From our wedding album

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I can't help myself .......... more wedding pictures to share with you. These are a sneak peak from our photographer (Margaret Diotalevi, Principal Photographer and owner of Avenue Photo in Toronto).

I was thrilled with how the look for our wedding came together - soft and elegant. Our ceremony was held on the lawn at Holcim Waterfront Estate overlooking Lake Ontario; the dinner and celebration took place in the large white tent on the side lawn next to the mansion house. We had a combination of long and round tables which worked perfectly to create a balance to the room.

There were a few projects on my last minute list that I felt would have given the wedding a fuller visual finish, and although I had planned well for them, they didn't get completed. No one knew that they were missing but me.
But it was only three weeks before the wedding that my Mother passed away. Dealing with sorrow is exhausting, and in the end I had no emotional energy to be creative for the extra wedding prettiness projects.

These lovely photo charms (DesignsbyTami on Etsy) - one of my Dad, and one of my Mother; were added to my bouquet. I had ordered the charm of my Dad a few months before, and at the last minute Tami prepared another one for me.
My parents were with me in so many ways on our wedding day. I sent a charm to Richard while he was dressing for our wedding. A photo charm of Richard's Mother was pinned on to his vest to keep her close to his heart.

 Our beautiful daughters taking a selfie .....

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The handsome men in my life.......Richard and our sons.

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This beautiful custom made ring box (The Mrs Box) was a gift from my daughter. Such a decadent gift that I will always have.

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Cake by La Casa Dolce. Cake topper by BetterOffWed (Etsy).

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Flowers by Tanya Nelson.

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And, I cannot resist this photo a friend took of my Granddaughter Kya and me. Our pretty flower girl and my sweet little shadow.

Kya and me.

I promise to share some pictures of our honeymoon trip to Ireland with you soon.


Thanks for reading,
Katherine

The Gift by Darlene Lamb

There is just over two weeks until our wedding and as expected there is a generous size list of things to complete. But the world stood still for me last week when my Mother passed away. She had just celebrated her 80th birthday a few months ago and although her health had always been a roller coaster, Mom had continually bounced with each set back.
We are grateful that the final illness did not have her lingering in pain and that she was called Home quickly. I am numb with a strange combination of emotions - funerals and weddings don't mix. She was rested in the new dress she had planned to wear to my wedding, it carried a sad sweetness to it.

One of my most poignant memories of my Mom was when she would gather me up and cuddle for a nap on the bed together. I might have been only 3 or 4 years old, but when I close my eyes and remember, it feels like I'm there tucked in her arms again. There has been a fare amount of time this week drawing from that memory and feeling. It's a wonderful spot to take myself back to.

Mother of two, Grand Mother of five, Great Grandmother of four - and she had one true love of her life. Mom is with our Dad again - where she so desperately wanted to be.

Rest now Mom. I love you.

Best Mother's Day Gift

Motherhood. It's a blessing. 

One of the toughest and most rewarding jobs - EVER. 

Being a Mom and Grandma is the best gift I have ever received in my life, hands down. 

I was born to do this and love it all. 

I give thanks to God for this wonderful blessing.

Happy Mother's Day to You.

Merry Christmas

 
Mary, did you know
 when you kiss your Baby Boy, that you kiss the face of God?

Did you know

that your Baby Boy is heaven's perfect Lamb? 

The sleeping Child you're holding is the Great, I Am.

Merry Christmas.

Wishing you and your families a Merry Christmas
and a New Year filled with peace.

Thanksgiving

This weekend we celebrate Thanksgiving in Canada. 

With my grocery list in hand and my granddaughter helping me fill the shopping cart, it made me stop several times to give thanks during the process of preparation. Kya chattered about the delicious things she thought we should include in our Thanksgiving menu, already having her favourites and traditions. With every yummy item she added, I took the opportunity to talk about people who don't have all that we have.

