Let it snow

So I don't really intend on this blog being entirely about my kids... but stuck at my moms for 8 more days, trapped by upwards of 3 inches of snow.. what else do I write about but my kids.

It was a chilly night at my moms home, when after days of M begging we decided to pull out the old christmas tree and decorate. Halfway through my mother gave me an angry glare and said "why aren't you photographing this?!".
Here is my little secret, photographing my own kids is totally the worst, AND 2800 degree lighting is gross.

But to appease her I busted it out. I know I will appreciate this one day.

It's funny how even in a few photos you can see their personalities so clearly.
M is still suffering from PCS, and D is the goofiest ham.

^^^^ remind me to do a blog post about the signs we made!!


Then the snow started.
Please note in exhibit A no shoes, no coat.. we decided to recreate that shot in a less neglectful way.

This is about the time she realized we were targets.

As previously stated, M doesn't love getting her picture taken anymore.
I remember when she used to be fierce.

This is how this conversation went
me: "M go outside I want to take your picture"
M: "NO!"
Me: "You are totally grounded unless you let me take ONE picture"
M: ...
Me:  "SMILE!"

M: ...

Me: "you look constipated smile!"
M:...
Me: "okay now you look like a crazy person"
M: "can i at least get a jacket on, PLEASE mommy"

Apparently this one likes to be warm. 

Making old things new

Every time I see an old piece of furniture I think, ermergerd that would look SOOOO pretty painted and distressed.. Then I buy the old piece of furniture.. visit Painted with Love and buy some gorgeous paint.. and that is pretty much where it ends.

I have decided with the new house, no more cheap Ikea crappy furniture, that falls appart the moment I accidentally trip and fall in to it.. which is pretty much a weekly occurrence at this point.

While *popping in on facebook last week. *spending hours trolling. A friend posted this bad boy for FREEEEEE!! I immediately though, that would look amazing painted at my house.

So again I headed over to Painted with Love and agonized over the selection of Fusion paint. There are like 12 different colors of teal!! 

Finally decided on Heirloom.


Hauled that bad boy up to the new house, and was like NOT today procrastination! I am not going to leave this just sitting there, it WILL be painted.

The amazing thing about fusion paint is it doesn't need much prep, I tried to buff the hutch up a bit. Then got bored and decided just slapping paint on was the way to go.

This is where the children decided to "help".

"Thin,light even coats"

DD's painting technique left something to be desired.

Mikayla on the other hand... amazing, even, precise coats. I am considering starting a tiny antiquing sweatshop in our kitchen. She is happy to be paid in pizza and Archie comics.

The AMAZING thing about Fusion paint, is... even with DD's apparent impressionist take on furniture painting.. It turned out AWESOME!!!

TADA!!!

and yes. these photos were taken on my iphone.
NOT my THOUSANDS of dollars in camera equipment.

As soon as we are there full time I will get my $@#% together enough to actually take real picture.
but until then...

Moving to the country.

testing.. testing....

I am so not a blogger. In fact, in the 10 years I have run my photography business Bellaphoto I have done like... maybe 30 blog posts. I suck. But... since I am moving from the social meca that is Ladner BC, to the "town" (I say "town" because there as far as I know there is no sit down coffee shop, there is however a takeout coffee shop/pizza place, there is also a vodka distillery, so maybe for now i will remove my quotes and just straight up refer to it as a town) (oh god apparently I argue with myself when I blog).. okay so lets try that again.


Moving from the social MECA that is Ladner BC to the town. (quotes are currently in limbo) that is Black Creek BC I have decided to keep those friends/family/lurkers in the loop!

Where is Black Creek you may ask, well simply, it's the dot between Courtenay and Campbell River.
Where the hell are those places you say? Isn't  Campbell River Northern mainland? (okay this is what I may have said). Well you are in fact wrong.

Basically... take a ferry to Nanimo, and then drive to the middle of nowhere.. now keep going..  just a little further, okay you are now in the Comox Valley.. See the Costco, and the Superstore, (TOTALLY a "real" town), now drive 20 minutes north... now quick, stop. There.. now you are in Black Creek.

A stunning little gem between Courtenay and Campbell River (see makes sense now right).

Home to some AMAZING beaches (more on that to come) and an even more amazing Vodka distillery... (did i mention that)? I am sure there are 1000 more amazing things about Black Creek, but considering I haven't even officially moved there yet (though I own a house, and my husband is currently residing there) I will mention those in future posts.

Why Black Creek? Well.. hippy dippy version... the universe sent us there.
Long story short, a visit to  my cousin's who had recently relocated to the Comox Valley, turned in to my hubby being offered a job, renovating our townhouse, hubby quitting his job and moving, selling our townhouse, and then finding and buying our DREAM HOME, in the country. All in 6 shorts weeks.  It almost took me longer to write that run on sentence, than the actual process.

The house remarkably resembles EXACTLY what I had described as my dream home when working with my kick ass life coach (more hippy dippyness).

So we packed up, and moved.

We now have 1.3 acres, and amazing home, and a barn.

When speaking to my buddy Brittany from Painted with Love she was all "you NEED to be blogging this" and after thinking about it... I was all "ya, but what would I call my blog" and she said "think of something that represents who you are... So that is how Coffee 'till Vodka was born.