New & Exciting Things

I have had very little time to post anything on the blog lately as a result of some VERY exciting things. 

After years of working in the same role for our company (Over 5 to be exact) I got a call from one of our senior managers last Thursday. Two of our Engineering groups have temporarily moved to a new building 5 minutes up the road while we build an extension on our main building and there is only one problem... they don't have an Admin and need help. I was asked to come fill that space and given 24 hours to wrap things up in my old position. To say that I was excited was an understatement. I have never been so nervous and excited.... nervousited! The thing I love the most about this offer is that it is a completely new position. I get to build it up and make it my own and I am working with a small group of young, fun engineers. It is almost a throwback to 6 years ago when I was working for a small engineering firm while in University. 

I am so excited about the challenge and the people and hopefully I can get back to posting regularly soon!

Mrs. E

Oh Canada.....

This was was it looked like in Edmonton last week... 

One day we the kids were running through the sprinkler and the next we had half a foot of snow! By the next day it was gone and nice enough to walk outside without a jacket on. That's life in Alberta.

Mrs. E

Don't Let Doubt Hold You Back

I am naturally a very anxious person.

I wasn't always that way. I used to be extremely fearless and impulsive and didn't really fear anything. I would never let anything hold be back... especially anxiety. But since having Sydney I have suffered through bouts of postpartum anxiety. Never anything too serious... but it is definitely there. I am very good at talking myself through my fears and still act on impulse often... but I do always think of the kids first. My anxiety stems from their safety and well being and my self consciousness with regards to my post baby body. 

I know that I am strong but I do tend to doubt my abilities when it comes to challenging myself physically. I never know whether I am about to push myself way too far or if I am capable of accomplishing way more than I think I can. More often than not it's the latter.... I am strong and capable and I constantly have to remind myself of that. 

Yoga is helping through all of this. It releases me from my anxiety and helps me push my physical boundaries. It gives me a huge sense of pride every time I achieve something I didn't think I could. This last week was a week of physical breakthroughs for me. I have become very stable in some of my hand balances, I can now touch my nose to my knee in a seated forward fold and I can also get into Mermaid pose... woohoo!

I have been attending 4-5 hot yoga classes a week in preparation for my trip to Costa Rica. My goal is to be fairly confident in my practice before I leave. It is a lot of work but I think it will be completely worth it in the end. 

Mrs. E

Brass & Baubles ~ New in Store

I have been working hard! 

In an attempt to prepare for a craft market (hopefully in the fall) I have been sewing my butt off churning out baby and lap sized quilts to sell. Here are some of the baby quilts I have posted in the last week. They are all available in my Etsy shop HERE. Check it out and share with your friends!

Mrs. E

Henry Turns Two!

It's been two weeks but I am finally getting around to writing about Henry's Birthday party. 

Our little man turned 2 with a big Dinosaur themed bash! He has been roaring like a dinosaur for a while now and we felt like it was the perfect time to throw him a stereotypical boys party. The Friday night before the party I assembled the small army of four of us to cook and decorate like crazy. We make cookies and treats and lots of light lunch since the party ran through the lunch hour. 

We had about forty friends and family over to celebrate and it was so much fun! Henry basked in the chaos and craziness and blew his candles out like a pro. We left the gift opening until after his nap and he promptly put some of his new toys to good use. All in all it was an amazing day!

Mrs. E

Henry James ~ Two Years Old

It makes me a little bit misty to write this post.... our little man is 2. 

On April 24th he turned from a toddler into a preschooler and I could not have been less ready. Henry is my baby. I don't know if I will ever have another, so he holds an extra special spot in my heart. Every time he reaches a new milestone it is bitter sweet. 

Henry is definitely our more challenging child. He is very clingy and moody and is pretty quick to dissolve into tears if things are not going exactly his way. His emotions are on his sleeve for all to see and he is a mega momma's boy. He is also the sweetest little man. He so empathetic and concerned about others. He is always there with a hug and kiss to make someone feel better.

Henry is still on the smaller side. He still fits into his 12 month swim shorts and is a total string bean... no extra meat on this kid! He is a fast runner and a great climber (scary!) and he can almost keep up with his sister. He is learning new words and uses them in small sentences and he understands everything we say to him and acknowledges when we ask him to do something. Some of his favorite words and sentences are:

Bakeetball (Basketball)

Pineapple

Dageenfly (Dragonfly)

Watyoudooin? (What are you doing?)

Whereyougoin? (Where are you going?)

Wheredeedeego? (Where did Sydney go?)

Hungee (Hungry)

No like that (I don't like that)

... and lots more. He is a little man and I love him so much!

Mrs. E

Thoughts on This Mother's Day

This Mother's Day is so bitter sweet for me. 

I am so happy to have two of the most amazing kids who make me laugh everyday. I know now more than ever how lucky we are to have healthy children and I will never take my time with them for granted. They are my entire world.

But there is another side to Mother's Day this year. In the last year I have lost two babies who I will never get the chance to cuddle or laugh with. It has been a very trying year and I feel as though everything we have gone through has made me a stronger person and a more present Mother. I miss those two babies and all of the possibilities that their lives held. I miss protecting them in my belly and dreaming of their futures. I miss them. 

This year I go into Mother's Day as a Mother of four. Two babies who we will always remember and love and two who will help us remember how lucky we are to be parents. This year is different. 

Mrs. E

Brass & Baubles ~ Layers of Charm Quilt

This post is so hard for me to write. 

I know it sounds so dumb to be sentimental about a couple of photos of me quilting... but these were taken days before I found out that we had lost our last baby and they are the only pictures of the beginning of my baby bump (which was huge as a result of being pregnant only 2 months before). This was before any bad news and I was blissfully unaware of what the next few weeks would hold for me. 

I had signed up to take a long arm quilting class with one of my friends Laura... well she actually signed me up and told me I was going, which is awesome! I have always wanted to try long arm quilting and knew that I would love it. We were told to show up with a lap sized quilt, batting and back. I knew immediately that I wanted to use the new Fat Quarter Shop shortcut quilt for this project and I had the wildwood fat quarter bundle to use up. 

I pieced the quilt top in one night and could not wait to finish it. We took our course through Sparrow Studioz and after some instruction and some help loading the quilt onto the machine I was ready to go! I did an all over feather pantograph in a salmon colored thread and I could not be more in love with it. 

Mrs. E