Woman in Real Life

The summer has flown right on by! We will squeeze in a couple more fun activities between now and Tuesday, the first day of school. For the last couple of weeks, though, our minds have been partly occupied with preparing for back-to-school. I'm sure many of you are in the same boat - squeezing out the last few drops of summer fun while thinking ahead to school supplies, clothing, backpacks and school lunch planning (always a stress, right?). My family had some help preparing for fall from two of our favourite stores - Canadian Tire and Sport Chek. Read on to see all the fab finds that are helping us to get organized and on track for back-to-school.

I once had a boss who was obsessed with faux flowers. She had plastic flowers in shades for all seasons, and she put them all over the office. They were ugly. And dusty. I was not a fan. But I now know that not all faux flowers are created equal. I have had a blast participating in the #12monthsofdiy project thus far. Our group of Canadian decor and lifestyle bloggers has focused on materials like vinyl, felt and spray paint. The challenge of creating a new project with a given material each month has been good activity for my brain.

This month's sponsor is Afloral, makers of gorgeous "silk" flowers and greens and also preserved flowers and grasses. You really need to check out Afloral's incredible variety of silk wedding flowers. You won't believe the kind of amazing bridal bouquet you can create with silk flowers!

My friend Ruthie commented on a post I did in April asking me where I keep all of the treasures that I collect from thrift stores and my parents' house. Here is her comment:

Love that pizza dish! How cute! Great finds, all around. But you need to do a post on WHERE you keep your treasures. Because I, uh, need help.

As I told Ruthie then, I'm not sure I'm much help, because our house is overflowing with dishes. But, although (like most women) I'm working hard to get organized, I do believe in making a place for the things you love. Many of my dishes are from my mom and dad and I wouldn't think of parting with them. The others I have no excuse for. But I'm keeping 'em anyway!

Our Christmas Eve Open House is tomorrow and I still have lots to do, but I couldn't help snapping a few photos around the house this weekend. I love Christmas.

For those who are new to Insta-Friday, it means sharing simple cell phone photos from your past week and linking them up with Life Rearranged. With our handy cell phone cameras, we take way more pictures than we used to, don't we? Might as well share some.

This week, my daughter (above, right) has been going to dance camp each day with her visiting cousin.

With the little (demanding) one out of the way, I asked my husband to agree to spend two hours each day organizing our basement. Over the whole week, that amounts to 20 man hours...which might seem like a lot...but you haven't seen our basement.

It's Insta-Friday again...time to share a look at our family cell phone photos from the past week (or two in this case).

Everywhere you look, summer seems to be winding down. Children have gone back to school in some areas. People are talking about wanting to wear sweaters again. (Not me.)