When the unexpected expected catches up with you...as do the hormones

In the past couple of weeks I've shared with you the funny moment, the yummy moments and sometimes the strange moments that no one shares with you about pregnancy. Today I'm sharing with you a slightly different post that I've been working out in my head for a while now.  This post formed as I got a call back from the hospital to let me know I've tested positive for gestational diabetes and it just broke me somehow.

Diabetes is something that runs in my family and part of my endless effort to stay active and healthy has been to avoid diabetes. Now I’m fully aware that this is a common condition in pregnancy yet somehow I can’t shake the feeling that despite everything to this point I lost this battle. I think I’ve spent my entire life competing with all forms of diabetes and now I feel like I lost the race. Mind you diabetes is somewhat of an unknown participant in this imaginary competition and I’m fully aware that this is a shit happens situation and I just have to deal with it. The insane competitor in me though just won’t let it rest. Aside from everything else that goes on during pregnancy, this is the one that broke my zen state of being. This also got me thinking about all my friends who have been pregnant before me.

I've often wondered why my pregnant girlfriends go into their shell and seem to pull away. The paranoid me has thought maybe they don't feel I can hang out with them because I don't have kids. Maybe they are so busy they don't have time for us anymore.  I'll be honest sometimes I also think maybe I said something to upset them or perhaps our friendship is over because they can no longer relate to me.  Now being on the other side of the fence I see things differently.  There's light shining on things that were hiding in dark mysterious corners previously and sometimes, the things hiding in the shadows aren't as pretty or as simple as one may think. Mind you, things that hide is dark shadowy corners are never pretty are they?!  

Having thought endlessly about this in the past while and having this humbling moment of zen crashing at this time has made me realize that sometimes it really is isolating being pregnant. No matter how strong of a support system you have sometimes you can’t help but crawl into your shell and take cover in an effort to try and re-introduce yourself to this new you. You’re body has changed, you can’t walk at a normal pace and you curse the day the person that invented stairs was born.  Aside from all the other stuff you have to prepare for, there are the expected unexpected things. You know things that you hear about but in the back of your head you think that will never happen to me.  For example, the moment you look in the mirror and think holy F*&k when did my boobs get so massive?!  Where are my feet?  Why am I wobbling when I walk? When did my waist line get THAT big? Oh and 190lbs? I smell baby back ribs!! Then GD hits and you blow a gasket. You hear women talking about looking at themselves it the mirror and not recognizing the person staring back at them and suddenly you get it. It’s real. You know what they’re saying because you don’t know this “stranger”. I still find myself wanting or sometimes attempting things I used to be able to do like hiking, jogging, speed walking or heck just bending over to put on shoes and when you do that and can’t breathe, it stuns you. You wonder “is this how it will be then?”.  I’ve gone from Wonder Woman to Fat Bastard!!

                                                             Before: 

                                                             After:

  

Through all this though I am reminded of my amazing support system that is there supporting me through every step of the way. A husband that is my best friend and my rock. The one who is always the shining light at the end of every dark tunnel that I’ve crossed since I met him. The one who never judges me for all the moments of insanity I have which can be often.  My friends and family who are there giving me love and supportive words of wisdom when I need it. My wonderful dogs who show nothing but unconditional love to us that puts a smile on my face every day and help start my day off right. All of this reminds me that no matter what is going on in my own crazy little head, life is full of beauty and goodness. Most importantly it reminds me that I’m not alone.  Being alone is a terrible thing and that is one thing I am not. 

So to my wonderful superhero girls out there who’ve done this before me, you are not alone either. Even though sometimes our thoughts and life in general can boggle the mind and make us lose track, know that you always have a life full of good things that will trump all the overwhelming moments that are nothing but obstacles for us to overcome and make us stronger. Just keep pushing through the expected unexpected and the crazy hormones that catch up with you once in a while.

