If we were chatting over a cup of tea this morning, I’d tell you all about my major gardening plans (if you’d listen, that is. I’ve been having a hard time finding a friend who wants to talk gardening as much as I do!) According to our realtor, the trick to an amazing back yard is creating an “outdoor room”, so you need to decorate and plan your yard just as you would inside your house. Last summer, My Other Half and I had interlock, a new deck and two big flower beds put in… but the beds are still waiting to be planted in, since late summer isn’t a great time to plant. We’ve bought an emerald cedar, forsythia, burning bush, globe cedar, echinacea and hydrangeas to fill the space. Plus, I am hoping to cover my awful-but-totally-practical shed with a creeping and flowering vine called morning glory (on my homemade trellis, which I made out of spare parts from our old deck). I am so excited to share before & afters! 

If we were chatting over a cup of tea, I’d now segue into another “decorating” dilemma… our spare bedroom. Out of all the nooks and crannies in our beloved home, this one has gone nearly untouched. It’s basically where we’ve dumped the extra stuff that doesn’t match anywhere else. The bed and dresser was mine from university, and the tall dresser/cabinet was Jason’s parents’. They’re still in great shape, so they’re not going anywhere, but, as you can see… this room needs help. Bad. I am buying new white sheets this weekend (I am a huge fan of white sheets and anything bleachable) but I need some colour and accessories. Right now the only colour going on here is red – a touch in the framed picture and on the duvet (but I’m going to ditch it). One of my favourite places to brainstorm is over at Young House Love (my favourite decorating & DIY blog) and their mood boards… but what would YOU do, if this was your space?

If were chatting over a cup of tea this morning, I’d probably be brainstorming meals for the week. Normally, I find 3-4 recipes I want to make, grab My Other Half and head to the grocery store to pick up everything I need (I bring him for his muscles, not his cash… if case that wasn’t clear). This week, I am hoping to try my hand at risotto for the first time, do lots more barbecuing and maybe even some white chocolate blueberry scones I’ve been dying to make. Too bad blueberries are not yet in season…

If we were chatting over a cup of tea, I’d tell you how excited I am for my weekly trip to Costco. Anyone who knows me at all knows I worship Costco… and somehow get equally excited every week to go. They just have the best stuff! And, for the bargain hunter in me, the prices are unbeatable. There are a lot of staples we keep around the house that I get there – granola bars, pro-biotic yogurt (try the Kirkland brand – just as good as Activia but way cheaper), canned tuna… you name it, and you can probably get it at Costco. Not to mention prescriptions are at least 20% cheaper at their pharmacy. So do yourself a favour and fork out the $50 and get a membership… or ask me to take you. I always love an excuse to go!

If we were chatting over a cup of tea this morning, I’d tell you that I just finished my book club’s May pick, Gone Girl, and loved it. It was definitely unputdownable and totally consuming. It’s an intricate, detailed story about a young married couple, and the character development was some of the best I’ve ever read. Now I am debating on what to tackle next… it’s a toss up between the three books left on my 2013 reading challenge – To Kill a Mockingbird (I know, blasphemy – I didn’t read it in high school), Little Women (equally shocking) and Fall on your Knees (a good ol’ Nova Scotian novel I’ve wanted to read for years). What would you pick?