Making Sense with Thyme

A Touch of Reality

2012-02-09T22:36:00.000-08:00

A shoeless child - not by choice - simply does not have any

The sandwich and orange may have been her most substantial meal that day

Cleaning her "front yard"

Home sweet home

Their day job.

I went on a tour of some of the hidden parts of life in Mexico. A simple drive through the unseen parts of town. Homes that were made from whatever materials people could find placed on land they hoped not to be evicted from. Children awaiting their parents return from the garbage dump where they hoped to have found enough salvaged materials to sell to afford food for a meal. It truly was a wake up call.

Some of the sights

2012-01-29T09:05:00.000-08:00

Cathedral

Theatre

Turtle

Hours of Fun!

2012-01-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

Run from the waves and jump over the waves.

Favourite activities for the PK.

and I always love the tropical plants!

and last nights sunset

In 24 hours a lot can change

2012-01-20T16:04:00.000-08:00

From this

To this

Sing a Song

2011-06-23T08:43:00.000-07:00

"Birthday Party to You
Birthday Party to You
Birthday Party Little Mister
Birthday Party to You"

So it isn't anyone's birthday nor has it been one in a while but someone starting singing at the breakfast table this morning his own little rendition of a well known song. I just had to share cause it was so super cute!

Hoo Hoo

2011-06-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

Little Man PK likes to wander around the house saying

"Hoo Hoo Me an Owl Hoo Hoo"

A Fundamental Parenting Rule

2011-03-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

I am currently reading Children at Play by Heidi Britz-Crecelius. I came across this quote and thought that it was such an amazingly worded piece of advise that I had to post it for everyone.

There is nothing bad, terrible or humiliating that can happen to a child that would not become worse, more terrible or more humiliating, if it were concealed from his parents.

She goes on to tell of a late night fire-bug whom crept home to tell his parents of the fire and was praised but his parents. We as parents much be constantly aware of how we react to the actions of our children. By having a child come to us when they have done something "wrong" we can help them correct the situation before it becomes worse (put the fire out before it spreads). They already know they have wronged and don't require a lecture but do need assistance to rectify and make ammends.

I can recall a day not too long ago that PK came to me to show me that he had drawn on the windowsill. Together we got out the cleaning supplies and washed it off the sill - no lectures - no upset by the end we were laughing together and the crayons have stayed on paper ever since.

I know I for one want to try to always remember this in my reactions in hopes that it will keep PK coming to me when the mistakes in life occur.

Fortunes fortunes all around

2011-02-06T09:59:00.000-08:00

Doing some cleanup of my sewing table and here are some of my fortunes that I have found in the process

In the midst of a busy life, take some time to be a kid again.

Money is gratifying, not satisfying.

You have all the assistance and luck this month to succeed.

Your self-confidence is warranted.

Fortune smiles upon you at this time.

You will live a long, happy life.

Your magnetic personality will draw people to you.

Winter Projects

2011-02-04T08:52:00.000-08:00

So here is what kept the hubbie busy over the winter break this year.

New washer and dryer. Hubby had to re-vent for the new dryer and we had to redo some of the plumbing to make it fit which was actually to our benefit as it will be nicely finished now rather then pipes just sticking through drywall. Still have some drywall patching and painting to do but it looks way better and works wonderfully.

I labelled the storage containers as someone else

was always asking "where do I find....".

The new fridge and stove. I am loving the induction cook top. I have noticed that someone else is cooking hot breakfasts more often too which is an added bonus.

And lastly the gate which I am in love with. Not to be too boastful but I think I have the best gate in the valley now. So inviting and beautiful but keeps the wandering woof woofs and horned critters on the outside.

A close up of the sun and mountains.

I think they did an awesome job!

Peanut Butter Balls

2011-01-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

2 cups peanut butter
1/2 cup butter
3 cups confectioner sugar
3 1/2 cups rice crispies
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup chocolate chips

Melt peanut butter and butter over low heat.
Remove from heat and mix in sugar, rice crispies and vanilla extract.
Form into small balls - chilling for 15 minutes may help if too sticky.
Melt chocolate over low heat. Place into plastic sandwich bag, seal and snip corner.
Drizzle over balls.
Chill until ready to serve.

Update - I was invited (see comments below) to post this to the party on Lisa's site. I did and what fun. A ton of yumminess going on in her world. Stop by her site Sweet As Sugar Cookies for some great inspiration.

Our Ski Bum

2011-01-13T20:01:00.000-08:00

Just got home from four days of fun on the mountain. Took little PK for his first experience on the skis. Little dude loved it! We were so surprised at how well he did. Actually managed to stay balanced for several metres at a time.

Showing off how well he can stand on the skis

Wipe out

Sledding with Daddy

Christmas is coming....christmas is coming

2010-12-01T15:37:00.000-08:00

So little PK is getting excited about Christmas. He obviously isn't to the oh goodie presents stage but he senses that there is excitement about this event. He is very into turning on 'my christmas light' (snowman lamp) and plugging in the christmas lights (bannister is decorated). He is also newly attached to 'my christmas bear'

He has helped me make him a stocking as we used a christmas fabric bag for him the last two years and we thought perhaps a proper stocking was in order this year. Here he demonstrates what a smartie pants a two year old can be - stocking looks like a sock so it should go on ones foot shouldn't it?

Greetings from snowland

2010-11-22T15:00:00.000-08:00

Well they said it was coming but I'm not sure I actually believed it. Here however is the proof.

And the littlest PK helped out with some sidewalk clearing.

It started Friday evening and as I write this on Monday at 3pm it is still snowing!

Move me........

2010-11-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

So as a parent you get to experience so many great stages of a little ones learning. One of these is the learning words, expressions and so forth. Sometimes little ones come up with great versions of sayings.

A fav right now is "move me" for excuse me

Another great one is how many things are now "no my like". Atleast I know his opinion.

He is also very caring of his baby. He takes her for walks around the house and makes sure she gets breakfast and bottles regularly.

Goldstream

2010-11-03T18:39:00.000-07:00

We went to Goldstream today for a Strong Start fieldtrip. The Nature House gave a great story all about a salmon's life cycle. We got to watch a frog eat it's breakfast and then we went down to the stream to see some of the fish spawning. Not a lot of fish today but still neat to see.

Learning about owls

Taking a few photos

A spawning Chum Salmon

Posing in a log

My favourite photo of the day

Our Little Trick or Treater

2010-11-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

We took little PK to four houses for trick or treating this year. One aunty and her neighbour and his Papa & Mimi and their neighbour. Then we headed to the community centre to partake in their live music, hot dog eating, bonfire, bouncy castle and other activities. PK wasn't sure about all these weird costumes on people but he sure liked the balloon he was given at the centre and spent most of his time hitting it around.

Little Lion all ready to go

His loot from four houses and the community centre.

Way too much for a little boy! Guess Daddy and Mommy will have to help out.

A very bad picture of this years decor. We cut out faces in large poster board. Once dark out the house light shines through the faces welcoming any whom wandered up our drive.