More Food Less speed

As a society we've been taught to watch our portions and to eat slowly and if you over eat people will look at you funny and you will feel bad about yourself afterwards. As a pregnant woman I can tell you everything changes. Of course as per my last post there's always a few of those crazies who are still so worried about how they look in a bikini and that's obviously a deeper issue than I care to discuss.  What I will talk about is the sudden delightful change of people praising you for your frightening appetite and the oober nurturing individuals around you cheering and praising you for out eating a 250lb man at any given time.

Another thing we all strive for in our lives is to keep active. Those that know me, know that I tend to keep pretty active with running, yoga and weights at the gym. Once summer hits, I bike anywhere and everywhere I can for no other reason that it makes me feel like a kid again because it's so fun!  So it should be no surprise when I tell you I thought I'd still be doing all of the above but with less impact. Well I was wrong, I'm still active but I've had to listen to my body and let it tell me what it's okay with. Like it or not, you don't have as much balance, speed or oxygen to work with and the back pain also dictates your life to some point. But becoming completely inactive is my absolute nightmare and it messes with my mood and trust me you don't want to see me upset. I'll tell you all about my active adventures in this post as well.

First the food. Oh the food.  As someone who loves food to all hell at all times, being pregnant is a dream come true for me.  In my non pregnant state I eat a healthy and well balanced diet and make sure to control my portions and while I probably eat more junk food now, I still do stick to the healthy nutrient foods for the most part. The difference now is that the further along I get in my pregnancy with little Chili, the more ferocious my appetite gets.  I remember when my portions increased a few months back I was a little scared to be frank.  I would eat double what I was normally used to eating and not flinch and I was a bit confused.  I admit I did send an email or two to a few friends who had gone through pregnancy before to see if my raging hunger was "normal" and once they confirmed that it only gets worse from here, I felt like I'd won the lottery!!! I'm not kidding, endless food = lotto win in my book.  Luckily I've had no major food aversions other than the inability to touch or smell raw chicken but I can eat it just fine...along with anything else in my path at this point.  So I figured I'd share some of my food parties here with you my readers. Warning: Read at your own discretion, while not all are insane moment of hunger, some may frighten you at times. Parental discretion is advised.

All meats are welcome - A few weeks ago I was famished so Val and I headed to Swiss Chalet as we were out and about.  He really wanted to have a bit of ribs but didn't want to order them and I offered to order a half rack along with a quarter chicken, baked potato and a dinner role. Well he tried A rib bone and I ate everything else and still felt like I was starving. I'm talking I have not eaten in days starving!! So I ordered cheesecake and that too left me slightly more full but still hungry. I decided I'll just let that digest for a bit.

Sardines?! Yes Please!! - In our house, the minute the weather gets warm, we start having family over for some good old Portuguese Sardine BBQ's. This past weekend was no exception. We fired up the grill, made roasted pepper salad, sliced up some fresh baked corn bread and grilled up the sardines for a Mother's day bash.  Now no BBQ is complete without BBQ's so Cheese, grilled Chorizo sausage and Corn Bread along with some delicious shrimp patties are a must have. I started my feast with 3 or four slices of the corn bread, possibly a lbs of cheese, two shrimp patties the size of my palm and a sausage. Luckily I had time to digest so the actual lunch was 3 sardines, 2 pcs of bread, and a massive serving of the roasted green pepper salad.  Lucky for me, I actually crave vegetables and greens so it still keeps me balanced...well you know as in getting my vegi servings. Then I took a nap.

Cheeeeeeeeeeeese - I'm slightly lactose intolerant  In fact my food sensitivity tests have shown that Milk is my enemy yet cheese and yogurt are just fine.  Something about the consistency of the sugars and proteins?  Regardless, the point I'm trying to make is that especially during pregnancy one needs to make sure to get a good supply of calcium which makes for strong bones for the baby. Milk is always the first thing people push you towards but being I can't handle a glass of milk never mind the required amount, I have chosen cheese as one way of in taking this required calcium.  Well cheese and I have always had a very good relationship. What's changed now is that we can't seem to buy enough cheese.  I go through a couple of lbs a week easily. I have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the snack in between.  I might as well be bathing in at this point, the only thing that's stopped me is the smell...and the fact that it would be cheese wasted.

