This week I had a sleepover at Poppa and Grandmas. I picked out more stuff for my Christmas list and wrote a letter to Santa!

He said

Compared to last week, this week was pleasingly uneventful. The only thing we did around the front room redo was consternate over the roman blinds we want in the windows. We had a couple pattern samples arrive and are 100% set on the pattern we want for the material. The trouble now is we have to find someone to make them as a seamstress neither Danielle nor I, are.

The one friend of Danielle’s that did the bedroom curtains is likely too busy to get to them any time soon, and one thing we don’t have a lot of in our friends and acquaintances list is interior design type seamstresses. We got a quote from the place that we are ordering the fabric, but their price would actually make the drapery more expensive than the couch so we’re back to trying to find someone. Danielle may have someone through a friend of a friend, but the down side is they may not be able to get to them until after Christmas. We had to wait well over a month for the new couch and chair… so the one thing we’ve come to accept with this project is that it’s gonna take time.

In a couple weeks the couch and chair will arrive and then the room makeover will feel a lot more finished. The only thing left after that is a footstool or two, the table and then just some odds n’ sods. It’s been a long time coming, but I am happy at how picky we’re being as our rushed efforts perviously led to a lot of settling-for decisions that we regret and make the room look mode-podgey. This time we resolved to not do that and be very careful and calculated with our choices. And that we are.

One thing that did get underway this week to was my November moustache. I’ve opted this year to go with the ever creepy looking handlebar that is getting worse every day. In the four years that I have participated since 2009 I have managed to raise $3130.00 to help the cause which makes me very proud of the people around me. My campaign for this year’s effort can be seen here. And please donate if you can!

Danielle and I were invited over to an annual gathering last night at a couple who have kids in Emelia’s school, and in particular Emelia’s class. We’ve actually been invited before but the schedule didn’t work for us. After Danielle went to the Easter gathering they have for the neighbourhood kids and saw what time, effort, and money they put in to hosting what felt like the entire neighbourhood, we were excited that this year it worked out that we could go.

Being that it was a grownups only gathering, Emelia spent the night over at Poppa and Grandma’s. I worked ’til five and Danielle came and picked me up after dropping off Emelia. Being that we still hadn’t used the gift card for Tony Roma’s that Danielle got from one of the daycare families last Christmas we took the opportunity to have a nice dinner, just the two of us. It was really nice. We both had steaks and enjoyed each other’s company and had adult like conversation without chronic breaks to explain what we’re talking about or to shift the conversation to American Girl dolls, gymnastics or what craft we’re gonna make when we get home.

The party was also great. There were a lot of familiar faces from Emelia’s school as well as a ton of people we didn’t know. It felt like half of London was in their house and everyone had a great time. Including Danielle and I who, I think I got the slightly worse end of the deal as most of today for me was a complete write-off. Hangovers aside, we’ll definitely make sure the calendar is free around this time next year again!

It was the perfect way to end the week—well not the hangover. I had today off work and tomorrow too. And next weekend we’re all off to Toronto to see our friend Jill Barber play her first ever show at Massey Hall, and then we’re also going to see Aunt Charlie and Uncle Todd and their soon to be baby in Aunt Charlie’s tum-tum. With that in mind, I am going to our Sunday spot for the second last Sunday night on that old beaten down couch to beat the last of this hangover out of me. And to cuddle with Danielle.

She said

As John suggested this week was a much slower week. I was able to get a few really good workouts in, and spent my quiet time when the kids napping taking a real attack at decluttering the house.

I have been on mission since we started the redecorating process in the living room to really simpilfy things around here. And what that means for me is a massive amount of decluttering. We are buried in stuff, too much stuff. So over the last few weeks and the weeks to come I am taking a long hard look at what we have, what we need and what we can do without. It has felt amazing. In Emelia’s room alone I have had a box to goodwill and a garbage bag of junk cleared out. It is freeing. Strangely even for Emelia.

It took a bit of convincing in the beginning to have her part with some of her bigger toys that were never played with but once she started she said she was happy to have all the extra stuff she didn’t even play with moved out. The biggest move out was her huge Barbie house she got from Santa a few years ago. I have to admit I was heavy hearted when I realized the toy I wanted to badly as a child but could never had was never played with. She eventually let it go so she could make room for her new toys that will be arriving in droves for Christmas and shortly after her birthday.

With the decluttering about halfway done I feel a lot more put together around here. We added some much needed closed door storage to the basement and now most things have a place. This week will we add a second one and we can get things like John’s tools out from under the stairs into a much more accessible place.

Another big thing off the to do list wasn’t exactly planned. I had promised Emelia if she was really good about clearing out toys from her room I would let her pick an outfit out for her doll. so after our marathon of a morning (groceries, swim, gymnatics all before 1:30) we stopped at Target and let her pick out an outfit. Well Target was having a massive sale that included their accessories that work with the American Girl dolls. You bought 2 you got a 3rd item for free. Needless to say with a little girl who is American girl obsessed this year I wanted to check things off the list. Problem Emelia was with me and John was at work. Then the sweetest sales associate from Target pulled me aside and said she would put it all aside for me and I could come back when I could be childless to buy everything. Bless that woman! So in a matter of a day I would say we are about 90% done shopping for Emelia. She is well set on American Girl accessories and it feels great to be almost done 6 weeks before the big day. She has a few more things on her list I want to get, mainly books but the rest is done.

After Emelia was with Poppa and Grandma I went back to the mall to pick up John, get shopping done and then out for a quiet dinner just the two of us. It was perfect and exactly what I needed.

After dinner we went to the LCBO to get wine for the wine party we were invited to and made our way to Jay and Sylvia’s place. We have become friends with them through our children. Their twin son and daughter have been in Emelia’s class since JK, they are an amazing family and we were so happy that this year we could work John’s schedule so we could attend. And it was not a quiet little wine night, it was close to 100 of their friends from all areas of their lives, lots of the parents I have met and become friends with through Emelia’s school and then lots of other that are neighbours, friends and co-workers. It was a great night, John and I both had more wine than we intended and paid heavily for it today but we only get so many true adult nights so it was well worth it.

Needless to say today was taken at a much quieter pace, we watched movies once Emelia got home and had a lazy end of the weekend.

Now off to search Society6 for pillows for the living room to take advantage of their sale and free international shipping. So good-bye for another week!