A Visit to Providence

2010-10-26T22:10:00.000-07:00

Last week we went for a hayride, a pumpkin patch tour, animal watching and other fun and games at Providence Farm with little PK's Strong Start program. They got all the local strong starts to go on the same day which was fun with all these little kids running around.

The Hayride

The Steeple

And many a People

10 - 10 - 10

2010-10-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

This was how we spent our Sunday afternoon. Watching friends get married. After several days of rain the sun and warmth came out just to celebrate their day. Very fitting.

Summer days

2010-08-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Not sure what this meant but boy was it cute.

Some intense choochooing - loving the truck transport.

Still in love with my new camera

Babysitting

2010-07-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today PK and I babysat my mother's cousin's littlest one - M. Super cute. The two littlies had great fun together. PK helped by giving her a bottle and her soother and showing her how to do things. She was a pretty good sport about the whole thing. I just loved this moment.

The little princess out for some glorious summer sun wearing the crown we had whipped together in the craft room at GG's.

Tea For Haiti

2010-07-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

The in-laws recently had a "Tea for Haiti" fundraiser. I contributed through making dozens of scones, donating jams, plants and items for the sale and auction, helped with set up prior to the event, etc, etc.

The exciting part was there was a donor who would match our funds raised by 10x's the amount up to $100,000. So the items I donated which netted $51.50 then became $515.00 and littlest PK whom painted cards for the event turned into $350.00 - not bad for a two year old!

Currently we are at over $6500.00 in donations which means over $65,000.00. I'd say that was pretty good for a two hour event on the front yard with less then a hundred people.

For anyone interest this is the charity the funds go through - Compassion Canada

Back in Business

2010-07-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

So my old camera had given up and I have been super busy just living life......but now I have a new camera. Excitement! A snippet of our last couple of days.

Peek a Moo

2010-05-07T14:04:00.000-07:00

PK made this cute cow mask at Strong Start several weeks ago. He enjoyed playing 'Peek a Moo' with Daddy.

Cinco de Mayo celebrated

2010-05-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

So we paid a small tribute to Cinco de Mayo tonight by having a Kahlua Flan for dessert. I don't typically make dessert so this was a bit of a treat. I hadnever made a flan before so it was a fun experiment. I must say it was actually super easy to do and tasted pretty good if I do say so myself. PK on the other hand thought it was a fun thing to cut into a million pieces but not so good for eating - guess I can't complain if he doesn't want to eat something full of sugar :)

Been busy in the garden

2010-05-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since we left a note on here.

PK and I have been busy little bees in the garden installing a new berry patch and starting to plant veggies for this years crop.

PK weeding and thinning out the strawberry patch.

Anyone need some plants?

Taking a break to sniff the flowers.

Garden Shed Fortunes

2010-03-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Found in the pocket of my spare gardening jacket hanging on the wall of my Potting Shed.

"When the daffodils bloom, so will great joy in your life"

"Make the most of a period of relative peace and harmony"

And on that note I will say goodbye and make the most of the time my husband has my child for a little father son time (ie: mommy peace time)

The last few days

2010-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Washing anything and everything is our newest funnest thing to do.

We do believe spring has sprung

Blue Jean Boy

2010-02-23T15:40:00.001-08:00

Sweet Suite Cleanup

2010-02-23T15:11:00.000-08:00

So we are in the process of freshening up our suite. Our tenant of 6+ years has moved out and we are painting, fixing, replacing and in general making the place look a whole lot better then it did. We inherited the place as it was when we purchased the property and had done nothing but repairs as needed since then. Now that the place is empty we have discovered how truly thrown together it was and figured now was a good time to throw some elbow grease at it before someone new moves in.

So here is a before of the kitchen.

I don't think this is what they mean by green living!

Littlest PK helping prep the cupboards to be painted.

The kitchen as it looks today.

Attempts at a Photo Time

2010-02-15T12:42:00.000-08:00

I attempted to set up a photo shoot with little man this morning.

Not something to attempt without help apparently as someone thinks the curtains should be pulled on and one should grab at the camera.

I am leaving it all in the living room and hoping that perhaps a day or to of playing with it will make it old news and we can try again.

I did however catch this.

Sad Day......Happy Day...Grateful Moments

2010-02-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today is a day that started with some sad news. My grandmother passed away. And though it may sound odd that is happy news. Though it is sad that she is no longer with us in the physical sense it is good...great in fact that she has passed away. The reason that it is great is that she had cancer and it was just a matter of time and no one could say just how long it would take. The doctors also said that it would be very painful near the end and yet she went suddenly from doing just fine to gone and for that I am happy. I didn't want her to have to suffer a long and painful drawn out closure to her life.

The odd thing is that our household was getting ready to go and see her when the phone call came. Had my Mother phoned me just 10 minutes later we would have been gone and the news would have come from some staff member at the hospital. So for that person whom was spared having to give me the news I am grateful. For receiving the news from my Mother rather then some unknown hospital worker I am grateful.
For my husband whom chose to spend the morning with us despite there no longer being the reason to go to Victoria with me - I am extremely grateful.

PK feeding my grandmother when we went for a visit with my father back in September. This was a visit I insisted on doing as I wanted to make sure we had atleast a photo or two of all four generations. It may not be a portrait but atleast I have something for the photo album.

A Fun find that makes you Feel Good!

2010-02-09T16:19:00.000-08:00

So why you ask is there a picture of a handbag on my blog.

The answer

This super cool bag is made from recycled coke labels

This and many more styles can be found at http://www.ecoist.com/

Check it out!

Work in Progress

2010-02-01T08:03:00.000-08:00

So the bathroom is almost complete. We have some touch ups to do around the countertop due to new backsplash not at same height as old backsplash. Sounds like maybe a new mirror going in - yeah! And then finally using the beautiful wrought iron towel racks, etc that we were given for Christmas several years ago.

Before

After

And a look at the project that has been going on in the front yard the last couple of days.

Littlest PK telling those guys to get back to work. Anyone need a pint sized supervisor?

I am very excited about our new block wall - it is already making the entrance to our property look a million times better.

Tonight's Fortunes

2010-01-28T20:22:00.000-08:00

Asr the hubby spent most of his day working on our new retaining wall for our driveway I figured it was a good night for Chinese Smorg. Off to Kim Wah's we went.

My fortune
"Your search for knowledge will lead you to high places"

Little PK had a triple fortune in his cookie - how lucky is that!
"You have an important new venture shaping up"
"Financial security is just around the corner" - good news for a 16 month old :)
"You will soon face something new and exciting"

Reno time again

2010-01-24T16:59:00.000-08:00

So now that the upstairs bathroom is complete (almost)

we decided to do a partial reno on the downstairs bathroom.

New paint, new countertop, sink and faucet.

So here are the boys hard at work on the bathroom.

Yes, we are plumbers

And mudders

A bit of handyman

Sanding till it's smooth

And this afternoon we were even painters!

But I'll save that picture until after the second coat.

Sunday morning and all is normal????

2010-01-17T16:27:00.000-08:00

So we have croup yet again in our household. You wouldn't know that we were up most of the night judging from our rockin little guy this morning.