Green smoothies - I've always loved smoothies of all kinds.  They are a great snack, a great way to get your fibre  protein, calcium, fruits, veggies and all the vitamins that you'd want. With the farmers market back in full force and the garden on it's way I have found the green smoothies to be a great way for me to get a delicious part of my breakfast in smoothie form that's nutritious and sorry for the TMI but it prevents one from suffering from one of the most commonly talked about pregnancy problems, constipation.  I always say, a tbsp of flax seed a day keeps the clogging away.  Val is also liking them, working on the love, so it's something I will continue to use to get my little Chili is serving of goodness on a daily basis as well :)

Mother's day feast - As yo  may have gathered by now, I'm a foodie. A big time foodie with a real passion for the traditional foods of all cultures including my own. Persian.  Growing up in Iran, one of my favourite breakfast foods was Kaleh Pache, a traditional lambs head and hoof stew. Yes I said breakfast..don't knock it till you've tried it. It's fairy rare to find here in Canada but lucky for me a new restaurant has opened near our house that serves it.  There was no question as to where I would take my mom for brunch then! We started off with two roasted eggplant dishes between my parent, Val and I but soon in became apparent that I was dominating those items and everyone delighted by my appetite praised as I devoured.  Then came the main Meal, so picture this massive bowl of soup filled with meat and a hearty broth and bread which I ate faster than anyone could say boo.  Originally my mom asked if I wanted to share to which my response was a puzzled "is that a joke?" look which made everyone laugh because well, clearly sharing is not my thing at this point. My dad puts it this way "if you want to starve, share with Tash. By the time you pick your piece of bread, she'll be licking the plate clean". I can't say he's not right.  So as I looked up from my bowl after making sure there wasn't even a drop of  broth left in my bowl, I realized I was a mile ahead of everyone else at the table. So I did what any responsible prego would do. I assisted others with finishing their food! How kind of me right?!  Needless to say I think I'm pretty much a source of amusement in the same way as a freak show performer.  AWESOME! In case you're wondering, yes I did have dinner, Oxtail and rice and peas. No I had not skipped breakfast that's just silly.

Now that I've divulged my happy food secrets, let talk activity.  Clearly with the food consumption on upward trend it's important to keep active and not just to avoid having your joints give up on you but because it helps you with the changes your body goes through with belly expanding, breaths shortening, hips opening etc.  I have found pre-natal yoga to be extremely helpful. It helps with pain relief, breathing and eventually surviving labour by easing pain with movement and positions. It also helps to be around other pregnant women going through similar experiences because lets face it being pregnant can get pretty lonely  unless you're out there able to relate to others and see that you're not alone. Some of you may be surprised to realize I'm a bit of a "hippie".  All about feel good vibes, energy, saving the earth, eating organic, avoiding chemicals and GMO products and sharing my feelings.  Ahh yesss I know there are some of you who may gasp at the realization that I am all about sharing my feelings and feeling all Zen and all that good stuff. It keeps me balanced.  I am a Cancer after all.  So needless to say all of this has become even more crucial during this time in our lives. Also not being able to run, another balancing method, I've had to find other alternatives to keep me sane as my body changes. So here are the moment that I thought would be fun to share:

Cry Baby - My first day of prenatal yoga I had no idea what to expect. I'd been told many different things and was curious to see what it would be like for me.  At the beginning of class, we were asked to share what feeling consumed us. I blurted out that I was overwhelmed and amazed by the amount of unconditional love I felt for this little being that I had in my belly.  There was a pause, then there were tear filled eyes around the room followed by offers for tissue..lol.  Apparently I make mama's cry. It was nice.

