Sending out an S.O.S....and a few thanks.

I am not one to gussy myself up too often, but I picked up this dress on sale last year and have yet to wear it. First of all it requires baring one`s arms, and I don`t do that very happily, especially this time of year! I did manage to pick up a silky, cotton sweater to conceal what needs concealing, and also found these shoes: I love them for all their girly charm, and although they are probably going to have my feet very mad at me, I will take one for the team! When I tried on my ensemble, my little Sophie breathed in with admiration and such excitement that her boring mum had finally donned something glitzy and a wee bit glamorous! I can actually say I am looking forward to dressing up for a change. In fact, I feel positively excited about it, if not to please my daughter alone!! But I need your help: what colour hose/stockings do I wear with it? I am not a fan of beige/nude stockings. I feel all granny when I picture them, and granny style is not what I am aiming for! So, all you fashionistas, if you actually aren`t snorting with laughter at my country bumpkin dilemma, would you give me your two cents?

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You all know I am a very bad blogger when it comes to awards. I am always happy to receive them and do try to make sure I thank the bestower as soon as I find out, but ~sigh~ inadvertently sometimes miss the chance to leave my thanks in a timely fashion, and even forget altogether! I am horridly forgetful and lazy about passing them on, and have stated before that I thus do not deserve any awards at all!! However, some of you have either overlooked my faults and/or have been kind enought to forgive me and awarded me them anyway. I am very grateful for your kindness and have spent altogether too much of my Saturday evening frantically going back through the comments and my emails for signs of unrecognized awards. If I have forgotten anyone, please let me know, and I will make amends...somehow! Without further adieu, I hereby thank the following:

Madeline of Newly Nesting awarded me this one:

Her blog is a treat and I love her approach to sharing her life, home and thoughts and tips on nesting.

Lanette at Cottage Elements and Cheryl of Cheryl`s Fascinating Finds and Karin of The Style Sisters passed on the Kreative Blogger award to me. These ladies are all on my must-read list and I have enjoyed all of the inspiration they share.

The following awards were given to me by: Stephanie at The World of Princess S.

Stephanie has sweetly given me two...she really must not have heard how bad I am at passing them on...Check out her blog...she is a great writer, and you all know I love a blog with great writing.

And in true bad blogger form, I will put off awarding the honours until another day. I promise!!

Looking to downsize??

Well, if you are looking at simplifying and decluttering in a MAJOR way, here is the house for you! A friend emailed me the details on this unique home (located in Toronto, Canada) and I just had to share it with you.

This house, located near the intersection of Dufferin Street and Rogers Road is believed to be Toronto's smallest house. Occupying what used to be a driveway, it's a one-bedroom, one-bathroom house that sits on a parcel of land 7.25 feet (2.2 metres) wide and 113.67 feet (34.6 metres) long and has an interior area of just under 300 square feet (under 28 square metres).The asking price is $179,900.!!!!Here are the house's listed features:

• a. 'Completely Re-Done Top-To-Bottom, Front-To-Back!'
• b. Tumbled stone entrance walk
• c. Renovated Bath
• d. Renovated kitchen with newer stove, new cabinets and new stacked washer/dryer. e.Bedroom with Murphy bed + 'Built-Ins' - doubles as den!
• f. Walk-out to fenced patio
• g. 100-amp service
• h. 2 satellite dishes and receiver
• i. 'Window A/C Available'

It would definitely require a small family (like you, yourself, and you...) and that notion that a small house sometimes can sometimes look bigger with large scale furnishings falls flat here...

Look on the bright side though, it would be easy to heat and keep clean!!!

Martha (who loves a good house tour), this one's for you!!!

Oh, and I'm happy to report that Angela gave me the following award...at least I make someone's day...and I am finally getting around to sharing some awards with others!! I pass this award on to Liz at Mabel's house, Julie at Nunnie's Attic, Paige at Simple Thoughts, Jen at The Cottage Nest, and Kim at Scrap-to-my-lu...all for different, great reasons!

And another: This award (right) goes to Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage for making me split my sides on a regular basis. Her humour is sooo mine and I appreciate a good laugh on a regular basis. I also hand it out to Chris at Just Beachy because any woman who can do what she does positively rocks in my books. My sister, Wendy, also gets it for making me look deeper at issues and also because she is a great friend, mother, gives THE best advice of anyone I have ever known, and decorates (check out her remodelling blog, too). She definitely holds her own!! Last, but not least, I give this to Terri at Windlost who I just know would be a friend I would love to hang out with if she lived nearer. We both hail from New Brunswick originally, and share a lot in common: including finding permanent rose-colored glasses a bit heavy to wear! She is a deep thinker and I look so forward to reading her posts and admire her great style and forward-thinking ways. Check her out!!

Trees # 8 and # 9...

This little tree lights up our main bathroom. I placed some of the sand dollars we have collected at our nearby beaches its branches. The little penguin I just had to have...given that he is on skates, and dusted with glitter!

Next up is Sophie's pink tree...perfect for such a girly-girl...and she is very proud of it and her collection of pretty, feminine ornaments!
This is the candy garland that adorns her window. I have had it for ages, but still love it!

In the spirit of Christmas, some lovely ladies have awarded me some blog awards, which I will dole out to others in the New Year...along with the others I have received in the past (I am a tad tardy on sharing the honours...!!!).

The following two awards were given to me by Manuela at The Feathered Nest. Manuela is a sweetie and has the most beautiful home and has a real flair for showcasing toile in her home.

Andrea, of True Southern Heart, is another of my favourite spots to visit. She has a lovely writing style and her home is full of warmth...both in family and style.

This final award was given to me by one of my favourite funny girls, Martha at Elizabeth Hill Cottage. She's so funny, you'll be snorting milk through your nose...but hopefully only if you're drinking it..!! I always feel happier after reading Martha's posts!