This is what he wanted to wear to help Daddy and Uncle Todd with the backyard project - cute eh!

So in order to clear my head and get a handle on my day I started Day 1 of my 14 week training session to run the TC10K. I haven't ran since before I was pregnant with little dude so it will be a good challenge for me. Today I did 5:1 x 3 and I just managed it so I figure so far so good.

And this is what the guys have been up to this weekend.

That would be the run of my chicken coop laying on top of my herb bed. The coop is now located behind the barn and the harb bed will be added to my vegetable garden to make on large garden - yeah!

A Way to Help Those in Haiti

2010-01-16T21:32:00.000-08:00

Pass it on, pass it on, Please, Please, Please pass it on.

If you have Air Miles you can donate points to the Red Cross - 200 points gives $25 to them for medical supplies, etc and you even get a tax receipt for your donation.

So if you don't have money to spare at the moment but really want to help here is a way you can do so.

Robert Louis Stevenson says

2010-01-15T17:07:00.000-08:00

Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.

Just a smart piece of advice I stumbled upon that made me want to share.

We're Back..

2010-01-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

So we just got back from a nice visit down to Arizona, Nevada and California with my parents. I now have the task of sorting through the 1000+ photos taken on the trip to put together our photo album. I did my best and managed to stiffle the fits of laughter when the other half said I should be able to pick the best 50 for our album. I'll let you know how I do on that one.

Anyhow I may or may not post more of the photos up here over the next bit but here are a couple of cute ones of little man that I just can't help but share.

A good time had by all.

Oh how they grow...up!

2009-12-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

It really is quite amazing to watch little people as they grow and learn. They push and push and push against the being told no or trying to get on an item that is a little too high or carry an item that is a little too heavy. They absorb everything and quickly put that new knowledge to use. Really the only thing that holds them back is their physical limitations.

Last night ...or rather early, early this morning little PK was in need of a little drink. As I lay him back down in his bed he raised his head. This usually means he wants me to pick him up and hold him until he falls back to sleep but to my amazement he reached out his hand, grabbed his stuffed cow and pig, tucked them into his armpits and put his head back down promptly going back to sleep. Hmmm...I guess I have been replaced - too bad they can't get him a drink in the middle of the night ;)

Last night we also thought it was time to put another mark on PK's growth chart. It had been about 3 months since last we did it. Was I ever amazed at how much he had grown. To give you an idea the space between the lines is three inches.

And just because we know what a monkey our little man is - here is his new favourite play spot.

A funny moment in time

2009-12-16T21:17:00.000-08:00

So this morning PK and I get up and go downstairs. PK plays while I put together breakfast. We eat breakfast and then he plays as I clean up. I am almost finished cleaning up when he walks into the center of the family room and bends over and is grabbing at his groin region. As per norm I say Oh, did you just pee He looks at me and grabs again. So I say Òh, are you really wet, okay give mommy a moment and we`ll get you out of that diaper. He grabs again. Òkay, okay, I`m coming. So up the stairs we go and into the bathroom as I was going to throw him in the tub. So off comes his clothes and there he is standing there buck naked - his diaper had fallen off sometime between going down stairs and his standing in the family room and he was trying to tell me the whole time. Poor darling was probably very confused as to why mommy was laughing so hard.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2009-12-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

I love Christmas... the decorations....the baking....the getting together with friends....the well just about everything to do with the festive season. And slowly my house is looking like it belongs to the season. Littlest PK is doing a great job of learning to look and gentle touch only. Lots of reminding....a couple of slightly damaged ornaments but otherwise we are doing fairly well.

Some pics of what our world is looking like right now.

Our stockings are hung

Bannister is decorated

Glass baubles and such in an oversized bowl as our table centerpiece

Santa taking his rightful place in the center of our homemade wreath

A visit with the real live Santa

And a view out our back window

A View out the Office Window

2009-12-09T14:35:00.000-08:00

As I wrote the last post I was glancing out the window at the current project being worked on by Andy. He has his buddy over helping. They are both on their winter time off and every year have been helping each other out with projects. It's great catch up time for them as they barely see each other the rest of the year and it sure does make the projects more enjoyable for them.

So here is what they are working on.

Yes indeed, the barn is getting a new roof. The guys are putting on the trim right now. We looked at pictures last night of the barn as it looked when we bought this place. It was a two tone grey and now is this lovely deep green with white trim and now a black roof - so excting.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2009-12-09T14:21:00.000-08:00

Littlest PK has been doing a lot of copying and repeating of actions. Some is super cute...others maybe not so much but it's all learning and wonderful memories.

Andy has had PK help with making the fire since he was big enough to walk. PK brings in some of the kindling, scrunches the paper (you can imagine how that translates to other fun stuff), carries the match box to and from the drawer and closes the gate. Anyways to make a long story short, Andy showed PK how to snap in half a piece of kindling that was too long for the fire. Two days later with his new-to-him Xylophone PK picks up one of the mallets and proceeds to snap it in half. Hard to get mad at him when you taught him the action.

But here are some of the super-cute copycat moments of the last week.

Chatting to his girlfriend on his new cell phone

Sharing his bottle with Santa 'cause Santa likes milk don't you know

Clipping his toenails and fingernails

And just cause we like to really get into our projects with our whole body and soul.

When all else fails

2009-12-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

I love my child...I really, really love my child...but there are moments when I also really dislike my child. Today we were having a lot of moments. I am sure there is probably something going on for him that means he needs more attention then normal and wants things his way more then normal but that doesn't make it any easier when he is trying to play drums with the glass measuring cups, eat the tinted moisturizer or the cologne that he somehow managed to get out of the top drawers in the vanity (no longer child prrof I guess), or the same with the markers out of the office drawer.

Today the doors are closed, on the office, on the bedroom, on the bathrooms and anything else I can find to close. I don't like feeling like I am always saying no. It doesn't feel like a positive environment but there is also a limit to what can safely be played with and I only have so many shelves that are above reach or behind locked doors.

So after a morning of him getting into everything and then yelling (not crying - yelling) at me when I take it away and whining the moment I am not paying attention to him I finally just put him in his crib, told him that I loved him but that he and I needed to have alone time, and less then ten minutes of crying later he is fast asleep in his crib. Hmmmm, do you think that he maybe just needed the nap that I told him he needed at about 10 o'clock this morning.....maybe just a little.

Anyhow, now that I am done venting and giving away the negative energy I can make room for a positive and enjoyable afternoon. And to start that off I share some happy thoughts.

PK taking Mr Teddy for a stroll around the house

Breakfast this morning...one of our favourites

French Toast with yogurt for dipping

and a side of sliced banana and kiwi

That I have a healthy, active and curious child

I am grateful

And that I can serve my child such a healthy and filling meal

I am grateful

And that I have a warm and cozy home to play and relax in

I am grateful

That I have these things within my house for him to get into

I am grateful

And a camera to take pictures with to share our lives with others

I am grateful

So when all else fails thinking about all these things will certainly be a wonderful afternoon.

And to know that and be able to re-create the rest of my day..

for that I am VERY grateful.