I Can Do it!! - As I said I ran prior to pregnancy. I loved it, in moderation, because it was a way for me to balance my mind. I've tried running while pregnant and my body just wont allow it. Walking it is then.  My dear friend and running buddy has been an awesome support by joining me at High Park on the weekends for a brisk walk that seems to be getting slower every week.  She's been training for a half marathon, SO PROUD, and uses this time as her "off day" or "cross training day.  A few weeks ago we did 8-10 km and it felt great while we were doing it but my back made me pay for my deeds.  It turns out I can't just do things the way I want any more...hmm who knew!

Beat me again - Telling you I'm a runner and for some of you knowing I've ran a few races including a half marathon, may have led you to believe I'm a good runner. Well I'm not. I'll be 100% honest about that.  In fact my track record as a runner includes being beat by children under the age of 10, blind runners with a guide runner, amputees, seniors and possibly snails.  But I enjoy it so I keep going.  As a walker though, I'm a pretty fast walker that's just my normal walk mode.  But as always, pregnancy changes things.  The other day, I went for a walk with Val to the farmer's market. Val is a comfortable stroller kinda guy who tends to scold me for being in a rush all the time when we go for walks. On this particular day, he turned to realize I was a good 20 ft behind him because my walk has slowed down to a crazy slow wobble. In fact, there was this old dude with a cane that passed me and I could have sworn to give me a smug look to boot. Sneaky old bastard!!


That's all for now.  Thanks for reading. Stay tuned and I shall tell you more about the glories of having a growing little munchkin in your belly and all the funny things that go with it.

What it's really like to be pregnant

I've been meaning to blog again for a while...I guess 2 years is a long while. Life gets so busy when you're living it to the fullest I guess. With renovations done, well for now at least, the backyard in full bloom (pictures to follow). We are now preparing to welcome a new addition to our family of four, a little baby boy yet to be named.  For now he's known as Chili as named by my lovely niece. Funny thing you learn during pregnancy is that people are quick to offer advice, express opinions and share horrible birth stories out of the goodness of their hearts. What they don't exactly tell you about is what happens during pregnancy. It's almost as if they are embarrassed about certain things that are actually quite funny. What they do tell you is about morning sickness, how magical it is to feel the baby's movements, swelling, discomfort and in some cases, tearing from head to toe.  I'm here to tell you about the other stuff. The stuff that for some reason never gets shared in public despite it's occasional hilarity. So sit back, grab a drink of choice and let me tell you about what pregnancy is really like:

The Turtle Flip - One of the first things I noticed was not being able to get out of bed without feeling like a turtle on it's back. Having been in good shape prior to pregnancy sitting up in bed was never an issue until one day I found myself flapping my limbs around unable to just sit up as I did. Now it probably sounds awful but truthfully I can tell you that once you get over the shock, it's actually quite funny especially, I'd imagine, if you were watching this entire scenario from another person's perspective. I've always had a love for all living creatures but now I have a new respect for those that get flipped on their backs and unable to get up.

The Surprise Vomit - Morning sickness is one thing but at some point heart burn kicks in.  Now you may be rolling your eyes and thinking "yea that's nothing new".  Well before you skip over this one, I want to tell you what the heartburn does in addition to just sucking. It creates what I refer to as the "Mentos/Coke effect". Oh yes you read it here folks. Imagine yourself sitting there not nauseous and just minding your business and BOOM vomit comes out all over you and your surroundings and you are just confused and unable to register what has just happened. Again, Oh if I was a fly on the wall.

Where was I? - Then there are the dreams. Oh the dreams that come with those lovely hormones. I remember a few where I was holding this baby in my arms thinking you are the most beautiful creature in the world. Then realizing that I'm only a few months pregnant and confused about how this baby is full grown and why you don't recall being there to birth this lovely creature.  I call it wishful thinking because somehow I doubt that you wouldn't notice the grand exist..no matter how hard you try.

