Moving Without Purpose (sort of)

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When I have an hour to myself my brain seems trained to zoom towards how many things I can get done.  What I can quickly jump into and rush to finish in that precious hour.  What I can race through before those extra balls are thrown back into the juggling act.   I know this sounds familiar, because everyone I talk to seems to be feeling the same way.

The new month and finally feeling settled back into the school year routine seems like the right time for few little changes. Nothing that will change the world, but maybe reclaim a few moments in the day?  Like taking advantage of the gorgeous weather to walk. To end up wherever, and snap pictures of whatever and let go of the things that will find a way of getting done...they always do.

And yes, this is a lovely autumnal way of realizing that the outfits I pulled out of winter storage could fit more comfortably. So maybe with the right playlist a brisk walk is never entirely without purpose after all.

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Tulips

I bought some fresh cut tulips over the weekend. Sometime you just have to treat yourself to a little bit of weekend happy.

They're making me dream of spring...


...even though we're still steadily dealing with winter. *sigh*

Of Hearts and Their Matters

Freely given. Easily broken. Patiently mended.

I'm not usually prone to the sentimental side of Valentines (but I'll happily take the excuse for a quiet meal, eaten warm with the company of my sweetie and some uninterrupted conversation...did I mention champagne and chocolates?).

I couldn't resist a bit of cliche and a dose of reflection though, not to mention the collaboration of favourite things (fabric, scissors, embroidery floss and my camera).

Hope you have a sweet weekend planned with your favourite people and pastimes.

From the Kitchen (iii)

Wordless Wednesday (and...ummm...I don't have any to share...sorry)

Dear Blog

I know what you're thinking. It's been awhile. It started with a missed week, that led to two, that led to...well...a month.

There's no easy way to say this so I'll just put it right out there: I've been seeing someone else. My photo-a-day project began as a casual whim, but somehow it's been quickly growing into something a little less casual. I started discovering what all those letters on my camera mean! I found out there's actually a button that let's me control how much flash I'm using. Do you know what this means? I don't have to use the outdoor setting when I'm inside. In fact - I don't even use the presets at all anymore.

I know. It doesn't make you feel any better does it. I've tried to explain this to knitting, cleaning, cooking and running. They didn't take it very well either. : (

Let's make a deal. I'll make sure to schedule some quality time together in February, if you'll let me bring some crafts along (and maybe the occasional batch of cookies?) I can't promise you we'll do it every day, but we'll find a way to make this relationship work.

In the meantime, have a Tootsie Pop. It will make us both feel better.

Back to Regular Programming

Have a good day hon. See you after school kids.

Hear that?

The sound of a quiet house
and the gentle hum of routine resuming.

So good.

What to do first?

A Year for...

...crossing a finish line
...finding the perfect recipe
...figuring out those setting options on my Nikon
...spending more time playing...really, really playing
...picking up my paintbrushes and watercolours again
...reading that book that's been waiting on my sidetable
...making a better choice when chocolate whispers to me
...casting-on knits and catching up on podcasts
...getting outside...hats/boots/coats/helmets/lotion and all
...big boy underpants and her first reader books
...homemade and simple pleasures

1. Starting Over, 2. Lemon Tart with Meringue, 3. Block Party, 4. Water and Colour, 5. Snow Day 1, 6. On the Cutting Board, 7. Mimimalist Cardigan, 8. 2:365:2010, 9. Minimalist Mess
Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Waiting for Nigiri

Sushi - En Route
Champagne - Chilling
Kids - Pizza and smiles (on their side of the table)
Twister Hopscotch - Setup and ready for after dinner action

Happy New Years. May 2010 bring joy, happiness, and all of the things you're waiting for!

Flickr Favour! (and something to do with Turkey)

Before we'd even cleared away the last of the wrapping or finished the turkey leftovers, my brain was already turning to the new year. That first day filled with fresh prospects and the perfect motivation to refocus.