Tigh-Na-Mara

2009-11-30T13:03:00.000-08:00

Andy and I had our Christmas 'staff party' this past weekend. We joined up with my old employer for a joint party to make things a bit more fun. Littlest PK went to his Grandma and Grandpa's for his first sleep-over at their house. He had a great time playing and visiting with their guests and listening to music.

Us parents, well we had a romantic overnighter at Tigh-Na-Mara in Parksville. This is a lovely resort on the oceanfront. They do an amazing job of a buffet spread for dinner and the rooms are cozy and enjoyable.

A view from our room.

Green thumb

2009-11-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

So last night I quietly placed a couple pots in the garage. Pots that held what once were thriving plants but now hosted shrivelled leaves of very dead foliage. So to make myself feel better about the whole cemetary in the garage I am posting this....proof that not only can I keep a plant alive but that I can in fact get an orchid to bloom...yes indeed these blooms are new and on a plant that I received as a 'please babysit this' from my Mother - I guess I'm doing an okay job seeing as it is still in my care.

Recalls, recalls, recalls

2009-11-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

So one would think that a crib that is ten years old would be well past the recall stage....right.....WRONG.....yesterday I just happened to have a Times Columnist sitting at the end of the driveway (we don't get it delivered but occasionally it just shows up there) and I actually took the time to read some of it. So what just happens to be in the paper - a story about how Storkcraft has expanded it's recalls all the way back to 1993 on drop-sided cribs and as you can guess that means that little mans crib is part of this.

So on to their website, fill out the form and now we wait like thousands of others for the new conversion kit to arrive in the mail. In the meantime we hope that little man doesn't go crazy in his crib and break the parts that have been breaking......what do you think the chances are....;)

My advice to all.....periodically check the recall listings or even sign up for their email alerts.

Singing, Reading and my happy boy

2009-11-26T22:25:00.000-08:00

So the Terri Clark concert was amazing. I saw her in concert several years ago when she opened for Brad Paisley in Vancouver - huge venue - very small person on a very far away stage. Now don't get me wrong - the concert was still great but compared to row F seats (that's right - the letter F is the 6th letter in the alphabet so you know what that means) in the small theatre here in Duncan it is hard to even compare the two. All I know is that I never want to go to a huge concert again after sitting that close to the stage.

On a reading note I have just finished reading Becoming Vegetarian . This great book was just jammed full of facts about food in general. I learnt a lot about vitamins, minerals, food combos, myths about protein amounts in foods to suppliments one needs to be taking at various times in life and why. I eat meat. I like the taste of meat. Not sure if I could entirely give it up but after reading this book I certainly feel like I could eat a lot more vegetarian meals and feel like I was safely fulfilling my families needs for all their nutrients. I borrowed it from Healthy Beginnings but would actually suggest having a copy on the shelf for reference.

And the happy boy.....well he must have gotten a sense of all the rain that has been coming down and was preparing himself because for some odd reason this is what he wanted to wear.

And wear it he did - proudly walking around the house in it for quite awhile - that's my boy!

Cruisin'

2009-11-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

Days around here have been relatively quiet. Lots of indoor time due to massive amounts of rain. Littlest dude has been getting around (sort of) on his car. Here he is cruisin his car with his newest favorite "toy" - Daddy's tape measure - neatly stowed in the storage compartment - such a smart boy.

Bad news - he's got that croupy cough going on again - grrrrrrrr
Good news - I'm going to the Terri Clark concert tonight - yeah!!!!!!

Shit Happens

2009-11-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

and flows everywhere when one's pump stops working.

We recently had to replace the septic pump for our shop as it burst it's seal and was not fixable. The guys had to tear up and then re-lay the pavers at the front of the shop. It gave Andy the perfect excuse for finishing off the other side though and now we know the tank is empty again so we should be good for a couple of years.

Spraying the dirt and mud off the pavers.

Always happy if it involves being outside and soaking wet.

And this is what I found in our crawl space. Littlest dude has this habit of wandering into the pantry and throwing things down the hole beside the hot water tank. Luckily only the pop cans had leaked. Amazingly no shattered glass bottles and not a drop of syrup oozing out of the blackberry syrup jar. I have re-stuffed the hole in hopes that will prevent him from doing it again....time will tell.

Found in old Day Timer

2009-11-11T15:34:00.000-08:00

"Now is the time to enjoy trying something new."

To Love A Person

2009-11-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

"When we love a person, we accept him or her exactly as is: the lovely with the unlovely, the strong with the fearful, the true mixed in with the facade, and of course, the only way we can do it is by accepting ourselves that way." Fred Rogers

Slow cooking yumminess

2009-11-10T15:25:00.000-08:00

I adapted a recipe for what was called "Welsh Honey Lamb" to the slowcooker and it turned out absolutely delicious. Even Andy said "This is good and I don't like lamb".

The recipe went something like this.

Take one lamb roast. Rub all over with pepper, salt, rosemary and ginger. Place in slow cooker. Pour over one cup of honey. Pour in 1 1/2 cups apple juice. Turn to low and cook for most of day. Add more juice if needed. Thicken sauce prior to serving.

We shredded the lamb and served it over slices of toast with a side of hot mixed veggies.

Yummy!

Trouble Maker

2009-11-07T12:04:00.000-08:00

I think his plan was to see how much experimental trouble he could get into the last couple of days. It hasn't helped the he is still sick and on meds now and therefore just a tad on the cranky side or that I seem to be battling it as well (minus the ear infection) and therefore also on the cranky side.

So there was the painting with milk bottle - very artistic.

Then the unwrapping of Daddy's xmas present.

Keying Mommy's car......almost....he was remarkably close to getting it in.

And attempting to take Mommy's car for a spin.

So truth be told all the pictures above are the fun things he was captured doing. The trouble has been more the doing the exact opposite of what mommy has just asked and then laughing when mommy says no. As the saying goes "this to shall pass'

This picture captures the true spirit of our little PK.

Going so fast he's a blur and growing so fast it's a blur.

In the bedside basket

2009-11-06T11:06:00.000-08:00

Patrick was so thoughtfully cleaning out my bedside basket. Bookmarks removed from books. Papers strewn about. The usual tornado effect. And at the bottom of the basket was another fortune cookie find.

"In life, you won't go far unless you know where the goalposts are."

Demolition Sunday

2009-11-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

The boys were at it again this weekend. Sunday turned into a tear it apart day. They took out the fence that ran between the field and my vegetable garden. It is amazing the difference it makes to the backyard - the whole area looks 100 times better and as I don't have any plans to have animals in the near future it isn't like the removal of the fence is a big deal.

Trick or Trick

2009-11-01T10:44:00.000-08:00

My super adorable little Panda on his way to Trick or Treat. I was quite surprised how activily he patricipated in the whole event. He carried his bag for some of it and didn't have any issues being in his costume. Even the fireworks went by smoothly and he seemed to find them quite facinating - only the odd tucking of his head to mine when there was a louder then average one. A night full of cheezies, hot dogs and milk - yum yum! Daddy and Uncle Todd tucked into the loot when little tired Panda got home from all the activities and saying his goodbyes to Grammie and Grampie as they head out to their southbound winter adventures.

