Category: Journal

The stuff of life.

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Been a while..

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Hey, reader! I’ve long neglected this site. I’d have shut it down entirely if it weren’t for the chalazion post and the one about dogs and hyperkeratosis as those are the two main ways readers end up here and they seem to still be relevant, which is always nice. We’ve had some major family losses over the past few years and sadly I don’t think I got to mentioning them as my posts have been regrettably lax. In January 2019, we lost our beautiful fluffy … Continue reading

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Quickly stop pain from bee stings & bug bites

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Hi again, everyone! I hope that you and those close to you (physically or not) have been healthy and safe these past months. I’m not posting here much these days but I thought this was a pretty helpful tip and I wanted to share it as it’s just about that time of year again. Our part of the province moved into Stage 3 of reopening this past Friday, which allows children to play on playgrounds once again. Our son was sort of hesitant to play … Continue reading

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DIY: Upcycle your old t-shirt into a kid’s raglan!

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Sew a kid's raglan with this free pattern!

Here’s a free, fun project for you and your sewing machine/serger! But first: Are you having a great summer? I hope so. I love this time of year for so many reasons — walking on the beach with your feet in the warm sand, hiking, gardening — and not needing to bundle up to enjoy the outdoors! (That last one’s really all I need.) Another great part about August is it’s peach season in Southern Ontario! Peaches are probably the fruit I look most forward … Continue reading

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Happy Hearts Day!

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What a sunshiny day! We haven’t had too many of these so far this year. We spent some time in the yard this morning with the melting snow, and we headed over to check on any new developments that may have arisen on the kid’s “stage”. It’s a sort of gazebo built by the previous lady who lived here. It’s empty now because it’s winter but usually it has a space to sit and eat. It would actually make a nice place to play some … Continue reading

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Throwback Monday: DIY Pallet Headboard

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DIY headboard progress

Wading through some older entries (because having a toddler puts a bit of a damper on the upcycling time) and having fun reliving the olden days that I hope to soon revisit. Wanted to point out that our DIY pallet headboard has held up wonderfully! The only thing I’d do differently is sand the very top of it completely smooth before staining to make it easier to dust. And maybe I’d seal it, if I could find one that wasn’t too glossy. It’s a great time of year … Continue reading

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Turning 2!

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Birthday cake time!

Happy birthday, Coolguy! This kid is our light. He’s made everything better and given us 1) a whole new perspective on life; 2) the realization that sleep deprivation is a powerful torture mechanism; and 3) filled our (previously grey & withered) hearts with love. Anyway I’ll hush up now. I just like this guy a bunch and can’t believe it’s been two years since my bladder worked properly. Love you, kid! Share the post “Turning 2!” FacebookXShare… Continue reading

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3 (+2) chalazion treatments that really helped

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[UPDATED December 16, 2020: Fixing links; recommending against using Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo and using Live Clean instead; fixing some words here and there because this post is quite a few years old now. Our kid is possibly starting to get another chalazion after years of having none, so we’ll see how this pans out.] [UPDATED May 19, 2016: Have you been here before? I’ve added new stuff to this post. Scroll to the bottom for my favourite chalazion-busters yet.] When our little guy … Continue reading

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How to stop swelling with chayote

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A day or so before Johnny made his way into the world, I had gone to the Cottage Life show in Toronto. (Lots of interesting things there — if you like cottage stuff, you should go!) Maybe it wasn’t the greatest idea to walk around so much more than I was used to doing at 39 weeks pregnant. That night, my feet swelled pretty badly. I figured a sleep would help, unfortunately sleep did not really come — and then my labour involved IV fluids … Continue reading

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