Tooting The Horn - You fart like a trucker.  Yes I said it. I remember laughing at my dogs because they fart themselves awake then look around confused followed by an accusing look like I'm the culprit. Now I understand. At first you have control and you just don't care...but then comes a point where you don't even know you were gassy or that you farted. You're just sitting there, minding your business and perhaps turn your head a little too fast and that's when it happens. It's loud and proud and with your luck it always happens in the party of people you just don't have that sort of comfort with. You feel somewhat ashamed but then if you're me, you burst out laughing like an idiot because hell if you can't laugh at yourself then who can you laugh at??!!

The Charlie Horse Wake Up Call - I ran my first, and last, half marathon a couple of years ago and as I hit the 18 km mark, my body decided to rebel and I experienced a full body charlie horse.  It was excruciating to say the least but in my mind quitting is never an option and I pushed myself through it thinking I never want to experience that again.  Fast forward two years, almost to the anniversary day of that lovely experience come to think of it, I get a rude wake up call of a charlie horse in my calf at 5 am. If you know me you know I'm not exactly alert when I wake up. So getting woken up with this flash of pain that won't quit all I can do is scream and breath like I'm in labour and my poor husband wakes up not knowing what is wrong and unable to get a single word of explanation out of me thinks I've gone into labour but not sure why I have my leg up in the air and flapping my arms like a bird.

The Ass Kicking - I remember the first time I felt our little munchkin move and I won't lie, it was magical! In fact it still makes me smile when I see my belly jump or just feel him doing whatever it is he's doing in there to amuse himself. This is not news of course.  What you don't hear is this. Sometimes I feel like he's kicking me in the ass hole.  Yes that right in the corn hole!!!! You're probably sitting there wondering what that must feel like. Well it kind of feel like if you're poo decided to fight you for trying to evict it.  Awesome I know!  Another kicking story, our Dog Zoya is a big fan of snuggling and she often rests her head on our stomachs.  Well until a while ago where she got the karate kid kick in the head from the baby...and I got the stink eye like I was the culprit.  Since then she doesn't seems to trust the belly much and who can blame her.

Crave much? - I've always been one to ask everyone if they are craving anything strange and for the most part no one around me has. Except my aunt who really enjoyed dirt. I started off craving food which is still here. Mind you that's no different from my normal state it's just now I can out eat all the men in my family in a sitting.  A few weeks ago I went to feed the Dogs and the minute I opened the dog food, all I could think was "WOW that smells amazing" and before I knew it I had to stop myself from reaching down and grabbing a fist full as the poor little guys looked at me thinking "I thought we didn't share food".  I did manage to stop myself but it still smells amazing and there a couple of people (you know who you are!!) that are still very pro me eating dog food for their amusement. NOT HAPPENING..well unless I can't find anything else in the house. You think I'm kidding!

Stroller vs Little Red Wagon - In my mission to find a light weight compact stroller I found myself in the midst of a total break down in the middle of Toys R Us unable to figure out how to fold the damn things up and when I managed to do that, unfolding them was another chapter in that challenge. In the end I was close to decided to the little red wagon path instead..luckily I have lovely friends with kids who were able to provide guidance. There has to be a better way!!!

Call Me Judge Judy - Hearing other pregnant women say "Oh I'm so fat, I've gained weight". Need I say more.

Some People are Just Sweet as a peach Cobbler -  I tend to hibernate during the winter which means my neighbours are now seeing me with a big belly and in an effort to not be rude they react with confused looks with eyes darting from my belly to my face and ask "errr so what's...new" and I being the jerk that I am respond with "Oh nothing you know same old same old" and let laugh hysterically on the inside until I've made them feel awkward enough and finally put them out of their misery by saying "yes I'm pregnant my diet has not changed" and they let out a big sigh of relief and inform me that they didn't want to be rude and ask just in case not realizing that their eyes betrayed them long ago.