A Simple Life...a Fun Life

2009-10-29T09:23:00.000-07:00

PK and I went for a backyard waunder...or rather PK took me for a backyard waunder as I doubt I would think to go for a walk between the hedge and the fence but when looked at from a different angle it is actully quite a beautiful stroll.

And then there was the study of the mushrooms....of which we have copious amounts all over our yard at the moment

(thankfully there have been no attempts to eat them).

We also had some music lessons at Strong Start.

Nothing quite like a toy that jingles.

Tofu...so good for you....and tasty too!

2009-10-29T09:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday PK and I had tofu with shitake mushrooms and green beans over brown rice for lunch. I had not eaten tofu in years and thought that it would be fun to try again (plus another mom had mentioned that her son just loved it). With the added bonus of it being soft to chew and a great source of protein I thought little man might benefit by adding to his diet.

So the jury (PK) has decided that tofu is very yummy and worthy of eating every last piece on the plate. Rice on the other hand is still worthy of spitting out and flicking of the plate onto the floor....sigh...First time he has eating more then a piece or two of green beans though so that was a bonus.....and I just LOVED the roasted shitake mushrooms......all in all definately worth repeating.

My Little Pumpkin

2009-10-27T11:45:00.000-07:00

It is funny how you can capture a moment that is so sweet in a photo but you may not have noticed it when it was actually occuring as there was movement and talking and rush, rush, rush to get something done. I paused for just a moment with little guy to play with the pumpkin at the front door, snapped a few photos of him and this is the outcome.

Every moment truly is precious.

All in a Days Work

2009-10-07T17:02:00.000-07:00

Little man has been hard at work the last couple of days helping out Mommy and Daddy with their chores in the yard. So much so that little man fell asleep at the wheel while cutting the lawn with his Daddy.

He has also been a big help in the garden. Digging up the tomato plants to hang in the garage, transplanting strawberry runners to free up some garden space, planting garlic, harvesting (eating) the raspberries, and bringing in the pumpkins.

Laying claim to 'his' pumpkin.

A Pacific Alphabet

2009-09-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful book to read. Not only is the vocabulary inside full of rhymes but the author has used each letter several times to start words on each page....for example...the letter B starts off "Blue whales make bubbles..."

The illustrations are pieces of art and are also full of the letter you are reading about. There is a page at the back that also lists items by the letter so you can see if you missed any.

This book is great as it can engage all ages. Highly recommended.

Birthday Celebrations

2009-09-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was little PK's first birthday. We turned it into a birthday weekend and headed for Rathtrevor Beach.

He seemed quite taken with this ducky, which I believe was due to the fact that he can make it move - such a grown up boy.

There is great fun in the destruction of sandcastles. It took daddy working at super speads to keep ahead of little PK's ability to destroy them with his new outdoor tools.

But the most wonderful thing is wading in the warm water on this beach.

Or maybe it was the taste of his first birthday cake. Nothing tastes so birthday as a DQ icecream cake on a hot sunny day.

Or perhaps it's the nap that comes when you've had a long, busy day surrounded by your extended family and are cuddled into your new jacket and hat that was made with love from your grandmother.

I make this birthday banner from a tutorial I found at Vanilla Joy. I changed it up slightly by using some of the clothes that PK has grown out of that had gotten stained and so weren't really worth keeping but made you kind of sad to throw out. I hope to add to it in the next couple of years as I am sure there will be more clothes that end in the same stained fate!

Chili Lime Baba Ganoush

2009-09-08T14:46:00.000-07:00

New recipe, and rediscovered vegetable all in one. I quite enjoyed.

Ingredients:
• 2 medium eggplants
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp tahini
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cumin

Preparation:
Pierce eggplant and broil until skin in charred.
Allow to cool slightly, then scoop out inside of eggplant, leaving skin behind.
Smoosh eggplant and remaining ingredients until smooth

On the Window Sill

2009-09-07T10:01:00.000-07:00

Double fortunes from September 5ths dinner out.

"Moneywise, you are lucky this month"
"You shall soon be rewarded for your endeavors"

Fortune Found

2009-09-07T08:42:00.000-07:00

We all have what some might consider strange quirks. I have a lot of them and here is one such example - I keep my Chinese Fortune Cookie Fortunes. You will find them in odd little places around the home - tucked into my daily planner, in my bedside basket, in the console of my car or in my purse or...well you get the picture. So in a bid to clean up my home I have decided to simply post my fortunes here. What a fun way to re-find my fortunes.

"A new chapter in your life is being written"

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

2009-09-06T20:49:00.000-07:00

A yummy meal of Cream of Cauliflower Soup and Baking Powder biscuits was consumed by all as our second veggie dinner of the week. We also had a meal of tomato, onion and garlic pizzas with a greek salad on the side. Now off to work on PK's b-day banner.

The Story of Five Shrivelled and Forgotten Potatoes

2009-09-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, in a warm and well used pantry in a land called the Clarke household there lived a potato bin. Now in that potato bin there lived a supply of potatoes and whenever the potatoes moved away new potatoes would quickly arrive to take their place. For some strange reason though a couple, or five to be more precise, of potatoes chose not to leave the bin and there they lived until one day the overseer of the potato bin, Sonja, found them huddled at the back, shrivelled and dehydrated.

I am sorry little potaoes but your time has come, you must leave the potato bin declared Sonja and they were whisked away to meet their end in the compost bin. But for some strange reason on their walk to the compost bin Sonja got distracted by a bare patch of soil in her vegetable garden. Hmmm...she thought.....I guess the worse thing that could happen is that they don't grow and I have wasted this patch of dirt for the year. So the potatoes were saved from the compost bin and they in turn grew and multipled and supplied Sonja and her family with a large bowl (8.5 lbs) of new potatoes on which to feast.

Explore Somewhere New

2009-09-04T15:01:00.000-07:00

The challenge - to go somewhere new each week

September 4 - Spectacle Lake Park

Spectacle Lake Park

2009-09-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today we explored Spectacle Lake Park. I wouldn't reccomend doing the walk around the lake with a stroller - I think I had more upper arm workout then leg but it was a fun trip around the lake. We had a snack on the beach at the end of our walk. A nice natural quiet park.

I don't like graffiti in general but when it's possitive like this I can't help but smile.

Exploring the beach.

Some leftover art from a past visitor.

We then drove home the long way through Cowichan Bay and stopped in at Cowichan Bay Farm for some pasture raised chicken and dropped in at True Grain bakery for a fresh loaf of bread and some stone ground wheat for baking at home.

Garden Goodness

2009-09-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last night's picks from the garden included sorrel, tomatoes, strawberries, and cucumbers. The sorrel was turned into a yummy pesto for rotini and beans (PK loved it!). Tomatoes eaten in the garden as an appi - PK still working on picking only the ripe ones and the strawberries were put into the freezer for some winter time goodness.