With lots of ideas swirling, one of the constants on my list is a 365/2010 project; a picture a day to keep improving my shots and capture the year. And since blogging and Flickr seem to go hand in hand, I would love your feedback to get 2010 started with a click.

• Does anyone have a favourite 365 or Picture a Day Flickr group recommendations? There is such a long and growing list to choose from!
  
• From anyone who's done a 365, what motivation tips and tricks kept you going?
• Are you planning to do a 365? I'd love to add you as a contact for inspiration.

And about those turkey leftovers!

Mexican Turkey Hot Pot

In saucepan heat 2 tbsp olive oil; saute 1 diced onion, 1 clove of minced garlic and 1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes.

Add 3 peeled and cubed potatoes, 4 cups of turkey or chicken stock and 1 tsp oregano. Cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (until potatoes are tender)

Add 1 x 24oz can diced tomatoes, 1 can kidney beans, 1 can kernel corn and 2 cups of diced cooked turkey. Simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir in 1 tbsp lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Friends with Gingerbread

Friends are good.

Friends with kids who your kids love being with, are great.

When that friend happens to a trained pastry chef, you're in for a treat (Guiness gingerbread cake...mmm).

When that same friend opens up her home and has half a dozen gingerbread houses ready to be decorated, you realize just how lucky you truly are.

Things That Make a Good Day

• Hearing the wind rattling around at night while I'm snug in bed.

• Waking up to the sound of more slushy snow hitting the panes in the morning, and not having to wake up early and rush into work (two years as a stay-at-home-mom and I still rank that as one of my favourite winter luxuries).

• Living in this lovely little notch on the snow belt that let's us enjoy the early winter treat of snow. NOTE: I may modify this opinion as early as January. Just saying.

• Starting our day with the Kindergarten's Holiday Sing-and-Craft-Along this morning. (Yes, we have it recorded and I am fully prepared to subject family to the reindeer-hokey-pokey right after the turkey is served in a few weeks).

• Having a quiet home-bound afternoon with leftover Chinese takeout, a warm blanket, my knitting and several episodes to catch-up on (it's an impossible habit to break - the show I hated being subjected to as a child and can't resist subjecting others to as an adult).
  

First Frost

The start of December and the first dusting of white as we tumble towards a new season.

The month that holds the most lists - shopping, mailing, to-dos and wishes. The month that marks the end of one year and sets my mind racing towards the next.

But for the next few weeks I'm going to try to stay focused on three main goals. If I can do that, it'll be a great month.

Keep it simple : Keep perspective : Keep the spirit

Parapluies (and why subtitles get in the way of multi-tasking)

After a whirlwind of activity we are back to fully-moderate, completely-passable, sparkling-from-a-distance states of household cleanliness and organization. And most importantly, the laundry (including all that delicious fabric) - 'fin'.

Pay no attention to the trail of toys or food-exploded-upon-shirts that reappeared about 15 minutes after the whirlwind.

And I'm ready to get focused, put some priorities on things and put away a few of those tempting distraction projects for a couple of weeks (to be read as - "Finish those socks and don't touch that Shrug").

And above all else, I will not put this in the DVD player and make a pot of tea (and cookies...of course there would have to be cookies).

Nope. I won't do it. I really really really won't do it.

Unless...well...maybe a few minutes wouldn't hurt.

A Crafty Case of A.D.D.

My brain is awhirl lately and I have little to show for it besides piles throughout the house and very little cleaning taking place around them. So which one should I tell you about today? (Get ready for a whole lotta linking!)

I could talk about all the squares and rectangles I've cut for the Amy Butler patchwork quilt that I was so excited to begin.

Or I could tell you about the stack of fabric that I just bought an hour ago after seeing this tutorial over at Sew Mama Sew last night. A festive tree skirt that has now pre-empted the patchwork quilt.

Picture a whole lot of white pulling this together.

Then again, I could post about the latest book that frequently has me curled up in a sunny corner daydreaming about a wardrobe overhaul.