That's all for now I guess. Stay tuned for more of life at 18 Emerson.

Sorry I Blogged Off

Well I guess it's been quite a while since I've blogged. To tell you the honest truth, I've been thinking about it for a while now. But, life truly took over and now I'm back!!

It's been just over a year since we bought our little red house on Emerson.  But the little red house won't be red for long..We're PAINTING!! You'll have to wait and see what it looks like when it's done.  As for the rest of the house, we spend the summer landscaping the backyard.  To be perfectly honest I had my moments of "I've had enough" and "this sucks" regularly but now that it's almost done I have to say it looks fantastic.  I think anyone that sees the backyard now is shocked by it's makeover and at times, so am I. Stay tuned for more pics of the makeover. 

As for the Adventures of 18 Emerson, we haven't really done much other than a few BBQ's. Once we got the kitchen in, we stopped eating out for a few months. Believe me when I tell you no matter how much you like eating out, being forced to eat out will make you hate it.  It's not forever though not to worry.  All in all though, it's truly and awesome feeling to come home and get that ahhh I'm home feeling that can't be beat by any sort of random partying or dining out. 

Come this winter I'm hoping to throw a Christmas party to get the true living and adventures done at A18 Emerson.  In the meantime sorry I blogged off for so long. 

Oh how time flies when you get your kitchen back

I realize it's been oh let's see...6 months since I've posted anything. I can come up with a million excuses as to why I've waited this long. Mainly, I just got lazy.  With that said, let me give you a quick review of what's happened at 18 Emerson since the last post.

After Puffy passed away, we found the house was missing something.  It was missing the little footsteps that gave it life.  We weren't thinking kids if that what you think.  Think about it, we just spent four months living in reno zone.  In fact, we were just looking at the pictures and neither of us can believe we were crazy enough to live here while it was all going on.  Anyways, long story short, we adopted two little puppies; Teddy & Zoya.

They certainly added a...twist, to the whole getting settled in task.  In fact they helped us unpack the million boxes that were sitting in every room. Okay well they chewed through the boxes which forced us to get off our butts and get it done.  That's considered help isn't it?  All chewing, peeing,chewing barking, chewing, pooping and (did I mention chewing?) aside, they've brought us a lot of happiness and some good laughs.

Other than that, we're finished the first major phase of renovations.  Yes I said first phase.  We still have the basement and mudroom to do.  K so maybe we haven't been THAT busy we just got really excited that we can sit around and watch TV and cook in our beautiful new kitchen and eat home cooked meals again.  So Excited that we've done nothing else for six month ..sigh time really does fly when you get your kitchen back.  Take it from me, as fun as eating out can be, it can become a chore when  you're forced to do it ALLLLL the time. Well my laptop is all out of batteries so I promise, I'll put up pictures before the end of this weekend.  Until then, Thanks for reading!

Sometimes things don't go as expected

I'm devastated to announce that we recently lost a very important member of our household.  Our beautiful kitty Puffy. 

This last little while was full of changes for Puffy as he suddenly decided he was an outdoor cat.  From there, his days were busy with all his exploring, cat fights, sun bathing, walks in the neighborhood, peeing on everyone's tools and whatever else his little heart desired.  Unfortunately his health was not able to pick up as his spirit had and we had to say goodbye to him earlier than we wanted to.  Though we were hoping he would be with us a lot longer than he was, I guess sometimes, things don't go as expected.  Thankfully he was able to die a peaceful death in an induces sleep in my arms and know that he was loved unconditionally.

Puffy was loved unconditionally by not only Val and I but by many of our friends and family members and he will be missed very dearly.  I must say there's an emptiness in Happy 18 Emerson that is his absence but he will be remembered in the fondest ways possible. 

Puffy's ashes will be brought home and spread out in the backyard where he was most happy so that he can be with us as we continue improving and building our little nest and he will always be a part of us, our lives and 18 Emerson.