Exercise Everyday

2009-09-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

September
1 - Walk to Silver Mine Estate's to return a canning jar
2 - Walk with my niece T (saw a buck and ate some blackberries)
3 - Walk down Peerless, Shinrock, Stein with PK
4 - Walk around the lake at Spectacle Lake park

A Book a Day with PK

2009-09-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

My Little Book of Animals
Inside Noah's Ark
Bendon Bear and the Gentle Animals
Big Farm Friends
Who's Hiding on the Farm
Bendon Bear and the Farm Animals
A Pacific Alphabet

32 By 33

2009-09-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this on another blog and thought it was a great idea. A list of things to accomplish by your next birthday - therefore I have 32 things to accomplish by my 33rd birthday (May 17). Obviously I may or may not get them all done but the importance is the act of working towards these goals, of believing in the possibility of accomplishing them and taking action to create them.

So here is the list.

1. Exercise everyday
2. Read PK a book everyday
3. Go on a volunteer vacation
4. Try a new food or retry a forgotten food every month
5. Save $200 every month
6. Have friends over for dinner every month
7. Install a berry patch in my yard
8. Drink more water
9. Go somewhere new each week
10. Get back to pre-pregnancy weight
11. Read Simple Abundance everyday
12. Start a business
13. Plant a vegetable or fruit in garden that I haven't grown before
14. Read a novel of a genre I don't typically read
15. Run a 10K in under 60
16. Eat more fruits & vegetables - less refined foods
17. Read a spiritual passage everyday
18. Finish PK's quilt
19. Take a course
20. Go to Peru
21. Eat 2 vegetarian dinners a week
22. Get back to wedding day weight
23. Volunteer once a month
24. Keep a gratitude journal
25. Create PK's Christmas stocking
26. Install a cut flower garden
27. Complete one craft/sewing project per month
28. Say 'I love you' and 'Thank you' to my husband every day
29. Visit my grandparents more often
30. Go on a date with my husband every month
31. Try 1 new recipe every week
32. Put together Pk's photo album

Camping bliss

2009-08-11T17:01:00.001-07:00

Friday through monday was spent at Qualicum. The campsite left something to be desired but thankfully when you are spending time with friends it is easy to forget.

New friends

Fair fun

Sandy sculpting

And for todays news........my little sister is expecting #2....yeah!!!!

The 100-mile diet

2009-08-05T16:16:00.000-07:00

So I just finished reading this great book by Alisa Smith & J.B. MacKinnon. They challenged themselves to eat a diet of locally grown (within 100 miles) foods for 1 year. The book itself is a mix of their individual feelings about what was going on in their lives, the foods they ate, the sourcing of the foods, the history of the areas the foods were coming from and much, much more. I found myself totally engrossed in this book and tempted to challenge myself to such an undertaking. But how am I to do this with the way my husband eats and with a 10 month old child.

I think however, that I could perhaps work towards such a goal. Start with buying as much BC produced products and then start to eliminate those that contain out of province items and then gradually to local grown only.

To start I have chosen to cook dinner tonight consisting of salmon caught just off our coast and island grown potatoes and beets. The lettuce and carrots are unfortunately imports as that is what is currently in my fridge. Dessert (if we have any) will be either Island farms icecream (a far cry from the real thing but locally produced) or perhaps some wonderful cookies from True Grains bakery (right here in Cow Bay)...oh and of course the bread if eaten will be from the same wonderful bakery.

Forever and a day.....

2009-07-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I posted anything here. I don't think I realized how busy life would get with a child....and I only have one! This is a very short post with just one pic but it is my way of recommitting to an on-line log of life.

Taken last night of PK with his new pal from Aunty K and Uncle D

Light bulb ornaments

2009-01-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

I love painted christmas lightbulb ornaments. They are on my list of someday when I have time I am going to do this. Here are some great ideas I have found of the good old web world. Enjoy.

Reindeer
Collection of many designs
Etsy collection

Mommy Madness

2008-11-28T12:50:00.000-08:00

Ahh yes the joys of being a mother. Today I had one of those moments where I probably would have burst into tears if it had occured a week or two ago but today I had to surpress bursting into hysterical laughter for fear of waking the little man.

So here is how to story goes.....little man is having a grumpy morning. We have just finished a diaper change, mommy milk and bottle top up. I put him into his bouncy chair and he gets mad because he can't reach his toys. I prop him up so he can reach them and he promptly bursts into tears and starts crying. I pick him up, he settles down, I put him down on his blanket, he starts crying.....hmmmm goes mommy, maybe time for the cuddly wrap. On it goes, in he goes, a few more tears and suddenly someone is asleep.

Mommy thinks strange that he has zonked but I guess he feels the need to rest. Well let's see what we can do with him in his cuddly. Mommy carefully pours bottles of water with arms outstretched in front of her, trying to accurately pour a dozen bottles to send with her little man to grammy and grampas house for his first sleep over. Eleven bottles poured and mommy runs out of boiled water. Fill up yhe kettle and turn on. Okay finish this later thinks mommy. Now what?

Mommy should eat lunch now or it could be a while. What does the fridge contain? Hmmm, how about the leftover stirfry...that should taste good cold...we don't want to risk burning little man if we were to have some sauce drip now would we. Mmmmm, yummy lunch being carefully eaten over the head of sleeping little man...container held to chin...all of a sudden while spearing one of those juicy prawns the container does a flip, flys out of mommys hands, does a perfect 360 and lands on the floor.

Mommy stands in kitchen with horrified expression on face..Oh dear thinks mommy what am I going to do? Stirfry covers much of the kitchen floor with mommys feet in the middle of it. Do I risk waking little man by taking him out of cuddly? How can I clean up without doing so? Hhhmmmmm, dish towel onto feet and carefully remove mommy from the kitchen. Now what?

How about a picture to remember this crazy moment? Yes indeed. Then out came the handy dandy swiffer sweeper. A couple of dry clothes followed by a wet one or two and voila....the mommy saves the day as lillte man is still asleep. Now how about that lunch...

Oh yes, here is to photo of the day.

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood

2008-11-16T11:41:00.000-08:00

I thought it might be fun to post about the books we have on PK's book shelf. Maybe write about the story, thoughts, likes/dislikes, etc. This book starts the listing by default as the first book picked up. I absolutely love the illustration. Th story is short and easy to read. You can teach about obeying your parents and the dangers of strangers with this book. Get's my vote as a keeper.

PK

2008-11-16T11:32:00.001-08:00

Now officially hooked up to the net from home but of course not much time to spend updating site as to what I am doing or what PK is doing. Picture above was taken to celebrate the beautiful fall colours around us. PK is now 9 weeks and such a big boy. This morning he rolled on to his side for the first time (or atleast while I was watching).

1 week till D-day

2008-09-08T13:00:00.001-07:00

Okay, we are actually only 5 days until the official due date and I sure look the part. I am ready and not ready all at once. Physically I am definitely ready to have this baby out. Mentally I am still happy being just me and not having this little bundle here yet although I am certainly looking forward to meeting him/her.

Here is a picture of todays project. I have 13 more cut out and am in the process of sewing together.

A picture from yesterday showing what a great spotter piglet and I can be. Very jealous of the guys with such great conditions...next year.

And a pic of the feet just because they look like overstuffed sausages.

