. We had a little painting party at Patrick and Janelle's place, and he was the result. I found him in a stack of unhung photos and prints the other day, and decided to give him a little revamp.

The background was originally white, but since it had been stuck in storage for so long, there were numerous black marks across the canvas. I busted out some green, blue, and white acrylic paint, water, and a sponge brush, and brightened Mr. Octopus up. Now he's perched beside our washroom. He's a nice bit of colour in our teensy hallway!

Happy Friday!

Supper on the Town

Daniel and I had supper at our local diner/greasy spoon/old fashioned restaurant on Tuesday. I don't think that this place has been aesthetically updated since it was built - check out the tables and backsplash above. The style is starting to come back in, hahaha.   

It's hard to beat a good greasy meal some nights. I had chicken fingers and fries, and Daniel had a hamburger and onion rings. We upped the healthy factor by having water to drink :) It's so fun to sit in a little booth and share time together - with someone else doing the cooking.

Four years later, and D's wedding band is still my favourite guy ring ever!

We were sitting quietly at our table when a couple came in. They were the retired sort - not really "seniors", but getting older. The restaurant was almost empty, but where do they head? The one table that hadn't been cleared yet. The poor waitress scrambled to get it cleaned with them sitting there, and then the man asked for a drink, too, "when she got the chance". I felt really sorry for the girl - it's hard to be in high school working a part-time job and have customers that create a problem for themselves as soon as they come in the door. 

When I saw this print on Etsy today, I thought of that couple instantly:

After years of working in the public, I still need a reminder to treat others with dignity... especially after a long day. Maybe we can all keep that in mind.

Happy Thursday!

Polyvore Loves

I'll keep my Polyvore Loves blog post short and sweet for today, and let this perfect Polyvore outfit speak for itself. Isn't it adorable? I'd love to rock this exact outfit. 

I think I'll keep each these pieces in mind when I get around to doing a little spring/summer retail shopping. Light denim dress with fabric ruffles and leather? Yes, please. Floral wedge-heeled white platform sandals? Yep. Large medallion pendant necklace? Sounds good. Soft brown leather satchel? O-K! A leather feather bracelet? Oh la la! 

Count me in for all of those items. I think it's time to go shopping!

Happy Wednesday!

cutesy by littleohme featuring studded bracelets

Eye Candy

How beautiful is my province?

I can't wait until it's hiking weather again - there are so many beautiful trails and look-offs within a couple hours drive of us! We took this photo last summer, and when I came across it, I instantly forgot about how hot the day had been. The view at the top of the hike made it all worthwhile. Hahaha, there was a guy that was running up the hike, which made us feel a little wussy. Oh, well... we all made it to the top. :) What a b-e-a-u-tiful view of the Atlantic Ocean!

What outdoor activities do you enjoy?

Giveaway Winner

I got my bro to do the blog giveaway draw - and Leah won! 

Congratulations... I'll be in touch this week to get your snail mail address! Thanks for entering.

Happy Tuesday!

Etsy Feature: Naptime Diaries

I don't know about you, but I find it incredibly challenging to find pretty Bible texts. Is it that big of a deal to make something pleasing to the eye? You would think that we were stuck back in the dark ages. I found a link on a blog (the original blog slips my mind - sorry!) to the cutest Etsy verse shop ever!

Naptime Diaries is home to the sweetest Bible verses. They are incredibly affordable - priced at $9.75 CDN ($10 US) and only $4 shipping. A portion of each sale goes towards helping families with their adoption process. How sweet is that?

The simple graphic designs would be perfect in a plain white wooden frame, or "all classy like" in a dark frame with wide white matting. They would suite any style decor - each one is so tastefully made! Take a look at Naptime Diaries shop, you won't be disappointed!

Happy Monday!

(Don't forget about the blog giveaway - it ends tonight!)

Hello May

Hello May. Hello Monday. Hello new banner on the organ. Hello yummy leftovers. Hello new job. Hello Epicure party. Hello crafting. Hello Toronto mini album. Hello more people time, less computer time. Hello Hebrews 13:6. Hello painted canvases. Hello conference weekend. Hello spring cleaning. Hello garden. Hello window box. Hello herbs. Hello undo-button. Hello Psalms of Ascent. Hello room rearranging. Hello borrowed car. Hello movie night. Hello waking up earlier. Hello more snail mail. Hello more phone calls. Hello new niece or nephew. Hello treadmill. Hello warmer weather. Hello helping others. Hello Lord. Hello May. Hello.

Don't forget about the giveaway! It ends tonight...