Best of September: Post favorites!

I can't believe September is gone already--my birthday month flew by! Looking back, here are a few of my favorite posts from September.


A yummy (and easy!) recipe for homemade flour tortillas. You just can't beat fresh tortillas.


Our lovely family portrait.



We made our own DIY fitted sheets! It was easier than I thought.


I shared a yummy recipe for honey-lemon tea. Mmmmmm! Perfect for the cold and sore throat season.


My recipe for PERFECT refried beans. I've been working on and perfecting this recipe for years. I am finally 100% happy with it. They're amazing. If I do say so myself. ;)



A thrift shop restyle! Before and after. I shared how a few simple fixes can bring a tired piece of clothing to life.

Stay tuned for October! There is some exciting stuff planned :)

Talia Christine

A Family Portrait

These awkward family portraits are kind of my favorite. Audrey's expression, my overalls, Phil's amazingness. I can't handle these photos.

It started with an evening of hanging out with some friends in Canada on our visit. We had some pizza, a few cigars, and a few laughs as the adults tried out some Heelys shoes. It was an evening to remember.

It was a record breaking heat wave in Kelowna so the days were hot but the evenings were cool. I had worn shorts that day to combat the heat but as night came the mosquitos were coming out in droves hungry for my foreign blood. My mosquito bites always swell to epic proportions so our friend Chris lent me his work overalls for me to wear the rest of the evening (Thanks, Chris!).

It was late and we were probably laughing and cheering a little too loudly at the skate attempts with the Heelys and the baby woke up. Since Audrey was in a strange place I decided to get her up for a bit to hang out. She was sleepy and groggy and confused. She pointed at the first person she saw wearing a plaid shirt and called, "Papa!" Then realized that it wasn't actually Phil. Then looked for another plaid shirt, and another, and another, until she found Phil. haha! Poor girl thought only her papa wore plaid shirts. So cute!

Since the baby was awake we decided to do an impromptu photo shoot. Thus my favorite photos were born.











Audrey's sleepy and pointed expression. My overalls. Phil's amazingness.

I'll keep these photos for always.


Talia Christine

Snapshots In Time

A few weeks back our good friend Dave snapped some family photos for the whole van der Wel clan.

These photos instantly became really special to me. It's a snapshot in time of our little family. Kind of like this brief moment in time. This exact time in our lives will never happen again. It's here and gone in an instant. Photos like this capture the moment and remind me how good we have it. How beautiful our life is. How precious Audrey is. And how quickly she is growing. How much I love my handsome husband. And just how our family is right now.

It's good to have these snapshots in time. And it's good to look back on old memories.
It's all a part of the journey and I want to savor these moments.

xoxo
Talia Christine

Then and Now

February 2010


March 2012

The first photo was taken a few days after Phil and I were engaged. We were on our way to Raglan beach with his parents and stopped at Bridal Veil Falls on the way. We took this photo with our Fuji Instax camera and the photo has been one of my favorites ever since.

A few weeks ago, we had some family visiting from Australia and decided to stop at Raglan and the falls again. Phil had the idea of recreating the photo we took a few years earlier, so we put on the same outfits. So fun!

We'd like to make recreating this photo a family tradition.

I can't see Audrey appreciating this when she's 13. But it will be hilarious.

It's been an amazing 2 years. Insane. Crazy. Beautiful. Exhausting. Perfect. I love you so much, Phil. So much has happened. And I'm so blessed, and in awe, that we get to do it all together. I'm so amazed by how much you love me. And how much I love you! Thanks for being the best one ever.

xoxo
Talia Christine


Also, I'm super out of shape. I pretty much almost died walking back up the stairs after seeing the waterfall. Motivation anyone?