My sister and I looking stylish at Thanksgiving (1963)

Throughout our grocery shopping we gathered food items that she would put in the food baskets for donation. I hold back the grocery store points collected and turn them over for the food bank - one store card for Thanksgiving, and the other points card is used for Christmas giving. Kya learned this yesterday, and she learned how important it is to give to others. Of course then she skipped along and talked about pumpkin pie; and that's fine, because she helped someone else skip along because they too will have a Thanksgiving dinner.

 

And like so many people, we will sit down with family to enjoy a full turkey dinner. It is a dinner of abundance that has an average consumption of 2,500 calories per person. And this is where I remind myself every time to pace it. There is always tomorrow, and left-overs are the absolute best.

A few days to play

I am off and running with my handsome son for a few days. We are spending some quality time together in New York City. 

Sightseeing, exploring, shopping, taking selfies, and having some crazy fun. 

There may be a few bevies involved.

That is the plan.

I promise to bring you home a souvenir, which will likely be in the form of many photo's to share here next week. 

But for now, I'm excited to have the days to play and explore. 

And so happy to have this time alone with my son.

Say goodbye to summer

I will hang on to the last days of summer and hope that the sunshine and hot days continue throughout September. The school buses hit the road tomorrow as students head back to class; but our little bunny has come down with the flu and will miss the first day(s) back. 

I have a folder full of pictures of Kya playing and having fun throughout the summer. Simple things like running through the sprinkler on the back lawn, riding the ferris wheel for the first time, trying her hand at driving bumper cars and pictures of every flavour of ice cream being enjoyed. Tucked in our pocket are wonderful memories of a great summer. 

It's simply priceless.

We took a last excursion before school starts and explored Niagara Falls. The beauty of the Canadian Falls and the gardens surrounding the natural wonder were fun for my granddaughter, but playing games at the arcade gallery was the real excitement in her books.  

Goodbye summer. Welcome to a new school year filled with fun.

At the gardens - Niagara Falls.

Life's Little Moments

The message on our kitchen chalkboard says it all.

Life is made of the little moments.

Cardinal House chalkboard

The past week has been filled with many little and wonderful moments. Here's a quick snapshot of what we've been up to.......

My son Dallas, Richard and I headed down to The Beaches Jazz Festival last Friday. The festival has been running for 27 years, and was something my kids looked forward to each year. A 3.5 km stretch along Queen Street is filled with people who invade the neighbourhood to take in the sounds of the various bands. The restaurants are packed, food trucks and vendors line the curbs, and it becomes a sea of music lovers strolling each night.

Arsenals at Beaches Jazz

It was several years ago that we met Dr. Draw, an  electric violinist master (click HERE to view a youtube video). Eugene and his band play each year at the Jazz Festival, and it was five years ago that he performed for us at a private event we held - so it was great to catch a few minutes with him after his set. If Jagger played classic music on violin - he would be named Dr. Draw. This man has unbelievable energy and a very unique talent with the strings.

Ironically Dr. Draw played under a 'no stopping' sign; I couldn't help but think that there really as no stopping him.

We caught a few numbers by Paul James Band (here). This musician is like a cross between Springsteen and Bob Dylan. It turns out that Paul appeared with Dylan in 1999, and the two men remain friends. His energy had the crowd jumping and singing along with him.

And no matter where we go Richard runs in to someone he knows. It was while watching another band that he spotted a sound technician he knew. Kim and Company Band (here) was front and center at the edge of Kew Gardens park. This big band is a favourite for weddings and corporate events. And - WOW!!

Kim and Company Band

The smells of great food flooded the neighbourhood. We lucked out and managed to get on the patio at HogTown - ribs and fixins were on the menu. Thankfully we walked a lot. The sweet smell of corn was everywhere as festival goers wandered the street with grilled cobs in hand.

Then the next day..........

We shared dinner with special friends at one of our favourite restaurants - Cucci (here). My favourite appetizer there is mushrooms on toast - divine. It's always a special evening when we visit this local spot, and this time there was even a quick dance after dinner.


During the week.........


The weather was HOT ....... sizzling. But that didn't stop my sweet granddaughter Kya and I from having a girls day at Toronto Island. This is now our summer ritual for the past three years and Kya is a seasoned pro.
The island is a quick ferry ride over from the docks in Toronto harbour. You can see the planes land at Billy Bishop Airport and take in a breath taking view of the city from the deck of the ferry.