Thanks to all our family and friends who have been there to support us as we go through this really rough time in our lives.

We love you Puff.

Just like the Energizer bunny, the renos keep going and going and going and going..............

I'm so flattered that everyone is so interested in the state of renovations at the house.  So flattered in fact that after a crazy full day at work that makes me want to pass out on the spot, I listen to the needs of my people and I blog!


It's funny that we don't actually realize how crazy it is living in the midst of insane renos until multiple people start asking you when you're moving in. There is that awkward moment where you look at them and say "we moved in a month ago" which is usually followed by another moment of uncomfortable silence (mostly for them, surely they must feel like a douche) and finally, there's the attempt of redemption which usually goes like this:  "Oh wow, good for you guys!".  Listen, we know you're traumatized, you don't have to pretend!  All stress aside, it's actually sort of fun sort of like camping with more noise and no lake to swim in.  Mind you if we had a lake in here then we'd be worried.

I'm happy to report that we have the first check mark on our looooooonnnnnnnggggg list of to do's.  Ahh yes I bet you're dying to know what it is aren't you?!  Well I don't want to keep you waiting so here it is:

That's right folks!  You are looking at a brand new, laundry/makeshift kitchen tap!  Impressed?  We're very proud indeed.

Speaking of the Laundry/makeshift kitchen, the washer and dryer were to arrive on Saturday.  We were so excited to finally have an opportunity to do laundry at home without having to hang with the crackies for a change.  The delivery guys shows up with his "I smoke 8 packs a day" voice acting like he's doing this for free, does some measurements only to let us know that the washer and dryer we've been waiting for does not fit.  Then he steals our precious Lawn toilet flush handle thingie and takes off like a bat out of hell, with our W/D. Crap!  And so we go back to the drawing boards to look for a smaller W/D but after looking in a few locations, we decided to see if we can break some more stuff down, mainly a door way to see if that gives us the space we need to keep our original machines. 

In the meanwhile, my lovely brother in-law was busy tearing down wall paper at the house.  He was doing an outstanding job too!  We were all excited with all the progress at the house and we decided to get right in there and after doing some measuring, Val's fabulous uncle Louie, took a hammer and crow bar (is that how you spell it?) to the frame and took that shit down!!

Unfortunately, for Paul, the wall that he was working on came with it :S. 

 Well, new walls it is then!

While this was happening...


My super awesome father in-law has been on our case about putting tiles on the wall.  We didn't quite understand why, give then beautiful Pepto Bismol pink tiles mixed in with random floral patterns, luxurious Pepto pink cardboard mixed in with a lovely array of wall paper left overs.  But hey to each their own I guess. 

Given the current no Washer Dryer situation, we finally went in and bought some tile so he can ruin our existing fancy decor and put up some tile.  You know that saying "be careful what you wish for"?  Well, unfortunately for papa Alves, we wanted subway tile :)  that's right, awesome, simple small, tile!! Poor thing, spent the next two days putting up tiles.

 we're now waiting for the grout to finish the job.  Thanks dad!!

Before I bring you above ground i also thought I'd show you what a vintage stove looks like.  Isn't it great that adding "vintage" in front of any word, makes it fancy?  For example, vintage car, vintage jewlery, vintage dirty diapers...k well maybe not everything.  Anyways, here's the awesomeness that is our vintage stove:

So now lets step into the light.  The sunlight that is!!
After a day of running around doing God knows what, I came home to find that Val and his brother had been hard at work, cleaning up the front yard.  Am I the only one that didn't know weeds can grow into tree form??? WTF?!

Anyways, they were so hard at work that they even inspired kitty to venture out into some yard work.

 

The only trouble is that kitty's version of yard work involves the neighbour's yard and I suspect some property marking.  