Day by Day

2008-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:00

Nothing too exciting going on in my world. Just getting bigger and bigger. Today is day 9 on the count down of last days of work.

This past weekend the painting crew - ie Andy, Todd, Keith and Sandra finished off the large sections of painting the shop. Now there is just little touch-ups and putting tread back on stairs, etc to do. I didn't do anything but mix paint but was so hot and tired that I barely had energy to even feel guilty.

Sunday evening was capped off with this beautiful view from our back patio.

And because someone wants to see this big belly of mine - a warped side view taken after admiring that beautiful sunset.

Car Seat

2008-08-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Wednesday night Andy & I went shopping for the one neccessity we need in order to bring the piglet home.....yes, there are other needs such as clothes and diapers but they won't let you drive home from the hospital without a proper car seat....so off to the big city we went.

After pulling several different models off the wall, adjust the handles, pulling them in and out of the bases, comparing weights, handle comfort, padding in the seat, etc, etc....we settled on this one.

Strangely enough it is actually the same colour combo as the jogging stroller I have already picked up...something I didn't realize until I got home. Red and black...good for a boy or a girl...

Baby bump photos

2008-08-05T09:27:00.000-07:00

Andy and I had a photo session on July 26 to take some photos of what the belly looks like at -7 weeks from due date. It is funny looking at them today, only a week later and it seems like the belly has ballooned since then but then I think the belly looks way smaller in the photos then in real life from what I remember it looking like a week ago so it probably isn't really that much bigger.

I have a whole selection of fun photos from that day. Some with Andy, some without, some of just the belly....I think it is going to be tough to choose the one photo to have blown up as there are several that I like. Here are some of my favs though.

This weekend we went to the lake. Three full days of relaxation. Pure bliss for this waddling girl. We spent Saturday working on choosing baby names. Actually came up with some names we both like - might be getting somewhere. The rest of the weekend we did next to nothing...a boat ride...sitting in the sun...sitting in the shade....going for a swim...man life was tough. Christine and Carson also joined us on Sunday which was so nice as we barely see each other anymore.

Etsy Finds Friday

2008-07-25T12:34:00.001-07:00

Ele-friend by
Stephanie Hanson

Train Pants by Stitchgirl52

Fantasy Fat Quarter Swap

2008-07-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I just received my fabric swap in the mail. This lovely package arrived just as I was starting to worry that perhaps it wasn't coming. I can't believe the amazing fabrics my partner chose for me. I love every one of them - which I have to admit I was a bit worried about. I can sometime be a bit on the picky side. There were lots of fun little extras in the package too - and a small pack of cookies just when I needed them most.

See what I got!

Thank you Iva.

Now what to do with them.....

Baby Booties

2008-07-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I decided to whip up a little something in case we get the call that Brad and Leese have taken their trip to the hospital. I have been wanting to try making these booties for the longest time and have printed off numerous patterns to try. This pattern seemed the simplest and most straight forward so I figured it was a good place to start. I had picked up a suede jacket at a second hand shop a while back for the grand sum of $1 with these booties in mind.

I am now eager to make a whole bunch more using the suede for the sole and playing around with different fabrics for the top pieces. I think piglet will have to have a pair of all suedes as well. If I get the time I will make a new pair - with revisions - for Brad and Leese's little one and piglet can have the trial pair. I also have to figure out how to upsize the pattern so I can make bigger ones. This pattern says it is good for 0-6 months but I thought some 6-12 month ones would be good as long as the sole is non-slip. Especially for just around the house as indoor slippers that don't slip off :)

Shop in progress

2008-07-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was satisfying and enjoyable but extremely tiring. We have started the process of painting the shop. We had hoped that with a large work party we would get it done in a weekend (as we had the house) but alas that was not the case. It looks like it is going to take a whole weekend again of painting to finish it up. The upside is that we can see how great it is going to look when done. A huge improvement upon the dreary grey it was.

I spent the weekend preparing meals, mixing paint (we had to darken the paint - good lesson to learn - always paint a large chunk before ordering up an entire house worth of paint - we added 1.5 cups of black stain to every gallon of green stain) and painting what I could manage. Emotionally I was a bucket of guilt - going between feeling like I wasn't working hard enough and doing my share to feeling like I shouldn't be doing any of the painting as it could be hurting piglet. Grrrrr... don't like it at all....but piglet has been kicking up a storm the last two days so I can't have done too much damage...I think...I hope..poor kid...such a naughty momma.

So here are some before and afters...what do you think?

The Dreary Grey

Bold and Beautiful Green

I am in the process of prime and painting the shutters to go on the upper windows - they will be cloud white - very cute - just loving it!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Keith, Sandra, Krista, Darren, Carla and Todd for all the numerous hard hours of painting you put in..I only hope I can repay it someday.

Renting Mother Nature

2008-07-17T09:15:00.000-07:00

Rent Mother Nature
This is one of those funny little things that you stumble upon in life and think...what a brilliant idea. There is increasingly becoming the need for farmers to become creative in the way they sell their items in order to be even slightly profitable...or even to be able to keep their farms going. Many are sharing memberships to their farms and each member gets a share in the produce but this is only good for farms that have an array of products or huge memberships for a single type crop.
Around here it seems the best option is to sell at the farmers market and perhaps farm gate sales but you also have a huge increase in insurance costs if someone is buying anything from you and if anyone is stepping on your property. You have to sell a fair amount in order to make it worth while.
Organic products are increasing in demand but the time and cost to become certified are not the easiest.
This is a great idea in that it expands the market - it is a gift item rather then a take home to be consumed item. It is value added in that the actual food item is worth only a portion of the total package. And it is fun and different. If it came from a Canadian company I think everyone would be getting something from them for their next Christmas or Birthday present.

Tarts, tarts and more tarts

2008-07-14T09:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning was an assembly line of tart making. 125 lemon with fresh raspberries and 125 pumpkin to be exact. Made and delivered by 1 pm for a Saturday evening outdoor wedding.

Three double batches of lemon filling (the type you would find in a lemon meringue pie - yummy). Each tart had 3 fresh raspberries to top them off.

Boxes of lemon tarts ready to go.

Pumpkin tarts cooling down, more ready to go in the background and empty tarts waiting in boxes to be filled.

After deliverying tarts Andy and I went up to Honeymoon Bay to relax for the remainder of the weekend......ahhhh bliss.

Weekend projects

2008-07-07T11:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend the boys decided to remove the chimney and work on finishing the siding on the shop so we would be ready for painting weekend. They had a little incident with a chimney that ran away from them and ended up landing an inch - no joking - away from Todd's 1960's chevelle which he had just insured that very morning. I was inside the shop when the crash occurred.

And this is what I was doing.....shutter making in progress. I have cut all the boards to make shutters for 6 windows on the shop. We are going to pre-paint then so we can throw them up after we paint the shop. Very exciting! I also cut some of the scraps into bird houses as we went to Andy's grandparents wedding anniversary party last night and needed a little something to take with us. I'll have to take a pic of one of the birdhouses sometime soon.