Of course, I really should be updating you on the no-longer-such-a-Mystery sock which seems to have stopped in it's track at the 90% mark (and yes, that's just the one sock). But then I would have to confess to cheating on said sock with a certain shrug which I've managed to keep on the down-low up until now.

You can see my predicament; blog-hopping is a dangerous thing. The gal who is usually true to her 'one project at a time' rule has somehow gone way way way off the rails (and I haven't even brought up the baking, decorating, and kids play ideas that are circling in my brain).

So I think I'll just set all of those things off to the side and spend a couple of hours cleaning the house and contemplating some sort of direction for finishing a few things before the end of the year. Then I'll feel completely without guilt when I fall into craft-busting mode for the rest of the week. After all, this November that I'm loving so much is going to be a quick one.

On a November Day

We're taking a deep breath and taking in this wonderful between-holidays month.

We're filling up on every opportunity to enjoy dry swings and slides.

We're making playdough again. And I'm once again realizing just how handy a blog can be in pinch - like when Julia's teacher sends me home a recipe-less note reminding me that I signed up for playdough making duty. It seems we were doing the exact same thing on a November day last year!

A November day can be a very quietly special thing.

Finding Happy

Things that are making me happy today:

My new green rainboots.

Socks that match my boots. Finishing Clue #2 (the leg) and moving onto Clue #3 of my Through the Loops Mystery Sock.

Discovering free Amy Butler pattern downloads (I'm probably late to the party on this one, but if you haven't seen these they are such happy designs to daydream with).

Courtesy of AmyButlerDesign.com

Leaves blown into happy little corners.

Finding things to be happy about.

"A pinch and a punch for the first of the month"

After several days of being sick, and several months of kids underfoot, this was going to be a post about the excitement and propects that come with the first day of September.

A month to get back to routine, back to school, back to running, back to organizing. A month to attack all of the things that have been set aside with the free-wheeling ebb and flow of summer days.

Today was the day that I woke up early, worked out, made a plan for the day. Today was the day that would start September as I mean to continue.

Then around 10:30 someone told me it was August 31. Wow - starting September a day early is either a testament to just how excited I am OR an indication of just how scattered I've become.

I think I'll spend the afternoon knitting on the back deck. And since I hate posting without a picture let's all 'let it slide'.

A Return

Blog breaks are a funny thing - the longer they extend, the harder it seems to return. Harder still to figure out where to begin again. But after several weeks it's time to land and get back into a blogging routine.

Tobermory, Ontario (Summer 2009)

Unplugging and spending time doing and contemplating has been a great celebration of some of the very few summery days we've had all season. And with lots of things on the go and even a few finished objects, it gave me lots of material to get back to posting with.

Summer Holiday

I'll be taking a blogging holiday for the next few weeks.

Spending a bit of time 'unplugged' while I sift through a whole bunch of ideas and inspirations.

Thinking about 'what next' and hopefully recovering some of the blogging mojo that has recently abandoned me.

Be back soon!

This Mother's Day

With a Daddy at work (yup, that would be a second Sunday in a row) it's been a quiet sort of day, but filled with special things like...

A gazillion bubbles dance party.



A thoughtful, specially sought-out gift from a thoughtful, specially sought-out hubby.


And remembering my own mom's black-handled sewing scissors and the frequent instruction to "Never, ever, ever use them on paper." (which seems to mean so little to kid who really wants to cut zig-zags out of construction paper).

And a recurring thought that the objects and activites we see in our childhood, have a wonderful way of making their way into our own homes and our own children's lives. I don't know if I would have sent my husband this oh-so-subtle hint if I hadn't been raised in a crafty home.

Speaking of home activites - it's time to get back ours. Cleaning out a cupboard in the kitchen and turning it into Toddler-invasion-proof art-supply storage. Who doesn't love a little organizing on Mothers Day? (don't answer that!)