The CN Tower sits behind condo's along the lake edge.

Centreville is the amusement section of the island. They have maintained great old fashioned rides for small children. Kya's favourite it the log ride - this little daredevil has been taking the splash since she was three.
So off we went (twice) in the big log boat, floating along the river, then up and over the drop. Both of us squealing and laughing.

We rode the train, waved to everyone along the way and let our voices be heard when they rolled through the dark tunnel.

We took in the tea cup ride, merry go round and braved the ferris wheel (ha, we are both overcame our fear of heights) and roller coaster.

Pizza and ice cream provided energy for Kya to run around the water park. With temps hitting 35 degrees even Grandma got into running through the fountains there.

If you are looking for a romantic ride at the island, the Gondola is for hire (docked at the arc bridge).

We visited Far Enough Away Farm - Kya's LOVES this part of the island and goes crazy when she see's all the animals. We fed the baby swans at the pond, and then ..........we took one last zoom down the log ride before heading home.

Life's little moments all strung together to make incredible memories.

........... just in time for another weekend.

What have we been up to ?

It's been a busy time here at Cardinal House. I've barely had time to read my favourite blogs, never mind write posts of my own.
Thank you for reading and following my blog - my readers, you are the most patient people.

So - what have we been up to?

1.   After a long wait, the marble was installed on our living room fireplace.

This makes me so happy. Our original fireplace was a wall of angel stone and the rework has been a labour of love. The wood mantle is originally from old city hall in Toronto. This is the same carrara marble that was used in our kitchen - hello gorgeous!

2.    Sometimes it's the small things that matter. And in this case it is the installation of a drying bar.

Something pretty will be added above the washer and dryer.

I hang a lot of my tops and blouses - so this drying bar will be filled at times. Perfect, easy, convenient.

galvanized pipe linked together and painted with hammered metal spray paint.

Laundry/mudroom

This metal laundry sign hangs on the wall - a gift from my sister.

The vintage theatre benches are perfect in the mudroom to sit and put your shoes on.

3.   The glass bistro shelves were installed - this was done a few month ago, but I keep adding to the vignettes.

The sideboard is topped with Carrara marble that is carried throughout the rest of the kitchen. Continental Glass made the shelves flat on the back and curved on the front (a little nod to the French patisserie).

In addition to making and installing our shower enclosures, Continental hung the heavy mirror over the sideboard, along with the glass shelves/brackets. Bless them - so much easier to have a professional come in and do it all so you don't have to fuss.

 

4.   Our new sofa's for the family room arrived. Two of them flank the fireplace.

The manufacturer is Marc Antonio Design (via Union Lighting). I am on the hunt for other accent pillows with more colour - maybe something with blue.

rug is from Home Sense

5.   The last of the two rooms downstairs were finished.

We didn't have immediate plans for part of the downstairs - frankly we really didn't know what we would do with all the space. The rooms were finished with generous closets built, and a storage area was added. For now it's a pretty living room and double bedroom. It will eventually be a large guest/sitting room and the large space will become a gym.

before

Looking back at the same space now.

The closets and hardware match throughout the house. The large double bedroom has two closets and solid French doors centered on the room.

6.    We gathered together - there has been a celebration almost every weekend for the past three months. Justin's 30th Birthday, Monique's birthday, Mother's Day (with a great barbecue in the yard), Kya's 5th birthday, and then - Richard's 60th birthday party a'la 70 guests at the house. All of it so much fun.

at the Mother's Day barbecue

Kya's 5th birthday

Richard - hard to believe he is 60.

Toasting the birthday boy.

And of course I have been hard at work in the garden. This is my favourite season. Watching plantings come to life after the cold winter and the fun of adding to the garden, it's my happy place.
I will share images soon of the garden and property before and now. Even we stand in the yard and cannot believe the transformation.

Whew !! It's been busy .... more to share with you soon. Thanks for following.