Piglet's change table

2008-07-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this change table at a second hand shop. I was going to buy one of those nice change tables that look like a dresser after the little one graduates from diapers but when I saw this little gem my mind went to...hmmm...$30 dollars and a little paint job or $380 and it still might not match the bedframe quite right. So what does someone like me do..you guessed it...and I think with a little paint she looks quite nice.

The before shot

And the after

Mosquitos are swell

2008-07-07T11:01:00.001-07:00

Or should I say when one is pregnant and gets bitten by a mosquito one swells. This is a tame version what my mosquito bites looked like on my feet after our trip to the lake on the long weekend. I don't recall every reacting to mosquito bites. Yes, they get itchy and red but never do they swell up. The picture shows one at a "normal" reaction size and one at about the size the others were the day before - although they also went a white tone rather then red as in the photo. My other foot had about 3 or 4 or these beauties. Isn't being pregnant an experience!

Picnic Blanket and a Bag

2008-06-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I realized that we are coming up on lake times once again...next weekend to be exact. And.....I still was sitting with this beautiful piece of fabric I brought back from Hawaii. So, I went for a visit to our fabric store and picked up some great water resistant fabric for the bottom.

I decided I might as well make it atleast something useful beyond just a square of material to sit on..so I put pockets in each corner. It quite often is a little breezy at the lake so whan I am reading a book or magazine I can slide it into the pocket when I get up to go get a drink or snack or .....visit the washroom one more time ;) The pockets will also be great for throwing the bathroom key in or a bottle of sunscreen or a snack to protect from the crows.

Picture looks a little funny as I draped it over a chair to take a quick shot but I'm sure you get the idea.

I also put on some little ties to make it easy to roll and carry.

Last night I decided to make a pillowcase bag. I had seen this on Martha Stewart's website and thought it might be fun. Wasn't difficult to do at all and is a fun use for an old pillowcase. Should be good for throwing craft projects in for the lake.

My first Swap

2008-06-24T10:38:00.000-07:00

Well I have completed my side of my first ever swap. This one was for four fat quarters with misc additional items thrown in the package. I now eagerly await my parcel to arrive in the mail with whatever fabrics my partner has chosen for me. Hopefully she likes the items I chose for her....and hopefully I like what I receive. I'll post a pic of the package that arrives once I get it.

This is what I sent...Robin, if you clicked on my site you better close your eyes now.

Ouch....little feet....and a graphic warning ;)

2008-06-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

As I write this, piglet, bless his/her little soul, has chosen to amuse him/herself by repeatedly kicking/pushing me in the ribs. Gotta love him/her, not sure quite what he/she has wedged in there but darn if it doesn't make sitting at my desk uncomfortable. Good thing I still find all the movement amusing or it might be annoying.

As per Mom's request here is a picture of the current Big Mumma belly..Now at 6 months, 1 week....hence the graphic warning...tee..hee..

Thought I'd post a couple of pics of completed and updated baby projects.

First there is the completed palm tree with bassinet set up and full of freshly cleaned plush toys....don't think piglet needs any more stuffies.

Then an updated picture of the window area. I added another curtain as I didn't like the way it looked before. I then altered the bakers rack I had left over from Canadian Cart Concept days. Currently I am storing piglet's book collection on it...they will obviously have to be moved once someone starts moving on one's own but until then it looks cute. I think I have this desire to have a huge library of books for piglet. I have this massive wish list at Amazon full of little kids books. Kind of silly really as we have this great library in Mill Bay so why spend a ton on books. The collection I have so far is from my own childhood plus books I have found at second hand shops, garage sales, etc. I have noticed I tend to stay away from 'name brand' books (doing the same with clothes, decor, etc) - trying not to have much Disney, Blues Clues, Dora and other such known characters - I figure it kind of kills imagination and pulls kids into commercialism far too soon. Most of the books are full of beautiful illustrations and I try to keep with stories that are of the teaching manner, whether it be a value/moral or a how to do something or a history lesson. Can you tell I was a bookworm growing up :)

How about a picture of all the baby clothes I have been laundering. This pile doesn't count all the newborn to 6 month cloths already stacked in the closet. Putting more shelving in the closet is on the to do list now so that I can actually go through all the clothes and figure out what I may need. Looks like I have more then enough sleepers and onesies to keep me going for a while though.

Lastly is the sewing projects. First pic is of burp cloths that are completed. Second pic is of burp cloths that need to be pressed and final edge sewing done.

Well that's enough for now. More completed projects coming soon...

Life update

2008-06-03T09:20:00.000-07:00

A pictureless post but then I guess I have been too busy doing things that I keep forgetting to take pictures for others to see.

On the baby front I have completed the palm tree - looks pretty good for a non-painter. I have cleaned up the bassinet and washed the bedding - thinking I might paint the legs to freshen it up a little. The quilt is almost complete. I have sewn all the front pieces together and picked up some binding so now I just have to sew the binding on and it will be done. I am part way through sewing together burp cloths - although I keep finding more fabric to make more burp cloths - still haven't found a 'suggested' amount of cloths to have on hand which makes it difficult to know when to stop ;) I think this afternoon I am going to go choose some flannel fabric to make some receiving blankets and wipes. After them I will have to start on diapers.

Garden wise - I planted up the majority of the veggie garden - just the periodic addition of lettuce, carrots, radish, etc to keep season long supply going. Found holes throughout the garden beds for the 4 boxes of dahlias I was given - I'll have to keep them cut back or I'll have a huge mess in the garden...teehee.. I planted one hanging basket..just cause you have to have atleast one hanging basket. This year it is hanging next to the arbour leading to the veggie garden. I also planted some nice trailing annuals in all the planters on the back patio, garage door planters and front entrance planters. I did a big harvest of herbs this past weekend - hopefully they will dry well as they currently are spread all over the livingroom.

We went for a sail with the Porter's this past weekend. I do enjoy going out with them a couple times a year but I can say that I don't think I would ever become a big sailor. Much rather be in a speedboat with a destination in mind...luckily Andy is of the same mind.

Anything else.....oh yes, I made myself a pillowtop shirt..I was hoping it would make a great maternity top throughout the hot summer but I have a feeling it is only going to last another week or two. It will be a cute top for next summer though.

Well, I think that is all for now.

Jumbo Shrimp with Sorrel Pesto Pasta

2008-05-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

MMMMMmmmmmm good.

Last night I decided to use a little of my garden goodness. Raided the herb bed and stripped down my sorrel plant to make a fresh pesto. So here it goes.

2 cups sorrel leaves, washed and minced
1 Tbsp fresh crushed garlic
2 Tbsp orange juice (or use lemon for an ultra lemony flavour)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)
1/4 cup toasted pinenuts (or other nut)
1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix above ingredients together in bowl you are going to use to serve the pasta in. This size batch will coat roughly a 4 person serving of pasta.

Boil water and cook desired pasta - I used a whole grain rotini as this pesto can stand up to the stronger flavour of a whole wheat pasta. Add raw prepped jumbo shrimp to pasta roughly 3 minutes before pasta is completed cooking. Drain and toss with pesto. Voila! Serve with fresh bread & butter and veggies & dip for a quick and easy summertime dinner.