Weeds aside though, we also have some fantabulous roses out there that Val wants to take down...you heard it here people! My husband wants to kill my roses.  (See honey?  Never question me, I will expose you on the blog!!!)

To save my roses, please contact Val and tell him I am right!!


Well, now that that is out of the way, let's move this show to the back.  Those of you who have spoken to me at this point will know that we have a cherry tree in the backyard.  Val jokes that I bought the house because of the tree....is it a joke? Really? Is it?  I've been eating off the tree already; being as impatient as I am.  I can't help myself, it's so tempting.  If you don't believe me, take a look:

 We were also told we have some lettuce in the backyard.  I don't know about you but this has to be the strangest looking "lettuce" I've ever seen. 

You better hope you don't run into my lettuce in a dark alleyway anytime soon.  It'll F*ck you up!!

Well.  That's it for tonight folks!  Thanks for reading!

Cheers!

P.S. if you want to come see the house, just say so.  "Oh, I just happened to be in the neighborhood" is just too obvious ;).  Seriously, come by anytime!  Just don't be surprised if we hand you a hammer and put you to work. 

here by popular demand

For the last 2 weeks I've been taking pictures of our little  house.  Okay fine secret confession: I've started taking the pics before we even owned the place :).  Anyways the point I'm trying to get to is that I've been taking pictures all through the fix 18 Emerson Project. Here by popular demand are the before and midpoint pictures:

So this takes you all the way to the day we bought our little gem.  Here's where we are now:

 

This past weekend, Val was away and I decided to start removing our wallpaper:

  This is what I think about removing wallpaper:

 Before I take off, let me show you the very high tech security system!

And finally, here's the beautiful landscape of our spacious backyard:

We like the Zen feel of this tranquil oasis.  We're more than happy to help you achieve the same with your backyard as well....for a small fee that is ;).  Well that's all she wrote!

P.S. Did I mention we're right on top of the subway?  No really, see that building to the left?! Yes, yes it is indeed the good old TTC!!

Cheers,
Tash

The toilet on the lawn

We came home on Monday after the move to find our toilet on the lawn :S. 

 

Living where we do, there are a few factors that cause a bit of weariness when you have a toilet sitting on the lawn. (No looking like trailer folk ain't even the worst of it) My fear is that some local entertainer aka crack head is going to come and do their business in our lawn toilet (LT).  I mean, I work downtown and see people getting their poo on in the street so why wouldn't they consider an LT as an open invite?!

And so everyday for the next couple days I would look in the toilet when I got home hoping that I wouldn't regret my decision.  Sure enough, on day three I took a look and I saw this...

 You guessed it!  It's mysterious liquid!!!!  Val swears it was in there from the beginning but I don't see how a toilet keeps its water when you take it out.  A few days later we get this in out inbox...

Wow!!  The lesson here is:
Stick to landscaping with flowers and plants because LTs attract the wrong sort of attention.

Bloordale: Toronto’s Next Hot ‘Hood

Speaking of Up and Coming! Man are we good ;)!!!

Bloordale: Toronto’s Next Hot ‘Hood

Welcome to 18 Emerson

After spending God knows how long, house hunting, a million open houses and a gazillion other viewings. We walked into 18 Emerson and felt that Je ne sais qois that we'd been looking for.

Now bare with me here, you're probably looking at this little house thinking"really? Je ne said quoi? Is that what you call it?!" The thing about us is that we go on vibe and vision. We're not interested in a luxurious new built fancy home, we were looking character, charm and mostly a home that felt happy and that would let us give it love and to also inspire us to start our family and grow. Let's not start any baby rumors here, I'm just talking potential. Don't forget, location location location, we're always looking for up and coming neighborhoods.

Naturally we looked around and saw the character, charm, need for love. The crack heads, pimps and hookers the hard to miss House of Lancaster, along side the fantastic restaurants, vintage and antique shops made up our mind and we made the decision to buy our first home.

Welcome to 18 Emerson! It's been quite and adventure so far.