I can’t believe Sosi is turning 7 this weekend. I look at her and all I see is my little baby. She still has those same ginormous brown eyes and round cheeks she had back then, and still never wants to be alone…

I somehow convinced her that a family trip to Halifax would be more fun than the usual big friends from school birthday party (it wasn’t hard… neither of us too crazy about parties). We are all super excited for some big city fun!

To make up for the lack of a party, we had her 2 best friends over for cake and pizza last weekend. It just so happens that their moms are also my best friends. So this worked out nicely for everybody! It was a great night.

We had so much fun decorating for this special evening. We made a giant 7 (I was inspired by this) and decorated it with polka dots, making this our “polka dot” party. She then got into the balloons and made this beautiful balloon wall. It felt more like installation art to me!

This girl has taught me so much over these past 7 years. Each day she tests me, challenges me, inspires me, ….but  most of all she just loves me. That is the thing I have learned most from her,  to love.

Happy birthday baby girl,

(Wondering about the cute matching t-shirts with my dogs speaking french drawing? They were made by the good people at ooshirts )

pages of a project that is in its final stages… just a bit more to do,

Ila’s mini art gallery,

a portrait Sosi did of Paul and I, it might be my most favourite thing ever.

This year I’m trying to hold on to my happiness… instead helplessly watching it slip through my fingers as we move into the dark, cold and sickness-filled-days of winter. First step: a HappyLight. This was our xmas gift to each other. We huddle around it at the breakfast table and let the happiness soak into us.

Step two: Take nothing for granted, stop and enjoy the little moments… like this one (this is how Ila came out of her room one morning).

… and this one (this is how I came across her one night).

Focus on the good things… like this drawing Sosi just walked up and handed to me. Her drawings make me so, so happy.

Stop being too busy to just spend time on the floor with my kids. Great things happen down there!

 12 things happy people do differently, worth checking out.

What are you doing to stay happy?

(All pictures were taken with my iPhone, using the Instragram app, which I love. If you want to follow me there… my profile name is lorijoy.)

… I’m trying to focus on the upside of being shut in all week with a sickie.

- lots of time to snuggle in the super cozy new bunk beds…

thanks Paul (it’s the best gift ever!)

-slow days spent in pjs with picnics in the playroom (yes! a playroom… this is very exciting)

-stealing moments to work on this beauty… hoping be  2012 might the year it gets finished.

Hoping  2012 brings you many happy things.

I just finished these 2 fabric pieces. It really is such a treat to get to work on these.

4 years ago yesterday we arrived on Prince Edward Island, fresh from the big city of Vancouver, and started the journey of making this place our home.

So much has happened over these years, but the biggest thing for me is just how much this does feels like home now. We have many, many wonderful people in our lives. I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

When we first moved here people were always asking us how we were liking it here, we always answered we felt like we won the lottery by getting to live here. 4 years later… I still feel the same way.

I have a confession… I’m not a big fan of Halloween (why does it have to be so scary?). I’ve never really understood it. It seems like a lot of fuss (a.k.a work) for no reason. Luckily Sosi seems to be just like her mama and has never seemed to care much for it either. She’s been happy to wear and re-wear the same couple of costumes her grandma made her each year.

This year though, maybe inspired by her sister (who would happily live her entire life dressed as a monkey), she seemed keener to dress up. After looking through thrift stores and costume stores we decided to hit the fabric store instead. She instantly fell in love with this super furry white fabric and gave me simple instructions… kitty dress.

All the dread I had over the years about homemade costumes was for nothing. Making this costume was so fun! The fabric was very forgiving (mistakes hidden in the  furriness) and we are both couldn’t be happier with the results. I especially love how it turned out to look a little like a girl version of Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

When I was contacted about participating in the “perfectly tiny” awards, I wasn’t sure it was for me. There was talk of photos… press… I cringed (pretty shy and awkward over here!).

The more it sat with me though, the more I began to think “why not”?  A year’s supply of chocolate and getting recognized for some of my favourite paintings? Doesn’t sound that bad! Also, how often do my kids get to see me awarded a gigantic trophy? Not enough times, I’d say. :)

(Thanks Nicole and  everyone at Reese for making it such a fun experience!)

Our “Table Rules” poster has worked wonders around here. Especially for the smallest person in our house, who you can see, was my major inspiration for the poster.

I whipped it up in a fit of desperation one night before supper. Nothing else was working or getting through to my temperamental little 2 year old. Every night she was making dinnertime stressful with her crazy behavior, I couldn’t take it anymore.

I’m not sure why I haven’t made anything like this sooner… maybe because it just seemed too easy. If your kids aren’t listening to you when you ask them something 100x why would a picture work? Well, it does. When someone  is breaking one of our “rules” at dinner time, we simply point to the picture and  (mostly) they stop.

It’s also been a big conversation piece with visitors to our home  (most likely thinking to themselves “what kind of crazy house is this?!”). People seem to like it …so I thought if this helped us, maybe it might help some others in the same situation.

So I redid the poster and made it into a PDF (b+w, so your kids can colour it in if they want). You can download it by clicking on the button below.

P.S Sosi is pretty horrified I drew her throwing food and wanted me to make it very clear she doesn’t do that. I just couldn’t draw Ila doing everything .