weekend links to love.

:: A recipe for pickles. sweet + sour, lord have mercy.

:: A pretty home that embraces children living in it.
:: Speaking of a pretty home, here are some ideas for tidy tasks you can do during snack (peace) time.
:: The cutest idea for a father's day card.
:: Grilled cheese party? speaks to me on every. single. level.
:: This made me laugh too loudly. not sure how much truth is in it but here is the truth about having your third child. game?!

We are hunkered down for this long weekend. Post travel both girls are in the throws of pneumonia (that makes a second round for miss nearly four.) So a heavy dose of rest, fluids, cuddles and cosy home time are all that we can muster. Here are a few of my bookmarks to inspire and desire.

Happy weekend!

Don't forget to enter the Miomee Baby products giveaway below. Go DO IT!

♡ ashley

5 things you need for a baby // and a super fab Miomee giveaway.

My beautiful sister-in-law is due with her first baby in June and we are over the moon with anticipation and excitement. I started thinking of all the baby gear we got with our first. The things we could have used and didn't get and the stuff we got that was never used. The baby market is a crazy one. After two tricky tiny people I have a very good idea of what we would need if we ever had another.

1 // My little ladies were boob babies from the start. They fed, All. The. Time. Without the reliability and simplicity of a good electric breast pump, I would have never left the sofa. It helped with all our feeding issues and when Poppy started solids I used the pumped milk to make her first foods. This Single Electric Breat Pump by Miomee® is gentle and intuitive (two words you will want to hear when pumping and breastfeeding)

2 // We live in a crazy climate in SouthWest WA. Cold with a pretty constant chance of rain for much of the year. Then hot and sticky at other times. Getting the right combination of bedding has always been a challenge. We used sleeping bags for both the girls (Poppy still) and found that a room thermometer was a must to help guide the layers. This one is extra clever as it doubles as a bath thermometer. I was one of those moms who couldn't get the temp right. Now I am a 37ºc master but this thermometer would have been a godsend in those super sleepy days. Miomee® Bath and Room Thermometer.

3 // Piper was a reflux baby. Translated? She screamed when we lay her flat. A comfy baby carrier made life manageable and more peaceful. SollyBaby wraps are a dream.

4 // Both girls adore their bunnies. They cuddle them at bedtime. Bonus, they are gorgeous and will make a lovely heirloom. Jellycat Bashful Bunny.

5 // Humblehilo Large Bag. They are an amazing business doing amazing things. This bag is stylish and useful. Plus a bit of a treat for mama.

The little thermometer and little firecracker both in action

The Giveaway

Ready folks? One lucky winner will receive the Miomee Single Electric Breast Pump ($249.95) and the Bath and Room Thermometer ($34.95) Amazing, no?!

To enter simply use the handy rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck lovelies,
♡ ashley

birthday gift ideas // miss nearly 4.

Ah to be young again. Especially in a world filled with amazingly cool design for little souls. A few things am sure my little doll would melt for on her coming BIG day. She won't be getting all of these. We are tending to stick with the lovely rule of "something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read." It is a simple way to spoil without the spoils.

1 // The Magic Faraway Tree Series. We are reading book 2 of the series- The Magic Faraway Tree and both of us get giddy at pyjamas time to curl up and float away to Blyton's dreamy world. Nothing like harbouring a little girl's imagination before she drifts away to her own magic lands.

2 // A sweet little garland for her bedroom.

3 // Dress-up butterfly wings.

4 // Is this not just about the sweetest little vintage look lamp? Swoon.

5 // Minnetonka Moccasins. In Canada, I bought an amazing Canadian made pair of mocs. They are my new obsession.

6 // A cute little outfit. Bobo Choses.

7 // An alpaca Piper, including the little scowl she so often manages nowadays.

8 // A forest view for her bed. King single linen throw could also be used as a picnic + play rug.

♡ ashley

home.

Perhaps one of the strangest things about being an expat is that home is never a simple term. There is this home, the one I returned to on Friday, with the mortgage and the memories of our little family, with the white picket fence L built and the gardens I have planted. Our girls call this home, they spin and giggle in it's hall, play dress-ups in it's rooms, build forts in it's crannies.

Then there is the other home, the one I left on Wednesday. Where my people are, the ones I grew up with, the ones that knew me as I grew. Those people that hold my heart and are my home.

Every time I make the journey I come back a little lost. If home is where the heart is then when your heart is divided across the oceans, it takes a bit to settle. But settle we will.

♡ ashley